The Banksy

The Banksy. Taken in the lower 9th ward of New Orleans, it gives a pessimistic and dark perception of the world. I only have one take of this digitally and none on film, (a photographers worst realization), however I believe it makes it quite special. Considering it's location and significance, it remains one of, if not, my favorite picture that I took on the documentary. Funny how out of all the countries I've been to, this one in America is my favorite.

If anyone (well let's be honest at this point, both of you) reading this blog has been to New Orleans recently, you will find what seems to be a completely rebuilt city. Hurricane Katrina was 5 years ago. Plenty of time for a city to fix it's Superdome and win a Superbowl. Plenty of time to rebuild a city and economy that could attain it's former state. Mostly true. Except for the lower 9th ward. Shells of homes still torn apart with spray painted body count numbers still circled on doors gave me a few chills. It appeared to be a suburb which used to be like many others across the country.

A city can win a Superbowl yet still cannot rebuild all the damage that was done? I viewed the superbowl in Istanbul, Turkey. I saw the Saints win and how much it meant to the fans and city of New Orleans. Making a statement that they have hope and success climbing back from the natural disaster. Yet homes still abandoned and torn apart?

Not all the homes were abandoned obviously. Some had rebuilt and moved back in but not nearly enough for an entire block or for many to even have neighbors on both sides. I wonder if this is by choice by the city or the lack of industry that hinders this lack of re-development. It's an eerie experience to see such a shattered region of a city still reminded by the horrible natural disaster just 5 years ago.

Haitus is over

It is has been a little over a month now since my last post about the illustrious Arri Alexa. An incredible camera however we never really have it in house. It's been rented a few times however mostly spends it life in NY at, where else, Arri NY. Hmmm, can't quite figure that one out but hey, seems to be shooting some great footage. You've probably seen the world cup Alexa commercial/short film. Google it. It's there. Trust me.

Updates about the Alexa (as cool as it is), is not the reason for my latest post. I have decided to put forth a resurgence of effort towards posting and keeping this tech blob/personal blog going. I will try to do daily, well, weekly, attempts to post some of my favorite pictures taken from "No Lands Too Foreign". Post upon the documentary is steadily making progress among the 125 hours or so of raw footage. It shall be exciting once the promo is up!

So it has arrived

It has finally come to our door steps. The Arri Alexa. It is an Arri built RED Epic competitor. The RED One MX sensor boasts 2 more stops of latitude than the previous RED One. This pushes it's dynamic range to 11 usable stops of latitude. Maybe a small amount more but it gets a bit noisy in my opinion if you push the footage too far. Regardless, the Alexa is boasting 14 stops of lattitude under ideal case scenarios. We're not getting to film latitude here. Now it's not an exact science from a DN Range chart but hey, the proof is in the footage. In which case we really can't fully use the camera due to the fact the firmware does not support the sxs cards that are INSTALLED on the camera. You can only record to an HDcam or Cinedeck at this point. So you can spend an additional 400 for an HDcam recording deck or more for a Cinedeck mostly dedicated the SI-2K system, or just wait. I think I'll just wait for them to update the firmware to support SxS. No one wants to be tethered by a BnC cable. The camera is heavier than expected but it lives up to the Arri built tanks of the film era.

The Red Epic is supposed to resolution wise have more however it's dynamic range and noises in the blacks is what I'm most concerned about. Another fact to remember is that the EPIC may or may not exist at this point. Some sources say it's unusable due to bugs and others say it's incredible which will be a jump in cinema technology. Either way, I just want to see how they physically compare side by side.

For more information:

http://provideocoalition.com/index.php/freshdv/story/epic_vs_alexa_dynamic_range/

Here is some DN Range charts in a test shoot from the link above.

http://provideocoalition.com/images/uploads/red_alexa_dr_charts.jpg

Location: HD Camera Rentals

New Hope

My repleacement ae-1 program. The last one was stolen in Peru right before Machi Picchu. I set my bag down inside a travel agency and I turned around only to find my bag, a broken headlamp, and my Ae-1 program with a 28mm f2.8 gone.
Unfortunately the criminals will get nothing in value for it so both parties involved lost I say.
Regardless, what dissapoints me the most is, well, the roll. I can't replace that.
Although I got a really nice deal on a limited edition model. The black does not change the quality of the picture although it is a nice upgrade.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:So Pasadena

Bon voyage to sticks!

I have just successfully pawned off the sticks to a local camera shop. The Matthews m-25 tripod is a good video tripod. It could easily hold an Ex-3 or comprable video camera. Unfortunatley just the 7d proved to be a bit too light as pans became a bit jerky.

Mixed with the fact that our style of filmmaking is run and gun all the time, setting up sticks is not an option nor is carrying them around with me at all times feasible.

The only tripod based equipment I have is my gorilla pod for dslr's which I highly recommend.

It's nice to shed some weight and make some cash so we can get back to te states!


-- Post From My iPhone

Location:Buenos Aires, Argentina

Tech Blog: Dane-Elec Card Review

The Dane -Elec proline udma 300x cards are a good alternative to the expensive Kingston rated brands if you are willing to accept their shortcomings. You get what you pay for. Each Dane-Elec card was $60 rather than $300 a piece for a 16 gb card.

First and foremost is that they only allow for 10min takes which is a few minutes shorter than the Kingston brands cards. Who knows why fat32 was used as the hd format with a maximum of 4gb a file... For most narrative filmmaking puposes, this is not that big of a deal. Keep in mind within 7-10 seconds, recording can continue once the buffer clears in the camera.

Secondly, buffer freezes and stoppage of recording happens fairly frequently. Mostly at the beginning and end of each card. The little meter icon will show up and become full at which time the screen freezes and stops recording. This can be quite frustrating especially if you're in a very important moment that can't be done again or when in the middle of a take and your talent is in a very emotional scene where having unnecessary takes is detrimental to the production.

As far as the high speed photography goes, I am allowed 15 8fps shots. I'm unsure how many you get with other cards but it's quite adequate especially compared to the 5dM2's fps rate.

Overall with the budget I have been working with on No Lands Too Foreign, it is a great cheap alternative to buying expensive cf cards.



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Mini bus in Thailand

Tech Blog-The Reality of our Filming Style

It has come to my attention within the last month or so the perception of how we must appear to the people we interact with. As the film school mentality begins to fade from my mind while on this project, we embarked on a journey that has us doing many decisions very un-Hollywood. Everything we have done thus far is real and un-staged. It is merely our journey through our eyes. It is not a presentation of a city but a small percentage of what a city has to offer to 2 young travelers.

Along with this, is our equipment and how we are perceived. With this HDSLR revolution so many are talking about, not only is it incredibly affordable to get an HD quality pictures, but portability becomes incredibly easy since it is a DSLR that happens to shoot video. These facts have been well stated for however what does this mean for the reality of the content itself?

We run around with a small camera as two young recently graduated students and people perceive us as if we are making a home video. Our subjects act more natural and are more inclined to be real. This is exactly what we want. The locals have seen a DSLR before for the most part yet they haven't seen an EX-3 or an F-900. Even if they have, the connotations that those cameras bring is the label of "professional" or most importantly "really expensive". Thus giving those who use the camera and the entourage with them as a big time production. They are less inclined to be real and more apprehensive to being on camera. Having a boom operator/mixer, camera operator, AC, producer, director and whoever else is on the team gives the impression of something completely different. More people crowd around to see what the bustle is rather than two kids with a camera shooting stuff around their hometown.

This revolution everyone is ranting and raving about is very much a point that will change the flow of where the industry will go on the independent level however not just with the technical side of things but also on the content side of things and the perception/psychological way production is perceived. For us, the reality of what we are doing and the people we meet is the most important thing. It seems like we hit the perfect time for the HDSLR revolution and this project.

Istanbul

The ride to Istanbul was a bit unbearable. We've decided the conductors on the train were running some sort of side game. We got onto our sleeper with a nice french speaking women. My broken french allowed me to deduce she was on some sort of important family matter. Either way it was only Zach, the woman, and myself on this particularly cold cabin. About an hour into the trip, the conductor informs us that there is a "heating" problem and that we can upgrade to a really nice sleeper in the next car for 25 Euros. Zach and I decided to tough it out. As the ride went on, he lowered the price and it did get unbearably cold. We eventually opted to get our own private car for a few more euros. It made the trip exponentially better except for the fact that there was no food car!

Unfortunately we did not think ahead of time to grab snacks so we had to ride on this train with no food and a small amount of water for 22 hours! Thus upon getting to Istanbul, I grabbed the first food I could find. The good ol McDonalds to the rescue. As awful as that sounds, it was probably the best Big Mac I've ever had.

Overall our time in Istanbul was fast but we did see some of the amazing mosques Istanbul has to offer. The Blue Mosque was very elegant both inside and out. Hagia Sofia was very nice however a bit more dilapidated than I was expecting.

We climbed to the tower that overlooks all of Istanbul and we realized how far we really had come on the first leg of our trip. Granted it is a marathon and not a sprint, standing upon the tower and seeing a panoramic view of Istanbul, it allowed us some time to reminisce and look to the future.

Tech Blog: Adorama FD/EF Adapter - The Verdict is In!

I have been waiting intently on a package waiting for me in Jerusalem with the following items:

1. Adorama EF/FD adapter for my 35 lenses to fit on the Canon 7D
2. XLR cord to 3.5mm jack so I may try to plug sound directly into the 7D
3. 2 more 16gb Dane Elec CF Cards (1.5 more hours a day of card space!)

The CF cards are self explanatory.

The XLR adapter is a bit disappointing because for some reason, the Auto Gain messes with the microphone and I get unusable sound on my clips. Further research will be needed but until then, the Zoom H4n plugged in works phenomenal for our run and gun style.

Now on to the adapter....

First off, I didn't intend to buy the Adorama version however the Ebay seller sold me this one since it had an EMF chip installed in it. I'm not sure if the Adorama one has one or he just added it. Either way, the chip allows for the circuits within the camera to work so that the reflective spot meter works, just not obviously the iris nob since it's all manual 35mm lenses.

Second, there are limitations I had read about and was fully aware of before purchasing the adapter. Since the focal flange distance is physically different FD to EF, there are some things that don't directly adapt without a piece of 1.2 crop glass in between the lens and the adapter. Thus causing a bit of cropping (although with the 7d it's not so bad I believe with the smaller sensor vs the 5d) and also because of the quality of the adapter glass(the adapter total was $40), you get some weird pro-mist filter like effects on your highlights while fairly wide open. (Note: without glass in the adapter, you will not be able to focus to infinite.) My 50mm f1.4 shows it alot. Although lenses during the day like my 35-110 f3.5 works fairly well. Although, certain breech lock lens mounts don't stop down all the way which is also frustrating. Have a good set of ND on you at all times if this becomes a problem.

Overall even with the limitations of the adapter, it allows me to use my FD glass on my EF mount 7D for relatively cheap. I brought my 35 AE-1 Program with me anyways and it does come in handy. Once you get over the finicky Open/Lock mount trick so the iris ring works, it works like a charm. It's not a perfect solution but if you're on a low budget and have glass laying around you want to work, it can do the trick. Use only for daylight situations or if you want that blooming effect on the white highlights. Good purchase but with it's limitations. If you don't want to deal with the hassles, then buy L series lenses from Canon. If you do that, you're probably not even thinking about saving money on lens adapters.

Further testing will be done but initial experience is a positive one.

Romania

Romania felt like another home to us. We spent quite awhile catching up on a few production items and definitely was a hard place to leave. After 5 days, we felt like we knew Brasov like the back of our hands. A quaint little town on the edge of a booming tourism curve with everything one could ask for. Their own version of the Hollywood sign, ski/snowboarding only 15 minutes away, and the culture of Transylvania to name only a few. Mostly the nice people were the main reason to go there. We met new friends and got to know a bit of history about Romania.

Our new friend Cornelius took us around Brasov and gave us insight that could not be researched or read anywhere else. He took us to a cemetery and told us about Romanian tradition. Then we moved on to the old walls of the city and the citadel up in the mountains of Brasov. Lastly we spent some time at a local bar with such interesting people ranging from artists, poets, and fellow travelers.

We also went up to the mountain to have some fun in the snow. Zach took the camera down the mountain once and I was able to meet the owners of the Florine Ski Shop. They were incredibly nice and I even signed the wall. So if anyone goes to Florine's ski shop, look to the right when you first walk in, you should be able to see my name written on the wall in sharpie!

There's way more to talk about in Brasov however those are best saved for the segment of the episode to watch! Until next time.

Budapest

Budapest night life was incredible which I had no prior knowledge of. After talking to the owner of our hostel about our film project, he took it upon himself to show us something that no other city could match. The night life and energy of the bars and club scene in Budapest was phenomenal. 6 different dance floors with 6 different types of music going on at the same time. People packed everywhere and massive amounts of dancing.

It was quite hilarious walking around the club with a camera because I was bombarded with people asking me to take their picture for some reason. We got some hilarious pictures of people thinking I worked for some Hungarian night life website/magazine. Unfortunately the camera was taken away within an hour of us going around filming everyone at the club. Their reason was that the camera was "too big" even though someone else later that night was going around with the same camera taking photos. It was frustrating however we didn't speak Hungarian and I did not wish to argue (consequently or potentially getting kicked out). So the camera was checked at the coat room and we relaxed and had a good time enjoying the club.

It was a good night and we did get some good footage with the less obtrusive flip cam which seems to come in handy quite often when we need to be more stealth with our filming.

Outside of the clubs, the Budapest Parliament building was a site to see and so was the Dohany Street Synagogue. Dohany Street Synagogue is the largest functioning synagogue in all of Eurasia.

Budapest was a pleasant surprise and I hopefully will be back someday to spend more than a few days their.

Vienna

Unfortunately it seems I say this too often to myself but we spend way too short of time in each city to truly appreciate the beauty of the locale, culture, and people of that city. Vienna is no exception to this. We spent two days in Vienna and were able to see a few sites and grab some Vienna coffee and Vienna Schnitzel. It was hands down the best coffee and water I have ever tasted. The water runs from the snow capped mountains for a taste that Dasani has nothing on. The coffee was rich and possessed a full body flavor that Pete's coffee can't compete with.

Unfortunately it was fairly cold for most of our stay in Vienna and it made it a bit more difficult to film and shoot in. Running around a bustling city in the cold with a glidecam on proves to be quite uncomfortable after awhile. Either way, Vienna was a great city to stop by in on our journey.

DOF/Run and Gun

Before the days of the HDSLR revolution that many are calling it nowadays, you could never get the picture quality for the price you can now. SD was the only option for prosumers and a GL2 was the cheapest thing for about 6k dollars. With the advent of the new cameras for under 5k (1Dm4, 5D, 7D), sensors and picture quality is amazing. Film school students should invest well into an HDSLR for their film classes because something like the 7d is only 1,700 with a kit lens.

With the latest project I've been shooting, "No Lands Too Foreign", it has come to the attention that the normal cinematic approach that I would normally would try to achieve is not what I've been doing on the documentary for a few reasons.

I do not have an AC to pull focus for me. No HD monitor for me to have confidence in, no fizz system, or even something as nice as a follow focus. Mixed in with the fact that there are no rehearsals or multiple camera men to grab the coverage I'd like or even multiple takes, the likelihood of missing moments that can be golden goes up exponentially. The main responsibility is to capture the images that will tell the story and shots that are out of focus do not do that.

If we were shooting on a 1/3 inch (or even a 1/2 inch sensor on the ex3) HD sensor, EVERYTHING would be in focus. With the 7D, night shots can be quite difficult when shooting fully open and with the subject fairly close (to about 5feet even on a 28mm prime). You can check to see charts in the ASC manual and find out how much DOF you're actually getting.

In summary a few things you should note:

1. Know you're project and what style you will be shooting. Run and Gun is not the most ideal but is the normal style of documentary shooting so use your gear appropriately.
2. As much of DOF all film students try to maximize, you will not always have the tools you need to make things perfect. Operating and pulling focus is not ideal but can be done. Shooting this project on the 5d, though will look better, will be extremely difficult with the vistavision size sensor and the +35mm DOF you'd get off of the lenses you have.

Tech Blog: The limitations of the Canon 7d

The Canon 7d is an amazing piece of camera equipment. The most important thing to remember about it is that it is a still camera that happens to shoot video. The image quality is amazing and the glass you can use with it is unmatched in many regards.

When approached to shoot No Lands Too Foreign on the Canon 7d, I was absolutely content with it. It's small size and my collection of canon 35mm glass would allow me to shoot some amazing stuff. What was unexpected though was the run and gun style documentary filmmaking that I did not take into account and the fact that we are not using the standard documentary filmmaking approach, we are only two people. I am the entire production side of things. I am my own first AC, Production Sound, and Operator. There is no production team other than 1 producer in San Francisco helping us. There is no advance team to scout ahead of us nor is there any secondary unit to pick up B roll for us behind us. Similar documentary's have done small teams however with significantly higher value equipment.

Here is a list of pro's and con's with the equipment thus far:

Pro
-Amazing image quality
-Use of Canon Glass
- Use in Low light situations
-can be very discrete with no steadicam/shotgun mic (most think i'm taking pictures)
-color correction ability when shooting flatter images
-Price
- extremely light to most other video cameras

Cons

-Battery Life
-Price of cards (though comparable to sxs or p2)
-Lack of Xlr inputs (ACG within 7d is awful) and the necessity of separate recorder
-h.264 conversion to prores (6 times the original size)
- No zebras or exposure aids (you have to eyeball everything) - the light meter settings can be adjusted but you should research how each takes its readings

Note: I know there are firmware hacks for the 7d (magic lantern) for zebras and audio level monitors however unless released by canon, I do not consider these stable platforms to rely on for a full production documentary or unless tested by myself first.

The FD EF mount converter for my FD lenses will be shipped from the states within the next week or so and I will have an extensive review of that.

Munich and the Pub Crawls

Munich is an awesome city. We went on the famous pub crawl with our hostel and we proceeded to drink massive amounts of beer. About 4 liters or so in the night. (for us imperial system users, 32oz for a liter) So 4 liters is well above my normal 40oz of mickeys I usually drink. By far my favorite pub was the Hofbräuhaus. One of the most well known pub's in all of Munich, they ONLY serve liters there. Liters of good beer too. Let's just say I stumbled back to the hostel where we continued to party with the pub crawl group. It was composed mostly of Aussie's and a few kiwi's.

à Paris

I always felt that my years and years of french classes were an utter waste of time thinking they were only good to get my language requirement out of the way since I would never use it. Spanish is definitely more useful in California however I take back everything I said about studying French for it ACTUALLY came in handy! I could understand a lot of people's conversations and phrases. I could form semi decent sentences and people could respond to me. It was quite gratifying.

Upon the train ride to Paris, we met up with a new friend Ahmed. He asked us merely where the trash can was (apparently in London, public trash cans are not as common as in America) and knew right away we were Americans as well. We began talking about our project and he accompanied us on our journey through the streets of Paris.

For lunch we were able to stop by a suggested crepe place and let me say it definitely blows the one in Santa Monica out of the water. The shop was a single owner shop with one old man who cooks and lives in the back. We told him were were les Metteur en scènes and he was more than happy to have us film there. (more accurately I'm un caméraman). It was weird to have someone so willing to allow us to film there. He was honored in fact that since we were only in Paris for two days and decided to eat at his crepe shop.

Our Hostel was in the Montmartre district in Paris. We immediately saw Basilique du Sacré Cœur and it is an incredible structure. Beautiful architecture and an amazing skyline view of Paris. Unfortunately the fog got in the way of some amazing footage and pictures but as the french say, c'est la vie.

We blazed through the rest of the sites hitting the classic Eiffel Tower, l'Arc de Triomphe, Musée du Louvre, and the Moulin Rouge. All really cool sites I never dreamed of seeing when I heard of them in French Class. I can truly understand how beautiful the french language is (being the language of love) and how absolutely incredible the sites were. I wish I had a few more days in Paris. I'll definitely come back next time I travel.

London

London is an amazing city. It is massive and encompasses so many people. There was no culture shock to no surprise. Although for the first time, I was the one with the accent. We toured some of the typical sites such as Parliament and Big Ben. The guards and their outfits are something to see. Every few minutes they do their march. At one point I saw a guard inch over tiny step by tiny step to be perfectly alined with his post. It was really amusing.

Later in the night we splurged and went atop the London Eye. It's massive presence cannot be felt unless you physically go up in there. You stand 450 feet tall at its peak and overlook everything in the city. You have a complete 360 degree view of everything around. Going at night truly allows you to see just how beautiful the city was. I wish I could spend more than a few days there but works calls as always.

Gear List

To all my film friends out there, here is the complete list of equipment that I have brought along on our excursion.

Camera

Canon 7D Body
Canon EF 28mm f/1.8 USM
Canon 28-135 Zoom f/3.5-5.6
Canon AE-1 Program 35mm Still Camera
Canon FD 70-210mm F/4
Canon FD 50mm Prime f/1.4
Canon FD 35-105 Zoom f/3.5
Canon FD 28mm Prime f/ 2.8

Camera Accessories

Matthews M-25 Tripod
Manfrotto Tripod Pistol Grip
Varizoom Vest + Support Arm
Glidecam 2000 sled
Canon Battery Charger
Calumet CF FW800 Reader
16GB Dane-Elec Proline UDMA300x CF Card (2)
32GB Dane-Elec Proline UDMA300x CF Card (1)
Century 52-58mm adapter
Fotodiox 55-72mm adapter
B+W 58-72mm Adapter Ring
FD-EF AE Adapter Ring
Hoya 72mm Cir-Polarizing Filter
Hoya 72mm ND .6 Filter
Sekonic 758Cine Light Meter

Sound

Zoom H4n
Sony ECM-44B
Audio Technica – AT897 Shotgun Mic
Rycote Universal Camera Mic Mounting Kit

Accessories

Logitech Track Ball
Bongo Ties
Leatherman Fuse
Roscoe Lens cleaner and wipes
Cinebags CB-25 Revolution Backpack

I plan to put some pictures of our gear up once I get into a location where I can lay everything out.

Day 1 - Los Angeles to London

As I stood in front of Doheny Library and shot the very first takes of No Lands Too Foreign, I began to realize the scope of the journey we had decided to embark upon. 28,000 Miles from start to finish and attempting to circumnavigate the globe. Oh, is that all? How very small my perception of the world really was. Having never left the United States before other than to Mexico a month ago, all of the advice and ideas my friends had for me began to rush through my mind. "The trip of a lifetime" some called it. The words didn't really mean anything until we stepped off plane yesterday in London and I looked over to Zach to only say, "I don't think we're in Kansas anymore..." This is only the beginning of a journey that I do not know where will end nor what I will discover in that time. If my mind is blown already after a day in a country that speaks english and the culture relatively similar to my own, I wonder what else lay in path ahead of us...

For my filmmaker friends, I do also intend to have technical posts which will include how I shot the documentary and with what equipment we brought with us.

So It Begins...

I will embark on shooting a documentary that will take me around the world. 40 countries in 4 months and 5 continents. That is the goal. I have started this blog for 2 reasons. One, to keep my thoughts organized that may come up on my journey. Two, to find out if I will find answers to my questions or raise more...