Before any successful shoot there is always some planning on my part as the cameraman or DOP. I like to have an idea of what I will be shooting and the location the shoot will be in. Really the more information you have will mean you can be better prepared and save time on set and most importantly get the best images. Try to get an outline of the shots needed or a storyboard is great too.
Continue reading “Shoot preparation and shoot day tips”
So how do you make sure your gear works when you need it too? That’s an easy answer, make sure you protect it properly. The easiest way to do this is to have your gear in protective cases or bags. Continue reading “Camera bags and hard cases for Photographic, Film and TV gear”
Deciding on new camera gear is always tough and you have to focus on which product is right for you.
I have owned and used on camera monitor-recorders for a long time. I originally bought a Atomos Samurai when I bought one of the first Red One cameras in Australia. The reason this was a great option to add to the Red camera was because it allowed me record a video stream with matching file names and timecode (to the RAW recording) the Red camera was doing. This allowed more options in post production as well as allowing for playback on set. This was in the very early days of the Red before the cameras could play back the footage. These two features alone were more than enough reason to buy the Atomos.
Continue reading “External recorder or monitor-recorder: why do I need one?”
It’s all happening again, Red has made a cryptic announcement of an announcement coming on July 6th.
Jim Jannard the founder of Red Digital Cinema posted on RedUser “July 6th. 9am PST. Right here. You need to be online. You need to tell everyone you know to be online. Have your credit card ready. This is a new product category. It does not impact your RED camera.”
Jim Jannard later posted its “Much bigger than a codec and much smaller than curing cancer.”
Continue reading “Red’s new camera”
Canon just announced the new 6D Mark II and EOS Rebel SL2 Each model boasts significant upgrades over its predecessors. They both will be shipping around Mid July.
Its great to have more camera options and as they are from Canon should make great images!
Continue reading “New Canon 6D Mark II and EOS Rebel SL2 cameras”
What is the secret to making a great video? A great cameraman.
While having all the gear you will need on set is always that best option, Gear does not make the cameraman, the cameraman makes the gear. Don’t forget Gear is good, but vision, know-how and creativity is better.
If you know how to properly use your gear, you can produce beautiful work. Does using professional camera gear perform better? Yes. But simply having the best camera isn’t enough you need to know-how to use it.
Continue reading “Secret to making a great Video”
A 360 camera allows you to take immersive, spherical photos or videos where every angle of the scene is recorded at the same time. This means it comes as either a rig that holds multiple cameras covering all angles, or a standalone camera with multiple camera lenses embedded in the device. 360 cameras come in two types: monoscopic and stereoscopic but most cameras are Monoscopic so I’ll focus on them. The term stereoscopic means it’s shooting 3D in 360 degrees. You all remember that 3D fad that died out recently.
Continue reading “The Best 360 Cameras”
Even with only two or three lights anyone can achieve great looking images on video or stills. A typical starting point for professional camera people is always the basic three point lighting setup, from there you can adapt it to achieve the mood you like on your shoot.
When three point lighting, the lights used are normally Key, Fill and Backlight (Hair light). The Key Light is the strongest light hitting your subject (or Talent), and the main source of light in the shot.
The Fill light is from the opposite side to the Key light and is there to reduce contrast and lighten shadows on the subject. Depending on how much contrast or shadow and definition you want on your subject, the Fill light can be moved closer or further away to vary the intensity (brightness). For a soft Fill light it can be filtered or bounced to diffuse it, or placed further away reduce the light’s brightness hitting the subject.
The Backlight (Hair Light) hits your subject from behind and or above which separates the subject from the background by making the edges of the subject’s body pop.
Continue reading “Improve your Video and Stills photography lighting”
So you are after some new lights to shoot video with. With this comes lots of decisions which will be mainly answered by the video work you are doing or want to do.
Choosing the type lighting for your shoot makes an enormous impact on the quality of your final video. The correct use of lighting allows you to
There is an ever increasing range of camera and lighting gear, new LED lights through to camera gimbals. But the C stand is probably the piece of gear that will be used on almost every shoot. The term ‘Century Stand’ goes back to the early days of motion picture production. Century Stands also known as “C Stands” are one of the most frequently used stands in the film industry. They are mainly used by grip and lighting and can support other things on film sets.
Continue reading “Essential Video gear – The C Stand”
North Coast NSW & SE Queensland Videographer 