IBC 2013 SHOW REPORT EXCITING NEW KIT WORTH SAVING FOR
Taking videography to the next level Winter 2013
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Mixing it up How to combine stills and video for better wedding films
In need of support?
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Five camera supports tested, we name the best for shake-free movies
PLUS Grab a piece of the action Take your movie footage to the extreme with cameras that like it rough! HDSLRWIN13_01 (COVER)rpSUBBED.indd 1
Corporate hospitality Why shooting video for commercial clients could boost your bottom line 4/10/13 14:44:29
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NEWS ROUND-UP
CONTENTS
Making it all pay
4 News The latest launches & announcements.
Our latest issue talks to those at the sharp end, still photographers who have worked out how to make money out of video
12 IBC 2013 All the product news from the video and broadcast industry’s biggest event.
mindset that’s open to new ideas will love something different and contemporary. Her faith has been borne out by the reaction of those who have so far gone for the new product. Victoria also dispels the notion that shooting a mix of stills and video at a wedding is too big an ask for someone to do on their own. She explains how she has managed this feat and her end result looks entirely professional and hasn’t caused her to melt down with stress on the day. The final product ticks all the boxes: it’s highly attractive, different to the packages offered by other photographers and she can charge more for it. As they say, given these benefits, what’s not to like? Paul Cooper, meanwhile, is another successful still photographer who, for the past year or so, has expanded his business, on the back of HD video, in his case by moving into the world of corporate films Acknowledging that the process has been a ‘steep learning curve’, Paul has nevertheless managed to learn the ground rules in record time and now can present himself as a maker of short films who truly understands the job that a corporate video has to do. It’s an exciting prospect, because more and more small businesses are looking at putting a well made short film on their websites. If you can set yourself up, as Paul has, to provide that service then you could be tapping into a really vibrant market. Read on and learn from those at the cutting edge, and I hope you enjoy the issue!
Terry Hope Terry Hope Editor Photo Professional
16 The film business Grab the opportunity to shoot videos for companies and boost your profits. 22 The art of fusion Meet the demand from wedding clients for still and moving imagery – easily. 30 Importing to Final Cut Pro X Getting your footage ready to edit. 36 Camera, action! Four action cameras designed to take the rough with the, well, rough. 42 Shooting for the web Your guide to creating blockbuster footage for laptop and mobile viewing. 52 Accessory test Six crucial bits of kit that could make your next shoot a breeze. 62 Group test: Rigs Which of these five devices offers the staunch support your business needs?
Editorial Team Editor Terry Hope Editorial Contributor Jamie Ewbank Advertising Team Business Development Director Dave Stone 01223 499462 davestone@bright-publishing.com Sales Director Matt Snow 01223 499453 mattsnow@bright-publishing.com Key Accounts Maria Francis 01223 499457 mariafrancis@bright-publishing.com Design Team Design Director Dean Usher Design & Production Manager Grant Gillard Publishing Team Publishing Directors Andy Brogden & Matt Pluck HDSLR Moviemaker Bright Publishing Ltd, Bright House, 82 High Street, Sawston, Cambridgeshire CB22 3HJ
Printed in the UK by The Magazine Printing Company using only paper from FSC/PEFC suppliers www.magprint.co.uk
When you have finished with this magazine, please recycle it • HDSLR Moviemaker is published 12 times a year by Bright Publishing Ltd, Bright House, 82 High Street, Sawston, Cambridge CB22 3HJ. • No part of this magazine can be used without prior written permission of Bright Publishing Ltd. • ISSN number: 2045-3892 • HDSLR Moviemaker is a registered trademark of Bright Publishing Ltd. • The advertisements published in HDSLR Moviemaker that have been written, designed or produced by employees of Bright Publishing Ltd remain the copyright of Bright Publishing Ltd and may not be reproduced without the written consent of the publisher. • The content of this publication does not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher.
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Cover image: Grant Gillard
Pretty much as soon as Canon had given us the tool, in the form of the EOS 5D Mark II, to start making video that had professional applications, the hunt was on to come up with the best way of monetising this proposition. Sure, there was now the capability to produce moving footage that had the quality end users were after, but where were the clients to come from and how would still photographers be able to make this new capability pay? Some years down the line that question is still being asked, but the more astute operators out there have, by and large, come up with the answer. They are now in the happy position of being leaders in terms of the services they offer, with all the advantages that comes from being ahead of the field. Two features in this issue focus on still photographers who, while still basing much of their business in the traditional area they have been brought up on, have found a way to add video to the mix in a logical way. As a result they have been able to add it to their repertoire and to either boost their take for a job or attract clients who would not have used them had they only been offering stills. Victoria Grech we’ve featured before, and she’s an enthusiastic proponent of DSLR moviemaking and has embraced its potential with both hands. The new package she’s offering her wedding clients taps into the growing demand for ‘fusion’, a mix of still and moving coverage. This mix allows her to give her clients a production that is modern, slick and capable of bringing back much more of the emotion of the big day than still images alone would be capable of. The interesting thing about Victoria is that she’s following her gut feeling that a modern couple with a
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12 FEATURE KEY LAUNCHES
IBC 2013
The IBC Show in Amsterdam is now one of the biggest events for the video and broadcasting industry in the world. The HDSLR Moviemaker team was in attendance, and here’s their round-up of key launches WORDS JAMIE EWBANK
F YOU WANTED ANY FURTHER EVIDENCE OF THE SURGE of interest in filmmaking at all levels, then a look at the figures released by IBC2013 will confirm what’s happening out there. A record number of delegates, 52,974, to be precise, attended this year, and headed to Amsterdam from all corners of the world. The show catered for everyone from big budget movie producers right through to those just dipping their toe for the first time into the world of video production, and the event now attracts a growing number of photographers who are eager to find out more about what HD-enabled DSLRs are capable of. It’s a chance to network and talk first-hand to the many companies who are offering accessories that are designed to make life easier for the DSLR filmmaker.
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The diversity of IBC can be seen in the fact that there were a staggering 431 speakers in the conference, while there were 1400 companies exhibiting around the 14 halls and outdoor exhibition areas. While not managing to make it around every single one of them, our team made sure to visit the exhibitors whose products are most relevant to the HDSLR Moviemaker audience, and news of some of the most appropriate headline products can be found over the next few pages. Bookings are already being taken for IBC2014, which will take place again at the RAI in Amsterdam, 12-16 September 2014. To find out more about IBC and to keep up with the latest news and developments, visit www.ibc.org.
Zacuto Recoil Handgrip Kit Zacuto’s Recoil Handgrip Kit contains the new Z-Drive follow focus and Tornado grip and, thanks to its standard 15mm fitting, can be used with either the Zacuto Recoil shoulder mount or with other 15mm equipment. The Z-Drive follow focus is designed for comfortable use and has no internal gears, so it can’t develop unwanted play. The Z-Drive can be positioned on either side of the lens, facing forwards or backwards, and is calibrated for .8 lenses, with adaptors available to fit unpitched lenses. For solo operators, the Tornado handgrip attaches to the whip port and allows users to adjust the follow focus via a secondary control on the horn-shaped handle. Both the Z-Drive and the Tornado handgrip are available separately as well as part of the Recoil Handgrip Kit. store.zacuto.com
F&V LED Lights F&V used IBC to show off the HDR-300 daylight-balanced LED light. The ring light contains 300 LEDs and can produce 1950 lux at one metre away, and can be supplied via a Sony NP-F battery or DC power. Two magnetic filters are included; a Tungsten filter that will calibrate the output to 3200K for shooting under incandescent lights and a Frost Diffusion filter that will soften the edges of the 65° beam and can also be used as a gel holder. More filters are expected to follow soon. The HDR-300 comes with a selection of mounting options including L-brackets and adaptors for fitting it to lighting stands or tripods, with a 15mm rod mounting kit available separately. www.fvlight.eu
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FEATURE
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Vocas shoulder plate Vocas has made adjustments to its F5/F55 shoulder plate that will allow it to be used with a wider variety of cameras. Originally intended for use with the Sony PMW range, the plate now has height-adjustable rails and a horizontally adjustable shoulder plate, allowing it to be used with Canon’s C100, 300 and 500 cameras, the Red Epic and Scarlet and also the Black Magic Cinema Camera. The plate has options for 15mm or 19mm rails at the front or rear, has a dovetail plate for mounting on a tripod, and integrated rosette attachments for adding handles or other accessories to the unit. The new baseplate for the unit will be available this coming November. www.vocas.com
Arri AMIRA Arri has announced the launch of the AMIRA, a new camera aimed at documentary makers that is designed for solo operation and extended shoulder-mounted use. The AMIRA uses the same Super 35mm CMOS sensor as the ALEXA and records 1080 or 2K footage to CFast 2.0 cards. Users can choose between the ProRes LT, 422, 422HQ or 444 codecs and record in Rec 709 or Log C. The AMIRA’s feature list includes 200fps for slow-motion shooting, built-in ND filters and zebra patterning and peaking for focus assist. The unit has a 14-stop dynamic range and offers internal grading using 3D LUT preset image profiles. Built around a solid internal skeleton with sealed electronics, the AMIRA is intended to be extremely rugged, with a supported lens and a great deal of protection from dust and humidity. www.arri.com
Roland VR-50
Marshall DSLR monitors Marshall used IBC to launch three camera top monitors specifically designed for DSLR video use. The 5.6, seven and nine inch high-resolution monitors have HDMI and 3GSDI loopthrough, and can be used with a variety of batteries. They have built-in waveform monitors as well as focus- and exposure-assist modes. The V-LCD56MD, V-LCD70MD and V-LCD90MD are designed to be easy to use and robust, whilst still being light enough to mount comfortably on a DSLR. All three models are available now, and you can find reseller information at the website. www.cache-media.com
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IBC saw the European launch of Roland’s VR50 HD all-in-one AV mixer, which combines audio mixing, video switching and USB streaming into a unit designed for use by a single operator. The device is intended to provide a plug-andplay system for live events and can record, archive or stream events captured via multiple sources including mics, cameras, separate audio feeds and computer-fed graphics. The VR50 has a 12-input, four-channel video switcher that accepts 3G, HD, SD-SDI, HDMI and Component/RGB inputs, and can output via USB, HDMI and main and auxiliary bus. The audio is handled by a 12-channel digital mixer that can adjust sound from the 12 inputs, or the audio embedded in the SDI or HDMI feeds and re-embeds it into the output. Streaming is handled via a USB 2.0/3.0 output that can be connected to a computer running a streaming service. www.roland.co.uk
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16 TECHNIQUE CORPORATE VIDEOS
The film business As the commercial market for video production continues to grow, one of the biggest opportunities is provided by the corporate sector. Paul Cooper explains his approach and the service that’s required WORDS TERRY HOPE
S THE DEVELOPMENT of high-spec HD-enabled DSLRs has made it ever easier for photographers to move across to video production, the question that has remained particularly pertinent is: where are your markets going to come from? Many have been intrigued by the possibilities that they are now being presented with but have struggled to identify how they are going to make financial sense of the investment they are going to need to make in terms of the add-ons that will make DSLR filming viable and the cost in terms of time and training that will be required to be able to present a suitably professional product. However, once you realise that video is an emerging market and that many of those who are looking to commission a product such as this are new customers who might never have been involved in this area before, you start to see a bigger picture. While an obvious end user might be couples getting married or portrait clients, an even bigger opportunity is emerging as more and more businesses, both small and large, are coming round to the idea that they now have the capability to host video material on their websites and they should be looking at how to make the most of that opportunity. Online marketing and promotion is massively cost-effective, but it needs to be done well or else the end result can be hugely counter-productive. If you can put yourself out there as someone who understands the market and has the ability to provide a highly professional production that will portray the featured company in a good light then you are in pole position to tap into this market and to give yourself either a potentially highly profitable sideline or possibly even a primary focus for your business.
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Approaching corporate videos One of those who has seen this opportunity and worked hard to get involved in this sector is Paul Cooper, who has run his still photography business in York for the past 18 years. Paul picked up a camera in earnest after spending ten years working in IT, and because of his background he found the transition across to digital technology easy, and it also made him aware of the potential new technology had to open up new markets. “I work from a studio that was built on the side of our home,” he says. “My wife Kate joined the business ten years ago as a second photographer, and although we might overlap on occasions and both shoot a lot of stock, we tend to stick to our own areas most of the time. Kate shoots lots of babies and also takes on product shots, while I tend to shoot commercial location work, family portraits and, more recently, videos. “I started to look more closely at offering moving imagery last year after a commercial client mentioned to me that they were interested in using video on their website. We were already working with HD-enabled Nikon D3200 cameras, so we looked at how difficult it would be to move
IMAGES Uploading a ‘Top Ten Tips for a Great Corporate Video’ film to YouTube has proved a valuable marketing and educational tool for Paul Cooper.
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“Tap into this market to give yourself a potentially highly profitable sideline or possibly even a primary focus for your business” www.dslrmovie.co.uk
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22 TECHNIQUE FUSION SHOOTS
The art of fusion More and more clients these days are looking for a fusion of still and moving imagery to make up their wedding package and the latest generation of HD-enabled DSLR is making it simpler to meet the demand WORDS & PICTURES VICTORIA GRECH
HE TERM ‘FUSION’ – referring to delivery of both still and moving imagery as part of a package – has been bandied around for many years now, so it’s not a term that wedding photographers should be unfamiliar with. However, until relatively recently, producing fusion-based products wasn’t easy to do, since it entailed making an investment in dedicated video cameras and going through the complicated process of shooting stills and moving footage separately. The latest breed of HD-enabled DSLRs has changed all of that, of course, and it’s now made the concept of fusion not only highly accessible but it’s also meant that even someone operating as a single shooter now has the ability to play with both mediums to offer fusion-based products. I’m often asked what my particular definition of fusion is. To me it doesn’t refer to any defined percentage of video versus still photographs, rather it’s more about fusing both mediums together in one bespoke product.
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It really just gives photographers a new creative product to play with, and once you’ve mastered the basic requirements of filming with a DSLR you have the potential to revamp your wedding packages accordingly. My first fusion piece was a full video with stills added to the end of the piece, and more recently I’ve been playing with merging still and moving imagery more comprehensively within the same production, all overplayed with relevant audio. The great thing about fusion is there are no rules; it’s down to you to create a production that you are confident ticks all the required boxes on the quality front, and you then have to decide how best to market your package to your clients. Get into the mindset It’s been suggested to me many times that it’s impossible to shoot a stills and video based product if you’re working solo on the wedding day. However, in most cases we’re only setting out to capture seven to ten seconds worth of video in-between your usual stills on
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IMAGES Leaving your camera rolling to capture video in the background could record some of the most momentous events of the day.
the day, which should be achievable. Fusion does call for you to come at the shoot with a different mindset however. When you’re filming it’s really important to visualise the full end product before picking up a camera and hitting the record button, even more than when you’re shooting still photographs. There are numerous questions that you should be asking yourself. What do you want the fusion end product to look like? How much video do you need to record? When and where are the video sections going to appear in the piece? Do you need to think about a running storyline that’s linked to the couple? How does the video help to tell the story of the wedding day? When I covered Verity and Dominic’s wedding recently I wanted audio to accompany the footage in the piece, so I planned to record the vows and speeches during the day. My aim was to record audio separate from the camera so I could flip from video mode to stills seamlessly during the day, without having to think about audio continuously running to video footage. I worked with a ZOOM H4n recorder and a Sennheiser G3 radio microphone system, and using this small lavalier tie clip mic on the groom for the service I was able to monitor the audio wirelessly without having to be too close. I used the same set-up later on for the wedding speeches, leaving the ZOOM recorder running continuously. This gave me the security of knowing that I would capture everything and could then just select snippets of the audio later on to use in the final fusion edit. It’s often really nice to not see the speaker in the footage you include but to overlay audio to relate to what they are talking about. In this case when Dominic talked about Verity’s smile and laugh I added video footage of her laughing as she was getting ready earlier that morning. www.dslrmovie.co.uk
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30 TECHNIQUE
Importing in Final Cut Pro X One of the most important steps to master in video editing is how to import footage. Filmmaker and Final Cut Pro specialist Alex Snelling talks through the basics and shows how to get the most out of the software WORDS ALEX SNELLING
NDERSTANDING THE import process is essential to understanding Final Cut Pro X. Before we start importing however, let’s be clear about two things – Events & Projects. Events are containers for storing and organising media, essentially a powerful database. Events are what you import media into. They appear at the top left of the interface in the Event Library (as a white star in a blue box). You cannot work without at least one Event. If there are no Events present, the software will create one for you on your local hard drive. However, the local hard drive may not be the ideal place for your Events as you may need a lot of storage space, fast disk speeds and portability. Consider instead attaching an external firewire drive
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(or Thunderbolt drive if you have one) that can be dedicated to the purpose of storing FCPX Events (and Projects). Projects in FCPX can be an edit, a sequence, a film, a scene or a song. Nothing more, nothing less, and one Project equals one sequence. Once imported, clips from Events are used to form Projects. But let’s focus first on Events, which will be our main concern during importing.
The Import window Importing in FCPX controls many things, but there are two key pieces of information: where your files are and what format they are created in. When you insert a card, attach a card reader or attach the camera itself via USB, the Import Window may automatically open up. If not, select File>Import>Media. The Import window will open in filmstrip view.
LEFT Here is one Event called ‘New Event 22-09-2013’. I’d rename this to reflect the nature of the job. ABOVE If the Import window doesn’t open automatically when you insert a card, open it manually like this.
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“Two keys pieces of information: where your files are and what format they’re created in” ABOVE The Import window displays a list of attached cameras, cards and devices, as well as associated archives and your favourite destinations. RIGHT On the left of the Import window you’ll find a list of possible locations for your media.
Let’s have a look at the discrete parts of this window. On its left-hand side is a list of possible locations for your media (see right). • Cameras Any cameras or camera cards that are attached. In this case one CF card (called London City), from a Canon EOS 5D is attached (as well as the camera on my laptop). • Devices Here are all the attached hard drives and, as you will see, I have three. We will look at importing directly from drives later. • Camera Archives If you have created a camera archive using FCPX, it will appear here. Simply click to access the protected contents. • Favorites You can add any folder here simply by dragging it from the Finder onto ‘Favorites.’ The central portion of the Import window is where the main action goes on. This is where we view and select portions of clips. www.dslrmovie.co.uk
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36 GEAR
A piece of the action What’s the point of doing cool or dangerous things if you can’t then show people the footage? We look at rugged, wearable and flexible HD cameras that can get you right into the heart of the action WORDS JAMIE EWBANK
CTION CAMERAS have come a long way in a remarkably short space of time, and it’s given videographers a valuable extra tool as they strive to capture exciting footage that has the potential to lift any production. There was a time when capturing any sort of vigorous hobby or extreme sport meant cabling a remote eye to a video camera clamped to a bike/sports car/ snowboard or whatever in a fashion that was usually cumbersome, often fell foul of the rules of whatever sport you were taking part in and rarely produced much in the way of worthwhile footage. Even when all-in-one action cameras first became available, the results weren’t all that impressive. They might have got rid of the cables and camcorders, but the shaky action footage they managed to capture
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rarely looked very good; no surprise perhaps when you consider that it was all being captured through a tiny lens in standard definition. These days, of course, we have action cameras that shoot in Full HD, and the game has changed entirely. Picture quality has improved enough that independent filmmakers are using action-cam shots in their films, major broadcasters will build entire programs around action-cam footage and sports clubs are routinely producing end-of-year videos from footage submitted by their members. The uses you can put an action cam to vary immensely. Cyclists often use them to keep motorists on their best behaviour, filmmakers are happy to throw them off buildings or into lakes to get shots that would destroy an ordinary camera, and they’re often used to capture training sessions in order to an improve an athlete’s
technique. If all that sounds a little too much like hard work, you might just want to use one to shoot something simple because it will look great and they’re easy to set up. The requirements of an action cam will vary depending on what you want to use it for. For example, battery life is less important for people who want to shoot track days than it is for long-distance cyclists. Windsurfers will obviously prioritise waterproofing over shock proofing, and some users will want an aerodynamic model, or perhaps a low-profile piece of kit that won’t get in the way of their other equipment. Whatever your priority, our minimum requirements for entry in this round-up are HD quality footage, some form of armouring and waterproofing, and a convenient, versatile mounting system that allows it to serve more than one purpose. www.dslrmovie.co.uk
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ROLLEI S5 £275 German company Rollei has a range of action cameras for beginners and professionals that includes models built into sunglasses, designed for motorcyclists, or ones equipped with GPS so that you can tag where your footage was shot. The Rollei 5S Outdoor edition shoots video in a range of resolutions from1080/50 16:9 all the way down to 960/25, so users looking to splice its footage into an existing project should be able to find a setting that approximates the right ‘feel’ before grading. There’s also a 60 frames-per-second mode that will allow basic slowmotion work. The 5S will also shoot stills at resolutions between 3264x2448 and 460x3465, and you can use the separate remote control to capture stills without interrupting your 1080p video recording. The 175° f/2.8 lens and 14-megapixel CMOS chip record footage to a Micro SD card with a capacity of up to 64GB, and a full sized SD card adaptor is included. The Rollei lives up to its battery life promises of two and a half hours, and also comes with a spare battery, so you have the potential to shoot up to five hours of footage if you need to. Versatility was our watchword going into this round-up, and the Rollei’s selection of straps, clips and clamps allowed us to mount it on a jersey, a set of handlebars and a crash helmet. Adhesive pads and soft rubber fittings mean it won’t scratch your sports gear, and the presence of a remote control, waterproof housing and removable monitor massively increases the number of uses you can put the Rollei to. You can see some of our Rollei footage in the HDSLR Moviemaker app. http://www.rollei-actioncam.com/
“The Rollei lives up to its battery life promises of two and a half hours, and it comes with a spare”
SONY HDR-AS30V £259 Among the notable things about Sony’s range of action cameras is the enormous array of accessories you can purchase to expand their usability, including everything from emergency floats in case you drop them in the water through to dog harnesses that allow you to capture walkies from the pooch’s point of view. The latest camera in the range, the HDR-AS30V, will no doubt benefit from these sorts of optional extras as well, but in the meantime it stands up very nicely in its own right. Upping the pixel count over the Rollei, but with a slightly narrower viewing angle, the AS30V has a 16.8megapixel Exmor CMOS sensor and a 170° field of view, with a SteadyShot mode that slightly narrows the field of view in return for removing extra shake from your shots. It captures footage in 1080p 60/50 frames-perwww.dslrmovie.co.uk
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second, has a VGA mode for space saving footage, slow motion and GPS modes, and there’s Wi-Fi capability that allows you to tag your footage by location and upload it from anywhere. The AS30V scores particularly highly for its size and shape, and even in its waterproof case it remains slimline. Its lengthways design allows it to appeal to cyclists or skiers who want to stay as aerodynamic as possible, and it achieves its slender build by virtue of the LCD monitor being placed on a wearable wrist strap, rather than being positioned DSLR style across the rear of the camera. Being able to control the camera and monitor the footage from the wrist won’t suit users who need to keep extraneous clutter to a minimum, but for most users the remote control and slimline body will be a big selling point. www.sony.co.uk WINTER 2013 HDSLR MOVIEMAKER
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42 TECHNIQUE
INTERNET VIDEO
Shooting for the web The Internet is the natural place to showcase your films, but it’s important to make sure that what you’re uploading does you justice. Follow our guide to make sure your productions always look their best WORDS JAMIE EWBANK
HERE WAS A TIME WHEN videographers used the Internet as little more than a low-quality showcase, a place to give potential clients a hint of what they were capable of, before showing them a proper video, authored to DVD, on a big screen. These days, that sort of approach would be suicidal. Most clients will compile a shortlist of videomakers directly from what they’ve seen on the Internet, and many will even make their final choice based on the work they’ve seen online. And why shouldn’t they? Less and less paid video work actually makes it onto a DVD or Blu-ray and a big screen these days. While wedding videographers will still find that a properly authored disc is part of
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what they’re asked to deliver, many corporate videomakers now find that the training videos they shoot are intended to be screened over a company intranet rather than on a big screen. We’ve spoken to busy, successful corporate videomakers who, despite their workload, haven’t authored a DVD for years. These days, the Internet might be your showroom, or it might be the ‘venue’ for the final viewing of your work. Either way, your online videos have to be good enough to showcase your talent rather than merely hint at it. We spoke to Danny Benefield, account manager at content delivery site Mydeo about the increased importance of web video and its increasing adoption by photographers.
IMAGES When shooting video for the web, remember that many viewers will watch on laptop screens – and not at full screen size.
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“Online delivery is now the primary focus for most of Mydeo’s customers as it’s the best way to convey your message to your audience,” Danny explains. “Having video on websites is now considered the norm. Unlike still images, video has to keep an audience engaged for a prolonged period of time. Planning your shots is very important and ideally you should aim to plan every aspect of the filming process to avoid miscommunicating the main points of the video. An unplanned shoot can result in the problem of not having enough footage to piece together your production, and you probably won’t realise this until you reach the editing stage.” www.dslrmovie.co.uk
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“Video is the best way to convey your message to your audience”
Shooting for the web The major factor in shooting video for the web is screen space. Laptop screens are usually between 13 and 17 inches corner to corner, and most monitors aren’t much larger. Within that, it’s perfectly possible that your audience might not click your video into full screen size, which means they might be viewing it at 560x315. If you’ve been shooting with cinema screens or even large flatscreen TVs in mind, your video isn’t going to translate well to a tiny player window. Oscar-winning editor Walter Murch famously deals with the question of screen real estate by taking photos from a perspective in which people www.dslrmovie.co.uk
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are diminutive, then cutting out these little people and attaching them to his editing monitor. This serves not just as a reminder of what size people will look on screen, but also as a guide to what they’ll be able to convey. A quick glance at these photos will tell you just how much facial detail can be seen, and whether someone’s expression will be visible at that size. The fact that ‘Add Close Ups’ is one of the prime rules of editing for the web should tell you how much emotion is on display. You need to insert clear shots of people’s faces to make their expressions readable. Don’t think, however, that because your video will be viewed small that
you can compromise on quality. We’ve seen it suggested that people wouldn’t even notice digital artefacts or pan break-up when watching online, but this isn’t true at all. People can see it, they will see it, and the chances are that they’ll make a hiring choice based on it. And according to Danny you still need to shoot the best quality video you can manage. “Playback quality is another very important aspect of online video. HD video is standard now so you need to make sure you’re filming at a decent resolution because even the smallest flaw will be noticeable on today’s high-res screens.” WINTER 2013 HDSLR MOVIEMAKER
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52 GEAR CRUCIAL KIT
The essential accessories Having the right kit in your camera bag can be the difference between getting paid or having to make excuses. Jamie Ewbank rounds up some of the latest tools for tackling common videomaking demands WORDS JAMIE EWBANK There are many facets to capturing good-quality video footage and if you want to make it as a filmmaker you have to be in control of them all. Thankfully there are some excellent accessories out there to
help you in your quest, and we’ve rounded up a wide-ranging selection of them here. This issue’s collection of invaluable gadgets ranges from an inexpensive LED lighting panel and an astonishingly well-featured
solid-state audio recorder, a couple of supports to a dedicated video lens and a device that enables you to capture timelapse and panoramic shots without any input from the operator.
Polaroid Studio Series LED Video Light Panel It’s probably no surprise to discover that the company that will always be synonymous with selfdeveloping photos is capable of producing equally simple, elegant solutions in other areas as well. Continuous lighting kits are frequently expensive, heavy and feature enough power to cover every eventuality, but sometimes you just need some Dogme 95 style light-on-the-fly, or a single, balanced source of light on a stand, which is where the Studio Series LED Video Light Panel comes in. The 112 LED model is the smallest in a range that extends up to 1000+ LED models, and is ideally suited to mounting on a DSLR for up to 1000 Lux, controlled via a dimmer knob on the rear of the unit. The unit runs off five AA batteries and impressed us by running cool and actually lasting as long off those batteries as it claims on the packaging: something not all battery powered lights can manage. The panel’s plastic body is light enough that, even with batteries installed, it won’t overpower your ability to shoot handheld. The light also comes with a set of barn doors for managing the brightness, although the weight-saving plastic construction does mean that you have to treat them gently for fear of knocking them out of your chosen position. The lamp can also be mounted on a lighting stand, and there are extra shoes built into the chassis that allow you to connect additional panels to create a larger lighting display. There was a time when videographers would try to stand-mount green-tinged garden security lights rather than pay for a proper luminaire, so it’s particularly nice to see an effective but inexpensive option.
DETAILS www. polaroid.co.uk £69.99
VERDICT An efficient and affordable solution for simple lighting requirements.
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Fat Gecko Triple Mount If you’re looking for dramatic footage shot from an impossible angle on the side of a car or you just want to set up a quick static shot but don’t want to go through the hassle of assembling a tripod, then the Fat Gecko Triple Mount is the accessory you’re probably looking for. This clever device features three industrial locking suction cups that adjust to the contour of your shooting surface, and once you’ve placed the device where you want it you simply tighten everything up to lock it into place. With six adjustable points, it’s easy to set up a customised angle that could well be impossible to achieve by any other method. A standard tripod bush on a ball head fits most DSLRs, and a rubber washer
with a tightening knob is included to dampen vibration even further to combat wind or moving shooting surfaces. It’s said to be Fat Gecko’s most stable mount yet and on test it appears to live up to its promise. It feels very solid and well made for the money, and with a little preliminary coaxing into shape it attached like a limpet to the car we were using. It still takes a little nerve to attach your DSLR to the arrangement, and even more of a leap of faith to actually drive off and trust that your gear will remain in place, but it’s capable of holding cameras up to 5.5kg (12lbs) in weight. And after the initial worries you get used to the fact that it’s going to stay in place and the regular panic attacks start to ease.
Obviously you need to make sure you follow the fitting instructions carefully, otherwise you could be in line for a very expensive setback. It’s wise to test the set-up thoroughly for strength before attaching your camera and you shouldn’t drive faster than you need to once it’s all in place. The footage we achieved was great though, and this is a really useful and inexpensive device for any filmmaker looking for a fresh angle.
“Said to be Fat Gecko’s most stable mount yet… it lives up to its promise. It feels very solid”
DETAILS www.delkin.com £89.99
VERDICT Use with care and test the fitting thoroughly and all should be well. It will give you the opportunity to shoot footage that will jump out of the screen.
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COMPETITION
REWARDING CREATIVITY Fancy a challenge? Premium storage provider G-Technology® has just launched its annual search for the most inspiring and creative projects in the UK through its 2013 Driven Creativity Competition or those who are up for a challenge and want to put themselves in line for some fabulous prizes the annual free-to-enter G-Technology Driven Creativity Competition is a must. Open to both an amateur and professional audience and inviting entries in five sections that include photography and short film alongside animation music and GoPro Active this really is a golden chance to express yourself and to show the world just what a truly creative individual you are. The 2013 Driven Creativity overall winner will be selected from all categories both professional and amateur and will be awarded €5000 to use toward their next creative project as well as the new G-Technology G-DOCK™ ev with Thunderbolt storage system. A professional winner, an amateur winner and a runner-up will also be selected from each of the categories plus there will be one winner and a runner-up in the GoPro Active category where short videos captured using a GoPro wearable or gear-mountable camera are invited. There will also be a People’s Choice Award winner for the entry with the highest online votes. The category winners and runners-up will all receive high-performance premium external storage solutions from G-Technology’s range of products designed for creative professionals.
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Supporting the creative community The 2013 Driven Creativity Competition aims to recognise, promote and reward brilliant work from both established professionals and up-and-coming talent. All entries to the competition regardless of size or budget have equal chances to win due to a unique judging process; entries will be judged not only on aesthetic quality but also on the innovation and drive that went into creating them. With their submissions entrants also have the opportunity to pull back the curtain on their inspiration for the piece and to share how they would use the prizes to further their next creative projects. The overall winner of last year’s competition was ‘A Fox Tale’ created by a group of four students headed up by Julien Legay of France. Their project was entered into the professional animation category and focused on ‘the poetic and artistic side of Asia’. “We were so proud to win the G-Technology Driven Creativity Awards last year” said Legay. “We were a group of students fascinated by animated feature films from the likes of Pixar and Dreamworks and have so much passion for animation and filmmaking. It’s great that G-Technology offers a platform for people like us to showcase our work and recognises the efforts that go into it. The Driven Creativity Awards are proof that you can be rewarded for hard work and determination and we intend to enter the awards again this year.”
The UK People’s Choice award went to Geoff Tompkinson in the Professional Short Film category for Dubai; City on the Move which displayed stunning shots of this dynamic and futuristic city. “Our annual Driven Creativity Competition is designed to discover and celebrate the most brilliant inspired work from enthusiasts to professionals and help support their future projects” says Mike Williams, vice president and general manager G-Technology/HGST Innovative Solutions Group. “It’s one way we can show our commitment and respect for the creative process. Our loyal customers include many of the world’s best independent film-makers, photographers, videographers, movie and TV studios and post-production houses of all sizes. G-Technology’s roots are deeply ingrained in the professional digital content creation community and we are passionate about supporting their creative work.”
Competition judging criteria The 2013 Driven Creativity Competition will be judged by a panel of creative industry experts, and the overall winner will be announced on Friday 15 November 2013. The panel of judges will include G-Technology G-TEAM ambassadors who will contribute hints and tips to the entrants about what they will and won’t be looking for in each submission, reflecting on what creative techniques and projects inspire them. Entry is free and open to residents (aged over 18) in the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands and Russia and only original work created is eligible for submission. The entry period closes at midnight on Tuesday 29 October 2013 with the category winners and runners-up announced on Friday 8 November 2013. Full competition rules terms and conditions can be found at www.g-technology.eu/ competition/en/rules_en. The copyright for entered material remains with the author.
Want to know how to win? We caught up with competition judge and highly regarded professional photographer Tom Barnes, one of the G-TEAM ambassadors who will be assessing entries in the Photography section of the competition. “This is a popular event” he says “and there are bound to be thousands of entries so it’s important that people think carefully about the image they select to send in. Think about the title of the competition: it’s all about
ABOVE Last year’s UK People’s Choice award in the Professional Short Film category went to Geoff Tompkinson for Dubai; City on the Move. BELOW This year’s lucky overall winner will land a G-DOCK ev, along with Thunderbolt storage system and €5000.
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creativity and this really is something that will ensure a level playing field and there are plenty of amateurs out there who are perfectly capable of giving professionals a run for their money. “For me I’m hoping that there will be four or five images that just jump out and which demand that I look at them. It’s difficult to say what might make them do this but they will need to be original, eye-catching and immediate and I’ll know them when I see them. That will be where my shortlist comes from and from there it will be a tough task to work out who I feel should be winning this section.” Tom was delighted to be approached to be a G-TEAM ambassador since he was already using the product long before he was ever approached. “When I look at the quality of some of the other G-TEAM ambassadors out there people such as Philip Bloom and Vincent LaForet, I feel like quite a small fish,” says Tom. “I’ve relied on G-Technology products
for around four or five years now, and for me as a professional, it’s crucial that I know my images are going to be safe. “I’ve recently been playing with the G-Technology G-DOCK ev with Thunderbolt storage system, which is part of the main prize, and I’ve been completely blown away by it. The portable stand-alone G-DRIVE ev hard drives are your go-to devices in the field with plug-and-play USB 3.0 connectivity and transfer speeds up to 136MB/s. Back at your workstation you can insert drives into the G-DOCK ev and transfer your content with the ultra fast high-performance Thunderbolt interface. That’s great performance and I love the way it looks as well: it’s so sleek that it sits on my desk where everyone can see it!” MORE INFORMATION www.g-technology.eu www.tombarnesphoto.com
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62 GEAR SUPPORT DEVICES
Staunch supporters As you become more serious about your videography, the kit required to balance and protect your camera becomes more advanced. We look at some of the more sizeable methods of steadying your shooting WORDS JAMIE EWBANK In the last issue of HDSLR Moviemaker we looked at basic counterbalancing stabilisers that steady your handheld shots by free-floating your camera and adding weights to cancel out any unwanted movements. Stabilisers are the best way of ensuring smooth footage if you’re just interested in basic filming and are using a lightweight camera, but as your productions, shots and equipment become larger and more complicated, they become less suited to the task. After a while it becomes less a question of simply stabilising a piece of equipment and more a case of supporting it: you can have a perfectly stable camera that can’t be lifted, or a stabiliser that does a perfect job right up until the point where you need to use a long, heavy lens that overpowers it entirely. As you progress beyond stabilisation and further into support, your choice of equipment becomes more varied, and your options for combining two or three separate pieces of kit from multiple manufacturers into a single unit become ever greater. Quite simply, camera, lens and shoulder supports are the next step in smoother, smarter shooting, and here is our roundup of five products that might well help you along the road to serious cinematography.
“As you progress into support, you have the option of combining two or three pieces of kit from multiple manufacturers into a single unit” HDSLR MOVIEMAKER WINTER 2013
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