Entry #029

It's February! Only three more days until I have fulfilled my goal of shooting everyday from Jan 4th to Feb 4th (32 straight days).

We ended up shooting the music video for Judge Bitch with the Sony EX3. It was a real light hog but since the non-existent budget did not allow for RED, I think it was the right choice overall. I'll put a clip up as soon as I learn how to deal with the Sony footage.

Today, I canceled an afternoon shoot with Glen Matthews so I could prepare for a more involved evening shoot. Unfortunately, my evening shoot ended up getting canceled leaving me to come up with something on the spot to shoot today. I called in a favor with my friend Jared and had Angela come out to work the dimmer, we got a shot despite the sub zero temperature.

There is lots of exciting stuff left to do over the last few days including a two Music videos, one for the band Cousins to be directed by Jason Levangie and another for Mary Stewart who has a much more dedicated blog project underway. She is writing a song every single day for a YEAR!!!! Check it out here, follow her blog and cheer her on!

Earlier in the month I sent the link to this blog to Brendan Stacey, a Toronto based DP whom I really look up to. I asked him where my shooting could improve and he gave me really great advice. He said that since this was a self driven project where I don't have a client, agency or studio to impress, and the stakes are generally low, I should be pushing myself to really test the boundaries of what is possible and acceptable. He challenged me to shoot something I've never seen before. Which scared me good, but I've come up with an idea. I'm convinced it might be a colossal failure, but I'm excited to try. I'm shooting it tomorrow night and will give an update with how it goes.

When I wrap up this project, I'm planning on posting a video of highlights from the month. I've had a couple editors express interest in putting that video together. If you are an editor and you would like some footage to play with, let me know. The more the merrier. I'm going to make a folder of selects and if you'd like to have some fun I'll give you the footage then I'll post your cut here on my blog. Any takers? image@kevinAfraser.com

If you'd like to watch videos but do not wish to browse through all of the previous pages, here is that Vimeo link again: http://vimeo.com/channels/kevinafraser

Thanks for reading.

Entry #028

I figured since I could not put up much video I should at least put up enough stills that if you scroll through really fast it might look like motion picture. These two photos are an example of why you only see video every once and a while now, All those things in the picture are hard drives that all have something in common; minimum allowable free space (or worse). The screen-grab shows the state of my main storage workhorse, the Drobo. Somehow three months ago, 5tb seemed like a lot of space. My next task is to look through all of my footage take by take and delete all of the non-printables once and for all.



The next is a photo of a 5D and the 7D. This is the second time I've gotten to use the 7D, it's similar to the 5D but with many of the main buttons in slightly different places. I always feel a bit slow when I'm working with it because I am now proficiently programed to the layout of the 5D. Today was my first time processing and working with the 60P slow-mo from the 7D. It adds another step to the already process heavy work-flow of these cameras, but it's worth it. The variable frame firmware Canon promised for the 5D can't make it here soon enough.



This is the set up for a camera test Scott Thorne and I performed today. Everybody knows any camera test worth doing requires you to move the furniture out of your living room and hang grid pipe!

We wanted to look at the Sony EX 3 VS the Canon 7D in regards to slow motion. We shot tests with both cameras at 500th, 1000th and 2000th of a shutter. Then continued to shoot 3200th and 4000th with the 7D (The EX3 maxes out at 2000th). Both cameras were set to 1280 X 720 60P. The Sony was set to 0db gain and the aperture ring used to set exposure. The 7D was outfitted with a relatively slow f4 lens, the ISO was used to set exposure. Scott stood in the beam from a Source four providing 480 foot candles which is about the maximum I'll have to work with on the music video tomorrow.

7D slow mo test. 60 to 120FPS 001 from kevinAfraser on Vimeo.

002 7D Slow-mo Test. 60 to 120fps. from kevinAfraser on Vimeo.

Above are two videos from the 7D slowed even further in post from 60fps to 120fps. One was shot at 500th shutter ISO 320, the other shot at 4000th of a shutter and ISO 2000. Can you tell which is which?

There is no footage available from the EX3, because I'm still figuring out how to work with it. I'm not an advocate of lower end Sony cameras, but the footage from the test looks ok, it seems to have a flatter (better for color grading) image with noticeably more dynamic range than the 7D. Also, because our video tomorrow involves people in a black void, there is no real need for the shallow depth of field provided by the Canon. At this point, I'm leaning toward the EX3 but I have NOT been able to view the test footage in slow motion yet. Any Sony fans out there wanna get in touch to fill me in? image@kevinAfraser.com

Polar Bear Clip. from kevinAfraser on Vimeo.

Finally, here is a clip of raw footage from the Acres & Acres video. Sure, it's not very exciting now, but imagine what it will look like once Jacob replaces that green screen with an arctic night sky! Check out his site to see the kind of work he does. It's truly incredible.

Entry #027

Things have ramped up to the point where I literally have not had a moment to blog over the last day or so. Aram and I are shooting Day and night for the Polar Bear Video. With a stoke of luck, we will be done the ice portion of the shoot sometime tonight.

In other news, I have the chance tomorrow to stack up a Sony EX3 against a 7D. As I mentioned in an earlier post, the "Judge Bitch" music video we are doing involves a lot of slowmotion that needs to be shot at 60fps and then slowed to 120fps or beyond in post. I shot a quick test with the EX3 on Wednesday to determine how much light would be necessary for both 1000th and 2000th of a shutter at 60FPS. Turns out, to no surprise, to require a lot of light. So, I'm very interested to test it against the 7D which is more light sensitive and offers even faster shutters as a possibility. Also, I think I have a lead on finding a follow focus system for the 7D, But not for the EX3. On the flip side the EX3 offers tighter lensing options than I currently have available with the Canon and would be easier to rig and use a production monitor. Either way I'll post the slow-mo tests on here as soon as I can.

Entry #027

Hey everyone,

Not interested in reading? Videos here.

My wrist is starting to feel better. I'd say that most of the day it's back to about 80% usefulness, although three or four times a day I'll pick up something the wrong way or use the computer for too long and get set back a bit. Otherwise shooting is going well, I had a chance to look at the footage from the Ghost Trick shoot on Sunday and found a very embarrassing ghost C-stand in one of the shots that had some how gone unnoticed during shooting, a rookie mistake. Despite this, I can't wait to do this trick again, with a custom built set or a very large location with lots of black material, flags and high ceilings. With more space, more flexibility to rig and a dimmer board you could have so much fun with this. If anyone has access to some flats, a studio, 2-3 big pieces of lexan and wants to do a more polished ghost trick effect, be sure to let me know. Earlier that the day Paul came out and operated steadicam for some running shots I'll probably cut a couple of them into the next compilation video I put up.

I also shot another Mongoose interview since I last posted. This was the second last one, I've been having quite a bit of fun with these interviews so far. It's nice because there is both freedom and restriction. Sean is very easy going and trusts me to light to my taste, yet we decided early on to always use a kitchen backdrop which has been challenging at some of the locations. Also, these interviews are meant to take place in the summer rather than January, as a result, I may have pushed the last two interviews (Chisholm and Zurawski) too warm in camera. Usually I always shoot neutral to save for the color correct, but this time I went for it in camera and learned my lesson. This last interview with Matt Chisholm was shot in Angela & my apartment at night. It's my attempt at creating a day interior with only small fixtures. How did I do? (See screen grab)

Yesterday Aram and I officially started rolling on the music video for Acres & Acres "the polar bear song". We shot both video and timelapse of some melting ice blocks against green screen. While they were clicking away, Aram, Louisa (a very cool art department person I just met) and myself went outside and constructed a large, snowy, mountainous landscape we plan to shoot on Thursday. There are concerns about it melting during the day today if the temperature stays warm, also there are concerns of getting into Aram's living room, which we completely ransacked in the name of this project. Finally there are concerns about it taking several days to melt. Based on our tests, it seems hard to believe that we will be able to melt the landscape in any less than 48 hours. Despite all this, we will succeed and it will look awesome! Promise.

This Sunday Eric Duncan and I are collaborating on a music video for "Judge Bitch". It's a fairly ambitious project especially when you consider the the non existing budget we are hoping to work within VS what we hope to achieve. It looks like we will be able to pull it off due to the help and generosity of many many people. Which is exactly why I love working in Halifax. One of the main ideas of this video it that it takes place in slow motion. The look Eric wants is that of 120fps. Of course due to the pre-mentioned non-existent budget, it is unlikely we will be able to obtain a camera capable of 120fps. So today my shooting assignment is to test a few cameras at different shutter speeds to see how we can achieve the sharpest and most crisp edges possible in camera so when we slow it down in post, it holds up the best it can. This will of course require a silly amount of light. My goal for today is to see what is the highest shutter speed and frame rate we can achieve with the resources at hand.

PS. We need people to be in this video. Do you want to be one of these people? image@kevinAfraser.com.

Entry #026

Above is a screen grab from the Mongoose Interview with Richard Zurawski. When we went to do the shoot, I thought that Richard might be pressed for time and only devote a very short window of time for us to shoot. It turned out that he was extremely welcoming, patient and a great sport. You can see a short video clip below.

Day 022. Part One. Richard Zurawski from kevinAfraser on Vimeo.

Entry #025

Apologies to the loyal blog checkers. The posts lately have been a little lackluster, I've been spending a lot of time shooting and not a lot of time writing. Recently, Angela and our friend Matt Carleton hooked it up so I now have google analytics and can see how many people visit, where they are from, how long they stay on the site and which content they view. It is very neat and a little addictive. The analytics results really surprised me, although I only have 21 "followers'" at the present time, there are over 100 unique hits every day from all over the Maritimes, NY, California, BC, Toronto and elsewhere. The best part is most of these people come EVERY DAY. So I wanted to say thank you! You guys are providing exactly the type of motivation I need to keep waking up and shooting everyday. This post will be one of the more lengthy ones that will get you up to speed on all things related to this project. If you're not interested in reading and only come for the videos, here is the link to the Vimeo channel so you don't have to search the blog looking for the spread out videos on various pages.

Canon SLR Video.
A lot of people have been asking about the camera I've been shooting most of the content for this project on which is the Canon 5D mkII. Over the last 16 months an incredible amount of interest in this format that has developed. Which makes sense, these cameras have the best low light imaging I have ever seen, they have huge sensors with beautiful depth of field characteristics. They weigh basically nothing and are (relatively) super cheap bodies. These characteristics sold me on the camera and after testing the first generation of the 5D when it camera out in 2008 I used it off and on for commercial work until I bought my own kit in August 2009. Since then I've been shooting with it a lot. I've done commercials for broadcast, Music videos, lots of work for the internet and a few projects destin for digital projection. Since January 4th I've been shooting with the camera every single day and also dealing with the work flow on my home computer. I have a lot of thoughts about these exciting new SLR video tools, both good and bad but I am nothing less then ecstatic about what these cameras will become in the near future. I don't want to turn this into a technical blog, because there are others that have this subject well covered,but I am very open to learning, sharing and talking more about these cameras and their work flow. If you've been shooting with Canon SLRs, or you'd like to, email me, lets get together to chat and learn together. There are two feature film projects about to go to camera in Halifax that are considering taking Canon SLR footage to a 35mm film print finish. I cannot wait to see these results!

Green Screen Test
(warning this section is probably only interesting to fellow filmmakers) As regular readers know, I just completed a green screen test this past Friday. The test was to determine two things. When lighting green screen, what color temperature bulbs pull the best key and how much does a fast shutter help for a cleaner key? Answers to these questions are of particular interest to a cinematographer. Ultimately we are responsible to deliver the most workable footage possible to VFX but we are also the people who have to submit equipment requests to the Producers and justify the sometimes high rental cost of these items. This test is an attempt to find the best comprise between budget and quality.

Shutter speed: Traditional wisdom is that the higher of a shutter you shoot, the better. However the higher the shutter the more light you need which costs on rental fees, power consumption and labour costs. So what shutter do you need to pull a great key. We shot tests at shutter speeds at 50th, 100th, 250th, 500th and one at 1000th for fun.

Color Temp: Most digital based capture tests indicate that daylight color temperature fixtures are best for croma-key work, but kino recently released new "super green" bulbs specially designed for green screen work. To my knowledge this is the first time these bulbs have been in Halifax, I feel lucky to have gotten my hands on them for this test. We shot each of the shutters mentioned above with Daylight, tungsten and supergreen fixtures. *Note, one exciting thing I noticed about the super green kino tube right away is that they offer a full stop more light than the daylight bulbs but draw the same 75 watts per bulb. Bonus!

Results, the results are coming soon, the footage will be keyed by two compositors, Animation and effects superstar Jacob Owens who heads the animation department at Hatch Post and Hardworking, talented up and comer, Jon Brayer. These guys will receive files unlabeled as to the color temp and shutter, they will pull a quick key of each one and report back on which ones were easy (if any) and which ones were messy (if any) I'll post the results here and we will all know a bit more about lighting green screen, especially if you plan to use the Canon 5D mkII as your capture device.


Morale and project updates
I'm over halfway through the project, I'm getting tired my wrist is still messed up, but I'm really excited for the upcoming projects of which there are lots of exciting ones. With only 11 shooting days left there is a pretty full schedule of shooting. Upcoming highlights include: "Broga" Directed by Cory Bowels, Aram Kouyoumdjian and I are shooting ice melting timelapses for an Acres & Acres music video most of next week, You loyal followers might remember the test video I did in my basement on day 003. Several projects with Eric Duncan Including a music video for Judge Bitch.

Today I shot two things, another interview for my Operation Mongoose friends, this time the subject was meteorologist and all around genius Richard Zurawski. I also shot a short video with Eric Duncan that involved my first attempt at an old-school ghost effect similar to but much less refined than in this Michel Gondry video for Everybody gonna dance tonight. Who thinks I could get away with cutting my new reel to that song?

That's it for now, as always thanks for checking up on my project and stay tuned for exciting things yet to come. Some of the video from the last couple days tomorrow, I promise.

Here are a couple of photos as well, One is a still from the green screen test, the other is my calender for the month. Despite it being a desk calender, I've taken to carrying it in my back pocket. Take that iCal!