Quintessential Studios' Weblog

I’m blogging for http://www.inlandsocal.com/iguide/movies/ now, under their sub-heading “Inland SoCal Filmmakers”.

Here is the blog that was published Feb 22, 2010 from http://www.inlandsocal.com/iguide/movies/content/your_films/stories/movies0222dslr.1428f70a0.html

DSLR Videography Is Taking the Main Stage

by Eric Harnden

In April, I was on the Digital Production Buzz talking about finding deals when building your studio. I wrote up more about that here:http://wordpress.quintessentialstudios.net/?p=86

From that post I said, “A little more on knowledge: Overall knowledge of your subject can always be improved, and for me, I spend a lot of time going to expos (like Createasphere, DV Expo and NAB*); Seminars, Meetups and User group meetings (like LAFCPUG**) and I most always learn something new. In fact, I was surprised that I knew more about the Silicon Images’s SI-2K camera*** than a Moviola camera rental rep…. All because I had just seen it demoed and talked about at another event…. Of course he knew a LOT more about EVERY other camera out there and a TON about compression and data rates of the different cameras and, so, I did learn things from him.”

Last week, I went to an Orange County Meetup given by the MCAI-OC (Media Communications Association International Orange County). It was called “ALL About DSLR (Digital Single-Lens Reflex) Videography” and I learned all about the hot new Canon cameras that are now being used to shoot video, not just for home fun but for commercial video and movies. It was a very comprehensive event covering pre-production, production and post. Canon reps were there and Rob Terry showed how he used them to shoot 40 commercial spots in two days for the Kellogg garden company! While I have read and watched a lot of videos on the web of what’s being done with these cameras, I didn’t know the actual workflows of them. This is mainly because I am not shooting with them yet and so haven’t delved into them that much.

The tide is rising, though, on their impact upon the indie film world and I figured it was about time to dive a little deeper into this wave!

The very next day, I attended the Createasphere Entertainment Technology Expo in Universal City and one of the main events was the Canon Intensive Workshop, where, you guessed it, they covered the exploding market and uses of these new cameras. These cameras are being used to shoot movies now. George Lucas is using them right now at Skywalker Ranch for some shots in his upcoming feature, Red Tails.

If that wasn’t enough, I decided to take part in “From the Camera to the Web – Your Files and What to Do With Them” and “Sound – An Audio Primer for DSLR and Small Crew Productions” not really realizing they were both part of the “DSLR Video Track”. And so, I ended up learning more than I ever wanted to know about DSLRs and working with them.

During these two days of intensive DSLR videography training, I meet some great people who said they would be willing to trek on down to the IE and give the Independent Filmmakers of the Inland Empire presentations. So, stay tuned for an announcement about that.

Meanwhile, I picked up a bunch of free magazines to give out at our next meetup. Another benefit from expos, lots of free swag!

Speaking of which, I am in talks with DV Expo who are going to offer the IFIE’s free and discounted passes to their September 2010 show in Pasadena, CA.

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*NAB, National Association of Broadcasters. They put on an annual week-long expo  in Las Vegas every April.

**LAFCPUG, Los Angeles Final Cut Users Group. Meets every 4th Wednesday of the month in Hollywood.

***The camera used to film Slumdog Millionaire.

The Independent Filmmakers of the Inland Empire meets every 3rd Wednesday of the month. Click here for more information.

Jag35.com makes 35mm adapters for digital cameras.

With the advent of digital cameras, one issue has been, “they’re too good!”  In other words, everything in the viewfinder or frame is in focus.

Depth of Field Example - Logan Parks

There is a quality to film and film cameras where things at a certain distance are in focus and other things at other distances are out of focus.  That band of in-focus area is called the “depth of field”.  It can be narrow or wide.

Most digital video cameras have a very wide depth of field. This means that most everything you are seeing in the shot is in focus.

With a narrow depth of field, you can concentrate the viewers attention on what you want in the frame.  Some independent filmmakers cheat by zooming all the way in, which narrows the depth of field, and actually moving the camera back and forth to pull off a movie-like effect.

Other digital filmmakers go a step further and use a DOF adapter or 35mm adapter.  This is a device that allows you to mount lenses from still cameras to your video camera.  This allows you to adjust the focal plane to whatever subject you like within the video picture.  These adapters can be very costly, some cost more than the cameras themselves.  Jag35.com a local manufacturer in Rancho Cucamonga, has created a line of inexpensive 35mm adapters to help the budget-minded filmmaker.

Jag35 will be demonstrating the use of 35mm adapters and other helpful products at the March 17th meeting of the Independent Filmmakers of the Inland Empire.

Details of the meeting can be found here: http://www.meetup.com/Independent-Filmmakers-of-the-Inland-Empire-Meetup-Group/

Wednesday’s meeting of the Independent Filmmakers of the Inland Empire was a real treat and the response was an exciting surprise. There were approximately forty people in attendance, a huge jump from the eight that came to the first meeting.

Since the group is new, the reasons for these first meetings were to 1) establish the group, 2) introduce filmmaking enthusiasts to one another and 3) start to organize the group and structure of the meetings. I’ve found with related past activities, like when I ran a 48 hour film project team, that it takes a number of meetings before things find their groove.

Because one of the main purposes of the group is to help filmmakers, we surveyed the group to see what they expected from coming to these meetings, how they would like the meetings to run and what they wanted to see at future meetings.

Having gone to numerous successful film related and other types of enthusiast group meetings, I am patterning the basic structure of the “IFIE” meetings after those. Taking from the desires of the group, we will be holding a structured format agenda with announcements, education, presentations, show and tells, networking time and raffles.

Filmmaking is a dynamic process and I fully expect these meetings to have a dynamic life to them but one thing’s for certain, there are a lot of independent filmmakers and related crew, talent and artists here in the Inland Empire and we are here to help them do what they what to do, create films.

Because of the overwhelming response and anticipated growth of the group, we are looking for a bigger venue in which to hold our monthly meetings.

To find out about more about the group or when and where the next meetings will take place, please visit: http://www.meetup.com/Independent-Filmmakers-of-the-Inland-Empire-Meetup-Group/

Next meeting is scheduled for March 17th.