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Free FCPX plugin: ShrinkRay X

November 16, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Want to create a convincing tilt-shift miniature effect for your video but don’t have the budget for a TS-E lens? Fear not, our friends at Crumple Pop have the solution: the ShrinkRay X plugin!

Super easy to use, it gives a result as convincing as what you can get with post-production miniature effect. The big improvement over the old version (for FCP) is that you get realtime playback. No more waiting for the render to finish to see the end result, yay!

And you know what the best part is? IT IS FREE FOR ONE WEEK! So hurry up and download it now before the price goes up!

 

ShrinkRay X from CrumplePop on Vimeo.

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Filed Under: Video

J-Cube Review

October 16, 2011 By

What I love about the HDSLR world is how people come up with a very niche product to solve a specific problem then build a small business around it. One of these problem that a lot of people are having is how to put a mic + receiver on the camera WITHOUT resorting to using a rig.

Lets face it, while rigs look cool, they are not always the most practical solution. I have talked about my new love relation with using a monopod instead of a rig and it is not like you have any room on it for a light or microphone.

This is where the J-Cube comes in. It is an adapter you put on your camera hot shoe adapter which gives you 3 slots to fit your gear in. These slots are cold, which means they can’t trigger a flash. But if you want to power a pocket wizard, you can always plug it in the PC sync.

J-Cube

Sorry for the bad product picture, this thing is quite hard to photograph and I could not use my white tent…

Product review

When I got my review unit, I was quite surprised to see how heavy it was. I was expecting a cheap plastic gizmo. I was in for a surprise: this thing is metal solid and all the adapter slots are made in metal which is a nice change from all the chinesse stuff I have tested recently.

How heavy? Heavy enough for you to notice but nothing to worry about.

I have to admit that I could not fully test the product since I dont have any receiver or light that could fit on the hot shoe adapter. So my test procedure was to put a flash on top of it with two pocket wizard on the side. Result: something totally ridiculous but the important thing to remember is that the J-Cube held very well and there was no slack in the system, even after I shook it a few times.

Should you get one?

If you have to record audio + use a light and require everything to fit on the camera (ex: monopod or tripod), this product is going to be a god send. It works as advertised and its build quality means it will stay with you for a while.

If you never had to plug anything else than a mic in your hotshoe, this product is not for you.

You can buy it straight from BH PhotoVideo.

Notice: j-Cude is a site sponsor so maybe you should not trust me… or maybe you should! ;-)

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Filed Under: Review, Video Tagged With: ,

Who is FCPX target market?

June 22, 2011 By

It is us! While we read about pros complaining about FCPX all over the place, everything I have read (and personally tested) about FCPX pleases me.

Call it Apple biggest mistake if you want but they built this app for people like us. People who shoot-edit-deliver all by ourselves. By simplifying the timeline and media management, they made it even easier for us to edit our clips.

Other than the multicam, I don’t really care about all the other ‘missing’ features from FCP7 since I never had to use them. I am not saying those who needed these should not be frustrated. Just that it does not affect me, nor does it affect you (most probably).

By rebuilding the app from the ground up, they gained a lot:

  • The app is FAST! I edit H.264 without transcoding or proxying without any issues (so far).
  • The new interface is very slick and functional (once you get used to it). Lots of refinements.
  • Better integration with Motion.
  • Rebuild the editing paradigms/metaphors to be better aligned with how people actually use the application.
  • A software architecture that actually uses what OSX has to offer.

Now the bad part

I installed the app without realizing that my current plugins would not be compatible nor would I be able to open my old projects. This seriously sucks. There should have been a warning somewhere. Not that I was stupid enough to upgrade in the middle of a project, but simply because I may want to go back to an old project and rerender it into another format…

iMovie import? Seriously, this is the thing you see when you open the app and it is a bit insulting.

Conclusion

Depending of what you do, there are a lot of reasons to hate FCPX, but there are a lot of reasons to love it too. And if you make a living from your HDSLR, odds are that you will love it.

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Filed Under: Review, Video Tagged With: ,

First wedding of the season

June 17, 2011 By

Last weekend, I shot my first wedding of the season with my friend Robert Cato (see below). This gig had me play with a few new pieces of gear, like using a monopod instead of a shoulder rig (more on this in the next post) but what I wanted to talk about is the newest genius idea Robert had: hiring an assistant for the day!

Yes, adding a +1 to the crew cost some money but I think it pays for itself pretty quickly.

How? Time saved: having someone else worrying about moving the gear around and keeping it safe while shooting outside is a great time saver. The guy is the last to leave the set so he is in charge of managing all the gear and making sure you are not leaving something behind which is one of my constant worries. He manages batteries, CF cards and lens changes. Forgot a lens in the hotel room? No problem, send the assistant! Want a drink during the cocktail? Send the assistant! (this last part was my idea)

Of course these are all things you could do by yourself but having an extra pair of hands and eyes to take care of everything that is not directly related to shooting makes the whole experience even better.

I am now wondering how I will ever be able to shoot without an assistant!

Here is the clip, edited the next day by Robert, the guy is a real trooper. What I was doing while he was editing? Sleeping!

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Filed Under: Video Tagged With: , ,

Zeiss quality on the cheap: Baby Primes!

June 5, 2011 By

Just receive this press release from kelvinkamera.com about their new product.

Baby Primes

My career of digital cinematographer started long time ago (1983) and my first ambition was to have serious and creative optics on my analog video cameras.

I convert so many lens to work with Betacam’s SP in tha way I was working before with my Bolexs and Arriflexs.

My experience in mechanical and optical rehousing has thirty years of experiments and creative shooting.

With the arrival of the Canon 5D for me was a real dream to go Full-Frame and enjoy the magic bokeh of the wideangles in the 24X36mm motion-frames, and this is why I decided to go ahead with this complicated and enthusiastic project.

I arrange an agreement with Carl Zeiss AG (was envolved with them in the past with the project of the DigiPrimes) and started the production of a great optical tool for filmmakers looking to purchase and own a set of Carl Zeiss babyPrimes in a real interesting price range.

What does that mean? Put simply:

  • Zeiss optics (= very good image quality)
  • Integrated follow focus gear ring
  • Constant filter size (95mm)
  • Clear marking
  • Cheap…ish..

Basically, these are all the same features as the Zeiss CP.2 line but at a cheaper price point. How cheap? I have not been given any hard number but it should be at around 40% rebate off the similar Zeiss price. This low price will be achieved by selling the lens directly, without any intermediates.

The first batch should be ready by the end of July.

While their website is pretty dull right now, expect updates soon on BabyPrimes.com.

 

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Filed Under: Video Tagged With: ,

Technicolor released the Color compatible LUT file

May 13, 2011 By

Thanks again to my friend Robert Cato for pointing to me that Technicolor has added an Apple Color compatible LUT file for their S-Curve LUT. It means you no longer have to use the LUT buddy plugin. It makes using Technicolor picture style even easier which adds another reason why you should be shooting with it!

You can get the file here.

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Filed Under: On the web, Video Tagged With: ,

Interview with a YouTube Millionaire

May 10, 2011 By

Do you remember Chad Bonanno? We talk about his a few months ago when he shot a parkour video for the Tempest team. Well, if you have been on Youtube recently, you have probably seen his latest creation: an advertisement video for the Tempest Freerun Academy.

The video has gone viral now and has over 2.5 million views so I decided to ask Chad a few questions about (1) the video and (2) what it means to have your video at the top of the YouTube chart.

Now the interview…

About the video

How did you end up doing this clip?

6 separate shots with interesting wipes from the environment to fuse them together to feel as if it was all one shot. Keep in mind, however, that some of the 6 shots were still around 25 – 30 seconds long

Did you expect the clip to go viral?

Not as quick as it did. I saw it getting 250K views, but I was not expecting millions!

How did you manage the advertisement of the clip (to get more views)?

I personally advertised it, as well as all members of Tempest Freerunning , on Facebook and Twitter. The REAL interesting thing is that over 150,000 people shared it on their facebook walls!

We keep hearing about people whose clip gets viral and who get contacted by big agencies. Have they called you yet? Did the clip bring any new business?

Yes, we have been contacted by a few outside companies, all with different interests. It has also brought a few calls to me for graphics and possible shooting.

Anything you would have shot/done differently?

Spent a little more time with keeping the lighting setups consistent regarding the visible lights. I used visible shop lights to light a lot of it, and I just wish I had kept a few in the same place. Also , made sure there was no one hanging out in the background.

About the gear

How many shooters

ONE, Me =)

How many hours shooting

About Total about 18 hours total over 3 weekends

How many camera / gear used

Canon EOS 5D Mark 2 , 16-35mm f/2.8L II , Glidecam HD-4000

Any special considerations when shooting fast moving subjects

I shot with a shutter of 1/50th and an fStop of 4 – 5.6 . I would have upped the shutter a bit, but lighting was tricky in certain areas so I played it safe. We only ended up with about 2 shots that were out of focus.

Chad also gave me a few BTS stills to show you guys.

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Filed Under: Video

Video on how to install EOS Utility from the updater

May 7, 2011 By

I made a quick video to show how to convert the Canon EOS Utility updater into an installer so you can install it if you lost your original DVD.

I know I already explained how to do it in this post but I am currently thinking about converting all my tutorials into videos so I wanted to hear what you guys think about it.

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Filed Under: Video Tagged With: , , , ,

Technicolor going to make an Apple Color compatible LUT?

May 2, 2011 By

My friend Robert Cato send an email to Technicolor about their LUT, asking:

Hello,

Will there be an .mga apple color compatible  S-curve shaped LUT available for download?

Here is the answer from the Technicolor CineStyle team:

Hello Robert,

Thank you for your interest and downloading of our CineStyle Picture Style for the Canon EOS family of cameras. Based on the overwhelming feedback from the community we’re currently investigating a .mga LUT for Apple Color and other platforms. Stay tuned!

Thanks,

The CineStyle Team

This good news since it would remove the need to use Red Giant Lut buddy form Final Cut. Thanks Rob for the heads up!

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Filed Under: Video Tagged With: , , ,

Technicolor Picture Style flat profile results

May 1, 2011 By

It is a bit early to give a final verdict but, from I have seen so far, the Technicolor picture style looks great and I am not the only one stating the obvious, here is a quick test clip from my friend Robert.

My own preliminary tests are very promising. Here is a quick example of something I shot today in super bright conditions (no ND filter in the camera bag!) with and without grading. I was mostly interested in seeing how the gradient would hold up and I am very please with the results. Also, if you look at the shadows you will see lots of details. Much better than the super flat profile I used to shoot with!

This is not an extreme test case but it shows what you can expect without thinking too much about what you are doing. I only used the 3-way color corrector to simulate a S curve and boosted saturation a bit and voila!

I will post better examples in a few days, once I have processed my other clips.

Conclusion

If you used to shoot with any variation of the flat profile, take a few minutes and upgrade your camera to use the Technicolor picture style, it is worth it. If you dont know how to grade or prefer to edit your clips straight of the camera, move along, this picture style wont help you.

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Filed Under: Video
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