A New Way to Rent Gear!

As a student filmmaker, you typically only have so much gear at your disposal. Yeah, you probably have your DSLR, a few lenses, and a DIY soft box, but sometimes this isn't enough for your creative needs. As Ithaca College students, we are very lucky to have PPECS, but soon after we graduate we will just be poor college graduates who won't be able to afford the prices of large rental houses without a proper budget. HAVE NO FEAR! There is a new online rental house that may just be your saving grace.

http://kitsplit.com/

KitSplit is a new rental company based out of New York City that functions very similar to Air BnB. Just like Air BnB, the site focuses around a specific area and the resources, in this case camera gear, available. On the site you can create a profile and list the gear that you own and are willing to rent. Other users can look at your gear posted and have the option to rent it from you. This is perfect for students to make a bit of cash on the side. Not only can you make the money back on your gear but this allows you to save up for future gear.

The delivery option is quite unique. You can either arrange a pick-up through KitSplit or directly from the owner of the gear. This option opens numerous opportunities for networking. Each time you would use this service you have potential to make new business connections, you could even get work because of the rental you were picking up for another gig.

This rental service is revolutionary. While it is only in New York currently, they plan to expand to the west coast as well, which is where I think it will do very well. However, the niche market they truly need to target is smaller cities throughout the country. Mainly cities with colleges and universities that have strong communication programs. My thinking is that if this company expanded to Central New York, this would be used as a rental service for colleges like Ithaca, Syracuse, and many more, when the rentals at their school could not provide what they needed.

Overall, I'm looking forward to watching this business grow and expand, hopefully in a direction that benefits, students and filmmakers a like.

Magic Lantern

So I've had my T4i for about four years now. In that time, its gotten a lot to a little bit of use. Well, I'm coming out of my funk of not using the camera after this hiatus. Over the years since I've had the DSLR I've always heard about Magic Lantern and the wonderful tools it gives you. Hesitant might not be the word to accurately describe why I never took the plunge. I'd seen a lot of articles and posts about how buggy the firmware was and that it messed up someone's camera. That was always offputting to me. Well, tonight I decided to install the firmware on my camera. I'm going to be the DP for my Doc Workshop project and the added features will be beneficial for shooting. Having more manual control over what I'm filming will allow me to tailor my image a lot easier and more in depth.

One aspect of the program I'm most excited about is the intervalometer. Ever since I went to High Cascade Snowboard Camp and was shown by Brad Kremer the workflow and how to shoot a proper timelapse I've always been intrigued about, but never was able to, shooting a proper timelapse. I hope to not only utilize this for passion projects but also with my documentary.

I can't wait to start using all of the other features as well!

A camera that makes you be original

Philipp Schmidt, a photographer and designer, has recently released prototype designs of a camera that forces the photographer to take original photos.

This is only a prototype, currently 3D printed with a controller inside, but the concept remains the same. The camera searches the web for photos taken within a 35 meter radius, and displays the number found with a counter on the back of the camera. If the counter displays a number too high the camera will prevent you from taking a photo. When too many photos have been taken the viewfinder will display a red "X" indicating that it will not allow you to take a picture.

The camera was designed primarily to "help the photographer avoid contributing to the ever-growing mountain of duplicate images available online." This would pose problems for tourists who often seek popular places to take photographs while on vacation. 

Schmidt has failed to mention the benefits of choosing this camera over a more standard DSLR design, currently there only appear to be restricting negatives. It is possible that more information will be available closer to release when more designs have been prototyped but currently I am struggling to see the benefits of shooting with this camera over another. 

Nofilmschool.com

Over the summer I bought my first DSLR and today I was in search of some in depth information on DSLRs and came across this popular website: nofilmschool.com

I guess it's slightly ironic, because technically I am in film school, but who says the learning has to stop at the end of class? That's pretty much the point of these blog posts too, right? To extend our learning outside of class? Anyways, while flipping through the website I noticed on the right hand side a link to a free pdf document called "The DSLR Cinematography Guide". Perfect. Sounds exactly like what I need. So I got the free download it's ridiculously helpful. It's over 100 pages from the very basics that I already understand to the more complex stuff that I've always wondered about but never been able to find the answers to (such as the great advantages of prime lenses).

If anyone is looking to kill a couple hours over fall break I highly recommend giving this a read. Especially if you are a DSLR user like myself.

Beyond this, there are many other great articles to find on this website. My favorite so far has been a comparison between the Sony FS-100 (Our class camera), Canon 5D Mark II (industry standard for DSLR shooting), and the Blackmagic Cinema Camera (unlike any other camera – and it looks friggin cool).

Read the full article here.

This website has pushed me forward on many objectives, first on the list is to get a prime 50mm lens. This is the least expensive of things I want to do, ranging all the way to getting a Canon 5D Mark II. That might be a little more expensive.... maybe I should wait until I get a job for that one. 

Full Frame Craze

Over the past few weeks, some big name camera manufacturers came out with their cheapest full frame DSLR's. This includes Canon's 6D, Nikon's D600, and Sony's A99.

See links:
Nikon D600
Canon 6D
Sony A99

Nowadays many people have DSLR's, including almost every Park student. They are becoming a new way for amateur and professional filmmakers alike to enhance their movies. From a student production to The Avengers (which wrecked quite a few 5D's for their stunt shots), they are becoming increasingly popular for a few reasons. They are relatively inexpensive, produce crisp images, are small in size, and have a wide range of lenses that can be used on them. Not only that, but many DSLR's are now FX (or full frame) which makes them ideal for filmmakers who want to keep the 35mm sensor like all professional cameras have.

One downside to this is that everyone who owns a DSLR thinks they are a photographer or cinematographer. People overuse rack focuses and a shallow DOF. Sure anyone can make good looking images or shots, but that doesn't mean that it adds anything to a story or enhances it. I am glad though that everyone can have access to a DSLR because you never know who may be the next great Director of Photography. Who knows maybe it is someone here at Ithaca or in our class.

Back to the three new FX DSLR's that have been introduced recently, they are all in the same price range (being around $2,000 body only) and have similar technical specs including: megapixels, wifi capability, screen size and HD video formats and frame rates. No matter what brand of camera you already own or plan to buy, you will be able to produce very similar and comparable results. Canon vs Nikon vs Sony is like trying to compare three different types of apples. You can get the same result as the others. It is all about what you can do with the equipment that you have.

Photography and Videography

Photo and video.

Yes, they are two completely separate beasts. One freezes a memory into a single frame while the other records its entirety.

Some schools of thought think that video triumphs all — you can view things in real time, never missing a single emotion. Others believe that photography is more traditional and can be more powerful if done right. Are these purists right? That depends who you ask.

I have worked with both photo and video for a fair amount of time (well, for being a 19-year-old that is): about nine years doing video and about three in photo. Ever since the third grade I have been mystified by video. I took classes in middle and high school to further improve my skills. I have learned how beautiful of an art videography can be, both by creating and consuming it for almost my whole life. I was 100% in the "video is better than photo" mindset.

Everything all changed once I purchased my first DSLR. I'll admit first off that I did not but my Canon T2i for  photographic uses; it was all for video. Once I got rolling, however, I realized how majestic photography can be. Even going out into your backyard can bring about some amazing shots. This photo was one of the first I took with my camera. I love it: the flowers blooming from dead leaves, a bee precariously perched on the purple plant, everything. I'm not saying that video wouldn't be able to pick us these same things, but seeing it as a still adds some charm and pleasure to it. It's also easier to view it as a single shot, rather than in a video.

I do not think that one is superior to the other. Both photo and video have their strengths and weaknesses. Knowing about one can really help you with the other. Getting interesting angles, correcting white balance, and adjusting exposure are needed in each. Knowing where to look for the perfect shot is something that I personally found helpful in my transition to photo from video (I still do both currently, in a matter of fact).

Video was born from photo, and its silly to argue over the superior one (if that argument even exists). I look forward to expanding my skills and both, and translating the skills gained from one to the other.

Shooting on a DSLR

          Some videos like "Reverie" by Vincent Laforet, "Tick Tock" by Ien Chi, and most recently Act of Valor really captured my attention. There are a bunch of other short films I have seen on YouTube that are of really good quality and seem really professional. These video as I learn have been shot on DSLR's. What makes them stand out against other affordable cameras is the low light abilities. Other features that I liked is the amount of manual control on them and the ability to put different lenses on the body. 

          So over spring break I visited the person I interned for in senior year. He runs the TV station in my hometown. So I asked on advice for what type of camera to get, because I wanted my own and an upgrade from my Nikon D3000. The advice he gave me was buy the best body I can afford and then a cheap lens like the Canon 50mm F/1.8. And then for important projects just rent cinema lenses for the high quality. So that is what I did to a degree.

          I am starting to learn filming on DSLR's since I got one towards the end of the summer. I've only had two chances to film with it so far. So far I am very pleased with how they turned out and how everything performed. I got a neutral density filter so I can maintain low depth of field and it worked well outside. I was able to do a pretty good job considering I had no tripod or audio equipment, aside from an iPhone. The only thing I really slipped up on was not setting the white balance, but since it wasn't for a project or job I'm ok with that. Also I filmed two quick projects in the same day over a six hour span with unpaid-non-professional talent, so if I took extra time on it, they would have gotten really annoyed.

          I am looking forward to what I can produce from this camera, I have high expectations for myself and it. The last thing I want to share is a bit of DSLR humor. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEwUnENlc9M&feature=player_embedded

James Majeau

DSLR Cameras and Filmmaking

            Over the last few years DSLR filmmaking has arguably changed the indie film industry just as much as anything else in the recent past. DSLRs allow people the ability to make professional quality films for astronomically less than ever before.

            In 2008 Canon released the Canon 5d Mark II, the first DSLR camera to shoot full 1920x1080p HD video. This camera’s full frame senor allowed filmmakers to achieve images in low light settings never before conceivable for a  $2,500 price tag (Camera body only).

            Since then, with the addition of many more video capable DSLRs, these cameras have taken filmmaking by storm. A couple notable pieces shot on DSLR cameras include the title sequence to the 2009 season of SNL, and the seventh season of House.

            Despite the advantage of being able to create outstanding visuals for relatively cheap, creating a workflow around DSLR cameras can prove challenging. These cameras are far from being able to capture quality sound on camera so off camera audio arrangements must be made. While being able to use the many lenses that are compatible with these cameras may be a good thing, procuring these lenses can prove expensive.

            DSLR cameras enable a vastly larger number of filmmakers the resource to create their content within their own limited budgets. Because of this I argue that it is undeniable that DSLR cameras are a “game changer”, so to speak.  The question is, by allowing the possibility of professional quality production to the masses, will DSLR filmmaking be remembered for helping discover what would have been otherwise unnoticed great filmmakers or will it be remembered for watering down indie filmmaking and making it hard to distinguish good and legitimate work from the others?

                                                          (Season 7 promo for House)