I plan to shoot some XL2 footage with the mini35 later this week and will definitely post it here for those interested in seeing the results.

I'm hopeful to do something a lilttle more cinematic in style rather than just pointing it out my window at work and saying "here you go everyone".

If anyone has any suggestsions for camera settings or if there's something specific you think I should try please let me know here. For the most part I plan to shoot 16:9 24P 1/48th -3/0dB with maybe some tweaks to the cine settings depending on how they look for the scene(s).

Looking forward to it. I'll be posting some footage on triggerstreet.com in about 3 weeks. We just wrapped principal photography last week, and am now trudging through editing, sound, effects, color, score, etc... It's a 10min. short film.

I don't think I'll be able to post it straight here due to festival requirements, but perhaps a trailer or segment would be OK.

Oh... and did I mention, there's a few small sections of steadicam (hollywood lite) camera work by Mr. Charles Papert?

Dennis,

Personally as for the purpose of showcasing the results of the Mini35 I'd think a good variety of setups would be the most effective. If you could try shooting through the different stages of the day. Morning, mid day, afternoon, evening, magic, and night. Use dolly, still, pan, SteadiCam (If available or other) and as many varying elements as possible I think a most general display would be great.

Maybe we should challenge you with assigning certain subjects? *G*

So, how are the tests goin?

I had to order the $120 upgrade kit to fit my XL2 properly on my mini35, which is currently configured for the XL1s. I hope it arrives soon.....

tell us when you get it.

Oh, and when everything is set up, can you take some outdoor shots and one of a person or perhaps a person outside? Indoor shots ar so boring.

I hope to get the part next week, I have to say the guys at ZGC are great at helping out!

I just posted some XL2 footage without the mini35 on this thread if anyone is interested to see it,

www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?s=&threadid=33417

Dennis, regarding the upgrade kit, does it consist of anything more than just a milled 4mm shim? The price sounds about right for that part, given the nature of this industry, but I was just curious.

The XL2 from the lens mount to the base is about 4mm higher than the XL1/s/e - it means you either get a platform which is 4mm lower, or raise the mini35 optical box by 4mm.

For $120 I thought I'd be getting a new platform, but perhaps you are right Chris and its just a 4mm shim for the optical box?

Time to email ZGC...

Hi Chris and Dennis,

The Min35 upgrade kit for the XL2 consists of the outer part of the platform and a shim with proper screws. The XL1 outer platform could not just be machined down without loosing the part under the fastening screws, so it had to be redesigned. The spring-loaded part of the platform and the knobs from the XL1 kit are re-used. To switch back to the XL1 configuration, you use the provided shim and longer screws.

Changing the height of the of the “optical box” does not preserve the compatibility with the light weight rod system so you would also have to change the height of the mattebox and eventual follow focus system. For us it was important to stay compatible with the Arri SR standard.

Thanks for the clarification, Guy! Much appreciated,

Do you knw when the part should arrive?

Well, I've got a completed and edited 10-minute short film shot with the Mini35 and XL2 posted to Triggerstreet.com. If you're not already a member, you'll have to join to log-in, but I can assure you, it is well worth it. It's a great site started by Kevin Spacey and some other industry people.

To find it, just go to triggerstreet.com and log-in or join, then in the search box in the upper-right hand corner, type in "Limb from Limb" without the quotes, and click on "Short Films" under the search box to search for short films by that title. The only result should be mine.

I cannot post the full film to a non-member-only location, as some of the festivals we're planning on entering preclude that, however, I may be able to create a password protected website for it sometime soon.

If you can log in to TriggerStreet.com to view it, I'd love to get your reviews for it on TS and/or here (on TS counts towards getting selected for their film festival, which is why I'd like something there as well).

Dennis - Time to see yours now :)

Thanks!

Eric,

That was very fun to watch. Very nice, but I feel it could have stood a few more angles or cuts in some areas that seemed a bit drawn out in terms of the shot. Did you leave the coloring alone?

I probably would have liked to see it at a larger image size but I can understand that Triggerstreet probably has guidelines.

Eric:

Nice job!

It was interesting doing "real" work with a Hollywood Lite...but next time I think I'll bring my big rig though!

I like what you did with the color correction.

Holly:
I did do color correction using both Color Finesse and Looks Suite for some spots. As for the image size, what you saw was TriggerStreet's maximum size, basically. It was 344 pixels wide and their max is 350. I had to do 344 to get the even ratio of pixels though.

Charles:
Thanks... You da man! - You probably couldn't see at that screen size, but you are listed in the credits. Can't wait to see you wielding the big rig :)

Can you please post a full rez frame or two?

Thanks,

will griffith

Update:

Okay, the folks at ZGC are fast - I got my mini35 XL2 plate today and hope to install it tomorrow. Once I shoot the footage I will definitely post it, as well I will include some full rez frame grabs in both compressed JPG and uncompressed BMP.

I'm in the middle of another project right now and hope to break away over the next day or two to start shooting some test shots.

Dennis

OK, following are some full-rez frame grabs:
http://img33.exs.cx/img33/6213/frame-grab-1.jpg
http://img33.exs.cx/img33/659/frame-grab-2.jpg
http://img33.exs.cx/img33/2092/frame-grab-3.jpg
http://img33.exs.cx/img33/9897/frame-grab-4.jpg
http://img33.exs.cx/img33/4940/frame-grab-5.jpg
http://img33.exs.cx/img33/2263/frame-grab-6.jpg
http://img33.exs.cx/img33/574/frame-grab-7.jpg
http://img33.exs.cx/img33/793/frame-grab-8.jpg

Eric, those are really great looking stills, and the lighting is superb! What kind of lights were used mainly?

I also watched the film and only wished it could be bigger.. your film was great - any plans for it? ie. other festivals, distribution..

Thank you. Those look great.

will griffith

Thanks - yeah - those Triggerstreet folks don't allow you to post anything bigger than that unfortunately. I may be creating a password protected site for a higher quality version, but not right away. For now, we're submitting it to festivals - the only one so far is Slamdance, but I think we find out about that in December.

As for lighting, in most of the scenes we used a combo of all the lights I rent at IndieRentals.com - Arri 650 and 150 Fren's and Lowel Caselight and Rifa-88.

The Fren's were gel'd to bring them to daylight temperature for the daytime scenes, and the Caselight with some of the 150's was used for all the indoor night scenes. Outdoor night, we threw almost everything at it, with the Rifa providing ambient light.

The basement was simply existing overhead flourescent lighting - which was fantastic, but overly bright, so I brought down the lighting level a LOT in post.

Thanks again :)

Thanks for sharing the kind of lights that were used. I've been shooting with our mini35/XL1s combo for the last year (and now with the XL2) mainly on other productions where lighting was usually already taken care of - I want start lighting my own scenes now and of course want them to look good too! Any insight on what the best way to learn more about this would be?

I currently own lowel tota, omni and dp lights with barn doors.. but find them crazy for creating a soft light / "X files" kind of look. They spill all over the place and mostly the lighting ends up looking somewhat flat.

Any suggestions? Should I sell my lowels and get something that will yield better results and be easier for me?

My first mistake in lighting was to assume that hard lights are bad. That's really not the case - they are your best friend when creating a moody atmosphere, but they have to be used correctly in a three-point lighting setup (at least at the base of your setup).

I believe there's a book called "DV Lighting Techniques" that's a good primer for lighting.

Other than that, just take a look at some of the reviews for books on lighting at Amazon, and reading a few of those will help you out immeasurably.

Oh yah - and you MAY want to add a good dispersed light to the mix, like the lowel rifa or caselight - those do work nicely as fill lights to help soften shadows when you need it.

Dennis, think about adding some Chimeras (or other manufacturer's versions of same) to convert your Lowels. I picked up a Photoflex kit that uses my old Tota which has sat for years on the shelf: now I have a nice big soft source.

If you are hard lighting with your lights and find the results flat, you must be attacking the subject from too many directions. Don't always think key+fill+backlight. Very often stripping everything away but one light will get you in the right direction. I often add negative fill (black solids) to pick up contrast and modelling.

Thanks for the insight on the lighting, I will keep practicing and trying new things. I will also consider converting my Tota into a soft light box.

Eric,

Do you remember what version of the mini35 was used with the XL2 on your last film?

Daniel and I are talking on another thread about the base platform XL2 kits we received and how our XL2's are about 1/4 inch short of reaching the mini35 image converter locking ring.

Any insight would be appreciated. Thanks.

In case Eric isn't in the house, it was a 400 series (Oszie).

Yes, it was. - And I have the new XL2 adapter from ZGC and it works fine - they took care of that 1/4" issue with the new adapters.

Sorry - just looked at your other post and I obviously was thinking of the wrong issue - yes, I have a 400 series and that seems to be why it works for me. Sorry you're having those issues.

Yeah the original 1/4 inch issue with the XL2 was vertical which the new base platform kit resolves, but apparently only for the series 400 mini35. The issue for series 300 units even after the upgrade kit is 1/4 inch short horizontally. (The XL2 does not reach the mini35 image converter)

It appears the short term solution would be to grind some metal off the mini35, but somehow I just don't feel compelled to have to grind my investment.

wheres the footage?

Footage?

Not yet, as you'll see from this thread the XL2 baseplate upgrade kit still does not allow the Canon XL2 to work with all mini35 units, particularly the series 300.

www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?s=&threadid=33852

I was just wondering what kind and what size of lenses did you used on your short film. I really liked your short film and will be shooting my own real soon, possibly with an XL2. However, I noticed that the mini35 is out of my budget for now. Do you know any place that rents the mini35 with the adapter for cheap. Thanks for your time. Keep up the good work.

Brandon - sorry for the delay in reply.

I used our Ziess T1.3 Prime Lenses - 18, 25, 35, 50 and 85mm. I'm sure I used each at different times.

As for rental, drop me an email - i run http://www.IndieRentals.com and I can hook you up with a good deal.

FINALLY I have some mini35/XL2 footage to post! This is my 3rd project with the rig already, I will post more from the other projects as soon as I can.

www.starcentral.ca/images/bc/sample.wmv

Let me know what you guys think, I personally think the XL2 and mini35 is a killer combination. This footage has not been played with too much in post, it would be interesting to see what else can be made out of it.

Enjoy!

From another short film currently in production, "The 23rd Doorway" www.starcentral.ca/images/bb/sample.wmv

Okay, I'm on a roll now...

The link below will get you to a BMW Spec Commercial which I finally got around to editing this weekend. The footage was shot back in mid November.

www.starcentral.ca/reel.htm

Hey Guys,

I just finished production on a XL2 Mini-35 short. I cut a trailer for it cause the film won't be finished till next summer. I don't have a way to post it online but if you're interested in seeing it I can email it to you with Yousendit.com. It doesn't take up an mailbox space...so, I'd love to have you look at it. If you're interested, let me know.

Josh, i can host it for you for a few weeks at no charge if you like. let me know and i'll create a ftp log in for you. I want to see to see some mini35/xl2!

Hey Sid,

That would be awesome. I'm actually in Italy right now studying abroad but I have the trailer on my computer. It's a quicktime file, set at a 16x9 480x260...something like that. It's internet size basically.

I've never posted anything online before so let me know what I need to do. Thanks for the offer. I appreciate it.

Not a problem at all Josh. I'll send you an email right now with all the info on how to upload your file.

Hey Sid or Josh,
any news on uploading Josh's footage. I am excited to see it!

hi Dave,

I emailed Josh that very same day with all the info on how to upload it to the server but i haven't heard anything from him. I'm going to shut that connection down at the end of the month if there is no activity.

Thanks Sid! I was hoping to see that XL2/M35 footage soon...I guess we'll have to wait bit.

Sorry about the delay. I am in Italy and finding internet time is tough. Sid, I am going to upload the file monday night if that is still okay with you. the file is pretty big though, 75 mb. I hope that isnt too much. let me know. like i said i have never done this before. but, if all goes well guys we will have it up by tuesday.

thanks for the patience.

josh

No problem Josh. I'll leave it up for you. Don't worry about the file size, i have PLENTY of bandwidth. It must be so nice to be in Italy *sigh*. Maybe i'll travel there next year :).

Hey Sid,

Listen, I tried putting it up last night but it's gonna take a while to upload and to do so I have to go to an internet cafe. So, I don't think I can do it until next weekend. Like, next Friday. Is this okay?

Sorry guys, i know you're waiting for it but internet time here is ridiculous and expensive and not available everywhere.

Hey Sid,

Listen, I'm back in the states now and still want to post my trailer if you're interested. Get back to me and let me know.

Thanks for the patience,
Josh

Hello everyone, this is a newer sample edit I recently put together from one of the recent projects I shot using my mini35/XL2 24p 16:9 if anyone is interested in viewing. It's about 5 minutes in length and clips from various indoor and outdoor scenes which were shot:

www.starcentral.ca/images/bb/bb.htm

Only one scene was color corrected, I haven't had time to really play with it since I was only hired to shoot and it is not my film.