Hello all. Got bored and made a new version of a video i made about a year ago. Shot with xl2, and a wide angle adapt. The original version could not have any camera shake, or out of focus footage. So I had to trash most of the footage you are about to see. I was looking through my files the other day and came across all of these unused clips i shot, clips with jerky movement and bluriness, and thought i'd put them to use. :) file is about 40 megs

also note, the short close up face shot of the girl toward the end, is the girl singing in the video.

www.elpez.com/matamoros.wmv

j.

Hello all. Got bored and made a new version of a video i made about a year ago. Shot with xl2, and a wide angle adapt. The original version could not have any camera shake, or out of focus footage. So I had to trash most of the footage you are about to see. I was looking through my files the other day and came across all of these unused clips i shot, clips with jerky movement and bluriness, and thought i'd put them to use. :) file is about 40 megs

also note, the short close up face shot of the girl toward the end, is the girl singing in the video.

www.elpez.com/matamoros.wmv

j.

WOW JOHN, phenomenal, superb eye, great editing, excellent look, just made me want to take a ride down south for a few beers and a tequila! Any chance of you sharing the settings you used for that shoot or after a year are they long gone and forgotten?

Anyway, again superb, I didn't see if the first time around.
Miguel

haha, No, the settings are not forgotten, thats because there were no settings. :) other than 30p and 16:9. I used no picture (color) enhancement settings on the camera or in post. I've messed around with color correction and film look plugins, and they do make the footage look better for the most part, but with those effects added, it makes for a longer render time, and im not that patient.

j.

John, I must congratulate you! Talented videographer + top-shelf camera = beautiful footage. In one short montage you've demonstrated several capabilities of the XL2 that some of the more negative-minded people cast as limitations -- outstanding color, creating shallow depth of field, slow zoom, maybe preset focus (or is your hand that good on the focus ring?). Outstanding!

Thanks pete. The thing is, i dont feel that I should take THAT much credit. In my opinion, the camera creates most of the magic. It's really all about good lighting. And on that gig, i tried my best to take full advantage of the sun to create some good images. It was tough though, I had to fight the sun moving behind clouds all day. And as far as the zoom is concerned, even though i love the zoom options on the xl2, most of the "zooms" in that video, were done in post. I'm a cheater :)

j.

John, how did you do the slow moving left to right shots? Did you use a dolly or something?

That's awesome John. Were some of those shots using a dolly. That was very cinema-like footage. could you show us more please?

Steven, Yes I used a home made dolly. I'll include a picture of the setup.


I did a re-edit that includes only the dolly shots. There are some repeat shots from the first clip, but also some new shots. The file size is about 60 megs. But it should stream.

www.elpez.com/dolly.wmv

here's the picture of the setup
www.elpez.com/behind2.jpg


j.

That is most excellent John......Thankyou. Did you go to school for videograghy? How did you learn to get such great shots? I like the dolly set-up!!!

I agree with the other Steve. I love the dolly. Certainly looks heavy duty and very portable. The track looks good also. Very simple but perfect for the job. Can you give us any build tips on the dolly? Would love to have a go at putting something similar together.

Many thanks

Steven

Congratulations John!!!

Please can you tell me what transitions you used, when the two clips fade burning to white?

Thanks

Michele

Hi Michele

My guess is that John did a disolve to a white still but I could be wrong!

Many thanks

Steven

I love the fact that most of your shots are so smooth. Makes the whole video look really nice. Someday i will make videos this good

That is most excellent John......Thankyou. Did you go to school for videograghy? How did you learn to get such great shots? I like the dolly set-up!!!

I'll take that as a compliment. :) No, i didn't go to school. I'm anti-school. :) ....When I see something i like in a movie, i try to mimic it. Usually when i watch movies, i'm looking more at the technical aspects instead of following the story. If you want to watch a movie with beautiful crane and dolly shots, look for Baraka.

Can you give us any build tips on the dolly? Would love to have a go at putting something similar together.


I put together a link to explain the dolly a little better.
www.elpez.com/dolly

Please can you tell me what transitions you used, when the two clips fade burning to white?

It's a transition in Sony Vegas, called "Sony Flash"

I love the fact that most of your shots are so smooth. Makes the whole video look really nice. Someday i will make videos this good

Thanks. It's really easier than it looks. Just take a little time, construct or buy a dolly. watch a few movies, then mimic the shots. :D

j.

John,
I just might check out this movie "Baraka". Is this a movie that would be at a video rental place or something? I don't think I've heard of it before. But I will take your advice and check it out. I like the fact that you are using the movie theatre and the TV screen as your classroom. It must be working. The dolly plans are also inspiring.

John,
I just might check out this movie "Baraka". Is this a movie that would be at a video rental place or something? I don't think I've heard of it before. But I will take your advice and check it out. I like the fact that you are using the movie theatre and the TV screen as your classroom. It must be working. The dolly plans are also inspiring.

It's not really a "movie" it's more like a documentary without narration. Don't expect a movie like "Fast and the Furious". Baraka is a rainy sunday afternoon event. You can read a little about it at spiritofbaraka.com

j.

Hi John, another question...!!

can you explain me how you encoded your video? which wmv codec you used? which settings?

thanks so much!!!

I really enjoyed your footage. I am curious however, you mentioned that on occasion during filming with your dolly there was some spots that you could see some slight shakeyness. I am wondering how bad the actual shakeyness was and why the XL2's image stabilization didn't automatically correct it.

Another option if you want to get shots like these without a dolly you could do what I do and go with a Steadicam system. Of course this will take some cash and training (esspecially to get the really slow shots) but once you do its unreal.. free to move anywhere! I highly recommend the aviator from www.Varizoom.com that's what we have (check their customer comments - thats us in the photos)

If you have any questions on the rig let me know

Christopher, I guess John did not have the camera stabilization switched on as in some instances it can cause a very minor decline in image quality. I have not seen too much written about the XL2 camera stabilization and how it affects picture quality, I am just guessing from some other camera systems out there!

Thanks Michael for the link to Varizoom. Certainly something I am considering.

Many thanks

Steven

Terrific stuff! What wide angle lens were you using? Century Optics or...?

Christopher, I guess John did not have the camera stabilization switched on as in some instances it can cause a very minor decline in image quality. I have not seen too much written about the XL2 camera stabilization and how it affects picture quality, I am just guessing from some other camera systems out there!

Thanks Michael for the link to Varizoom. Certainly something I am considering.

Many thanks

Steven


The XL2 uses OIS (Optical Image Stabilzation). Unlike electronic image stabilization, there is no degredation in image quality.

Hi John, another question...!!

can you explain me how you encoded your video? which wmv codec you used? which settings?

thanks so much!!!

* As far as the settings for the .wmv file, again, using Vegas 5.

-- Video rendering quality "Best"
-- Mode "CBR"
-- Format "Windows Media Video 9"
-- Image size "Keep Original Size"
-- Frame rate "29.970"
-- Video smoothness "90"
-- Bit rate "1 Mbps Video"


I really enjoyed your footage. I am curious however, you mentioned that on occasion during filming with your dolly there was some spots that you could see some slight shakeyness. I am wondering how bad the actual shakeyness was and why the XL2's image stabilization didn't automatically correct it.

The actual shakeyness wasnt horrible. But it was enough that I had to redo dolly shots over and over until i felt like I got a shot that had a minimal amount of "shaking" ...as far as the OIS, I dont know if it helped minimize the shakeyness or what. It was hard for me to study the footage in the field. In the field i would feel that I got a smooth shot, but i wouldnt notice the shakeyness until i started editing.

Terrific stuff! What wide angle lens were you using? Century Optics or...?

Century Optics .6 WA


j.

Hey John, thanks for sharing the dolly details... so simple and obviously effective.

What tripod & head combo do you use?