Hi Everybody... it's a long time I didnt't write on my favourite forum!!!
I worked hard with my wonderfull XL2.
I post the links of two my productions; they are online on Yousendit and will be there for a week...

http://www.yousendit.com/transfer.php?action=download&ufid=83F9391C0FBE3DEB

http://www.yousendit.com/transfer.php?action=download&ufid=50A0A6BD436B42FB

They are NO BUDGET productions, shooted in 25p widescreen.

I wait your critics.

Thanks everybody!!!

michele,

the stuff looks gorgeous. it's really great to see all the nice xl2 stuff put up these days.

thanks for sharing.

That looks awesome what did you use for compression?

The versions you downloaded were encoded with Windows Media Video Codec 9.

Thanks

Hi Everybody... it's a long time I didnt't write on my favourite forum!!!
I worked hard with my wonderfull XL2.
I post the links of two my productions; they are online on Yousendit and will be there for a week...

http://www.yousendit.com/transfer.php?action=download&ufid=83F9391C0FBE3DEB

http://www.yousendit.com/transfer.php?action=download&ufid=50A0A6BD436B42FB

They are NO BUDGET productions, shooted in 25p widescreen.

I wait your critics.

Thanks everybody!!!

Wow...what a beautiful look. That was shot in 24p?

If you don't mind sharing your secrets, how did you accomplish that greenish look for the train interior/exterior shots?

Good job!

They are NO BUDGET productions, shooted in 25p widescreen.
Thanks everybody!!!

Hi,

Here's some points and questions of the music one:

- First, Very good for a no-budget video!
- There was much rack-focus, did you use mini35 or was that done by regular 20x lens?
- On "dream shots" of that woman, was soft look from filter or done in post?
- As a film stock buff, i noticed some burned highlights (stage parts). Were they intentional or was XL-2's dynamics just pushed too far on these scenes?
- Did you use magic bullet or cinelook to finish the look?

Thanks for sharing this!

Cheers,

Petri

Michele,

I very much enjoyed the music video (did not have time tonight for the short, will look at it tomarrow).

I liked almost all the lighting. The burnt grainy performer behind an object Was an alright effect but a bit to coarse for my preferences.

For zero budget I thought it was grand. I love the virtually black video with highlighted performer. Having such gorgeous women to be in it is rather grand too!

good Job!!!!

Thanks everybody!!

Petri, I used only Canon 20x and 3x lens, I shooted all with the minimum dof opening the iris the most possible. In the dream scenes I use a Tiffen soft FX filter and I add a Tinderbox diffusion fillter. The burnt/overexposed parts were quite wanted. And I used Magic Bullet to color correct the entire job.

Thanks

I don't know if someone has noticed that:

there are some blue screen shots, when the singer plays in slow motion (but the lips are in sync) behind him the drummer is playing in normal motion (1x).

I shooted the singer in front of a blue screen (4x4 meters) singing the song at 2x. Then I shooted (WITHOUT MOVING THE CAMERA) the drummer defocused at normal speed. Then in post I slow down the singer, so he is rallenty but singing in sync, keyed the blue (with Keylight in After Effects Professional) and put behind the drummer defocused...!!

Michele

I don't know if someone has noticed that:

there are some blue screen shots, when the singer plays in slow motion (but the lips are in sync) behind him the drummer is playing in normal motion (1x).

I shooted the singer in front of a blue screen (4x4 meters) singing the song at 2x. Then I shooted (WITHOUT MOVING THE CAMERA) the drummer defocused at normal speed. Then in post I slow down the singer, so he is rallenty but singing in sync, keyed the blue (with Keylight in After Effects Professional) and put behind the drummer defocused...!!

Michele

Very cool! I just ordered an Xl2 and it should arrive today sometime. We will be shooting a Music Video for a local band and if I can get it to look half as good as yours does I'll be happy.

I don't know if someone has noticed that:

there are some blue screen shots, when the singer plays in slow motion (but the lips are in sync) behind him the drummer is playing in normal motion (1x).

I shooted the singer in front of a blue screen (4x4 meters) singing the song at 2x. Then I shooted (WITHOUT MOVING THE CAMERA) the drummer defocused at normal speed. Then in post I slow down the singer, so he is rallenty but singing in sync, keyed the blue (with Keylight in After Effects Professional) and put behind the drummer defocused...!!

Michele

Michele,

Great work!! Well composed and thought out. While I was watching the music vid my film partner came up and and thought he was seeing things when he noticed the singer in slow motion but the lips were still in sink. Very creative. By the way, who is the band and where was it shot?

The short film was also great. It had a Soderbergh like style. Do you want to make this into a feature?

Thanks Scott!!

You catched the target!!: Soderbergh is my master, and I think this independent/run and gun style is so creative.

Michele

The band is called: So Close (www.socloseband.com).
They are italian, and live and works in Varese, a city near Milan, in Italy.

The video was shooted in a wood industry near Varese and the girl on train is in Milan.

Michele

The band is called: So Close (www.socloseband.com).
They are italian, and live and works in Varese, a city near Milan, in Italy.

The video was shooted in a wood industry near Varese and the girl on train is in Milan.

Michele

Hi Michele,

I just watched your short film also. Excellent work!

Did you use a lens filter for this short film also? If so, which type did you use?

Although I couldn't understand what they were talking about, it seems as though you found some good actors! Congrats.

Regards...

Petri, I used only Canon 20x and 3x lens, I shooted all with the minimum dof opening the iris the most possible. In the dream scenes I use a Tiffen soft FX filter and I add a Tinderbox diffusion fillter. The burnt/overexposed parts were quite wanted. And I used Magic Bullet to color correct the entire job.


Thanks Michele,

I just looked the short one too. Dialogue is beyond me, so it could be interesting to know what was the catch...

And highlights were even more atomic :) is this look the kind of stuff that Soderberg has done recently? (on full frontal and others - just interested, i have not seen all of his work)

Whoever made a theme for this has a good taste. Solaris is also on my all-time top ten themes list :) (Somehow, together with those beautiful images it added a whole new universe around the main plot)

And finally - I guess any of us would be very happy to have these flicks on showreel. Keep up the good work!

Cheers,

Petri

LOOKS GREAT. You mentioned that it was shot in 25p. I've goten some nice looking footage with my xl2 24p. But, yours looks so much crisper. was wondering if that is the differance between 25p & 24p? I';ve been told that 25p is what 20percent more resolution than 24p?

Ths plot is about a lawyer (woman) and her clinet.

Here are the complete dialogues:

WOMAN: The State against the defendant Mr.De Nova, born in Milan guilty of A) articles 81, 594 1st comma and 612 1st comma p.c. because, executing actions stemming by a criminal intent offended the honour of Mrs. Martinelli and menaced her he would give her an unfair damage using the following sentences : “dirty bitch you’ll see”.

B) because first he slammed her face and then he pushed her making fall her…

MAN: Miss ...Bullshit, it was just an argument between husband and wife as hundreds do… the problem, dear lawyer is that the police believed to my wife's story…
…but I didn't do anythiing of this but a plenty of stupid things…

W: making fall her to the ground, this brought to Mrs. Claudia Martinelli bruises from which there was a sickness of 10 days.
Milan, February, 22nd 2006

Results stemming from the emergency room of San Paolo di Milano hospital February 22nd
Request of quoting the following sentences:
Mrs. Martinelli, as the person who received the previous written offences and Mrs. Lotti, as the person who is the offende person's neighbour in correlation to the offences named at the point A.

This is the situation…

M: Look, I don't agree at all, this story is madness, it didn't happen absolutely anything but above all I'm not guilty of anything and keep in mind, If I thought to be guilty I would have talked to my lawyer, I wouldn't have accepted an office lawyer. Neither I looked for you nor I need your defence in all this bullshit

W: Now, first of all this is not the right way to say things

M: You tell me which is the proper way…

W: This is not the right way to solve this situation ... the situation is serious…

M: Serious?... serious what?... Bullshit!... I don't know what kind of trials you always deal with but in front of you there is not a drugholic or a North African pusher… in front of you there is just a person who had an argument with his wife, full stop. I didn't do anything.

W: Well, at this point if you behave like that it is useless to go on with this ... I'll try to get what I can here and receive a sentence with the minumum given …

M: A sentence? What the hell are you talking about? what sentence? condanna un cazzo, condanna cosa? non solo ho subito quello che ho subito... adesso lei mi parla pure di condanna? Not only I was treated like that ...but you do also talk about a possibler sentence?

Nothing has changed...she still believes to be the pretty rich girl... what a stupid girl... what about you Miss... are you married? Do you have any children?

Well....no...but excuse me it doesn't matter ...

We spent a lot of time together...we had fun... we had our successes--- we had a gorgeous life... that life that so many people dream of and they can see just on tv

And then our marriage, our home, the family and the dog…

I was the first to mess it up... I didn't give a damn so many times... but it was ok...
it was just us... just me and her
all I want is not to be ... alone... again

During an evening she went out, to a show, ...it was her job--- she drank so much that she doesn't remember how many pills she took ... she lost everything we had.... everything she brought inside her...

I was longing so much to have that child...
I thought it was the same for her... but...

and then one evening I come back home, I find her sitting on a couch ....in her hands the medical examinations... and she says...forgive me... No, I can't forgive her...

W: I 'm sorry Francesco...I'll do the best to help you ...



Please correct if there some "strange" english!...


Thanks everybody!

Michele

Michele,

Your English is better than my Italian so you'll receive no corrections from me! Congratulations on your effort...I only wish I knew all your settings and lighting setup!

Who needs HD when the XL2 looks sooo good?

Music Video Setup:

Canon XL2 with 20x and 3X lenses
Formatt Matte Box
Tiffen Soft FX 2 filter
2x 2k Arri lights
4x Arri 1k lights
4x Cosmolight (like Ianiro) 1k lights
Light Cinema Dolly with 4 meters rails
Smoke machine


Short Movie Setup:
Canon XL2 with 20x and 3x lenses
Formatt Matte Box
3x 1k Cosmolight (like Ianiro) lights
2x Sennehiser wireless mics G100 (hidden!)


That's all!

Both the videos looked excellent. It's great to see what people are achieving with the Canon XL2. The music video was particularly well done. I was reading an article not too long ago that there is a demand for lower budget music videos, particularly since some are aimed directly at the podcast market.

The dramatic video was really cool, but it was too close to Soderbergh for my taste. Great for an imitation excersise, but don't sell you're own creativity short. Is that music from Solaris? If so, be careful. I don't know what your copyright laws are in Italy, or if you got permission to use the track (I noticed there was no credit for music at the end), but it could give you problems if you start distributing the piece. I love Soderbergh's style, and you really did nail it, so good job on that. Nice work!

Is that music from Solaris?

No, I just meant that the atmosphere and sounds are close.
Go rent solaris, it's great - and camerawork isn't reckless :)

Hey Petri, I wasn't actually referring to your comments at all. I too got the Soderbergh tribute as soon as I watched it, but as the music came on I just thought, "that sounds like the Solaris sound track". That was all. Good question about the DOF, I was wondering too if that was achieved with the 20x lens.

I put the final word!...

the music is from Traffic, it's called elicopter...

The shallow depth of field is acheived only with 20x lens...

thanks

funny, i remember when "sex lies & videotape" was released, and soderbergh was accused of copying other directors' techniques.

michele, thanks for generously sharing all that info. the work is very inspiring.

Sorry, this is likely OT. I had to :)

I put the final word!...
the music is from Traffic, it's called elicopter... thanks

... just reminds me of Wim Wender's hilarious "golden rules"

19. Never fall in love with your temp music.

:) More: http://www.moviemaker.com/issues/61/wenders.html

funny, i remember when "sex lies & videotape" was released, and soderbergh was accused of copying other directors' techniques.

... and this reminded me of Laurent Tirard's book "Moviemakers' masterclass"

Quote: "First of all, they gave me the confidence to see there are scores of ways to make a film. Everyone can approach filmmaking in his or her own way; in fact, everyone should."
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/product-description/057121102X


Cheers,

Petri

Music Video Setup:

Canon XL2 with 20x and 3X lenses
Formatt Matte Box
Tiffen Soft FX 2 filter
2x 2k Arri lights
4x Arri 1k lights
4x Cosmolight (like Ianiro) 1k lights
Light Cinema Dolly with 4 meters rails
Smoke machine


Short Movie Setup:
Canon XL2 with 20x and 3x lenses
Formatt Matte Box
3x 1k Cosmolight (like Ianiro) lights
2x Sennehiser wireless mics G100 (hidden!)


That's all!

Michele,

Does the same soft FX 2 filter work with both the 20X lens and the wide angle lens? I have just started using them but have to try and apply them to a wide angle lens...

Thanks in advance for any help.

Hi Guy, yes it's the same Tiffen Soft FX 2 filter used.

Any chance these could be reposted (no longer availble)? I would really like to see these after reading all the praise.

Sure Chris... I upload them this evening!

Thanks

Thanks, Michele! Looking forward to it.

Hey Michele,

I just read this thread with HUGE interest as I'm about to step up from a Canon XM2 (GL2) to the XL2.

I am really keen to see your videos but the links have expired. You mentioned in a recent post that you were going to upload them again. Can you please post a link here?

Many thanks - looking forward to seeing your work.

Ian . . .

Online again!


http://www.yousendit.com/transfer.php?action=download&ufid=614AF8843919BF26

http://www.yousendit.com/transfer.php?action=download&ufid=509543A325F7BBB3

Thanks everybody

Thanks for posting these again. I just watched them both and all I can say is ... wow! Awesome work!

I didn't understand a bit of Perdonami, except when she (an attorney, I assume) says "Mi dispiace" ("I'm sorry"). I could almost sense the total anguish in the scene. Without speaking Italian, I feel that I was able to get the gist of the plot, which, is the whole point of great visual story-telling.

The lighting and colors really set the mood for this piece, even the blown out white shirt when facing the man sitting down was a nice effect - almost a halo-like effect.

Anyhow, great work and thanks for re-posting these again.

Excellent in both cases.

Re the movie: I absolutely agree with Chris in that the mood of the piece conveys the story very strongly (whether it's the intended story or not is another matter, of course!).

Re the music video: Lovely images, great sound, solid story. Not much more I can add that hasn't already been said by others.

Great effort all round, thanks for sharing.

Ian . . .

Michele,

I love the music video. I'd love to put it on my iPod but need a QuickTime version to convert from. Any possibility of getting one online some day?

Michelle,
Do you have a link/site, etc for us to view the video apart from yousendit?
Can you also share your camera settings?

Thanks in advance.