Thanks eric, I use a green screen to insert the still shoots as a projector proved difficult, lighting the subject and getting a good video level in the back ground from a projector was to much hassle.

The scenes near the graves could not be help much, as they wanted it to look dark and without life.

The project is a low budget production and was done on the fly, cause they wanted to get the video out to launch with their single. its done but i wish i had more time to properly shoot and edit, i shoot the video entirely handheld I used premiere to edit

thanks for the feedback

Ah I see. Well if that's how they wanted it, can't argue with that. It looks really good though and the keying came out really nice. :)

We always need more time. :)

Nicely done. The cuts are right were they should be IMO.

You shoot action well. That's hard to do! And your editing is solid, although I could see a few cuts that I didn't think worked as well as others.

The main problem, from my viewpoint, is that you didn't make it interesting for non-motocross fans. Who is this guy? Why does he do this? What was this race like for him? How hard is it to ride in one of these races? Etc...

In my documentaries about bodybuilding and strength competitions, I always try to make it more understandable for the viewer who is unfamiliar with the sport. And I always try to tell a story along the way.

Here are two examples...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cluyc24vqc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NlrLolh-vxo

This is what I do... (http://www.youtube.com/milapse) Sorry for the youtube compression! It all looks amazing at 1080p on my 37" monitor.

Mostly for fun (I have a real job) but I sell here and there. It helps to pick up more equipment for more fun! If you need some stock feel free to hit me up. The youtube stuff is only a fraction of my collection.

I'm always playing with motion control. I'm working on software to control the telescope pan/tilt head (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ni89TBOTCUA) that I use currently and It's very cool (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXvAG-FSxTw). I've always been envious of you tie-chi camera handling folk so now I can roll! ;-)

Oh yah.. and I've been exploring real world HDR video (http://www.hdrtimelapse.com) lately...

Enjoy!

Hi Phil,

I love the sample clips you have on your website. I recently bought the Brevis with Nikon mount and am using it with a Canon XH A1.

I've only been getting into video for the past year. So I'm a definite novice. However, my profession keeps me in Asia and the Middle East. During my free time, I'm hoping to do some film type shots using the Brevis setup.

Could you recommend a good all around travel lens with Nikon mount that will work well with the Brevis. I'm guessing my price range is between $500 to $1000 USD.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

Cheers,
John

Jay, as I said before, nice work. I really like the natural feel of your colors and exposure.

I have a question. Do you think that pan head can work for some real-time shots? Could it pan through about 45 degrees in just a few seconds. It might be nice to have a robot-smooth shot on occasion and this head seems to be very affordable for it's capability.

Nice work again, Phil. I assume the vignetting and edge blur is an effect added in post and not the adapter. I really like the better-than-real colors and the mix between close and personal and then distant composition.

Yes I'm finding that is a possible use for the system Marcus. The top speed of the rig is 5 deg/sec so it could make a 45 in 9sec. for example... Here is a sample (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXvAG-FSxTw) where I only increased the footage speed by 2x in post but during capture I did not go over 2.5 deg/sec. (this is using my custom software as well for smooth start/stop).

Here is a guy (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LodZaT63y4) that has made a nice beefy bracket for his HVX and says that it's working fine...

Extract from recent wedding, comments appreciated.

www.derienzo-videoproductions.co.uk/silvia&salvatore.wmv

Thank you

That's funny. I was envisioning putting my monopod quick release plate on a bracket just like that guy did. While watching the video, I had that exact part sitting on my desk. I guess it must be a good idea. The best part is that I have an extra-long plate for my camera so the weight balance could be adjusted to prevent overtaxing the pan head. Thanks for the videos. Yours shows a nice pan a 2x speed and since the head can move twice that speed it is exactly what one could expect. It seems very usable for some circumstances. For a few hundred dollars I don't think it is possible to get smoother pans.

Does it start and stop smoothly? I read a comment about the head that it has slop changing directions.

36mb 720p .wmv file is here: www.fff.ee

was shot on HVX+M2. Budget is zero, but the band is promising, one day they might go really big, so I thought why not.

Lightened with stuipid halogen plane lamps, which u can get from wal mart. Here they are called construction lamps...

Due to bad lighting, I had color correct a lot to get it all even. And as u might see, still some clips are brighter/darker than others.

Any comment is welcome.

Very nice.

Great angles and camera movement. I also really admired the high colors and contrast adjustments... its a risk but you took it and was well worth it... turned out great.

I was wondering how you got the "sun ray" effect? You used it quite often and it looks really good. What program did you use?

Great overall piece. Good Job.

You did a great job! Liked some of the dynamic angles, like the really low angle looking up at the guitar player with his foot practically on the lens. The lighting looked not too bad at all. The dancer & construction guy didn't really fit in, but it all looked good. You sold the demolition well with falling dust, debris on the snare, etc. Good work man!

thanks Bert,

ye, that contruction guy is actually a vocal in one band, but he was closest construction guy looking man we new...
here their video: http://youtube.com/watch?v=ySSe8ud4Oy8

I'm relatively new to these messageboards, so a quick introduction. I shoot mostly Mountain Bike films and videos, mostly just for fun but also occasionally comercially.

I've Just finished my Demo Reel for post-june 07. Thought I'd share. It's all MTB

DemoReel 102MB 1:20min H.264 1024x576 (http://www.savatarclan.net/ollie_smith/DemoReel.mov)

I've spent almost 95% of my time behind the camera shooting MTB, but will very soon be moving toward indies, since I find the environment of sports shooting very limited to what I want to achieve behind a camera. It's definetly a very difficult medium to try and get creative with as it is mostly out of your control what the riders and the environment is doing at any particular moment in time.

I shoot on an FX1, at 50i. All the slowed motion is done at 50i then de-interlaced in post. Hope you enjoy!:)

Does it start and stop smoothly? I read a comment about the head that it has slop changing directions.

That requires scripted commands (for acceleration deceleration) thus my effort to develop software control. It does have a little slop changing directions but that's sort of a rare application...

i love out of focus and handheld shots, so it was a given that i'd enjoy that video. good job!

I did this tralier for a German Dance Group, and I glad that it has taken them on tour to different countries.

Shot with only one camera, a DVX100B , during 4 shows.

http://blip.tv/file/357890?filename=DavidChia-2IDDanceGroup121.mov

From a fellow metal head..... that band is brutal! Absolutely loving the video too. I'm trying to get things rolling on a video for a metal-core band that I work/hang with a lot. Lately I've just been filming their shows with two cameras so they can send off to labels for a press kit.

Great job on the video bro!! Keep it up! \m/

Shot this is NYC, No Adapter (YET!!) ... it says final buuut i may tweak a few things here and there... First look! :)

www.madguyproductions.com/uploads/clips/gettingover.html

Hey, figured I'd let you guys know, I've got my first "teaser" video online in 720p, shot with a Canon HV20, an AT-35 lav and an ATR55 Shotgun.

Edited in Final Cut Pro. No color correction.

http://www.vimeo.com/365186

Click here to watch. (http://www.metacafe.com/watch/896777/sons_of_lemuria_teaser_trailer/)

It is one of 3 short films I am working on before editing them all and showing them together(I don`t have a computer that can edit HD yet). They started out as 3 demos of fighting scenes we wanted to do, then like many others before me, they took control and became much more. The projects expanded into full blown shorts (eww...) and luckily not into features! So here it is, the teaser to "Sons of Lemuria".

There's a bit more info, pictures, test videos, and misc stuff about the projects Here. ( http://www.myspace.com/naqproductions)
Add me as a friend if you'd like to follow the projects' progress :)

Nice little teaser! I like the titles and the music seemed to fit.

Might need a little Colour Correction but pretty good overall.

Cheers,

Mike

thanks, believe it or not there was alot of correction there, as well as I`m not yet familiar with gamma adjusting/color adjusting a monitor etc for different export methods. It seems h264 renders out with desaturated colors a bit, wmv saturates it, so what I see in premiere is not what is posted ... just the best I could get. Any help in that field would be great.

Also I wanted to make a plea to the moderators to fix the error in the title...'me' should be 'my'... i don't want to look completely uneducated...just make typing errors ;) Please? :D

Hi there, I was wondering if I could run this by your good selves please, but before you watch, may I just note for record my own personal thoughts and parts where I know are way out, even before that though, some history of the shoot...

EntraVenus are a local band who approached me to shoot three music videos about three separate songs which are linked by the same characters. The first video establishes who Davey is and why he is doing what he does. The second video delves deeper into his character, a drug habit is established and also a girlfriend, and shows a possible greivance to a dealer called "Jimmy the Chimp"

The third video depicts a possible demise. I say possible because a fourth song, although totally unrelated, could show events occurring after the third film.

All will become clear. The band feature indirectly in all three videos, in the first they are a band playing on tv which the family is watching when Davey is trying to get attention; in the second they are playing a gig in a club where the action is taking place, and in this third video, they appear as people in the street which Davey comes into contact with.

My own thoughts on this video, which couldn't be controlled due to the band and the story they want to tell, this fact is that drugs and guns do not make a good music video, and portray the wrong image for the band, also the band used friends as actors, which is a big no-no but I am no professional and they are budgetless, paying only for my time.

So, the feedback I'd like to get, if any, would be just about the video itself - how it is shot, its composition, editing, framing, and post production.

Thanks in advance for your feedback, it will all be used in the shooting of the second video (3 is finished, 1 has been shot and rough cut, 2 is waiting for the band)

http://myspacetv.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=20737070

Thanks,


Russ

thanks guys.

Travis, thats the best thing actually, Ive worked with many other bands, but making video with your homies is the best. No stress, you can be natural and express yourself as you wish, dont have to worry about politeness.

Please give me some feedback on this video we produced and edited for Year of the Moth, a very talented rock band. We showed up just to help with cinematography and ended up being handed the entire project. The band picked the stage and wanted just a simple video of them playing. 4 different cameras were used including my Vx2100, and HVR-A1U. The band loves the video and I think we did a decent job for what we had to work with.

I have the opportunity to recut it in any way i want, obscure, super artsy, whatever -so i'd like some feedback in that area too.


QT - 48MB
http://timelake.com/media/YOTM.mov

YouTube
http://youtube.com/watch?v=cltE54HaIOw

The band loves the video and I think we did a decent job for what we had to work with.

The things that stood out for me as "hmm, I don't like that" was just the weird smoke layer effect that comes on the screen, and then the parts where is totally blown out black and white for just a brief moment. Totally just a matter of taste.

I included the above quote because I think you've got the right idea... there's only so much you can do with this project, and if the band loves it, I think you can call it a success. Its probably one of these projects where you're going to say "well, its not my best, but if the client's happy..."... we all get our fair share of those.

Seeing the other paintball videos on here I decided to post the one I did last year and some of what I am doing right now.
http://jambrill.com/805%20films/PbnationHB07.avi

Here is a little mock commercial I did for one of my film classes.
http://jambrill.com/Film%20pro%20275/275%20lasic.mov

I'll agree with Bert. The smoke was like, "...huh?" Other than that, good job. I've found out that staying on the same shot for more than 2 seconds really pushes it unless you're trying to tell a story. There were a few longer shots that could have been clipped, but that's my personal taste.

Looked like some really bad interlacing in the first vid.

You have a Z1 right? Why aren't you shooting 30p / Rendering it...

Because that was the first time I had ever shot with a fx1 and edited with premiere pro 2.0. The second video is me with a z1 and cut with fcp 6

next time think more about composition.

When there is straight on band angle, camera cuts of vocal's half of the body and shows ugly ceiling instead, thats incorrect.

Wonderful thank you for the feedback so far.


The smoke got left in, I was mixed on it, and just messing around. The vocalist ended up liking it and wanted it in.

You're right about some of the time on shots Alex, more than I wanted too, I already know I have to go in and tighten some of that up.

Some of these shots I'm working with no sounds and have to frame by frame match vocals. I started to get abstract a little, not wanting an always on vocal match.

Great, notepad is getting used, thanks again!!!

First shot at a music video. Our remake/variation of SNL's Lazy Sunday.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHBP92HHMfQ

Here's the clip: (recommended to download the high quality clip)
http://files.filefront.com/Finalmovie2mov/;8972243;/fileinfo.html

Get Focused is an annual festival in Norway.

It's not a promo video for the festival, I just brought my camera and filmed some..

hi guys!

i'd just like to share with you some mobisodes i've been working on for my company theHUB. we're a content provider currently focused on mobile tv and one of the programs we're developing is called Untested Theories. at the moment our YouTube page features four episodes - do check them out and if you're so inclined, leave your comments. oh and if you like what we're doing, feel free to let your friends know. thanks!

www.youtube.com/untestedtheories

regards,

dan abbey

I got the opportunity to follow my local college football team during their climb from the newest and most inexperienced, to the third place in the national rankings.
My main job was to give the coach material to review and do statistics from, but I also made a highlights edit from each game for the players.
This is the highlights from one of their best games (in my opinion).
Shot on a HVR-Z1E
http://youtube.com/watch?v=0Xg7Q9rX16s

What do you think?

I thought the you made a fantastic choice in the music you chose. It adds a certain transcendental feel to the piece. I would have liked to have seen a few close ups of clashing bodies and grimacing faces.

As seen on youtube, it was rather dark...needed to be brightened and punched up.

Too many scrimages..Some sections could have been slowed down and others speeded up for dramatic effect.

With some additional work it could leave the viewer anxious to know what the "back story"is.

Thanks for the reply.

I was actually going to shoot the game with two cameras to get more close ups and a different angle to choose from, but my friend was too whipped by his girlfriend, so that didn't work out.
The reason to the darkness is the fact that this was my first time using the Z1, with most of my experience from my PD-170 which I think handles low light much better. Should have done something with it in post though, but I only had about an hour to edit it, so I didn't spot it.
I tried to cut out some scrimmages, but it didn't seem right. The action needed to start somewhere. But thats just me I guess.

I updated a spot for a local credit union and went in a totally different direction from their previous spot that Comcast did. I shot the CEO on a greenscreen and animated her into a kid's notebook (using After Effects).

I'll get to update the middle "pages" every month for a new Teacher of the Month, going on-site to shoot the classroom and teachers. It's been an enjoyable project and a great client.

http://www.browncowvideo.com/svvcu/TOM/

Thanks for watching,
Brian Brown
BrownCow Productions

I was actually going to shoot the game with two cameras to get more close ups and a different angle to choose from
That was going to be my first suggestion, but it would seem that you've already thought about that.


but my friend was too whipped by his girlfriend, so that didn't work out.
I'll refrain from the obvious joke here.

All I can say about the game footage was that:
1) #36 is a battering ram of a running back. Watching that guy run was like watching old NFL games from the 60's and I say that in a good way.
2) the opposing team was brutally bad
3) tackling must not have made it's way to your country yet

The game ended 40-0. I actually heard that this became the last season for Eidsvoll (the losing team). This isn't a very popular sport in Norway, as you probably saw on the numbers of spectators, so the players game knowledge and experience is limited. But "my" team actually has an American coach, which has done a great job teaching these players.

Made this first weekend of September... Really had alot of fun with it... Shot on Canon HV20 with M2

Remember this is a trailer to a scene i shot, that takes place in the middle of a feature... so it doesnt amke sense at all... unless you know the backstory....

im working on making a CGI Afx sequence for the beginning showing what has taken place thus far

Read up on it here: www.reduxfilm.blogspot.com

http://www.redrockmicro.com/footage/misc/carrierfinal.mov
Right Click and Save As


I'm also 17 and made this...


Zac

Great job I thought it was very creative. I bet your client loved it. Good concept you really pulled it off.

nice to see another example of the m2 redrock. Good use of focus on some shots, but it was pretty messy. This is just my two cents: you should try to keep the title designs the same style, just for a cleaner finish. And the whole 'montage' doesn't add up to a story. (I might have to watch it a few more times.) It's nice to see another teen filmmaker on these forums. What was this project for? School or fun? I'd like to learn more about your background as a filmmaker.

-Mike

Some examples of my work with the M2:
(sorry some of these are youTube)

http://youtube.com/watch?v=59z55AT5snA

http://youtube.com/watch?v=oHV5zsTU1co

http://invisionitstudios.com/johnwoo.html

http://invisionitstudios.com/JT.html

yeah, i have to admit it was messy, we got the M2 the day before and i was the only one able to learn it , so my DP had to learn that morning... but for the small learning it was nice to use, and easy to figure out...

and redrock let me use it for the weekend... so i don't have it anymore, but im buying the DIY version and in the process of building one, with canon lenses and a follow focus

and might i say some amazing shorts on your site, very professional... wow, you using the M2 bundle... cause thats mighty expensive...

Z

Michael, watched through your stuff. It looks really great! The only thing I could offer up on the JW one was to make sure you don't forget to motion track (like the muzzle fire smoke), so that it follows the tip of the gun and not the camera movement.

Editing this short teaser was an exercise in using somewhat uninspiring footage to make something that would entice the competitors in this bodybuilding contest to buy the DVDs by making the show seem as exciting as possible.

The contest was shot with one camera from the back of the hall and the show is somewhat slow moving. The trick was to pick the clips in such a way as to hide the fact, as much as possible, that the footage is very repetitive and also to show as many of the different competitors as I could in the time allotted. The hope is that they may recognize themselves, get excited, and purchase the DVDs. The real challenge for me became finding as many variations of action and framing as possible and sequencing them in such a way as to keep attention throughout. How well I achieved that is for you to decide.

Comments and criticism are welcome, of course.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=cwSkA3jI8Ng