City Lights with the XHA1 and Letus Extreme at DVinfo.net

Steven Dempsey · November 26th, 2007, 12:27 PM

I don't know what it is but every time I go to Brackendale in Canada to watch the bald eagles up there, I always end up doing some weird city at night piece. I guess it's one of the few trips where I actually go through a city so it gives me an excuse to shoot something different. In this case, it's Vancouver BC.

Anyway, this is a pretty similar opening to another film I did, also called Brackendale but I can't help myself :)

I may or may not use this as an intro.

The shots with the long light trails and long blurs were shot with the shutter set to 1/6th, with the native lens, no Letus. The rest was with the Extreme. All at 24f. Lenses used: Nikon 50mm f1.8 and Nikon 100mm f2.8

EDIT: I made some changes and uploaded a new file.

Also, I realized that my batteries were pretty weak in the Extreme so you may see some gg in one or two shots and I think I was just out of juice.

Some pretty heavy color correction done Premiere Pro CS3.

Enjoy.

Windows 720p version:
http://www.pinelakefilms.com/XHA1/citylightsintro.wmv

720p MP4 version, will play in Quicktime player:
http://www.pinelakefilms.com/XHA1/citylightsintro.mp4

Chris Barcellos · November 26th, 2007, 12:30 PM

Steven:

Getting a Sorry message, indicating that you have removed many films from site pending DVD release....

Steven Dempsey · November 26th, 2007, 12:31 PM

Oops, try that...I fixed the links

Chris Barcellos · November 26th, 2007, 12:41 PM

Downloading now, looks like its going okay.

Chris Barcellos · November 26th, 2007, 01:10 PM

Looks like the start of a good mystery film, was waiting for the opening shot of the main character driving his or her vehicle or making his or her way down a city sidewalk. This is certainly more dramatic than your beautiful "scenic" fare, demonstrating the range of your production capabilities...

Farid Bouchakour · November 26th, 2007, 02:28 PM

Hi
I love the Entrance! but to short ...
cheers

Steven Dempsey · November 26th, 2007, 02:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Farid Bouchakour

Hi
I love the Entrance! but to short ...
cheers

Huh, not sure what that means, but okay :)

Thank Chris.

Bill Busby · November 26th, 2007, 03:56 PM

Steven, nice stuff as expected.

Quite a while back I had asked you regarding your music sources in an email but got no response (probably got thrown in your spam bucket :). I recall seeing a post of yours once replying to someone here about that, but couldn't locate it.

You won't have to kill me. Reveal your sources! :D

Steven Dempsey · November 26th, 2007, 03:58 PM

www.killertracks.com

Oleg Kalyan · November 26th, 2007, 04:02 PM

Steven, you have a nice piece, it has pure cinematic expression, the mood is conveyed nicely. The piece moves me to shoot something similar in Moscow. (when I finally get over all commercial work)
Does it seem a bit soft , to tranfer it to 35mm or even for DVD distribution?
Great music, I wonder if this music can be purchased, looked the composers up on Google, couldn't find them.
Thanks for inspiration. (sorry if I misspelled words)

Steven Dempsey · November 26th, 2007, 04:18 PM

Thank you Oleg. It is definitely a little on the soft side mainly because it was all handheld and I was in all kinds of positions trying to get smooth footage while the car was jerking around in traffic. All the while, I was also trying to focus using the LCD...so yeah, it's a little out of focus :)

Nicholas Tran · November 26th, 2007, 04:27 PM

Hi Steven,

What settings did you use to minimize the grain? I've been experimenting with my Letus Extreme, but seem to find a decent amount grain still under low lighting conditions. You seem to get away with it quite nicely.

Steven Dempsey · November 27th, 2007, 10:17 AM

Nicholas, I don't do anything special. I try to avoid having the gain more than zero. That's about it.

Chris Barcellos · November 27th, 2007, 10:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steven Dempsey

Nicholas, I don't do anything special. I try to avoid having the gain more than zero. That's about it.

Steven:

To keep things at zero gain, are you recording a fairly dark image and taking it into post to punch up ?

Steven Dempsey · November 27th, 2007, 10:31 AM

Not really, I tend to use a slower shutter if it gets too dark but honestly, for the most part, if it's too dark I'm going to light it or simply not shoot it. I find that shooting dark ends up looking really grainy and, unless that's the intention, it's not what I want.

November 26th, 2007, 12:27 PM	#1
Steven Dempsey Disjecta Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Seattle, Washington Posts: 937	City Lights with the XHA1 and Letus Extreme I don't know what it is but every time I go to Brackendale in Canada to watch the bald eagles up there, I always end up doing some weird city at night piece. I guess it's one of the few trips where I actually go through a city so it gives me an excuse to shoot something different. In this case, it's Vancouver BC. Anyway, this is a pretty similar opening to another film I did, also called Brackendale but I can't help myself :) I may or may not use this as an intro. The shots with the long light trails and long blurs were shot with the shutter set to 1/6th, with the native lens, no Letus. The rest was with the Extreme. All at 24f. Lenses used: Nikon 50mm f1.8 and Nikon 100mm f2.8 EDIT: I made some changes and uploaded a new file. Also, I realized that my batteries were pretty weak in the Extreme so you may see some gg in one or two shots and I think I was just out of juice. Some pretty heavy color correction done Premiere Pro CS3. Enjoy. Windows 720p version: http://www.pinelakefilms.com/XHA1/citylightsintro.wmv 720p MP4 version, will play in Quicktime player: http://www.pinelakefilms.com/XHA1/citylightsintro.mp4 __________________ Try my Digital Therapy: http://www.pinelakefilms.com/digital_therapy.html Films on ExposureRoom: http://exposureroom.com/members/disjecta.aspx/videos/ Last edited by Steven Dempsey; November 27th, 2007 at 12:33 AM.

November 26th, 2007, 12:30 PM	#2
Chris Barcellos Inner Circle Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Elk Grove CA Posts: 6,838	Steven: Getting a Sorry message, indicating that you have removed many films from site pending DVD release.... __________________ Chris J. Barcellos

November 26th, 2007, 12:31 PM	#3
Steven Dempsey Disjecta Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Seattle, Washington Posts: 937	Oops, try that...I fixed the links __________________ Try my Digital Therapy: http://www.pinelakefilms.com/digital_therapy.html Films on ExposureRoom: http://exposureroom.com/members/disjecta.aspx/videos/

November 26th, 2007, 12:41 PM	#4
Chris Barcellos Inner Circle Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Elk Grove CA Posts: 6,838	Downloading now, looks like its going okay. __________________ Chris J. Barcellos

November 26th, 2007, 01:10 PM	#5
Chris Barcellos Inner Circle Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Elk Grove CA Posts: 6,838	Looks like the start of a good mystery film, was waiting for the opening shot of the main character driving his or her vehicle or making his or her way down a city sidewalk. This is certainly more dramatic than your beautiful "scenic" fare, demonstrating the range of your production capabilities... __________________ Chris J. Barcellos

November 26th, 2007, 02:28 PM	#6
Farid Bouchakour Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Germany Posts: 25	Hi I love the Entrance! but to short ... cheers

November 26th, 2007, 03:56 PM	#8
Bill Busby Major Player Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 959	Steven, nice stuff as expected. Quite a while back I had asked you regarding your music sources in an email but got no response (probably got thrown in your spam bucket :). I recall seeing a post of yours once replying to someone here about that, but couldn't locate it. You won't have to kill me. Reveal your sources! :D

November 26th, 2007, 03:58 PM	#9
Steven Dempsey Disjecta Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Seattle, Washington Posts: 937	www.killertracks.com __________________ Try my Digital Therapy: http://www.pinelakefilms.com/digital_therapy.html Films on ExposureRoom: http://exposureroom.com/members/disjecta.aspx/videos/

November 26th, 2007, 04:02 PM	#10
Oleg Kalyan Major Player Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: MOSCOW Posts: 860	Steven, you have a nice piece, it has pure cinematic expression, the mood is conveyed nicely. The piece moves me to shoot something similar in Moscow. (when I finally get over all commercial work) Does it seem a bit soft , to tranfer it to 35mm or even for DVD distribution? Great music, I wonder if this music can be purchased, looked the composers up on Google, couldn't find them. Thanks for inspiration. (sorry if I misspelled words)

November 26th, 2007, 04:18 PM	#11
Steven Dempsey Disjecta Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Seattle, Washington Posts: 937	Thank you Oleg. It is definitely a little on the soft side mainly because it was all handheld and I was in all kinds of positions trying to get smooth footage while the car was jerking around in traffic. All the while, I was also trying to focus using the LCD...so yeah, it's a little out of focus :) __________________ Try my Digital Therapy: http://www.pinelakefilms.com/digital_therapy.html Films on ExposureRoom: http://exposureroom.com/members/disjecta.aspx/videos/

November 26th, 2007, 04:27 PM	#12
Nicholas Tran Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Irvine, CA Posts: 67	Hi Steven, What settings did you use to minimize the grain? I've been experimenting with my Letus Extreme, but seem to find a decent amount grain still under low lighting conditions. You seem to get away with it quite nicely.

November 27th, 2007, 10:17 AM	#13
Steven Dempsey Disjecta Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Seattle, Washington Posts: 937	Nicholas, I don't do anything special. I try to avoid having the gain more than zero. That's about it. __________________ Try my Digital Therapy: http://www.pinelakefilms.com/digital_therapy.html Films on ExposureRoom: http://exposureroom.com/members/disjecta.aspx/videos/

November 27th, 2007, 10:31 AM	#15
Steven Dempsey Disjecta Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Seattle, Washington Posts: 937	Not really, I tend to use a slower shutter if it gets too dark but honestly, for the most part, if it's too dark I'm going to light it or simply not shoot it. I find that shooting dark ends up looking really grainy and, unless that's the intention, it's not what I want. __________________ Try my Digital Therapy: http://www.pinelakefilms.com/digital_therapy.html Films on ExposureRoom: http://exposureroom.com/members/disjecta.aspx/videos/