XDCAM EX1 on the road blog

[Chad Hucal]

Thanks so much Phil for both those tutorials. I really appreciate the effort you put into helping out others trying to learn this stuff. I bought an EX1 last summer, have only used it once, I bought a Letus Extreme at the same time and that has yet to be used. All this is sad I know, what a waste. Good news is I have several projects about to start so I'll finally put this stuff to work. That's a lot of hard earned money I have sitting in a closet.

Any more tutorials you pass down the line are always appreciated.
Thanks again.

[Phil Bloom]

all three of you demanded it....so have started a "test" video blog. Starting with my trip to NAB, Las Vegas. Enjoy...hopefully!!

The humour (as is the spelling of the word humour) is very English so you may not "get it"!

Bloom’s “DAILY” video blog from the USA…VEGAS

[Phil Bloom]

My first footage to go onto 35mm film from the EX3 and Letus will be shown in cinemas very shortly.

Please read my blog here to learn more! Philip Bloom NT LIVE

[Robert Young]

Awesome footage Philip!!
I'll be very interested to see how the EX looks on the big screen.

[Mitchell Lewis]

That's REALLY nice Philip! I bet it was fun to shoot that. Can you give us any details on how the project moved along? How many people involved? Etc.... (I'm very jealous)

[Mike Marriage]

Hi guys

I directed the NT Live shoot, which was done in quite a hurry in order to meet cinema deadlines etc. I only really had one full day to prep due to other commitments but it came together okay.

In the UK we are printing around 250 35mm prints and also delivering digitally to many more screens. It is also going worldwide, including the Europe, US and Canada where projection will be totally digital. All the cinemas involved have at least one digital screen because it is obviously a requirement for the HD presentation of the actual theatre shows.

We shot over 2 days, mainly due to the timings of filming in the theatre spaces. I edited natively, mixing in the HDCAM helicopter footage which I convert to Prores HQ. I exported uncompressed quicktimes for the final finishing at MPC in London and delivered as uncompressed targa sequences. The uncompressed quicktimes started showing some colour banding even at 10 bit which was strange. The targas were clean though.

I approved the final print last week at Framestore and it looks great on the big screen. It was obviously a fresh print and you'd have presumed that it was shot on 35mm. Web video doesn't do it justice at all!

Although we used a fair amount of 720p in order to give the option of over cranking, the shots did not look soft at all - maybe partly due to the nature of the shots (mainly ECUs).

Oh yeah... and Phil broke his EX3 and tried to blame me :)

[Sami Sanpakkila]

Originally Posted by Phil Bloom

My first footage to go onto 35mm film from the EX3 and Letus will be shown in cinemas very shortly.

Please read my blog here to learn more! Philip Bloom NT LIVE

Really loved the helicopter shots especially! Were those clean EX3 or with the adapter attached? Nice!!

-EDIT-
Oh! Sorry, reading from Mike's post it seems to have been another camera? Looks great though all the way through!!
-/EDIT-

[Phil Bloom]

I get so many questions to my blog and I’m truly flattered that so many of you ask my opinion and ask for my help.

I’ve always been very happy to offer my thoughts on all aspects of film making and how to go about creating the elusive film look. However my filming and presenting schedule has become increasingly busy this year and as such I just don’t have as much time as i would like to answer every question in as much detail as I would like.

So I’ve teamed up with a good friend and fellow cameraman Dennis Lennie and we’ve set up F-Stop Academy.

This is going to be an online training resource for Videographers, event videographers, cameramen, indie film makers and photographers of every level. We are both really proud of this and hope it will become an invaluable one-stop site for learning and improving every aspect of your film-making.

Probably the most common question we’ve been asked is ’How do I create the film look using video?’


So in response to all the questions and indeed so that I don’t let any of you down by not replying fully to a question we’ve created a pre release website called Learn to Create the Film Look which is going to teach you, well how to create the film look!

If you register then we’ll send you a free 54 minute audio interview where Den ‘interviews me’ about what aspects define the film look.

We are currently working behind the scenes creating a course that will be a comprehensive set of modules covering every aspect of creating the film look using your HD video camera.

So click on this link and you’ll be asked for you name and email address so we can keep you updated with progress before the course becomes available to buy. In return we’ll send you a Free audio report and more cool free stuff. You are not obligated in any way to buy the course once you have signed up! Eventually there will be a paid part of this site but there will always be free content and tutorials, much like my site has now. It's all free for now and there will always be a free part!

In this free audio report you will learn what components are vital to effectively creating the film look and you’ll also discover:

* What defines the ‘film look’,

* How you overcome the limitations of small sensor cameras,

* How important shallow Depth of Field is?

* The 5 Fundamental factors Phil uses when creating the ‘film look’,

* What is absolutely essential kit,

* How significant grading is in the overall process.

It’s really important that we create a course that matches your wants and needs. So please leave feedback after you’ve listened to the interview.

Don’t worry am not going anywhere, am still totally dedicated to this website and will always endeavor to answer as many questions as I can, the blog will continue to be updated constantly, reviews will still be as prolific, this is just a way for me to really take what I know and share it in the best possible way! It also gives me a way to dedicate a lot more time to teaching which is currently a bit of a struggle with all my filming commitments!

http://www.learntocreatethefilmlook.com

[James Dierx]

Listening to it now! This is great Phil. Also, side note, I just purchased a Miller DS20 w/ Carbon Fibre legs! I might also be renting a letus / b4 relay kit from Zacuto for this 48 hour film festival I'm participating in. Thanks to your great reviews.. I think I'm on the right track!

Thanks,

James

[Tim Kay]

Originally Posted by Phil Bloom

I get so many questions to my blog and I’m truly flattered that so many of you ask my opinion and ask for my help.

Don’t worry am not going anywhere, am still totally dedicated to this website and will always endeavor to answer as many questions as I can, the blog will continue to be updated constantly, reviews will still be as prolific, this is just a way for me to really take what I know and share it in the best possible way! It also gives me a way to dedicate a lot more time to teaching which is currently a bit of a struggle with all my filming commitments!

Learn to Create the Film Look

Holy cow, is this thee Philip, the Philip from Vimeo ?

I am such a fan of your work. The composing of shoots and choice of music you use, together create for powerful and compelling images! It was a couple years ago I stumbled upon your video of random london shoots, in HD, that made me a believer.

I would use your videos to show otheers and justify my purchase of this camera. Will be purchasing the EX1 this week so watch out, I hope to dethrone you as the EX1 champ and have the student become the teacher :)

I'm a big fan of this website and you, and it's great to know (two years later) that you have a blog here.


PS - you're blog link is dead

[Phil Bloom]

Originally Posted by Andy Dufrain

Holy cow, is this thee Philip, the Philip from Vimeo ?

I am such a fan of your work. The composing of shoots and choice of music you use, together create for powerful and compelling images! It was a couple years ago I stumbled upon your video of random london shoots, in HD, that made me a believer.

I would use your videos to show otheers and justify my purchase of this camera. Will be purchasing the EX1 this week so watch out, I hope to dethrone you as the EX1 champ and have the student become the teacher :)

I'm a big fan of this website and you, and it's great to know (two years later) that you have a blog here.


PS - you're blog link is dead

thanks Andy

The old blog link changed many moons ago and is now part of my main website. I can't change the original post as it is so old. This isn't my dvinfo blog. This is my main thread about using the Ex1 and 3 here...

Best

Philip

[Jonathan Massey]

It's true that the EX family are great cameras and you can get some great stuff out of them. But in the end of the day it really depends on the creativity of the person behind it. For me more than anything when I watch the videos of Philip Bloom it is the notion that he is really a great camera person who knows how to achieve amazing footage no matter what kind of tool he uses (as he demonstrates so successfully in his blog). But I would not justify or be convinced by his capabilities on purchasing a camera, like I wouldn't buy a brand of shoes just because some athlete endorses or uses them.
the technology in the last few years has developed in such a fast pace that just a few years ago felt not affordable for most independent film makers, now there is a lot of choice. If you are creative and talented then many cameras will do the job, there are films made with dirt cheap cameras but look amazing and films done with the ex3 that look like crap.
Philip does a great job but it isn't solely because of the camera and people shouldn't expect that just because they have a great piece of equipment their footage will look great. having good gear makes life easier but the real hard work to make the footage look good takes years of experience and a lot of trial and error..

[Tim Kay]

Originally Posted by Jonathan Massey

ecause of the camera and people shouldn't expect that just because they have a great piece of equipment their footage will look great. having good gear makes life easier but the real hard work to make the footage look good takes years of experience and a lot of trial and error..

While I agree whole heartedly with the spirit of your msg, I disagree with the logic. You are only as good as your tools. Why I consider myself a fairly good cameraman, been doing it for many years. If you gave me a $50 Walmart special tripod and ask me to do sweet and gently pans and tilts with sexy fluid movements, best as my skills and intentions were, i'd deliver crap. I've been on gigs where the client has brought substandard gear and it's severely hampered my performance.

Same thing with a camera. You can compose a great shot - doesn't mean it's going to look cinematic. I challenge Philip, or yourself, to create cinematic looking images with an OK camera, like the PD170 with no lens adapters. I'm sorry, but you just can't. You're right that there are other choices in the EX1 price range and I've done my homework. Without getting techie I believe it's the best value for money, wonderful features and seeing Philips videos was the final push.

On the flip side I've watched a lot of 'artistic' videos shot on EX1 played via Vimeo and the vast majority those clips are heaping pile of crap. Philip has a good eye AND the right tools. His shooting reminds of Ron Fricke Films ( who is just a crazy genius ).

By the way Philip, where you guys are staying in SF top-notch. Top artist and celebs stay their while in town, and my Union works many gigs in that place. Hopefully I get a call there so I can crash it and say hello, buy you a beer, pick your brain (only if it doesn't disturb the other participants). And as always, really enjoyed the little SF video. Please, please make one of SF like you did the South Bank. That would be almost as cool as when Dave Matthews preformed 8 blocks from my house, and nothing is cooler then that.

[Alister Chapman]

I have to disagree with you Andy. A camera is only a tool. On a corporate training day last year we had 6 teams that had to produce a video. There were 6 camera operators and 6 cameras. The cameras ranged from a SD $200 cheapie camcorder to XDCAM EX's and F350's. The teams had a budget for the productions that they could spend on equipment, props, crew and other sundries. At the end of the day the 6 videos were judged by both a panel of experts and the students. The winning video was miles ahead of the rest in many ways, including the overall look. The camera that won... the cheapie. It was a clear example of the skills of the crew out weighing the technical capabilities of some of the other cameras.

Don't get me wrong, operator skill is extremely important, as is having the right camera for the job, It's when you get the combination of skilled camera operator with the right kit that magic happens.

[Tim Kay]

Originally Posted by Alister Chapman

Don't get me wrong, operator skill is extremely important, as is having the right camera for the job, It's when you get the combination of skilled camera operator with the right kit that magic happens.

I believe we're all making the same argument just from a different vantage point. Content is KING ! No doubt about it. And in your example, where you have less then a day, you don't have the time to properly create, dress and rehearse it doesn't matter what you use. If I was in that class i'd opt for the camera cell phone and blow my budget on Daniel Craig!

And there are examples like Crank 2 that use sub 3k cameras (although slight disingenuous to the solo canon owner because scenes utilize anywhere from 3 to 8 cameras!)When we bring up these examples, I'll argue they're the exception, not the norm. They'll do great once, but unlike Mr. Bloom who makes hit after hit.

Lastly, I apolgoise for hijacking this thread and if we continue this lively debate we should create a thread of our own.