Recognizing the pure awesomeness of this, Inventive Pictures immediately got to work incorporating Resolve into our post production workflow.

With Resolve in the house, Inventive Pictures can now provide more comprehensive color grading services using what we think is the industry’s finest tool. With Resolve we can dissect any shot into components and visually process each separately using natural 32-bit float YRGB processing to achieve a more beautiful and effective image sequence. And with the hardware we’ve configured, we can do it quickly.

The level of control over an image that Resolve allows is truly amazing. Individual colors or a range of colors can be isolated and then slightly tweaked or total replaced. Day can become night. Object can be defocused or sharpened. Shots originating on different cameras can be seamlessly matched.

Prior to the shoot I was a little worried that the FS100 would slow down this news-style production. The rather ambitious plan was to shoot five subjects at separate locations in three cities over two days using the FS100 for interviews and the Panasonic HPX300 for b-roll. Surprisingly we pulled it off without a hitch.

The Sony’s large sensor combined with fast prime lenses creates creamy out of focus background easily. It’s changing the way I light interviews. Alexis Peterka’s interview was shot only with natural light from the window in her small condominium. Pat Sanderlin’s interview at the Oregon Employment Department was shot with a single KinoFlo fixture in the tiniest office I’ve ever shot in.

The Inventive Pictures Sony FS100 Rig

Video produced with DSLR’s like the Canon 5D and 7D can looks surprisingly like 35mm motion picture film, and this beautiful look is currently very in-vogue. Producers admire the relatively low cost of shooting with these video-capable SLR’s, but cinematographers, audio professionals and editors do not appreciate the many compromises and complications that these tools introduce.

Coming to the rescue is Sony’s new FS100. With its Super-35mm sized sensor, the FS100 captures images with the same beautiful visage as a DSLR, but without any of the technical limitations or workflow compromises!

The FS100 has:

• SMTPE timecode
• Pro XLR audio mic/line inputs, line outputs
• 4:2:2 HDMI outputs for monitoring and external recording
• Unlimited continuous recording
• Adaptability for all 35mm format motion picture and still lenses
• Full 1080, 720, and 480 recording at 1-60fps
• Incredible low-light performance

The FS100 can shoot 1080 HD uninterrupted for about 3 hours on a single 32GB card using it’s highly efficient AVCHD codec. Unlike a DSLR it will not overheat and shutdown. It will not require a stop/start at the 12 minute mark. Imagine if our gaffers insisted we turn off and cool the lights every half hour, or if the sound guy couldn’t roll more than 12 minutes without stopping. No one would accept that! It’s appalling that we make these concessions to shoot with DSLR’s. Now we don’t have to!

Choose to shoot interlaced or progressive 1080, 720, or 480, at either 60fps, 30fps, or 24fps with the HD MPEG-4 AVCHD format all NLE’s accept. Switching to slow motion or fast motion is quick, and does not require a reduction in resolution. 1080 at 60fps can be achieved with a single button push.

The FS100′s pro audio features include two XLR mic/line audio inputs with independent level controls, a headphone output, a shock mount, and phantom power for a full-sized on board microphone. Your location sound person will be thankful for the industry standard audio interface, and your editor won’t have to sync double-system audio to picture.

The HDMI output on the FS100 delivers uncompressed 4:2:2 video with embedded audio and SMTPE timecode to any HD monitor or external recording device. Plug the camera into a Ki Pro recorder for realtime 4:2:2 Apple ProRes recording. Clients appreciate a full-screen image on their monitor without burned-in camera settings or letter boxing.

As a camera operator, I’m happy that the controls on the FS100 for Gain, White Balance and Shutter Speed are exactly where they should be, not buried in a menu tree. My FS100 camera package includes two high resolution viewfinder solutions; one for studio use and one for hand-held work. The camera can go from studio mode to hand-held mode in seconds.

The camera’s large 2464×1394 Super-35-sized CMOS sensor captures full HD without moiré so images look very film-like. The E-mount lens mount will accept all lenses made for 35mm motion picture and still cameras. I am currently outfitted with a combination of fast Zeiss, Canon and Samyang 35mm still lenses (14, 17, 28, 35, 50, 85, and 135mm) and PL-mount cine lenses are available upon request.

The FS100′s low-light capabilities are quite simply amazing. Images captured at +30db are brighter to the camera than to the human eye, and they are surprisingly low-noise. I’ve never seen any digital camera perform as well in low light as the FS100.  Gain set to +18db on the FS100 looks as clean as +6db gain on any camera I’ve ever worked with.

The FS100 is not a “mini-Alexa”, nor is it the best choice for shooting green-screen, but it is unquestionably a reason to never use a DSLR for video again.

So, then next time you’re thinking about shooting video with a DSLR, save your team the hassles and headaches and use the Sony FS100. It delivers the same look (or better) and it won’t cramp your style or budget.

The VMC marketing department made it clear that they didn’t want us to use any professional actors. Everyone featured in the commercials, including all patients and doctors, are real people without acting experience. Gleaning effective, believable performances from non-performers is always a challenge, and I’m glad Virginia was directing. She’s a fantastic director and she makes non-actors feel comfortable in front of the camera.

Lots of blue looks good in the O.R.

Besides the producer, director, and myself, our small crew consisted of a gaffer, grip, audio, make-up, wardrobe, and a production assistant.

Working with a modestly sized crew like this forced us to keep things relatively simple, and it helped keep the non-actors in front of the camera from being intimidated by the production process. I was fortunate to have gaffers and grips who could do double-duty and pull focus in a pinch.

Each commercial was a separate two-day shoot. Typically we would work one day in the Valley Medical Center buildings, and then a second day at an exterior location like a park or the subject’s own house.

I considered shooting 1080p but settled on 720p which provided us with more frame-rate flexibility given the Panasonic cameras I was using. In-camera slow motion is not an option when shooting 1080 on the HPX300 or HVX200 cameras.

We alternated cameras from setup to setup, switching between an HVX200 with a Letus 35mm lens adapter and the HPX300 with a standard zoom. The lens-adapted camera provides a super-shallow depth-of-field effect that helps create a stylish image. Today I would probably use a D-SLR instead of the Letus lens adapter, but at the time that wasn’t an option.

I prefer not to use filtration on the lens-adapted HVX200 camera since the image already gets degraded passing through an extra lens and two prisms, though I added a frost to some of the more stylized operating room shots.

Real parents with their days-old baby

When we shot in the operating rooms using the HPX300+zoom lens, we all loved the look of the overexposed highlights when filtered through a 1/4 Black Pro Mist + 1/2 Black Frost. That filter combo makes all the stainless steel in the shot glow.

Aside from the planned commercial scenes, Valley Medical asked us to shoot in-depth interviews with each of the four patients profiled in the commercials. These extended conversations were recorded while shooting the spots and appear on the VMC web site as stories that reveal more about each patient’s relationship and experience than could possibly be communicated in a 30-second commercial.

It was inspiring to work amongst the talented caregivers at VMC and learn first-hand of the amazing recoveries these patients had experienced.

Crew included:
Vince Klimek, Jim Hicks, Neil Bestwick, Dave Cramton, Nacime Khemis, Corey Lopardi

Super8Filmaker Magazine ~ 1983

In high school I wrote a letter that was published in Super-8 Filmaker magazine. That simple communication set in motion a chain of events that found me production work in NYC on studio-funded feature films within a year.

A decade later, when the Web was born, I launched a website that I hoped would, among other things, open communication channels for fledgling cinematographers. Originally named “The Camera Department Page”, the site connected film professionals, enthusiasts, technicians and students across the globe and began to grow into an exciting community.

Cinematography.com started off as a relatively static site. I had a decent grip on HTML scripting but I was no programming guru. Mostly I designed the site as an online hub for motion picture camera department professionals. It was a place they could visit to quickly find equipment manuals, guides, software tools and contact information for others in the film industry. I spent a lot of time searching for content in those days, and all the content was added manually.

I eventually figured out how to integrate a database into the site, and that technology helped me add a member directory, threaded messaging forums and other dynamic content.

In 1999 the increasingly popular cinematography forum attracted an international group of Steadicam operators who were communicating via an outdated AOL forum. Their user experience on the AOL site was awful so I created SteadicamForum.com as a natural extension of Cinematography.com. SteadicamForum.com has since become the official forum for Steadicam operators worldwide.

Cinematography.com and SteadicamForum.com have both matured into thriving resources with over 35,000 registered members. Thousands of film makers from all over the world visit Cinematography.com and SteadicamForum.com daily to communicate, find current news, get answers, and to buy & sell gear. Although there is no shortage of video production forums online, Cinematography.com remains the only active open forum for the discussion of motion picture film equipment and processes.

I am amazed by the generous professionals who frequently participate at Cinematography.com, regularly finding the time to guide and advise amateurs. As the site’s administrator I’m thankful for the civility and kindness that exists among those in our community. The forum has a few volunteer moderators who help keep things in order, but the community as a whole does a great job of evolving gracefully.

“I’m a great believer that any tool that enhances communication has profound effects in terms of how people can learn from each other, and how they can achieve the kind of freedoms that they’re interested in.” –Bill Gates

Most of the projects I’ve shot recently are crewed with sound recordists, gaffers, grips, make-up, and plenty of gear. Working solo with just a producer calls for an entirely different, more intimate approach to creating content. If the partnership is collaborative, an atypical freedom and efficiency is afforded the cinematographer which allows him to influence the creative process differently than he could on a larger set. I personally enjoy working like this from time to time, even with the additional technical responsibilities.

Per the format specs from WNET, I shot 1080/60i with my Panasonic HPX300. The interviews were all keyed with a 4×4 Kinoflo wrapped in #250 (half white diffusion). I added #1 Glimmer Glass and 1/8 Black Pro Mist filters to the sit down interviews to smooth things out a little and take the edge off of background highlights. I really like the way the filtration helps the white shirt glow a little in the James Rudolf interview. Audio was a Rode NTG-1 wired directly to camera. Besides the 4×4 Kino, the lighting kit I brought along included just three Diva lights, two 650w fresnels, and a flexfill.

When we arrived at the King County Courthouse to shoot Page Ulrey’s interview, her staff had reserved a small beige conference room for us. There’s just about no worse indoor space to shoot than a small, beige room. Well, maybe a swimming pool is worse.

I asked if perhaps a court room might be available and within minutes they delivered a beautiful room full of rich wood, books and character. It took every piece of equipment I had with me to make it look nice to the lens, but I’m so grateful we weren’t stuck in that conference room.

Unfortunately, when visiting the DSHS offices in Olympia to interview Susan Dreyfus, the only available space was a small white conference room with large windows and HVAC that couldn’t be turned off. I’m glad she wore a colorful sweater.

The Mike Berens interview with the busy news room in the background (beginning at 04:15) was the last thing we shot and was intended to be a quick pickup. I didn’t even setup a monitor. My only light here is the 4×4 Kino and lots of fill from the practical ceiling cans. The matte box is empty. In retrospect I wish I would have spent more time designing that shot.

Producer Lucy Kennedy brought a bunch of Thirteen’s P2 cards with her from NY and we always had enough recording media to last the whole day. Having enough media is a big advantage on a documentary shoot. Never having to stop and copy cards until after wrap certainly made the days more productive.

It was heartbreaking to listen for hours to the victims’ stories of neglect and abuse during our interviews. Although the final segment is relatively short, I expect it will raise awareness nationwide and perhaps instigate change and better oversight.

Origin owners Matt Jorgensen and John Bishop wanted to publicize their growing record label and advertise upcoming CD releases with a series of thirty-second spots that would combine quirky urban-Seattle visuals with Origin music.

I brought in my friend Steve Barron to put a cast together and co-direct, and I compiled a small crew to help shoot four spots in one short day. We sold the Origin guys on the single take concept, and they gave Steve and I creative freedom to try whatever we wanted. Single-shot, unedited television commercials are relatively uncommon, and it was our hope that this creative break from the norm would add production value and a unique appeal to the clips.

The decision to shoot standard definition was made because we didn’t have an HD camera in-house, didn’t have the budget to rent one, and the spots were scheduled for SD broadcast anyway. We shot with a DVX100 in 24pA squeeze mode. We knew we would need to move quickly in order to shoot four locations in one day so our grip and lighting package was kept small.

Conor Byrne Pub, Ballard, WA

We started the day comfortably at noon at the Conor Byrne Pub in Ballard, WA.

The second setup of the day was near the Ballard shipyards a few blocks from the pub.

North Lake Union, Ballard, WA

Straight out of a Fellini film, Steve’s concept placed three unusual characters into this dirty industrial access road setting.

The toughest challenge here was getting the timing right. Cuing the truck and the woman with the suitcase proved to be a challenging bit of hit and miss, but the winning take turned out much better than expected.

Our company moved after a quick lunch to Kincora’s Pub on Capital Hill.

Our final location was the easy-to-photograph Post Alley at the Pike Place Market.

Post Alley is full of old brick, cobblestones, and dark nooks and corners. On that sunny summer Saturday afternoon it was also full of tourists. We attempted a wide shot but were unable to get a clean take in the can amidst all the shoppers and strollers.

Post Alley @ Pike Place Market, Seattle

We compromised and placed our actress halfway down the alley on a small stoop and aimed a long lens at her. A silver reflector was positioned just off-frame to give her an edge light, and then Steve cued her to stare into the camera and walk away. Her glance is magic and I think the shot makes an alluring thirty second spot.

The spots were edited and color-graded at Inventive Pictures.