Red Scarlett and sony OLED 17" Monitor

I collected a rental Red Scarlet yesterday for a commercial I’m shooting in Madrid, Spain on Wednesday.  It’s another collaboration with James Tonkin from www.hangmanstudios.com

The client wants to shoot 3k and 4K for archive and we’re shooting a mix of studio with green screen element and so want the extra bit depth and resolution for post keying and VFX. Budget was such that Red Scarlet offered us the best option for cost versus functionality.

Having never filmed on one I needed to familiarise myself with the Red menu layout and just get to grips with how they configure their camera.

At first I was apprehensive… I’m very familiar with Canon menus and Sony menus and suddenly I felt like a complete beginner again.  However it was simply that the Red Scarlet menu was new to me.

So I went through a simple process of testing.

Redmote on back of Scarlett

Regardless of how much experience you have in filming, when you come out of your comfort zone you feel like a novice again…  And as this is my first shoot using Red Scarlet it is vital I turn up on set fully equipped with as much knowledge on the Red Scarlet menus and functionality as I can.

This is a good lesson in mastery of your craft.

Red Station REDMAG and G-Tech G-Drive Mini

Lindy eSATAII to Express card £49.00 from Amazon into 17" MBP

REDCINE - X- PRO reviewing test frames - plays a proxy in real time

So this commercial is with a famous Portuguese soccer player, now playing for Real Madrid (who just won the league) so this guy is top of his game – That means I need to be too. I have 75 minutes with him to shoot a 30′ spot. Imagine the pressure.

As I have laboured to you on many occasions – success is in the planning and preparation.

This shoot is a 30′ spot where the main subject is performing in front of a green screen.  Another reason why we chose to shoot on Red Scarlet, because this will offer us increased resolution and deeper colour space for Keying.

The challenges are that I need to light the green screen evenly without using floor stands – so I need to hang the lamps from a truss.  I plan to use 4 x 4’4bank Kino flow with Chroma green tubes

1st Draft Rough Lighting Plan

I’ve done my lighting plan and I’ve sent the rental company my wish list for lighting….

Madrid Lighting List

The truth is I’m going to light this exactly the same way as if I was shooting DSLR or my FS100 or F3…  I have added several more lights than I think I’m going to need but this is a time pressured  shoot so I need extra tools at my disposal.

Light is Light is Light….. no matter what format you choose to shoot on.  The fact that I’m shooting Red Scarlet will not have any particular impact on my lighting style.

How intense the light is, what colour it is and how hard or soft it is will be up to the fine tuning on the day…. but the approach and principles remain unchanged.  I’ll be using the Sony PVM 1741 to light with and check my ratios.

I created the How to Shoot Great Looking Interviews Programme to give you the exact same blueprint I use when I light interviews.

http://www.howtoshootinterviews.com/offer

You can save $58 off the full regular price (normally $147- offer price $89) until Monday 5PM GMT when I fly to Spain, so if you are a Pro who wants to look over my shoulder or a novice who is just starting out, I compel you to give this 2 hour interactive tutorial program a try.

You get full access to the training for 1 year and you can submit your own work for critique.

And there’s no risk as I offer a full 30 day money back warranty, so if you try it and you don’t benefit in any way just drop us a line and we’ll offer a polite and courteous refund.

http://www.howtoshootinterviews.com/offer

BONUS: On Thursday next week I’ll release a Behind The Scenes look at how I prepared this shoot, lit it and how we shot it as a bonus for anyone who takes the program by the deadline of Monday at 5PM GMT.

P.S. What better way to spend Sunday afternoon than improving your lighting skills.
http://www.howtoshootinterviews.com/offer

P.P.S. The program also comes with lighting diagrams that you can use on set to replicate the setups you see on the video tutorials. And after the 30 day period is up you can download all the videos to reference whenever you like.

With NAB announcements from Canon with theC500, Canon EOS-1D C, Sony’s NEX-FS700 and the highly affordable and compact JVC GY-HMQ10, 4K seems to have been the new mainstream buzz at this years NAB show.

There was little talk or demos of 3D – it was all about 4K.

I’m quite excited about 4K. I was fortunate to attend the Timescapes screening , Tom Lowe’s 4K film and it is stunning to see beautiful cinematography in 4K on the big screen. It’s more immersive than 3D in my opinion (and you don’t need to wear daft glasses).  It feels like an IMAX experience but less intense.  I found myself scanning the image and becoming immersed in the beautiful Cinematography as the full resolution and fine detail of 4K projection was displayed in front of me.

Affordable 4K
So at the lower (and decidedly affordable end) JVC have the GY-HMQ10 4K handheld camcorder.

JVC_GY-HMQ10 4K Palmcorder

I have to confess that this actually impressed me more than I was expecting. The images are pretty good given it’s deriving the 4K from a ½” 8.3 million pixel CMOS sensor. I’m looking forward  to putting it into a real shoot as it’s difficult to judge image performance only from the test footage that I viewed on the JVC booth. But colour was rich and there was plenty of detail as you’d expect. And it can be used as a 1080P HD camcorder as well.  As I say I was pleasantly surprised by the images I saw.

From their launch press release:

JVC’s exclusive Falconbrid LSI processing takes raw image data from the camera’s CMOS device and dematrixes (deBayers) it in real time. Unlike many high end 4K cameras, the GY-HMQ10 is able to output 4K images to a monitor or projection system in real time with virtually no latency. This capability opens up applications in cinematography, medical microscopy, telepresence, specialised observation / surveillance, and live wide-view event coverage.

Using MPEG-4 technology and a variable bit rate H.264 codec operating at up to 144 Mbps, the GY-HMQ10 records up to two hours of 4K video to economical SDHC or SDXC memory cards.

In addition to 4K imaging, the GY-HMQ10 also captures and records astonishing 1080i or 1080/50p full HD, with extraordinary detail provided by its 8.3 megapixel imager and superior lens. HD is recorded on a single memory card in a format compatible with most editing systems, along with the ability to crop an HD image from a 4K frame. This can be accomplished in post production, or in real time during camera playback. The “trimming” feature makes HD cropping easy using the camera’s touch panel LCD monitor.

Similar in size to JVC’s popular GY-HM150 ProHD camcorder, the GY-HMQ10 includes a build-in F2.8 10x zoom lens with optical image stabiliser, as well as a colour viewfinder and 3.5-inch touch LCD monitor with a new, intuitive user interface. The GY-HMQ10 is built in a familiar, comfortable and lightweight form factor for hours of field production with minimum fatigue.

The GY-HMQ10 is equipped with manual level controls for audio, with audio metering in the LCD and viewfinder displays. A microphone holder and two balanced XLR connectors with phantom power are located on the handle. The camera is equipped with a built-in stereo mic for ambient sound pickup.

Other features include JVC’s patented Focus Assist, as well as manual and auto control of focus, iris, gain, shutter, gamma, colour matrix and white balance. Plus, the camera has the unusual capability of live 4K output via four HDMI terminals.

The camera splits the frame into 4 quadrants and records each ¼ separately onto an SD XC card (4 in total) and then you simply ingest each card using their interface software.  I managed to figure it out on the JVC stand and shot a video which I’ll upload in a few days

Medium sized budgets
The Canon EOS 1DC is the long anticipated 4K DSLR. At $15k this is a pricey DSLR. However as a cinema camera this will record 4K internally (unlike its substantially more expensive C500). Shane Hurlbut ASC created the launch film “The Ticket” I didn’t get a chance to see it personally but my good friend  Bruce Logan ASC, was very impressed and in his opinion it was an extremely viable 4K cinema acquisition tool.

Shane Hurlbut with1DC in the back of a Prius on a Kessler Cineslider with Canon 24mm Cine Prime

Suddenly the Sony NEX FS700 is looking like great value and a worthy contender for 4K acquisition. The big question we have for Sony now is – when will 4K be enabled and will there be a costs, not to mention what do we record on to? – I do hope it’s non proprietary and then we can use devices from Convergent Design and CODEX .

Den Lennie , Shooting with 4K ready Sony NEX FS-700

Stephen Goldblatt ASC commented to me that while he didn’t think the the build of the FS700 would be up to the rigours of a Hollywood film set (bear in mind this guy shoots mega features ‘The Help’ The Pelican Brief… so I wouldn’t expect him to use a camcorder like the FS700 on a feature)

Den Lennie Hangs out with Stephen Goldblatt, ASC

But it still caught his attention and he did day ‘It just goes to show that the technology is very advanced and imagine if Sony put those features in a more durable chassis’…

Getting into bigger budget territory

Sadly I missed the screenings of the launch film shot on the C500.

But I did manage to view some footage that was being played on some prototype 4K LCD screens that Canon were showing and I have to say I was blown away… But this is looking like a $35,000 camcorder and you still have to record your 4K stream externally onto a 4K capable recorder.

Canon's 4K EOS C500

I  had conversations with Steven Poster ASC

Den Lennie meets Stephen Poster ASC

and Stephen Goldblatt ASC

Both gentlemen separately shared with me that they were very impressed by the images from the Canon C500. I seemed to share a lot of Cab’s with ASC cinematographers this year at the show…which was nice, and a huge personal honour.  The really significant observation I made was that these guys are at the top of their game, with a body of work we can only dream about they and don’t have an ego between them…. refreshing.

Sony do of course have the F65 which is their Cine Camera shooting 4K

Sony F65 4K Cinema Camera

and Red have the Epic and their range that have been shooting 4K for a while.

But for the majority of aspiring film makers, these tools are potentially out of reach.

So why do I think you should at least be paying attention to 4K?

I hear some ridiculously naive statements like ’4K transmission and delivery is years off’ so it’s not relevant but I disagree. Remember when HD first hit the technology shows, nobody had HD ready TV’s, but what HD gave us was the ability to acquire 5 x the information of Standard definition. This served 2 key functions; Future proofing your archive and then you could lay your HD footage on an SD timeline and pan and scan around a bigger image, using digital moves and have more options in post. If we only ever worked with what was ‘the standard’ today then we’d be swell saying yep we’re happy with what we have – let’s stick with this and new technology would have no place…

Well to put this into some perspective – if you acquire in 4K and post in 1080P the you have the same options as you did when you shot HD and posted in SD. The difference is that you are building a 4K archive and in the short term the you have the ability to edit HD with a much bigger pallet of information in the image…

There’s no downside (as far as I can determine but it is early days)
Apart from needing extra storage but with highly affordable and fast thunderbolt raid storage now available from Promise or G-Tech this is not really a big problem.

I’ll be coming back to 4K in the coming weeks with more views and videos exploring  the significance of 4K and what it means to you the film maker and your business.

The truth is – there is now a camera for every budget and shooting style.

I think we may have reached a saturation point where you can pick up any camera and make it look great.

Where does that leave us shooters.

I love to light – it’s at the very core of my work as a cinematographer but I am continually baffled why so few aspiring shooters understand how vital lighting is to great looking films and that just having a high ISO capable camera does not negate the need for subtle beautiful sculpted lighting.

More importantly where does it leave your business? Do clients understand the new technology and do they care? Are you continually squeezed on budget and time and let things go because you can fix it in post?

The savvy ones may be even talking to you about 3D or 4K. My bet however is that it’s probably unlikely.

9 years ago Sony introduced HDV and even then clients who did understand HD would still ask for a DVD in SD…hmmm

Vimeo and You Tube offer HD channels and You Tube even offers 3D and 4K (although you’d have to find a 4K screen to play it on).

So just what are you supposed to do?  Buy a new 4K ready camcorder and wait?  Certainly the camera manufacturers are accelerating in their battle to be the greatest… but to what avail?

For what it’s worth, I think 4K is way more significant than 3D and I’ll be exploring why I believe that to be the case over the coming week.

In the meantime, I’m going to look at how you can diversify your skill set and remain sane (creatively at least) at the same time.

Back to lighting – HD cinematography is created 50% in camera and 50% in post

So even if you can only do the very minimum of lighting how can you still retain creative control of your images in post?

I spent a fair bit of time with Bruce Logan ASC while I was in the US and he’s migrated into Colour Grading as a second string to his bow. Bruce is a cinematographer who amongst other things Blew up the Death Star in Star Wars and was DP on Tron… He’s also worked on numerous films as a Director and Cinematographer with directors such as Clint Eastwood. Suffice to say he knows what he’s talking about.

But it is Colour Grading that we got deep into on one of our many late night social sessions.

So I made an effort to investigate some of the technology on offer at the show this year.

My good pal James Tonkin has been raving about Black Magic Design’s Da Vinci Resolve for some time and that’s what we used to grade our Music Video Masterclass.

I’ll be honest though, I’ve always found grading to be a little intimidating. It looks so complicated.

That was until I happened upon a control panel from Tangent Devices.

A new modular colour grading panel called the Tangent Element.

This was my biggest Ah-Ha moment of NAB because when I put my hands on the track balls I instantly understood how to ‘paint in post’. It was incredibly intuitive.

In its simplest form you control the luminance of the image using the outer rings and the balls control colour. Each section relates to Shadows, Mid tones and Highlights….

So as a fan of modularity this system rocks and it’s not just tied to DaVinci Resolve either.

Many of our software partners have released versions of their application which support the Element panels. These include:

Assimilate SCRATCH ( v6.1 or later) Requires Tangent Hub*
Autodesk Lustre & Flame Premium ( 2013)
DaVinci Resolve ( v8.2 or later) Requires Tangent Hub* (if Kb is purchased then Bt is also required)
Colorfront On-Set Dailies
SGO Mistika ( v6.5 or later) Requires Tangent Hub*
YoYotta YoYo ( v3.1 or later) Requires Tangent Hub*
*Download the Tangent Hub from our support page

Work is also underway for several other applications to incorporate support. These include:

Apple Color
Cintel FLOW & COLORFLOW
DFT FLEXXITY
Marquise OCEAN, RAIN & MIST
Pixel Farm PF Clean

If you intend to purchase only certain panels from the set, or if you intend you purchase more than one of any panel, then you should check that your software supports this option.

So as someone new to colour grading but totally committed to embracing it where do you start?

Black Magic Design have a free version of DaVinci Resolve called Lite and it’s almost fully functional. You can try it here http://www.blackmagic-design.com/support

You’ll need a panel of course:

Tangent Element -Tk

The essential component is the Element-TK. This is all you need to get started. Trust me when I tell you that once you put your hands on this the power at your finger tips is transformational.

The next two panels are required together for use with Da Vinci Resolve as the software is mapped across both bolt-ons. They are the Element-Kb

Tangent Element Kb panel

and the Element-Bt.

Then if you want to go the whole hog and add transport controls then you can add the Element-Mf

Tangent Devices Element -Mf

As soon as these are available I intend to grab them and embark on a steep learning curve to master DaVinci Resolve.

I will be sharing my journey with you so you too can take the plunge and embrace colour grading. I really do believe it is the missing part of the jigsaw as a cinematographer and I’m excited to get started.

Tangent Element

Each panel is driven via USB 2.0

You can learn more bout Tangent Devices here: http://www.tangentdevices.co.uk/products_element.asp

Or click the image below:

NAB 2012: Dslrnewsshooter panel on ENG shooters ‘Going large’ with Philip Bloom, Den Lennie, Rick Macomber and Matt Allard