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BVE Show 2015!

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Wow what a show! I cut my stay short to come home and begin editing, which I am still working on now.. But here are a couple of photos from around the show (from my phone) of the various interviews and people I saw!

Exclusive blogs coming later from: Rode, Movidiam, JVC, Sony, Manfrotto and more.

BVE 2014: London's Premiere Broadcasting Event

The week of London's best and largest broadcasting and video expo has arrived! The doors to the ExCeL open tomorrow to visitors with hundreds of worldwide manufacturers, organizations and plenty of seminars to learn and help businesses grow!

My highlights of last years BVE: Schneider cinema optics at Manfrotto

My highlights of last years BVE: Schneider cinema optics at Manfrotto

I'll be there for the 3 days covering the event for The IABM, with exclusive interviews with members as well as the Broadcasting Industry Breakfast. I will also be checking out all of the new tech; Sony FS7-K is riding high on the list so I'm sure the folks at CVP will soon get sick of answering my questions!

Lighting talk at the cinematography theatre

Lighting talk at the cinematography theatre

Things to see and do this year! Richard Ayoade's keynote is a MUST!!!

If you're there, drop me a tweet and say hi!

View from London ExCeL Docklands

View from London ExCeL Docklands

New Camera!

I have a new camera to add to the family, although this one I won't be using..

Kodak B-5

It's a Kodak Portable B-5, large format camera and in very good condition. Now I just need to get hold of some postcard-sized film! No word on it's history as of yet, but it has a serial number which I will be using to try and dig into this cameras past!

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Productive first month of 2015!

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As it reads above, I have been very busy recently with pre-production for a number of up coming projects, one of which is with Screen Subtitling Systems!

Screen is creating new branding for sales and online, and to go with that I've been set the task of producing a number of animations for them. I've done plenty of research into Screen, and have a great relationship with the marketing team, which means we have very good communication.

Tip No.1: build relationships from the outset of meeting someone.

Since our last meeting, I've developed a number of mood boards and narrative/VO ideas of the script/dialogue and a storyboard to go with it to represent the animations on screen. After drawing a number of ideas and storyboards I managed to narrow down the content for the first animation, and the graphics as well. I've then worked this into an After Effects storyboard with still images for preparation for a presentation.

Screen animation mind map

Tp No.2: preparation and planning what you are going to do, for when, any why is really important. In terms of the animations I'm working with, that means producing mood boards, storyboards, sketches and basic designs, building into digital mock ups. These can then be used as elements in the animations!

I've also been out with Glen, we had a walk around Leith Hill a couple of weekends ago, I took the 24-70 and 100mm L on the 5D mk III. The hill was so high up that we were in cloud, combined with a constant beautiful golden hour made for beautiful photos. Glen took his film camera with him, and captured some gorgeous shots. Here's some of mine..

I'm still working on the videography business/investment post, it is a long one as you can imagine but it will be coming soon. I'll be going the the CVP Sony A7S event featuring Philip Bloom on the 11th which will be a great contributor to my knowledge. As well as narrowing down potential kit choices for this years video productions, I may be able to get some info from the CVP team about my potential kit choices and finance options.

“UPDATE (06/02/2015) Canon have now officially announced two new 5D model DSLR’s with a 50MP count, with a photography focus rather than video. This reinforces industry voices that Canon are pushing video pro’s up to their high end cinema cameras.. Sony for me I think!”
— http://www.newsshooter.com/2015/02/06/canon-launch-5ds-and-5ds-r-video-features-take-back-seat-to-high-res-stills/

Tip No.3: Never stop learning. Get yourself to BVE for FREE from the 24th-26th Feb for seminars on 4K, editing, lighting, broadcast and the great expo!

Lastly, back in the beginning of January I was out filming Sarah and Matt's wedding. I started with the preparations while Glen was at the venue capturing some shots of the location, Matt and the guests arriving. I had the Pro Media Gear Dual-arc slider on Manfrotto 055 Pro-B legs, with a range of lenses for shooting in potential low light (not knowing what the day or location might turn out like later on, and if the weather changes..)

Chosen equipment for filming a funky wedding - Canon 5D plus a range of fast zooms and primes. Not to forget audio!

Chosen equipment for filming a funky wedding - Canon 5D plus a range of fast zooms and primes. Not to forget audio!

I captured some of the days footage in 50fps slow mo, when the light was available for a little bit of luxury with moving shots. When in video mode on the 5D mk III the 50fps mode is only available in 720p, not 1080p. This does make the footage softer, but I've found using the Red Giant 'Instant 4K' plug-in works well to upscale the clips to 1080, and sharpen them a little.

Sarah and Matt

Throughout the day I switched mainly between the Tamron 24-70 and Canon 100mm L for wide/standard framing and then more detail/close ups. I've found this works well as there is no 24-135 F/2.8.. If you are working with a Canon 60D, or an APS-C camera you get a lovely look when using an 85mm or 100mm (as the focal length is multiplied), with a pretty bokeh as well. For cool-perspective ultra wide angle, the Samyang 14mm T/3.1 works a treat, for skate videos and music videos where you want to warp reality a little!

There will be more on the wedding film production in an up coming Manfrotto Ambassador blog!

Tip No.4: tell a story through your video/film, narrative-speaking there is a beginning, middle and end set around key events. It may sound like redundant advice, but many videos I watch fail to build the narrative or story through the visuals. It provides an immersive experience for your viewers, getting them involved with what you've produced.

*Now following up a few days later, the meeting with Screen went very well, I traveled up to their Suffolk HQ, a beautiful old building in the country. Myself, the marketing dept and business development were present as I showed my basic concepts and ideas, and we discussed further the ideas and terminology.

Tip No.5: if you're working with clients in a different industry to yours, do your best to learn as much as you can about their business, products, services, strategies, and what their clients want.

This has been fantastic progress for the end of January, which is usually a slow month for productions. With the wedding film almost complete, and the design beginning for the Screen Systems project I am confident it's the beginning to a great year. Not to mention the potential of IABM event coverage too! I'm due to visit the IABM team next week to talk further about this years videography.

After the CVP event with PB I'm sure to have worked to some conclusion for the video business investment post, but it may have to wait until BVE.. We shall see!

Some macro photography going on in the background, little herbs going!

Some macro photography going on in the background, little herbs going!

From a quick walk in the morning.. Kids in Epsom and Ewell leaving their childhood behind!

From a quick walk in the morning.. Kids in Epsom and Ewell leaving their childhood behind!

Keep an eye out for my new Manfrotto Ambassador blog about filming weddings with Manfrotto gear, and I'm going up to London tonight for some night photography so I'll share the results with you later!

Samyang leak/announce the 135mm F/2 lens!

As I've been writing for a while about new Samyang lenses, we've expected a 135mm since the 50mm cine lens announcement. I even had a chat with the execs of Walimex/Rokinon (also Samyang) about the mystery lens in their line up, the hints were pointing towards the 135mm then too.

Samyang 135mm F/2 lens

I shared the leak from the US eBay site last night, but here's more details on the lens, following suit of the preceding high quality manual lenses. Here's the specs for the full frame -

  • 1:2.0 135mm ED UMC
  • Aperture Range: F2.0 ~ 22
  • Optical Construction: 11 Elements in 7 Groups
  • Min Focusing Distance: 0.8mm (2.62ft)
  • Filter Size: 77mm
  • Max Diameter: 82mm
  • Full-frame coverage
  • Angle of View: 18.8° / 11.7°
  • Length: 122.1mm
  • Weight: 830g
  • Price: Under $600

As always, the great optical quality and price are paramount for Samyang's customers, so I'm glad to see they have another affordable lens to add to the lineup!

Fill Samyang 135mm F/2 lens


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Winter walk, Friday Street & Abinger

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Shot at Friday Street and around Abinger Common on the Canon 5D mk III, Tamron 24-70 and Canon 100mm L, with Glen.

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Looking for something different in 2015 (in your videography and photography business)?

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Happy New Year all!

2014 was an incredible year for APV, started from the ground up in late December '13 and now producing media content for many international businesses and organizations, something must be going right!

The coming of the new year is a great excuse to have an overhaul of your business practices and to set some resolutions for yourself to aid in 2015 being just as successful as the last.

I came across this post from PetaPixel earlier, it has some great ideas to do photography set to a theme of that week, but it's completely translatable into video. To keep content fresh and interesting, I'll be embarking on this challenge, and hopefully I'll learn lots of new things along the way!

Have a go, and remember to share your work with me here or on facebook and twitter!

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Camera Conundrums

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As you'll know, we've seen a big influx of cameras focused on upping the picture resolution and others battling with dynamic range. This week, AJA announced their 4K CION camera is now shipping, so I checked out some of the specs and test videos that they produced to see how it weighs up against the competition!

To see that these pictures are ungraded is pretty stunning. The colours are very natural, as well as the dynamic range, quite noticable in the first couple of shots of a lady with light skin on a textured background, and a lady with dark skin on a muted background. The detail usually lost in hair keeps its definition without fringing, and the shot of the eye shows how 'clean' the image is.. Watching the video, I get more and more amazed at the quality of the light captured 'straight out of camera', without grading or corrections.

Copyright AJA.

Copyright AJA.

The release of the CION comes shortly after the delayed release of the Atomos Shogun, a 4K recorder and full HD monitor, which allows images to be captured 'straight from the sensor' in a higher codec and format than recorded in camera. Atomos teamed with Sony to ensure the A7S and FS7 are compatible for 4K recording, which opens the floodgates for video producers to capture high quality video content for a considerably lower price than a high end camera. The recording media is standard 2.5" SSD's, via HDMI or other connections, meaning the Shogun can be teamed with many DSLR's and video cameras to be used as a primary recording device (many RED cinematographers use the Shogun for secondary proxy recording), and enhance the video functions to analyze the quality of both the image and sound.

The other end of the spectrum with internal 4K recording, of course is the Panasonic GH4 which I have worked with before. Ergonomically, for run and gun shooting it has a great form; small camera body and micro four thirds lenses dramatically reduce the kit you need to carry, as well as having a great power consumption rate. The GH4 captures 4K at a crop factor of 2.2x, which inherently means you are double the focal distance closer to your subject, but it does so at a high bit-rate of up to 100Mbps. Although in low light the camera does not stand up to larger sensor cameras, with a £1000 price tag and options to add gamma adjustments, it seems like a no brainer, right?

2015 is going to hold some very exciting developments in the world of cameras, and the way the picture and sound is recorded, I believe. We have yet to see any competition from Canon, apart from the C100 mark II (I don't believe this is a competing camera), so it will be interesting to see how they market their high end Cinema EOS cameras now that there are many 'just-as-good-if-not-better' solutions out there from other manufacturers. By NAB I expect there to be announcements from Canon, which I look forward to seeing because it will determine whether I remain a Canon videographer or move over to another camera system like many have done so before me.

On that note, it's time for me to put the feet up in front of the telly and munch on a mince pie before I head out later on this afternoon for a wintery walk around the countryside!

christmas tree presents

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year, and remember, capture moments that matter :)

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'Adam's 5 Golden Rules of Videography'!

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I was asked by Manfrotto to list my 5 golden rules of videography, and while I think creativity shouldn't be bound by rules to follow, these 'pointers' will keep you heading in the right direction to make awesome videos and films!

Check out the rules here..

http://www.manfrottoschoolofxcellence.com/2014/12/adam-plowdens-five-golden-rules/#.VJK9FbFXspV

Manfrotto 5 golden rules videography

Another great video production complete!

Over the past few months the IABM had been gearing up for their 10th annual international business conference last week, which included plenty of videography before the conference for videos to play during the presentations and around the venue.

axon peter wayne iabm award 2014 winner

To give you an idea of the content produced beforehand, some of the edits and cut downs from the 'IABM Panel Discussion', videos from IBC, as well as some short videos I produced a couple of weeks ago on the IABM's plans for 2015 and the future!

iabm adam plowden videography portable studio setup

I also created a selection of motion graphics for video titles and award titles in After Effects, following a similar theme that I used for the IBC videos, but adding something funky and new.

Whizzing back to November 28th, I went to the Beaumont Estate in Windsor to film a number of piece-to-cameras of the IABM team's plans for 2015. I used the 3 Manfrotto 1x1 Spectra LED bi-colour for a 3 point lighting setup, but here I did find a limitation in that having three soft light sources are great, but it means that one of the light acts as a key being brighter than the others. Dimming the other two lights down could make the subject too dark, hence moving the light closer.. In hindsight I think a hard light source (Manfrotto do have a 1x1 LED hard light but it isn't bi-colour) would have worked better in that situation. After that, I donned the black tie attire and attended the Royal Television Society Dinner & Dance!

Skip forward to December 4th..

As well as producing the video event coverage, we also captured a number of interviews of the keynote speakers and panelists in the portable studio that was located in a tiny office space (which also housed all our equipment as well as my tower workstation). The portable studio is a great combination of Manfrotto LED lighting, pro stands, tripod and super clamp, with the Lastolite Panoramic Background; a 4m fabric screen clipped onto a lightweight frame. The background being in sections and flexible made it perfect for the tiny office we had the use of. The two smaller frames can be angled to create an infinity cove-esque background.

Using two of the 1x1 Spectra bi-colour LED lights, we set the colour balance correctly using the dial on the back of the lights, and then left them on for the whole day. They didn't get hot, the light didn't fade, and continuous light is perfect in contrast to traditional 3 point lighting red-head setups..

Glen accompanied me over the conference to help with the filming and editing/backups, so both of us needed to be relatively mobile throughout. So, I decided to kit ourselves up with Manfrotto 536 carbon fibre 3-section tripod and 504HD head for me, and the 755 CX-3 tripod and MVH500AH head for Glen. As always, I had the Pro Media Gear Dual-Arc Slider with me too. Glen captured the view of the audience and a great variety of alternate angles of the speakers on stage using the Canon 5D mkII, Sigma 28-70 and Canon 100mm L macro.

As usual, I was on the Canon 5D mkIII with the Tamron 24-70, Sigma 70-200 and Samyang cine lenses which in low light coped well, especially during the awards reception. I think one thing I've learned from this experience is not to be afraid of pushing the camera and lens in terms of low light. It's surprisingly impressive. 

An awesome thing about covering events like this is that you bump in to so many people you've met before, and make many new friends too. It was great to chat to Paul from Chyron Hego and Dominic from IBM (both panelists in the discussion videos).

For the awards ceremony, I prepared some graphics to be used before and after the nominee videos following the same house style as the rest of the conference, as well as a couple of nominee videos. One being the 'Honorary Member' award which went to John Ross, a very inspirational inventor and broadcaster. It was great making a short reel of John's friends and of David, his son's thoughts on his life in the industry. The reaction in the room was electric when John accepted the award, a standing ovation and cheers roared throughout.

It was a rather late night celebrating, as I also won an award; the 'Young Person of the Year'! Steve's wonderful comments prompted an unrehearsed speech, I'm so grateful for the help of Manfrotto and the IABM for their help in getting me where I am today!

Day two of the conference begun at 9am, Glen had transferred all of the footage from the award the night before so we had fresh cards and batteries for the next days filming. Following the same setup as before, we captured the last two parts of the conference as well as more GV and interviews of the panelists in the portable studio.

Audio-wise, I used the Zoom H6 with the XY connector in the L+R channels, and also a clean mix out of the AV mixing desk (as the speakers were using wireless microphones). As a reference audio channel, I attached the Roto-mic to the 5DmkIII. This won't be used in the mix, but will be a source of reference for Pluraleyes during syncing.

In the portable studio, I setup the Zoom H1 with the Rode Lapel microphone for the main audio source, with the Rode Video Mic on the 600D for reference audio. We were stretched for cameras and lenses, so the portable studio had a permanent camera-audio setup so interviews could be captured at any time. I borrowed a couple of cameras from my very trusting friends for a simple setup.

Once the conference closed, we grabbed some lunch and continued to transfer the rest of the footage to the workstation. Over night, Glen copied over the footage from part one and two of the conference for him to edit when we returned home, and then sent over the edited multi-cam Premiere project file which I easily linked up my end, added the graphics and edited the audio, then exported and uploaded only a day after the event.

It took us about an hour to de-rig the studio and depart from the Radisson hotel, one of the great things about the porta-studio is it's rigging time; because all the pieces are connected via elastic it quickly goes up into it's frame and down into the bag. Also, using LED lights mean that we didn't have to wait for them to cool before packing them away! The light stands I'm using have a cool feature that clips them together, meaning for transporting them and carrying them you don't end up with one in each hand and one under your arm.. They are all locked together. It's one of those little life savers that you don't think about until you reaalllyyyy need it!

Now back at home, before beginning to edit I backed up all of the projects and footage onto other drives - very important as a 'just in case' solution. I now swap in and out internal 3Tb hard drives and an SSD with an Inateck dock for backups as well as working drives as USB 3.0 is relatively fast to work off.

“http://www.manfrotto.co.uk/master-stand”
— http://www.manfrotto.co.uk/master-stand

First things first, syncing in Pluraleyes. We arranged the footage into a file structure so importing the separate video and audio sources fast. The app can sync around 1 hour 30 mins of footage in 30 seconds, it saves an unbelievable amount of time.. Especially when you create the new Premiere Pro project and simply import the XML file exported from Pluraleyes; the XML imports all of the footage and can replace the audio sources too, making the sequences ready for multi-camera editing pretty much straight away.

Once the importing was complete, I started multi-cam editing. You can do this by right-clicking the multi-camera sequence in the project panel and selecting 'New Sequence from Selection'. This creates a nested sequence which will open in the timeline panel, you then right click this and select 'Enable Multi Camera'. In the 'Window' tab you can then open the multi-cam monitor by opening the window!

NB* You might not hear anything in the multi-cam monitor when you play and cut the video sources, this may be because in the original synced sequence some audio layers may have been muted, or the main audio clip is not in 'Audio Layer 1'.

I did minimal colour correction on the clips of the conference due to filming in low light, but for the clips in the atrium it had an awful white balance that was incandescent mixed with cloudy daylight from a huge glass roof. I simply used the RGB curves to minimally adjust the level of green and yellow to heat the picture up a bit.

For consistency and quality control, I favor watching the entire sequences through to identify any large gaps, unwanted re-framing or focus setting etc. However, I do quickly scrub through the first couple of minutes to place the lower 3rd graphics and text in the timeline. I used the previous version of lower 3rd graphics that Glen created for the IBC videos, to keep consistency with other IABM media, for the text I used the text tool in Premiere to create a text layer. I find that this is easier to control and edit when you're working for a fast turn around rather than compositing the text onto the graphic (in AE), then using the dynamic link for example.

While I was editing the third and fourth parts of the conference, Glen edited the first and second. That allowed me to take advantage of my workstations power so I queued up the sequences to render and export in Media Encoder and set them to it while I continued editing the other sequences.

Over the weekend I got out pretty much all of the videos from the conference, the interviews and the awards ceremony , last up were the conference and award highlights videos which I completed the day after. I used music from Audio Jungle, a great source for researching music and getting good deals on collections, I often download demo versions of tracks I like to test out in the edit, which is completely free. The music itself is very well priced for video productions like these as well.

Working with events like these, you soon become accustomed to long waiting times for 45 minute+ videos that could be up to 2Gb in size, which will obviously affect the uploading time. A bottleneck of videos being uploaded occurred on a number of occasions, not being able to upload more than 5 large videos when you have 28 videos (and increasing) to upload!!

It was wonderful to work with the IABM on another successful event, they have over 300 members worldwide so it is important for us to deliver engaging video content to those who could not attend. It not only captures the excitement and enthusiasm of the attendees over the two days, but also communicates the up-to-date knowledge on the broadcasting and media industry. It is fantastic to be there just to learn, let alone work.

I was out again on Wednesday filming a presentation that the Royal Television Society put on (associated by the IABM) about IT-IV-Live; a new system for remote and distributed video production. I took the same setup; 5D with Sigma 70-200, and the 60D with the Tamron 24-70 for a wide. They coped well in the low light, and I used the wide to mainly capture the presentation being projected rather than the speaker. Once I got home and backed up the footage, I begun the same multi-camera workflow as always, finished cutting and adding the graphics the next day.

It was awesome being recognized with the 'Young Person of the Year' award too, the IABM have helped me immensely to start my business and kickstart my career in the best industry ever. Adam Plowden Videography celebrated 1 year of business operation yesterday (12/12/14) since I was successfully granted my start up loan! It has been a great year and the production company goes from strength to strength as I look forward to the future.

2015 will hold many more IABM events throughout the calendar, as well as creating an animation campaign for Screen Subtitling Systems, but I'm sure there will be much much more!

It's time to take a break now after an intensive year.. The Christmas jumper is on, and the research has begun for the new camera and equipment investments for early next year. Have a wonderful Christmas holiday!

Christmas Floral Decorations - Photoshoot for Madeleine Pink Floral Designer

On Wednesday I was working with Margaret from Madeleine Pink Floral Design to capture her beautiful Christmas decorations.

Using the Manfrotto 1x1FT LED light panels on the pro-light stands, I softly lit the decorations with the fine tuning bi-colour control; resulting in soft shadows!

Kit list: Canon 5D mkIII, Tamron 24-70, Sigma 70-200, Samyang 35mm, Canon 100mm L, Manfrotto Pro-Cx3 tripod and MHV500, Spectra 900FT LED light, Variable friction arm + super clamp.

"Chestnuts roasting on an open fire, Jack Frost nipping at your nose".

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Welcome to the boardroom

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I'm doing a few productions for the IABM in the lead up to their annual conference in December, which included a video shoot in London at IBM; a panel discussion on the key topics of the conference, and the industry at the moment.

John Ive, the director of business and technology at the IABM chaired the discussion, with six of the top decision makers in the industry around the table, which included: Dominic Stone (Our host at IBM and multimedia executive), Rob Roberts (Avid), Marc Risby (Boxer), David Peto (Aframe), Chris Steele (Marquis), Paul Glasgow (Chyron Hego).

It was an early start for myself and Glen, to get a head start in the traffic heading up to the South Bank. Usually I would get the train, but as this was a full setup I required my little cars assistance to get the equipment there!

Glen at IBM

Glen at IBM

Me at IBM!

Me at IBM!

We arrived at the IBM office on the South Bank with plenty of time to spare, and after unloading the equipment in the loading bay we parked up in the National Theater and met our host for the day, Dominic. A wonderful chap with a wealth of experience as a television producer, many thanks for your hospitality throughout the day!

Trolley fulla gear!

Trolley fulla gear!

What the conference room at IBM looked like before we got our hands on it!

What the conference room at IBM looked like before we got our hands on it!

Once we had access to the conference room, we began the setup and moved any unnecessary furniture out of the way. Manfrotto has greatly helped me on this as much of the kit is new and definitely new to this kind of video environment too, and after IBC I was very keen to try out the new tripods; which now can be lowered to almost ground level with innovative locking joints. Also, although I'm using a 5D and telephoto lenses to shoot with (so the load is not very heavy), but having steady and smooth shots are imperative to keeping a good composition, both the tripod and video head allow me to achieve shake free pans and tilts, which can be counter balanced depending on your camera, lens and accessory setup.

The new light stands are awesome. I know it is something simple, but it makes a massive difference. Stands and poles can often get mislaid, damaged in transit or in use, or simply can't withhold a wide variety of lights and accessories. These on the other hand have a brilliant locking system to hold multiple stands together, meaning they can be carried and transported very easily. They are not heavy, and can take a heavy load (not that these SPECTRA 1X1 LED panels are that heavy)!

Panel video setup with Manfrotto 1x1 bi-colour LED light

Panel video setup with Manfrotto 1x1 bi-colour LED light

After lunch, we checked the colour temperature on the four lights; the two front facing the panel, one giving a back light onto the speakers and background, and a smaller 900 panel to push a little extra light into the right panelists. All of the lights are bi-colour, which gives maximum flexibility when the video scenario changes so frequently.

The lights I used were: Manfrotto Spectra 1x1FT x 3, Spectra 900FT and the 1004BAC pro light stands.

To make sure all of the cameras were exposed and set correctly, we did a custom white balance and orientated around the cameras and lights to make sure we achieved the best out of the setup.

I transported the camera and audio equipment in the Manfrotto Pro Backpack50 as its large capacity was required for the amount of kit I needed which included:

  • Canon 5D mkIII
  • Canon 60D
  • Tamron 24-70
  • Sigma 70-200
  • Samyang 35mm
  • Samyang 14mm
  • Zoom H1
  • Zoom H6
  • Sennheizer ENG-G3
  • Rode Lavalier
  • Roto-mic
  • Canon batteries, AA batteries for microphones and audio recorders, chargers for all.

I also had the Manfrotto 536 MPRO tripod and 504 HD video head in the large tripod bag, and the ProCX-3 and Pro-B for the other cameras.

Marc Risby, one of the panelists tweets about his experience!

Marc Risby, one of the panelists tweets about his experience!

While we were setting up!

Adam Plowden Video setup

Shortly after our panelists arrived, and they were eager to get started in discussion; I put the lapel mics on and plugged them into the H6. John kindly allowed us to use a couple of cameras and microphones for the extensive number of panelists. The Sony ECM-77 are great lav mics with good audible response, as is the Rode Lavalier which I used with the MiCon-1 connector into the ENG-G3 wireless kit.

I got the panel talking for a practice run through while I checked the audio levels on the H6, which was placed under John's chair (due to the cable length I could not monitor the camera from my filming position).

If you've been following me on Twitter, you'll have seen I have been looking for a wide angle lens for both an APS-C and FF sensor (so far Canon's 16-35 F/2.8 is best), so I was without my Tamron 17-50mm (my standard lens on the 60D as a wide). To compensate for this, I alternated my usual video setup from 5D and Sigma 70-200mm for an MCU and 60D and 17-50mm for a wide to; 5D and Tamron 24-70mm for a wide and 60D and 70-200mm for an MCU which allowed me to capture a good wide angle of the whole panel, as well as a great MCU on the speaker.

The 504HD video head has integrated fluid drag and resistance which makes panning and tilting a dream for video; it is smooth, yet easily changed depending on the subject and timing of the camera moves. A large pan-handle makes the motion firm and steady throughout.

With a vast experience in broadcasting from all of the panelists, it was difficult not to get distracted into the conversation. After each discussion we shot some VoxPops for the conference with the other panelists that did not participate in that panel, which will be used throughout the presentations and panels at the IABM annual conference in December.

Unlike the Zoom H4N, the H6 has an incredible power consumption rate meaning on four AA batteries it can record multiple channels (four in this care) for a good 2 hours without needing to change! This meant I could rely on it recording stand-alone under Johns seat without monitoring, after each channel was correctly set (with a general limiter on).

In terms of the camera settings I was using:

 - VisionTech2 Picture Profile

 - F/4.5 on the MCU so focusing between panelists was minimum

 - Because of light setting, as well as not much fast motion happening I reduced the electronic shutter to 1/33.

 - ISO between 400 and 640 due to the good light produced from the 1x1's!

Once the filming was complete, we quickly de-rigged the setup so we could get out of London as quickly as possible; not to get held up with traffic queues etc.. Thankfully, all of the Manfrotto gear we had is fast to setup and tear down so we were ready to leave within half an hour or so!

Once I got back home, I begun the ingest and backup process; remembering to have 3 copies of the footage and audio on separate drives in case any fail. I also began re-naming the files so it is easier for me to locate specific panelists microphones when doing the audio mix-down.

Although the Zoom H6 is an awesome recorder, it for some reason records track 3 and 4 together (as a stereo channel) so I had to split the Tr3-4 into separate Track 3 and Track 4 files using Audition. This is a simple process, but I wonder if this can be changed in the device itself?

splitting stereo track mix adobe audition APV

Here you can see the top track is different to the other, this is because the T3 and T4 inputs were from different speaker microphones, but recorded together. To resolve this, I simply solo'd the track I needed, selected ALL and copied, created a new audio stereo track and pasted the track there; this creates a Left or Right track for you in the new audio file.

replaced stereo audio file APV

Here, I've created a new stereo audio track and pasted the solo'd track into it. The new stereo audio file then replicated the audio on both tracks. I then saved this as a new audio track.

In Pluraleyes, I created the four camera sources and imported their respective video files, and then singularly imported each audio track into a new audio recorder as a new audio source (instead of importing the five tracks into the same audio recorder). This would allow me to control not only each track individually, but also when I separate the four sections into their own multi-camera sequences I have separate audio tracks rather than one reallyyy long one.

importing footage to pluraleyes APV
separate audio recorder devices per microphone APV

You can see here that the audio tracks from each microphone are separated in the sync.

video audio sync pluraleyes complete APV

I was amazed at the speed of the sync, only 1 minute 8 seconds to sync all of the video and audio from many different sources! I then exported the sync as both an XML and XML with replaced audio from Pluraleyes, and created a new Premiere Pro project for this production.

I imported the XML file into the new project, which imports and creates a new sequence with the synced footage in place. So easy! I then placed the footage into their respective sequences depending on the discussion topic, and prepared them for multi-camera editing!

adobe premiere pro sync footage edit APV
synced footage adobe premiere pro APV

The sequences are now ready to be cut using the Multi-camera interface! Unfortunately I can't show anymore as this is an IABM member exclusive video, but I hope you have enjoyed seeing how videos like this are produced on a small scale!

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Seasons Are Changing

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Here it is! A collaboration between Tristan Noon (composer) and myself, expressing the transition into Autumn. Filmed at NT Winkworth Arboretum and the North Downs Way (Ranmore Common), and composed with the talent of both Tristan and a clarinetist, we wished to coney the continual and dramatic cycle of the seasons through both the visuals and sound.

I approached Tristan to work collaboratively on this project, and he was happy to work with me, and what an experience it has been! I can extremely commend Tristan on his musical talent in both playing immersing melodies on piano and composing scores. Please check out his portfolio of work here :www.soundcould.com/tristannoon

Capturing Autumn (part 1)

This will be a series of posts acting as a videography diary for my latest personal project which is out filming Autumn in Surrey.

North Downs Way (Ranmore, Surrey)

This time of the year is my absolute favorite. There's a chill in the air, leaves turn stunning tones of oranges, reds and browns, hidden spider webs become visible in the morning dew. Autumn bring a series of treats from the first frost, harvest festival, Halloween and fireworks night, most of which I'll try to capture over the coming weeks as the night draws closer.

Rainbow after a passing storm

Rainbow after a passing storm

I made my first seasonal video back in Jan/Feb called 'Quiet Sunshine', I loved being out with just my camera and me. It was silent and still as I crept around the pond, capturing the life in the Winter. This was also one of the first videos I made with my new videography kit; Canon 5D mkIII, Samyang 14, 35, 85mm cine lens, Manfrotto 755CX-3 carbon fibre tripod and MHV-500AH video head. It's the ultimate in quick, steady shooting with a beautiful image from Samyang's top quality glass.

This ethos of simplicity while filming is aided greatly by wise equipment choices, good planning and being inspired. Taking a little time to research the sunset and weather, the locations you're going to visit, and checking out other creatives work all contribute to the story that is composed and told through the video. For me, my Manfrotto tripods, video heads, bags and lights give me the flexibility to film in a variety of scenarios without needing a set of heavy legs.

Filming the sunset.

Filming the sunset.

Kit of choice for one afternoon's filming

Kit of choice for one afternoon's filming

The above pic shows how simple my setup was:

  • Canon 5D mkIII (Technicolor Cinestyle picture profile).
  • Tamron 24-70mm
  • Sigma 70-200mm
  • Canon 100mm macro
  • Samyang 14mm cine
  • Manfrotto 055ProB tripod
  • Manfrotto 701HDV head
  • Pro Media Gear dual arc slider
  • ND filters
  • Manfrotto SPECTRA 900FT LED light (just in case).
Some macro shots of fungi!

Some macro shots of fungi!

I never go out with an idea of what the final edit will look like, or what I'm distinctly looking for, apart from to give the audience of the video the experience of what it's like to be in the scene. The story is a visual meditation, taking you on a journey. Ron Fricke has mastered this art through his films 'Baraka' and 'Samsara'.

"Give your audience something new, something they perhaps haven't seen, heard, felt or experienced before. Put them in the scene and give them an immersive experience."

I don't think many viewers of the video would have been in a World War II Pill Box.. So I gave them that experience! It had also started to pour with rain when we arrived at North Downs Way, so the dug out shelter provided ample protection from the elements!

The little details of the changing seasons are what we have as memories of autumn. The turning of the leaves and crunch they make as you step on them. The glorious colours of sunset silhouetting the trees! Shooting with the Cinestyle picture profile allows me to capture the video with an extended DR, that I can then manipulate and restore the details in the shadows and highlights when grading in post. This really pops the colours.

If you're out walking, or somewhere new, stray off the path and discover something new. It's a tactic I use when I'm out, it's how I find 'interesting' things to shoot!

Sunset, white balance of 5800K; golden orange tones.

Sunset, white balance of 5800K; golden orange tones.

When I am out shooting, there aren't set rules that I follow as every scenario will be different; indoors or outdoors, subjects will vary and so will the kit you choose to use. I do however make sure I correctly set the following:

  • White balance/colour temperature.
  • The image is level with the horizon line (more so for landscape, unless artistically intended).
  • Sound being recorded with a mic, and that it is ON, with the sound level set appropriate to the environment.
  • Shutter speed set to 1/50th (on DSLR).
  • The shot must show me something new, with framing and composition telling the next part of the story.
  • Am I using an appropriate aperture?

The last one about 'appropriate aperture' is more due to the variety of shots you want to capture. For example: intimate portrait with a wide aperture (F/2.8) vs large landscape with narrow aperture (F/16). Yes, shooting as wide as possible (T/1.5 is the widest I can shoot) produces incredible bokeh, extremely shallow depth of field for intimacy and can keep you shooting in darker scenarios.. But it can also produce softening at the edges (lens dependent), and may not fit the subject; a row of trees, a crowd of ravers. On the other hand, shooting with a deep depth of field (F/11 +) of a babies fingers or the dew on a spiders web does not isolate the subject, makes the image darker and sometimes produces vignetting (lens dependent).

My point being: It is subjective. There is no right answer. Find the right aperture to expose the shot as you wish, using the depth of field to move the viewers attention through the frame.

To summarize, by checking those above points, you'll save a lot of time and work later!

Taken on the North Downs Way, Ranmore, Surrey by Adam Plowden on Canon 5D mkIII and Tamron 24-70.

Taken on the North Downs Way, Ranmore, Surrey by Adam Plowden on Canon 5D mkIII and Tamron 24-70.

Winkworth Arboretum (Godalming, Surrey)

I've been wanting to visit Winkworth for months now, originally purchased by Dr Fox in the 20th Century, it is home to over 1000 trees and plant species created to 'paint a picture' of the landscape. The dream of Dr Fox lives on to the hundreds of visitors of all ages through the National Trust who were very accommodating during my days visit.

It was my first time at the arboretum, so while I was discovering the beauty of the location I also snapped up plenty of autumnal shots. My kit list varied to what I used at the North Downs Way, but I still used my trusty Manfrotto 055 ProB tripod, 701HDV head and Pro Backpack50! It's so versatile, and trust me, you really can fit everything in this bag for videography!

APV setup: 5D mkIII with Sigma 70-200 on Manfrotto 055ProB, Pro Media Gear dual arc slider, 701HDV head, Roto-mic and Manfrotto Pro Backpack50. And Peak Design strap!

APV setup: 5D mkIII with Sigma 70-200 on Manfrotto 055ProB, Pro Media Gear dual arc slider, 701HDV head, Roto-mic and Manfrotto Pro Backpack50. And Peak Design strap!

I wasn't surprised at the number of photographers in the arboretum, the foliage from the range of trees was stunning, a mix of still turning greens, oranges, deep reds.

Beautiful day to be out with the camera!

Beautiful day to be out with the camera!

Acer is my favorite species of tree because of its delicate and intricate leaves and branch structure, it has very unique leaf colours that dramatically change throughout the seasons too.

My favorite!

My favorite!

It was a pleasure strolling around the massive arboretum. I was up for filming anything I liked, I had my Manfrotto Pro Backpack50 filled with my favourite lenses to shoot nature with. The Canon L series 100mm F/2.8 macro lens has been gratefully welcomed into the collection, it definitely being my favorite lens! It has the intimacy and clarity I like to capture, getting the details.

Stunning colours and light, beaming through the trees.

Stunning colours and light, beaming through the trees.

My larger go to kit setup!

My larger go to kit setup!

The above photo I think captures the essence of my work; simple, unique adaptive.. The ability to move the camera using the Pro Media Gear dual arc slider gives the ability to move and orientate around the subject, in the above case around the trunk of a tree, showing the array of interconnected branches and leaves.

For a number of these shots I would have been using the 14mm cine lens, at around T/11 to T/16, so that I could expose both the darker branches and the bright light bursting through the leaves.

Abundant autumnal foliage scattered the landscapes hillsides.

Abundant autumnal foliage scattered the landscapes hillsides.

For photographers and videographers I would definitely recommend a trip to Winkworth. It offers a unique view into nature throughout the seasons, walk freely through the meadows or copses capturing the beauty of nature.

Thanks to the National Trust for upkeeping the arboretum and the volunteers that maintain the site, as well as Manfrotto for their continued support! Get out there and film the lip-chapping mornings, or fireworks night that is coming up soon. It's a stunning time of year, go capture it!

The autumn video is currently in post production, and I am collaborating with Tristan Noon, a composer to produce the soundtrack to accompany the visuals. I'll post up part 2 of the the autumn filming blog when the editing is complete, and the video uploaded!

Sarah + Matt's Engagement Video <3

Here's a little teaser for Sarah and Matt, who are getting married next year, and I have the pleasure of capturing their day in video! Back in the summer, I met Sarah and Matt with Ash Darling Photography for an engagement shoot, check out the video below!

Shot on the Canon 5D mkIII with Tamron 24-70, Sigma 70-200, Samyang cine glass, Manfrotto 055 tripod and head 701HDV and Pro Media Gear Dual-arc slider. Picture profile is Visioncolor, lightly graded in Premiere Pro.

 

UK/Surrey Based DIT for Scripted Television Productions and Film Productions

DIT, Digital Imaging Technician, Camera Operator, Camera Assistant, TV Crew, TV Production, Film Production, Film Crew, UKTV, BBC Studios, Channel 4, Channel 5