Quiet Sunshine

http://vimeo.com/84790518

Capturing local beauty

Film making and videography isn't all about big budget productions with expensive kit. Its great to take time out to see what stories you can tell and images you can capture in your local area. Luckily for me, I live in Surrey which is full of green spaces. My chosen location for today's adventure was Epsom Common, I used to and hope to continue fishing at the lake. Since being a kid I remember it being a beautiful place in the winter, so despite the recent flooding I made my way down!

Accompanied by the awesome Manfrotto 055 Carbon Fiber tripod and 055AH video head; my grip was sorted in a lightweight solution. I took my whole kit bag in case I wanted to record some foley audio or shoot on a range of lenses. I tried to stick to the Samyang Cine lenses I have (14mm, 35mm, 85mm), so I can test them out on a range of shoots. I also came across a 72mm variable ND filter that fits onto the Samyang 85mm, which means I can achieve T/1.5 and a beautiful bokeh in broad daylight.

As you may have previously read, I also installed some new picture styles on my camera from VisionColor, today I used Cinelook to see what the footage looks like out of camera, without grading. So far, without adjustment the picture was punchy with a good colour tone present, not flat and neutral like I previously used. It certainly has given the footage a baked in 'look' while recording which will definitely speed up the post-production process.

It was great being in the outdoors, I often spend way too much time on the computer and neglect our very green, rural backyard, which deserves to be appreciated, remembered and captured in moving image.

I've processed all of the footage now, using most of what I shot. It is simply put to music, in this case the serene 1:1 by Brian Eno, which was very fitting for the scene. I have applied no colour correction, grading or effects to the clips whatsoever, to demonstrate the cinematography at hand.

I will post the link up later!

I hope you like it, and please share around!!

Strategic grading with 'burnt in' footage.. Canon/Manfrotto/Elinchrom Promo for SWPP Conference 2014

I continue to work on the promo videos for Canon/Manfrotto/Elinchom today. After shooting the material in a 'neutral' picture style, there was still a lot of contrast, sharpness and saturation in the image. This has caused a couple of problems with the adjustment of the levels and colours when grading. Burnt in footage is where detail is lost due to a crushed dynamic range, out of focus picture, or a mis-interpreted colour balance (and plenty more). This footage is notably harder to work with due to the loss of detail; and when you come to colour correct or grade the shots, life becomes more difficult as hues and light levels are burnt in to the image. Applying numerous filters and effects to remedy this can only add noise and grain, and degrade the footage so it is important to remember to flatten the image before shooting!

Even with a neutral picture style selected, the internal settings for contrast, saturation etc sometimes remain the same, so remember to go into the picture style settings and set them all to the lowest. This will achieve a flat picture which is much easier to work with in post. For those who don't wish to apply heavy corrections or grading to your shots, shooting in neutral will work fine too, just add contrast when editing to remove the gamma grey curve and punch out the sharpness!

I've had to resort to black and white images for some shots due to burning in detail in low light shooting situations.

Here are some example frames of what I have been working with, and how I have graded them.

These are the frames from the second video. I was in a studio conversion for the MUA part, and Bjorn's place for the shoot. White balance wise it was cool, and when shooting directly into the the window I got a lovely hazy light effect.

We shot the first part at Gylly beach in Falmouth with Carly who runs an extreme fitness group called BootyCamp. Going for a gritty, filmic look for the gym part I used negative bleach bypass. For the beach, I tried to add some drama to the already crashing sea, unluckily for us it was freezing cold so we weren't up for staying there for long.

Captured with the Canon 5D Mark III, Tamron 24-70 F/2.8 VC, Sigma 70-200 F/2.8 OS, Samyang 14mm T/3.1, 35mm and 85mm T/1.5. Post production in Adobe Premiere Pro CS6 and graded using the in built colour correction tools and Red Giant Magic Bullet Looks.

When all the components to my new editing system arrive I am going to be transferring the grading workflow to Adobe SpeedGrade instead of Magic Bullet due to its ease of use, features and tools for cinematic grading as well as having an accelerated 2GB GPU with CUDA graphics... :D

The videos will be released next week on Vimeo, so watch this space for updates! If you can't wait until then, get down to SWPP on Saturday where I will be showing the video with Bjorn and talking about working with video on DSLR!

This gives you a bit of an example of what I've done to work with footage that has some lacking detail, creating a visual style to convey the subject of the video.

Interested in more of what I do? Check out my website, follow me on twitter, watch my videos! Oh and please share my blog and website if you can :)

Got any questions? Send them my way!

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Stills Copyright Adam Plowden Videography 2014.

Manfrotto Backpack50 Video.. It's taken its time!

I've finally got around to working on the Manfrotto Backpack50 product video that I shot back in November with Glen and Sam. I made the most of the beautiful 'golden hour' to capture unique images of the product in use. The shoot location was our usual hotspot for kit testing; Epsom Downs.

The Backpack50 is an insanely good bag, dedicated to protecting your prized possessions and increasing your productivity when out on a photo or video shoot. Aimed at both professional videographers and photographers; the bag features plenty of space for multiple camera bodies, lenses and telephoto lenses. For the on-the-go editor, you can also carry a laptop and a tablet with you, as well as strapping on a tripod. Your complete equipment in one bag. One solution.

I'm editing the footage in Premiere Pro, to achieve that awesome bokeh I used a Nikor 50mm F/1.4 manual lens and shot handheld, so I will be applying some stabilization to those shots. Because of the strong sunlight, I worked with that light to determine the exposure of my subject, Glen. Essentially putting him in a silhouette, defining his and the backpacks shape. For the ambient settings I was working with, I believe this worked well, and is a good technique to try when shooting in the golden hour!

However, when working with low contrast ratios (number of stops between black and white) it is easy to over or under expose parts of the image, which not only burns in detail but can cause problems when encoding and playing back the video, so remember to check your reference monitors and keep to legal limits!

More to come later!

Having an awesome time grading the behind the scenes videos for SWPP and Canon/Manfrotto/Elinchrom! Photo copyright Adam Plowden Videography 2014.

Colour grading to achieve a 'gritty' yet cinematic look.

As you know I filmed some great material for a Canon/Manfrotto/Elinchrom promo video, which is going to be shown at The Societies SWPP conference next week. Todays challenge was to grade one of the videos; here are a couple of screenshots to show you what I was working with. The first is my first grade, which I then changed shown in the second.

The colour balance was not good in the gym that we were shooting in, so try and overcome the warm/green hue I applied a blue tint to the image, as well as adding negative bleach bypass to give it that film process look. I then adjusted the grade, removing the blue tint as throughout the clips it did not look good all the way through. I then added a knock of contrast to enhance the colour and depth of the image.

The video will be available to watch possibly next week or the week after!

Colour grading? Check this out

A helpful checklist/guide to those embarking on colour correcting and colour grading for DSLR video - http://www.hurlbutvisuals.com/blog/2012/01/7-tips-for-hd-color-correction-and-dslr-color-correction/

Interview/Epsom Downs/Nutfield Priory Filming Sunday!

Sunday is always a hectic day for me, and yesterday encompassed helping Glen with his dissertation; he interviewed me about getting jobs in the broadcasting industry after university. He filmed it on the 5DmkIII, Samyang 85mm T1.5 Cine, Lilliput field monitor, Zoom H6 & Sennheiser ENG-100, Manfrotto 055CX and my new MODA RIG - in studio production mode.

It was a great opportunity for me to test out all of the new equipment on a video shoot together, and being on the other side of the camera was definitely interesting form me!

We then took a trip up to Epsom Downs, it was a really clear day so from the viewpoint I could see London on the horizon, with the Shard gleaming in the winter sunlight. This was taken on the 5D with the Sigma 70-200.

I got some pictures of the MODA rig in action, we were using it in two setups for the various shoots that day; the production mode for a large DSLR body and lens with cage and shoulder mount, as well as micro rig mode for a Canon 60D and cage. This shows how flexible the MODA rig really is in different shooting scenarios!

We then jetted off to Nutfield Priory near Redhill for the last video shoot of the day, for Steve from Partytime entertainment. He has an awesome new setup with white speakers, moving heads, star cloth, light up dance floor and now a dry ice machine!

Using the MODA rig with the Canon 5DmkIII, and a combination of lenses from Samyang 14mm T3.1 to Tamron 24-70 to a GoPro, myself and Glen captured the night. The dry ice was used for the couples first dance which looked great!

The footage from this shoot will go to John Harris Media, as part of a bigger project with Partytime, so I am looking forward to seeing the results!

I have also been working on the behind the scenes videos for the SWPP conference, showing how you can use Canon, Manfrotto and Elinchrom products to produce fantastic video on DSLR. I've been experimenting with beauty looks for one of the models...

Grading test for Canon/MF/Elinchrom BTS

There will be lots more coming over the next few days, I am currently buried under lots of post production work as well as developing Camsmarts new products too. Tonight I am out filming and taking photos for a new florist at Epsom RAC, so look forward to some new beauty snaps!

Happy New Year to you!

Getting more impressed by the 5DmkIII every minute!

I'm flying through the behind the scenes edit of CJ's Booty Camp for SWPP conference, and getting blown away by the sharpness and quality of the image of the mkIII. Continuing on my post from earlier, I am used to shooting on the 60D so nearly every new shot I look at taken on the mkIII is wowing me every time. Check out this quick screenshot, footage is without any colour correction just to show how impressed I am! Both these shots were taken with the Sigma 70-200mm F/2.8 HSM OS APO.

What I'm editing today - Booty Camp BTS for the Society of Wedding and Portrait Photographers!

I have the pleasure of working with the footage I shot down in Falmouth last weekend with Bjorn Thomassen we are both sponsored by Manfrotto so we took the opportunity to film new products and features, as well as how to shoot video on a DSLR! These videos will be available online, as well as on major suppliers websites. It will also be shown at The Society of Wedding and Portrait Photographers conference in Jan! I filmed the Behind The Scenes of the production, showing how photographic styles, techniques and equipment can be used to transist from photo into video with Canon cameras, Manfrotto grip gear and Elinchrom lights.

This is my view for the day, not bad aye :P I do love my job!

The results are incredible. After using my Canon 60D for the last two years, stepping up to the Canon 5DmkIII has dramatically improved the picture quality that I capture. Teamed up with Samyang (Rokinon) VDSLR cine lenses and you have an awesome camera setup for cinematic visuals. Yes, I captured the video in ALL-I compression (the lowest compression available), as Magic Lantern does not have a firmware upgrade for the new 5D 1.2.3 firmware :( I hope that comes out soon!

Long days..

It has been a succession of long days over the last couple of weeks.. After filming the John Sinclair 'Mohawk' documentary, I've been working and editing furiously to get it out the way for Christmas and to have enough time to play with my new toys (which I am going to get tomorrow from Park Cameras). It has been exhausting, but thank you very much John Harris (John Harris Wedding Films) for your awesome help in the work around! I usually edit in Premiere Pro, however after numerous problems with playback and rendering on my workstation I moved over to one of Johns editing suites. Still having problems, we attempted to export the XML file from Premiere to FCP, so see if the problem would remedy itself, however it did not.

The next day, John had synced the footage to the main audio recording using Red Giants Pluraleyes (GENIUS software), and imported the multi-cam to FCP, so I began editing in there. What a difference. I was unaccustomed to the interface, functions, workaround in FCP, so getting stumped happened occasionally. Safe to stay working in FCP did not put me off Premiere, in fact it made me appreciate it more!

Anyway, the video is finally finished thanks to the wonderful John Harris, ready for viewing and comments from Steve Fly, the commissioner of the video.

I am now in Devon filming for the weekend, more about that in the next blog post!

John Sinclair 'Mohawk' Documentary

http://vimeo.com/81897582 Documentary title sequence.

Busy!!

I've been busy over the last couple of days, working on both John Sinclair videos, as well as the arrival of the professional camera rig I designed. It is still a prototype so some changes will be made, but so far it is a great fabrication of my design I proposed 18 months ago!!

I've since been working on the John Sinclair documentary, which I've titled 'Behind The Smoke' in Adobe Premiere, which has been going very smoothly. I've also finished the title sequence using footage from the Amsterdam gig rehearsal, as well as using outstanding quotes from John, it is accompanied by the track Mohawk of his new album with Steve Fly.

I used the layers blending modes to merge the layers together, as well as distorting the text (in a bold font like the 70's John Sinclair posters) and animating them in a style that conveys the subject.

I will post the video up later!

Interview with John Sinclair and new Manfrotto gear!

Hello, yesterday was an awfully hectic day.. Just as I was due to leave for London to film and conduct an interview with John Sinclair, there was a massive knock on the door.. A delivery man with two big Manfrotto boxes, Christmas came early!! For the new year, and as I now have the financial backing to launch Adam Plowden Videography I needed to step up the grip gear I use, especially as I am a single shooter keeping light is key.

Kit list - Magnesium Q5 ball head, Hydro-static magic arm + clamp, 775CX3 legs, 500AH head - pictures soon!

After much research into the many models of fluid video heads, tripods, ball heads and more, the list came together and off it was sent. I had been wondering to myself when the bits would arrive, as I was due to be going down to Devon this weekend to film with Bjorn Thomassen for product promotion and films for a conference, so the timing was perfect.

I quickly unboxed the gear and checked it out, to quickly pack it away again into my kit bag and leave for London! Having a carbon fiber tripod makes so much difference to the carrying weight, and it almost feels nicer to use.. Probably because it is so new haha!

Filming the interview with John was fantastic. If you don't know who John Sinclair is (like I did a couple of months ago) then wikipedia gives a basic overview, but listening and talking to John during the interview opened up a whole new person than what was written.

Here's a still from the interview, that I will be editing over Christmas for a short documentary for Iron Man Records. Cheers Caleb for the use of your massive flat!

Anyways, I am now finishing off the John Sinclair Viper Madness gig video, and it should be up and viewable by the end of the weekend, so if you missed the show and want to check out John and his Vipers LIVE, then keep checking for the link!

CamSmart 2014 Road Map

For those unaware, I have spent the last 18 months working with a photography and videography equipment company in China, called CamSmart! Many of you may have bought their DSLR Camera Rig from Amazon..

I am their European Rep, and product developer. I designed the professional camera rig that will be available to buy in February 2014, focusing on the different scenarios you will use a camera rig for, no matter what camera, location or type of shoot!

Michael is visiting England for the first time this week, with his wife Kaitlyn, we spent yesterday discussing the future plans for our products, marketing, advertisement and much much more, and topped it off with a wonderful meal in the Hilton.

I am ever more excited to receive the camera rig (which is currently on its journey from China to me), as it is the physical representation of the hard work and effort that has gone into 18 months of work. A product that I hope to share with every video producer that needs an alternative solution to a camera rig, at a fantastic price.

Everything you need to know for videography and docu-film making! (Infographic)

Trials of editing audio

For those that who have ever been at a gig and lunged their phone or camera in the air to try and capture some of the performance will know that the only sound recorded by the terrible on board mic will be CCCCCCCCRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH, or just distorted noise. Luckily, I record with external microphones when I film performances, usually because there isn't another option. Bands these days can't afford to hire a PA system with a multi channel mixer w/EQ, especially for one off performances, so it is common to see, so always be prepared!

There will always, however be background noise and hissing that will need to be removed from the recorded audio, I'm using Adobe Audition at the moment to eradicate that from the John Sinclair performance, as its functions for calculating and removing frequencies from audio tracks is phenomenal.

How I now spend my days rendering..

After fixing the awful format issue I was having, which kept crashing Premiere; I finally got the project to work again after exporting the synced Nikon clips (720px @24p) to a Quicktime 25p sequence. It is now happy and rendering :D However, I now spend most of my day staring at the render screen!

Grrr Premiere and your unchangeable sequence formats......