I began laying things on the timeline, organizing/labeling (love this in FCPX), comparing my edit to the storyboards (even though some of the boards were still in my head). The Epic performed perfectly (as usual), we were incredibly happy with the imagery and then it was up to the editing to flush out the story.Ĭlick on pictures to see larger versions on flickr. At only $375 out the door for the audio package, you can't beat it.Īt the end of the shooting time, we felt like we had captured everything. These are far better than wireless devices I feel, because there is NEVER any wireless interference, and you get really good sounding audio for the price. I ALWAYS check audio right after to verify there was no rustling, clicks, pops and the like. I check levels, hit record, put it on hold, then it's off to the races. These things have never let me down (knock on wood). So right after that set, I ran up to check the audio. On Heath's opening segment, there was no way to monitor audio since I was a good distance from him. I tried to position the sun to my advantage when I could, but again, with run-n-gun I didn't always have that luxury.įor audio I used Zoom H1's along with RODE Lavalier Mics. I didn't bring any lighting since I knew most of this would be shot with natural light. The GoPro Hero 3 was the camera mounted underneath the Phantom, shot at 1080 60p.įor lighting, I just used reflectors. I also used my aerial rig on occasion, just to get that extra elevated shot. You have to be cautious with how you position it as you could see some vibrations if you're not careful from wind. I resourced my Matthews Car Mount for this and it performed flawlessly. All the car driving stuff was done with the Epic on a follow car, or mounted directly to the truck being shot. That was a challenging component, trying to capture the truck bed cover at the best angle. I also used the monopod rig a lot too, which enabled me to get up high enough. I spent about 50% of the time on steadicam since that was the fastest way to move around, getting cool shots quickly. Whenever I'm on a production, I always try to keep the camera moving as much as possible, as I hate a static camera. It wouldn't be cost effective for my client to fly me back out there if we missed something.
I put myself into an "overshoot" scenario, as I wanted to have plenty to work with when I got to post-land. We were in a run-n-gun style of shooting since there was a lot to shoot given the amount of time we had scheduled, coupled with weather problems. We tried to do the best we could diving into that person's life and how & why they use the cover. Since it was a customer based video, we had to improvise as we went along. Some shooting details were still getting worked/flushed out the mornings, so I was able to continue the edit while my client got things on their end sorted. Most shooting days were half days, though there were a few that were 12+ hours.
We then decided on a creative scope, then I flushed a storyboard out so I had an idea as to what I wanted/needed to capture when I was there. After months of going back and forth about what the objective of the piece would be, cost, etc., they booked, and the creative treatment started. I approached Peragon with the idea of creating a new, creative promotional piece for their website. MacBook Pro 17" with thunderbolt drives for mobile/on-location editing Hopefully black level control is coming soon. :-) I'd take that over color accuracy any day. Had this little guy in the front passenger seat. Used this along with the Paralinx to monitor the camera's comp for all the driving footage. SmallHD AC7 OLED - Great monitor for focusing as well as a wireless option (Paralinx Arrow) for client to view footage. I'd much rather hire a steadicam operator for their experience and to conserve my back, but it's fun to get these types of shots for the client and I'm glad I have this tool in my arsenal.Ĭreative Light Reflectors - what can I say, they travel well.
RED EPIC FINAL CUT PRO 7 PROFESSIONAL
Zolinger Steadicam Rig XT Professional - great and cost effective steadicam rig. It's incredibly lightweight and supports the Epic no problem. This is my slider of choice for all travel gigs. Leica R Lenses - 24, 35, 50, 80, 100, 135Ĭinevate Atlas FLT - 2 footer - Portable, stable, butter smooth. No permits were needed as we were in the middle of nowhere. V/O may be added to the edit in the middle section, still being determined by client.Ĭaptured on Epic - 5K WS, 24p as well as 120fps Crew - Myself and the client :-) Shot across 2 states.