In part 3 of the DSLR lens series I wanted to show the difference between IS (Image Stabilization) and non IS lenses. Specifically I’m talking about the Canon 70-200mm L lenses. There is definitely a big price difference between the two lenses. The question to ask yourself is what is necessary when shooting video on these DSLRs.
Happy Filming!
Joey Mathews
31Films
Nehemiah Vision Ministries from Northernlight Filmworks on Vimeo.
During the Holiday season, and in keeping with part of David Perry’s upcoming presentation at IN[FOCUS] 2010, IN[FOCUS] is conducting a series of stories on using your business to serve your community/the worldWhen we first started Northernlight Filmworks, we told ourselves that we wanted to remain humble and appreciative of the opportunity to have our new venture. We realized that we have a God-given talent and that it’s not for us to hoard. We realized the incredible voice of filmmaking, and that we can use that voice to speak for those who can’t speak for themselves.
Every year we sit down as a team and discuss ways to grow and improve our company. This is the time we spend evaluating how we are going to share our talent in a way that will help others. Every time we conduct this evaluation, we learn something new and feel like we are focusing on the bigger picture.
About 2 years ago, I met Esperandieu Pierre who spoke at our church. I was sitting in the audience with my family and he presented the incredible need for fresh water in Haiti. He spoke of how children and adults were becoming ill and even dying from the contaminants in the water. The images I saw coupled with his earnest plea were moving, to say the least.
As I sat there, I was holding a bottle of water, something that I realized I took for granted. After church I approached him, introduced myself, and told him to let me know if he ever needed me to help him with a video to get his message out to a larger audience.
Fast-forward to this year. Esperandieu Pierre met me in our studio in January and had some tapes of footage he had shot over the years. As we talked, Esperandieu requested that we just come down to Haiti and film what we needed to create the video. I said “ok,” but had more than a little anxiety. I knew that Haiti had a reputation of being a very unstable country.
When he left the studio, I checked out Haiti on the State Department website. What I read gave me no comfort. But after a little while, I felt calm about proceeding. The opportunity fell within our belief that we should give back, so I knew that I would be alright.
Because of the instability of the country and other unknowns, I didn’t want my wife Jennifer to travel with me. My brother Steve, who also shoots with us, went instead. We flew into the Port Au Prince airport with the state side representatation of Nehemiah Vision Ministries.
As we traveled to the city of Chambrun, I could not believe how poor the people were. It was a quiet ride as we took in the sites. I remember seeing an vacant lot filled with garbage. I remember seeing the birds diving in to stake their claim. I even remember seeing a hog wagging its tail as it scavenged for food. And then, near the hog, I saw a young boy, probably 9 or 10 years old, crouched down, digging through this same pile of refuse, hungry as well.
The roads (or the lack thereof), were narrow and dangerous, but we finally made it to the village.
The village was made up of mud huts and a few homes made from concrete blocks - no plumbing at all. The only clean water was from the earthen well in the village, a well created 2 years ago after Esperandieu raised the funds.
While there, we produced the short video (at the top of this post) for Nehemiah Vision Ministries which is currently being used to help spread the word about specific needs for the church and the school. We are also going to produce a longer version that will have more of a documentary feel to it.
The day that we were en route to the airport to fly home, we stopped so Steve could visit a vendor. I stepped outside the truck, watching Steve, and then felt a tug on my shirt. Looking down, I saw a young boy, probably 10 or 11 years of age. His face was dirty, he was wearing shorts, he had no shoes and a torn button-up shirt with a torn pocket on the front. He looked up at me and said “one dollar please.” I had about $300.00 cash on me and I pulled a one-dollar bill out and gave it to him. He tried to find a place to put it, thanked me, gave me a hug, and walked off.
After we boarded our plane and departed, I remember looking out the window as we flew through some beautiful clouds. My mind, however, was back in Port Au Prince with that little boy. I thought to myself, “why did I only give him $1.00? I could have given him more.”
Maybe I was supposed to learn from this encounter. My take from that experience was that even when you give something, you can usually give a little more than what is asked.
This is why we believe in offering up our talents and services to help others. We are just a tiny speck in this world but we all know the power that we have with our cameras and our editing workstations. We have the ability to tell a story to move people to action. We can help change our world by helping others see the world through our lens.
Happy Holidays!
John and Jen, Northernlight Filmworks.
IN[FOCUS] is proud of our presenters and bloggers who are a part of Cinevate’s featured filmmaking team. This month, Ray Roman gives you a heavy dose of motivation:
Cinevate makes some of the coolest products you will ever get your hands on, so sign up to IN[FOCUS] 2010 and meet the best in our business to learn how to master their tools.
More of the IN[FOCUS] team below:
November Shooter Showcase – Kevin Shahinian from Cinevate on Vimeo.
October Shooter Showcase – Joe Simon from Cinevate on Vimeo.
September Shooter Showcase – Casey Warren from Cinevate on Vimeo.
![IN[FOCUS]](http://www.infocusvideoevent.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/IFTiny.jpg)