This is a short post. It’s short because it doesn’t really need to be very long. As a Mac user for over 8 years and a self-taught cinematographer, I learned an embarrassing lesson that cost me over 2 full days of production time.

In short: We have a a QNAP TS-559 Pro II that we use as a central scratch drive and storage hub for all of our media.  It holds 5 x 3 TB Seagate Barracuda harddrives and has Gigabyte connections to all of our workstations.  It’s pretty cool.

This week – I was working away on a corporate project and found that my playback speed began to suffer significantly. As in – there was basically no playback.  I was furious. I closed everything. Restarted several times. Checked all my connections. Threw things. Called my IT guy. Threw more things. Booked an appointment with my IT Guy. Got angry. Went home for the day. Stayed Angry. Went to work the next day. My IT guy didn’t show up. That made me even more mad. Threw more things. Waited. Then I called an Apple Service guy in town and he came by.

He took one look at my computer and noticed I had Airport turned on. Long story short – the QNAP was trying to communicate with my laptop wirelessly rather than using the network cable that was attached.  The communication between the laptop and QNAP server was less than 5% of the data flow through that I should be getting from my network cable.

Long story short: turn off wireless internet if you’re hard-wired. It will keep you from throwing things.

I hope this helps someone because I was awfully embarrassed when I found out what was actually wrong.

(ps. The IT guy no longer works for us)

See you all in January!
Andrew Sorlie

Andrew Sorlie

Andrew and Emily Sorlie are the owners of Honey & Dear, a successful Toronto, Canada - based wedding cinematography company. They attended their first [In]Focus conference in Austin, Texas in 2010, and it radically changed the direction of their company. With the knowledge and experience they gained, the Sorlies rebranded their now-flourishing business from Sorlie Arts to Honey & Dear. Together, they have filmed more than 80 weddings all over the world including Australia, Dominican Republic, Singapore & Canada.

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Hi there, everyone! Jet Kaiser is here to remind you stay comfortable while you work!

Several years back, when I was first getting my feet wet in the industry, I was looking to save money every chance I got, even if it meant placing time, health & comfort on the back burner. Now that I understand the true value of time this isn’t the case anymore.

We [filmmakers] are the biggest assets to our businesses and we need to treat ourselves right. Sacrificing comfort to save a couple extra bucks is not smart. Our money needs to go where our time is spent.

Most people don’t realize how much time goes into a wedding film. Hours and hours are spent in the same position, starring at pixels during the editing process. How ergonomic is your workstation? Below is a basic list that I’ve conducted to help with setting up your work areas with comfort, health and time in mind.

A big comfy chair.

This is number one. Choose a chair that is comfortable and gives you support. Chairs with armrests that are the same height as your desk helps you eliminate shoulder stress.  I recommend the Ergohuman ME7ERG.

Monitors that are at eye-level.

I’ve seen workstations where the editor has to look up to see the screens (like playing sample video games at Wal-mart). It won’t take long for the editor to develop some nasty neck and back pain. Keeping our monitors at eye level (or slightly below) will help avoid stress in your neck and ensures that we are seeing our images clearly.

Ergonomic Mice.

Luckily there is a nice assortment of ergonomic mice on the market. Be sure to choose a mouse that fits your hand and has plenty of customizable buttons. I have found that Logitech has some great mice for folks with large hands like myself. Your mouse should fill up all the space under your hand.

Wrist support.

This is a big one and is commonly overlooked. Computer gloves and wrist supports keep your wrists at an optimal ergonomic position and helps prevent Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Last year I started using an IMAK computer glove for my mouse hand and it was the best $15 I spent in 2010. Also, when the UPS guys delivers and notices your glove when you answer the door you can tell him that you are training to become a cagefighter. :->

Lighting.

This also commonly overlooked. We moved into our new home studio last year and I designed it so we would be able to eliminate any glare on our screens. I studied how the big studios (Pixar, Industrial Light & Magic, etc.) lit their workspaces and then applied the same principles to our studio. No direct light, only subtle glows.

Shuttles/Controllers.

Whether it is embedded in your editing keyboard or a stand alone like the Contour Design’s ShuttlePro, a shuttle can speed up your editing time all while keeping your hands and fingers in a comfortable position. Check out this post for more information on the ShuttlePro v2.

Have any other helpful ideas regarding ergonomics? Comment below and share your thoughts.

Stay comfy, ya’ll
Jet Kaiser
Jet Kaiser Films

Jet

Jet Kaiser saved up enough money to by his first camcorder at the age of 14 and he's been creating films ever since. He eventually created the Indianapolis-based, Jet Kaiser Films where he collaborates his with his lovely wife, Dani. Together they produce cinematic, story-rich, "motion pictures for those in LOVE™ "

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Hello there friends and family!

Eric Kmetz here bringing you a very special post today.

Recently, I sat down with Detroit-area wedding photographers Melissa Patterson and Adam Czap to discuss the DSLR trend, what gear they use, and how photographers and filmmakers can work together seamlessly at an event.

This is part I of II of our panel. Today’s discussion covers what gear Melissa and Adam use, and their thoughts on DSLR video.

In part II, I’ll find out exactly what these photographers think of event filmmakers, and how to be sure everyone plays nice!

xoxo,
E

Eric Kmetz

Eric Kmetz is the lead filmmaker for Epic Motion, based in Detroit, MI. Named one of the 2010 EventDV top 25 filmmakers, Eric has been a full-time wedding filmmaker since 2009. In his spare time he devotes himself to being as kmawesome as legally allowed. Furthermore, 83% of people agree…he's the bees knees. True story.

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Mistakes to Avoid to Succeed in Wedding Video

Matt Davis with you. As “The Head Coach of Wedding Videography,” I was privileged last month to be joined with Chris Jones of Mason Jar Films, and co-founder of IN[FOCUS] on a conference call with almost 500 videographers providing them free information on some trade secrets and lessons that we have learned over the years. We had such a great response from that.

With the new year approaching, some of us need to ask our selves if what we are doing isn’t working. Some of us need to write down the things that did work for us in 2009 so that we can emulate that success in the coming years. But regardless of whether you are a seasoned veteran or just starting out, I believe we can all appreciate some tips that make such a hectic situation as a wedding day that much easier.  Above you’ll find a segment from our webinar “Mistakes to Avoid in Order to Succeed in Wedding Video”.  This 10 minute audio clip covers some tips and techniques that you can begin using on your next wedding that will not only make you more profitable, but will save your sanity. Here are some things you’ll learn in the audio.

• How To Create Immediate Synergy with a Photographer
• Getting the best audio from a wedding (non hardware specific)
• Multiple Shooter Communication
• Making the edit more simplified and profitable by doing things on the wedding day
• A very necessary tip to help you with your post production ideas

Enjoy! Also, for those interested in further help, more details and strategies on how to grow your business, we are now enrolling for a very unique opportunity for event videographers. You can sign up for our 2010 coaching online webinar entitled “Sales & Marketing 101: What Most Videographers Don’t Know About Making Money”. Check it out. First session starts January 27th,2010.

See you in Austin!
Matt Davis, Lifestage

Matt Davis

Matt Davis (coaching at lifestagefilms.com) of Life Stage Films has been described as the “head coach of wedding videography,” providing one-on-one business coaching as well as group coaching webinars. A featured speaker at both WEVA 2009-10 and IN[FOCUS] 2010-11, as well as a multiple CEA award winner and 2009-10 EventDV 25 All-Star, he is based in Wilmington, N.C.

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As an avid DSLR video shooter I am often shooting under very low light which means a wide open aperture, or close to it, and a very shallow depth of field. Occasionally I venture outdoors and end up shooting at something like f16 or f22 and there have been times when I’ve noticed dark spots or blotches on my footage. If these spots appear on the same part of your video, in different shots and with different lenses, then you dust on your sensor! (Well, to quickly clarify, it’s not actually on your sensor but on a filter or glass cover over the sensor).

The first step in cleaning your sensor is to actually be able to visually identify how dirty the sensor is, and my favorite way to do this is with a sensor loupe from VisibleDust. With your choice of 5X or 7X magnification and built in LED illumination, it’s easy to spot the offending particles.

My next step (and this is something I do before each wedding I shoot) is to use an air blower such as this Giottos Rocket Air Blower.

I personally don’t like to use the compressed air blower canisters as there is a risk of spraying moisture into your camera (if you do use one, give it a short burst of air before beginning cleaning, and also make sure to keep the canister upright during cleaning). Dust is attracted to your sensor with static electricity, and one way to combat this is with this new Zeeion Blower from VisibleDust, which claims it’s unique compound reduces static charges.

The next step would be a dry cleaning method such as the Arctic Butterfly. Here is a manual with details on the cleaning process, but basically you gently clean with one uniform pass and then make sure to remove the brush and keep it away from the camera before turning on the spinning bristle cleaning function.

If your sensor is extremely dirty you may need to resort to a wet cleaning methods such as those offered by DustAid or Photographic Solutions. Here is a video from DustAid on cleaning the sensor of the Canon 5D Mark II.

For more information on sensor cleaning, I recommend two articles: one from Luminous Landscape and another one on the Thom Hogan website.

If you maintain yours differently, I would be interested to hear from you in the comments section below.

Happy cleaning!
Vlad

Vladimir Chaloupka

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

Joey Mathews

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.

The Reporter

Team IN[FOCUS] believes that there's no better life than living it as a filmmaker, and we empower you to survive, thrive, and serve in that capacity through the most progressive means of education and community.

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Although it’s tough to beat Chris P. Jones when it comes to speeding up your editing workflow, I recently discovered a product that is saving me so much time and I can’t believe I’ve been using Final Cut Pro without it all these years! It is the ShuttlePRO v2 by Contour Design.

Vladimir Chaloupka

As you can see from the video comparison above, the lenses react completely differently between the 5D and 7D.

Here are some specs on what you get with certain lenses.  The first column represents the standard Canon 5D Mark II lens and the second column represents the conversion when you put the same lens on the Canon 7D and get the 1.6x crop factor.

On a 5D       On a 7D
8mm = 12.8mm
10mm = 16mm
14mm = 22.4mm
17mm = 27.2mm
20mm =  32mm
28mm = 44.8mm
35mm = 56mm
50mm = 80mm
85mm = 136mm
105mm = 168mm
135mm = 216mm
200mm = 320mm
400mm = 640mm
500mm = 800mm
600mm = 960mm

Happy Shooting!
Joey Mathews
31Films

Joey Mathews

IN[FOCUS] Screen Calibration from Northernlight Filmworks on Vimeo

Greetings from the Hoosier State!

As visual artists we need to make sure we are using all our tools properly to ensure our images are the best they can be.  One way in which we can achieve the best imagery possible is to calibrate our monitors, an oft overlooked step!

In watching this video, you will see how easy monitor calibration is to perform and how much of a difference it makes once performed.  The software we used was Spyder2express.  We purchased it at Fry’s Electronics for approximately  $80.  We did discover that if you have a dual monitor system connected to your editing station, you will need to use the Spyder3Pro.  You can find it at Calibration-Direct for $129.95.

We also asked our friend Steve Zugelter of Studio Z Films to give us his input on monitor calibration.  Here is what he had to say,

“What’s the sense in doing any kind of color correction or grading if your monitor isn’t displaying the images correctly?  For me, monitor calibration is one of the many steps in filmmaking.  We balance the colors in our cameras, why wouldn’t we do the same in post?  Its one more step, but its a vital one in making sure the images you produce are shown exactly how you wanted.  I really believe that the colors and tone of each clip and each film convey a message and if we’re sending the wrong message its confusing to the viewer, much the same as speaking a foreign language to someone that doesn’t understand it. Since I’ve started calibrating my monitors, I’ve noticed a huge difference in how my films look.  I now calibrate them regularly to ensure they are where they are supposed to be and that nothing has drifted.”

Well put, Steve!

We look forward to your comments and experiences.
Jen and John, Northernlight Filmworks

John and Jennifer Moon