Event filmmaking is all about the storytelling. The stories that we tell are all made up of smaller story sequences. When shooting a story sequence, one must anticipate the action. A good storyteller will be on their toes all day.

Questions to consider while shooting…

• Where’s the action headed?
• Where do I need to position myself to be in the right spot?
• What shots do I need to shoot to get me from point A to point B?
• What do I need to shoot to get the most story out of this scenario?

As you are shooting, one must constantly ask themselves, “Does this tell a story?” If it doesn’t, move on to something that does. You only have so much time during a live event shoot to get what you need. Don’t waste time shooting things that don’t matter.

While practicing effective story shooting you’ll come to realize that you’ll actually shoot less and edit less, but your films with be richer than ever before. Stay alert and focus on what matters.

I’d love to hear some of your thoughts on how you achieve the most story from your shoots. Please comment below.

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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With DSLRs, getting the right lenses are an important investment. And naturally, it can get expensive fast! In this video, I dissect how it’s possible to go off the beaten path and purchase some great lenses without breaking the bank. Of course, everyone knows Canon L lenses are the best, but not everyone (including Life Stage w/ 3 teams!) can afford ALL the best. This video breaks down what lenses you might find in our gear bag and WHY we use certain lenses in specific situations. 

I mention…

Tokina 11-16

Canon 100-400L

Sigma 85mm

and the staples such as Canon 24-70L, Canon 70-200L IS and Canon 50mm

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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So, there are cinematographers that spend their whole careers mastering the art of taking flawless video in helicopters and airplanes. I, am not one of them. So when I ventured into uncharted territory of using a helicopter to get b-roll for a recent wedding film, I began to research. Sure I could have rented a gyro for quite a chunk of change, but that would have eaten into my profits big time for this wedding, as I didn’t add that cost in (or know about the helicopter) when I booked the wedding. 

The video above is what you might call my “poor man’s guide” to shooting great video in a helicopter with the tools that you already have. Enjoy. And don’t worry, although I did throw up after I got out of the helicopter at this wedding, I refrained from any vomiting during and after the recording of this blog post.  

P.S. Wanna see the end result and how I used it in the film? Check out the blog post here, or view the embedded video below! 

Click here to view the embedded video.

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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This post is a review of the Zeiss 50mm f 1.4 lens which is our most recent investment. The video above is a bit of test footage for you to see just how sharp and rich the lens is.

On my birthday, Sunday August 21, 2011, I decided to film an event as a favour for a friend of mine (a restaurant owner). It was the second annual event and the idea was simple: a pizza eating contest – held outdoors in the restaurant’s parking lot.  Takeru Kobayashi is the world record holder for eating hot-dogs and he was invited to the event last year and destroyed the competition. We made a video for that event and it was played 30,000 some odd times and was embedded on websites across the world. Pretty cool.  So it was not a problem for me to film the second annual “Let ‘em eat!” event as Kobi was returning to defend his title.

To make a long story short – the event, which was 12 minutes in duration, started at 3:00pm sharp. It was cloudy but the rain was holding off.  About 30 seconds after the contest started – it started to drip a bit. Then it started to pour. And then it basically turned into the extra-rinse-cycle on my mom’s high efficiency front loading washing machine. All within the first 3-4 minutes.  There was a 30′ x 12′ plywood backdrop on the competition stage that ripped off during the gale – it nearly blew onto the highway (aka. interstate)  which could have been a huge danger to the traffic. Here’s where this gets relevant to you fine In[Focus] readers: I decided to continue to shoot in the rain – disregarding whatever warnings I was given about filming in these conditions. I figured – hey – my Canon 5D Mark II is supposed to be weather resistant and my Canon 50mm 1.2 L series lens is designed to hold up to a bit of rain. 

Long story short: two days later – the $2300 lens was not responding. I took it to Canon Professional Service and they took one look at it and said it was destroyed.  They had this attitude in their voice like I was a bad parent.  It made me sad. If you’re at all interested in seeing the footage that came out of this  - click here.

I shared this news with my facebook friends and one of my good friends from Texas – and fellow In[Focuser] – Aaron Tharpe of 31 Films suggested that instead of replacing the 50mm f1.2 from Canon – I should purchase a 50mm f1.4 from Zeiss instead.   I was surprised by this at first – because the lens is less than half the price of my recently deceased L-Series sweetheart. But I absolutely love and respect the work those creative Longhorns are doing, and after all: You Don’t Mess With Texas. I also knew that another friend and mentor Michael Y. Wong had recently switched from Canon glass to Zeiss – so that was good enough for me!

Ok – so – the Zeiss lens came in and the first thing I noticed was the size of the lens. It was small and compact. It was built like a tank – solid metal construction. It had a good weight to it. I like a lens with some weight to it.  I quickly popped the lens on at the store and did some quick tests and immediately – I decided that this lens will do just fine. So I bought two. As my friend Aaron informed me – the Zeiss Planer T SLR lense features the exact same lens elements as the Zeiss Compact Primes (which are $4000 each to start). We haven’t missed that extra stop of light yet. (from 1.2 on the Canon to 1.4 on the Zeiss).

If you haven’t seen the video above – take a look at the footage. It’s some random footage (real wedding footage designed to show you focusing and bokeh).

Some quick reasons why I think this lens is awesome:

Price. $725 USD
Build. Lots of metal and glass – very little plastic
Image: It just looks nice
Focusing: Has a hard stop on both ends for pulling focus – unlike Canon lenses that will rotate forever and don’t give you a real idea of when you have hit your mark.

Bottom line – this lens is sweet and you should give it try.

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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In the last few years many of us have transitioned from “long form” documentary style edits, with extended sequences, to “short form” cinematic style edits which are dependent upon strong storytelling. Because we rely so heavily on capturing ( not good but) GREAT audio to make short form films, I don’t think we’ve ever seen a time in our industry’s history when proficient interview techniques have been more important. Unfortunately, much like our industry’s overall image with the general public, guest interviews have gotten a reputation as being “cheesy” over the years, and to some extent, I can understand that image. For instance, if you’ve ever been a guest at a wedding, and  some rookie videographer does what I call “jamming a cam” in your face asking you to “say something to the bride and groom,” don’t you want to run for cover?

In the spirit of the “What you need to know…” series today I want to offer you some basic advice on how to improve your interview skills. If you need inspiration or guidance on creating great wedding film stories, check out Bill Gaff’s of Human Story Films 2010 presentation from In[Focus] in Austin about finding stories, and Konrad Czystowski’s of Fresh Sox recent live stream on the In[Focus] blog about building stories. Very different filmmakers, with very different styles, but both are extremely good at getting people to share.

PEOPLE GET NERVOUS WHEN YOU POINT A CAMERA AT THEM

Here’s an objection to interviews I hear a lot – “But people are nervous when they’re on camera!” Yes most people are. One key technique is to have them look slightly off camera. What I usually do is frame my shot (using that rule of thirds), and then position myself slightly to the left or right of the camera so the interviewee isn’t looking at the lens; they’re looking at me. Let them know false starts and stumbles can be edited out. Also, using a lavaliere mic instead of a hand held mic may help some people to relax. Lavs also help you avoid “chest thumpers” and keep folks who use their hands when they talk from waving the mic all over the place.

The second thing I do is assure the person that they don’t have to think of anything to say, they just have to answer my questions. Your goal is to have conversations where you simply talk to people and they talk to you. When people are comfortable talking to someone they are more likely to relax and reveal what they know along with their personal thoughts and feelings.

The third step is to ask questions which directly involve the interviewee, not just the bride and groom. How do they know the couple? What was she like in college? The first time Sara introduced you to Cameron did YOU have an inkling this was the guy? People like to talk about themselves. Once they’re comfortably talking about themselves and their own perspectives, it’s easier to get them onto the subject you’d like to pursue on behalf of your bride and groom.

ASKING THE RIGHT QUESTIONS

While talking to people, be careful to structure your questions so that they can’t elicit a one-word response. “How do you know the bride” is really for your own reference, so you know which direction to take your interview. “You’ve been best friends since Kindergarten? Wow! Tell me what Amy was like as a little girl…” Now my maid of honor is telling me how Amy has always been the tomboy in their little group of friends. Then I talk to the mother of the bride “Chloe tells me Amy was a tomboy growing up, how did she get from tomboy to Monique Lhuillier?” Now I’ve got great audio to use underneath the bride getting ready which gives me some real insight into who she is and how she ended up in that designer dress.

Here are some guidelines:

• Don’t ask “yes” or “no” questions.
• Keep the questions brief.
• Ask one question at a time.
• Try not to interrupt.
• Don’t rush to fill the silence – your subject may not be finished speaking.
• Don’t be afraid to keep rolling a little longer on interviews. Often people will say something wonderful once their focus isn’t on answering your initial question.

GIVE YOURSELF ENOUGH TIME

We always try to adjust our shooting schedule should the opportunity arise to get some great soundbites.  Try thinking of it this way, when you see television reporters on the capitol steps trying to get some politician to make a comment on camera about a current event, does it turn out well?  Do they get a thoughtful well-structured response? Probably not, because those reporters are kind of like that wedding video guy who just jams a cam in someone’s face asking them to congratulate the bride and groom.  It’s in the reporter’s interest to set up an interview in advance. So schedule time for interviews! Rob and I prefer to schedule them for a day other than the wedding. We’re not stressed trying to fit everything in, and people are generally more relaxed and willing to talk because they’re not overcome with the hustle and bustle of the wedding day. Usually, we just tell our couples we need time to do interviews, and in the past our brides have set up things like pool parties or backyard barbecues so we can get the time we need with their family and friends.

On the actual wedding day, take advantage of the downtime –like when the bride is late coming back from the hairdresser. That’s a good time to see if you can’t scout out a spot where you could talk to the bridesmaids and her parents. Preferably without a blaring television or radio in the background!

There are so many directions you can take this once you feel comfortable with conducting interviews. I love hearing a father talk about his daughter as a little girl as part of the audio for a father/daughter dance.  Can you refute the wisdom of grandparents who have been married for 50 years when they offer advice on a happy marriage? I promise you, it’s addictive. And rewarding. And hands down, the thing our couples talk about the most when they call to thank us for their wedding film.

{To see a sample of an interview worked into a wedding film check out Jana + Brent on our website.}

Joanna Banks-Morgan

Joanna Banks-Morgan of Diva Productions has spent most of her 43 years in newsrooms or on sets. The daughter of a journalist and an actor, she was bitten by the producing bug early. She attended Cardiff University’s Journalism, Film, and Television program in Wales and started her career in 1992 with British broadcaster Westcountry Television. Before creating Diva Productions in 2007 with husband/business partner Robert Banks-Morgan, Joanna worked for CBS 42 KEYE in Austin, Texas where she also attended St. Edward’s University, graduating Summa Cum Laude with a degree in Communications.

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In part one of “What you need to know… About filming with Super 8,″ I shared advice from industry peeps on what every event filmmaker needs to know about filming with Super 8mm. In part two we took a look at what film stocks are available, what our peers favorite stocks are, and who they use and trust for processing and transfer. In part three it’s all about what you need to know when buying Super 8mm cameras.

We have a couple of Super 8mm cameras. One of them we inherited. It’s a Sankyo EM 60XL. It shoots at 18, 24, and 36 frames per second and has split glass focusing.  I’ve really loved this little camera, and when we had the first roll from it developed and transferred in 2008 I knew I was going to be hooked on filming with Super 8mm. By 2010 I realized we needed a second camera and several people recommended the Canon 814 Auto Zoom. Because we’d gotten so lucky with the passed down Sankyo, I didn’t want to tempt fate by going the eBay route, and decided we’d buy it from a respected reseller, Du-All Camera in New York. As I mentioned in the videolog in part one, we were VERY excited when the Canon arrived and took it straight out to a “Save the Date” shoot. We shot five rolls of film that day. When we had the film processed, we found that anything filmed in bright sunlight with the Canon was severely overexposed. We were shooting with Kodak EKTACHROME 100D Color Reversal Film 7285, so bright sunlight shouldn’t have been an issue. The only thing I could attribute it too was, that having grown up with SLR cameras, I felt confident adjusting the aperture manually. On our next outing with the camera, I kept the aperture on automatic. This time when we got the film back, anything filmed in bright sunlight resulted in even stranger exposure problems – it pretty much blacked out the image whenever things got to bright. Again, we were using Kodak 100D film.

To their credit, Du-All replaced the camera after we shared the footage with them. I really can’t over emphasize how important it is to shoot, develop and transfer some film before you use a new Super 8mm camera on a paid shoot. Depending on what camera you buy, it’s going to be a LEAST a couple of decades old, so even buying from a respected reseller isn’t going to be an absolute guarantee that the camera is in perfect working order. There’s a silver lining to this story, never one let good footage go to waste if it’s even barely useable, I worked some of the over exposed “Save the Date” footage into our couples’ wedding film trailer and they LOVED it.

Here’s what our peers who shoot Super 8mm on a regular basis have to say on the subject of buying cameras:

Do you have any advice on buying Super 8mm cameras?

Kat Small, Cinema Chic Productions

This is tough since you are buying used equipment.  The only thing I can say is – do your homework.  Have an idea of what make and model will work best for you, ask people in the business what they are shooting with, inquire as to what dents and dings are common. It’s critical that all parts on the camera are working because finding someone to repair these cameras is very difficult.  Most important, as with any camera, is the lens.  This must be in perfect condition.

Celia Hilton, Hilton Heads Productions

When choosing a Super 8mm camera, there are a few features which are non-negotiable.  You want a camera that accepts 64T and 100D film stock, because the film is new and the cameras are not. Look for a camera which meters light properly. Split glass focusing is a good feature, and you want a camera that offers a variety of frame rates (18, 24, 54, 1 for animation). Don’t let sound be a deciding factor because you don’t need or want it. There are literally hundreds of brands, but that should help narrow your search.

 Megan Hill, Hello Super 8

I stick with Canon and Nikon cameras. I’ve purchased cameras on eBay, Craigslist and super 8 retailers. It’s very tempting to buy cheap models off of eBay/Craigslist but you’ll be taking a risk. You never know the real condition of the cameras until you actually test them out and you could get a lemon. To be safe, it’s best pay a little more, and to go with a retailer who has quality tested cameras like Du-All Camera in NY, Super 8 Camera Shop in Germany, and Super 8 Film in Austria.

Matt Buckman, I Do Films

If you are going to buy a Super 8 camera, buy either a Canon or a Nizo.  The Canon 1014 XL-S is, in my opinion, the best Super 8 camera ever made.  You’ll notice it’s a lot heavier than most other Super 8 cameras.  It’s very well built, has a nice big lens, shoots in the various speeds I want, and has never jammed up on me.  The Canon 814 is also a great camera, just a little smaller with a few less features than the 1014.  I’m also a big fan of Nizo cameras because they are very good at auto exposure if you need it, they’re very simple to use, and they look cool.  Of the Nizo models, I recommend either the 801 or the Professional.  A good place to look for a camera is from Du-All Camera.  They have lots of models and usually refurbish the cameras.

Steve Moses, Vantage Point Productions

I have used eBay with great success. The way to avoid a bad camera is this; if it is priced really low, something is probably wrong with it. Make sure the seller is rated high and that they have a return policy. I love my Canon 814 XL-S paid $495 for it, which is about norm.  Always shoot a test roll and see the results before a paid gig.

Bryan Coward, Tampa Wonderworks Films

I have a Canon 814XLS and an 814 AutoZoom. I love them both but the XLS is my baby. I bought the XLS from Super 8 Arena in Germany and I got a great deal on it. The autozoom I bought locally off of Craigslist. I have had to send the XLS off for repair and I used Du-All Camera in New York City. They did such a fantastic job repairing the camera that is dawned on me if I would have bought it from them in the 1st place I would have saved money. They really managed to get it looking and sounding better than ever!

And we’re going to give the last word on buying a Super 8 camera to Chris P. Jones, Mason Jar Films

For some reason, and I was guilty of this too, event filmmakers inherently seem to think that it is ok to buy a Super 8 cameras off of eBay and take the risk that the camera will operate effectively.  I don’t know if there’s a worse way to get started in Super 8 filmmaking than doing this.  This is going to be a camera that you are using for professional purposes, and it’s likely to be 25+ years old.  Would you buy a video camera for a paid shoot that is 10 years old and from someone who has recently pulled it out of their closet after 5 years of it being boxed up?  Heck no you wouldn’t!

I buy from Du-All Camera, but you can also find what you need from the Super 8 Camera Shop in Germany as well as Spectra Film & Video.  You can spend as little as $300-$500 and get a solid unit. 

Summary: That’s our last post for “what you need to know… about filming with Super 8.” We hope you’ve found this sub-series on Super 8mm filming helpful! Look out for my next article in the “what you need to know” series “What you need to know about… conducting interviews.”

Joanna Banks-Morgan

Joanna Banks-Morgan of Diva Productions has spent most of her 43 years in newsrooms or on sets. The daughter of a journalist and an actor, she was bitten by the producing bug early. She attended Cardiff University’s Journalism, Film, and Television program in Wales and started her career in 1992 with British broadcaster Westcountry Television. Before creating Diva Productions in 2007 with husband/business partner Robert Banks-Morgan, Joanna worked for CBS 42 KEYE in Austin, Texas where she also attended St. Edward’s University, graduating Summa Cum Laude with a degree in Communications.

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In part one of “What you need to know… About filming with Super 8″, I shared advice from industry peeps on what every event filmmaker needs to know about filming with Super 8mm. In part two we’re delving deeper and taking a look at what film stocks are available, what our peers favorite stocks are, and who they love (and hate) for processing and transfer.

First of all, it’s important to remember this is film, so there is a vocabulary with which you may be familiar, but not truly understand if you’ve never filmed with a Super 8mm, 8mm, or 16mm. When you hear event filmmakers mention specific film stock, they tend to use the shorthand version of the name… i.e. 100D instead of EKTACHROME 100D Color Reversal Film 7285. For some of us, I think this is a hangover from film school or the days when we shot 35mm film still photography with SLR cameras. The “100″ is the key term here because it is referring to the film speed. As in photography, the ISO gives you an indication of film’s sensitivity to light. Here’s the scoop – the higher the number, the better it preforms in low light situations. Other key terms include Tungsten Balanced (film that it balanced to reproduce colors faithfully when exposed under artificial tungsten light sources), Reversal Film (a film that produces a positive image on a transparent base – again, think back to SLR photography and slide film), and Negative Film (the colors are reverse of those in the scene and when printed, the negative becomes “positive”).

There are currently four film stocks available from Kodak for Super 8mm filming. These are:

• EKTACHROME 100D Color Reversal Film 7285
• VISION3 500T Color Negative Film 7219
• VISION3 200T Color Negative Film 7213
• TRI-X Reversal Film 7266

It’s always best to go direct to the source for information, so I asked Matthew Stoffel, the Manager of New Media for the Eastman Kodak Company to give us the rundown on what the various stocks are designed to do. Here’s what he had to say:

“Kodak offers a range of film stocks designed to perform well for general situations. For example, if you find yourself shooting low light interiors, we offer KODAK VISION3 500T Color Negative Film 7219 for reduced grain in shadows, so you can push the boundaries of exposure further.  The film’s extended highlight latitude gives you greater flexibility when lighting extreme situations and let’s you pull even more detail out of the highlights.

Of course, KODAK EKTACHROME 100D Color Reversal Film 7285 is a frequent choice for those wanting to capture that intensely saturated color we all instantly recognize. As it is daylight balanced and 100 speed, it’s a great choice for producing sharp images with accurate skin tones in daytime exteriors and interiors with windowlight.

A relatively new addition to the Super 8 lineup, KODAK VISION3 200T Color Negative Film 7213 performs superbly in both controlled interiors and in challenging high-contrast exteriors. With the image structure of a 100 speed film and the versatility of a 200 speed product, it’s kind of like having two for one! Couple it with an 85 daylight balancing filter outdoors, or shoot away in a well lit interior!

And last, but certainly not least, is KODAK TRI-X Reversal Film 7266. Rich blacks and excellent contrast are its hallmark. As a 160 speed (tungsten), an antihalation undercoat makes this film suitable for both artificially lit interiors and daylight.

These suggested uses are just that, suggestions and by no means represent the applicability of any film for artistic or specific purposes. We encourage you to explore the possibilities that Kodak offers Super 8mm cinematographers. Learn more at www.kodak.com/go/super8. Enjoy and happy filming!”

Everyone seems to have at least one “go to” stock and, as Matthew mentioned, there are still plenty of ways to tweak them to get the “look” you want to achieve using filters. Because the majority of our weddings are on the beach or outdoors, my favorite is the EKTACHROME 100D Color Reversal Film 7285. I love the saturation and vibrancy, and I find it works really well with Canon 7D footage we  capture at events, so blending it into the final wedding film feels natural. Here’s what our peers who shoot Super 8mm on a regular basis have to say on the subject:

Do you have a favorite film stock and why is it your favorite?

Vanessa McKellar, Vanessa McKellar Productions

My favorite film stock is VISION3 500T Color Negative Film 7219 simply because it continually surprises me how well it does in low light.  After always hearing how badly Super 8 performs in low light, then filming a getaway in the dark turn that turned out beautifully, it definitely endears me to this stock. (Of course, we always use off-camera lighting in the dark, but I’m still impressed.)

I used to really like EKTACHROME 100D Color Reversal Film 7285 because it gives a lot intensity and saturation to the colors, but I found it was too hard to match it to the Color Negative 500T footage, so I stopped using it in favor of VISION3 200T Color Negative Film 7213, which intercuts seamlessly with the 500T. However if I’m doing a short outdoor shoot where I know I won’t be using any fast stocks I will use the 100D.

Steve Moses, Vantage Point Productions

Kodak 200T and 500T are what I use the most. For black and white TRI-X Reversal Film 7266 looks great. I like to keep it simple on the day and might start shooting it all in 500T. The 500T has a wide exposure range and latitude, plus it can handle really low light or sunshine. Changing film in the field is confusing and could cause you to load in a short roll and accidentally reach the end of the roll during an important moment.

Celia Hilton, Hilton Heads Productions

For indoor shooting (such as for bridal prep), I like Kodak TRI-X Reversal Film 7266, which is a black and white stock. When light is compromised, black and white film just looks better, and you can catch beautiful silhouettes. For outdoors, we like VISION3 200T Color Negative Film 7213. One of my favorite shots for Super 8 is the newlywed’s triumphant exit from the ceremony (the only shot I have from my own parent’s wedding). Some scenes, like the exit, just lend themselves to the vintage feel of Super 8 and the 200T captures it beautifully.

Bryan Coward, Tampa Wonderworks Films

One of the coolest things about Super 8 is that the film is cut from 35mm. So if you read American Cinematographer, or are just fascinated by film and movies, then you know what stocks of film are being used by the big DP’s. I have found Kodak’s Vision 3 that way and just love it. I use the 500T the 200T for Super 8 filming. There is so much latitude in these stocks for being under or over exposed. I really like the look and feel of it, and with today’s HD Scanning, the film looks just brilliant! It really is unbelievable how good our Super 8 can look today compared to just a few short years ago.

Megan Hill, Hello Super 8

My favorite stocks for weddings are the Kodak Vision 3 200T and 500T. It’s a softer look than the reversal stocks. Skin tones look lovely and the latitude is really great for low light conditions.

Matt Buckman, I Do Films

My favorite film stock is one of Kodak’s newer Super 8 stocks.  The film stock is EKTACHROME 100D Color Reversal Film 7285.  It’s great for shooting outdoors (it’s a daylight film), and has much richer color than most other stocks.  So if you’re looking for vibrant colors, this one really shines.  I use this stock the most, followed by Kodak TRI-X Reversal Film 7266 for black and white.

Summary: Kodak really is the only game in town for film. Some of the telecine houses repackage it and include processing and scanning for one discounted price, so you may want to decide who will be doing your processing and transfer before you buy film just in case this type of deal is available. Kodak recently started offering the Super 8mm film for sale online, just be careful you’re ordering the Super 8mm 50 foot cartridges and not the reels for 16mm or 35mm!

Who do you use for processing and transfer, and why?

Kat Small, Cinema Chic Productions

Right now I use Spectra Film & Video. When I first got into Super 8mm, industry peers with a lot of experience recommended their service. I have found Spectra’s work professional and prompt. Additionally, they are very accessible and approachable if you have any questions. There’s no automated service, but real people answering your calls!

Steve Moses, Vantage Point Productions

I use Pro8mm in Burbank, CA. They are quite helpful and understand the importance of event filmmaking.

Megan Hill, Hello Super 8

My go-to lab is Spectra Film & Video in Burbank. They really take their time with processing and color correcting and my film comes back looking great!

Matt Buckman, I Do Films

We use Cinelicious for processing and transfer.  They lead the industry in developing new higher quality transfer machines, and it’s owned by the father of the modern Super 8 movement – Paul Korver.  For us, all of these reasons make it a no-brainer to use Cinelicious.  Their prices have always been reasonable too.  I’d have to caution against using Pro8mm.  We used them for a while and got some scary results.  We’d get footage back from them that had 30-40 seconds of blackness where there should have been footage.  They claimed we must have left the lens cap on – which would be an impossible mistake to make with a Super 8 camera.  But after this happened 3 or 4 times, we left Pro8. Besides Cinelicious, Spectra Film & Video is another great company, but they’re a bit behind Cinelicious in terms of transfer technology.  However, they are extremely friendly and passionate about film.

Bryan Coward, Tampa Wonderworks Films

I started shooting Super 8 after attending my 1st video conference and listening to Jones’ seminar at Video ’08 in Orlando. I was blown away that I could get paid to shoot on real film! I called him (Chris P. Jones) up after the conference and grilled him on all things Super 8. He suggested Doug at Spectra Film & Video. Doug is awesome, and a true lover of the medium, a great colorist and was a big help to me when I started. But they still do not offer HD scans (not that I am aware of.) Then I found Pro8mm and Phil Vigeant. Pro8mm offers affordable HD scanning, very quick turnarounds and easy to use website where ordering can be done.

Summary: For telecine, the big players in our industry are Spectra Film & Video, Pro8mm, and Cinelicious. However, there are others who do processing and transfer like Du-All (transferring only) and Yale (which does both). I would even suggest a smaller firm like Dwayne’s Photo for those first rolls you shoot with a new camera. If you’re only checking to ensure the camera is in good working order, then you don’t necessarily want to spend a lot on the processing and transfer.

{Look out for Part Three of “What you need to know… About filming with Super 8″ when we’ll get into the do’s and don’t of buying Super 8mm cameras}

Joanna Banks-Morgan

Joanna Banks-Morgan of Diva Productions has spent most of her 43 years in newsrooms or on sets. The daughter of a journalist and an actor, she was bitten by the producing bug early. She attended Cardiff University’s Journalism, Film, and Television program in Wales and started her career in 1992 with British broadcaster Westcountry Television. Before creating Diva Productions in 2007 with husband/business partner Robert Banks-Morgan, Joanna worked for CBS 42 KEYE in Austin, Texas where she also attended St. Edward’s University, graduating Summa Cum Laude with a degree in Communications.

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We’ve had Super 8 cameras for several years, and we’ve interspersed footage from them into our films, but I really feel like it’s has the most impact when the medium stands on it’s own. To see what I mean, check out this “Save the Date” we (Diva Productions) filmed last year, preview these wedding highlight films from Hello Super 8, or watch this FULL wedding film shot by Vantage Point Productions. Many of our couples haven’t been exposed to the older formats like Super 8, 8mm, and 16mm, so they may not “get it” until they see it. It’s film. It’s retro. It’s noisy when we’re shooting. And we love working with it.

The second in our series of videologs and articles called  “what you need to know” is “What you need to know… About filming with Super 8.” We’ll be breaking it down into three parts so we don’t overwhelm you with information!

My intention for the “what you need to know” series, is for it to be straight talk from industry insiders with expertise on various subjects for event filmmakers. I didn’t have much time to get input from other event filmmakers for my first post “What you need to know… About shooting beach weddings,” and I wanted to remedy that situation with this article, so I solicited input from industry peeps who regularly shoot film. I have to tell you, I was thrilled by the response. This is one of those subjects people get passionate about.

I asked each company, four key questions:

• If you had one piece of advice to offer someone just starting out using Super 8mm film, what would it be?
• Do you have a favorite film stock and why is it your favorite?
• Who do you use for processing and transfer, and why?
• Do you have any advice on buying Super 8mm cameras?

The video above covered a large portion of the advice for those just starting out with Super 8, but here are the full responses we received from other event filmmakers:

Matt Buckman, I Do Films

My first piece of advice to someone who wants to start filming would be to practice focusing.  When shooting digital, we have all kinds of ways to check focus, but with a Super 8 camera, it’s much different.  The eyepieces are often somewhat difficult to see through.  However, many Super 8 cameras have split glass in the middle of the viewfinder that can help guide you when focusing.  You should practice focusing with the split glass if you have it.  When you’re new to shooting Super 8, shoot wide as much as possible, as this will reduce your focusing woes.  If you zoom in, the depth of field on Super 8 cameras becomes extremely shallow and it can be difficult to nail focus through those tiny viewfinders.

My second piece of advice is to make sure you charge enough for it.  Shooting on Super 8mm film is very expensive.  You have to account for the film purchase, the processing, the transfer, a hard drive for them to put the digital transfer on to, and the shipping back and forth to the lab, etc.

Megan Hill, Hello Super 8

PRACTICE! Super 8 is a tricky medium and you only get better with more and more practice. Learning how your camera deals with exposure and focus is key. Also PATIENCE. It’s easy to just burn through film when you’re used to shooting digital, but film is expensive, so you must be patient and wait to get a shot of the perfect moment.

Bryan Coward, Tampa Wonderworks Films

We didn’t start shooting super 8 to make more money; we started to shoot super 8 because I was fascinated by the idea I could shoot on real film! We have not made much money shooting Super 8 but what it offers us in terms of identifying our brand and separating ourselves from our competitors is enormous. Super 8 has really helped us cement our target audience and our brand.

Kat Small, Cinema Chic Productions

Buy two cameras.  I use one for indoors and one for outdoors.  This way you do not have to change your film to adjust for the transition between interior and exterior, and then you don’t lose your readings on how much film you have left. You also won’t have to change your settings, and it just generally makes life much easier.  Plus, you have a back up camera on hand should one break down.

Steve Moses, Vantage Point Productions

Prepare for an addiction!! Super 8 is fun to shoot, easy to edit, and will make you lose sleep until you get it back, and know it actually worked.

Also, be sure to charge what it is worth. This is a specialty service with limited people that offer it, so you can, and should, charge a luxury price. It costs about $22 per minute to shoot so, filming with Super 8 is not cheap! However, this will separate you from the pack in the eyes of other vendors.

Vanessa McKellar, Vanessa McKellar Productions

For an all Super 8 wedding we recently shot, we purchased 24 rolls of film which cost us $1,400, including processing and telecine (telecine is when they transfer it to a format we can edit). Each roll is 3 minutes, so that’s about $20 per minute of footage. Needless to say, you’ve got to be very conservative with your shooting. AND you must charge your client a lot more than you normally would for similar coverage with video.

Summary: So the two words that keep jumping out at me as I read these responses are PRACTICE and PATIENCE. Practice your focusing and learn your camera’s exposure settings. Be patient, film is expensive to shoot, so make sure all your settings are correct before you pull the trigger, and as I mentioned in the video don’t use a new camera on a official shoot until you have the chance to develop and transfer a roll of film shot with it. Finally, make sure you charge enough for this service. This is a specialty, luxury service, and it costs us around $22 a minute to film, so be sure you charge accordingly!

{Look out for Part Two of “What you need to know… About filming with Super 8″ when we’ll get into the nitty gritty of film stocks, processing and transfer}

Joanna Banks-Morgan

Joanna Banks-Morgan of Diva Productions has spent most of her 43 years in newsrooms or on sets. The daughter of a journalist and an actor, she was bitten by the producing bug early. She attended Cardiff University’s Journalism, Film, and Television program in Wales and started her career in 1992 with British broadcaster Westcountry Television. Before creating Diva Productions in 2007 with husband/business partner Robert Banks-Morgan, Joanna worked for CBS 42 KEYE in Austin, Texas where she also attended St. Edward’s University, graduating Summa Cum Laude with a degree in Communications.

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I think I better begin by introducing myself! I’m Joanna Banks-Morgan with Diva Productions in Panama City Beach, Florida. That’s in the panhandle of the Florida peninsula if you’ve never heard of Panama City Beach. We live on a coastline, which is consistently rated one of the top 10 beach destinations in the United States, and every spring and summer we are inundated with families coming to our area to vacation.  What we’ve found over the years is that as the children in those families grow up, and as they start their adult lives, they often want to come back to the place where they enjoyed their happiest childhood memories to get married. Because of this we primarily serve the destination wedding market along a stretch of sand known as 30A. The majority of our ceremonies are shot on the sand and over the years we’ve accumulated a fair bit of knowledge and experience on the subject! So today I’m going to kick off my series of blog posts for In[Focus] called “What you need to know…” with “What you need to know… About shooting beach weddings.”

PROTECTING YOUR GEAR

First off, bag your tripod legs. As an industry we spend thousands of dollars on our gear, so the last thing we want to do is stick a $1000 tripod in the sand.  We don’t have a fancy method for protecting the legs, we simply cover the bottom of them with freezer bags, secure them with rubber bands, then wrap plenty of duct tape around the freezer bags as extra layers.  It’s not pretty, but it works.  Last year we got caught out with high wind and had the wind blowing sand and sea spray all over our gear. We tried to clean the sand off ourselves, but the telescopic legs are a law unto themselves and we had to send the tripod (minus the head) back to Miller for repair. It cost us around $150. Not a fortune, but we had another wedding the week after, so it was an unwelcome expense and inconvenient. But like every wedding we shoot, we learned something. What we learned that day was to also have a couple of garbage bags ready to throw over the gear in case of high wind, sea spray, or rain. We’ve also written a clause into our contract about wind, we used to just have one about rain, but now we realize the wind blowing sand and sea spray on our gear is just as bad.

And you know that monopod you love so much with the feet? Don’t bring it anywhere near the beach. Sand gets everywhere, particularly in those little stabilizing mechanisms, which make these monopods such a favorite in our industry.  Also along the lines of protecting your gear, if you don’t already have UV filters on your lenses, you need to get them. I know you know this, but it bears repeating – sand will scratch glass!

If you are shooting on your own, be wary of unmanned cameras because all it takes is one Uncle Bob knocking a tripod leg or standing directly in front of your camera to ruin the unmanned shot. We quit putting a third camera on the beach ages ago because it seemed like this was happening constantly. Occasionally, we can get a third camera onto a safe balcony for a high + wide shot but that’s really the only truly safe place for an unmonitored camera (IMO).

AUDIO ISSUES

Secondly, you’ve got to mic both the officiant and the groom. Chances are, if you are shooting on the sand, this is a destination wedding for you, so you are trying to keep your gear light and portable. However, a beach wedding is not the time to skimp on your audio sources. You are going to need that back up mic more that ever. Why? Well, because most couples like to get married at or near sunset and that is when the wind really picks up along our coastlines. Unfortunately, the mics’ windscreen is just not enough to eliminate wind noise. However, if you mic both the officiant and the groom, the likelihood is one of their bodies will be blocking the wind and you should be able to get a clean feed off of one of the two mics.  Kat Small of Cinema Chic Productions told me once that during her years in Hawaii filming beach weddings she learned to take a piece of panty house and secure around the mic before she would put the windscreen on to help cut down on wind noise.

And if anyone asks me about plugging into a board, I’m going to roll around on the floor laughing! We have never had an opportunity to do that for a beach ceremony. If by some small miracle the service is amplified by a competent sound technician, be sure to check your channels with them.

NO SHIRTS, NO SHOES? BIG PROBLEM.

Thirdly, what you wear is important. Other vendors notice whether or not you look professional, and so do the guests. We constantly hear complaints from wedding planners about photographers who don’t “dress” for a beach wedding and turn up in shorts and flip-flops.  I hear those photographers saying, “Well, our couple was cool with it.”  What they’re not considering is the planner is an excellent referral source for future clients. Besides it’s a wedding and if the men in the bridal party are sweltering in suits, the least you can do is put on a pair of pants (for our British colleagues I mean “trousers”) and be respectful of the occasion. I tend to wear cotton dresses with a pair of shorts underneath. I like shooting low angles, so the shorts underneath the dress are essential to my not embarrassing myself. My partner Rob, and colleague Celia Hilton of Hilton Heads Productions in Pensacola, prefer light trousers and a shirt.

Finally, carry a bag with you that you can keep on your body the entire time you are on the beach. I have a Shootsac (which I love) but I’m not necessarily storing lenses in it.  I stuff water, extra batteries, extra cards, my Zacuto Z-Finder, bug spray, garbage bags (in case we get a sudden rain) and a canister of compressed air (in case anything gets dropped in the sand) into it. If you are used to shooting at venues where you can dump cards or recharge batteries you’ve got to keep in mind there is absolutely no way to do that. You have to be prepared and stocked with clear cards and charged batteries.

Hope you’ve found the videolog and the article helpful! Watch out for my next post which will be “What you need to know… About filming with Super 8mm.”

Joanna Banks-Morgan

Joanna Banks-Morgan of Diva Productions has spent most of her 43 years in newsrooms or on sets. The daughter of a journalist and an actor, she was bitten by the producing bug early. She attended Cardiff University’s Journalism, Film, and Television program in Wales and started her career in 1992 with British broadcaster Westcountry Television. Before creating Diva Productions in 2007 with husband/business partner Robert Banks-Morgan, Joanna worked for CBS 42 KEYE in Austin, Texas where she also attended St. Edward’s University, graduating Summa Cum Laude with a degree in Communications.

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At IN[FOCUS] 2011, featured presenter Patrick Moreau of StillMotion presented how wedding filmmaking is Your Gateway to a variety of creative commercial projects.

In this clip, Patrick elucidates on the diversity and uniqueness of the wedding filmmaker’s skill set and how it blows the minds of commercial producers.  Ron Dawson also touched on this topic this week – check out this thoughts as well.

Click on any of the links below to hear more from StillMotion about the BTS from their commercial projects:

Callaway – Stuart Appleby, Alvaro Quiros, Ernie Els, Annika Sorenstam, Trevor Immelman, Morgan Pressel

The NFL – The 2010 NFL Combine, “The Season,” The Super Bowl, The Combine Helmet Camera

Patrick will be on tour this summer as a part of the Canon Live Learning Tour.  Register for any of the dates listed using the coupon code “Focus” and you will receive a 10% discount!

Patrick Moreau