IN[FOCUS]

Hey everyone. How goes it?

Today I’m going to talk about two features on Canon’s EOS line of cameras that can bring your footage to the next level. Most shooters (at least the good ones), know how to white balance their camera. But many people think it ends there. Not so fast, my friend! These cameras come equipped with additional features that allow you to fine tune your camera’s output. These features are the WB Shift and the custom picture styles.

I talk briefly about both of these features in the video above, but a few things to note about each. The WB shift allows you to go beyond the Kelvin temperature setting, but rather adjust the white balance on a 4-color axis. This is extremely helpful in shooting situations where the lighting is not optimal for filming (basically every wedding you film!) By incorporating this feature into your shooting techniques, you no longer have to shoot and pray you can fix it in post. It allows you to take full control of your camera, and be extremely meticulous about what your shot looks like.

The other feature are the picture styles that come with your camera. While I will normally not change this setting throughout the day, it is just another way to customize the look and feel of your image directly out of the camera. This can be extremely helpful when shooting something like a same-day-edit, where you know that time just does not allow for thorough color grading. You can change these settings to fit your taste, and cut down on your editing time for the SDE.

Furthermore, by shooting with a more flat setting your image will have a higher dynamic range and allow you more leeway when working in post. In the video I mention the custom picture styles that can be uploaded to your camera via the EOS utility on your computer. A tutorial covering the details of that can be found here: http://www.vimeo.com/7256322

As always, I encourage questions/comments…I’m eager to hear your experiences and offer any advice I can. Holler at me on twitter. @erickmetz

Love you.
Eric

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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Let’s say that you’ve shot your wedding.  The shots look great.  The audio sounds really good.  The music’s picked and you’re excited.

This post is about another step that you can take to make your audio sound that much more professional and higher-end.

It’s using the Graphic Equalizer in Final Cut Pro.

Last year, my wife and I went to WEVA in Orlando and I walked into Adam Forgione’s seminar about audio.

He talked a lot- and the biggest nugget I got was his rant on using the audio filters in FCP, particularly the Graphic Equalizer.

I took this to heart and since then, I’ve been using it in all of  my projects.  Even when I think they might not need them, I do it anyways (a very GOOD habit to get into).

He also supplied me with a cheat sheet on what levels help you where- Low Feel, Boomy, Boxy, Mid, Harsh, and Hiss.  I have this taped on my tower and use it to this day.

So here’s my props to Pennylane Productions!   If you would like me to send the cheat sheet to you, just email me at lightsintheattic@mac.com.

So sit back and enjoy the vlog about the EQ.

Happy Cutting!
Jeffrey Haney
Lights in the Attic Wedding Films

Jeffrey Haney

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Good audio makes or breaks your films, no matter if they’re commercials, events, or weddings.

One of the ways to get a better sound in your project is to use canned sound effects.  It’s easy and fast-FAST AND EASY BABY!

In the time of deadlines and moving on to the next project, I like streamlining as much as possible so I can spend most of my time creating.

This quick blog is for those who have FCP Studio suite, but haven’t had the time, or energy, or both to open up Soundtrack Pro and use some core functions.

It will add value and style to your projects.

Happy Cutting!
Jeffrey Haney
Lights in the Attic Wedding Films

Jeffrey Haney

Website - Twitter - Facebook - More Posts