This is my third video in Streets at Night series. I got Canon EOS-1D Mark IV and lenses EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM, EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM and EF 70-200mm f/2.8L USM from photographer Samo Vidic. I shoot the clips the same as before (Streets at Night I – Canon EOS-5D Mark II, Streets at Night II – Nikon D3s). I edited in h.264 sequence as is the native codec of the camera. I converted the files to ProRes with export to Color. I wanted to make orange snow white. Color orange came from the street lights even though I set the white balance to 2500 K. When I color corrected the shots to make the snow white I probably made the noise more visible as this is the noisiest of the movies. Nikon has also the advantage of better looking digital noise.
Canon EOS-5D Mark II has the least noise so far, but I also didn’t do much color correction then. I wanted to see the settings I used then because Canon writes on the card besides the video file small thumbnail which is actually a .jpeg file with EXIF info. But unfortunately there is no info about ISO setting or white balance, but at least I found out about which lenses and apertures I used. It would be nice to have the same information with Nikon video mode.
Unprocessed frames from the clips look like this (click on the image if you want to see it at full resolution).
Canon EOS-5D Mark II, ISO and exposure automatic, 50mm lens, which is strange as I only had EF85mm f/1.8 USM, EF16-35mm f/2.8L USM and EF15mm f/2.8 Fisheye
Nikon D3s, 24-70mm f/2.8, shutter 1/50s, WB 2500 K
Canon-EOS-1D-Mark-IV, 24-70mm f/2.8 at 46mm, f/2.8, ISO 6400, shutter 1/50s, WB 2500 K.
Last thursday (Jan 7th) I got a loaner Nikon D3s with 14-24mm f/2.8 and 24-70mm f/2.8 lenses from Nikon Slovenia. I wanted to check if it fits into our workflow at work (Baza Media 2.1) using Sony EX1 cameras for recording Red Bull events, so I took it with me to Beograd at Red Bull Street Style. But before the real test I wanted to repeat the story from a year ago when I got a loaner Canon EOS 5D mark II.
In few hours I am going to Linz (Austria) to see what is new ate Ars Electronica festival. This year should be something special as the opened new Ars Electronica Center.
Until I post this year’s clips, you can watch a short summary of last year’s festival. Warning: Footage is very grainy, because I recorded everything with f/2.8 zoom and HV20 w/adapter is not very sensitive to light. I hope that this year will be better as I will be recording only with 50mm f/1.4 prime.
We came to Mostar at two o’clock at Hotel Kriva Čuprija 2. I went to sleep at three. Woke up early with intentions to see Mostar in morning light. Old bridge without tourists. Four hours of sleep, early waking and I did it. Yatta! I was lucky that the hotel was 500m away from the bridge.
Mostar in morning light (photo was taken and edited on iPhone)
Next week I am going again on a trip to ex Yugoslavia shooting for Red Bull. From Monday (July 6) to Wednesday (July 8) I will be in Mostar (BiH) and from Thursday (July 9) to Sunday (July 12) in Dubrovnik (CRO). Our equipement at Baza Media 2.1 incorporates two Sony PMW-EX1 and Canon EOS 5D Mark II, which means that I won’t be needing my HV20 w/ SGPro adapter. But I decided that I reduce my configuration so it would fit to instead of big Pelican brief into small photographic backpack so I can take it with me anyway and shoot something for the blog if I found some free time.
HV20 w/ SGPro minimal configuration (click on the photo and look at the flickr notes for more info))
There was a lot of posts about Canon EOS 5D Mark II camera video mode, crushing of the blacks, QuickTime’s inability of showing luminance values higher than 100 and lower than 0. You can read more info about it at ProLost – 5D crushing News and Full dynamic range video from Canon 5D MkII.
What I wanted to find out was, what can be done to eliminate as much defects and mistakes that Canon choose to build into this camera.
First I would like to say that this camera is amazing in low light situations which means I can shoot at night under the street lamps with no extra lights. You have to be careful though about the noise that appears at high ISO settings.
Few weeks back when we got at work (Baza Media 2.1) 5D on loan, I decided to take it on a test of my own. Before I even read the quick manuals (Cinema 5D – The 5D mkII Handbook of Facts), I went out to shoot some material. It was already dark outside, so I went to the nearest crossroads and shood some cars passing by.
0730
I get up and slowly start to prepare myself and equipment. I know that we will not leave at 0800 as planned.
0932
With hour and a half delay we finally leave Ljubljana. We plan to go to Kranjska Gora to test Canon 5D Mark II shooting Marko Grilc and Bine Žalohar jumping at Funpark.
I swear, this will be the last post about music clip Raging El Niño, but as I promised… something about production of the clip.
After we decided about the script (written by Tadej – The Bananas), I started drawing storyboard. At first I wanted to draw everything by myself, but I noticed that my drawing skills aren’t that good, so I searched the internet for various photos to help me draw more professionally. That is how storyboard came to be.
On Monday (Nov 17) I finally got my Glidetrack from England Scotland. Lightweight camera track/dolly system. I ordered it the week before and soon after complications with shipping a 2,5kg package to Eastern Europe were over, it was on its way. They had stated shipping costs to USA and Europe as £26, but soon after my order was placed, they told me, that they got a message from postal service that shipping to Slovenia will cost them £120. After short search for other options they found new service for £48, that is £22 more than I already paid for, and that they want to meet me half way. So only £11 extra. I am very grateful to the team at Glidetrack.
Glidetrack w/ videohead Manfrotto 503
I wandered a litte, how to test the system. I can’t shoot anything at home ’cause I have all my equipment at work. And so it came. We had to do a piece on Damjan Kozole, film director, for Dnevnik. We had decided to put some more effort in recording the piece, ’cause he is from the world of film.
Music clip for the song Raging El Niño is finished. Over the weekend I fine tuned the graphics. Yesterday was screening day. People came from the record label and one from the band. They liked it. No corrections. Today I just added the lower thirds – titles and exported in various formats. Sometimes that is eve harder that the production of the clip, because there are many different formats, compressions and dimensions in usually everybody wants its flavour.
Soon I will write about the postproduction of the music clip.
It was a last filming day for Raging El Niño on tuesday (Oct 28).
We need to record an apartment scene, which we did at Jure and Petra in Komenda. It was decided that we will do that alone. Only Jure and me and that was a lot easier to coordinate.
We got together at 8 am. Petra was at home to, but she just occasionally looked on the set.
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