Solid foundation

When I changed career in October 2009, I took an ENG Camera course (now called Camera Course)  at Camera College in Bergen op Zoom. For anyone who is serious about earning money from video productions or film making, learning how cameras work is essential — and this course is the fastest way to learn it. In a 4-week training program that runs for 3 days in a row, you’ll learn everything there is to working with broadcast quality cameras. After that, most any camera is quick to understand. For me personally this involved a very steep learning curve (up to the point that you’re wondering ‘do I really need to learn all that?’), but I am glad I took it. It provided me with a solid foundation and I still benefit from that knowledge and insight on a daily basis.

In fact, I was so satisfied with their training, that I since have returned for an editing course (Avid, although I work on PPro), a 3-day Steadicam workshop (should be called heavycam) and, last week, Grip & Support.

The Rush

The day started with a review of the script that we were going to shoot that day: a small story about a guy (Martijn, a professional actor) receiving a distressed phone call from a friend (played by Maurice, the instructor) who has forgotten his lighter. Hence the title, “Rush”. With rain being forecasted for the afternoon, it was decided to switch around the shooting order and focus on the exterior shots first.

Soon after the briefing, we were rigging a Panasonic P2 solid state camera with a car mount on a Alfa Romeo GT, first on the side, then on the front of the car. When rigged on a car, solid state recording really is the only way to go — anything that writes to a spinning disc or, for those who still use it, tape won’t. In order to minimize the reflections of the window, a polarizer filter was put inside a 4×4 matte box.

After a few takes with the car mounts, we switched to the jib shot. Going from a high angle to a low shot, timed to the actor exiting the building. Next, just before lunch we did the Steadicam shot, in which we follow the actor running across the street and entering the vehicle – the shot ending in a natural wipe at the number plate.

Immediately after lunch and just before it started to rain, we finished up the remaining exterior shots, which involved the a locked off shot of the car stopping in front of Maurice followed by my special request of the day: a Vertigo shot of Martijn approaching Maurice. As you may or may not know, a Vertigo shot was named after the Hitchcock movie that first used the revolutionary technique of combining a dolly move with a zoom. For this purpose, a follow-focus unit is attached to the gears of the zoom ring instead of the focus ring and operated by means of a wireless device. As an operator mounted to the dolly you are checking the shot as you are being rolled forward. Seeing the framing change as you are being rolled forward really is a weird feeling, much like the vertigo shot is intended. After a few takes we managed to nail it. Then we quickly had to a few more crosses over-the-shoulder (OTS) as the sky darkened.

When it started to rain, we returned to the kitchen of Camera College to finish the interior shots. The first involved a combined pan/dolly shot that is shown in the opening sequence of the movie. Next up was a revolving close-up shot from Martijn as he answers the phone. For this, we used a table top skater called the Omni-Tracker, which is an awesome piece of gear. Using a little laser pointer you can plan the rotation around a given subject in precise detail, allowing you to do multiple takes with identical motion paths.

After doing another Dutch angle shot of Martijn running out the door (can you spot the continuity mistake?), it was time to edit the piece together. Maurice is a very fast editor who acts as you think about what improvements can be made.

So here it is – the end result. Although it contains some inaccuracies in terms of camera operation, I am very satisfied with it. Great result for only a day’s work. Enjoy.

So what have I been upto over the past few months? Well, in October 2009 I took an ENG camera course at CameraCollege.nl, a Dutch accredited training institute. In order to be able to create some decent images, you have to know what goes on inside a video camera. Although I initially felt a little resentment towards the technical stuff they teach you (“Do I really have to know this? Yeah, you do!”), I’m glad I took the course. With this solid foundation and experience in working with professional ENG cameras, at least you know why your shots turned out the way they did. And besides, they also focus on all aspects surrounding the technicalities. Basically, you are sent out for a couple of hours to return with usable material. For anyone based in the Netherlands or Flanders (Belgium), I highly recommend this institute. If you live anywhere else, find something comparable.

Following my course, I decided to do research in order to buy my own camera set. Initially, I had my eyes set on the EX-3 from Sony. Being equipped with a 1/2 inch sensor, and inspired by the amazing work DoP Philip Bloom has done, I wanted to extend  with a Letus 35mm adapter, in order to be able to put some fast 35mm primes in front of them. That combination would have set me back €11k easily — and that’s even without any 35mm glass! Still a minor investment in comparison to the professional grade ENG cameras, but real Euros nonetheless…

Inspired by a few Canon 5D movies, I eventually decided to go DLSR all the way. The result of my research led to an article I wrote for ReelSEO entitled “How to Guide for Shooting HD Video with a DSLR Camera”. In December I went out to London with my wife (thanks for your patience with me, Daphne). While she did some christmas shopping, I spent most of my time capturing the Christmas atmosphere in the city and its wonderful inhabitants. Below you’ll find the result.

Right now, I am talking to various clients and prospects. Aside from giving them sound advice on using YouTube professionally, I will be creating some nice content as well in 2010 and beyond.

Life is short, do what you love.