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Interview workflow for small teams

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Running with a small crew can be a challenge but if you are coming well prepared, it could be an advantage. Being just one person, or running with a small team means that you can keep things light, move around and generally if you play your cards right, you can set up and teardown relatively fast. While having a big crew is nice, some jobs just call for smaller, light crews.  Today, lets dive into the world of “one man” production.

Specifically in this video, I want to talk about creating cinematic interviews. A one-person team does not mean you need to give up on location, sound, or lighting. Most of it comes down to your approach and choices of gear. Hit the jump to see how I handle this.

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Cinematic workflow tips to save you time on set

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You know how you get to the end of the day and it feels like you’ve only done half of your shot list? We’re gonna fix this. Today’s episode is all about knives. Knives, and making your workflow extremely efficient.

If your video company is a one-man-band, or even a small crew, running a tight ship on set, will have a dramatic effect on your ability to deliver. And a few tricks can go a long way in terms of doing more with less. My old boss used to say that “anyone can do a lot with a ton of resources, the magic comes when you can do a lot with little“.  So today, we will look at a few things that I found over the year to really improve my workflow when I go on location.

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Tutorial: Three cinematic gimbal shots that defy physics

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If you’ve ever seen a high-budget movie, you know that some of the magic is in how the camera moves. If the Director of Photography did their job well, the camera will move seamlessly from one position to another. But when you think about it, there is actually no way that a camera could do some of those moves. Take the chase shot from The Raid 2 for example (embedded below). I mean, there is no way the camera just floats in the air like this?

And this is what we’ll do today. We will look at how to create three shots that defy physics all with a very minimal budget. All you need for these shots is a gimbal – we’ll be using the Manfrotto 300xm and some pipes and cables. For all the shots below we had our camera secured via extra cables and security cords. If you put your camera in the air, always make sure that it is well secured.

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Add a remote to any tablet teleprompter for $23

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Here at DIYP HQ, we are using a teleprompter to cut down on takes and have a more streamlined “talking head”. Using a prompter has significantly improved our workflow and cut down on recording and editing times. In this tutorial, we’ll show you how to add a remote control to almost any tablet prompter software which will streamline your workflow even more.

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Wireless microphones: Godox Movelink M2 vs Rode GO II

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Neck mics have been around for as long as I can remember. You see them being used on movie sets, TV studios, and with on-location crews. And why not? They offer great sound quality and are not too conspicuous. A few years back Rode introduced the GO system, a mini wireless neck mic, that is a full solution – a microphone and transmitter in one small box, and a receiver in another small box. While it is not as hidden as your usual lav, it is super quick to use, and there is less hustle putting it up.

Since then, Rode came up with a second iteration for their popular Rode Go, the Rode Go II, and now Godox are entering the arena with their own solution, the Godox Movelink M2. Both systems share basic functionality and form-factor, but which is the right one for you?

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Why Hasselblad cameras are so expensive

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Some of the most Iconic shots were taken with a Hasselblad (or Hassy as its fans call it). The album cover for The Beatless’ Abbey Road and the iconic Apollo 11 photo of Buzz Aldrin walking on the moon (shot by Neil Armstrong) are a few photos that almost everyone knows. On the flip side of this, a current Hussy would cost upwards of $30,000. And this is for the body only. A Fujifilm GFX 100S, also about 100MP, will set you back ‘only’ $6,000. So why are people willing to invest so much in a Hasselblad-made camera?

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This 3D printed film canister turns any old camera into a Raspberry PI digital camera

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If you have a bunch of old analog cameras that you want to use, you may be interested in this Raspberry PI project from befinitiv. According to befinitiv, the module is capable of mimicking a modern digital camera, so you’ll have “everything that you expect from a digital camera nowadays [it] can do video, it can do a stream-video over wi-fi and store things on an SD card.” Obviously, I got drawn in, and I was quite impressed.

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This Mavic Air 2 was found ditched and retuned to its owner with a selfie shot

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There are many times where we share stories that make me lose hope in the human race. But every once in a while, we get to share an optimistic story about humankind. Today belongs to the latter.

Photographer Adam Sherez found a Mavic Air 2 while shooting in Jerusalem. The drone was in one piece and looked quite new. With a price tag of $799, Adam was sure that someone is having a terrible day now, missing a drone. Here is the problem, the drone had no contact details to contact the owner. Adam posted a photo of the drone in the relevant groups, but nothing came up.

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How to get $4,048 in video products for $157

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Everyone likes a great deal and here at DIYP, we are no different. We partnered with the great folks at 5DayDeal to bring you a stellar package valued at over $4,000 for only $157. That’s about 95 percent savings.

Technically, almost any of the products in the package are typically sold for over $160, so even if you just found one good product, you are already at a profit here.

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Can the Vivo X60 Pro+ match a modern Mirrorless camera?

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About a month ago,  Vivo announced the international version of their X60 series. The X60PRO+is a flagship-level phone, and while pricing wasn’t known at the time of the shooting, you can find it for $1,099.99 on Amazon.

All the press materials boast about the camera capabilities. So naturally, I compared it to a modern DSLR – the Sony A7III.

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