Hacking Photography - one Picture at a time
Grinding an editor’s gears is easy, most cinematographers can do it blindfolded. If you shoot video – for any reason at all – and you’re not an accomplished editor – you’re undoubtedly indulging in at least one of the Six Sins of the Cinematographer.
If you want to master video production — and become every editor’s favorite shooter — here’s how to avoid the Six Sins:
B-roll can add value and interest to your videos and make them more dynamic. And sometimes, you’ll need to soot your B-roll content as a one-man-band, being both the subject and the person behind the camera. In this video, Matti Haapoja gives you eight great tips for nailing the shots even when you do everything on your own.
There’s been a lot of buzz around the new Panasonic S1 full frame mirrorless camera. Some of it good, some of it not so good. People like to complain about the size and weight, and the fact that it doesn’t have a flippy out LCD like the GH5. But how about the good? Well, cinema5D has been having a play with the Panasonic S1, and when it comes to low light performance, they feel it could be the new king in town.
The phrase “dual native ISO” seems to be coming to more and more cameras these days. Certainly not to all of them, but to many, especially when it comes to video. Panasonic’s done it with the GH5S, Blackmagic’s done it with the Pocket Cinema Camera 4K, and it’s out there on a few more, too.
But what exactly is it? I mean, we get what the end result is, but how does it work? What is this voodoo? And how does it really affect how we shoot? John Hess from Filmmaker IQ dives deep into dual ISO and the effect it has on dynamic range with the BMPCC4K in this video, and it’s probably the best explanation I’ve seen so far on how it all works.
While the long take is more famous in movies than in anything else, it’s become sort of a thing for vloggers, too. Often they’re walking, holding the camera while they talk and it can go on for several minutes. But it can be difficult to add creativity to these types of shots, especially when you’re filming on your own.
In this video, Peter McKinnon shows three camera tricks to help add some interest to your long shots talking to the camera, surprise your audience and leave them wondering how you pulled it off. The secret? You’re not filming on your own.
High-angle shots can make your subject appear weak or vulnerable. But what about low-angle shots? Do they help you achieve the exact opposite effect? Well, they can, but not necessarily. In this video from Studio Binder, learn more about low-angle shots the effect they have on your photography or video.
Five years ago, filmmaker and YouTuber, Brannigan Carter posted a video called “You don’t NEED 4K“. And five years ago he was probably right. It was only just starting to come out, the cameras were still ridiculously expensive to acquire, as was the kit to play it back. Unless you were a big Hollywood production company, there just wasn’t all that much point.
But here we are today in 2019. Just about every new camera coming out has 4K video. And 8K is on the way. And now Brannigan is back with a follow-up video saying that we still don’t need 4K, and that 8K is “crazy talk”. Let’s talk a little about that.
It has no name, right now, other than “8K Video Camera”, but this 8K Micro Four Thirds camera from electronics giant Sharp is currently on display in prototype form at CES 2019. It was spotted by Dave Altizer at Kinotika discovered wandering through the CES show floor. And he decided to make a short video to tell us all about it.
Tripods already come with a set of legs, so why not give them a set of arms, too? If you shoot video, and particularly interviews, you’ll know the hassle of having to setup a bunch of stands for a couple of lights and your microphone. The SquidRig plans to solve that by adding three arms right onto your tripod. It’s a bit like a grown-up version of the Gorillapod Octopus.
I just love seeing a clever use of household items for filmmaking and photography. But did you know that Amazon Prime show Hand of God has some awesome DIY solutions in certain scenes? The show’s director of photography Rasmus Heise used a simple salad bowl to create a “door spy hole” effect, and he shared with us a couple of BTS photos from the shoot, as well as the end result.
You can find out more about John on his website and follow his adventures on YouTube and Facebook.
can change a lens mid-rappel, swap a memory card while treading water, or use a camel as a light stand.
To see more of his work please visit his studio website blurMEDIAphotography, or follow him on Twitter, 500px, Google Plus or YouTube.
JP’s photography is available for licensing at Stocksy United.
Find my work on My website or follow me on Facebook or My page
