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What are parfocal lenses? Are they important? And why do filmmakers want them?

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The term “parfocal lens” has only really come into common usage amongst the general population over the last decade or so as our DSLRs and mirrorless cameras have allowed us to start shifting more towards shooting video content. But what exactly are they? And what’s the big deal?

As this video from Michael the Maven explains, parfocal lenses are zoom lenses, but they are zoom lenses which keep their focus distance through the entirety of their focal length range. What this means is that as you recompose for a tighter or wider shot of your subject, you don’t have to refocus the lens. It stays exactly where it was.

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Learn from the master: This is how Martin Scorsese directs his movies

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If you’re a filmmaker and look up to Martin Scorsese, you’ll love this video. StudioBinder brings you five key elements of Scorsese’s directing in a fun video showing excerpts from his movies and various interviews. It’s a great source of inspiration and an opportunity to learn some tricks from a directing master.

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Want to shoot cinematic b-roll? Follow these three crucial steps

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Adding B-roll to your videos will without a doubt adds to their value and makes them more interesting and dynamic. But, you gotta do it right. In this awesome video from StudioBinder, you will learn more about the B-roll, its significance and the ways you can utilize it in your video work. The guys also share three crucial steps to nailing your B-roll and making it cinematic and professional-looking, so let’s get right into it.

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Are you a cheating filmmaker or photographer?

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As creatives, particularly photographers or filmmakers, we’re often accused of “cheating” for using certain techniques and processes. Everything from using presets and LUTs to removing elements of a scene in Photoshop or After Effects. If you haven’t been accused of cheating yet, don’t worry, you probably will at some point.

YouTuber YCImaging certainly has, and in this video, he talks about three of the things he’s been accused of cheating for when it comes to his filmmaking process. Have you been accused of these? Do you use these techniques yourself?

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Three cheap and easy tricks to make any location shot look cinematic using water

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Ok, so, the title says “any location shot”, but it’s probably more like any outdoor location shot, when you think about things practically. Sure, you could use these tips indoors, too, although they wouldn’t make a whole lot of sense. But Ted at Indy Mogul talks to Phil Rhodes, writer at American Cinematographer in this video, to chat about water and how it can make a big difference to your shot.

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This is what a gaffer does and why you need one on a film set

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Gaffer is one of those titles that unless you actually become part of the photo or film industry, you’re not really sure what it is. It’s just one of those jobs that scrolls up the titles at the end of a movie along with countless others. But they play a vital role on a film set. They’re the guys who make the light look the way the director or DP wants it while still making it look natural.

In this video from Vanity Fair, gaffer Andy Day, who’s worked on movies such as Creed II, The Bourne Legacy and Salt, shows us what happens when you shoot a scene without having a gaffer on set. And while the video is geared specifically towards the movies, the same holds true of photography.

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Watch this gimbal starter guide to get you shooting cinematic video quickly

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Gimbals can be wonderful filmmaking tools, and they’re ideal for adding interesting movement to your shot with the minimum of fuss. But they’re not always easy to get to grips with instantly. To get the best out of them, you need to practice and experiment. If you’re very new, though, just searching on YouTube for gimbal tutorials can get overwhelming. Many of them cover advanced techniques without really showing you the basics.

In this video, Jason Vong goes through some gimbal basics to get you shooting cinematic footage as quickly as possible. And he not only talks about the techniques he uses but also his lens choice to get the most impact.

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5 easy shot transitions you can make using a gimbal

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Gimbals are fantastic tools for filmmakers. Personally, I’m quite partial to Zhiyun, having a Smooth C, Crane 2 and Crane 3 LAB at my disposal. In this video from Mango Street, we see five shot transitions that you can only really get easily if using a gimbal. They’re using the DJI Ronin-S in the video, but you can apply these transitions to just about any gimbal these days.

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Irix teases new cinema lenses, starting with a 150mm T3.0

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It looks like Swiss lens manufacturer, Irix is getting into the world of cinema lenses. A new teaser posted to the Irix Facebook page shows a 150mm T3.0 lens in a cinema housing. Obviously, this is just a rehoused version of the Irix 150mm f/2.8 Macro, but with the features we expect from cinema lenses. Features like a clickless aperture and a very long focus throw with a geared ring for follow focus units.

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