After 3 years I finally had some time to sift through years of footage and pick out some favorite shoots to compile for a reel. Even after finalizing the edit I thought of even more footage I could have added but maybe I’l save it for next year! This was a hard process! I also realized how little editing I’ve done the past year because I’ve been shooting so much, way out of practice!

Cameras used were Canon 5D MkII, 7D, PL modified 7D, Red Epic, Sony F3 and even some GoPro shots. Lenses were all sizes but some Canon L primes, Zeiss Super Speeds and Compact Primes, Sony primes and I even think a Tokina made it in there.

Music is by M83, track is called “Reunion” Buy it here on iTunes: is.gd/O4HVQd

Big thanks to the Dave Ramsey team, Michael Costanza, Tyler Bradley and everyone at AC Inc Nashville, the Athentikos team and everyone who helped out with these shoots.

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Yes, I did.

So why would I want to be Les Miles and not Nick Saban, or any player on the Alabama Crimson Tide football team? Les Miles did a remarkable thing, he brought over 60 team members to the national championship accomplished by an undefeated season. However, that accomplishment was tainted by losing the national title. This fact could have negative affects on the psyche of his players. The defeat could crush the players’ dreams of becoming pro football players, or even worse, plant a common lie when feeling the affects of losing; that is, “you’ll never win at anything.” That kind of scar could remain for years on someone.

However, Miles has experienced winning and losing. He has a chance right now to speak into his players and encourage, influence and inspire his team. What he can say to them now, in these moments soon after such an incredible experience can have a multi generational impact. I can imagine a player after years of experience under his belt, sitting his children, even grandchildren down and telling them the story of what his coach said to them after losing the big game. “Coach looked us all in the eye and asked, ‘Do you play football to win? Or do you play because you love the game?’ And that is what inspired me!”

While Nick Saban is celebrating with his players, patting them on the back for a job well done (and deservingly so), I’m not sure there’s any more he can say to the Alabama team to inspire them. The result of his leadership was, in part, demonstrated by the score board at the end of the game. But Miles’ leadership can be lived out through his players, long after the game has ended, long after Miles has passed on. Who wouldn’t want that chance to have a lasting impact on someone’s life?

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Pick up part 2 here: http://vimeo.com/32271984

Can you use DSLR cameras for documentary films? What are the pluses and minuses? How can you best set up your rig for shooting documentary style work?

I created this video to tackle those types of questions. Please let me know if you have any questions about anything covered in the video as well as leave comments about your experience using DSLR cameras for a documentary project.

Some info covered in the video:

“Reparando” http://www.reparandomovie.com/

Mosaic Engineering: http://www.mosaicengineering.com/products/vaf-5d2.html

Missed part 1? Check it out here: http://vimeo.com/32271529

Can you use DSLR cameras for documentary films? What are the pluses and minuses? How can you best set up your rig for shooting documentary style work?

I created this video to tackle those types of questions. Please let me know if you have any questions about anything covered in the video as well as leave comments about your experience using DSLR cameras for a documentary project.

Some info covered in the video:
“Reparando” http://reparandomovie.com/
Cameras used: Canon 5D MkII
Lenses Used: All Canon glass – 24-70L 2.8, 70-200L 2.8, 50L 1.2, 135L 2.0, 200L 2.8
Support: Manfrotto CF 535 Sticks, 501HDV Head, Glidecam 4000 sled
Carrying Support: Lowepro CompuTrekker: http://products.lowepro.com/product/Rolling-CompuTrekker-Plus-AW,2023,17.htm and http://products.lowepro.com/product/CompuTrekker-Plus-AW,1925,16.htm
Apps: Simple DOF, Sun Seeker, Cinemek Storyboard, KataData, Cine ViewFinder

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First, please excuse the “uh’s” and moments of rambling. I had to shoot this in the very early am because of my schedule this week so I wasn’t really on my A game.

Second, this isn’t really a tutorial but more of my initial impressions of using the monitor for the first time. I want to thank Chris and Reed out at SmallHD for shipping the unit out for me to try it out on my shoot. It was definitelya pleasure to use.

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Here I talk about how to build your own PDAC (Portable Digital Acquisition Center). For anyone needing to aquire or dump digital footage in the field, this is one solution that has served me well.

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Here is a quick comparison video showing the new Technicolor Cinestyle color profile for the Canon 5D MkII and the popular Superflat color profile.

One thing I noticed right away, even in camera, was the lack of the orange/amber hue I’ve noticed in the Superflat profile was not present in the Technicolor profile. To me, this gave a more true color balance and made applying the grading much easier. One problem I’ve had with the Superflat was getting that yellowish/amber hue out of skin tones. So the release of the Technicolor couldn’t have come at a better time.

I used just my 5D MkII with a standard Canon 50 f1.4 lens and walked around Financial Peace Plaza which is home to the Dave Ramsey show (you’ll notice him in the background in a sample).

I’m really pleased with the wide scope of detail I capture with this profile setting from Technicolor and plan on using it exclusively when I shoot with my 5D MkII as I found this to be the best setting for capture.

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This is the new promotional trailer I shot for Jon Acuff’s new book Quitter, due out in May. It was produced by the Dave Ramsey video team. Although challenging but still fun being able to shoot in different environments and piecing it all together to make it work. It was conceived, planned, shot, edited and released within a month!

We filmed with a HotRod modified 7D with PL mount, Zeiss Super Speed lenses (28mm, 35mm and 65mm), Viewfactor Contineo powered cage and SmallHd 5.6″ monitor. Edited with FCP and CC done in Color.

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Doing work for Dave Ramsey has it’s perks. As he will say often, “it’s work that matters” and I certainly agree. I also have a great production team around me that work hard and also play hard, I love it. But we often have to work within no-so-large budgets (believe it or not, even Dave’s organization likes to save money, go figure!) so we often have to be creative and savvy in how we plan our productions.

As the new year began we were hard at work scheduling a 5 week shoot that has us shooting in small offices and on college campuses, inside and outside. Lighting has been a source of tension as we dreaded renting 3K and 5K lamps and generators. Being mobile is a must and having to lug the lighting rigs around defeats the purpose. So when it came time to price the lighting rigs I gulped at the price tag. But immediately I began rummaging through my head at what it would cost for a decent LED setup. I was pleased to find out after some research that I could get a decent 4 light setup for less than the rentals. I attacked!

I know some purists and Lite Panel lovers out there will roll their eyes and immediately click off this page after I announce that we went with a company called Flolight out of California but before the ridicules start flying towards your screen, hear me out. First, I agree, Lite Panel is a very good quality product, we even have their 2 brick set. But after some comparison shopping, I discovered that we didn’t need  or could get by without some of the features on the Lite Panel models. Such as DMX control; I knew we would use these in the field and that individual control would be primary so DMX would have just been a bonus. I know the Flolight doesn’t have the same lifespan as Lite Panels but I did the figures, 25,000 hours equals just over 1,000 days so that means I’d have to leave the lights on continuous for 3 years… yeah, right!

Ok, so I didn’t want to make this an article about Lite Panel vs. Flolight, I mainly wanted to talk about the experience of using them. I was hoping to have a chance to use them outside before writing this but it looks like our outside shots are not for another few weeks and I wanted to get this written while it was fresh in my head.

I’ve had the chance to use these on four setups now, all interview or single person shoots but I’ve learned enough to know how awesome they are to work with in comparison to our usual 4-light Arri kit. First of all, the fact that I can hug these panels after running all day is amazing (and I actually did it after the first day). LED’s run at such a low temperature that you can touch them anytime, no gloves, no burnt offerings and you don’t have to cook your subjects if you need that high contrast, stark shadow look. Second, although the Flolights do not dim 100% (they do down to about 10%) you do have the ability to turn banks on and off so you could in essence get down to about 5% of total brightness. And let’s face it, if you need less than that, you’re better off using a bounce or a smaller wattage light.

The small physical footprint of the lights also is a major plus. Currently I have them in their own soft padded cases which I can carry all four at one time. I love the fact I can carry four thousand watts of light by myself as well as power them all on one power strip, on one circuit, from one power outlet.

My one and only complaint is the filter bracket. My 12″x12″ filters do not fit exactly, about an inch on every side of the gel hangs off the edge. Would be nice to see some kind of mini clamp system with the brackets to better secure the gel and allow me not to have to punch holes in the gels every time to secure them.

That said, I look forward to continued use. As I said before, I’m in the middle of an extensive shooting schedule so there will be plenty of opportunities to get more use out of them. I intend to do a video blog soon once the shooting schedule is complete so please feel free to ask any questions you may have so I can make sure I cover those in the video blog.

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