What I am doing…

Google Ads

First Still Photos with Canon 5Dmk2 DSLR

So let me get this straight, this camera takes digital photographs at 21.1 MP? I thought is was a video camera!

I purchased the Canon 5Dmk2 digital SLR camera with the sole intention of using it as a video camera with very shallow depth of field. I was impressed by the low light performance of the imager and I really liked the fact that I could mount interchangeable prime lenses.

I also wanted to shoot 1080p HD footage at 30 frames per second in remote places. I was happy that the camera was small, water resistant, and light weight.

But… the camera was made for shooting stills! I wanted to use it to shoot “film-like” video in almost any lighting condition. The fact that it is a digital photo camera was a bonus for me. I have finally started taking pictures with it and look forward to the day when I can edit RAW images. For now, the .JPEG pictures below where shot at 5616×3744 and they were about 5.5mb each. These shots were taken around New Hampshire yesterday. I thank my friend, Dave for his help!

The forest was very dark and I was surprised that I could even expose some of these shots while shooting handheld. If I was using a video camera, it would be set to like 18dB noisy gain!

The pictures displayed on this blog entry are thumbnails. You can click the image to see a much larger .jpg of the photo if you like.

Web

Vein

Mushroom3

Mushroom2

Mushroom

Moss

Leaf4

Leaf3

Leaf2

Leaf

Lady2

Lady

Hole

Brook

Babytrees

My first impression of this camera (as far as stills goes) is that I need much more practice! It is very hard to hold the camera when taking a still at a slow shutter speed. Your focus may be spot-on, but just the trigger pull will cause the camera to move very slightly and throw everything into a bit of a motion blur. When snapping pics handheld, it is best to run the camera at a faster shutter speed if light allows. The best way around this would be to use a tripod and a remote trigger. I will next time!

Some of the pictures above were shot at ISO 6400! If you do not know much about the still camera world, this translates to like 20dB gain when shooting video. The only difference is that there is very little noise in the picture. This is why this camera blows away just about everything else when it comes to shooting video or stills in very low light.

More “Burial Site” Canon 5Dmk2 Short Film Photos

More Burial Site Title

CLICK HERE to watch “Burial Site”.

I am fascinated when a building is left to rot away in nature long after a humans have inhabited it. I watch the television show, “Life After People” and find it very interesting.

It is not the fact that the place is empty and void of life, it is because the place has become something else. Nature has began to reclaim the space and there is simply a ton of cool textures, angles, sounds and colors to capture. Plus, there could be ghosts in there!

I have had a big response to the short film I shot called, “Burial Site”, not just because of the self-serving ending! People really liked the location I chose to shoot the main portion of the film, the old farm house.

In my previous blog, I posted all the photos that came from Adam’s (young actor) camera. I had misplaced my camera and just found it. I will say that Adam and I were mainly focused on the video feature of the Canon 5Dmk2 camera, and shooting stills were really an after thought. We needed to get this thing shot in six hours. It would have been nice to have a behind the scenes photographer! I will post some more pictures with a little story from each down below in this article.

If you have any specific questions, feel free to post them at the bottom of this page in the “comments” section.

Burial Site Basement

The old farm house basement. This was my favorite place in the disgusting house. It smelled like a tomb. There was a cool, dungeon feel and the air was heavy with moisture. I got really excited when fog seemed to roll down the staircase from outside.

Because of the humidity and cool temperature, I had slight problems with my lenses (the two that I used) fogging up. I had to constantly wipe them between each take.

Burial Site Basement Tank
Burial Site Basement Stuff

The basement was full of old artifacts. Adam and I found old V-topped STP oil cans and rusted saw blades. Just behind this nasty table was an old dug well. The well went down into the dirt basement floor about ten feet and was full of crystal clear water. At the bottom of the well was an old rusty saw blade and a hammer head that was turning black. There was also an old boiler with a rusted out oil tank leaking fuel oil.

The history that I know about this place is that it has been abandoned for about 15 years. And when someone was living here, it was a single 95 year old man. I think he died somewhere upstairs.

Burial Site Basement Staircase

This shot was taken from the top of the basement staircase looking down into the dark cellar. This place had no electricity and it seems that a lot of the copper wiring had been ripped out of the walls. Adam and I wanted to “keep it real” and we did not have any flashlights. We only worked by the oil lamp and candles.

Old window
pen in wall
Burial Site paint peeling
Burial Site doorway

Inside the house, Adam and I were surrounded by lead paint. The stuff was litterally falling off the ceiling and walls as we moved around the house. We opened up an old door and could hear the paint falling off the old wood panels. This gave us the idea to shoot the chipped and peeling paint falling to the floor as Adam banged his fists on the other side of the jammed door.

I placed the Zoom H4 stereo recorder on the floor to capture the sound of the “Knock Knock Knock” and then the sound of the paint chips hitting the pine floor boards.

Burial Site Window

This house was located near a busy street. A few of the windows had been smashed and we found that because of this, car noise was streaming throughout the house. Adam and I would film a take and then do it again for sound when we felt the street was quite enough! Later, i would sync the sound in post. Not an easy task even with voice tagging like, “Take 2 for sound, Adam walking to doorway.”

Burial Site Setup
Burial Site setup
Burial Site setup PVC pipe
Burial Site dolly track
Burial Site Canon 5dmk2

Adam and I entered the house through the basement with all of our gear. The front and side entry doors of this house were boarded up. Plus, we did not want people to see us entering the house from the front! We were shooting this film in stealth mode. Real fast, limited gear and just Adam and I.

I was using the sick Canon 5dmk2 digital SLR and yes, it does live up to the hype. The camera is so easy to use thanks to the new manual firmware update. The low light capabilities are incredible and I might say that several times before the end of this blog! The biggest problem is the fact that the Canon 5dmk2 does not have good audio recording capabilities. It has no XLR mic inputs or even audio leveling/monitoring. Wish it had a headphone jack!

So this means you are forced to record all sound separately using a recorder of some kind. I use the Zoom h4. Later in post, you must sync the sound just like they do in the movies!

I have a home made dolly system made from a sheet of plywood, some angle iron, 16 skateboard wheels and two ten foot 1 1/4 inch PVC water pipes. This this is perfect for run and gun, guerrilla film making. I have used bigger, “real” dolly systems in the past, but you need multiple people to move and operate them. A DIY dolly made with PVC pipe and material from a hardware store is all you need to fake it. And a steady hand of course!

Burial Site lamp
Burial Site lamp tight

I found this lamp at a dump site in New Hampshire. I grabbed it to use in my NH camp, but also thought that it would make a great movie prop. When I bought the Canon 5Dmk2 camera and learned of its low light functionality, I had to shoot a film lit by this oil lamp.

A few things to mention here. The oil in this lamp was probably 50 years old. It was not working properly and Adam and I would have shot this movie in five hours instead of six, if we had new fuel! Plus, we went through about 100 matches and four feet of lamp wick! We actually had to cannibalize one of the newer oil lamps that I had brought.

Burial Site moth

This place did have some life. The attic was full of bats. We could hear them. And Adam and I went up into the attic with the oil lamp and found tons of bat guano on the floor boards. We could not really see into the roof rafters, but there were tons of bats up there. We thought it was best not to disturb them!

The moth on the window was one of those shots that just presented its self. That was not in my head when I entered the house. The moth was just there and I made it a star!

Burial Site floor

The old floor boards of the house were perfect for capturing the sound of foot steps as Adam moved though the house. As long as the street outside was quiet, I was able to get great sound with the built in stereo pair on the Zoom sound recorder.

Burial Site bedroom
Burial Site pic
Burial Site Adam pic flash

In the bedroom, you can see the only points of light for the picture scene. I cracked the shade on the window to the left and Adam’s oil lamp was the key light source for the scene.

The supernatural part of the movie was added just for the hack of it. It makes the film creepy. I ran the video backwards to get the candle to “light itself”. It was me who had to pan, pull focus and blow of the candle!

The picture of the black and white woman was printed out with my computer the night before the shoot. I found the image by using google images searching for “1950s black and white portrait”. The frame was bought at Walmart a few weeks ago.

Burial Site Adam pic

This shot was taken without a flash. You can see just how dark that room was inside the house. The Canon 5dmk2 works great in low light. I said it again!

Burial Site staircase
Burial Site house
Burial Site Basement
Burial Site Bathroom
Burial Site Bathroom2

There were a lot of other cool and creepy features of the house that I wanted to work into the film, but could not. The old bathroom no longer had copper pipes and the toilet had no water in it. Adam found some AJAX cleaner in the kitchen so he decided to clean up the bathroom before the house gets torn down.

Thanks for reading all this! If you still have not seen the film, take 6 and a half minutes to watch it! You can see it by clicking here.

Burial Site – Canon 5DmkII Short Film

Burial Site Title

CLICK HERE to watch “Burial Site”.

I have finally started to use my new Canon 5DmkII Digital SLR camera. This is my first DSLR and the only reason I bought it was because of the 1080 30p recording option. This camera works incredibly well in low light and I can attach fast prime lenses to the front to archive amazing shallow depth of field. Plus, it is very small and easy to move around!

Burial Site Old Shed

I called my friend, Adam Gotsens, and asked him if he wanted to act in a film that I had though up the night before. I had worked with Adam in the past (on “The Warehouse”) and he was a student film maker and actor from a local college near Boston. I though he would be perfect for the role that I had come up with.

The idea for the film was to have an old married couple sitting at a dinning room table slurping soup. It would be present day and the husband would be asked to explain a difficult time in his past.

Burial Site upstairs

The film would then use the “LOST” rumble flashback sound to get us back into the 1960s. The location was the old decrepit home where the husband had grown up. We learn that there was a accident and now the farm house was empty, and the man never wanted to return. But he did several years later, for some reason. And the house was a disaster, left exposed to nature and void of human life.

Burial Site lamp

The young man enters the house with a pick and sparks an oil lamp. He moves to a mound of dirt where he places a hand and we get the feeling that something must be buried there.

Burial Site Adam

He then moves upstairs into the paint-peeling walls of the decaying house. He enters a dark room and finds a picture of his mother. A supernatural event occurs, and then angers the young man.

Burial Site

He runs back down into the basement and begins to dig frantically in the soft dirt cellar floor. His pick finally hits something metal and he stops abruptly. The man drops to his knees and digs with his hands until he finds an old tin. He removes the tin from the cold earth, but does not open the container.

We then flashback to present day, back at the dining room table where only the older wife sits alone with her nearly empty soup bowl. The husband arrives with the very same tin and places it on the table. He slides the tin to his wife and she opens the busted up metal container to find her answers.

This film was fun to shoot. Adam and I were the only two people at the old farm house. We used nothing other than the camera, dolly, h4, and tripod to make this film. We shot it all in six hours with no electricity. We did not even stop to eat (or even drink!).

Burial Site Canon 5dmk2

I used only two lenses for the entire short film: the Nikon 55mm f1.2 and a Canon EF 24mm f2.8. I had to use an EOS to Nikon adapter to make the old manual 55mm to work with the 5DmkII.

Burial Site Basement

I was simply amazed by this Digital SLR. I wish I had bough it when it first came out! The low light capabilities are unlike anything I have ever seen in ANY camera I have ever used. I have used television cameras that cost over $300,000.00 with the lens and my mind was blown by this little $2700.00 camera. Even with the ISO up to 6400, there was very little noise in the blacks. In fact, when using the Nikon f1.2, the 5DmkII seemed to “make light” somehow. Not really sure what was happening, I just though it was a spirit in the house helping me out!

Burial Site match

The photo above shows how we got the match to strike and spark when Adam first enters the basement. We had a lot of trouble with the matches and the oil lamps because the air was so think with moisture.

Audio was a very important part of this film for me since I had no plans to use any music. All sounds would be recorded on site and used to make the eerie atmosphere. I used the Zoom h4 stereo sound recorder and captured noises like footsteps, the moth and water dripping with the built in stereo microphone pair. I love this recorder and I plan on buying the newer model, the Zoom h4n in the near future.

Vinten Baby Legs

I love Vinten tripods and I use them almost everyday to make a living in sports television. I was concerned that the light weight of the Canon 5DmkII camera would not bode well for the Vision 3 tripod head. I purchased the smallest spring (#1) and installed it for use with the DSLR. The small light-weight spring was perfect and I was able to get the balance dialed in for controlled pans and tilts.

I also got to use my Vinten baby legs with the Vision 3 pan head. Baby legs are just really short tripod legs. By using baby legs, you can get the camera just about a foot off the ground or dolly and still have the perfect fluid panning and tilting thanks to the Vinten Vision 3 pan head.

Burial Site Tom

I want to thank Matt Johnson (and his family) for the old farm house shooting location. Also, I must thank Chris Nicini and Joe Francazio for listening to my crazy story ideas and offering some ideas of their own to help make this film happen.

Finally, I must thank for parents, for allowing me to enter their house with camera equipment (very little camera equipment!) and shoot the beginning and end of this film. Yes, they were the older married couple! And as you can tell, if you have seen the film, I have no problem asking them to help market my website! The film title, “Burial Site” has a double meaning you know…

Still have not seen this film? CLICK HERE to watch “Burial Site”.

Website Updated!

I have just updated to the newest version of Wordpress and also updated to the newest version of the Atahualpa WP theme by Bytes For All.

Tom on camera 7 at Fenway Park

Let me know if anything on this website malfunctions or is not displaying properly.

I will be adding a few new web videos soon. They include a short video blog about the RED ONE camera and a blog about the new HD PBS Frontline show open and element package.

I just need some time off to get it all done!

Thanks for keeping an eye on this place for me.

Tom

Philips Cinema 21:9 LCD TV and Carousel Short Film

Carousel Short Film

I was around the RED ONE digital cinema camera today with Director Eric Scott Latek from Phantazma Pictures.

I will be editing a short video blog in the near future with some behind the scenes footage of a project that was being shot on the RED.

Today, Eric showed me some new television technology that I was unaware of. They are now making 21:9 super wide televisions! Also, he showed me a great short film, with behind the scenes commentary, using a really dynamic still-world moving-camera technique.

Philips 21:9 TV

Philips is pioneering the new “Cinema 21:9″ wide aspect television screen. Now you can watch movies at home like in the cinema and just as the director intended. Cinema 21:9 is a 56” screen that is in the 21:9 aspect ratio, so movies in the 2.39:1 format completely fill the screen. No more letter boxed black bars at the top of your 16:9 television set.

You can read all about the new television format at Philips by clicking here.

Carousel Short Film

As a promotional portion of the Philips 21:9 website, they have released a sick short film that uses innovative movie making to move a camera through an explosive bank robbery… but the entire shot is a frozen moment in time! YOU GOTTA SEE THIS: Click here to view the short film Directed by Adam Berg called “Carousel”.

This film has been out for a few months and I have no idea how it flew below my radar for that long! You can also watch the Flash version of this film at the Philips Cinema website with behinds the scenes footage and commentary. Click Here.

Also a great behind the scenes web “FX Guide TV” show about this unique short film. Click here to view it.

HD Video on Facebook

I have been keeping a close eye on the evolution of HD video on the internet over the last two years. For a while, YouTube was really the only game in town and the video quality was terrible. And people seemed to be dropping F*bombs constantly in the comment section under the videos.

Then, just over a year ago, I watched a video in full screen, high definition video over the internet. I was amazed. I did not think the technology was at that point and that it could be possible to post high quality video to a world wide audience with the click of a button. The HD video website is called Vimeo, and they are simply, hands-down, THE BEST.

Other websites followed, like Exposure Room, giving people a free method of HD delivery to the masses.

But, sometimes the Flash encoding on Vimeo and XR does not meet up to my high expectations. Vimeo has a great comment and community system setup, but occasionally, the video quality suffers as it is encoded into Flash. I am not certain why, but some of my videos look better than others (compression wise) and I am exporting them the exact same way out of Final Cut Pro. I also found that when uploading video to Vimeo, it is best to do it around 10am EST. If I were to set an upload at 10pm EST, the up speed is super slow and sometimes the encode screws up. Lots of people set the video to upload and encode before they go to sleep. Perhaps this is directly related to the number of encodes going on at the Vimeo servers at a given time.

Now, a new HD web video option is available and from my first experiences, it looks better than Vimeo, YouTubeHD and Exposure Room. Perhaps the Flash encoders are even more powerful at Facebook.

I know that this technology has been available with Facebook since the end of 2008, but I think that the company may have upgraded their encoding servers or Flash codec. The HD video looks very good on the site right now.

When I click full screen on my iMac computer, the Facebook HD looks far better than anything I have ever seen. I have posted an embed of the first video I have uploaded to Facebook HD. I think the embed will only play in standard definition. In order to view it in HD, you must click the “Facebook” logo in the upper left of the window and watch it from their site. Unfortunately, I think you must be a member of Facebook to view HD. It is free, so sign up now, just to try it out.



I hope Vimeo can use similar encoding technology and improve their website. Perhaps, because Vimeo got so big, so fast, they are trying to sort things out. Time will tell.

UPDATE: Looks like Vimeo is working on this problem. Click here to see the mp4 conversation at Vimeo.

Let me know what you think. When you post a comment, please let me know what type of computer you are using to view the HD video and tell me how it played out on your screen (ie. choppy, smooth, ect)

I must say one last thing about web video. All the video on my website is hosted by my server and all of the videos are in 720p HD quicktime. This is the clearest and best way to view HD internet video, in my opinion. But it takes a toll on the web hosting, server bandwidth and you need a decent computer to view it. A lot of people are looking for third parties to host HD video for new and old computers.

Perhaps, Facebook will allow HD embeds with their great Flash encoding in the future for people who have video intensive websites.

To address some of the concerns about who actually owns your content on Facebook, I cut and pasted a little part of the May 1, 2009 terms and conditions.

You own all of the content and information you post on Facebook, and you can control how we share your content through your privacy and application settings. In order for us to use certain types of content and provide you with Facebook, you agree to the following:

1. For content that is covered by intellectual property rights, like photos and videos (”IP content”), you specifically give us the following permission, subject to your privacy and application settings: you grant us a non-exclusive, transferable, sub-licensable, royalty-free, worldwide license to use any IP content that you post on or in connection with Facebook (”IP License”). This IP License ends when you delete your IP content or your account (except to the extent your content has been shared with others, and they have not deleted it).
2. When you delete IP content, it is deleted in a manner similar to emptying the recycle bin on a computer. However, you understand that removed content may persist in backup copies for a reasonable period of time (but will not be available to others).

So as far as I see it, you are in control of your content and allow Facebook to send it where they please. But, if you want that roller coaster to end, you simply delete the content and all is well. The content no longer is used on or by Facebook.

JAG35 Film Lens Adapter and Sony SR11

JAG35 DOF ADAPTERS

I have been given the opportunity to test out an inexpensive 35mm depth of field adapter designed for the small consumer camcorders. JAG35.com sent me a JAG35 PRO with the Canon to Nikon adapter to mount my Nikkor glass to the front of it. My first impression was positive. This is an entry level $400 35mm lens adapter that works quite well.

JAG35 DOF ADAPTERS

But, it does have a few limitations and this adapter would never replace my Letus.

I have posted a video to my “Equipment Reviews” section of this website visually reviewing this product. I will go into a little more detail with this article.

JAG35 DOF ADAPTERS
JAG35 DOF ADAPTERS

First of all, this adapter does not have a flip prism inside of it. The good part about that is the fact that the device is quite small and lightweight. The bad part is that the image is recorded to the camera upside down. It is very easy to flip the image in post when editing, but when shooting, the up-side-down image is hard to work with.

JAG35 DOF ADAPTERS

JAG35 offers a hack to most video cameras that will basically add a switch that will engage “mirror mode” with the LCD so that the camera displays the image from the JAG35 Pro properly. The great part about having the switch added is that you can set the camera back to normal when you want to just shoot without the film adapter.

JAG35 DOF ADAPTERS

Another issue I found is that the adapter is light hungry. If you are going to use the JAG35 pro inside or in low light conditions outside, you will need fast lenses. I used a Nikon 50mm f1.4 and was having trouble exposing in the overcast and dark forest.

JAG35 DOF ADAPTERS

If you are shooting in broad day light, I am certain that this depth of field adapter will work quite well. I plan on shooting more with it to test it out in other lighting conditions.

JAG35 DOF ADAPTERS
JAG35 DOF ADAPTERS
JAG35 DOF ADAPTERS

One thing that JAG35 is working on are multiple lens mounts. Currently, the JAG35 Pro only has a fixed Canon mount. I had to use a Canon to Nikon metal adapter ring to mate the Nikkor glass to the JAG. This proved slightly problematic as the extra piece added some wobble and slip when trying to pull focus.

I did find this adapter to be surprisingly sharp and clear of ground glass artifacts. The motor is powered by two rechargeable (user replaceable) AAA batteries. To turn the motor on, you just flip a switch. When running, there is a bright green indicator light. The motor is very quite and in the video review I did, I used all the audio for my voice and the water directly off the camera mic! While the JAG35 was vibrating!

JAG35 DOF ADAPTERS

There is an interesting add on that proved to be invaluable. On the side of the JAG35 pro is a small white button I call the “super charger”. When pushed the motor speeds up to a crazy rotational speed as it get a jolt of power . When released the motor goes back to normal. This came in handy when I had difficulty getting the motor to spin. Sometimes, the weight on the end of the motor that shakes the ground glass as it rotates has trouble getting started on its own and needs a jump start. I had this problem on my Letus Extreme on occasion. With the Letus, I had to open up the front and “finger” manual start the motor. This “super charger” sends a bust of power to the motor and gets it spinning in a flash. There is also a small screw that regulates how fast the motor spins. I need to experiment with that to see if by turning it up, the motor will work better.

In my test, I was able to run the motor for two hours continuous before it died. I must say that I was running off the charge that the batteries were under shipped from JAG. So I will have to test this again under a full charge to see if the motor really operates for 20+ hours like the JAG35 website states.

When charging the batteries, you simply plug in the included a/c adapter into the small hole on the side of the JAG35 pro. There are no indicator lights to confirm a charge is in progress or when it is done, but I have been told that it will complete the trickle charge (with no confirmation) after about four hours.

JAG35 DOF ADAPTERS

When I brought the footage into my Final Cut system, I was really happy with the look of the the video. I did have to log it all upside-down, which was a first for me. All the blood was rushing to my head! Even though it was shot with a $650 interlaced tiny single cmos chip camera, the footage looked very good. Not nearly as good as the Sony EX1 with a Letus, but certainly good enough to pass as “film-like” high definition footage.

There are several ways to flip the image on the timeline. I just rotated everything in the “motion” tab.

I only used the super fast 50mm f1.4 Nikon lens in my initial test. I tired to mount the 55mm f2.8 macro lens to the front of the JAG35, but found serious vignetting in the low lighting conditions of the dense forest and cloudy, near-dusk skies. I will have to preform more experiments with this camera system.

JAG35 DOF ADAPTERS

Overall, I recommend this to anyone who just wants to “play around” with the film look on your little consumer camera. I do not recommend this to people who want to shoot high end stuff for broadcast. Please go and buy a Letus and a proper camera for that.

As far as this setup goes…
Total cost of the the camera, adapter and lens: $1,200. Just goes to show that you do not need to spend thousands to shoot sick looking video.

I shot a review video talking about and testing out the JAG35 Pro. You can see it by clicking here.

If you want more information, please visit JAG35.com and letusdirect.com.

Philip Bloom in Boston Video Blog

Bloom in Boston Video Blog

VIDEO BLOG: Philip Bloom in Boston 2009:
Click to Watch!

I got to hang out with Philip Bloom in Boston last night. We meet up with four local camera/film guys and had a night on the town. I documented the experience with the Sony SR11. This video was heavily edited so that Phil and I (and a few other people) would be able to work another day!

Check it out:
Click to Watch!

This video is also available in HD on Vimeo by clicking here.

A special thanks goes out to the Mayor of Somerville, Massachusetts.

Letus Comcast Sports Net Celtics Promo

starting five Celtics promo

VIDEO BLOG: Letus Boston Celtics Playoff Promo:
Click to Watch!

This is a 15 second spot that ran on Comcast Sports Net whilst the Boston Celtics where playing in the NBA Playoffs. I shot all of these elements with the Sony PMW-EX1 and the Letus Extreme.

Donny

The spot was edited by TJ Powers on a Final Cut Pro workstation. He grabbed stills from my Letus footage and cut out layers to apply motion to each freeze frame. He utilized foreground, subject matter and background from the shallow depth of field in the frame for a really cool effect. He used Adobe After Effects and Photoshop.

Check it out:
Click to Watch!

Special thanks to Comcast Sports Net and TJ for the help to get this video on this website.

Broadcast Television and Letus Products

VIDEO BLOG: Comcast Sports Tonight 100% Letus Promo:
Click to Watch!

I will be posting a few new blogs talking about how I am using Letus products in a broadcast environment. I have found a niche in my television market using shallow depth of field to bridge the gap between the look of television and the look of film.

In the next few weeks I will be posting my thoughts on getting the film look on broadcast television.

This is a 30 second promo for a sports talk show, called “Sports Tonight” that is currently running in HD on the Boston television station, Comcast Sports Net New England. The show is hosted by Gary Tanguay and Michael Felger. You can see it weeknights at 6:30 and 10pm on Comcast cable channel 52 or 852HD. Check your local listings for channel information for your own area.

This entire promo was shot with the Sony PMW-EX1 using the Letus Extreme. I used my home made PVC pipe skateboard wheel dolly for all the sliding camera moves. I used a Nikon 16mm fisheye, a Nikon 50mm f1.4 prime and a Nikon 135mm f2.8 for close ups. All lighting was studio fixtures set high in the hanging ceiling grid. I shot it in 1080 30p and used the default PP settings in the camera. I locked the white balance to 3800k.

This video was cut and graded by TJ Powers. TJ works at Comcast and he is very talented. He used Adobe After Effects, Photoshop and Apple Final Cut Pro to edit this promo together.

I will be posting more blogs about the elusive film look finding its way into broadcast television very soon. I am currently editing a short video blog about the Letus B4 relay and the Letus Ultimate mounted on a Sony HDW-730S HDCAM.

This week, I hope to get away from Philip Bloom for a few hours and edit! For now, check out the CSN promo that is currently running on television:
Click to Watch!

Special thanks to Comcast Sports Net and TJ Powers for the help to get this video on this website.