Shoulder Mount In Action

Filmed this wedding last week primarily using the shoulder mount reviewed in EP03 along with the Konova slider reviewed in EP02. Let me know what you think.

Modern|Filmmaker Episode 3 - DIY Shoulder Mount

Ideas and Inspiration from: http://cheesycam.com/pvc-camera-shoulder-support/

Follow Focus

Found this follow focus on ebay a few weeks back. I'm finally getting around to playing with it while working on a DIY rail to mount it to my 550D. I must say, for the price, this thing is pretty awesome. Check out the sellers page [here] and stay tuned for a hands on review in M|F Episode 4.

Tascam One-Ups the Zoom H1 for the Same Price.

Tascam recently entered the sub $100 portable flash recorder market combining style and functionality taking the market by surprise with their new DR-05 model Linear PCM Recorder. This new little beauty is the new kid on the block and is now in direct competition with Zoom's H1 portable recorder which has been the go-to device for indie filmmakers since its debut.

I picked one of these up a few weeks back and have only had a few opportunities to play around with it. Sound quality seems to be right on par with zoom. Functionality far surpasses zoom with easier menu navigation and front facing buttons. And as for build quality and durability- this thing is incredible for the price. It has just enough added weight to give it more of a professional feel without being uncomfortably heavy and as you can see it looks far more professional as well.

Recording Life - Learn From My Mistakes

Sometimes just having a camera on hand to film an evening out with friends can land you with some pretty cool results. You may not know what the night has in store so just film everything. My one word of caution is always triple check your camera settings. I knew I wanted to mess around with the time mapping of each clip and thought I was shooting at 60fps which would have remapped nicely in post with a little cinema tools action. What I had forgotten was that earlier in the day I switched it back to 30fps to get a single shot and never switched it back - *facepalm*- So I threw together this short video that had the potential to be something great but instead turned in to a life lesson.


Learn from my mistakes and enjoy...

Modern|Filmmaker Episode 2 - Konova Slider

Many of you have already seen the Konova Slider blog post but have asked to see it in action. Episode 2 of Modern Filmmaker dives into some of the details of this popular little slider and ends with a short video shot on it.

update: Ran into some technical difficulties... please excuse the audio.

Let there be [affordable/portable] light.

We all understand the importance of lighting and how it can affect our end results. Light kits are the best way to light a scene and in most cases will be your primary source of light. That said, if you are shooting a live event - a wedding, a concert, etc. - you will rarely be staging your own lighting setup. So what options do you have? Most people would recommend camera mounted LED bricks, UFOs, or cam kits. - As would I.

For a cheap alternative, take a look at this camping light. It's pretty much a spitting image of the RotoLight for a fraction of the cost. For under $15 bucks you could snag a few of these to keep with you at all times. Trust me, mine has come in handy quite a few times. 

update: Haven't tried these yet but they should fit no problem with a little DIY velcro work.