Shooting on location with the GL1

Since today’s shoot was canceled due to hurricane Hanna sweeping through our area, it’s a good time to post a bit about how we’re shooting our latest feature.

There were several choices to make before the cameras rolled on the first day. Should we shoot in 24p or 30p? SD or HD? and what camera should we use? We already had 2 cameras available: the Canon XL1s and the Canon GL1. The XL1s is a solid choice, with manual control over every setting, but it shoots in SD and in 60i or 30p only. The GL1 is pretty much the same, but not nearly as versatile. I had also purchased the Canon HV20 last year. It shoots in HD, has a Cinema mode that can be converted to 24p in post, and a beautiful picture. But it doesn’t have the manual control of the XL1s. Ultimately, I chose control over format and went with the XL1s.

Then there was one other decision: should I use Canon’s Frame mode (30p) or shoot 60i and convert to 24p in post? I grabbed the trial of DV Filmmaker, a program that converts 60i to 24p, and did a few tests with both formats, using the same subjects¹. While the 30p footage approximated the film look, the 24p conversion had softer light and appeared more film-like. So, I purchased DV Filmmaker and decided to shoot in 60i.

So, the first day of shooting came and after the 4th or 5th take of the second shot, we get the infamous “Remove Cassette” on the XL1s. Anyone who uses that camera will probably know what I’m talking about. The problem is, it wouldn’t clear no matter what we did. The drive assembly was dead. Ugh! Luckily, we brought the GL1 as a backup.

But we soon discovered that had flaws of its own.

A few takes into the next shot, we discovered 2 bad pixels on the CCD chip–not on the LCD, but the CCD, so it recorded the bad pixels. Okay, it’s an easy fix in After Effects, a minor inconvenience we decided to live with.

Fast forward to the second week of shooting, or, rather, the capture session after shooting the second week. I noticed a few sound drop-offs and, worse, digital breakup on the tape. Luckily, we generally run a lot of takes of each shot, so the glitches were easily avoided in the editing room.

Until week three.

The glitches were getting worse. I was now looking at masking and cloning out glitches. The sound, fortunately, was mostly okay.

Then I discovered, or remembered, a solution. Adobe Premiere CS3 (my editor of choice) comes with a program called OnLocation (OL), which allows you to connect the camera to a PC and capture the signal directly–bypassing the tape. Well, shit, let’s try that.

Holy crap, OL was easy to set up! I had purchased a 500GB external capture drive and planned to use my laptop to run everything. The XL1s (yes, we went back to the better camera since we weren’t using tape anymore) plugged right in and was instantly found by OL. OL’s interface has a nice monitor for our director; it even shows the zebra lines. And, perhaps best of all, no capturing. Each take goes right to the capture drive, and can be labeled as needed.

We were rolling smoothly now. The only real–shall we say…inconvenience–is the camera’s wired connection to the computer while shooting, which makes camera moves somewhat limited. Add to that the signal loss when the cable length is too long², and you have to be really creative in how you shoot. But we use sticks more often than not, so we’re managing. We’ve even established a rhythm when moving the whole rig (camera, laptop, drive, etc.) from one shot to the next.

In the future, of course, I intend to purchase an HD (probably HDV) camera that can shoot in true 24p, so we get the best cinematic look possible for our budget.

Stay tuned for more behind the scenes stories and pictures.

¹I used my daughter’s Winnie the Pooh stuffed animals, the battery-operated ones that move and talk, and staged a scene as if they were talking to each other. Silly? Yes, but it worked for the test.

²I’ve seen several references that say a firewire cable can be 14′ without a signal loss, but I used a 10′ cable and noticed some degradation in the image. It works, but should be use sparingly. I use it for hand-held shots that require a lot of movement.

We’ve been chomping at the bit to film a new feature for over a year now. We’re finally getting our chance this summer. The cast is set, the locations (sort of) secured — any micro-budget company knows what I mean — and the shooting schedule is done (for the next couple of weeks, anyway).

Now, we start rolling.

This is the first time I’ll be behind the camera, other than for the Horrorfind commercial in March. So, I made a checklist for the set:

• Charged battery…check.
• Tape in, queued up…check.
• White balance set…check.
• XL1 set to interlaced mode…check (we’re converting to 24p, but that’s a whole, upcoming, post in itself).
• Subject framed…check.
• Lights set properly…check.

And, um, anything else?

Oh yeah,

• Focused? …check. Whew!

Here’s the extended version of the Horrorfind commercial we filmed last month. It’s over 3 minutes, with lots of zombie goodness and eerie music. Enjoy.

Today Mike, the head honcho of Horrorfind, approved our cut of the commercial. So, here it is:

Monday, Joe will pick up the DV tape and get a digital beta (I think that’s what it’s called)  made. He will then send  it to…wherever you send commercials, I guess. I know nothing about that end of the business. I’m just ecstatic that something I shot and edited will be on local and cable TV.

Stay tuned for an extended version later in February.

Saturday we shot a commercial for the March Horrorfind convention in College Park, MD. Since George Romero is one of the guests (along with cast members of the Dead movies) we wanted to do a zombie- themed commercial. One with some zip.

Joe, our director, came up with a great idea: a hip granny reminisces about Romero movies and then kicks some zombie ass. And there was a lot of ass to kick. We were expecting 10 extras at the most, but wound up with at least 25–plenty to pull off a Romero-esque horde. Of course, we only have 30 seconds to work with–it’s amazing how short that really is–so we couldn’t do all that we wanted.

Overall, the shoot went very well. The weather was cold but clear, and not too sunny; too much sun wreaks havoc with digital video. And the setting was awesome. We have to shoot there again.

To be honest, I was a little nervous going into the shoot. This was my first time behind the camera for Timewarp. That role was always reserved for Don Dohler, our mentor–and this was the first shoot since he passed away in 2006. I was fully aware of the large shoes I was filling. But just kept thinking about making him proud.

Many thanks to Joe for keeping the zombies under control, and for checking to see if I focused the lens , and thanks to Stewie and Zig, our faithful crew, for helping out. Zig actually reminded me about the ND (neutral density) filter on the XL1. It helps with overexposure so you don’t have to stop down too far. That was a big duh.

I mentioned earlier that 30 seconds is a very short time. Well, I did my first pass cutting the commercial, and it came in at 45 seconds, an eternity in editing. After a couple more passes, I’m down to 34 seconds. I’ve had to chop some lines, and make some shots shorter, and generally be creative. But it’s not over yet. I guess I need a chainsaw. Luckily, we plan to make an extended version so we can put the rest in. We filmed a ton of zombie footage. No way we waste that.

And, by the way, everything was in focus.

I’ll post the final version of the commercial when I’m done.

Now that I’ll be responsible for Timewarp’s cinematography, I decided to look into acquiring a Steadicam, a camera mount that allows the operator to move around while keeping the image stabilized. Of course, professional models can cost several thousand dollars, so I decided to look into making one. I was truly surprised how many Web sites provide plans and instructions.

I decided to start off simple and build Johnny Chung Lee’s $14 Steadycam (left). I had to alter the basic design to accommodate our larger camera (XL1S), and I added some padding to cover the galvanized steel, but it was easy to build and only took an hour or so.

When I tested it, I discovered two things: 1) it takes practice to make it work. Moving around with a counter-weight takes a little getting used to, plus you have to learn to work around the base as you walk. 2) A rig that relies completely on arm strength can get heavy–particularly with a prosumer-level camera. Ultimately, this rig can only be used for short periods, and I really want one without that kind of restriction. So I kept looking, and I found the ultimate site for home-built stabilizers. The name says it all: http://www.homebuiltstabilizers.com/index.htm

This site has more about the subject than you can possibly imagine. From info and tips on how to build your own rig, to forums to share your experience. There’s also a photo gallery that allows users to publish detailed photos of their creation. And these creations are amazing, and overwhelming. At this point, I can’t imagine building one. But the forum members are happy to offer advice and answer questions.

My first step will be to buy one of the books a forum member had published. It has detailed instructions on building a Steadicam that has a spring-loaded arm, a harness, and a mount for a monitor. This is serious stuff.

Here’s the link for the book: http://www.cafepress.com/stabilizer.31893959

In addition to Steadicams, the site has information on dollies and crane’s as well.

Photo provided by Robert Long II