New EX1 frame grabs - KERBEROS

K

Kely

Active member
From that movie that never ends! I have had many requests for more stills, and so have put up a new gallery of frame grabs from the movie KERBEROS.

These are again shot with the Sony EX1 with their stock lens, and were done during a 'run and gun' shoot using only available light. Since my entire crew on this sequence was myself and the cameraman, I think it's a pretty good bet that none of you will have smaller crew (though in BLOOD TIES - there are a couple sequences where it was only the camera and me with no cameraman!BLOOD TIES was shot on the DVX, has won a few pretigious awards, and will play at the End of the Pier Film Festival at the end of April.).

These KERBEROS stills, taken from the 'foot chase' do a good job of illustrating composition and blocking 'in depth' to help achieve the 'look'. You may also realize that I use the extremes of shadow and light to add to the illusion of selctive focus. I continue to investigate different tools to do my color correction and grading, but with the amount of subtle and maybe not so subtle fx, I am still using After Effects for my polish.

Good luck on all your projects!

kely
 
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Thanks Kely, I've been following this production closely and always keen to see new stills/video. Its looking great as usual, cant believe your only using the stock lens, you got skills man!!! I really am keen to know your production ins and outs so please keep us updated :)

Forgot to ask...can you give us any infro on your picture profile (especially what matrix setting) and grading techniques.
 
Appreciate the compliments... at this stage - an unfinished flick, its about we can hope for to keep us going!

I'll try to get more detailed in the near future, but I did post a detailed bit of 'method' and general comments on techinque on the KERBEROS site: link here.

And since we were literally running and gunning with a wide variety of lighting situations, I fell back to the default setting for the camera and used NO picture profile. We only adjusted shutter (to keep it a bit fast but not too exagerated) and of course focus and exposure. Also only using the flip out screen to check and make determinations as I went.

Having manipulated a lot of footage - from miniDV of BLOOD TIES to this film, I can pretty much look at a shot and see past what's on the monitor to what it will become when I finish.

Looking at the extremes of this chase scene in terms of light and the need for speed in our set ups, I am VERY HAPPY with the results from the default setting on the camera's profile.

Hope it helps a bit!

kely
 
Kely said:
These are again shot with the Sony EX1 with their stock lens, and were done during a 'run and gun' shoot using only available light. Since my entire crew on this sequence was myself and the cameraman, I think it's a pretty good bet that none of you will have smaller crew (though in BLOOD TIES - there are a couple sequences where it was only the camera and me with no cameraman!BLOOD TIES was shot on the DVX, has won a few pretigious awards, and will play at the End of the Pier Film Festival at the end of April.).
Click to expand...

Hey Kely

Good Job. I'm axious to see the final product. I heard Martin was helping you out for a while. I've been luring around your posts with baited breath.

But I think you're wrong on the smaller crew! :Drogar-BigGrin(DBG) On average we had 3 people on set the whole time for my (Atlanta based movie) and sometimes dropping down to me only. LOL

I'm proud to see many Atlanta filmmakers really getting pumped and putting some work out there that not only I wouldn't mind seeing, but that I really want to see! We were talking briefly about this on Atlanta Film Community.org the other day. I definately think Kerberos is not the average Atlanta indie and that's a GREAT thing. So I wish you well and I can't wait to come to the premiere!
 
Nice stills..

"staging in depth to help create the 'look'"

what do you mean by that ?

Shooting near full zoom having picked your locations appropriately ?

S
 
"Staging in depth", at least for me, refers to composing with varius planes of interest, close, middle and far. If I can, I search for something to create another plane as near to camera as possible. Now most of that will be very familiar to many directors and camera operators - but it's frequently ignored for whatever reason. And since we think of the modern cinema look as having a selective focus and shallow depth of field, we can cheat that or partially fake that by using color and or relative extremes in light, as well as shapes and textures to direct the eye so that even though the entire frame is full and interesting, our eye - especially with a moving image - is directed to a relatively small portion of the frame. Hope that makes sense... and hope it helps a bit.

kely
 
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I like the way you can make interesting images with the bare EX1 which I find frustratting in the extreme compared to the look with letus or the 5d

(the letus and 5d are frustrating too!)

S
 
Working with the adapters is a frustration I'm looking forward to!!! (kind of...)

I am getting ready to shoot a short even as I finish up my feature - and am debating tracking down a RED (on the set training under the gun is not fun... and I know I won't get time with it ahead the shoot) or trying to find an EX3 and use the same workflow I am now but with more creative choices for the lens and look...

I am working with the bare EX1 on KERBEROS mostly for the expediancy and realities of our time, budget, crew. HAve to say I get pretty jealous when I see some of the amazing things being pulled off out there though. Still, it won't really be the camera or even the look that makes the film good or bad. Beautiful shots of bad acting in a weak story aren't very interesting! But like most of the people on this forum, I want it all - and being a director, I have the ego to hope that I can pull it off!

respects to the doing...

kely
 
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