FEATURE: Rise of the Beast-the new feature from STARS Pictures

El Director said:
Thanks!

We thought about a wheelchair but decided on a hand truck with inflatable tires after seeing a pic in "The DV Rebel's Guide". I'll just lean against it and have someone pull me. We went this route because we can also use it to lug gear.
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Good idea. I've seen people use similar types of devices, and you can definitely use it to haul stuff.

El Director said:
Oh, taking into account the 1.6 factor, should I get something wider than 50mm?
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Not necessarily. Unless 50mm is not wide enough for you, as it all depends on the type of shots you are going to need for the majority of the film. Keep in mind that on an APS-C camera like the T2i, that even though compared to a full frame sensor there is the crop factor, that an APS-C sensor is actually closer to what a 35mm motion picture frame size is. So 50mm on a T2i is pretty much 50mm on a Panavision, an Arriflex, or a Red One in terms of frame size, field of view, and depth of field.

Also, a 50mm prime is a pretty standard and very widely used lens for motion pictures. I think that for wides, if you can get away with the kit lens (which is actually pretty darn wide at 18mm) and then use the 50mm for your close ups and medium shots, and even some wide shots too, that you will be okay. Of course, since your film is action and parkour related, maybe you plan on using much wider angles. It all depends on what works best for your film.

A 35mm or 24mm Canon or Nikon prime will be more expensive. That's why just about everyone who can't afford the Canon f/1.4 50mm prime (which is about $350.00) will go with the f/1.8 50mm at only a hundred bucks.
 
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Nektonic said:
Was the average 50mm lens cheaper than 100 bucks before the 35mm adapter boom? As far as I know, and maybe because I've only been more aware of the pricing on still lenses the last 3-4 years, but the 50mm f/1.8 has always been around a hundred dollars.
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True, but the going rate for a used 50mm was about $25 - $45, $50 max. Now the used 50mm are about the same price as the new ones, even on eBay where people were always getting good deals on these. I'm mean a used 50mm for $75? Heck, I found a new manual lens at the same place for $69, sheesh. And all the used 50mm lenses were running around $60 - $70 and up.

El Director said:
Thanks! Swords on that wall, swords above my TV, and sais above my dvds. lol
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Well you saw what happened to my sai case, it now Locke's shotgun scabbard. The sais are in the prop bin. My swords are in the closet until I can file them down for props. I have two filed down, but my last two were given to me by a friend and are live so I keep them hidden away.

This thread just reminded me to get my ground glass for my Nikon 35 adapter tube. I'll be buying a lens myself soon. Ironically I just saw a Nikon 50mm for $45 on eBay. But it had light haze and the filter ring was dented.

-Nate
 
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Dude, saw your Earth zoom! That was tight man. Instead of the sat. moving and then we see earth still, the earth should already be moving at us. That will make it tighter and not be so sudden. There should be no break in that zoom and that will make it tight. I want to see the whole thing connected. And if you could do a shot from above and make it really small and drop two people running into the still then cut to the action. Also is there a way you can use a moving scene (actual city footage even if it's stock footage) and use the same technique versus a still? Here's some examples that could work even though they're not American cities:

http://www.istockphoto.com/stock-video-10921068-aerial-view-of-london.php
http://www.istockphoto.com/stock-video-11854762-bangkok-city.php

These would cost big at HD quality, but something like this could be useful. Maybe you can ask around for footage.

-Nate
 
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My first batch of real tests (some better than others). Still learning the camera, but we tried some (bad) grading, parkour and slow-mo, low light, and no light. Also, we didn't have any camera support, so yes, I know there is some jello.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wr_nlO8ZBOY

Dude, saw your Earth zoom! That was tight man. Instead of the sat. moving and then we see earth still, the earth should already be moving at us. That will make it tighter and not be so sudden. There should be no break in that zoom and that will make it tight. I want to see the whole thing connected. And if you could do a shot from above and make it really small and drop two people running into the still then cut to the action. Also is there a way you can use a moving scene (actual city footage even if it's stock footage) and use the same technique versus a still? Here's some examples that could work even though they're not American cities:
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I'm considering adding motion to any cars and adding representations of the characters. We'll see. I mean, the shot goes by so quick and with all the other action that's in the flick, I don't know how much people will notice. I am definitely adding animation to the earth though.
 
New pics of the final rig for this production:
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I marked of the 2.35 section on my screen protector and covered the marks with scotch tape. It's makes still pics a PITA, but hey, this is a movie camera, not a still camera
 
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Dude, that's sweet! I'm getting my ground glass this week. I didn't like the kind my adapter came with so I ordered another type I can just screw into the Nikon tube. Your rig kicks butt man. I'm not going to start until the end of August or in September. It gets dark earlier and a lot of the scenes will be at night. I'm going to post some test I did once I convert the footage.

-Nate
 
how much shooting time do you get on this? what type of cards and how much time do they offer... is it 24 progressive?
 
On a 16GB SD card, I get 49 minutes at 1080p/24fps. I only bought the one card because I know that in the past, I've never shot a full tapes worth of footage in a day. If by some chance I do go over, I have a 4GB card that I can use for emergencies. I tested it out yesterday at a wedding and everything looks great, plus I didn't even fill up the card.

Dude, that's sweet! I'm getting my ground glass this week. I didn't like the kind my adapter came with so I ordered another type I can just screw into the Nikon tube. Your rig kicks butt man. I'm not going to start until the end of August or in September. It gets dark earlier and a lot of the scenes will be at night. I'm going to post some test I did once I convert the footage.
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Thanks. I call this the plunger setup. The lens hood can fold up onto itself depending on your field of view. It's not as good as a mattebox, but for three bucks, can't complain. Looking forward to see what your stuff looks like
 
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If you are still using shop lights, filmtools has tungsten corrected bulbs that will fit them.
Most shop lights use 2900K bulbs instead of 3200K. Not expensive at all either.

Good luck.
 
The budget isn't important right now. Sorry Brandon. =D

One thing that has really helped us is that we have a much better camera now than before, however, "with great power comes great responsibility". The Rebel behaves (to the best of my knowledge) almost like a film camera. Between the 24fps and the rolling shutter, I've had to grow as a cinematographer and rise to meet the camera. I've really learned a lot so far on this film. Working with 24fps, 5.1 surround, a cast of 20, and some epic locations. It will definitely be fun!
 
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Obviously this is just my opinion but I watched that wedding video
and wow man, you really REALLY need to work on your hand held chops.
I realize you're going for a shaky cam look but there is much more skill to that look
than you might realize.
Nothing personal but there is nothing attractive or appealing about your shakycam work
that would make someone want to watch it.

I know you're trying to be "bourne" like but I suggest you go back and watch
those films and watch how they do it and try to mimic that.
 
Obviously this is just my opinion but I watched that wedding video
and wow man, you really REALLY need to work on your hand held chops.
I realize you're going for a shaky cam look but there is much more skill to that look
than you might realize.
Nothing personal but there is nothing attractive or appealing about your shakycam work
that would make someone want to watch it.

I know you're trying to be "bourne" like but I suggest you go back and watch
those films and watch how they do it and try to mimic that.
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I've planned on toning the film back more towards the first Bourne using my steadypod. I had to go handheld at the wedding because I had to ride my bike 8 miles to get there. There was no room in my backpack for the tripod. I do realize that it's rather difficult to pull the look off and pull it off well, which is why I'm backing it off a bit. The wedding was not intended to be bourne like at all. I just had to go handheld, so rather than trying to keep it steady, I kept it moving. The wedding was also one of the learning expierences that helped me grow.
 
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Shot a promotion for a T-shirt company today. Should have it online tomorrow (I hope). I think everyone will actually like this one-the camera sat on a tripod the whole time! It was weird, but that's what the client wanted. So I guess you can say it has zero camerawork. ;) I did however get to play with some grading and visual effects. The grading was done in AE, I used masks to create power windows for many of the shots with people in them. As for special effects. I chose to replace the computer monitors in the shots. It looks better. The music was created in Mixcraft 4.5 and is a complete rip off "I Want Candy".
 
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