Author Archives: Nancy Murray

A Changed Man

Todd Cahoon - Actor turned Director“Infectiously enthusiastic” is how I would describe Todd Cahoon. Todd’s passion for filmmaking was evident right from the beginning, and we are looking forward to seeing his HDSLR filmmaking efforts.

I am a working actor who always felt I had a calling for directing. I have been writing for a couple of years now and finally mustered the courage to learn the other side of the camera.

Directing actors, knowing what visually looks good, knowing story, structure, and dialogue, even editing were all things I could bring to the table as a rookie director. What I didn’t have was knowledge of the technical side. THAT I learned at the CANON BOOT CAMP! I am entirely grateful to Fletch, Celine, Nancy and the crew. I have directed and shot 5 short films since last year and I am in pre-production for my second festival film. Onward and upward! Good luck to you all.

Name: Todd Cahoon
City: Los Angeles
State: CA

Canon Boot Camp Pro Level 1: A Shot by Shot

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A student learning how to properly shoot
So what do we do at boot camp? What’s a typical workshop like? If you had either of these questions, then you’re in luck! Although the class is far more detailed than the breakdown below, this description will give you a general idea of how and what we learn about our DSLRs. This is how our December 10th Pro Level l day went:

12:00 – Fletcher Murray, President of the Association and one of the boot camp teachers, introduces himself, Celine Duong, and cinematographer Tom Myrdahl. We explain what we at The Association actually do and our boot camp’s purpose.

12:15 –  Fletcher shows us a video about what the company does with the 5D/7D. Right after that, we ask you what your reason for taking the class is so that we can get to know you and understand your specific needs.

Dana Christiaansen, DP and the new C300 from Canon

12:30 – Camera Orientation! Our teachers go through, in detail, the basics of your camera and have you demonstrate as we go along.

1:00 – Camera Operation! How do you set up your camera to get a good shot? You get to demonstrate this after the lesson to ensure full understanding.

2:00 – Break

2:20 – *The Drill* How to keep your cool in a high anxiety situation. We’ll teach you how to stay focused when a producer is on you tail while you’re trying to fiddle with the camera.

3:20 – Our assistant teacher, Celine Duong, teaches our students how to offload shots to hard drives.

4:00 – Break

4:20 – Guest Speaker Dana Christiaansen talks to students about his work, gives us tips, and shows us a cool film he DP’d that demonstrates the EOS C300. Q & A afterward.

5:20 –  We  talk to our students about Digital Filming workflow.

5:30 – We go over a list of things that could really screw you up, and teach you how to avoid them!

Canon Certification

5:45 – Time to take your exit exam and demonstrate how much you’ve learned.

6:00 – You’re done. We take a group picture and you get to display your awesome certificate.

Our students left with much more knowledge than they came in with, and, more importantly, were able to demonstrate that knowledge. We really believe in this boot camp, not only because we make sure to include every relevant lesson you can think of, but because it produces great results. We hope to see you there!

To find out more about The Association, custom video production or the Canon Boot Camp, visit our website or call us at 818-841-9660. The updated dates and times of our most recent upcoming boot camps are on the right side of the page. 

A Really Beautiful Day With the Canon 5D

The Association shot a short PSA using the Canon DSLR 5D.  This video (link below) not only sends the message of the importance of effective communication between parties, but also displays the spectacular video quality of the Canon 5D.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tTdFR2xVdo

The video stars Jim Meskimen and Billy Tyler. The Canon DSLR 5D is revolutionizing the film and video production, in that it renders a picture so gorgeously, that several production companies have replaced their 35mm film camera with this DSLR. In fact, the video production crew of the Emmy-award-winning TV series “House” used a DSLR on the 2010 season finale.

The Association has been training Hollywood’s finest in how to shoot with this amazing camera in our Canon Certification Bootcamps.  For more information on upcoming classes, click on the banner below.