We take our DSLR Filmmaker training seriously.  So we always ask at the end of each Canon Boot Camp for feedback and comments, to take the training one step further.  This past weekend saw the conclusion to our December class. Here’s a couple interesting question we asked each participant, and some of the responses:

“What goals did you set for this workshop?” and “Did you achieve your goal for the workshop?”:

Goal: How to operate the Canon 5D Mark II. How to achieve a cinematic look. Different types of lenses and what look they have.

Achieved?:  Yes I did.

Goal: Getting to know and being able to sue the canon 7D. Learn about possible set-ups with rigs and sound.

Achieved?: Yes! I still need much more practice, but I got the tools to go out on my own now.

Goal: (Not stated)

Achieved?: Absolutely!

(Hey, that just shows that even if you aren’t sure what you’re doing with your camera, you’ll still achieve something worthwhile by coming to the Canon Boot Camp! It’s that good.)

Goal: Further improve my knowledge of DSLR

Achieved?: Yes

Goal: Learn more about the camera’s settings, how to smoothly change focus, what some lighting setups are.

Achieved?: Yes!

We’ve caught wind in the past that some classes about filmmaking tend to be a bit on the ego side, where the main topic is what the instructor has done in the past. We work hard to ensure that the class is about the students, not about the teachers.

This attitude is carried through by the entire Canon Boot Camp team. Just to be sure, we ask a final open question, “Anything else we didn’t ask you about, but you’d like to say?” So here’s a few parting comments that reflect the overall attitude and “air” of the Canon Boot Camp:

A big thanks to Fletch and all the other instructors. You were/are very helpful. Also, thanks to Nancy for the nice food spread.  R.R.

The instructors and support staff were great! Very friendly and helpful. I’m glad that we had a good ratio of students and instructors.  M.L.

Everyone was extremely accommodating & nice beyond my expectations. Thanks you! You treated everyone like family. A.H.

Thank you so much! This has been great fun, an exceptional atmosphere and a lot of valuable information.  C.M.

As always, we enjoyed having all y’all at our “home” and we’re looking forward to your future exploits, be they short, feature or commercial. All the best!

Your Canon Boot Camp Team

If you’ve seen the Canon Boot Camp short, “The Sonnet”, you might not expect the plot of our newest short, “Killer”. These two films are worlds apart. While “The Sonnet” is sentimental and sensual, “The Killer” is bloody and thrilling.

This short took three Canon Boot Camp workshops to complete. With the intricate script, twists, and action sequence, we wanted to make sure that we’d get it right. This even included us going on location to a cemetery, a first for the Los Angeles workshops. As you may or may not know, “The Rose” was shot entirely on location in Prague by the Prague Canon Boot Camp. We hope to go on location more often with the workshop, especially since we are working with such lightweight and flexible Canon cameras.

In total, we had 24 filmmakers shoot this film with amazing and patient actors Anna Easteden, Carlos Reig-Plaza, and Hector Hank.

Join us for our monthly Canon camera classes and be part of this fun filmmaking experience!

The Canon Boot Camp is produced by The Association and is located in Burbank, CA.

Teachers, coaches and mentors can often be quoted saying “practice makes perfect.”  Unfortunately, the thought of practicing a weakness makes people wince, especially when the practice is focused around one monotonous and similar task.  Blogging is different.  It gives people the opportunity to write differently every day.  The content, layout or even writing style can vary which can provide relief from drilling away a.

Our new intern, Thomson, helped us out at the November 8 screening event we recently held at the Canon Hollywood Professional Technology and Support Center. Here’s what he had to say about the rig we hooked him up to. The rig included a DVTec MultiRig, and a juiceLink riggy micro hooked to a mic.

“Last Thursday I had the pleasure of handling our production team’s DVTec Multirig and, boy, was I impressed. The Association held their Boot Camp premiere at the Canon Hollywood Professional Technology and Support Center  and I had the responsibility of covering the event. I never handled a DVTec MultiRig before and was uneasy that I very well may capture three hours of useless footage.

“To my astonishment, the DVTec Multirig was easy to learn for any beginner and relieved my concerns. The MultiRig was compatible with most DSLR so propping on our Canon 5D Mark III was not a problem. I was even able to secure a juicedLink riggy micro and mic along with it. The juicedLink preamplifier offers quality recordings for anyone capturing sound with a DSLR. I could simply adjust the sound levels to limit distortions and it eliminated the hiss you would typically hear from the camera’s mic.

“Having one was essential for tonight if I needed to interview any of the participants. The rig came with an adjustable waistband for your convenience and a handy shock-absorbing stabilizer. This stabilizer equips to your waist making it painless for anyone holding the camera for prolonged hours. The combination of the three (shoulder rig, waistband, and stabilizer) produced smooth effortless footage. With a few simple lock and snaps I was ready to go in seconds!”

Here at the Canon Boot Camp, we’ve been “recovering” from our first annual Canon Boot Camp screening event which took place last week. It was so much fun! Thanks to Amy Kawadler of Canon USA, we were able to host a premiere at the posh Canon Hollywood Professional Technology and Support Center on Sunset Boulevard.

The night started with guests rolling in, despite the rain and traffic (thank you!), and feasting on scrumptious nibbles from Fabiolus. Amy then welcomed the crowd and explained that we wouldn’t have been there that night if it wasn’t for a little camera called the 5D Mark II. She introduced us to her wonderful staff, including Tim Smith, Mason Higa and Thomas Rose. Next, Fletcher Murray, President of The Association and Chief Instructor of The Canon Boot Camp, took the stage to kick off the screening of the 8 short films completely shot by Canon Boot Camp participants.

The short films included: The Nun Who Lied, The Sonnet, Just a Second, Escape, Hooker, Killer, Big Dave, and The Rose.

The event was also the World Premiere of The Rose, which is a short film shot in collaboration with creovision, a Czech production company who brought us to Prague to teach two 2-day workshops with 38 students. In 2 shoot days, I am amazed with what we accomplished. Being on location at the historic Prague train station and filming on an old train car made the experience even better. Markus Krug, who helped make the Prague Canon Boot Camp possible, was with us at the Premiere event, which was live streamed to the participants in Europe.

Now we’re motivated more than ever to keep producing thrilling, heartfelt, funny, and emotional short films at Canon Boot Camp workshops so that next year we can once again showcase the work of our amazing participants. Look out for the 2013 Canon Boot Camp dates, and join us, won’t you?

Thank you to Canon, our actors, sponsors, and everyone who helped make this possible!

(This report comes in from Tom Myrdahl, who’s on assignment with the Boeing Company in Seattle. Tom Myrdahl, our 5D Guru and Canon Boot Camp crew member, had been communicating with Frank Buck, Manager of Boeing Seattle’s Creative Services and one of their top Producers Dean Jones. Tom’s been telling them about “the Look” of the 5D.   Coincidentally, a project of importance ended up on Dean’s plate that Dean felt it was the chance to try out the commercial look that the 5D could offer. So Tom was off to Seattle.  Here’s how the Canon HDSLR is doing at Boeing, which up til now has been an “all Nikon” company. Tom went up to Seattle to advise them on what and how much support equipment to get.)

Frank Buck and Dean Jones were excited about the project as were two of Boeing’s best cameramen, Jim Lally and Tom Wallace. Within a few weeks the new 5D Mark III arrived.  The Compact Flash cards, HDMI cables, and other items arrived just in time for all of us to get on a plane and head off on a three week trip to St.Louis, Washington DC, and Huntington Beach California. All of us saw the quality of the 5D. The contrast and colors are more film-like.  Lighting like you would for film delivers a great look.

(above – Jim Lally and Tom Myrdahl on location)

(above – Dean Jones with the 5D in the Space Lab.)

All involved saw that this camera is not an ENG camera but must be treated as if shooting a commercial. The depth of field issues clearly demanded care and precision on focus …this demands precise camera movement and commercial style lighting techniques…which were more easily done with daylight balanced  LED Panel lights by Zabo, and HMI Jokers…all went well.

(above – the adjustable Kelvin temperature Zabolight on set at Boeing)

These last three weeks may indeed change the way Boeing Seattle shoot their hi-end videos from now on.

(Good work, Tom.  We’ve been working on Boeing for nearly two years now.  Happy to hear it went well. – Editor)

Adobe Premiere and Final Cut Pro X

If you' ve been wondering  

Graduate Feedback on Recent Canon Boot Camps

Several years ago we started the Canon Boot Camp as a way to impart practical Canon 5D & 7D instruction to Los Angeles filmmakers. Since then The Association has traveled as far as Prague, Czech Republic, to deliver training to hundreds of DSLR Filmmakers of all levels of experience.

We’re already the longest running DSLR training boot camp of it’s kind. But that’s not enough. We constantly work to improve the instruction so that each participant gets the skills they need. But what are those skills exactly? More importantly, what skills do GRADUATES actually feel they obtained after shooting in the field again?

A recent survey of several classes revealed the top three most valuable skills graduates feel they got from attending the Canon Boot Camp (hint: the list doesn’t include crisp apple strudel):

1. Camera Operation
2. Lighting
3. Application of what was learned by shooting with the camera (2nd day of the Boot Camp)

Here’s some specifics for each category:

Camera Operation

• Setting up the camera
• Going thru the steps, to register the “C1″ so that I’m ready to shoot.
• how to set the Menu settings
• off loading video
• Controls
• Learning how to operate the Canon 5D for optimal video results in only one day.

Lighting

• Talking about lighting and white balancing
• Histogram reading. I will never go without reading the histogram again
• Lighting Techniques
• Different types of light, angles, & intensity.
• White Balance

Practical Shooting Experience

• Shoot 2nd Day (Pro Level II)
• Actually having to shoot the second day.
• Live shooting
• Getting in there and applying what you learned was great. I learned about different types of gear, shot type, lighting, patience, etc.

To read more about what graduates are saying, visit our blog page dedicated to input from our students. Better yet, come join us at our next Canon Boot Camp and experience for yourself! We can get you up and running with your Canon in just two days – we’ve done it for hundreds of other DSLR Filmmakers, we can help you add the video edge to your repertoire.

Of course, if you’re reading this before November 8th, 2012, join us at Canon USA for the World Premiere of The Rose, the DSLR short film created by our Prague Boot Camp, along with several other DSLR short films also created by Boot Camp Students. Many graduates will be in attendance and would be happy to share their experience in person.

Our Canon Boot Camp HDSLR workshops are an intense 2-day session that include shooting scenes for our short films. We’ve been prepping them to go on the web, but felt that it didn’t do justice to the amount of time and hard work our Canon Boot Camp participants put in. We made a call to the Canon Hollywood Professional Technology and Support Center and they agreed to host a screening event on November 8 for all of our previous films shot during the Canon Boot Camp. Please RSVP to be put on the guest list!

The event will feature the world premiere of “The Rose”, which was filmed as part of the Prague Canon Boot Camp in March 2012.

“The Rose” brings the historic Prague Train Station to life and plays a major role in this love story. We will also be featuring six other short films shot by Canon Boot Camp students. Expect comedy, drama, and thrillers.

We are also taking this opportunity to make this night a filmmakers’ mixer where passionate storytellers can meet and mingle. Canon will have some cameras and gear available for you to test. We will also have a sponsors’ table where we will display various accessories, gear, and rigs from our lovely sponsors: Marshall Electronics, Alzo, Zabolights, Manfrotto, CamCaddie, JuicedLink, and more! We’ll be creating “the dream package” out of our sponsors’ equipment, come see it for yourself!

Join us Thursday November 8 for refreshments and light snacks and enjoy the short films that the Canon Boot Camp participants have worked so hard to create. Our post-production team of experts will also be present to answer questions. Please RSVP to be put on the guest list! We will also be raffling numerous prizes such as a $200 gift certificate, $100, and other bling. Have I given you enough reasons to join us? See you soon!

I have been a Filmmaker for 5 years (Short Films/Docs/Music videos) and had just purchased a Canon 5D Mark III and needed help with it. I travel all the time and The Association (Through highly capable and professional Celine) was able to schedule me on a one on one private class with Fletcher Murray their main instructor for day one and a week later the normal scheduled day for day two. They did not dissapoint. Mr. Murray is a filmmaker with decades of experience and a natural teacher his explanations were clear, informative and delivered promptly and good naturedly.Suddenly the 5D was no longer a stranger, but a trusted friend. On Day two we all applied our recently acquired technical knowledge filming a narrative short film with professional Actors and a bunch of “camera operators” (Students with their cameras) 4 Locations including mounting the camera on a car and and old Cemetery set…Throughout I and the rest were treated kindly, patiently and most importantly PROFESSIONALLY. I highly recommend this bootcamp for those like me who are new at DSLR filming or old hands in need of refreshing their shooting skills.