Chris Smith at the Canon Boot Camp

Chris Smith is a reality show editor moving into directing. Canon DSLRs being the excellent choice they are for new directors and producers, he took the Canon Boot Camp to learn the art of filmmaking – in just two days.

Only two days, you ask? How could anyone get up to a professional level as a filmmaker in just two days? It’s true, you may not arrive as an ordinary run-of-the-mill human and leave as James Cameron, but you WILL leave knowing how to properly shoot digital video on a Canon DSLR. Including best practices on proper digital capture and post-production workflow.

Check out what Chris had to say about his experience at the boot camp by clicking on the video above.

“Literally everything that I learned was brand new, so everything was pretty eye opening to me. And l literally I took about 60 still pictures with that camera before I came to this boot camp. I mean, everything from f-stop to ISO, to all of the lighting and framing and composition was all brand new to me really.

Yeah, I was a bit intimidated when i first came in because I didn’t know the skill level of everyone else in the class. And a lot of the people here that were taking the boot camp were a lot more experienced than I was. And they were very helpful in showing me all the tips that they knew.

The instructor Fletch made it really, like a cool laid back class, and it wasn’t like reading a manual. Definitely liked the boot camp, especially for someone that has no experience, it taught me more than I could have expected. “

Christopher Smith
Reality Show Editor
Future Director

Serena Lissy at the Palm Springs Photo Festival

Serena Lissy is a Commercial Photographer who attended the Canon Boot Camp at the Palm Springs Photo Festival on April 2012. Although she specializes in “advertising and editorial photography for product, food, spaces and places” she is broadening her skills by delving into the video components available in Canon DSLRs.

Here’s what Serena had to say about her experience at the Canon Boot Camp:

“Your staff is awesome, you guys all work well together. Everyone was friendly, they were knowledgeable, and they were just fun to work with.”

Serena Lissy
Commercial Photographer

Understanding Histrograms: Part I

Excerpt from the Canon Boot Camp Manual

Histogram Introduction

Histogram comes from the Greek word “histos” “mast” and English word “gram”. You could call it a type of graph.

The Canon can display a histogram over the picture you are taking and it eliminates, to a great extent, the need for a light meter. It helps you see if your shot is too bright or too dark.

BACKGROUND

Technically a histogram came from the field of statistics. Most people call it a “graph”. There’s an X axis (horizontal line) and a Y axis (the vertical line). So the histogram (graph) shows the values plotted along the axes.

For example, the stock exchange report is a histogram. It shows quantity of money at a given time.

It plots how the cost of a stock over a span of time.

OTHER TYPES OF HISTOGRAMS

This budget histogram (graph) shows the quantity of money spent in different categories.

This histogram (below) might be something a dog breeder keeps. It shows the quantity of dogs they have grouped by black and white values.

DRILL: Add a column that shows 3 grey dogs.

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What can a Still Photographer learn from the Canon Boot Camp? 

I graduated from Brooks in 1992, and I found out about the boot camp because I wanted to hone in some video skills with my Canon 5D, and I've bloomed quite a bit today! I'm excited to shoot tomorrow. I was surprised realistically at the amount of equipment needed to produce something. And really the limited amount you really could use also, and produce some decent quality video. I liked that part.

I'd absolutely recommend the boot camp, especially to professional still photographers that want to get into the video market. I think that you need to learn with a hands-on classroom. This is definitely one of those.  I think that is huge. You don't have rows of people listening to a dry speaker with a bunch of great slides or boring slides. I think the fact that Fletch shoots and is working today is a nice factor also. But the size of the class, definitely, but the hands-on portion as well, really blend together well…

You know, what I think I learned was a beginning recipe and the rest, which I liked as well, I leave up to Pablo Naruda and think about exploring my life through film.

Charles Kay Jr.
Still Photographer
 

* A reference to the poet Pablo Naruda, a poem of whom was featured in the short film "The Sonnet" produced by Canon Boot Camp students.

Michael Brewer is an award winning DP, Director, and Producer, as well as one of the instructors at the Canon Boot Camp. His diverse projects have taken him to over 30 countries. His work consists of narrative films, music videos, and commercials/PSAs which can be seen on PBS, the History Channel, 20/20, ABC Nightline and more. He has used a variety of film, HD Video and HDSLR cameras including Panasonic P-2, RED ONE, Canon 5D, Arriflex, and more. Michael brings indispensable knowledge and insight to every Canon Boot Camp.

Although Michael is an accomplished DP, he came to the Canon Boot Camp first as a student. Here is what he had to say about his experience:

“I took the Pro Level 1 class covering everything – from all the technical/aesthetic settings, picture styles, histograms, sound recording, HDSLR for green screen, demystifying the DSLR workflow and more. I shot my son’s music video the very next week.”

Here, Michael answers two of my most pressing questions:

1.     What do you like about the Canon Boot Camp?

One thing that I really like about the Canon Boot Camp is the incorporation of a short narrative screenplay that the students shoot as part of Pro Level 2. The shots are designed so that the Canon 5D is pushed to its limits in terms of dynamic range, mixed light situations, and shooting in low light – candle light, practicals, etc. We also put the students and cameras through their paces using various support rigs such as which add professional production value. It feels great watching everyone’s confidence grow, using the camera to the point where it’s almost second nature. There is time pressure and many of the other production challenges of real-life situations.

Like a seasoned director once told me, “make demands and people will grow.”

2.     What is your favorite HDSLR gear/equipment?

My favorite piece of HDSLR gear has to be my Red Rock Captain Stubing camera rig with follow focus. I cannibalized an older DVTec shoulder rig, using its’ waist belt and telescoping rod, giving the desired three points of contact for a more stable shot  (left handle, right handle, rod…and four points of contact if you are also using a Zacuto Z-finder). The spring-loaded telescoping rod acts as a shock absorber – whether just standing still or walking, sort of a poor man’s Steadicam. To me, this setup makes my camera feel more organic and  fluid.

I can also easily adjust the distance between the LCD viewfinder and my eyes for maximum clarity. I’m used to pulling my own focus, so the follow focus operation is second nature. You can adjust the left microhandle and hold it while using the same hand to operate the follow focus.  A matte box is easily attached to the base plate rods.I also keep a Manfrotto quick release plate attached to the cheese plate to get it on and off of the tripod quickly.

Michael used this rig in Namibia to shoot the short film African Cowboy. Click here to view the trailer.

Michael notes that, “The emerging Namibian filmmakers that I met had never actually seen or had the camera in their hands before. To my knowledge, that was the first time they were able to see the Canon 5D up close and personal. That was May 2011.” 

HIGH-KEY LIGHTING

Excerpt from the Canon Boot Camp Manual

High-key lighting is often used in multi-camera sitcoms and comedies. It’s usually free from dark shadows so the boom mic above the actors doesn’t cast a shadow. Also, they don’t have to re-light for each camera’s viewpoint.

The advantage of high-key lighting is that it doesn’t require re-lighting for each scene, which allows the production to complete the shooting in hours instead of days. The primary drawback is that high-key lighting fails to add meaning or drama to the shot.

Low-Key Lighting

The term “low-key” is used in cinematography to refer to any scene with a high lighting ratio, especially if there is a predominance of shadowy areas. It tends to heighten the sense of alienation felt by the viewer. It is commonly used in film noir and horror genres.

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Digital Editing Workshops

Larry Jordan is arriving on November 17 (Saturday) to The Association and the Canon Boot Camp to deliver two workshops. Although we are presenting them here as one combo event, they may be attended separately as well (if you only want to attend one of them).

Larry is an expert at both softwares and has a ton of experience in editing and in the film industry:

"Larry Jordan is an internationally-renowned consultant and Apple-Certified trainer with over 35 years experience as a television producer, director and editor with national broadcast and corporate credits. His informative and entertaining teaching style provides video and film editors around the world with unique editing techniques, methods and resources to increase productivity and enhance their skills."                                   www.larryjordan.biz

We have Canon Boot Camps nearly every month. But I can't promise we'll have these special workshops on a regular basis, so take advantage of Larry while we have him! We'll be continuing our tradition of hands-on training with these digital editing workshops, so if you want to get your hands dirty, bring your laptop with at least the trial version of the software you want to learn.

Registrants will be entered into a drawing for a $200 cash prize towards which ever software they prefer, or just towards the cost of their tickets.

If you've never used editing software before, these probably aren't the best workshops to attend. If you have some skill with digital editing, on up to very experienced, these workshops are a great option. There won't be a Premiere Pro or FCPX question Larry can't answer (we're taking bets here at the office…) so bring it on! Register here or call 818-841-9660 to register over the phone.

COLOR SPACE

Excerpt from the Canon Boot Camp Manual

Another problem the Canon engineers faced was whether to have the 5D record movies in 4:4:4, 4:2:2, or 4:2:0 color space. Actually, since they weren’t planning to redesign the whole camera, 4:4:4 files would have been too big for the 5D.

Again, the engineers worked backward from what the eye could see. AND the size of the screen the audience would be looking at, i.e. a High Def TV screen.

So, they set a realistic goal, rather than a goal of ultimate perfection that would make a camera too big for the Associated Press, and make its output so data heavy you’d have to buy a whole new computer to edit it. They took a practical approach to achieve AP’s goal.

So, (we think) they decided on 4:2:0. Why? Because it saved a ton of data storage and most of us can’t tell a difference once 4:2:0 is upconverted to 4:2:2 Pro Res.

Below is a link to a video explaining the concept of color space and how it works.

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More and more, we have the pleasure of hosting out-of-towners at the Canon Boot Camp in Los Angeles, CA. I truly feel that this enriches the Boot Camp experience for us as well as for the participants. We’ve had participants from Florida, New York, Arizona, Georgia, etc. Now, not only are we all swapping tips from the trenches of Hollywood, but also we get to hear stories from all over.

Charles Kay, Jr. flew in from Omaha, Nebraska, to attend our August workshop. However, Charles is not a complete stranger to California, since he graduated from the Brooks Institute of Photography in 1992. Charles and his wife Laurie are still photographers who own a studio rightfully named Laurie and Charles where they photograph beautiful portraits, commercials, and fine art. They also have one of the most beautiful studios I’ve ever seen. Well…only in pictures.

Being in the world of still photography, Charles is used to doing all of the work mostly by himself. This includes setting up, lighting, photographing, directing, etc. So, having a crew at our Canon Boot Camp Day 2 was different, and maybe even a bit of a luxury.

Charles was a true professional at our workshop and we are sure he passed on a bit of knowledge to everyone else who attended! 

Here, he talks about what he learned about digital filmmaking at the Canon Boot Camp:

When we got a call asking for a 1-on-1 C300 course, we brought in Polly Morgan, who was the DP on “Mobius.” “Mobius” was commissioned by Canon and shot on the C300 for the launch of the cinema camera.

When Polly shot “Mobius”, the C300 she used was a prototype, so the buttons were not even labeled. Luckily for us, Mark brought a C300 with properly labeled buttons! Phew.

Here are some tips from Part 1 of the “C300 Crash Course”

1. Color Space: Know where your piece will be shown. If your work will be shown on TV, or on the web, you do not need to shoot in a 444 color space. As Polly mentions, TV’s color space is Rec. 709 and all the extra information from a 444 source will be wasted. However, if you are doing Visual Effects, this is where a 444 color space would come in handy.

2. Beware of making adjustments that would give your footage a harsh, digital look. However, adjusting your Gamma (contrast), and Color Matrix can help you create a filmic look.

3. Polly’s personal preference for the Sharpness setting is -2.

4. When setting your Color Matrix, pay attention to the way the colors are digitally replicated. Yellows may lean toward a mustard tone, while some blues may seem more purple.

Interested in having your own private Canon Boot Camp? We realize not everyone can fit our schedule into their production time frame. If we can possibly accommodate for a private one-on-one Canon camera class, we will! Just give us a ring or send us an email.