Contest Rules and Regulations FAQs

Welcome to the Canon Boot Camp Contest Page. Since you’ll have a better chance to win if you understand the rules and regulations involved, here they are in plain English:

Who can submit entries?

Anyone may enter. We are assuming only still photographer and DSLR Filmmakers would be interested, but really, anyone may enter. As long as they fulfill the qualifications, it’s all good.

What’s in it for me?

The Canon Boot Camp is a value-packed, 2 day-intensive DSLR workshop that’s great for beginning filmmakers as well as complete Pros and anyone in between. It’s probably worth about $2500, but let’s just say you’d save about $1000 if you win the contest. There’s some other benefits to getting into the class:

• Connections with Industry Professionals
• Getting listed on our Graduate list with a link to your website
• Possibly exposure in our blog for your business and future DSLR projects/films
• Possibly getting DSLR film projects when The Association isn’t available or appropriate for requested projects we receive

Can I submit more than one entry for the month I want to attend?

Nope. Only one chance per month. But during the entry process, you may check each available month (see the available event dates on the right side of this blog) in order to submit ONE entry for EACH available month. The only other variable on that statement is when it’s after the 15th of each month. That’s because the contest for the current month ENDS at midnight on the 14th of each month. Otherwise we don’t have time to pick a winner for that month so they have a chance to actually arrange arriving at the Boot Camp.

You can try submitting more than one email address, but that would only be annoying for both you and the contest administrators. For one thing, you’d get our newsletter multiple times. We’d eventually figure it out and cancel the 2nd win to pick someone else.

I’ve already done the Canon Boot Camp. Can I submit an entry anyway?

If you attending the Canon Boot Camp before, you don’t need to submit an entry. Graduates are eligible to come back for a refresher on any later date. So in a way, you’ve already won! You may submit an entry and win a boot camp for someone else, such as a friend, relative or colleague. If you win, you’ll have to let us know specifically who the boot camp is being gifted to so we can make sure administration is taken care of on our end.

What are the qualifications and requirements in order to submit an entry?

• You must have clicked on the “Like” button of our Facebook Page.
• We have to know which event month you’d like to win a seat for.
• You must have an active subscription to our Email Newsletter.

If I submit entries for multiple months, am I eligible to win more than one Canon Boot Camp?

You may only win ONE Boot Camp.

My schedule doesn’t allow me to attend until after all the currently listed event dates. Will the contest be continuing after the currently listed events?

The contest applies to all listed dates and future dates until notification otherwise. We reserve the right to end the contest at any time.

Did you enjoy “The Sonnet”? The team who brought you “The Sonnet” is bringing you another romantic short, this time set in a completely different location, time period, and language!

We are so honored that the March 2012 Canon Boot Camp was hosted by creovision, a production company headed by Martin Bartak in Prague, CZ. Along with Assistant Director Markus Krug, Martin had the aspiration to bring Hollywood filmmaking to Prague, and called us to help them out. Since these are two of the hardest working production guys in the world, we were happy to pack our bags and escape the LA smog.

When we arrived, we were overwhelmed by the amount of support they provided us with. They had a energetic crew and volunteers ready to bring the first International Canon Boot Camp to life. One in particular that stands out in my mind is Monika Hronova, who managed to speak so fast that it didn’t matter if she was speaking Czech or English; but one thing’s for sure: she got things done. It was great to have such a motivated and dedicated team.

Together, with 38 Czech, British, and Slovakian Canon Boot Camp students, we managed to pull off a period piece on location at the gorgeous Prague Train Station in two days. Yes, TWO days.

Before we officially release “The Rose”, on September 4, we’d like to first offer you a sneak preview featuring the music score composed by Bruce Chianese. Without this score, “The Rose” would only have been half as beautiful. Bruce managed to breath life into the beauty of the old Prague train station and to create drama, sorrow, excitement, and nostalgia. The human touch that is felt in the music could not have been achieved without Bruce and his wonderful musicians.

We’ve been to Prague, we’ve been to Palm Springs, but this weekend, the Canon Boot Camp went where we’ve never been before: the cemetery. We brought ten of our Canon Boot Camp students and a can of zombie repellent with us to Mountain View Cemetery in Altadena, CA. (Disclaimer: The above photo is NOT the cemetary in Altadena.)

No, we were not shooting a zombie thriller—that would have been too cliché (although we could have cranked up the shutter speed on our Canon cameras to make a really cool one). We were shooting the last scene of a twisted murder thriller written by our very own “office mom”, Nancy Murray. Sure, she passes out cookies around the office and tells us to take our vitamins, but behind that smile lies the lethal Black Widow.

Without ruining the plot, let’s just say that the past two boot camps have taken a dark turn, unlike our previous two fantastical videos, one of which is The Sonnet. Knives, guns, handcuffs, and a cemetery doesn’t sound like a typical Canon Boot Camp to me. To help ease the creepiness some might associate with cemeteries, we were lucky to find one of the most beautiful cemeteries in Los Angeles. We were the only bodies there on a Sunday afternoon. The groundskeeper, John, kept an eye on us although I promised him we’d behave ourselves.

The most patient actress in the world, Anna Easteden, and our Canon Boot Camp students.

The ladies of the Canon Boot Camp setting up for a beautiful ending shot to our killer short.

Coincidentally, the Mountain View Cemetary is the same location used by Ron Howard as a location for a short film entitled, “When You Find Me” as part of the 2011 photo competition sponsored by Canon.

As you can see from the photos, it’s a hands-on activity and requires teamwork. We have plenty of equipment and students are able to really get involved in the shooting, the footage of which eventually becomes a short film. So far we have submitted one Canon Boot Camp short film (mentioned above – The Sonnet) with another short premiereing soon. Students are of course in the credits and may use the footage on their own reel.

We’re looking forward to the September Canon Boot Camp. Join us! If you can’t attend, then be sure to sign up on our newsletter to keep in touch for other dates.

New Canon EOS C100 Camera, New Primes

This morning Canon released a slew of updates across their Cinema EOS system, including the new Canon C100 camera and two new prime lenses, the 14mm T3.1 and 135mm T2.2 EF. These cinema style lenses are compatible with all of Canon’s standard sensor sizes including Super 35mm and will be available in early 2013. Canon also announced a $30,000 price point and an October release date for the 4K shooting Canon C500.

C100 First Impressions

After months of speculation, the Canon C100 is finally announced, and at first glance it’s pretty impressive. Similar to the C300, it carries the same sized sensor and built-in ND filter while also managing to be about 15% smaller in size. Initially, prices were indicated to be at around $8000, just under the Sony FS700 in price comparison, but it appears that CreativeVideo.co.uk is taking pre-orders for £4995 including tax, which is a very bold move by Canon.

While the C100 is technically at the bottom of the totem pole for Canon’s Cinema EOS system, it has a few welcome surprises: including the Canon Log Gamma, which increases latitude and dynamic range, and uncompressed HDMI out for optimal image quality. Combine that with an EVF and the popular EF mount and Canon has created a feature rich and affordable cinema camera.

When it comes to the design of the camera I have mixed feelings about it’s modular style. Based off the C300, it looks like a hybrid between a DSLR and a prosumer HD camera. It has buttons galore (which can be a good or bad thing depending on the placement) and is constructed with a water resistant magnesium alloy body. I can’t obviously test it out myself yet, but I’m a little skeptical as to whether or not it will be comfortable to use.

I like the inclusion of the handgrip and the vari-angle screen but the overall design just seems outdated. A lot of people like the design of the C300. Canon even mentions in their announcement that there was a lot of user feed back incorporated into the building of the C100, but I’m just not that excited about the look. Luckily it’s not a deal breaker by any means, and I’m excited to see what the footage looks like the most.

Unfortunately though, there were some compromises made and the biggest one is the codec. Canon decided to go with a standard 24Mbps AVCHD codec (H.264 wrapper) and with that comes the oh-so-bland 4-2-0 color profile. It’s a let down for sure but I guess it’s not as bad as the old H.264 encoding from Canon’s older DSLR’s. The lack of HD-SDI isn’t as surprising but it means that most professional external video recorders will be rendered useless. This is fine for most independent filmmakers, but an annoyance to professionals who work in that type of system. Finally the most disappointing thing to me is the lack of 60p. With so many bells and whistles on this camera, how did it get stuck with 50/60i? AVCHD 2.0 was introduced last year and supports 50/60p and yet Canon decided to go with an even older version.

I guess it comes down to competition within it’s own line of products, and honestly it’s a bit frustrating, but at the same time completely predictable from a Canon standpoint. They hold out on a few big things to get you to upgrade to a much more expensive camera with a much higher margin of profit.

I had been feeling nervous about the direction Canon was moving in for some time now, but today I can rest a little easier: They haven’t totally forgotten about us. While I like most of their products, and have recommended them to many people in the past, it seemed that they were spending way too much time catering to Hollywood and almost purposely ignoring independent filmmakers. I understand their reasoning for walking that path, but it doesn’t mean I have to agree with it. This is however a step in the right direction for Canon and an attractive choice for independent filmmakers.

The Canon C100 will be released in November and will more than likely be on display at Photokina in September.

This is turning out to be a very exciting year for independent filmmakers. With the Blackmagic Cinema Camera shipping in less than two weeks, the Kineraw S35 Arri  Alexa clone being priced at $6300, and the hotly anticipated GH3 set to be announced next month, Canon definitely has some competition this year.

Are you interested in the new Canon EOS C100 Cinema Camera? Tell us your thoughts.

Special Request Canon Camera Classes

Can’t make it to our scheduled events? Call us and schedule a one-on-one Canon Boot Camp! We understand that with your busy schedule, it’s not always easy to plan a month in advance or to be in town when we have a workshop. For the past couple months, we’ve re-introduced private sessions at the request of our students. We’ve taught 5D Mark III one-on-one sessions, as well as C300 one-on-one sessions taught by DP Polly Morgan.

The private workshop takes about three to four hours at our office located in Burbank, CA. The Chief Instructor, Fletcher Murray, goes over the same coursework and data as he would at our Pro Level I Canon Boot Camp (the Saturday session). Thanks to our sponsors such as Zeiss Lenses, Alzo Video, Manfrotto, Marshall Electronics, etc, you will also have hands-on demonstrations of rigs and equipment.

At our private Canon Boot Camp, you will have the undivided attention of Fletch as you go through your camera menu settings, drills, lighting demonstrations, and more. You’ll have an opportunity to customize the training to your specific needs and leverage Fletch’s decades of filmmaking experience.

Interested? Email us or call 818-841-9660 for more information.

Nikon Introduces Camera With Android OS: Is It A Game Changer?

About two months ago I wrote a little article called, “What DSLR Cameras Can Learn From Smartphones,” and at the time it seemed like nothing more than wishful thinking. Then last week Nikon took a logical first step by introducing a new camera touting the full Android 2.3 operating system (Gingerbread). The Nikon Coolpix S800c may be the first of its kind, but I guarantee it won’t be the last.

Looking over the camera reveals a modest set of specifications including a 16MP CMOS sensor, a 3.5 inch OLED touchscreen, and 1080p 30fps video capabilities. To me though, the more interesting aspects of this camera are the built in Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS. While it may not seem like that big of a deal, especially those of us using a smartphone, this was a smart decision by Nikon. Also with the ability to run full applications such as Instagram and Photoshop Touch, it can be argued that Nikon has a possible hit on its hands. 

But let’s not get too ahead of ourselves. We still have a long way to go before I would consider this to be anything other than Nikon filling a growing niche. From a business standpoint it was an inevitability, but from the creative side, it’s quite a letdown. In my opinion, the best camera you can have is the one you have on you. In any normal case, this is my smartphone, and I can truthfully say that 99% of the time, I am more than content with this as my go to camera. I know I definitely don’t need another device so similar in my pocket.

Now I understand Nikon may not be catering this camera to me, but then who are they catering to? What this actually does now is further fragment the already crowed marketplace with just another point and shoot… now with Facebook. This is not going to be a popular camera for enthusiasts, and it certainly isn’t going to convince the average consumer to toss their smartphone, or for that matter, carry around two cameras with them. While the launch price is somewhat inciting ($349), it’s really nothing more than the Nikon Coolpix S6300 with Android tacked on.

I know I might be coming off as a little harsh, but why tease us with something as pointless as this? The compact camera market has seen market share drop over the years and is now stuck playing catch up to more innovative products. Stop beating around the bush and give us something we want, or even better, something we didn’t know we wanted. Unfortunately I can’t see this being any more than a typical Wal-Mart or Amazon impulse buy for uninformed customers. Yes, you can play Angry Birds on it. Awesome.

It’s not all bad though. I have to give Nikon props for a least trying something new, even if it is a baby step. The camera does contain two of the three things I suggested in my original article for a successful transition into the future of cameras, but I wouldn’t have thought they would waste their time going after an already crowded and dying market. 

What we really need is at least a prosumer / mid-level DSLR style camera with those features and support for faster transfer speeds out of the camera. That’s not to say that Nikon doesn’t have a prototype sitting around in an R&D lab somewhere, but it’s getting exceedingly frustrating to see all these companies continue to squander innovation at our expense. It’s the independent filmmakers, the aspiring photographers, and the technologically savvy that they should be catering to. They are the most dedicated, the most informed, and generally the most loyal. However, if camera companies continue to ignore their most avid practitioners and decide that hitting a quota is going to advance their brand they are dead wrong.

With Photokina right around the corner, I wouldn’t be surprised to see more of these Android based compact cameras. It will be interesting to see what other companies can bring to the table. (I’m looking at you, Sony and Panasonic.)

What are a few of your favorite Android Camera Applications? Would you be interested in the Nikon Coolpix S800c?

Thanks to Planet5D for the original announcement. You can view their original post here.

Enter to Win a Canon Boot Camp!

Winning a free Canon Boot Camp is as easy as going to our Facebook Page and clicking on the “Win a Canon Boot Camp” tab.

Although, technically, you also have to sign up for our newsletter. If you win we have to have a way to tell you!

The rules are simple. The number of chances to win are equal to the number of Boot Camp Events we have listed on the right side of this blog. Look over the dates, figure out which date you’d like to attend the Boot Camp.

Go to the Facebook Tab mentioned above, and follow the instructions. You’ll enter your data and automatically be entered into the contest. On the 15th of each month, we’ll pick the winner for that month, and announce it on our Filmmaker’s Notebook email newsletter. You may sign up once for each month, but not multiple times for ONE month.

The prize is attending one Canon Boot Camp event at no charge. It does not include airfare, hotel or any other expenses associated with attending our Canon Boot Camp. There’s no charge to enter, and as we continue to add event dates to the schedule, you may continue to enter until you win.

We’re looking forward to seeing you at an upcoming Canon Boot Camp!

Anyway, Mitch actually has an on the spot comparison in the video (3:29) above where he switches from DSLR to his Logitech webcam and there's quite a difference in that the webcam portion is very washed out. Not that it couldn't be fixed by covering his window where a lot of light is coming in, but it's an interesting comparison. Whenever I use my webcam I have to fiddle around with the lighting, and a little bit of light can make a big difference.

There's some great tips in the comments/conversation after this article and video on Mitch's blog as well.

Have you tried using your DSLR as a webcam? We'd love to hear your experience, tips or warnings. Comment below and tell us about it.

Thanks so much for sending in your story. We're excited to hear about your progress and projects in the DSLR world. Your success is important to us and we'd like to help promote your film projects on our blog.

So please keep in touch. Stories and comments are generally reviewed and approved within 72 hours of submission. Once your story has been approved, you'll receive an email encouraging you to share your published story on Facebook. Every story you share on Facebook will enter you into that month's drawing for gear and other prizes from our sponsors.

We have decided to expand our services beyond just training you in the Canon HDSLR. We’d like to elevate your importance (and ranking) on the internet. To accomplish this we want to publish stories about each of our boot camp grads on our site, which is one of the top sites in the world for Canon DSLR training. All we need is your story.

Could you take a moment and just write a couple of paragraphs about how your filmmaking has been going since you took the Canon Boot Camp? We will publish it and let you know it’s out there. You can also send links to your videos and we’ll include that too to be placed in our graduate’s gallery. Lastly, we started the Canon Boot Camp because we saw our fellow filmmakers in the business going out business when the economy crashed a few years ago. So this initiative is simply an extension to get you work now that you’ve completed the training. We look forward to your story.

All the best -

Fletch and the Canon Boot Camp team.

P.S. Make sure to check the box below that allows our system to notify you when your story is published on our blog. Once your story is approved we’ll send you information on how to win free gear or other prizes from our monthly contests.