Films with Empathy

Every now and again, when writing a treatment, I find myself describing one of the objectives is “to create a sense of empathy.” And this short stood out to me as an example of when a film can sucker punch you right in the feels.

I also noticed a few parallels as it relates to the kind of work we do. For example, the scene with Salote and her manager could be compared to some of the communication and coaching themes that we deal with from time to time. Likewise, the idea that “everyone has a story” and “you never know what another person is going through” is a concept we've explored on a few occasions and I specifically like how, in this example, the audience is learning Salote's true motives along with the supporting characters - the misdirection is very clever.

Lastly, this film is simply shot really well. I would be interested in thinking about how we might be about to bring this sort of cinematic quality to our work as well.

Night Shift from Zia Mandviwalla on Vimeo.

Killing Kennedy

I recently had an opportunity to help consult on a music video for a buddy of mine. He's a photographer by trade and he was describing the setup they had for a scene that takes place at night in the woods - they had everything from four generators, a handful of 2K fresnel lights, a 12'x 12' silk, and a bunch of other really fun gear to make it happen.

The whole thing got me thinking about how relatively "light" we roll sometimes. That's not meant to be self-deprecating - I know we do what we do for very specific reasons. It also brought to mind this promo piece created for the History Channel by Variable, Killing Kennedy. It kind of blew me away to see just how much work went into this little 00:47 promo. For example, the attention to detail (they shot all the "home movie" scenes using actual film that should have expired in the 60's), the otherwise spartan set (basically a backdrop and a motorcade), and just the way everything was cut together in reverse from Lee Harvey Oswald's point of view really captured my attention.

Killing Kennedy from Variable on Vimeo.

Killing Kennedy - Behind the Scenes from Variable on Vimeo.

Looking forward to Winter...

Philips hired Sweetgrass Productions to create branded entertainment for their new Ambilight TV. While this technique has been done before I don't think I have seen it done this well.

AFTERGLOW - Lightsuit Segment from Sweetgrass Productions on Vimeo.

Notes on Blindness

I was looking through my watch-laters on Vimeo and I wanted to highlight this piece from the New York Times (who has a lot of great videos, btw).

I really like Notes on Blindness not only because it's an interesting dramatization (a genre/style I would like to explore a little more) but because the way they give the viewer a feeling of blindness through the sound design and the selective focus.

Notes on Blindness from The New York Times - Video on Vimeo.

Hundred Waves - Cavity

Really cool use of light and overlays.

Canon Cinema EOS Reels

As much as I wish they were my reels, these are two reels from Canon that debuted at NAB and PhotoPlus in 2013 showcasing work created with the Cinema EOS series of cameras (C100, C300, C500, 5D, and 1DX).

There are two things that stood out to me about these reels...

Firstly, the C100, 300, and 500 share the same sensor but different guts so I'm surprised how different the images that they produce can be. Some look very cinematic while other are prone to that "video" look. I'm really interested in getting that film-look with our C100. And secondly, because everyone is posting their reels (be it real or fake - Brent), I like the way they incorporated musical changes and even sound effects into the reel. Things like the carefully placed chimes and echoes make it feel more like a trailer than a reel.

Deliver The Story: The Canon Showreel at PhotoPlus 2013 from Canon Pro on Vimeo.

Canon Professional Cameras – On set and on location from Canon Pro on Vimeo.

P.S. There's a lot of good, educational, and inspirational stuff on Canon Pro's Vimeo account.

Edgar Wright and the Art of Close-Ups

Most of us are familiar with Edgar Wright's cinematic handwriting; tongue-in-cheek humor, fast-paced zooms, and whip-pans. Here Wright explains his use of distinguished close-ups.

Edgar Wright and the Art of Close-Ups from David Chen on Vimeo.

We Are Brothers

Two brothers were asked to be the best men at their older brother's wedding. Instead, they made this video. Its well shot, well planned, minimal, 80s and delightfully strange.

Anthony Scott Burns - MANIFOLD

These two teasers are blowing my mind. The first two establishing shots that involve cars are just incredible. And I'm very quickly looking forward to filming something "meant" for black and white. The compositions are out of control; I want to shoot like this...

However, I don't see why this person would want anyone to embed his stuff. I apologize for the hyperlinks...

MANIFOLD - Teaser 1

MANIFOLD - Teaser 2

Imagine the Possibilities - C100 Edition

This is kind of an extension of a previous post of mine. I'm a recent subscriber to the Cinematic Canon C100 channel on Vimeo; I'm always interested what other people are doing with similar equipment.

I've included a few of my favorite examples below. How can we continue to push our gear and get the most out of it?

Instant from Neighborhood Sandbox on Vimeo.

Carry On Only - Short Film from Chris Loope on Vimeo.

West of the Moon

While the concept of adapting the words of children is nothing new, I feel this piece executes it in a really original and classy way. The story is loosely based on the dreams of several hundred children.

West of the Moon from Brent Bonacorso on Vimeo.

Canon Cinema EOS - Branded Entertainment

There are a bunch of these branded entertainment films on Canon's site but here are the few that were showcased at the content theater at NAB. Each film highlights a specific Cinema EOS camera (C100, C300, C500 and the 1DC). I'm also including the Behind the scenes for each film. I think one idea is that could take a similar approach and talk about our experiences with each camera in addition to filming something...

C100

C300

C500

1DC

Philip Bloom - On the Topic of Everything

This is a podcast interview with Philip Bloom. There's a very insightful dialogue around 27:00 where Philip talks about the obsession with technology that can ultimately distract filmakers from the other important components of cinematography. He also talks about the concept of having the right tools for the right job.

Very cool thirty minutes.

Imagine the Possibilities

Can't get afford a new camera? I'm no David Ayling either. Never fear, you just haven't pushed your current gear to the limit!

While thinking about the cinematography related possibilities of our, soon to be film festival winning, film I was looking at what other people are doing with their AF-100's.

Below are just some examples. One may look familiar. Imagine the possibilities...

Pacifica from Marlon Torres on Vimeo.

The Politics of Competitive Board Gaming Amongst Friends from Jay Cheel on Vimeo.

"A Verse Before Dying" from Proof, Inc. on Vimeo.

Moonshot Thinking

Another post by way of Justin Tiell. I feel it's in the same vien as the Honda Dream series. Nice video.

Johnnie Walker - Walk

Where to start? The writing? The epic tracking shot? Very awesome piece.

Johnnie Walker : Walk from George Nimeh on Vimeo.

Speed Booster

What if I told you that we could take our Canon 24-70mm f2.8 lens, reduce the crop factor and even make it sharper and faster (like f2.0). Well, Metabones has done it. It's aptly named the Speed Booster. I don't fully understand it's wizardry yet but here's the full article.

Metabones Speed Booster lens test from James Miller on Vimeo.

Cranboard

No Church in the Wild

While trying to find a song like this for Pulte I actually watched the music video and it was MUCH better than i expected.

Jay Z & Kanye West "No church in the wild" from ROMAIN-GAVRAS on Vimeo.

Technical: The blacks never hit total black. The grain is minimal, there is some light use of sound in the beginning but its kept to a clean minimal usage to allow the song to the the rest of the talking. And talk it does. Esthetic: Every shot is iconic. No frame is wasted. Green Lasers are cool. Fire is cooler.

Pineapple Press & Design

At long last, the Pineapple Press mini doc is officially done. I struggled for a long time trying to make really different from the rest of the vimeo-like mini docs out there. But at the end of the day, I'm really pleased with the shots that Dave and I got; even if it is in the same vein as all the others.

Pineapple Press & Design from Joshua Lightle on Vimeo.