Project: Hearts on Fire Director: Alan Chebot

DP: Peter Simonite

DIT: David Kruta

Shortly after wrapping on Fairhaven, I had the opportunity and privilege to yet again work with DP Peter Simonite, under the leadership of Director Alan Chebot of Parallax Productions. Alan tasked us with slowing down time for Hearts on Fire, and we jumped into the project eagerly.

The concept of the spot explores the hard work needed to reach perfection - we see a figure skater practicing day in and day out, persevering until she accomplishes a difficult move perfectly. It represents the journey of a diamond from a rough stone in the ground to a perfectly cut sparkling gem, worthy of carrying the name Hearts on Fire.

From the very beginning, it was obvious that the only way we could get the slow motion footage at the quality Alan wanted was to shoot Phantom. Luckily, many things fell into place at the right time, and we found ourselves on the ice less than two weeks later, with a brand new Phantom Flex and a figure skater who could nail every move over and over with precision and grace.

Below, Director Alan Chebot and DP Peter Simonite discuss the next setup.

Running and gunning with the Sony F3 and Canon 5D

We had the privilege of being the first production to use their brand new Sony PMW-F3L, Sony’s answer to the AF-100, and I presume, RED. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to spend as much time with the camera as I would have liked, so this is more of a first-impressions report instead of a review.

Our camera package was provided by Rule Boston Camera. We used a Sony PMW-F3L, an Optimo 24-290 zoom and Cinedeck Extreme recorder, supported by the O’Connor 2575 head and Fisher 10 dolly (dolly supplied by High Output).

More or less, the camera struck me as an EX1/EX3 with a big chip and a proper PL lens mount. Much of the buttons and menus would be familiar to those experienced with the EX series. Another drawback of using it so early on is that Sony has not yet released their firmware update, which would have enabled both S-log and proper dual link HD-SDI outputs. We recorded single link HD-SDI to ProRes 422 HQ on the Cinedeck Extreme. Without thorough testing, my guess is that dynamic range is somewhere around 11 stops. This is mostly a guess comparing the image to my experience with RED and Alexa. Overall, I was not too impressed with the camera - for the price, I expected to see something more impressive than what is effectively a dSLR in a real body with an HD-SDI spigot. I’m reserving my judgement on this camera until the updated firmware is released, as I felt that there was a lot of potential that we were unable to explore.

In addition, we shot with two Canon 5Ds and a Canon 7D as rotating B-camera. We had a Lensbaby Control Freak on the first 5D, a Canon 24-70mm 2.8L on the second and a Canon 24mm 1.4L on the 7D, which I was using for overcranked shots. This was my first time using a Lensbaby, and was by far my favorite lens to work with as it provided a unique and different look that helped differentiate my footage from Peter’s on the F3. Yet again, these “cheap” little cameras proved to be a formidable match to a much more expensive system.

Below is our rig from Day 2, providing video village with monitoring, and getting some longer lens closeups with the Canon 70-200 2.8L IS.

Our first day was not without its hiccups, but we managed to solve them quickly and gracefully, and ended up with tons of footage. I’m looking forward to using the F3 again so I can really put it through its paces, and hopefully by then it will have the updated firmware.

Finding perfection with the Phantom Flex

Prior to the shoot, I met with Alan and the rest of the Parallax team to discuss Phantom workflow, both on set and in post. The first thing to note is that it’s not a cinema camera, so a lot changes in the normal flow of the set. It’s constantly recording, so no one calls “Roll camera!” - you just cut (or trigger) once the action ends. Most of the time, it’s so quick that no one calls “Cut!” either. Once the camera had been triggered, we usually played back the take to make sure we got what we wanted. I would trim, send to the Cinemag, and we would be ready to go again.

Hoping to relieve post of some heavy computing work and dealing with the raw Cine files, we decided to output to an external recorder: the Cinedeck Extreme. Originally we had planned to record dual link HD-SDI to ProRes4444 to give the colorist the most room with which to work, but it became apparent after the first take that the SSD in the recorder couldn’t handle such data rates. We switched to ProRes422 HQ and kept rolling.

We worked closely with David Kudrowitz of Rule to work through technical concerns on the Phantom Flex and Cinedeck. Both devices require a bit of TLC to get working right, but Dave and I were able to test and prepare for any situation we might encounter, and created backup plans as well in case anything went down or didn’t work as expected.

Overall, the Phantom Flex offers many benefits over the HD Gold, which I welcomed. It features a High Quality (HQ) mode, which reduces the need for constant black balancing, and let us spend more time shooting. When I did have to black balance, its internal shutter would close, and seconds later we would be ready to go. In addition, the menus are simpler and the buttons are more intuitive - or at least, less confusing.

If you need to shoot on a Super35 sized sensor at speeds greater than 60fps, the Flex would be my go-to camera in a heartbeat. The footage was stunning, workflow was relatively painless, and everyone was able to walk away happy.

It was an absolute pleasure working with the Parallax Productions team and our amazing crew. I’ll post the final commercial once it’s released.

Below, some more photos from the shoot:

Project: Fairhaven Director: Tom O’Brien

DP: Peter Simonite

DIT: David Kruta

This past Monday we rolled on Fairhaven, a feature film about three old friends with glory days well behind them who are reunited in their hometown of Fairhaven, MA for a weekend of booze, girls and an old-fashioned fisherman's wake.

The film stars writer/director Tom O’Brien, Chris Messina (Julie & Julia, Devil), Sarah Paulson (The Spirit, Serenity) and Rich Sommer (Mad Men).

I was hired as DIT to back up Director of Photography Peter Simonite and 1st AC Rob Bullard. For all of us, this was our first shoot with the Alexa, so we did a fair amount of testing to understand how it functions and how best to shoot with it.

We rented a basic camera package from Rule Camera in Boston, consisting of little more than the body, lenses, a small onboard monitor and batteries. Due to budget restrictions, we were only able to get the essentials, but so far, the camera’s capabilities have far exceeded our expectations.

Immediately we were impressed with the dynamic range. Advertised as 14 stops, you don’t really believe it until you see it, and when we did, we were blown away. Several times we shot what would normally be silhouette situations, with actors in front of the sun, and we would have good exposure on the background and their faces. Several shots involved an actor entering a house, and we did not need an iris rack or lighting inside to handle the scenario. This isn’t to say you should shoot without any light modification, but it does create an interesting environment in which it’s much easier to work with available light, and I believe the time savings can often offset the somewhat steep price of the camera.

My impression is that it’s very hard to underexpose or overexpose this camera. I like to keep the exposure around 1/2 to 1 stop over what it would look like finished, assuming we don’t clip any highlights. From my very unscientific standpoint, this seems to keep noise at a minimum. That being said, when it is dark, the noise is still acceptable. Several nighttime exteriors were lit with very little light, and we still managed enough exposure to sell the scene without getting much noise. We found that you actually see more into the blacks with ASA 1600, so we would use that when shooting nighttime. The most important piece of gear, in my opinion, is a good waveform monitor. Your eyes and a light meter will only get you so far, and a proper waveform can let you know that you’re getting the data you need.

Lastly, there is one thing that one should be very careful with when shooting on this camera: IR contamination. Since the native ASA is a very sensitive 800, stacking NDs is not uncommon. In fact, on a few outdoor shots, we had the equivalent of ND 2.1. Without a proper IR filter, or in our case, a ND .9 IR, your blacks will turn a muddy hue of purple and brown, and at such a high ND level, your greens and skintones will be affected. I’d suggest that at ND .9 or higher, you have an IR filter.

Overall, my first impression is that it’s hard to not make a nice image with the Alexa, and is perfect for almost any situation we found ourselves in, whether it’s huge differences from light to dark within a scene, shooting in low light or even going looser with handheld.

Of course, a pretty picture is no substitute for a great story, director and DP, but with the Alexa, it finally feels like the camera is getting out of the way and letting everyone’s best shine through.

Project: Au Revoir Simone - “Knight of Wands” Director: Eli Stonberg

DP: David Kruta

Steadicam Operator: Jeff Melanson

Today marked the debut of Au Revoir Simone’s “Knight of Wands”, off of the band’s third album, Still Night, Still Light. Check it out right now at theknightofwands.com. We shot this video in Brooklyn, NY with a small crew in a tiny apartment over the course of one day. Once again, it was a pleasure working with director Eli Stonberg.

Mashable had a nice writeup of it. An excerpt is below.

“The video, directed by Eli Stonberg (who has worked with bands like Passion Pit and Nada Surf) and illustrated by Chris Sanchez is a creative effort that asks audience members to directly interact with the music and the world the band has spun via melody.

Videos like this — and those created by musicians like Arcade Fire and Andy Grammer — demonstrate how the oeuvre of the music video is changing as the web continues to become a destination for music and entertainment.”

Once you click “Play,” you are taken to a coloring book page featuring band members Heather D’Angelo, Erika Forster and Annie Hart standing in what appears to be a haunted house. A palette of colors to the left allow you to fill in the world they inhabit, and, as you paint, a phantom flits through the frame, adding to the eerie atmosphere created by a song drenched in keyboards, dreamy vocals and periodic handclaps.

You can also watch the video on Vimeo, and be sure to check out director Eli Stonberg’s site.

Earlier this month, David Kruta and Jeff Melanson of Enki Studios flew to Dubai to shoot a feature with Jonathan Bregel and Khalid Mohtaseb of Next Level Pictures. We are wrapping up the last few days of production here and heading to Bangkok soon. During our downtime, Jeff and I have been collecting footage for a montage of the city. Below are some quick stills I pulled and graded. Dubai is an incredible city and offers a rich variety of culture and sights. I’ll post more as they come along, so make sure to check back for updates.

Footage shot on Canon 7D and Canon 5D MKII with Canon zooms and Zeiss ZE primes.

Project: Source Director: Will Simmons

DP: David Kruta

Gaffer: Jordan Parrott

Steadicam Operator: Jeff Melanson

1st AC: Teresa Rhinehart

Earlier this year, director Will Simmons approached me to shoot a pitch teaser for his feature length script "Source".

A century after the nuclear holocaust, mankind drifts towards the precipice of extinction. The discovery of a source of infinite energy ignites hope for the future, but its whereabouts are shrouded in secrecy and controlled by those who lust for power. After an enslaved mercenary uncovers the truth, he must decide whether to fight for survival or sacrifice for the greater good.

An ambitious project, we shot 14 pages over the course of four days, including extensive action sequences shot handheld and with Steadicam.

We shot on RED with the Mysterium sensor and Red Pro Primes. I lit the background with three ARRI 1.2k HMIs with 1/4 CTO, and subjects with a 1k tungsten in a 32" chinese lantern. Specials were scattered around the set to provide accents, in the form of 300w and 650w tungsten fresnels, and incandescent practicals.

Below, my crew and I prep a shot as the actors review the scene.

Here, 1st AC Teresa Rhinehart and I discuss a shot. We made extensive use of Steadicam, and due to our small lighting package, we shot wide open most of the time. Luckily, Teresa is a fantastic focus puller and was able to nail most shots on the first take.

Will and I spent a significant amount of time discussing the world in which the story is set, and how the environment would look, in addition to how a group of mercenaries would light a warehouse with practicals. Glowsticks came up early in the discussion, but were scrapped because of their limited glow time.

Overall, the look of "Source" is dark, and I focused on using silhouettes and darkness to accentuate this. As you can see, there are almost no hair or edge lights used, and the actors faces would go from light and fall off into darkness. Unfortunately, the M sensor doesn't do well with low light, so I exposed a bit brighter than the final look, which will show in the final grade.

Gaffer Jordan Parrott really came through on this shoot. In the below shot, he was able to edge the gun from the right of frame with a special, without casting light or a shadow on the ground.

Overall, the shoot was a fantastic experience with a great cast and crew, and I look forward to seeing this made into a full feature.

The "Source" teaser is currently in post-production and will be released soon.