Decomposing Wayne

The Cast and Crew for ‘Decomposing Wayne’

Hey there blog world!   So what i’m writing about is something a little different.  It’s not necessarily an event that happened in San Francisco, but more so an event that I experienced.  This past weekend myself, and the crew for a short film I’ve been producing trekked out to Southern California to film.  The short film directed by Matt West, is the meeting of old friends, the twist is that one is turning into a zombie.

Zach Hensler as Wayne

It was such an amazing weekend!  Our location was one of the best locations I’ve ever shot at.  It was an abandoned water park called Rockahoola off of the 15N towards Las Vegas.  The park looked as if it was running one day and just abandoned.  It was the ruins of a 50s themed water park.  The best part about it was that it felt like it was abandoned specifically for the film.

Matthew Rome Director of Photography and John Steen as Andrew Mueller

It was an intense 2 days of shooting in the desert.  It just made me appreciate all the people I work and go to school with.  It was shot on a 7d, by Matt Rome, with the talented Nico Van den Berg by his side as 1st AC.  The footage looks great.  Even the pain of the cold and extreme winds worked for our favor.

I’m so proud the work that we have been producing, not only with this project (Decomposing Wayne), but with most of the projects I’ve been a part of.  I couldn’t have asked for a better group of people to work with.

There is one more shoot for Decomposing Wayne before we wrap it up and start post production on this project.  The film is expected to be out within the next couple of months.

Baby in the sky with Bonzom

Originally posted by Bran Dougherty-Johnson over at Motionographer, Jack-Antoine Charlot of Bonzom has made another remarkably beautiful 2d animation for yet another client. This time its Global Fund and the project is a P.S.A that raises awareness of HIV infection with mothers and children. Being that I am also working on a related topic with Marc Smolowitz and The HIV Story Project this short animation really caught my attention. The intricate patterning and psychedelic tones set this P.S.A to be very imaginative, creative and effective. This usually is not the case with public service announcements as we all may agree. Hats off to Passion Paris for exposing this unique sequence of images and supporting a wonderful cause, way to give back with our community while creating something innovative at the same time!

Credits:
Client: Global Fund
Title: Baby In The Sky
Agency: Global Fund
Production Company: Passion Paris Production
Directors: Jack Antoine Charlot@Bonzom
Executive Producer: Marc Bodin-Joyeux & Claire Potel
Animation Production: JSCB (Je Suis Bien Content)
Production manager: Marc Jousset, Perrine Capron
Script Scenario & Idée Originale: Olivier BARDY & Jack Antoine Charlot
Storyboard: Kalkaire
Art Developement: Kalkaire
Animation: Guillaume Delaunay, Dimitri Lecoussis, Damien Barrau, Davy Durand
Compositing: François Leroy, Jimmy Audoin
Sound Design studio: Dîner au Motel
Sound Designer: Michael Fakesch & Stéphane Papin
Voice Over: Carla Bruni Sarkozy
Music: Amy Winehouse / Universal “Black is back”

Cinematic look: Color Correction!

So, we’re in the age of a digital revolution in filmmaking! A lot of filmmakers are  starting to use more digital cameras such as:  cannon 5d, cannon 7d ,Panasonic HPX 170, Sony XD cam EX, etc. And the quality from these cameras are great, but it’s so sharp, so clear, too digital, it doesn’t look very cinematic. So  how do i get it to look more like I shot with a film camera you may ask? Well you can’t,  unless you have have a budget to spend money on expensive lenses and adapters, and even though you are able to switch lenses on the cannons to give a cinematic look and create nice depth of field you can manipulate your footage in many ways to look pretty close, but today I am only going to discuss how to get that cinematic look  during post-production for films shot on any type of digital camera simply by color correcting your footage.

Now to achieve this look you need to have the Final Cut Pro (FCP) software that has the Color Correction-3 way video filter. Ok, so let’s begin!

1. First, import your footage into FCP (if you haven’t already), then drag it to the timeline.

2. Now, you want to duplicate your clip and place it on top of one another.

3. Now apply the Color Correction 3 way filter to both clips. Now on the top clip, you want to desaturate it so it looks like this:

4. Next, right click on the top clip, then go to “composite mode”, and select “Soft Light”

5. Then double click on the bottom clip and go to the Color Correction 3 way tab and adjust the Blacks, Mid-tones, and Whites. (Note: the settings for each varies for every clip because all shots are different, so there is no one way of adjusting your Blacks, Mid-tones, and Whites.)

6. After I adjusted my Blacks, Mid-tones, and Whites, I added  two black bars on top and the bottom of my clip to give it a more “Cinematic look”.

Adobe CS5: The Ups and Downs of the First Month

Welcome fellow Techie Talkers to the first ever Technology Trend Article of Blogerandi!

For my first article, I wanted to take you through an overview of the new Adobe CS5 along with the excitements and dramatics that follow it.  It has only been released for a month and there are already hundreds of reviews online about it.

Starting with the “ups” of the software, I’ve learned there is quite a bit that CS5 has to offer; especially to marketing and designing firms.  There is a new online workflow that integrates with CS5 called Adobe CS Live.  It helps you manage the creative output from creation to production, while allowing collaboration between the marketers, designers, and their clients.  Even better, the CS Live services are free.  Only for a limited time though before you will have to subscribe to it.

The big “downer” for Adobe this month was the announcement by Apple that they will not be using the new and improved Flash for the upcoming iPhone 4.  When asked about Apple’s decision, Adobe’s CEO, Shantanu Narayen, stated that it was a business decision as opposed to a technological one that will ultimately hurt customers.  For those of you who don’t know, Flash is a tool that lets designers rapidly create detailed interfaces and interactive content without writing code.  The updated Flash is designed so “…publisher partners and customers can distribute their content to the variety of devices emerging,” says CEO Shantanu Narayen.  Don’t shed tears for Adobe though.  While they may lack the support of Apple, they have many other power house companies lining up to take advantage including:  Google, Verizon, LG, Comcast and many more.  Adobe is predicting that there will be versions of Flash available for smart phones and tablets as soon as the 2nd half of this year.

Lastly, I wouldn’t be able to mention the new software without talking about the new and improved Photoshop!  There are some new gizmos and gadgets in this version that are sure to tantalize even the most serious of designers.  To name just a few, there is now an HDR Toning effect to apply to your photos to really make you look like a professional.  HDR photos have intense light and shadows which makes them visually stunning.  This effect lets you apply this using one of your own photos as a base.  The Repousse´ is a new 3D feature which will extrude 3D objects and even cast a shadow.  There are also some New Brush Types that mimic the real thing.  They have included flat, pointed, angled and fanned brushes that come with settings that will allow you to copy almost any brush an artist would use.  Along with that, the Bristle Brush Preview window shows you the shape of your brush in real time while you move it.

Well, if this doesn’t make you want to go out and upgrade, I don’t know what will!  You can always go to the Adobe website and download a free trial to make sure you want to spend the dough.  If you already have CS5 and this was all old news to you, just tune in next week.  My topics will be different every time.  Thanks for reading!

Written by:  Stephanie Miller

Source Links:  www.cs5.org; www.brusheezy.com; www.zdnet.com

I Cant Stop!

I know this site isnt about skateboarding but all of you are going to have to deal with my choice this week. Ty Evans is one of the best skateboard cinematographers on this continent and with working closley amongst Spike Jonze and influences stemming from Stacy Peralta one has to think how some of that creativity couldnt help but rub off on him. Ty sets the stage for generations to come and has stepped out bold with this stunning visual splendor of a Nestle commercial. Bob Burnquist drops in to a bowl of balloons and manages to get up on numerous chunky moves. So, if you dont like skateboarding please forgive me but this ad is one of the most creative shorts that I have seen in a while. Heat it up Ty!

“I want my films to look like that: What kind of camera did you use?”

So when a lot of people see  a lot of professional looking videos on youtube, vimeo or whatever other video sharing site online, done by amateur and independent filmmakers, they want their films to look the same way and they wonder what kind of camera the film was shot on so they can achieve that same look.  And so, people go out and buy the same camera and they go out and point and shoot, then they view their footage and are not pleased with the results.

So, I’m here to tell you a few tips on how to get a more professional looking video,  before you go out and buy those expensive cameras, lens,  etc, you should keep this  in mind: composition(shot design).

Composition:

Like I mentioned earlier, some people just go out in the field, turn on their camera, then setup their subject, and finally press record, without really studying what’s in frame or how interesting the shot looks. No, matter how expensive your camera is, or how good the quality is, shot design is key.  A good idea to remember when designing a shot (even though this may sound repetitive to some filmmakers), is the Rule of Thirds. Think about what’s in the foreground, the middle ground, background, the center of the frame, the left of the frame, and the right of the frame.  Try framing your shots using objects, for instance, placing objects in the foreground, which can add depth and character to your shot. Try using something in the environment to obstruct part of your shot. For example, place a piece of furniture in your foreground and shoot past it by framing it to the extreme right or left. You can shoot through open doors, where the doorjamb frames the edges of the screen. Just be careful, however, you don’t want to overdo it.

Good composition should help create a mood. The next time you watch a movie, or a music video, or any professional film, pay attention to how the cinematographer frames the shots, and study how they set up shots for certain scenarios. You may even notice that he/she uses the rule of thirds as a foundation, and builds from there.  Not saying that the rule of thirds is the only way to a great shot, overall, just be creative and don’t just go out and point and shoot.

Below is a video that gives examples of how to go from an ordinary framing to a more professional cinematic shot.

Spaz if you want to

On Saturday May 8th was a night of free music and drinks, thanks to social networking media!

Through Twitter, I found out about a FREE N.E.R.D. & ASHER ROTH show happening, the night of the at an undisclosed location.  My friends and I anxiously waited around for Tweets.  We finally got instructed to send an e-mail requesting information for the show, from then we would get an e-mail informing us of the venue that the show would take place.  Already we were drawn into this event, we felt like secret agents waiting for our super secret confidential instructions from the man.  Finally we recieved the location,  no it wasn’t Slim’s or Bottom of the Hill, in fact it wasn’t even a traditional Music Venue.

It was…

The European Collision Center off of 12th and Howard in San Francisco, CA

The event was promoted by Kin, a new phone made by Verizon dedicated to Social Networking!   Right when I got into the line to get in, I was immediately exposed to this new phone.  There were promoters moving through the line showing off this new innovative phone, and even taking pictures of everybody in line.   If you were there, all the pictures are posted on Kin’s Facebook.

There was hardly any downtime for people to even get a chance to get bored.  There was always a DJ playing if there wasn’t a performer on stage.  The first performer was Asher Roth.  Soon after was N.E.R.D.

Even after all the performers were done, the DJ continued to play, and everybody just danced the night away!  All in all it was an amazing night, I mean FREE DRINKS, FREE MUSIC, FREE SHOW, FREE SWAG, what else can you ask for?

Kin is definitely doing it right.   Make sure you add them on facebook or twitter,  there’ constantly having free secret shows!

Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/KIN

Twitter
http://www.twitter.com/KIN

YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/KIN

Official Site
http://www.KIN.com

Nico of The Mountain

Two years ago I packed up my bags threw everything I owned in to a u-haul including my girlfriend and set sail for the lovely city of San Francisco to embark on a creative journey that opened my eyes to new ideas and people. The Art Institute of California – San Francisco was my destination. when I arrived after hours of a frustrated highway 5 driving and saying goodbye to the safe waters of southern California I met a stranger by the name of Nico T. van den berg; dutch translation – Nico of The Mountain. We both noticed each other quickly as we were the only two wearing stripped pirate shirts and skate shoes, this was my people and I knew that this would be the beginning of a solid friendship. I asked him what he liked to do and he said “ to film skateboarding” and I agreed that I liked to film skateboarding. He told me that he dreamed of being a skate cinematographer and that it was his goal upon graduating our film program. Being that my job was to film skateboarders, should I say adult babies, for more than 10 years of my life, I told him that it didn’t make sense to waste 80k on an education to make a 30 year old men jump down a bunch of stairs and that he was better off without it. His face lowered and he instantly shrugged his shoulders and mumbled a disappointed reaction, I had crushed the dreams of an eager soul. As ironic as this may sound, Iʼm glad that I told him to kick that dream and when I say this its only because he has developed himself in to one of the best young
cinematographers that I have ever had the pleasure of working with and being around. Recently he has been working with the canon 7D and perfecting his technique by doing various test shoots that could make Philip Bloom check the front of his pants twice. Nico has been pushing the limits of digital filmmaking, he is experimenting with new ideas and perfecting his method that many fall victim to madness. He truly is part
of the digital revolution and soon the world will be victim to pants wetting due to his work. So may it be heard and be heard loud, Nico T. van den Berg is a great guy, awesome friend and an excellent cinematographer.

These are recent test shoot videos Nico has posted on vimeo, all using the Canon 7D and select photo files to add to the feel of his visual experience. Stay updated on his productions with my blog the digital wave.

Hello!

Well Hello fellow Bloguys and Bloguettes!

This is the first ever post from the writers of BLOGERANDI.  We are a blog dedicated to exposing viewers of fun and interesting subjects in art, entertainment, and new media.   How are we doing this you ask?  Let me tell you,  there are four of us behind this crew, with each one of us tackling a different topic:

Dana: Film and Video Innovations, creative short films, motion graphics, 3d animation, etc.

Stephanie: New Software and technology

Aquavis: Tips for cheap filmmaking and D.I.Y.

I (Jaena): Events and Reviews including: art shows, films, and live events that are special and fun.

You can find out more about us on the About The Authors page.

We strive to support creative endeavors within artists of every realm by sharing content, and directing viewers to sites that are interesting and beneficial.  So check back regularly from updates from our four authors!