Let’s start off in the beginning, for me the ability to utilize sound was really what got me into video to begin with. With a background in photography, I felt limited in how much depth I could go into with my story through one image. Discovering the ability to utilize sound and motion through video was pretty amazing. Yeah, I know, it’s been around since before the invention of “talkies” but for me to have control over the emotion my audience felt by combining picture and sound was, and continues to be, immensely inspiring.

So hello video and hello to all the challenges that come with learning a new medium. My first investment in sound was a shotgun mic and a wireless pack. Now fast forward a bit and here comes the 5d and all of a sudden I have to start recording sound externally because prior to this I always relied on my XL2 and XHA1′s inputs. We purchased two Zoom H4N’s and continued on happily until we started to run into some severe issues – corrupt files. I was absolutely terrified after this and vowed that from there on out, I would find a sound guy/gal that I could call a friend. Well, like all great plans, it didn’t work out that easily. The budget wasn’t always there so we’d find ourselves setting up multiple backups just in case one of the Zooms decided to get moody again. It did and luckily we had backups but we had had enough. We wanted to step up our game with our audio capabilities and start to teach ourselves more. I will gladly admit that if I had the time I would go back to school and study sound engineering. However, for those of you who know me, you know I say that about pretty much any specialty that has anything to do with running a business and creating films. Right around the time I was seriously considering applying to different schools, we attended a workshop hosted by Adam Forgione. He was focusing on post but he really impressed me with his wealth of knowledge and just how energetic and passionate he was for sound. I immediately wanted to learn more so eventually when we finally had our chance to host a multi-day educational workshop, Masters In Motion, we brought Adam out to teach people the art of sound. We learned so much that day. Adam has a way of breaking down extremely complex topics into simple concepts. He really blew my mind.

After Masters In Motion we had a long, almost never ending list of equipment we wanted to buy and we made the decision that we would invest in our work by the end of the year. What a great decision. We’ve had so much fun learning how to use all our new gear and we wanted to share what we got and why so here you go:

Edirol / Roland R-44 Solid-State Four-Channel Portable Field Recorder – $1095.00

This thing is a beast yet it weighs under three pounds. With the R-44 you can record up to four channels of  audio at several different bit rates and sampling frequencies – up to 24-bit/192kHz. Another great feature is the quality of the pre-amp. We’ve used it a few times and haven’t run into any problems at all. It came highly recommended by our good friends Adam Forgione and John Hyland so I’m sure we made the right choice. In case you’re wondering how to use it exactly, check out Adam’s video at the bottom of this post.

Roland R-05 Portable 24-bit Digital Audio Recorder – $199.00

We were fed up with wireless mics so this was the solution. The unit is super small so it’s easy to hide in a pocket. We also have a wired pack that we use occasionally but this is great for mobility and if you don’t have a dedicated boom operator. Honestly, I’m not crazy about not being able to monitor sound during the entire shoot but as I mentioned before I always setup multiple options especially in a one take environment.





Rode NTG-3 Basic Shotgun Microphone Kit – $999.95

One of the coolest things about this mic is that it’s very close in quality to the sennheiser 416 but this one is cheaper. Also, the line-gradient supercardioid polar pattern is much more forgiving. So, if you don’t have the shotgun aimed 100% correctly it’ll still pick it up. Regardless of whether or not you get the kit, make sure you get the boom pole with the XLR running through the actual pole. It makes life a lot easier. We’ve used it a few times so far and the setup is simple: boom pole on a stand with this mic up top. What a difference from our previous lavalier mic setup. To get all the technical specs, check out this great write up on B&H.

Tram TR50 – Omnidirectional Lavalier Condenser Microphone (Black) – $239.99

This lavalier microphone is super small which is great because you can hide it very easily. What’s even better is if you place it right you can eliminate all that nasty fabric sound you used to get. We got this to specifically use with the Roland R-05. If you think this is really expensive for a lav mic, keep in mind that your audio is only going to be as good as the weakest link so we considered this a worthy investment.

Shure SM58-LC – Cardioid Handheld Dynamic Microphone – $99.00

What a great, reasonably priced, microphone. For years, this has been an industry standard, go to work horse, so it was really a no-brainer. It’s a durable and well built mic. You can tell just by picking it up. We got this for live events so that if we can’t plug into a board, then we can mic the actual speaker by putting this mic on our mic stand and running the XLR into the R-44.




We purchased all of the products for our sound setup because they came highly recommended by Adam. He’s a great teacher and is always willing to share a wealth of information, so if you have the opportunity to check him out, definitely do it. To find out about his upcoming workshops, click here.
If you’re thinking of buying the R-44 or even if you have it, Adam put together this great video on how to use it:

Another thing that I really love about Joe is his constant drive for education. He believes in continuing his own education and sharing his knowledge to others. Him and Kevin Shahinian will be doing a workshop on the C300 in Vegas. It’s going to be a hands-on workshop using the camera, leaning the menus and workflow. They will also be teaching about producing commercial work with small crews, directing, cinematography, budgeting etc. It’s going to be a lot of fun. It’s limited to 15 people so everyone will get a lot of hands on time with both Kevin and Joe and the camera. You can find out more here -http://www.eventcinemaworkshop.com

So, back to the topic at hand: We had the chance to spend some time with Joe this week at In:Focus Event in Charleston. When I heard that our friend Daniel Bérubé of Boston Creative Pro User Group would be there representing Canon with the c300, I immediately wanted to get my hands on it. Luckily we got permission play with the camera for about an one hour around Charleston. Now, let me just say that Joe Simon is a machine… This maniac was flying the c300 on the Glidecam with an 85mm lens. I tried using it a bit but, much to my chagrin, I have to admit that the rig was a bit too heavy for me. I’m sure Joe will laugh when he reads that because I constantly tell him that I am just as strong and would run circles around him if given the chance. I don’t really think that but it’s good to have goals in life. So anyways, we also got to use the brand new Kessler Crane Stealth and it was oh so nice. Since neither Joe or I were planning on shooting anything during the trip to Charleston, we barely had any gear. Joe brought a Manfrotto 755 carbon fiber tripod with the 701 head and we were actually just able to use that with the Stealth and the c300. We were also fortunate enough to have the good folks from Lens Pro To Go provide us with some extra primes, a lite panel, and the glidecam.

Alright so let’s get past what everyone is talking about, the specs. Unfortunately, I’m barely gonna touch on that. There are multiple comparisons, discussions, and technical tests on almost every single filmmaking blog and, honestly, I will not be buying any of the recent camera releases because it’s not right for ME (another post on that topic to come soon).

Here’s the low down ~ It’s $15,999 for the body only and it has a 35mm CMOS sensor capable of up to 4k resolution. It’s beautiful and I’m hoping that some wonderful person buys it for me but I don’t really need it. Regardless, I loved getting to play with the camera and was so impressed by the low light capabilities and how light and easy it was to use. Yes, I want it really, really badly but sadly, it’s not in the cards right now. Of course, I get to live vicariously through Joe Simon since he has made the investment in this bad ass camera so let’s find out why…

Q+A

- prior to our shoot, what has been your experience been with the c300?

Before this shoot I had touched a C300 in Austin at the Canon event, I looked through the menus and played with it for about 10 mins. Not much time but it was nice to have a little experience before this shoot.

- with all the new cameras being released, what made you chose to purchase the c300?

I’ve been wanting a new camera that will solve the current issues that I have with the 5D (alaising, Jello, moire), but that could still use Canon lenses and can be used for broadcast productions. As I’m moving into the commercial production market I want something I can use to create the content as efficiently as I have been doing with the 5D. A camera that I can use with my current support gear and can still fly on the Glidecam. I like to run my crew pretty small and this camera will allow me to do this. I need something that I can use with minimal lighting, by minimal I mean lower wattage battery powered LEDs to light scenes. The dynamic range and highlight rolloff is great with the C300 and it’s such a big difference from the 5D. The 5D has been a great camera but the C300 will allow me to push things to the next level. I thought about getting the scarlet, but what kept me from going that route was the weight, post workflow and poor low light capability. If I do need something better for a shoot I will be renting a Epic or Alexa.

- how does it compare to other’s that you’ve shot with or owned?

Having shot on the 5D/7D for the past few years it was a bit different finding what button did what on the C300. Once I did find my way around it was great. I do love the way the C300 feels in my hands, the grip is nice. It’s a bit heavier then the 5D but feels super solid. It’s amazing to have all those “Video” features back like peaking , XLR, headphone jack etc. Technically the image looks beautiful, the highlight rolloff is great and coming from the 5D where the highlights blowout, this is awesome. I know everyone keeps say the grain looks nice, but it really does. It looks more organic then the digital noise you get from the 5Ds. I’m looking forward to getting more time with the camera so I can push it and see what I can create. I’m really looking forward to grading in DaVinci and pushing the codec.

* There was a question on Vimeo about seeing no difference from the 5d and Joe Simon gave a great answer that I thought I’d share on here:

“Here are a few shots that the 5D would have failed –

- Wide shot of the road would have had Moire on the bricks in both he slider and glidecam shots
- Close up of girl world have had alaising on her eyelashes and hair
- Final shot would not have been possible as the C300 was at f5.6 and iso 12,400, you would not have been able to have stopped the 5D down enough to create this shot.

In reality this was not the best use of the camera, this is when the camera was available and I wanted to test it on the Glidecam. But what I love is that I did not have to worry about the above issues because this camera just works and gives you more options. ”

Here is the c300 piece I had the pleasure of working with Joe on.
* We used Canon L lenses – 14mm, 35mm, 50mm and 85mm on the Glidecam.
* Special thanks to Canon, Daniel Bérubé, Lens Pro To Go, Kessler Crane, The Music Bed, In:Focus, and our lovely model, Therese Farrow.

Arri Compact Fresnel Three-Light Kit $1799.00

Why did I buy them? Well, I had seen these in action a few times when I’ve shot with Kevin Ritchie and I loved how much throw they had. I also wanted one kit that I could pretty much take anywhere and setup for an interview. A lot of people have questioned my decision on getting Arri lights when I could buy something cheaper but I really wanted a name I knew I could trust and hey, this is no cheap investment…. I want these bad boys to last for years!


Lowel Rifa eX 88 Kit $806.00

Why did I buy this? Well to be honest, this was no where on my list before my phone call to Khalid Mohtaseb. I was planning on just getting a 5 light kit from Arri instead but I’m glad I didn’t. The Rifa sets up in not time… One of the selling points is the “60-second set-up time” I’m a bit slower than that but it’s definitely fast. It gives off super soft and very flattering light but what I really like about it is the softbox is already attached so you can just unfold it super quick. So, needless to say, Khalid convinced me to add this to the arsenal.


Fancier 1000 LED Light Panel Dimmable Light Panel $299.99

Why did I buy this random LED? I was getting ready to click buy when I spoke to John Hyland and he started telling me about his experience with hot lights and how he had just gotten these great lights. Since he was so happy with them and was planning to buy more, I figured I’d pick one up and try it. I loved the fact that it had a dimmer on it and figured it would be easy to put a CTB on my Arri and incorporate this LED. I didn read a ton of great reviews on this light but I also heard a lot of people complaining on twitter about how green the light is. I bought a 1/2 minus green just in case but as you’ll see below, I did not have this issue.

So those are all the lights I got. There are way too many accessories to list but here’s a few of my favorites thus far:

Matthews RoadRags Kit $192.80 ~ I love these. Really quick and easy to use.

CineBags CB-06 Gel Roll $28.95 ~ Perfect for storing all my gels.

Rosco CTB Color Conversion Gel Filters (full, 1/2, & 14/) $4.99 – $5.79 per gel








Rosco Diffusion Kit $89.95

Rosco Cinegel Sampler Kit $33.99 – This is a great mix… It has some great gels that I can quickly throw on my Arri lights.

So I had everything I needed and the main test was going to be actually putting all of these to the work. We had been planning on shooting the first episode of our new cooking show for editors for a while now but I wanted to wait till we had all our new gear. What I didn’t think about was just how small our kitchen is and how challenging lighting my first scene ever would me. I wasn’t expecting it to be easy but I didn’t really think how hard it would be to deal with space limitations, glass everywhere, and way too many stainless steel appliances. Part of me wanted to call someone or tweet out messages for help but I really wanted to try to challenge myself so I could learn as I went on and let me tell you, I learned a TON and also realized that I have so much more to learn. Ok, so on to the nitty gritty…

Scene 1:

The first scene we shot was at night so it was perfect because there was barely any natural light coming in through the giant windows in the kitchen. I setup the Rifa in the right corner of the kitchen and if I could have gone back further I would have but hey, space was tight so I did what I could. Next up I setup the Arri 650 in the left corner of the kitchen as far back as I could and put a double scrim on it along with another double scrim from my road rag kit. No, not ideal but I already have a dimmer in my shopping cart for tight situations. I also kicked myself later and said why didn’t I just bounce the light off the ceiling. Oh well! So next up I setup an Arri 150 in the corner for a hair light. That light is perfect for that and the distance was great as well. I was pretty happy with this setup but as with all the setups, I was really frustrated with the shadows and reflections and I tried to block light to get rid of it but I couldn’t. I plan on experimenting with this MUCH more. Below are a few pictures of our setup and a frame grab from the video:

Scene 2:

So for the next scene we wanted to replicate exactly how Jon cooks his pulled pork so we had to shoot this in the morning. As I mentioned before, the kitchen has two large windows so I tried to block all the light coming in but ultimately I decided to use the window light. My main light was the Arri 650 with a full blue CTB on it. I set it up to the right of my camera. The hair light was the Arri 150 again but this time with a full CTB as well and I changed the position of it to the back right instead of the back left because as it was I already had a ton of light coming in from the window. I put the 150 on the actual counter since space was so limited. I really wanted to use the LED light so I set that up on the other side of Jon and dimmed it half way down. Overall I was the happiest with this setup except for the reflections of course.

Scene 3:

Now this was by far my least favorite setup. This was another shot taken at night and I wanted to make sure that you could see the actual counter in the shot this time around. I couldn’t use the Rifa because with the softbox it was way too large to put it anywhere in my tiny kitchen and avoid really nasty reflections. So I went with the Arri 650, 300, and 150. Eliminating the reflections on the 650 was tough but I was able to get rid of the worst ones by simply opening some cabinet doors and blocking the light a bit. I did have to use some diffusion on this light but the 300 was perfect and so was the 150. So why was I so annoyed with this shot? Human error of course… I should have bumped my exposure a bit more and tweaked my color balance but hey, I learned a valuable lesson. I rushed through this setup and paid the price.

It’s been a great experience trying to essentially teach myself about lighting. I’m hoping that I continue to learn more and more about this because it’s definitely challenging but I enjoyed the process. If you read through this whole post and got nothing out of it, I apologize. Most people in the field probably know way more than I do about lighting but I figure I’ll share my experience learning. Hopefully I’ll share more about this soon along with what we decided to get for our new audio setup.

Don’t forget to check out the actual cooking show too: Bringing Home The Bacon

I kid, I kid. If only it were that easy.

In all seriousness though. This is what we all strive for right? We want to be successful filmmakers. The good news is that while not a comprehensive or exhaustive list these 5 easy steps can be applied to almost any area of your life.

1) Determine what being a “successful filmmaker” means to YOU.
This may be the most important, yet most often overlooked, step of all. If you spend your time chasing someone else’s idea of what a “successful filmmaker” is supposed to be you will find your resources drained, your creativity zapped, and a general unhappiness that will just be a roadblock to your further development. Does your personal measure of success come in the form of financial security? Do you need accolades and awards? Are you just as content to know that you produced a quality film that tells a great story? You need to set a goal first, only then can you take the necessary steps towards achieving it.

2) Find YOUR Voice.
The key is to find your voice and your own style. Figure out what kind of a filmmaker you want to be. If you are not passionate about your subject matter your work will in turn suffer. There is nothing wrong with studying other peoples work and adapting techniques to fit your own style. The key here is to not just copy what someone else is doing. Try to push yourself. The most unique thing about you is that you see things in a way that no one else on the face of the planet does. We all have an inner monologue going on that no one else does. Everything that has happened to you in your life, the good, the bad and the ugly, has shaped you into a unique individual with a distinctive view of the world-at-large. It would be foolish not to tap into your greatest resource. Yourself.

3) Show Up.
The biggest difference between people who are successful and those that fail is simply showing up and trying.
It seems stupid to say but unless you have the best luck in the world no one is going to come knocking down your door throwing piles of money at you. You have to get out there and do it.

4) Accept Criticism.
You don’t have to agree with it. Take it all with a grain of salt but be receptive. Don’t get defensive, just think about it and see if there is any validity to it. If you don’t agree by all means stick to your guns but don’t do it in a stubborn and blind manner.

5) Never Stop Learning.
If you think you know it all you are probably wrong. Devote yourself to being a life-long student. Only a foolish person thinks there is nothing they can improve. If you are constantly learning and trying new things you will be on the right path. In order to evolve we need new information. We need to shake up the status quo. Education is our greatest weapon and information is our best ammunition.

Have your own tips on how to be successful? Leave us some nuggets below.

Lesson #1
The best thing about DSLR’s has nothing to do with technology.
For me, the best part of the entire tour was the meet-ups afterwards. Meeting so many like-minded people was inspiring and reinvigorating. The whole “civil war” that goes on, via Twitter and forums, about what camera is best, and why people with DSLR’s are inferior, etc. is a useless self-mastabatory exercise, that I want nothing to do with. Seriously, I wish people stopped wasting their time being negative, and got out more and created something great. There are no more acceptable excuses. The only thing stopping you… is YOU. That being said, there is a contingent of amazing talented people from the nations capitol of D.C. to the dusty streets of Albuquerque. Local DSLR groups were sprouting up behind us like Fight Clubs as we weaved our way across the country. That made the whole trip worthwhile. So seek out fellow filmmakers in your area and get to it. People are our greatest resource not technology.

Lesson 2
Don’t ask what, ask why?
Philip Bloom made this point and it is a great one. If you ask someone what camera they shot something on, follow it up with “Why?” Why someone chose a camera or lens is more important then what camera or lens.

Lesson 3
42 days is a long time to be away from home.
That may seem like an obvious thing but my point is that sometimes until something is taken away from you, you never fully appreciate it. So, if you have a roof over your head, friends, and loved ones at home, don’t take them for granted. I’m really trying to be more thankful for all that I have in life. Also, if you have a bulldog named Bruiser, he may get so excited when you finally do get back that he pees all over the kitchen floor, so have some 409 and paper towels handy.

Lesson 4
Don’t ever let your ego get too big. Always stay humble.
Philip Bloom has a huge following. He was the headliner of the tour, but when the bags had to get loaded up, and equipment had to get schlepped around. He was right there with us. That’s how it should be.
Someone came up to me at one of the events and said, ” I’m really glad you guys are so down to earth. Don’t take this the wrong way but, I kind of thought you might be dicks.” I was taken aback at first, but then he went on to explain how he had been to other events and some people get a following on the internet and then treat other people like they are better then them. He told me I was “famous on Twitter.” I laughed and said, “I do the same things everyone else does. I eat, sleep and put my pants on one leg at a time.” The minute you start to think you are better then everyone else, even if you are super talented, is the minute you start to lose respect from people when they actually meet you. Plus it’s just a dick move, so let’s keep it classy.

Lesson 5
No matter what the show must go on.
The show can be anything. Work. Life. Whatever you happen to be doing. There will always be snafus, snags, and pitfalls. You just have to keep your head down and keep it moving forward. Whether it was technical problems at venues, delayed flights, or getting sick, we just kept going. You can’t just throw your hands in the air, and say, “This problem is too big. I give up!” The biggest difference between people who are successful, and people who fail in life is just showing up. Talent is obviously important, but persistence is imperative.

Lesson 6
No matter how big the idea, if you put your mind to it and work hard, you can do it.
When we finished the workshop at the last stop in L.A. it was bittersweet. However, I have never been as proud in my life. Philip obviously worked extremely hard on the presentations,helping lug around gear, promoting the event, and we never could have done it without him. That being said: the team behind the logistics of the tour: answering emails from potential attendees, designing the website, contacting sponsors, booking hotels and flights, finding venues, finding meet-up venues, buying all the necessary cables/projection equipment, contacting local video associations, promoting, and countless other tasks we didn’t foresee consisted of Cristina and myself. It was a process that spanned 6 months and consumed countless hours of our lives. It had it’s ups and downs. At the end of the tour, though, we did it. We successfully pulled it off. We made up our mind that we were going to do it, and we saw it through. If the two of us were able to do that, it is proof that if set your mind to it, and are determined, you can do anything you want.

Anyway, that’s a few lessons we learned on the road. Hope it didn’t come off as self-important, it is just a few things I needed to remind myself of, as much as anything. If you happened to attend any of the #CFLive workshops, we’d love to hear what you learned. If you didn’t attend the workshops, we’d still love to hear what you think, so leave a comment and let’s keep the conversation going.

Background: Martin (not a real name) has been a photographer for quite a few years and he recently decided he wanted to try his hand at video. Might as well! He’s been shooting with Canon for a while so has a good amount of glass but up until recently he didn’t have a camera with HD video capabilities. So he bought the Canon 60d and a few other essential accessories and is ready to go!

Question: If you had to choose between a nicer external mic or a glidecam/stabilizer, what would you choose? I have about another 200ish to spend and want to focus on video.

Answer: Anyone who has spoken to me in person and asked me about buying sliders, handheld rigs, glidecams, etc. knows that I am adamant about mastering one tool at a time. There is no point in rushing anything. I’ll come back to that point later but back to the question… Before you start thinking about audio, stabilizers, or any other accessory, do you own a tripod? Not a photo tripod, a vide tripod with a fluid head. If not, I would suggest that is your first purchase. Get comfortable with your tripod and learn to create fluid movements with it. Yes, you have a photography background so you have an understanding for light and composition but start to learn to apply that to video. Lighting is very different with video. Start to play around with motion… Not only with your camera but how it can or can’t compliment the natural movement of your subject. Understanding movement and experimenting with it was my favorite thing when I first got into video. I also started as a photographer so I was very limited to how and when I could really show movement in a photograph and video opened up tons of possibilities.

Alright, so now let’s say you already own a tripod and you’re torn between buying a mic or a glidecam, buy a mic hands down. I can’t even begin to explain just how important sound is. To me, bad sound is just as jarring as an unsuccessful jump cut. Bad sound can really pull your audience away from the piece instead of what sound really should do, contribute/accentuate the story.

Glidecams, stedicams, sliders, and all those other lovely accessories are not a requirement. They are simply tools and whichever one of those tools you may or may not choose down the road should be a direct representation of you and your style. Get a feel for what you enjoying shooting and how… Experiment and learn.

Hope this helps.

First thing’s first: If you have a T2i, don’t freak out. You’ve still got a killer camera. The T3i has the same blood & guts as its predecessor, just in a spiffier, more video-oriented package that pulls in the swivel screen from the slightly more upper level 60D. It’s got the same 18-megapixel image sensor, same focus points, same video specs (1080p @ 24 or 30fps, 720p at 60fps, etc.).”
Via Gizmodo.com
For more info go here Canon Rebel T3i: The DSLR Revolution Will Still Be Video