As previously mentioned in the last blog – this film was shot on Canon’s DSLR’s. A lot of my recent work has begun receiving some great recognition, and this is due not just to the way it's been shot or it's subject/story, but to how it actually looks. And that’s because of these very cheap and extremely powerful new DSLR’s that are literally everywhere today.
Taking it right back to the start..
I can’t really recall the first film I watched that was shot on a DSLR, partly because I’ve watched so many. But it was when I began to get into photography that I started taking an interest. The depth of field/lenses etc. that led me onto my first purchase - the
Canon 450D. I clearly remember debating with myself whether I should spend a few hundred more for it’s bigger brother the
550D, which came with this overlooked feature called 'video mode'. I initially thought of it being a handy feature to have on a stills camera, just incase. However, I found just the opposite – and ended up using it for everything from ads to features. And that’s when I found out, only a few months later, after stumbling over some eye popping online films - all were {mostly} …. shot on the
Canon 5DMKII.
Without going into more detail, I knew I had to get hold of one of these asap, especially at their price and being an independent filmmaker, this suited me perfectly. There was a bit to learn – but once learnt the possibilities were endless. Really. I learnt a lot from a couple of very inspirational DSLR filmmakers:
Philip Bloom and
Vincent LaForet (formerly a photographer) Since then I’ve been shooting a range of projects.
{*A Few Recent Ones Listed Below}
Back to the equipment. There were 3 cameras used for Love Rewound. 2x Canon 5D MKII's and 1 Canon 60D. As this was a fast paced production I had a good friend Martin Symons on the 2nd 5D capturing hidden angles and also shooting most of the 'Production Video' which you'll see very soon. The 60D was used for some amazing 60fps and super high shutter speed shots. The effect then applied in post is really something else. All in time.
For Love Rewound, one thing was missing. Like makeup to a woman, I had to get myself a few brilliant lenses for my 5D. I’m a big fan of my prime lenses (a lens that doesn’t zoom; instead stuck at a certain focal length, but in most cases they have a larger aperture, allowing more of a depth of field and intake in light in comparison to zooms). So instead of going for an all rounder, I went for three of the most suitable 'Prime' lenses:
First off: the w i d e 24mm f1.4
Epic is the best word to describe this lens. I underestimated it's width on the full framed 5D. But truly an awesome lens to use for those 'epic' wide shots. The picture was crisp.
For the Mid Range:
50mm f1.4
All-round greatness. This was the lens I bought with the 5D initially and have never really stopped using it. When I first bought this lens I went straight out and bought a
ND LCW Filter - a must for shallow depth of field outdoor filming. The Mark II is a grad. filter allowing you to play with the intake of light on the filter itself. The glass on it is truly superb too, allowing a massive % of the colour to still flow through, and you can get it for around £150.
And...the 85mm f1.8..
This lens was great - but by far the least used when filming Love Rewound. Built much like the 50mm, it's picture quality was brilliant. I picked this lens to allow me to get that extra bit closer amongst the actors during some strong scenes, however was really surprised to find that the minimum focus distance was .85mm (a few feet), a real pain for those close ups. Luckily we had a cropped 60D on location and used it on that - giving us just over 100mm.
Conclusion.
All were amazing to shoot with. I feel the 35mm would have been great to have on standby for a few of those in-between 24mm/50mm shots. But it worked a joy anyway having all three. These three lenses are one of the very reasons why DSLR's are taking off: you can flick on a lens in a matter of seconds in comparison to bigger cameras like the Sony PDW's and even bigger film cams, and these are not just 'lenses' - they are an incredible piece of glass and on a true 35mm sensor. (I'm in the middle of a post describing in more detail what makes these DSLR's good & bad - and what will happen to them in the future..)
Instead of forking out over £2000 on these lenses, I rented them from
Lenses for Hire. They are a great company based down in England. I've been using them for around a year now and are by far the cheapest/friendliest lens rental company here in the UK.
Sound
Voice, Effects & Music:
The main source of sound throughout 'Love Rewound' will be a soundtrack composed by Josh McGregor. There wasn't great need for recording on location as there will be
Foley sounds used in the film for any environmental sounds and effects: again, these will be mastered by Josh. As for the dialog I used a couple of
Sennheiser EW100's. Such great and easy mics to use. They do come at a price, but you pay for the best and these mics really are. They are so portable and have great clean audio - the range is really good too. Here they are at a closer look:
Like Windolene to windows, these mics suit DSLR's Perfectly. The standard kit comes with a strong hot shoe mount {below} to slip onto the top of your DSLR, and is connected with a small 3.5mm to 3.5mm cable. (Note: the cable must be thick to transfer the audio as I tried it out with longer cables that were standard 3.5 to 3.5 and you get the worst noise/connection in the world)
(Hot shoe mount on back of EW100)
EXTRAS (Big & Small)
There were a few steady-cams used in Love Rewound, but more so a
Libec Jib. By far the greatest purchase the school has made since I've been there. Before shooting this film, I took it out for quite some time to get used to it with the 5D, and once again found it a joy to flick the cam on and off with ease as it was prepared for the next shot. I think jibs retail at around £1500 (a good one anyway) but more importantly raise any production a few extra notches - but they need practiced on, just like steady cams it really is a skill.
I think I've covered nearly everything...apart from one of my favourite pieces of kit for the DSLR's and thats the
LCDVF. Simple but ridiculously effective, this piece of kit does a lot. Once looking through it, it gives you a third contact to the body for hand held shots + a 2x magnification of the screen, allowing you to clearly see what's in and out of focus + giving you a direct view of the screen, perfect for outdoor, bright sunny days. It clips on and off the screen magnetically (by a supplied magnetic frame.) These view finders range from £50 to £400. The LCDVF is only priced £100 and is definitely one of the best.
And that's really everything. An intro to the DSLR's and what makes the magic. I'm going to put out a post about some great tips and tricks when it comes to editing. For me editing is whole different ball game where there is a lot to learn. But before that happens - Love Rewound needs cut..
Love.
Sulaiman Sibai
*Recent 5D work:
A Wonderful Workshop
This was primarily shot to test out a new little dolly {'
The Pocket Solly'} I’d built a few months back. It was great to see such a strong interest towards it; a few requests came in as well. One of the great things about using the 5D for this kind of film was it's use in low light. The workshops had some lights inside but were dim as hell. So with a 50 1.4 too, this is what came out:
A Buzzy Life
This is one of my more recent films shot on the 5D. It's currently still in post so your going to have to make do with this trailer – again shooting this kind of documentary was a charm with this camera. Being able to get in and amongst the bees was easy, as well as being light enough to run away with once stung..
