24p Footage Online at DVinfo.net

Josh Caldwell · June 24th, 2005, 09:59 PM

Here's a link to a film I shot in december. It's 24p on the XL2 and with the P+S Technik adapter. Enjoy.

http://www.savefile.com/files/5483618

Mathieu Ghekiere · June 25th, 2005, 06:58 AM

Very very nice trailer.
Seems very gripping, congratulations!
Very nices images, acting, music, lightning,...!
You nailed it.

You should post this in the DV for the Masses forum, it would fit right in there, show your work :-)
btw: I looked at your other footage to: very nice work there, same reasons.

Joel Blumer · July 13th, 2005, 11:35 AM

Hello, I am interested in renting a P+S Technik adapter for a production I am doing later this year(I have an xl1s), and I am wondering if you could tell me a little bit about what you did in your production, like what lenses you used and lighting (amazing trailer by the way) thanks for whatever you can help out with!

Josh Caldwell · July 13th, 2005, 01:31 PM

First of all, the trailer you saw was shot with the XL2, 24p, so the look my be slightly different.

But, I shot my previous short film with the XL1s and the Mini35. It looked great. For one, if it's a film, then shoot it with the Frame Mode on. That'll help.

I believe that on The Beautiful Lie we used a set of Zeiss primes. A 25mm, 35mm, 50mm, 85mm, and a 135mm. We didn't shoot a lot of wide shots, so we usually stayed on the 50mm and above. We also didn't use the 135mm very much either because it ate two stops of light.

Lighting is pretty critical with the Mini35. We had a pretty substantial package, including a couple Arri 650s and 300s. We did use some natural light, especially shooting outdoors. The bar stuff at night required quite a bit of light. So, if you've never used it before, then you can forget about shooting run and gun with it. You need a lot of light, especially indoors.

It also depends on your production. The previous film I shot was more run and gun, but even indoors, we had quite a bit of light, but the style of the production let us get away with less light. However, on the Beautiful Lie, we wanted a more polished look in some parts, so we had a lot more lighting to do.

Shooting with the Mini35 is a lot different than just using the lense on your XL1s mainly because you've got to set focus marks and so forth. And that takes time, so the more complicated the move, the more setup time you'll need.

That's a good start. Let me know if you have any specific questions.

Douglas Equils · July 13th, 2005, 04:02 PM

Josh,

Excellent trailer! Lighting, cinematography, acting, music, all were very good.

Thanks for posting,
Douglas

Joel Blumer · July 13th, 2005, 09:05 PM

"Let me know if you have any specific questions." -Josh Caldwell

Thanks, Yeah actually I did have a few specific questions.... like what did you use for your dolly shots?... they were very smoothe and effective, also for your shots without a tripod... did you use a steadicam or handheld?.... if handheld how was this accomplished with the bulky adapter along with the lenses? most of your outdoor shots seemed to be on overcast days? is this true? do you think the mini 35 could handle a night shoot? any help you can give me would be great!!

again I just wanted to say AWESOME trailer!

Josh Caldwell · July 13th, 2005, 11:37 PM

Joel,

For the dolly shot my friend built a dolly. We've had it for a few years, it's just a skateboard dolly that runs on PVC pipe. The bearing and wheels he used were kind of expensive, but as you can see, well worth it. I'd have to get more detail from him if want more, but we used a homemade dolly for those.

The film is broken up between present day and flashbacks. Anytime we're in present day, the look is much white, flatter, with shots on the tripod or on a dolly. For the flashbacks, we warmed things up a bit, gave it a little more contrast, some darkness, and then shot it all handheld. (However, on some of the present day stuff, I moved around a bit more on the fluid head, just so things we're quite so static.

The P+S Technik adapter actually adapts quite well to handheld use. We simply put the rails with the battery attachment on our shoulder and used the grips that were provided when we rented it, and screwed right into the rod system. It's not great for superlong handheld stuff, but the movie I shot before this one we did entirely handheld. It wasn't so bad.

Most of the outdoor stuff is overcast simply because it was December in Manhattan. There was one day where is was kind of sunny, but as with any kind of video or film, you tend to avoid really sunny days, and shooting in Manhattan in the middle of winter gave us some nice light to place with. The tall buildings and clouds diffused it all. However, if you're trying to get a day shot at 4 PM in Manhattan in December with the Mini35, you're starting to get pretty dark.

As far as I night shoot, I would say that if you can have control of the light, then yes, you can do a night shoot. All of the stuff at the bar was shot at night. But, you can't really point and shoot with the Mini35. What actually ended up happening, was we shot a bunch of stuff on the Mini35 in the bar at night, and then I also shot some stuff on the street about two weeks later, but I shot that with the stock lens on the XL2 and it cuts together great. But, you get much better use of really low, natural light, without the Mini35...and most people aren't gonna be able to tell a difference, especially if the shot is dark.

Hope this helps. Any more?

Bill Porter · July 14th, 2005, 01:16 PM

I'd love to check it out but the file link off the savefile page, doesn't work :(

Fix 'er up and let 'er rip, Josh!

Josh Caldwell · July 15th, 2005, 06:39 PM

Hey Bill,

Just tried it and it worked fine. Do you have Windows Media Player 9? Or are you on a Mac? It won't work well on Macs apparently and if you have Windows Media Player, you need version 9.

July 16th, 2005, 10:18 AM

Josh,

Thanks for posting the movie and taking questions. Do you mind if I ask the following:

1) What settings you used on your XL2 for the following shots? - I read in another post that you just used the "cine" setting and did not change anything else. Same for these shots?

- the guys on the computer and the girl is asking if he wants to take a break (the first part of the shot with the bright pink wall in the background)
- the shot of the girl smoking while holding the cig & asking "whats happenend to us?"

2) What sort of lighting was used on your indoor shots?
Was it the same Arri 650's and 300 used in the morning bedroom scene?

Great trailer. When and where can we see the whole thing? Kudo's to the creative who came up with the title "Beautiful Lie."

The reason I ask the questions above:

I have an XL2 and will be filming some testimonials indoors. I'm trying to get away from the typical, hard light, boring background as you see so many times. I think the settings & lighting you used would work great for what I want to do.

I'll completely understand if you wish NOT to disclose any of the above info. Some people like to and other's don't. I respect both!

Thanks!

Josh Caldwell · July 16th, 2005, 05:24 PM

Derek,

The settings were true for the whole movie. The shutter was always kept at 1/48 and the aperture on the lenses (there is no in camera aperture with the Mini35 system) was kept wide open the whole time. 1.6 I think. The gain was left at 0.

As for lighting, yes, we pretty much had the Arri 650s and 300s the whole time, though we did have a Kino flo kit. We set up two big reflectors, the fabric kind, and bounced the light against them to get a softer look, more diffused light.

Glad you liked the trailer. And thanks for your compliment on the title. The movie itself is still being edited, but when I finish, this board will probably be one of the first places I post.

Let me know if you have anymore questions.

Josh

July 16th, 2005, 08:09 PM

Josh,

Thanks for the great information. I Look forward to seeing more of your work in the future, and I'll probably see you around the XL2 forums.

Bill Porter · July 17th, 2005, 06:02 AM

Weird, it worked fine for me today. I too really liked the trailer. Good job!

Excellent choice of actress. She definitely has 'it'.

I recognized 'Nara' by E.S. Posthumus, but what is the other song? Great choices there.

Josh Caldwell · July 17th, 2005, 01:08 PM

The other song is from the Road to Perdition soundtrack. Thanks for the comments.

July 19th, 2005, 01:09 PM

Josh,

Looks like the Kino Flo and Arri combination did great in helping you acheive your quality results.

How have you liked your Kino Flo kit?

The reason I ask is that I'm looking at purchasing a kit by Kino Flo or LitePanels.

June 24th, 2005, 09:59 PM	#1
Josh Caldwell Regular Crew Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 183	24p Footage Online Here's a link to a film I shot in december. It's 24p on the XL2 and with the P+S Technik adapter. Enjoy. http://www.savefile.com/files/5483618

July 16th, 2005, 10:18 AM	#10
Guest Posts: n/a	Three Questions Josh, Thanks for posting the movie and taking questions. Do you mind if I ask the following: 1) What settings you used on your XL2 for the following shots? - I read in another post that you just used the "cine" setting and did not change anything else. Same for these shots? - the guys on the computer and the girl is asking if he wants to take a break (the first part of the shot with the bright pink wall in the background) - the shot of the girl smoking while holding the cig & asking "whats happenend to us?" 2) What sort of lighting was used on your indoor shots? Was it the same Arri 650's and 300 used in the morning bedroom scene? Great trailer. When and where can we see the whole thing? Kudo's to the creative who came up with the title "Beautiful Lie." The reason I ask the questions above: I have an XL2 and will be filming some testimonials indoors. I'm trying to get away from the typical, hard light, boring background as you see so many times. I think the settings & lighting you used would work great for what I want to do. I'll completely understand if you wish NOT to disclose any of the above info. Some people like to and other's don't. I respect both! Thanks!

July 16th, 2005, 08:09 PM	#12
Guest Posts: n/a	thanks Josh, Thanks for the great information. I Look forward to seeing more of your work in the future, and I'll probably see you around the XL2 forums.

July 19th, 2005, 01:09 PM	#15
Guest Posts: n/a	Kino Flo Josh, Looks like the Kino Flo and Arri combination did great in helping you acheive your quality results. How have you liked your Kino Flo kit? The reason I ask is that I'm looking at purchasing a kit by Kino Flo or LitePanels.

June 25th, 2005, 06:58 AM	#2
Mathieu Ghekiere Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Belgium Posts: 2,195	Very very nice trailer. Seems very gripping, congratulations! Very nices images, acting, music, lightning,...! You nailed it. You should post this in the DV for the Masses forum, it would fit right in there, show your work :-) btw: I looked at your other footage to: very nice work there, same reasons.

July 13th, 2005, 11:35 AM	#3
Joel Blumer New Boot Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Allison Park PA. Posts: 6	Hello, I am interested in renting a P+S Technik adapter for a production I am doing later this year(I have an xl1s), and I am wondering if you could tell me a little bit about what you did in your production, like what lenses you used and lighting (amazing trailer by the way) thanks for whatever you can help out with!

July 13th, 2005, 01:31 PM	#4
Josh Caldwell Regular Crew Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 183	First of all, the trailer you saw was shot with the XL2, 24p, so the look my be slightly different. But, I shot my previous short film with the XL1s and the Mini35. It looked great. For one, if it's a film, then shoot it with the Frame Mode on. That'll help. I believe that on The Beautiful Lie we used a set of Zeiss primes. A 25mm, 35mm, 50mm, 85mm, and a 135mm. We didn't shoot a lot of wide shots, so we usually stayed on the 50mm and above. We also didn't use the 135mm very much either because it ate two stops of light. Lighting is pretty critical with the Mini35. We had a pretty substantial package, including a couple Arri 650s and 300s. We did use some natural light, especially shooting outdoors. The bar stuff at night required quite a bit of light. So, if you've never used it before, then you can forget about shooting run and gun with it. You need a lot of light, especially indoors. It also depends on your production. The previous film I shot was more run and gun, but even indoors, we had quite a bit of light, but the style of the production let us get away with less light. However, on the Beautiful Lie, we wanted a more polished look in some parts, so we had a lot more lighting to do. Shooting with the Mini35 is a lot different than just using the lense on your XL1s mainly because you've got to set focus marks and so forth. And that takes time, so the more complicated the move, the more setup time you'll need. That's a good start. Let me know if you have any specific questions.

July 13th, 2005, 04:02 PM	#5
Douglas Equils New Boot Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 11	Josh, Excellent trailer! Lighting, cinematography, acting, music, all were very good. Thanks for posting, Douglas

July 13th, 2005, 09:05 PM	#6
Joel Blumer New Boot Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Allison Park PA. Posts: 6	"Let me know if you have any specific questions." -Josh Caldwell Thanks, Yeah actually I did have a few specific questions.... like what did you use for your dolly shots?... they were very smoothe and effective, also for your shots without a tripod... did you use a steadicam or handheld?.... if handheld how was this accomplished with the bulky adapter along with the lenses? most of your outdoor shots seemed to be on overcast days? is this true? do you think the mini 35 could handle a night shoot? any help you can give me would be great!! again I just wanted to say AWESOME trailer!

July 13th, 2005, 11:37 PM	#7
Josh Caldwell Regular Crew Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 183	Joel, For the dolly shot my friend built a dolly. We've had it for a few years, it's just a skateboard dolly that runs on PVC pipe. The bearing and wheels he used were kind of expensive, but as you can see, well worth it. I'd have to get more detail from him if want more, but we used a homemade dolly for those. The film is broken up between present day and flashbacks. Anytime we're in present day, the look is much white, flatter, with shots on the tripod or on a dolly. For the flashbacks, we warmed things up a bit, gave it a little more contrast, some darkness, and then shot it all handheld. (However, on some of the present day stuff, I moved around a bit more on the fluid head, just so things we're quite so static. The P+S Technik adapter actually adapts quite well to handheld use. We simply put the rails with the battery attachment on our shoulder and used the grips that were provided when we rented it, and screwed right into the rod system. It's not great for superlong handheld stuff, but the movie I shot before this one we did entirely handheld. It wasn't so bad. Most of the outdoor stuff is overcast simply because it was December in Manhattan. There was one day where is was kind of sunny, but as with any kind of video or film, you tend to avoid really sunny days, and shooting in Manhattan in the middle of winter gave us some nice light to place with. The tall buildings and clouds diffused it all. However, if you're trying to get a day shot at 4 PM in Manhattan in December with the Mini35, you're starting to get pretty dark. As far as I night shoot, I would say that if you can have control of the light, then yes, you can do a night shoot. All of the stuff at the bar was shot at night. But, you can't really point and shoot with the Mini35. What actually ended up happening, was we shot a bunch of stuff on the Mini35 in the bar at night, and then I also shot some stuff on the street about two weeks later, but I shot that with the stock lens on the XL2 and it cuts together great. But, you get much better use of really low, natural light, without the Mini35...and most people aren't gonna be able to tell a difference, especially if the shot is dark. Hope this helps. Any more?

July 14th, 2005, 01:16 PM	#8
Bill Porter Major Player Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Ventura, California, USA Posts: 751	I'd love to check it out but the file link off the savefile page, doesn't work :( Fix 'er up and let 'er rip, Josh!

July 15th, 2005, 06:39 PM	#9
Josh Caldwell Regular Crew Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 183	Hey Bill, Just tried it and it worked fine. Do you have Windows Media Player 9? Or are you on a Mac? It won't work well on Macs apparently and if you have Windows Media Player, you need version 9.

July 16th, 2005, 05:24 PM	#11
Josh Caldwell Regular Crew Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 183	Derek, The settings were true for the whole movie. The shutter was always kept at 1/48 and the aperture on the lenses (there is no in camera aperture with the Mini35 system) was kept wide open the whole time. 1.6 I think. The gain was left at 0. As for lighting, yes, we pretty much had the Arri 650s and 300s the whole time, though we did have a Kino flo kit. We set up two big reflectors, the fabric kind, and bounced the light against them to get a softer look, more diffused light. Glad you liked the trailer. And thanks for your compliment on the title. The movie itself is still being edited, but when I finish, this board will probably be one of the first places I post. Let me know if you have anymore questions. Josh

July 17th, 2005, 06:02 AM	#13
Bill Porter Major Player Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Ventura, California, USA Posts: 751	Weird, it worked fine for me today. I too really liked the trailer. Good job! Excellent choice of actress. She definitely has 'it'. I recognized 'Nara' by E.S. Posthumus, but what is the other song? Great choices there.

July 17th, 2005, 01:08 PM	#14
Josh Caldwell Regular Crew Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 183	The other song is from the Road to Perdition soundtrack. Thanks for the comments.