Robert Rodriguez shooting music video on badass Canon 7D rig
 

This past Saturday I took my wife and daughters to the playground at Zilker Park here in Austin and was shooting some pics/footage of them with my GH1 when I noticed a small crew shooting what appeared to be a music video. I walked into the area where they were filming and immediately was drawn to the HDSLR rig they were using. I pulled up my GH1 and starting shooting some pictures of it when a guy walked over to me and politely said "we are trying to keep a closed set" - there were no cops or security. I said I was only interested in the rig, not the music artist being filmed (which I then realized was local favorite Bob Schneider). The guy was cool and let me take a few more and I walked away. When I told my wife that one of her favorite musicians was filming a video, she went up to the fence and started to watch and then turned and said "hey, isn't that Robert Rodriguez?"... it was.

Here are some pics of the rig (also sent some to Philip Bloom to post on his site):

http://d2visions.com/RR_7D_rig/P1000063.jpg

http://d2visions.com/RR_7D_rig/P1000070.jpg

http://d2visions.com/RR_7D_rig/P1000071.jpg

http://d2visions.com/RR_7D_rig/P1000099.jpg

http://d2visions.com/RR_7D_rig/P1000107.jpg

http://d2visions.com/RR_7D_rig/P1000114.jpg

http://d2visions.com/RR_7D_rig/P1000122.jpg

I think I see a 7D way in there

Awesome. Thanks Danny!

This is aweasome. Everybody are using DSLR.

More than ever, what separetes pros to amateurs will not be the equipment, but proficiency and creativity.

It is not a mere tech revolution that took place, it is a creative revolution arising.

I find it interesting that the matte box is not present on the set up. I have questioned the need for one on these rigs, and wonder if they came to a conclusion that screw in filters and NDs are all that are needed.

Exactly...

Imagine my delight that 2 hours after I get my first 7D, I see this post.

One word....COOL


Another word... AWESOME!

I wonder if someone more knowlegable than me could identify the parts in that set up?

All I can name is the 7D body and the Rode video mic!

Well, the rig is Zacuto. Mine is very similar. I haven't added an external monitor yet, though that is coming. It also looks like he has some kind of remote/motorized follow focus and some video distribution stuff. I am wondering if the focus pull is happening at the table with the monitor.

It appears to be:

7D
70-200
Zacuto Marksmen as a base with additions for the monitor
external monitor
battery pack
I'm guessing a video distro box of some sort to split the HDMI signal out to the field monitor and desktop station
audio (I'm sure dual system, given the rest of the rig)

B-cam is using Zacuto Z-finder

Awesome! how come I never run into RR?

o.k. - that is pretty cool. Thanks for the heads up.

This is interesting - it's part of the reason I went with an HDMI monitor instead of SDI because I need to feed both my 7D and EX1. However, he appears to be using a HDMI->SDI converter to feed his monitor and an external monitor. I've seen the HDMI->SDI converter from AJA but what isn't clear to me is how to power the thing without being tethered to a wall socket - and apparently in these shots he's got it figured out. Can anyone comment on that?

The big rig is using (I believe) a Preston wireless follow focus and was tethered to the production cart where they were monitoring and pulling focus, and both cams were shooting to cards.

I like the fact that the smallest thing on that rig was the camera. Very interesting on how big of a rig you can go with on one of these DSLR's.

Actually,the rig is based on a Zacutto's sharp shooter.


Oh God, Zacutto's stuff is already bloody expensive. With this hype, god knows...

It is expensive. It is also very light, 100% adjustable, expandable, can be skinnied down, etc. The machining is first rate. I bought a Sniper rig with the follow focus and it just gets out of the way. I don't think about it. That is what gear is supposed to do - it just works. I could have bought an EX-1 for what I have in my rig, but made this choice. Better in some ways, worse in others. But I'd be saying the same thing on the other side of the decision.

looks like the peak cap is coming in very handy.

What is the box with the red strap?

Do you mean the Sony V-mount battery with the red tape on it?

Daniel Weber

I guess. Big battery, that drives the monitor?

Have to laugh at the producer's concerns about keeping a low guerrilla filmmaking profile. This is more like GORILLA filmmaking.

Charles has recently posted on how these boxes are powered- some inline adapter you can get from RadioShack. He could explain more. This doesn't look like the AJA box but rather the Blackmagic HDMI > HD-SDI converter. One feed is going to the Panasonic HD-SDI monitor, the other feed to video village / wireless focus puller.

7D really is the only option right now, since it is always 1080i, even when the record button is hit. You couldn't use this setup with the 550D or the 5DII, as it would switch to 480i video out. Not sure about the 1DIV

-C

I have no doubt that you are 100% satisfied with your Zacuto Sniper. It's an ingenious solution. However, it is wildly overpriced. I can't imagine paying $3,200 for 4 aluminum rods, a handful of connectors, a baseplate and a few rubber pads and grips. Seriously, the price tag is certifiably insane. And, of course "it just works". How could it not? It's just a modified version of the rods and connectors that optics companies like Thorlabs sell for about $10 a piece.

That said, I must admit that I own a Zacuto Rapid Fire and a Z-Finder. I'm happy with both products - especially the Z-Finder. However, a part of me really feels gouged.

Thankfully, there's a friendly Korean fella who is providing a nearly identical solution at a fraction of the price.

Hi folks.

As a comparison, check out the setup we've been using at:

So what does an HDSLR Hybrid Shoot Look Like? Vincent Laforet’s Blog

My build can be glimpsed in a few pix, like #37. Many of the same pieces as on the setup in this thread (a bit more tidy though)!

What I'm seeing on this rig is (on the rear, from top down):
Camcorder battery and cradle
Blackmagic HDMI to HD-SDI converter
Preston MDR (for remote focus)
Main Battery (Swit, I think).

Main battery would be powering the Preston, the Panasonic monitor and the BM box (via stepdown conversion); no clue what the camcorder battery is powering.

As noted above, you can see the focus puller at the monitor (with blackout hood) with the Preston hand unit hung around his neck.

Ryan, to answer your question about the AJA convertor--it's just voltage, babe. Simple voltage regulation circuit and you are off and running. We had the AJA on "Nocturne" but weren't aware that the box ran on 5v (I've used AJA downconverters before, they can be powered direct from the 14.4v battery via p-tap) and we fried the sucker immediately. Vincent and I have since switched to the Blackmagic as it handles the slightly oddball signal out of these cameras better. Still requires regulation down to 12v nominal but that's not a big deal.

Perhaps they are using the camcorder battery to run the Blackmagic--not sure if it will run on 7.2v nominal though.

The question about matteboxes is a really good one, and I think I'll open a new post about that. Chris, Danny--see you guys over there!

This is from Jimmy Lindsey - the DoP on the shoot giving some info on the rigs (posted on Phil's site):

"Jimmy Lindsey here. The man in the brown hat with the Z finder. I was Robert’s DoP on the ‘Bob Schneider’ music video (as well as his last feature ‘Machete’) and those are my 7D rigs at work. After seeing all the questions, I thought I might shed a little light on the subject. The rig Robert is using was set up to allow him to see an HDSDI image on a 7″ Panasonic onboard monitor while his AC (the insanely talented Sebastian Vega) pulls focus with a Preston FIZ from a 17″ Panasonic monitor. Very necessary as you know when shooting on a 200mm at a 2.8. The signal was split from HDMI to 2 HDSDIs using the Aja Black Magic powered by a Nebtek adapter and Sony M batteries. Both the Preston and the onboard were powered with a D tap cable and a Sony onboard battery. We also got some beautiful shots with my 50mm 1.4 and a lensbaby composer with single glass and plastic optics."

Chris, Charles, and Danny - thanks much for the info. Trying to find a monitoring solution for both the 7D and EX1 that doesn't trade off too much can be difficult, and knowing that I can power a converter without having to hack power cables together is what I was looking for. Thanks!

I did pretty well overall (didn't peg the fullsize battery as a Sony--who uses THOSE?!)

Ha, I'll have to give Jimmy a call (we worked together on a series some 14 years ago in New Orleans)--seems pretty bizarre to have to resort to a separate battery to power the Blackmagic. I hate having multiple batteries onboard a rig, too much to keep track of. Have to tell him about our cable.

Think Jimmy has his manufacturers mixed up, read this on Phil's site too.
No such thing as an Aja Black Magic. ;)
They just used the mini converter from Black Magic, which provides two HD-SDI taps out.
(photo attached). Retails for $500.

It's great to know that I'm filming with the exact same camera Robert Rodriguez is using...

COOOL!!

Charles - pardon me for being dense, but I don't quite understand what cable you're referring to - can you send a link or something so I can capture that and keep it handy for future reference? Is this a custom cable that you made or something that you found somewhere, and what battery are you powering it off of, exactly?

Hey Ryan, Zilker will be packed with folks this coming Sunday.. Hope the weather holds out.
Bring out your camera... :-)

Ryan:

This was what I was referring to in my previous post, that Christopher also mentioned. The Blackmagic Design box doesn't "like" more than 12v input, not surprising if it can run off a 7.2v battery. So we have used an inexpensive voltage regulator from Radio Shack and wired it in-line with our power cable so we can power the BM box off the p-tap from the Dionic 90 that powers the rest of the rig. There aren't any off-the-shelf solutions for this, nor have Blackmagic offered any (or AJA for their boxes, for that matter).

The new wisdom is to wire the voltage adaptor inside the housing of the Blackmagic. This will allow for a simple straight cable from the p-tap port. I'm also moving to switching adaptors which don't generate any heat.

Just had a long chat with my electronics guy today and ordered the parts for everything on the rig that requires regulated voltage less than what the battery puts out. This includes the camera itself (via the slide-in dummy battery that is part of the AC adaptor assembly), Zoom H4N, Sennheiser wirelesses and probably something else I haven't thought of yet. Ultimately, that one Dionic 90 on the back of my rig will power every component (all of the above plus the 7" monitor, Camwave HD transmitter, Preston motor driver and any other existing components that I may choose to use down the road like Decimator downconverter, Modulus SD transmitter, Microforce zoom control etc). Much, much cleaner to monitor a single battery, and since none of the components are serious power hogs, it should have a good run time. If necessary I have a dummy plate that replaces the battery and allows a 4-pin XLR for AC power supply to the whole deal.

Once all is done I will be posting pictures at my soon-to-be rolled out blog, at papert.com.

Who'd like to make the first ball park guess at the cost of the RR rig NOT including the camera and lens?

Are you talking about the kite festival? I was planning on taking my son (2 1/2 years old) anyway - you going to be there?

Wow Charles - that's a serious setup, and a very cool plan - I like the idea. Are you going to be detailing this solution for the community once complete? That would be a helluva thing to try to reproduce. I don't have the power needs that you have but I'm really questioning my decision to purchase the SmallHD DP1 monitor instead of the Marshall 70P or 651 and working harder towards an SDI-based solution that I could use something like the AJA or Blackmagic adapter to drive from the 7D when I needed it... Your solution here gets me past the biggest issue with it, which was how to get HDMI into SDI without being plugged into the wall. I'm not a "power supply hacker" but if directed properly it would open all sorts of doors for me, I'd imagine...

If you're going to be carrying a monitor, or even a small monitor and loupe, on your shoulder rig, and you've got a remote follow focus, wouldn't it make sense to have the body on your shoulder and the lens next to your head, like an ENG body? It seems to me that once you get away from the LCD on the camera, the whole front heavy thing can be solved.

Heck - RR just needs a tap out to video village.

Remember, this guy "short ended" El Mariachi with a wheelchair, a wide angle and cut on 3/4" tape.
We are spoiled with our NLE's, steadycams and sliders.
-C

Exactly Jon, and that is part of my design philosophy. Although there are limitations--you have to make sure that the monitor and handgrips cannot get into the shot with the widest possible lens that you are planning to use.

I spent hours configuring an F35 like this a while back. See here. I ended up removing the eyepiece and using the viewfinder as if it was a monitor, so I could view heads-up as we were doing very long takes Which is why we also used the EasyRig. I actually had to figure out and extension for the camera handle to allow for hanging off the EasyRig at the new center of gravity. Ultimately the whole thing balanced perfectly.

The real key to it all was the mistletoe that my lovely AC hung from the top of the rig in a burst of seasonal spirit (see pic a few posts down from that one).

Is that you or Locutus behind that camera? ;)

http://hem.bredband.net/locutus/picard3.jpg

The video in question "40 Dogs (Like Romeo & Juliet)" is out now:

Bob Schneider 40 Dogs Video Exclusive - Mix 947

Nniiiiiiice!

Excellent work and a real pleasure to watch and listen too.