IBM Video

Oren Arieli · August 31st, 2013, 11:48 AM

I was the DP, but I can't take credit for the editing (which is a bit sloppy, in my opinion). It could also benefit from better grading.

Interview segment was shot with Sony Alpha 50mm f1.4 and an ND8 filter. It softens the image a bit, but It's still acceptably sharp. The wall of windows in the back was more of a concern. I didn't want to shoot G-log, since the editor on the last piece didn't do any color grading. I shot with picture profile off and it was able to hold the highlights a bit while still giving acceptable contrast.

Noise was a bit of an issue, as we were working in the former IBM library (now a conference room). It was occupied by engineers in various stages of meetings. I moved 5' high rolling white-board partitions to form a sound wall, and used sound blankets to help absorb/reflect the ambient noise. An overhead boom right above frame did the rest.

Woody Sanford · August 31st, 2013, 12:13 PM

Very nice! Yeah there is a bit of a strong magenta swing in the beginning, it really seems out of balance without some correction and I would have done something about the shine on his forehead that was a bit distracting, so I think you grading comments are definitely valid. But that's pretty good for "Profile Off" really. I've never shot with it off and always used a profile.

Nice job on on over coming the environmental audio issues, sounds nice and clear to me.

Oren Arieli · August 31st, 2013, 03:32 PM

Thanks Woody. I also found the shine distracting. Diffusion on the hair light and a bit of matte powder on the forehead would have knocked that down. No excuses for letting that slide.

Woody Sanford · August 31st, 2013, 03:53 PM

Well your editor could have qualified it in a power window and knocked it down a bit and tracked it, would have been one of those touches that makes a difference.

Les Wilson · August 31st, 2013, 08:24 PM

Zzzzzz, he's a terrible presenter... shiny skin too ... Seems like a really difficult situation.

Oren Arieli · August 31st, 2013, 11:55 PM

Dharmendra is a certified genius and a great guy. In all fairness, cognitive computing is not an easy topic to present. I know that he's got quite the fan base through, as this video has already seen 15,000 views since August 7th. For an esoteric topic such as this, I think that's pretty good.

Matt Davis · September 1st, 2013, 10:27 AM

You've managed to hold the highlights well, Oren. It was always my biggest concerns - FS100 highlights can do strange things, and so many of us played with Picture Profiles to help compress the highlights without it blowing in an ugly way.

I'm sure the editor had some time pressure, I could feel so many moments where (with the 20/20 vision of being clever after the event) one could scoot a few cuts, speed up the cutaways, have some fun. Start with a bang, leave people reeling with the splurge of data, then let the presenter calmly put it all in perspective.

FWIW, our presenter is a classic genius. We love these guys. :-) Edit-wise, the big shout-out seemed to be reversed. So... perhaps we start with the preposition: Bunch of symbolic numbers? We look to traditional computers. When you get a fricken' firehose of data, numbers oozing out of every single orifice of every single system, you need this weird-sounding super-spooky 'Cognitive Computing' that's piggy-backing on our understanding of what consciousness is. That IMHO should have been up front, which explains all the rest that follows.

But the nurse says I must rest now. It's always good to get some communication between shooter and editor with these new-school cameras. Perhaps there was no budget for grading - if you're churning these edits out like a sausage factory, the editor's going to ask for clemency and 'make it good in-camera'. The other side to all of this (and I'm guilty of this myself) is to take one's footage, pre-grade and pre-edit it. Cut the crap, bring it to Rec709 and into an edit friendly format. Just like photographers do with their stuff. But that puts more onus on the videographer who must now become part editor, part grader. And that adds value which your client may not understand what they're paying for.

Oh, and by the way... I've had issues with trying to suggest makeup - powder - on interviewees. I now have a bottle of 'Simple kind-to-skin pore minimising toning cleanser' - sort of an astringent gel that you squidge on, rub in then wipe off, taking all that shine away. Smells sort of like a 5 star spa freebie thing, bit of lemon and cucumber, whatever. Basically, dulling spray for egg-heads. Easier than taming CineTone with miles of knee - I love it.

Les Wilson · September 1st, 2013, 01:26 PM

In posting it here, I thought you where looking for reaction and constructive criticism. You can give him all the passes you want. There are good presenters in IBM that could have done it better. I found the topic interesting, the presentation poor and the moving reflection on his head a little (not a lot) distracting. Shooting into the windows as you did, the result is impressive. Love the bokeh on the interview but not the sdof focus rack on the periodic table poster. Those links get passed around in the corporate email and pile on the hits fast. Hits mean little to me. YMMV

Oren Arieli · September 1st, 2013, 11:19 PM

Les, your comments and criticisms are welcome. I wouldn't post here if I didn't expect some honest feedback. Although I can't control the producers choice of interview subjects, topic or questions...I will do my best to make them look and sound their best. And I will suggest a makeup artist whenever budget allows. If the image distracts from the message, then I haven't done my job properly.

Les Wilson · September 2nd, 2013, 05:42 AM

I won't cast the first stone. I've come home with my share of golf balls on shiny heads. You tackled a bunch of challenges and then bam, your subject moves in a way he didn't during setup. I've noticed IBM videos typically have a certain feel to them image and music wise and I'd say you captured that well.

August 31st, 2013, 11:48 AM	#1
Oren Arieli Major Player Join Date: May 2007 Location: San Jose, California Posts: 918	IBM Video - Shot with FS100 I was the DP, but I can't take credit for the editing (which is a bit sloppy, in my opinion). It could also benefit from better grading. Interview segment was shot with Sony Alpha 50mm f1.4 and an ND8 filter. It softens the image a bit, but It's still acceptably sharp. The wall of windows in the back was more of a concern. I didn't want to shoot G-log, since the editor on the last piece didn't do any color grading. I shot with picture profile off and it was able to hold the highlights a bit while still giving acceptable contrast. Noise was a bit of an issue, as we were working in the former IBM library (now a conference room). It was occupied by engineers in various stages of meetings. I moved 5' high rolling white-board partitions to form a sound wall, and used sound blankets to help absorb/reflect the ambient noise. An overhead boom right above frame did the rest. A new software ecosystem for cognitive systems - YouTube

August 31st, 2013, 12:13 PM	#2
Woody Sanford Regular Crew Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Princeton, NC Posts: 161	Re: IBM Video - Shot with FS100 Very nice! Yeah there is a bit of a strong magenta swing in the beginning, it really seems out of balance without some correction and I would have done something about the shine on his forehead that was a bit distracting, so I think you grading comments are definitely valid. But that's pretty good for "Profile Off" really. I've never shot with it off and always used a profile. Nice job on on over coming the environmental audio issues, sounds nice and clear to me.

August 31st, 2013, 03:32 PM	#3
Oren Arieli Major Player Join Date: May 2007 Location: San Jose, California Posts: 918	Re: IBM Video - Shot with FS100 Thanks Woody. I also found the shine distracting. Diffusion on the hair light and a bit of matte powder on the forehead would have knocked that down. No excuses for letting that slide.

August 31st, 2013, 03:53 PM	#4
Woody Sanford Regular Crew Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Princeton, NC Posts: 161	Re: IBM Video - Shot with FS100 Well your editor could have qualified it in a power window and knocked it down a bit and tracked it, would have been one of those touches that makes a difference.

August 31st, 2013, 08:24 PM	#5
Les Wilson Inner Circle Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Boca Raton, FL Posts: 3,014	Re: IBM Video - Shot with FS100 Zzzzzz, he's a terrible presenter... shiny skin too ... Seems like a really difficult situation.

August 31st, 2013, 11:55 PM	#6
Oren Arieli Major Player Join Date: May 2007 Location: San Jose, California Posts: 918	Re: IBM Video - Shot with FS100 Dharmendra is a certified genius and a great guy. In all fairness, cognitive computing is not an easy topic to present. I know that he's got quite the fan base through, as this video has already seen 15,000 views since August 7th. For an esoteric topic such as this, I think that's pretty good.

September 1st, 2013, 10:27 AM	#7
Matt Davis Trustee Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Berkshire, UK Posts: 1,562	Re: IBM Video - Shot with FS100 You've managed to hold the highlights well, Oren. It was always my biggest concerns - FS100 highlights can do strange things, and so many of us played with Picture Profiles to help compress the highlights without it blowing in an ugly way. I'm sure the editor had some time pressure, I could feel so many moments where (with the 20/20 vision of being clever after the event) one could scoot a few cuts, speed up the cutaways, have some fun. Start with a bang, leave people reeling with the splurge of data, then let the presenter calmly put it all in perspective. FWIW, our presenter is a classic genius. We love these guys. :-) Edit-wise, the big shout-out seemed to be reversed. So... perhaps we start with the preposition: Bunch of symbolic numbers? We look to traditional computers. When you get a fricken' firehose of data, numbers oozing out of every single orifice of every single system, you need this weird-sounding super-spooky 'Cognitive Computing' that's piggy-backing on our understanding of what consciousness is. That IMHO should have been up front, which explains all the rest that follows. But the nurse says I must rest now. It's always good to get some communication between shooter and editor with these new-school cameras. Perhaps there was no budget for grading - if you're churning these edits out like a sausage factory, the editor's going to ask for clemency and 'make it good in-camera'. The other side to all of this (and I'm guilty of this myself) is to take one's footage, pre-grade and pre-edit it. Cut the crap, bring it to Rec709 and into an edit friendly format. Just like photographers do with their stuff. But that puts more onus on the videographer who must now become part editor, part grader. And that adds value which your client may not understand what they're paying for. Oh, and by the way... I've had issues with trying to suggest makeup - powder - on interviewees. I now have a bottle of 'Simple kind-to-skin pore minimising toning cleanser' - sort of an astringent gel that you squidge on, rub in then wipe off, taking all that shine away. Smells sort of like a 5 star spa freebie thing, bit of lemon and cucumber, whatever. Basically, dulling spray for egg-heads. Easier than taming CineTone with miles of knee - I love it. __________________ Director/Editor - MDMA Ltd: Write, Shoot, Edit, Publish - mattdavis.pro EX1 x2, C100 --> FCPX & PPro6

September 1st, 2013, 01:26 PM	#8
Les Wilson Inner Circle Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Boca Raton, FL Posts: 3,014	Re: IBM Video - Shot with FS100 In posting it here, I thought you where looking for reaction and constructive criticism. You can give him all the passes you want. There are good presenters in IBM that could have done it better. I found the topic interesting, the presentation poor and the moving reflection on his head a little (not a lot) distracting. Shooting into the windows as you did, the result is impressive. Love the bokeh on the interview but not the sdof focus rack on the periodic table poster. Those links get passed around in the corporate email and pile on the hits fast. Hits mean little to me. YMMV

September 1st, 2013, 11:19 PM	#9
Oren Arieli Major Player Join Date: May 2007 Location: San Jose, California Posts: 918	Re: IBM Video - Shot with FS100 Les, your comments and criticisms are welcome. I wouldn't post here if I didn't expect some honest feedback. Although I can't control the producers choice of interview subjects, topic or questions...I will do my best to make them look and sound their best. And I will suggest a makeup artist whenever budget allows. If the image distracts from the message, then I haven't done my job properly.

September 2nd, 2013, 05:42 AM	#10
Les Wilson Inner Circle Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Boca Raton, FL Posts: 3,014	Re: IBM Video - Shot with FS100 I won't cast the first stone. I've come home with my share of golf balls on shiny heads. You tackled a bunch of challenges and then bam, your subject moves in a way he didn't during setup. I've noticed IBM videos typically have a certain feel to them image and music wise and I'd say you captured that well.