GH2 HDMI output recorded with Atomos NINJA

Ninja Graffiti by Martin Beek / http://www.marvelsfilm.com

Recorded at the annual Graffiti event in downtown Eindhoven (The Netherlands) using the Panasonic GH2 and Atomos Ninja digital recorder. The Ninja is a GREAT sub-1000 euro ProRes422(HQ) HDMI recorder from http://www.atomos.com .

I’ve used the GH2’s Smooth picture profile (all settings on -2 except for color saturation at -1) and Voigtlander Nokton 25mm/f0.95 lens with Fader ND filter. Aperture fixed at f2.8. Mixed 160 and 320 ISO.

Quality of the footage is stunning; it’s a pity that i had to convert it to H.264 to upload to YouTube, plus the extra compression crap that is added during YouTube’s conversion.

You can download the original hires/hi-Q input file (H.264, not the FCP ProRes444) from the Vimeo page at : http://vimeo.com/user6312268/gh2cleanhdmininja

Music: “Yeah Yeah” by “Bodyrox featuring Luciana”. Buy the music here: http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/yeah-yeah/id211458233

HDMI Ninja-recorder footage was deinterlaced, decrippled and converted to uncompressed 4:2:2 “fcp-ready” footage by using the free AviSynth and FFMpeg tools as described here: http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?237584-HDMI-Capture-Problem-SOLVED-AviSynth-RULES! and here: https://marvelsfilm.wordpress.com/2011/04/27/gh2-hdmi-recording-avisynth-script-update/

Cheers!

Short Free Fall (“Vrije Val”) 2010, full movie on YouTube HD

Honorable Mention & Audience Award – Los Angeles Movie Awards 2010

Shot with Sony EX-1, EX-3, Canon 7D, RedRock M2E DOF adapters

YouTube HD version

IMDb page

Our latest short “Free Fall” now full length and HD on YouTube

Youtube has updated our account to “no limits”, so we at Marvels Film were finally able to upload our 43 gig, 25 minute, 1080p short movie “Free Fall” (Dutch: Vrije Val). Winner of the Audience Honorable Mention at the Los Angeles Movie Awards 2010.

Free Fall is a short silent movie – music only – about HIV, Aids and prejudice. For this indie production we used a mix of Sony PMW-EX1 with RedrockMicro DOF adapter,  PMW-EX3 and Canon 7D footage.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZ6i-_bQcgI&hd=1

Website: www.vrijevalfilm.nl (English and Dutch)

IMDb:  http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3727391/

Sold my Canon 7D: explaining why…

After some consideration during spring 2010, i decided to stop DSLR video shooting – despite some serious investments in gear and paraphernalia – and return to HD videocamera shooting, using a DOF convertor to taste. For the latter my tools of trade remain the Sony XDCAM-EX, 35mm DOF adapter, Zeiss prime lenses, SmallHD DP1x, Convergent Design Nanoflash, et cetera…

I have been a film cameraman all my life and i’m used to heavy duty cameras with ditto tools. The flimsy and fragile DSLR lenses and focussing, in combination with the clumsy camera design and total lack of control (maybe with the exception of using the Magic Lantern software on the 5DmkII) and lack of a proper viewfinder, made me decide to take my losses and drop the 7D. DSLR cameras are NOT video cameras (yet). They are a gimmick and most of all just still cameras. I still find the amount of compression and micro-blocking artifacts due to downscaling on the Bayer-filter imaging element unbearable, specially when used for blowup to 2K cinema format. There is no “raw” SDI-like output.

I was saving up money to buy the Scarlet by Red, that was announced Spring of four preceding years in a row 😉 When it’s release was delayed again this spring, i decided to just be patient, confident and satisfied with the gear i already owned and spent my money on other more important things.

The XDCam-EX / Nanoflash / DOF adapter / Zeiss lenses combo gives me perfect and professional control over image, depth of field, video signal and exposure. The HD signal is much much cleaner, specially when blown-up for 2K cinema use, and provides me with an outstanding Film Look.

Because the 7D was on the shelf catching dust for over half a year already, i decided to sell it. I don’t feel sorry – not even for the financial loss. I only feel stupid; that i’ve allowed myself being swept away with the whole DSLR hype, with some prominent international filmmakers in the lead. – read updated article above –

DSLR filming = Low Budget. Let’s not forget that and let’s see what the future brings.

Martin Beek.

Business to business motruarium diensten uitvaart verzorging overledenen verzorging

March Hardware Testdrive on Martinbeek.net: My Quest for the Perfect DOF adapter, and the Redrock Encore!

A story one year in the making…

This month’s Hardware Testdrive is different from the previous articles. This special edition is a summary and a wrap-up of one year of shooting “digital film” using the Sony EX-1 HD camera with the Redrock Encore. A wonderful experience and example rendition of the nearly-elusive filmlook. This all for the Dutch short movie “Vrije Val“, formerly known as “Birth of a Song”. A story about HIV, Aids and prejudice.

For this production we wanted to render the film look as good as it gets; being filmmakers used working with s-35 and s-16mm film-stock, we had some tough requirements for this new digital film phenomenon…

These included:

• Film-like bokeh rendition (explanation)
• Shallow Depth Of Field (DOF) (see links below)
• Film-like shooting (read more here)
• Simple workflow (XDCam EX, backup storage, FCP)

This article also tells the story of my quest for finding the perfect DOF adapter, that has not only cost me dearly, but also got me a few extra gray hairs…

Read it here on www.martinbeek.net !

March Hardware Testdrive coming up: DOF adapters

This month’s Hardware Testdrive is the result of one year of struggling with a number of top-shelf DOF adapters. It will also encompass different reviews, all merged into one. This extensive article will be ready some time the third week of march and will include many pictures and example footage.

I shot three productions in 2009 – one short movie and two music videos – for which we either bought or rented four different DOF adapters for our Sony EX-1 camera. The Brevis, the SGBlade, the Letus Extreme and the Redrock Micro M2E.

Some results and experiences were disastrous, which made 2009 a very expensive year in the camera department…

Read all about it soon..!

Cheers, martin.