My Videos - Learng and Making Them

[daniyal]

frozentomtom>>> Seriously Bro, you need to go down to the shop and have a feel with the monopod. See which one suits your needs. I can only share my opinions on the plus and minus points. For me, I would go with the Manfrotto 561. And the monopod only cost $385 SGD.

For your combo of the head and monopod, I would say it is good also. The monopod is not really much a issue. In any equipments that you use, you will face some limitations. Don't let these limitations burden you. Work with them and explore.

[daniyal]

19 JUNE 2012

Me pushing and putting hours into my FotoCrane Ultra Lite. Hope you guys enjoy the clip.

Any comments, suggestions, pointers or sharing of ideas are greatly appreciated, encouraged and welcome. Even criticisms. Please Shoot Me !

[pettypoh]

Check this out, Korean carbon monopod going for $75 and it weighs only 385g. Very tempting to get this one than Sirui P306.

HorusBennu MP-5500CX DSLR Camera Monopod Carbon (57") | eBay

monopod is good for mobility ... but i would prefer tripod and fluid head as the control is better than using monopod to pan and tilt

dolly and trucking shots can also be implemented via tripod but not on monopod (or not as nice) ... for video, i think the control will be a big consideration

for mobility shots, perhaps getting a motion stabiliser like the fly-cam, sky-cam, duno-wat-name-cam thingy is good =D

[pettypoh]

19 JUNE 2012

Me pushing and putting hours into my FotoCrane Ultra Lite. Hope you guys enjoy the clip.

Any comments, suggestions, pointers or sharing of ideas are greatly appreciated, encouraged and welcome. Even criticisms. Please Shoot Me !

daniyal,

firstly, i have never dared to do wedding shoots for friends (or for anybody) coz i think weddings are very difficult =D ... many things on that day happen for "just a second" and photographer/videographer must constantly be on the lookout to capture that one shot which will last a lifetime (*pressure*)

i don't know whether this proposal is useful but i would prefer doing many short clips (varying the angles, distances, dof, lighting) rather than long clips so that there can be more variety in the editing later on.

pretty obvious it's not possible for the couple to redo the main "action scenes" such as grand entrance for you to take a 2nd or 3rd angle shot .... so perhaps using a static 2nd and 3rd camera on tripod could be useful for such situations coz there's really no way to get a second try (or join up different parts later in editing) for such moments

btw, the fotocrane control seems to be slightly .... duno if "underweight" is the correct word to use ... as in it seems like the resistance (weights) not strong enough

perhaps you can also capture more close-ups (emotions) of the couple and guests which may be more useful for weddings ... and then use the fotocrane for really ridiculous high angle / wide panning shots ... e.g. camera shoot from above the couple directly downwards or another shot could be just above the food on table, rise up high and reveal guests surrounding the table ... =D

i think overall attempt is a good try and concept, coz using crane is quite seldom seen ... you must have been quite "outstanding" there hehe

[frozentomtom]

19 JUNE 2012

Me pushing and putting hours into my FotoCrane Ultra Lite. Hope you guys enjoy the clip.

Any comments, suggestions, pointers or sharing of ideas are greatly appreciated, encouraged and welcome. Even criticisms. Please Shoot Me !

Daniyal,

I agree with Pettypoh that it is not easy to shoot a wedding dinner, everything happens very fast and no chance for a re shoot. The ballroom is usually crowded with tables and guests, how do you manage to move the FotoCrane around the ballroom? it is not easy. Would be good if you could include some romantic dialogue between the couples.

It is a good piece of clips, like I said, it is not easy to cover a wedding dinner.

[frozentomtom]

monopod is good for mobility ... but i would prefer tripod and fluid head as the control is better than using monopod to pan and tilt

dolly and trucking shots can also be implemented via tripod but not on monopod (or not as nice) ... for video, i think the control will be a big consideration

for mobility shots, perhaps getting a motion stabiliser like the fly-cam, sky-cam, duno-wat-name-cam thingy is good =D

Yeah, you got a point there.

[frozentomtom]

frozentomtom>>> Seriously Bro, you need to go down to the shop and have a feel with the monopod. See which one suits your needs. I can only share my opinions on the plus and minus points. For me, I would go with the Manfrotto 561. And the monopod only cost $385 SGD.

For your combo of the head and monopod, I would say it is good also. The monopod is not really much a issue. In any equipments that you use, you will face some limitations. Don't let these limitations burden you. Work with them and explore.

yeah, you got a point there too.

[daniyal]

daniyal,

firstly, i have never dared to do wedding shoots for friends (or for anybody) coz i think weddings are very difficult =D ... many things on that day happen for "just a second" and photographer/videographer must constantly be on the lookout to capture that one shot which will last a lifetime (*pressure*)

i don't know whether this proposal is useful but i would prefer doing many short clips (varying the angles, distances, dof, lighting) rather than long clips so that there can be more variety in the editing later on.

pretty obvious it's not possible for the couple to redo the main "action scenes" such as grand entrance for you to take a 2nd or 3rd angle shot .... so perhaps using a static 2nd and 3rd camera on tripod could be useful for such situations coz there's really no way to get a second try (or join up different parts later in editing) for such moments

btw, the fotocrane control seems to be slightly .... duno if "underweight" is the correct word to use ... as in it seems like the resistance (weights) not strong enough

perhaps you can also capture more close-ups (emotions) of the couple and guests which may be more useful for weddings ... and then use the fotocrane for really ridiculous high angle / wide panning shots ... e.g. camera shoot from above the couple directly downwards or another shot could be just above the food on table, rise up high and reveal guests surrounding the table ... =D

i think overall attempt is a good try and concept, coz using crane is quite seldom seen ... you must have been quite "outstanding" there hehe

pettypoh>>> Thanks Bro for your inputs. I really appreciate it. All your comments and pointers I will heed because I agree with you.

Anyway, for this particular wedding, I was helping out a friend as a crane operator. In one of the clips, you will see a hunky guy and a lady. They are the Main Cam and B-Cam.

Wedding Videography is no easy task. Seriously. You need a team. One man shooter can be done but you can't be at 2 or 3 places at one time. That was my first outing as a support cam. It was fun. When you start rolling, your ideas will start pouring in.

i don't know whether this proposal is useful but i would prefer doing many short clips (varying the angles, distances, dof, lighting) rather than long clips so that there can be more variety in the editing later on.
- Could not agree more with you. What I have learned that day from my experienced friends, we need to time our shots in term of duration and timing. If you know what I mean. So generally, 5-7 seconds clip is good duration. You need to be able to predict or forecast the timing. Which you are able 70% of the time in your respective wedding culture. I mean like a Malay wedding, I can expect certain things to be happening but if you ask me to cover a Chinese or Indian or Christian wedding, I don't think I am able because I have yet to be exposed.
- Since there were 3 of us, the 3 of us can't be doing the same shots or roles. We need to define our roles and carry them out diligently. This way, it will give more "life" or "feel" to your moving pictures.
- Total of 92GB of clips for my friend to go through and edit with his storyboard.

pretty obvious it's not possible for the couple to redo the main "action scenes" such as grand entrance for you to take a 2nd or 3rd angle shot .... so perhaps using a static 2nd and 3rd camera on tripod could be useful for such situations coz there's really no way to get a second try (or join up different parts later in editing) for such moments
- Yupz Yupz Yupz. I agree with you.

btw, the fotocrane control seems to be slightly .... duno if "underweight" is the correct word to use ... as in it seems like the resistance (weights) not strong enough
- I am not sure what you meant but this is my set-up.
- Canon 60D with Samyang 35mm lens. My counter-balance was at 2.5kg which I felt that it should be around 2kg. I could not balance my crane in a vertical manner. Pointers that I took note from CheesyCam and OliviaTech.
- Wrong Lens to use, in my personal opinion. Really need to invest in 10-24mm lens. Saving mode ON!!!
- I need more practise and exposure. Plus, I need to do the shots in a slow motion. It looks better and it gives time for viewers to soak in.
- I need to do more "REVEALING" shots rather than "SHOWING" shots.

i think overall attempt is a good try and concept, coz using crane is quite seldom seen ... you must have been quite "outstanding" there hehe
- Outstanding...hahahaha...Not for me to judge. I am there to help out and learn. Waiting to be scolded and scrutinized.
- To me, I want more. More to make mistakes and bettering them.
- Seriously, typical Malay wedding at a void-deck, I seriously do not know how will it be. Because in this wedding, it was done at CC. I have more space. This weekend, I am going to test it out for a Malay wedding at a void-deck and see it for myself whether is it practical.

Thanks Bro for your pointers. I really appreciate it.

[daniyal]

Daniyal,

I agree with Pettypoh that it is not easy to shoot a wedding dinner, everything happens very fast and no chance for a re shoot. The ballroom is usually crowded with tables and guests, how do you manage to move the FotoCrane around the ballroom? it is not easy. Would be good if you could include some romantic dialogue between the couples.

It is a good piece of clips, like I said, it is not easy to cover a wedding dinner.

frozentomtom>>> Thanks Bro for your pointers. I really appreciate it.

- I was the crane operator for that wedding. My clips is part of the many many taken by another 2 more cameras. It is up to my friend on how he wants to manipulate. This is not the Wedding Montage just shots that I took with my crane.

- Since you mentioned ballroom, IF I were to be a crane operator for a Chinese Wedding, which I attended recently, The only place that I can think of is a corner small near where they took their vows. That would be the only place. Because I cannot move around as the ballroom at Hotel Rendevous is pretty small.

[koole]

frozentomtom>>> A normal monopod with the Manfrotto monopod like you posted will do the same job. BUT if you are using a fluid head with a normal monopod, it will not do any justice to the fluid head.

I believe, (I may be wrong), the Manfrotto 561, when you do a panning shot, the stick will be lock in the middle ball held by the 3 legs, which I could appreciate compared to the normal monopod. When the stick is lock in the middle, you can actually let go and the monopod will stand by its own.

Another way to look at it. Every stuffs comes with a limitation. Sometimes you got to explore the limitation instead of working around it.

Personally, i would recommend Manfrotto 561. Using it on weddings & it just works very well. See the video tutorial here

[daniyal]

26 June 2012



With the help of my nephews and niece, we came up with this video for Sound Out - 60 Second Video Contest. A hearing loss campaign by NUHS.

Hope you guys enjoy it and do share the video with your friends as to spread the awareness of hearing loss.

I was trying to play with lighting with orange filter. LEDGO LED Lights. Good value for money but you do not have control over the colours. I believe there is another type of LED Lights that you can control the temperature colours. I think that is more flexible in terms of getting the right temperature colour. In this video, I was using orange filter. Whether you increase or decrease the intensity of the lights, the orange colour will still be shined.

Once again, comments and criticisms are highly and most welcome for my personal learning journey.

Thanks People for watching and sharing.

[frozentomtom]

26 June 2012

With the help of my nephews and niece, we came up with this video for Sound Out - 60 Second Video Contest. A hearing loss campaign by NUHS.

Hope you guys enjoy it and do share the video with your friends as to spread the awareness of hearing loss.

I was trying to play with lighting with orange filter. LEDGO LED Lights. Good value for money but you do not have control over the colours. I believe there is another type of LED Lights that you can control the temperature colours. I think that is more flexible in terms of getting the right temperature colour. In this video, I was using orange filter. Whether you increase or decrease the intensity of the lights, the orange colour will still be shined.

Once again, comments and criticisms are highly and most welcome for my personal learning journey.

Thanks People for watching and sharing.

Daniyal,

The idea is good.

For a moment, I was wondering who has hearing lost? But when you showed the POV of the boy, the message is clear, but took me awhile to realise it. Perhaps at the end of the clip, could show him stand up and reach into his pocket for his hearing aid.

[pettypoh]

Daniyal,

The idea is good.

For a moment, I was wondering who has hearing lost? But when you showed the POV of the boy, the message is clear, but took me awhile to realise it. Perhaps at the end of the clip, could show him stand up and reach into his pocket for his hearing aid.

agreed. good concept, just needs a few more close up shots to get the details right for the viewers .. daniyal, pls correct me if i'm wrong ... my understanding is that because the boy playing wasn't able to hear the words properly that's why he needed visual assistance from the other boy on the stairs, is that what you were trying to portray? the timing of the speech "scissors, paper, stone" + boy at top of stairs + hearing aid could be the winning scenes for your video

the actions of the boy at the top of stairs could be changed to holding some sort of whiteboard / paper - to initiate the "stone", means having to "show hand", rather than constantly on scissors (which initially i thought was trying to play cheat (like in poker) ... but then i was thinking ... how to cheat in this game by being behind?)

another possible scene could be you showing that the boy playing is actually not looking directly at the girl, but rather at the boy at top of stairs

[frozentomtom]

Daniyal and Pettypoh,

I'm confuse with this video. As a rule of thumb, we usually set the exposure to 0EV or -1/3EV in order to retain details. At frame 00:43, why did Dave set the exposure to +1EV, I thought that would result in over exposure??

[daniyal]

frozentomtom and pettypoh>>> As much as I want to redo the video, my niece and nephews are not willing to remake it. It fun but I had a time coaxing them to help me. Except for my niece who is eagerly to help me out but not the boys. I really do appreciate your pointers.

- Scissors all the way? I purposedly asked the POV nephew to look at the other nephew at the top. I am trying to put POV kid playing with just sight only. He lost the game. Hehheehhe.

my understanding is that because the boy playing wasn't able to hear the words properly that's why he needed visual assistance from the other boy on the stairs, is that what you were trying to portray?
- Yes.

another possible scene could be you showing that the boy playing is actually not looking directly at the girl, but rather at the boy at top of stairs
- I wanted to do that but after 10 takes, the boys were unhappy because they want to playtheir PS3.

the message is clear, but took me awhile to realise it
- That's the effect that I want.

the timing of the speech "scissors, paper, stone" + boy at top of stairs + hearing aid could be the winning scenes for your video
- Winning scenes? I would not know. Thanks for the encouragements and well wishes.
- Thought this would be a good opportunity for me to warm up to video contest and competition.

Anyway, I got to know about this competition last week and the deadline is 30th June. Already submitted the video. Awaiting to be approved.

It was a good experience working with the kids. They were wondering why I had to take so many takes at different angles. So I explained. My niece was so eager to help me achieve my story perfectly when the boys said they gave up. She was very worried. Worried that I might not get my story. I told her dun worry. I am a magician. She wants to win. Hehehehhe. Said to her, "Winning is not important. As long as we do this happily and learn our mistakes so that we won't repeat them for our next venture, that's good for me."

You know, she was like an actor, assistant director and a playwright. All in one. She was going like, You have to do this, You have to say this, Uncle you have to try capture this, etc. I was like WOW! Did not see that coming.

Thanks Guys, the video already had 95 views as of now. Thank you so much.

[daniyal]

Daniyal and Pettypoh,

I'm confuse with this video. As a rule of thumb, we usually set the exposure to 0EV or -1/3EV in order to retain details. At frame 00:43, why did Dave set the exposure to +1EV, I thought that would result in over exposure??

frozentomtom>>> In that particular video, I think Dave is trying to get more highlights in the snow. Another possible reason why exposure set to +1EV is because when you transfer your footages into your laptop or pc, it tends to be a bit darker. What you see on your camera LCD is actually warmer than your laptop. Same goes if your footage on PC or laptop is warmer than your TV. Whatever you shoot, just don't blow or clip your highlights. I learned a very expensive lesson on that over the past weekend.

[frozentomtom]

Daniyal and Pettypoh,

Do you use LCD view finders?

Saw these two low end LCD view finders, can't decide which one to pick, what are your recommendations?

P.S. Saw a review that the LCD side image wrap a little for this Carry Speed view finder.

[frozentomtom]

[pettypoh]

i have thought about it, haven't got to testing it ... i think it has magnification which will help in seeing the screen (and especially under harsh light ... sometimes cannot see what's on the screen)

but never really got down to looking for one yet ... coz still meddling around with video settings first =D

[daniyal]

frozentomtom>>> I owned a ViewFinder. Honestly, never get to use it because the magnetic frame just could not stick to my LCD. After warming up the sticker underneath the magnetic frame with my LCD on for at least an hour, it sticked but after I attached the Viewfinder, it did not even last 5 mins. The whole piece just dropped off. Another thing, my honest and humble opinion, if you used a a Viewfinder, it may not display the correct luminance of the LCD which is the reflection of your taken footages. With this in mind, you might adjust your camera settings which may resulted in underexposed or overexposed footages. All it does is to magnify. Based on this magnify, it may degrade your pixels. What I may suggest is a LCD hood. You can check them out at Artworkfoto.