Blowing off the dust - Scripting and other joys

Well now, isn't this a surprise.  A blog post!

Seriously though, I've been well in these last few months.  The summer was a little lean but getting back in the saddle for my last year of film theory at Capilano University has been a pleasure as always.

At the moment, there are quite a few creative projects I'm working on that are dividing my attention.  For one, I'm writing 2(!) feature length scripts.  One I started in early 2015 and will be, by the end of April, in a presentable form.  The project is about a World War I survivor named John McCallum who has learned his son James has gone off to fight in the Spanish Civil War illegally and he'll do anything to get him home before its too late.  I've had some enthusiastic early responses to my earlier drafts and at this time am working on a coherent treatment.  This is taking a lot of my time at the moment but its interesting work!

The other script is something of a low budget thriller-horror based around a kidnapping.  Not for school, just a project I came up with while brainstorming other ideas.

In camera news, my kit has changed slightly since I posted about it last summer.  I've added a GH4, a monitor, some better sound equipment.  I'm going to be hosting a link to my gear list on this site when I have a chance so people looking for some rough and tumble indie work know what I've got in my basement.  Goal for the next year or two, upgrading my lenses!

I hope you are all having a great Post-Halloween day.  I've got visitors in town and my family will be coming to treat me on my Birthday which has made this past week a nice change of pace.  School will be picking up again soon though and I have lots of writing to do so I'll make sure to give you an update here when I have the time in December.

See you next time.

Linley's DIY Videographer Kit

Well, this has been overdue.  To be fair, I have been getting a lot of work done this summer (and have more to do before its over!) so I haven't had too much time to remember about this rather empty blog.  Still gathering material for the demo reel I really need to put together.

In the meantime, as I contemplate my next camera kit, I'll share the details of my current kit and what I've been using to make some money over the past few months.

So let's dive in:

Camera Case

Here's the gear in the case.  Tip for anyone planning to keep their gear happy: Pelican Cases.  Do not skimp on protecting your assets.  MOPA students will know this already though!

Everything in this case sees action when I'm out on the job with my camera.  The kit includes a simple Mattebox, rod assembly, a spare AC/USB charger, extra battery, tripod lens support ring, card reader, charger w/ cord, USB and HDMI cables, follow focus rubber gear for adapting lenses, lens cleaning tools and spare mounting options.  Most importantly, it includes a 40-120mm (35 equivalent) Zoom lens.  This is not my favourite lens.  It is slow and not a particularly sharp lens but it has a good focal range and every camera should have a lens immediately on hand.  I know I'll always plan to have my lens case on me but this just makes sense to have sitting in reserve.

Old reliable as I've started calling it, the GH3.  Suffers from noise in low light but otherwise I haven't had any complaints with the camera aside from some features it doesn't have.  The disadvantage of rolling shutter is something I try to keep in mind when shooting and the lack of colour bars and zebra stripes is annoying.  The one thing I wish this camera had was built in Image Stabilization.  The new Sony cameras have this however I'm going to stick with the Micro Four Thirds system.  Super 16mm sensors seem to be the most affordable for a solo videographer to run.  There are cine primes out for it, Black Magic has brought out a unit, the Micro, I will buy next (in preference over the GH4) and they remain small and portable.  If any production needs larger sensor cameras, they'll have to rent.  Otherwise, I'll have 4K capability and a decent Mirrorless handheld B-camera to boot.

Old reliable, stay reliable.  That's all I ask of you.

And here is the other vital organ of the case, the adaptors.  The Metabones Speed Booster brightens and widens the FOV of the FD lenses mounted to it.  The Fotodiox adaptor is both a back up and serves as a source of different field of view 'lengths'.  Also incredibly useful, the follow focus unit.

Lens Case

Here is the result of craigslist garage shopping over the course of several months.  It turned out well enough! 

This lens case contains a screwdriver, a mini-camera with spare battery and charging cable and a lens lever.

...

Oh right, the lenses in the lens case!

So these are all Canon FD lenses.  Priced between $150 and $40, all of these lenses (with one exception) are coated identically.  

Here's a rundown of my thoughts on each:

24mm f/2.8 - This becomes my widest, at 35mm.  Not necessarily a 'wide' when on my GH3, it does enable me to shoot people from the passenger seat of cars.  I'm hoping to get a 20mm to widen my range further as my next purchase.

28mm f/2.8 - At 40mm, this lens used to be my widest prime.  I mostly use this now as a back up for the lens below when a little more speed is required.  It does lose focus when used on the Fotodiox adapter and it does not have the same coating as the other lenses.  This makes it less valuable to me and I am in the process of selling it.

35mm f/3.5 - The person who sold this to me claimed it was worth more because it was a 'chrome nose' lens, making it more collectable.  All I know is that its my 50mm equivalent and it looks pretty nice.  There are faster 35mm FD lenses out there I would like to buy to replace this but I'll stick with this for now.

50mm f/1.4 - Best lens in my kit.  71mm equivalent short telephoto with great low light performance and shallow depth of field.  I use this lens for most of my racking focus shots because 71mm is still short enough to move around with.  Supposedly the best lens in my case in terms of image quality according to all the sources I've read.

100mm f/2.8 - This becomes a 142mm and rocks for shallow depth of field.  Benefits from the fact it is physically similar in size to all of the aforementioned lenses, thus I could theoretically use it for head shots in a busy crowd without people thinking I'm singling them out.  My second most used long length lens.

200mm f/4 - First level of super-telephoto.  Using the Metabones adaptor, this becomes a 284mm lens.  Using the fotodiox adaptor, this becomes an incredibly lightweight 400mm lens.  Someday it will prove itself.  All the others have!

300mm f/5.6 - Second level of super-telephoto.  Used exclusively as a 600mm lens.  I most recently used it to shoot the moon.  Absolutely a blast to use when the occasion arises.  Spoiler alert, it will someday be my second longest lens...

Sooooooon...

With a 4:3 ratio of telephoto lenses to all other categories, its easy to see that I am a long focal length geek.  I enjoy focus pulling for effect both with foreground objects and background bokeh.  However, I do take my shorter lenses very seriously.  My most used lenses are, in order, 35-24-50.  The fun of having the 100mm to throw on never gets old but I don't let that get the better of me.  The knowledge that, with a little preparation, my super telephoto lenses could create some stunning visuals justifies the money spent on them.

When I get my next camera system, I will be following up with a new set of cine lenses.  These legacy FD lenses however will fit on the Black Magic and the bulk of these will never be sold.  They're just too much fun.

Monitor Bag

I do empty this bag and throw in camera gear depending on the job.

Either using an off-brand Canon mount battery for power or an AC cable; this 7 inch monitor has proven to be worth the investment.  It has become my go to source for focus correction and allows me to, without losing view of my frame, boom operate an interview.  Although I hate locking off on tripod as I feel interviews and most 'static shots' deserve some breathing to feel organic, this monitor allows me to one man band out in the field when I have to.  It also allows for playback for clients.  Very useful.

Audio Case

If I didn't have to worry about accompanying audio, I'd be in heaven.  Thankfully, Zoom isn't that bad.

As much as I dislike fiddling with mixing (it is an art), its impossible to ignore the fact that it makes up a huge part of any video big or small.  So my solution is to stick this Zoom ontop of my GH3 and use the adequate shotgun capsule.  Next on the docket is a boom microphone I can call my own and a wireless lav kit.  These are being pushed behind my next camera purchases in terms of priority because I care more about improving my image quality.  However, either through rental or through someone else's gear; I can accommodate any sensible microphone set up with my Zoom.

The Remainder

What I didn't take pictures of are my tripods, stands, computers, bounce discs or XLR cables.  All of it together means I am in a position to freelance.  I haul all my gear on a two wheeled moving dolly, strapped and secure.  Only time will tell what life will throw at me in terms of equipment but I'm 'adequate' enough at the moment to make money.  When I upgrade, I'll be in a good position to charge kit fees because I'll have a camera and the lenses to produce festival worthy content.  All I want and need are the people who will both pay and direct me towards producing their vision.

In the meantime, I'll take on more odd jobs and get as much experience as possible.  I hope to get more well rounded in the post side of things this year in school as well as tackle more writing!

See you on set,

Linley Redford

What a year, what a year

Hi there folks.

I've been meaning for a VERY long time to update this blog as I go along but it just keeps slipping through the cracks.  I've been very busy both at Capilano University furthering my education and off campus with some extra work I've been picking up.

Since setting up this site, I've made several pretty important gear upgrades which have allowed me to get involved as Cinematographer for a documentary (a full length post of that will be in the works).  I've made the GH3 purchase go a long way and I'll be compiling a demo reel of my work in January to post here as well as on my associated Youtube channel.

Networking isn't one of my strongest suites and neither is keeping a site up to date when life is moving at breakneck speed; nevertheless, I'm feeling confident about the opportunities opening up for me in the next year and I'm sure I'll have a lot more to share here about them.

To those who have supported me thus far, you have my gratitude.

I'm ready to dive into this work!  There's more to come!

Blog has been made!

Mission complete!

Hello there, if you're reading this than I have shared a post I have made here to Facebook for the purpose of showing you work that I have done.  I appreciate your time for coming here and looking into my previous history.

It is my intention to come out of University with plenty of content already posted here to show my development as I grow both as a camera operator and as a writer.

Let's take a journey together as I live the life of a young Canadian man becoming a part of production crews creating stories that matter.

Thank you.