Homage - Behind The Scene Photos

Some photographs from the filming of Homage, showing the Olympus E-P2s in action. The microphone is the Rode VideoMic with a Rode "Dead cat" attached and mounted on a Manfrotto flash bracket.

Homage - A short film shot on the Olympus E-P2

Homage from Edmond Terakopian on Vimeo.

A thug with a hoodie breaks into an abandoned country manor house...

A short film featuring Haylie Ecker (formerly of "Bond").
Assistant Antje Bormann.
Shot exclusively on Olympus E-P2 cameras and Olympus lenses.
Edited using Aperture 3 and Final Cut Pro.
Microphone by Rode.

I'm delighted to say that I've finished another short film called Homage which was premiered today at the PEN event in the Brickhouse in London's Brick Lane.

The Brickhouse screening of Homage

To read a little about how it was conceived and some behind the scenes stuff, please have a look at an article in the British Journal of Photography online. It goes into some detail so I didn't want to just repeat all they have written, so please do check it out.

The Brickhouse screening of Homage

To get the full effect of how great the 720p HD is, I do suggest you go over to Vimeo and view it in HD.

Canon & Vimeo Film Contest

The Story Beyond the Still - Behind The Scenes from Vincent Laforet on Vimeo.

Friend and colleague Vincent Laforet has announced a fascinating and ground breaking film contest on his blog.

In a nutshell, it involves films being made which take on the story from the end frame, a still image, on the film shot by the previous person. Watch the film and visit his blog for full details.

Is Social Media A Fad? Erm, Nope!

This is well worth 4.5 minutes of your time. Its an extremely interesting breakdown of how social media like FaceBook and Twitter are changing the ways of the world. Check it out!

"Muse" Awarded "Best Film Editing"

Muse from Edmond Terakopian on Vimeo.

In the best traditions of film award acceptance speeches, I never expected to get this award.

My first ever short film, Muse, was invited to be shown at the International Independent Short Film Festival Donetsk 2009, held on July 30 in the Ukraine.

I'm overjoyed to say that I just received an email from the organisers saying that it has won this award!

The following message was sent along with the certificate:

"Dear Edmond,

please, find attached file with certificate your movie Muse is awarded and accept congratulations from me and festival juri consisted of young independent filmmakers. Hope you will enjoy it!

Also Festival Committee has interviewed attendees about all films screened and your film received good feedback: spectators like beautiful visual pictures of London, play by the actress, sound. Also your film has been first five ranked of 16 participated films by audience voting.

Thank you again for participation and all the best for your filmmaking!

Hope to see new films from you to invite to participate in next festival sessions.

Best regards from Ukraine, Sergiy."

I am absolutely overjoyed by this. I'd really like to take this opportunity to thank Stef for all her patience and support during filming, Enrico Blatti and the Blue Chamber Orchestra for the fabulous soundtrack, Canon for the loan of the 5D MkII, Apple for supplying Final Cut Studio and Rode for supplying the microphones.

42 Seconds Of Brilliance

The is stunning. A 42 second long short film (guess we might need to call this an ultra short?) called "Last Day Dream" by Chris Milk. Absolutely stunning. This is truly an education in how to edit and be to the point with your story.

Last Day Dream [HD] from Chris Milk on Vimeo.

"Last Day Dream"
a man watches his life pass before him

Quicktime version
http://chrismilk.com/42/

Produced for the 42 Second Dream Film Festival
Beijing China 2009
www.42x42.com

Written and Directed by Chris Milk
Produced by Samantha Storr
Associate Producer Brad O'Connor
Music Chris Milk
Photography Chris Milk
Editor Livio Sanchez
Production Designer Matthew Holt
Wardrobe Stylist Lydia Paddon
Makeup & Wardrobe Molly Paddon
Production Assistance Jason Baum
Production Assistance Clint Caluory
Telecine Dave Hussey
Sound Design Eddie Kim

Shot entirely on Lensbaby Lenses and Canon 5D Mark II SLR Camera

A Life Alone

I just came across this amazingly sensitive and very touching multimedia piece by Maisie Crow, the winner of the Ian Parry Scholarship. Its called "A Life Alone". Its well worth watching.

A Life Alone from Soul of Athens on Vimeo.

For 63 years, Tom Rose and his wife, Mary, built a life together on his family farm on Canaanville Road. Then last year Mary passed away, leaving Tom to face the future alone, surrounded by a lifetime of memories.

Maisie Crow: Photography, Videography and Production
Jenn Poggi: Senior Producer

Newspapers According to the Daily Show

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
End Times
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Newt Gingrich Unedited Interview

This is extremely funny, sad and then again funny.

Tiananmen Square: a night of despair

On the 20th anniversary of the tragic events at Tiananmen Square, The Guardian's Dan Chung has put together some spectacular films using footage from 1989 married to recent interviews and footage of the square yesterday. These are well worth a watch:

Tiananmen Square: a night of despair

Tiananmen Square: days of hope

Tiananmen Square today

The New York Times has a couple of very interesting posts and images of the iconic and brave moment when a man blocked the tanks.

Behind The Scenes: Tank Man Of Tiananmen

Behind The Scenes: A New Angle On History a fifth image of the "Tank Man" emerges.

5D MkII Manual Control For Video

Apologies for the delay in bringing this to you, but I was having surgery when this was announced!

Canon Enables Manual Exposure in Video on EOS 5D Mark II

LONDON, UK, 27th May 2009:  Canon announced today it will release a firmware update for the EOS 5D Mark II allowing users to manually control exposure when shooting video.  The new firmware will be available for download from 2 June 2009 on Canon Europe’s support web site.

Following the launch of the EOS 5D Mark II in September 2008, Canon’s Research and Development team has listened closely to customer feedback to develop additions to the camera’s movie recording functionality.     

Allowing EOS 5D Mark II owners to achieve even more stunning video results with the camera, the firmware update will include the following manual controls when shooting video:

·        Full aperture selection 
·        ISO speed: Auto, 100 – 6400 and H1 
·        Shutter speed: 1/30th – 1/4000th second 

This is huge news. I for one was convinced to start shooting video purely because of the camera. However, with the fully automated exposure, it became a challenge to override it with various cheats. With this firmware update, its going to allow so much more freedom and it'll really allow every ounce of the camera's stunning visual capability to be harnessed. I for one can't wait to give it a try. I just hope that a similar update is in the pipeline for the audio.

Addendum:

The firmware is now live and can be downloaded HERE.

Canon 5D MkII Audio Hacked

5D Mark Free audio meters from Trammell Hudson on Vimeo.

Well, its happened. The audio function has been hacked on the 5D MkII to allow an override on the automatic gain control. This is superb news and my congratulations go to Hudson for this.

There's a thread on the Cinema 5D forum exploring this update to the camera's firmware.

Informative 5D MkII Video Tips

EventDV TV // 5D Reel from StillMotion on Vimeo.

Just watched this very interesting video and the author's tips on manually controlling the aperture, shutter and ISO on the Canon 5D MkII in video mode. Well worth a watch.

Super Slow - SprintCam v3HD

I-Movix SprintCam v3 NAB 2009 showreel from David Coiffier on Vimeo.

This is astonishing! 1000fps full HD broadcast quality video from the SprintCam v3HD; just check out the detail and surreal quality of looking at things super slow.

BeachTek Accessories for 5D MkII

BeachTek have recently announced a couple of video accessories for Canon 5D MkII users. The first is the DXA-5D XLR adapter which has a host of very interesting and useful controls on it. It allows the use of professional quality XLR microphones with the 5D MkII, but it goes a step further by allowing the user to override the camera's built in AGC and set an input volume manually and also to use a headphone to monitor the sound being recorded. Anyone who has shot any video on the camera will appreciate just how crucial these features are.I'm eagerly awaiting a review model, so watch this space!

KELOWNA, CANADA – April 9th, 2009 – BeachTek is happy to announce their new DXA-5D XLR adapter that has been highly anticipated for the Canon 5D Mark II camera. The DXA-5D provides an easy way to connect professional microphones and other audio gear to this popular camera. This adapter brings a whole new functionality to the Canon 5D Mark II that was previously unavailable. It is now possible to capture professional sound with control and monitoring ability. The suggested list price of the DXA-5D is $379.00 in the United States. Expected shipping date is May 26th, 2009.

The DXA-5D features dual transformer-balanced XLR inputs with phantom power and built-in level meters. In addition, the built-in headphone jack allows the user to monitor the audio – a feature missing on this camera. The trim controls allow the user to dial in the proper signal levels for optimum recording quality.

Most importantly, is the unique AGC Disable function which was the most sought after feature by users of this camera. The AGC Disable circuit is activated by a switch which controls the wild swings of the Auto Gain Control in the camera to reduce the hiss generated by the preamplifiers during quiet moments of recording. It works by sending a high frequency inaudible tone to the left channel of the camera. This feature greatly decreases the camera noise which has always been a problem in the past.

The DXA-5D also provides an unbalanced mini-jack input for many wireless receivers that use mini-plug connectors. There is an additional mic level output jack for connecting the adapter to external audio recorders such as the popular Sony PCM-D50 when very high quality recording is required. The LCD display shows the state of the various switches and battery life, as well as a vu meter that shows the audio levels from - 54dBu to -33dBu. This allows the user to verify the proper recording levels and eliminates any guesswork.

BeachTek is the original and most popular maker of XLR adapters for DV camcorders. The company specializes in making unique audio accessories for demanding video professionals.

BeachTek is located in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada. For additional information on BeachTek or the products that they offer, including full specifications on the DXA-5D, visit their web site at www.beachtek.com or call (416) 690-9457.

The second item is a rig called the Multimount 5D which allows several hotshoe accessories to be mounted onto the camera.

Afghanistan's Failing Army by John D McHugh

Our good friend John D McHugh has his latest film "Afghanistan's Failing Army" on The Guardian's web site. Its a very interesting look at the subject of the ANA's ability to succeed as an army.

For further reading, check out the post on John D McHugh's blog.

Rode VideoMic

Rode VideoMic and 5D MkII in action during a Gaza demo

Those who read the second part of my review of the Canon 5D MkII will know that my microphone of choice for this camera is the Rode VideoMic.

I gave a little interview to Rode about my experiences with their products and why I have chosen the VideoMic as my preferred audio equipment. You can read it here.

Chase Jarvis Interview

Chase Jarvis' 5 Secrets for Exceptional Photographs from SilberStudios.Tv on Vimeo.

Commercial and editorial photographer, friend, diamond geezer and generally top man Chase Jarvis has an interesting interview on Photoshow (above).

There are also a few more interviews on his blog post. Do check them out folks.

Combat Outpost, Afghanistan

John D McHugh's latest video, Combat Outpost, is now on the Guardian web site.

McHugh goes on to say "This is without doubt the most difficult and dangerous place I have worked so far, but I think the film gives a good insight into the futility of the current strategy in Afghanistan, and the pointless dangers the soldiers are facing every day". It definitely is a good insight; do check it out.

Muse Makes Top 10

"Muse" makes the top 10 rated movies of "The EOScars" website with a rating of 7.1. Many thanks to all who have voted for it. If you would like to vote for it, kindly give it a star rating here.

Muse Now Available on Openfilm

After a request from the website Openfilm, Muse is now available for viewing on their service.

If you have yet to se the film, please do check it out. As its my first ever film, I'm very keen on feedback, so please feel free to leave feedback either there, or here on the blog.

To date, the film has had over 28,000 views. To put this in context, this is more views than some classic arthouse films get seen in cinemas around the world.

The film was shot on a Canon 5D MkII using the following Canon lenses: 16-35mm f2.8L II, 35mm f1.4L, 45mm TS-E, 50mm Macro, 85mm f1.2L II and 135mm f2L. The entire film was shot over three evenings and edited on a Mac Pro using various modules of Apple's Final Cut Studio.

Its also available for viewing on Vimeo, SmugMug and YouTube.