Tips

Make a UPM Kit

During my first semester in the Film School we had a Production Management class. In it we were required to create a UPM kit. Shopping for these items brought back grade school memories. Here's what we had to pickup: One portable file box or satchel - the UPM kit One...

Getting all those Kickstarter rewards out with Shyp

Though we live in a digital world, for anyone that’s run a Kickstarter campaign, the reality of manufacturing and shipping is a frustrating, hair pulling event. Obviously if your campaign is for a product this is to be expected, but I’m specifically focusing on films...

GH4’s Faux Pre-Roll Recording Mode

A month or so ago Panasonic released a firmware update to the GH4. The biggest feature that got a lot of buzz was a 1:1 shooting ratio, enabling better use of anamorphic lenses. But there was another interesting feature listed that caught my eye. Way down at the...

The GH4 RAW Enigma & 4K Footage of an Owl Eating a Fish

GH4 arrived on Friday. I took it out to Big Cypress National Preserve to give it a spin and play with the Panasonic 100-300mm 4-5.6 lens I rented. This isn't a camera review post but overall the camera was great. I shot a lot of stills and some 4K video. Below you can...

Double Barrel Interview Rig

A MacGyver 3-D rig? No. I adapted this hack from a post on the NY Times Lens blog from photographer Doug Mills. It lets me get a wide and close-up shot simultaneously while doing one man band interviews. I simply mount my GH2/GH3 directly on top of my Sony EX1. I keep...

5 Filmmaking Tools That Kick Ass and Save Money

You want to get a top notch DSLR kit. What comes to mind when you need to buy and build this kit? Canon 5D or 7D, Zoom H4n recorder, Zacuto rig. What if I told you all of these (and more) have less expensive alternatives that provide an equal if not better user...