Archive for the ‘HDSLR Cameras’ Category

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We Have A Winner To Our “Where’s the 5D” Contest

Monday, November 2nd, 2009

The “Where’s the 5D” contest was so close that the winner Josh beat our runner up Tim by a single shot.  Josh will claim his prize this Wednesday when he visits me on the set for the day.

Where's the 5D winner announced!

Where's the 5D winner announced!

We decided to add a runner up prize for Tim because he just only missed 2 shots of the entire sequence. Tim will have one hour of phone time to ask me any questions he would like.

Congratulations to both Josh and Tim!

A huge thank-you to everyone that participated for taking the time, giving your expertise in breaking down this sequence and making the contest so competitive.  Don’t be discouraged if you didn’t win this time because we will have more contests in the future. I want to know your ideas for the grand prize!

Now, here are the answers:

Where’s the 5D?

00:00:00 – 00:00:14 // Wide shots of Yacht//  Sony F950

00:00:15 – 00:1:00 // Girls on Yacht, underwater, girl next bell, girl walking down stairs with drink outside, girl walking down stairs in side yacht, girl walking into salon in yacht, guy getting shot from inside POV // Arri 235-Film

00:01:00 – 00:01:04  //Seals shoot bad guy from boat// Canon 5D MK II

00:01:04 – 00:01:06 //Wide shot of assault/ Overhead Helo//  Sony F-950

00:01:06 – 00:01:10 //Seals assault yacht on boats// Canon 5D MK II

00:01:10 – 00:01:11 // Wide shot of Yacht and all the boats// Sony F950

00:01:11 – 00:01:18 // Seals approach yacht on boats and Helo// Canon 5D MK II

00:01:18 – 00:01:21 // Profile shot of Mark V going by Yacht// Sony F-950

00:01:21 – 00:01:24 //Seals in Boat, in Helo pushing rope out// Canon 5D MK II

00:01:24 – 00:01:25 // Helo to Helo shot of Seals fast roping// Sony F-950

00:01:25 – 00:01:27 // Looking up at Seal fast roping onto Yacht// Canon 5D MK II

00:01:27 – 00:01:30 // Wide shot from Helo watching Seals fast roping// Sony F950

00:01:30 – 00:01:31 //Seal lands on Yacht from Helo// Canon 5D MK II

00:01:31 – 00:01:32 //Profile of Mark V boat tracking on water// Sony F-950

00:01:32 – 00:01:38 // Seals move onto Yacht, moving with them// Canon 5D MK II

00:01:38 – 00:01:40 // Overhead shot of Zodiac off loading Seals// Sony F-950

00:01:40 – 00:01:50 // Seals assault the Yacht, they head down the side// Canon 5D MK II

00:01:50 – 00:01:51 // Wide Helo shot of 3 Seals heading down side of boat// Sony F-950

00:01:51 – 00:01:58 // Seals track down side of boat and shoot bad guy in head// Canon 5D MK II

Shane shane_hurlbut Tags:
Posted in Contests, HDSLR Cameras | 20 Comments »

What Happens When You Mix A BMW M3, A Beautiful Woman and HDSLR Cameras?

Friday, October 30th, 2009

This exciting spot was directed by Mike McCoy of Bandito Brothers and the majority of it was shot in 3 nights!  Even though Mouse (as he is affectionately know) is very talented, he had the help of an amazing team to make him shine.  Jacob Rosenberg who is also a director and post-production supervisor at Bandito Brothers connected the dots that helped Mouse’s visual story come to life and made sure the production ideas could be edited in post.  Producer Sumer Friedrich  and shooter Victor Huber (www.vichuber.com)  both of Bandito Garage (specializing in one stop shopping for car prep, cinematography and camera cars) rounded out the team.

Bandito Brothers "Living in the Lights"

Bandito Brothers "Living in the Lights"

The creative genius of mixing 5K still car shots and the Canon 5D car chase sequences make this groundbreaking visual imagery. From start to finish the all digital project and workflow takes advantage of where technology has gone. What was a “hot babe in front of a hot car” poster for Mouse as a teen has become a download on YouTube.

Shane shane_hurlbut Tags: , ,
Posted in Cinematography, HDSLR Cameras | 38 Comments »

The Canon 5D Mark II vs. Extreme Heat

Wednesday, September 30th, 2009

The Untitled Navy SEAL movie has taken me to some of the most extreme working conditions that I have ever experienced in my career as a Director of Photography.  We traveled to the following locations:

  • The jungles of Costa Rica
  • The swamps of Mississippi
  • Out in the Pacific and Atlantic oceans on an Aircraft carrier
  • Flying in Blackhawk helicopters
  • The hot box of El Centro, California
  • Dumont Dunes, California

The last 2 locations have been very challenging for the camera because heat attacks the 5D in a very strange way.  The camera and the sensor get incredibly hot even when you have the LCD screen off.  I have been using an HD monitor to light from and the camera overheats sitting there.  You have to power down the whole camera to cool it down.

Crash Cam

Crash Cam

When the 5D Mark II gets hot and you are recording, there is an increase noise in the blacks and a contrast increase.  Try to keep the camera shaded and powered down right up until you need it.

In El Centro we had a big T-Bone crash with an old Mercedes and a dump truck. The temperature was 117 degrees.  The 5D’s in our crash housings over temped in the hot sun right before we were about ready to do the stunt.  We took a can of Dust Off , turned it upside down and blasted the body with the cool burst.  Then, waited 10 seconds, turned it on and smashed the truck.

Creative solutions that happen in the midst of shooting are exciting because that is where keeping it simple matters the most. My elite team inspires me with their ingenuity and ability to generate solutions every day on this project.

Shane shane_hurlbut Tags: , ,
Posted in HDSLR Cameras | 4 Comments »

The Canon 5D Mark II Battles The Elements

Wednesday, August 26th, 2009

Shooting in Puerto Rico has tested the Canon 5D Mark II with intense humidity and rain.  Yet, every time the camera has delivered.

Bike Cam

Bike Cam

We shot running footage of motorcycles speeding down roads, splitting traffic, and near misses by literally gaffer taping the Canon 5D to the motorcycle.  We started out with the standard rigging package that you would bring to mount a film camera, threw it all out and went with t-shirts for vibration dampening and gaffer tape.  KISS “keep it simple stupid” was the motto.  During shooting it started to down pour.  The camera took heavy rain for about 10 minutes until we were able to pull off the road and un-tape them.  No water damage at all.  Humidity did not seem to affect the Canon 5D Mark II, but did cause our film camera to jam and not function properly.

Shane shane_hurlbut Tags: , ,
Posted in HDSLR Cameras | 9 Comments »

Small Size, Big Value: The Canon 5D Mark II As A MovieMaker

Wednesday, August 26th, 2009

The Canon 5D Mark II is approximately 2.5 pounds with a still lens, 4.5″ high 3″ deep and 6″ long. Wow!

It is nimble and inexpensive so you can have multiple camera bodies working in different configurations simultaneously. Not being stuck with a traditional shoulder mount allows you to create a new visual language.

The 5D Mark II Goes Anywhere

The 5D Mark II Goes Anywhere

We used the 5D Mark II to shoot the fight sequences in my current feature project for the Navy Seals directed by Scott Waugh and Mike McCoy and produced by Bandito Brothers, Legendary Pictures and Warner Brothers. The versatility to get into places that were previously impossible to reach with a camera of this quality is exciting. Capturing  incredibly low angles is now easy.  Overhead shots that usually required a crane or jib arm, now need a speed rail menu arm or a c-stand.  You have to keep on thinking out of the box, break free from traditional thinking and embrace the size and weight of this little movie maker.

Shane shane_hurlbut Tags: , , ,
Posted in Cinematography, HDSLR Cameras | 13 Comments »

The Picture of Versatility: Canon 5D Mark II Helmet Camera

Tuesday, July 7th, 2009

I designed a helmet mount for the Canon 5D Mark II with Gary Hatfied, Dan Owens from Panavision to capture the first person point of view action in a new way.  The camera is extremely versatile with the carbon fiber helmet designed by Troy Lee because it can be mounted on top, in front and from the left and right sides. It has V-Block technology, night scope adaptability and wireless follow focus.

Helmet Cam

Helmet Cam

We have used it successfully to fast rope out of helicopters for my current project about the undercover operations of the Navy Seals produced by Bandito Brothers, Legendary Pictures and Warner Brothers. The main purpose of the design for this project was to roll out with a Navy Seal and feel like you are one of them on a mission. You see them grabbing guns, holding them up in front of the lens and moving with their movements. If another Seal comes up next to the bad guy with the helmet camera on, the camera rack focuses to his face and you get more of a cinematic feel from this particular helmet camera than one with a huge depth of field. We want to be the Seal, not treat it like it is a helmet camera broadcasting back to base.

What can you design? How can you take the creative ideas in your head and work with your team to turn your vision into a reality? Have fun with the creative process and you will be amazed at the results of the final product!

Shane shane_hurlbut Tags: , ,
Posted in HDSLR Cameras | 2 Comments »

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