Crooked Path Blog

It’s been awhile since I made a reel, so I figured what better time than at the start of the new year?

I’ve seen what feels like thousands of demo reels.  There’s a lot of differing opinions on what should be in a reel or how inclusive of different titles/jobs it should entail.  I guess I could make a separate DP reel, editing reel, directing reel, and corporate reel, and any other reel that would fit particular titles.  But in my experience, most of my clients…whether they be companies, agencies, directors, or Mr. Joe-Blow-Make-Me-A-Film… just want to see how my abilities to create compelling visuals stacks up to others.

And that leads me to our underlying ideology at Crooked Path Films:  We strive for cinematic storytelling whether shooting internal corporate films, tv spots, motion pictures, or anything else for that matter.  The videos I selected are ones we created that I believe have strongest emotional visuals to convey that ideology.  Whether I’m looking to take on another corporate client, get hired as a director by an agency, or a DP by another production company…this reel is what I believe they need to see.

Selected works include:

“The Key,” Director: Jim Blumetti, DP/Editor: Richard Allen Crook

“Transforming Mobile Devices,” Director: Richard Allen Crook, DP James Burgess, Client: Texas Instruments

“Dealy,” Director/DP/Editor: Richard Allen Crook

“Harley Davidson TV Spot,” Director: B. Haymer Coleman, DP/Editor: Richard Allen Crook

“Courage,” Director: William Booth, DP/Editor: Richard Allen Crook

Music is “Another Day On The Terrace” by Sunlounger.

I had the chance to try out the Atomos Ninja with the Sony NEX FS-100.  It seems the jury is out as to whether adding the near $1000 device to the camera kit is worth the purchase or not.  There are three areas I wanted to test with the FS100:

1. Is recording to the less-compressed Prores 4:2:2 look better or worse than the AVCHD in terms of overall picture quality, judging:
   • Compression artifacting
   • Noise Level
   • Aliasing
2. Is recording to the less-compressed Prores 4:2:2  improve results when post color grading,
3. Is recording to the less-compressed Prores 4:2:2 improve the ability to chroma-key in post.

Working with the touchscreen

OBSTACLES OF THE NINJA/FS100 PAIRING:

I wanted to run down some of the obstacles when using the Ninja with the FS100.  The Ninja only records 1080i 50fps or 60fps.  The interlaced and high framerate does not remove any information when shooting in 23.98 or 29.97, but rather sort-of duplicates the information to fill up the other frames.  This requires you to remove pulldown in post.  Also the LANC control doesn’t work with the FS100 nor can it read the camera’s timecode.

RESULTS:

1. OVERALL PICTURE QUALITY.  It seems there is no difference in compression artifacting, INCLUDING when there is high movement or quick pans…which is where you usually see this phenomena.  Obviously you can’t see the result of movement in the photos below but believe me, I whipped the camera around all over and it’s amazing how well the AVCHD held up.  I couldn’t see any difference at all whatsoever.  Now there is a noticeable difference in the noise level, but surprisingly not in Prores’ favor.  The noise amount appears to be the same, but the noise structure in the Prores version seem larger and more like video noise than the AVCHD which is smaller and more grain-like.  At first I interpreted the footage incorrectly in Premiere and it appeared that the Ninja Prores had severe aliasing…but it turns out that was my own mistake and I see that there is no difference in the “stair-stepping” between the two codecs.
2. I dropped equal “fast color corrector” settings on each clip, mainly pushing the contrast way past acceptable levels to really see what happens to each image.  This SHOULD bring out the worst in any 8bit codec an this should be no different.  As seen below in the images, there is no banding in the gradients on the walls nor sky (sorry my sensor was very dirty…I cleaned it right after this test!).  If this was DLSR footage there would be horrible banding occuring so this is a great testament to the AVCHD coded and Prores alike…but unfortunately there is no additional benefit to Prores in this test as they both equally handle contrast equally.
3. I did a simple chroma key on a greenscreen using something I think would pose issues…a poinsetta with red and green leaves.  Even the foil wrap is green.  I pulled it into Premiere and applied the EXACT same settings using ultrakey and both keyed perfectly fine with no difference at all.  Even as I blow it up 500% and look at the edges and detail, I can see where the foil got keyed out in the shiny parts in the Prores file but it’s very very minuscule and could be easily adjusted using the settings in the ultrakeyer but I wanted to keep the setting exactly the same to show how close the two clips are as far as how easy it is to key.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

I really really really REALLY wanted the Ninja, and more importantly the Prores less-uncompressed codec, to hold up better in terms of the criteria I outlined above.  But in every way, the AVCHD held up much better if not the same.  I will say, however, that the Prores seems to play nicer with Premiere, but that’s another topic for another time!  All in all, I will probably be returning The Ninja.  It may very well be great for other cameras or applications, but I don’t feel in my opinion that it improves footage from the FS100…in fact I believe it does the opposite.

CLICK HERE for the screengrab .tif files so you can see a non-compressed image.  Warning: these files are very big.  Each files is marked as “Shot A, B, C” and the codec is marked “AVCHD or PRORES.”  There are also the two chromakeyed screengrabs comparing the two codecs.

For the first time in relative history, we as filmmakers are in a unique technological position to help out our environment.  The ability to consume less in the digital world is a great thing…but we can all do more, including myself.  Even if it’s just an adoption of one of the principles listed below, your contribution to this cause will have more impact than you know.

Please join us in supporting “GREEN FILMMAKING.” If you adopt any of the below principles…please show your support by sharing this page on Facebook, and if you have a website, post the the badge at the bottom of this article in your site.  The badge will link back to this blog post. Everyone who visits your site will know that you are a filmmaker who does their share in helping the environment.

So what can you do to be a GREEN FILMMAKER?

TAPELESS DIGITAL WORKFLOW. The majority of cameras out there shoot to either media cards or recording drives. It’s important to consider this when looking at choices for shooting your masterpiece. Digital tape is made of Polyethylene terephthalate (PET), which takes thousands if not millions of years to degrade. There have also been studies linking this material to overall toxicity in ground water.  A tapeless workflow is not only environmentally friendly, but will provide a faster workflow.  If you’re worried about losing data…I’m not going to lie and say it’s not possible…but if you follow a good workflow protocol (including making redundant backups) then the chances of that happenning are virtually eliminated.

MINIMIZE PAPER. There are many ways to save paper usage.  The “old way” of film production using a ridiculous amount of paper.  This includes paper callsheets, copies of scripts, release forms, budgetary logs, storyboarding, media logging, etc. etc.  Today there is an electronic replacement for almost every type of production document ever created.  If there isn’t, there will be an app for that soon.  Yes…the iPad and iPhone (and now Android is catching up) has proven to be great tools for green filmmaking.  Add this blog to your news feeds and keep up with the latest in useful filmmaking apps.

• Adobe Story (FREE!):  This is a very slick production tool for screenwriting and script breakdown.  It exists online only, and allows for numerous collaborators to work on it in realtime.
• Google Docs (FREE!):  You can import a script into Google Docs and like Adobe Story, collaborate with others in realtime.  This is also great if you need to collaborate on other documents like budget and callsheets.
• Callsheet. One thing you’ll notice when working on a set is that 90% of the cast and crew has an iPhone, and the other 10% has a very web-capable mobile. There isn’t much reason to print out a hundred callsheets every
  day
• Storyboard. Easily create professional looking storyboards and scroll through them on set with your talent and crew.  Export to PDF and email
• Movie Slate. Save paper by using this app as your slate…since it logs every shot and can email it to your editor, director, media manager, etc
• Clip Sketch. Draw overhead diagrams of your set to easily convey lights/grip/camera/ positions to the crew.  Display on your iPad or email to your Key Grip/Gaffer
• Easy Release. Probably the only thing I would think a production would never be able to do electronically…get your release forms created AND signed.  Allows you to embed a picture too.  Store the files on your media drives for backup instead of printing
• Office HD. Allows for office documents to be viewed/edited.

CARPOOLING.  This might seem kind of rudimentary, but I’m not talking about encouraging your grips to ride to the set with the talent…that doesn’t work very well.  What I suggest is having your AD direct your crew (via the electronic callsheet) to meet up at your studio or a centralized location and travel to the set from there. This not only helps in fuel consumption and costs…but helps your team get assembled on time.

SMOKING.  It’s awful to see cigarette butts in a once pristine area.  In places like Texas and California where the brush gets dry, all it takes is the ambers from a cigarette to get a fire started.  Designate a smoking area with the proper cigarette receptacle.  Ashtrays aren’t really good because the butts, ashes, and hot ambers are susceptible to wind.

CRAFTY.  It’s not very hard to make craft services a little more environment friendly.  Ask some questions of your craft services options and factor their practices into your decision.

• Do they provide recycling bins?
• Do they have a water station to reduce plastic bottle use?
• Do they utilize reduced-packaging products?
• Do they purchase from local vendors?
• Do they select vendors who have planet saving initiatives?
• Do they use biodegradable and 100% compostable utensils, cups and other disposable products?
• This is a biggie for me…do they stay away from styrofoam products?
• Are their products non-toxic?

ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT.  The idea of leaving and “ecological footprint” may sound like total devastation of a set location…but really anything left behind and/or alteration of the set location’s natural condition constitutes leaving a footprint.

• Try not to use a tree as an alternative to a c-stand or camera position.  And never stick a nail or cut into a tree for any reason.
• Setup your staging area and other gathering areas in a designated spot…hereby keeping people from trampling the natural vegetation.
• Make sure when you do your walk through to ensure there is no gear left behind, that your crew is making a point to look for leftover garbage, gaff tape, stuff tied to trees, etc

Let us know if we missed anything.  We’ll keep this updated regularly especially if more states and countries adopt green filmmaking incentives.  Here’s a few resources:

1. California Film Commission Green Resource Guide Provides contact information for eco-conscious companies dealing in warddrobe, catering, tape stock, set design, office supplies and more. Of course it is California-based, but some of the the companies may have locations in other parts of the country.
2. Film New Mexico Green Filming Program This website provides many resources for productions wishing to film in New Mexico, including a green filmmaking guide, and outlines incentives for filming in the state that benefit environmentally sensitive productions.
3. EMA Make Your Production Green A guide from the Environmental Media Association listing environmentally friendly resources for banners and signage, invitations, catering, plant rentals, and more.
4. UK FIlm Council Environmental Strategy The UK Film Council has recently announced plans to make London the greenest place to film. While the program does not appear to be in full swing just yet, this page outlines their overall strategy and links to a guide for greener filming.
5. Boulder, Colorado Green Filming Resource Guide A guide from Boulder, Colorado about green filming in the area.

As I smear blue sunblock on my face (due to the destruction of the ozone) and see that Jupiter turned into a second star, I realize 2010 is coming to a close.  Let’s take a look at what Hollywood said SHOULD have happened in 2010, and what is to come.

• 2010 (1984):  Monoliths engulf Jupiter and increase its density to the point that nuclear fusion occurs, transforming the planet into a small star.  This FINALLY leads the US and Soviet Union to peace.
• The Simpsons episode “Lisa’s Wedding“: Lisa Simpson is married.
• Knight Rider 2010 (1994 TV movie):  Being the lawless MadMax-type wasteland the US has become, Jake McQueen (not the Hoff) cleaned up the dirty Chrysalis Corporation.  The car was a custom “Ford Mustang” built on a mid-’90s Ford Thunderbird chassis.
• Freejack (1992):  Emilio Estevez uses a time machine to save our history.

What we have to look forward to (if John Cusack happens to save you with his limousine in 2012):

• I Am Legend (2007):  Takes place in 2012.  Emma Thompson invents a cure for cancer, with a slight side effect of turning the subject into a rabid sub-human monster.
• Back to the Future II (1989):  Takes place in 2015.  Whoever wants their own Mr. Fusion, yell “great scott!!!”
• The Running Man (1987):  Takes place in 2019.  That old dude from Family Fued gets his butt kicked by the former Governor of California.  Yeah!
• Blade Runner (1982): Takes place in 2019.  Robots that look like Rutger Hauer will turn on us.  It’s up to Indiana Jones to help us.
• Soylent Green (1973):  Takes place in 2022.  Humans become menu items at TGI Fridays.  “We’ve got to stop them SOMEHOW!!!”

As I’m shooting a short film this weekend and the director is wanting it in the 2.35:1 cinema ratio…I needed to come up with a decent cropmark that I was happy with.  There is a 2.35 cropmark on the Magic Lantern site, but I wanted to shade out the cropped areas and have a more definitive outline of where the edges of the screen will be.

The cropmark I came up with has a nice blue outline, is shaded where the cropped areas are, and is in the correct bitmap format for use with Magic Lantern.  You can click on the thumbnail below and add it to the same location on the CF card that you have Magic Lantern, replacing the “cropmarks” file with this one.  Make sure it’s named “cropmarks” (without the quotes) otherwise it won’t work.

This is great if you’re only using the camera’s LCD monitor for viewing.  The problem is that the cropmark does not correctly transpose to an external monitor should one be plugged in.  You’ll need to go into the Magic Lantern menus and turn-off the cropmarks–leaving you with an uncropped monitor.

Many people (myself included) must result to gaffer’s tape method.  This way, you guesstimate where the crop should be and gaff a makeshift letterbox on your monitor.  This means you cannot see what is in the cropped areas.  I think being able to see what is in the cropped areas is important…because you can tell how close the boom mic is to the edge of the screen.  Another option someone told me once is simple scotch tape, as you can still see the cropped area and it makes a subtle line.  I wouldn’t ever want to place tape of any kind on my monitor, and don’t recommend it.

I decided to create custom cropmarks that I could print out on a tranparancy sheet (like what is used on overhead projectors for presentations) and use those to lay over my monitors.  It took me some time to test where the boundaries of the screen really is when looking at the 5dMkII footage on the monitor, but I came up with the following.

The top cropmark is specifically for the 5dMkII.  The size if the cropmark when you print out is for an 8″ monitor.  The file, however, can be easily scaled up or down to meet your monitor’s size.  The second crop mark is for general use, if you were using a standard video camera with the 8″ monitor.  You will need to print this out on a transparency with a color laser printer.  Inkjets won’t work (believe me, I tried that and ended up with a smeary mess).  You can take this file to your local Kinko’s on a thumbdrive and have them print out a few for you.

CLICK HERE FOR THE FILES:

1) For 8″ Screens: CLICK HERE.

2) For 19″ Screens: CLICK HERE.

I joined the “Turnhere” and “Studio Now” networks several years ago because I was starting out making money at what I love: shooting and editing videos. I was getting paid around $200 for a 1-2 hour shoot and another 2 hours of editing. Now many people can live with that, but after awhile I began to do more productions and talked to alot of local professionals and found out that the going rate for these types of videos I was making by local production companies are anywhere from $1000 to $3000. These are companies that own the same equipment I do, went to the same type of broadcasting/filmmaking schools, and are making a ton more money than me. Why is that?

Because I didn’t know any better. That’s the case with thousands across the country who provide video productions for these types of businesses. You’re making $200 while they’re billing at a higher rate. Turnhere charges their customers aroind 800-1000. Now I’m not saying there is anything wrong with acting as an “agency” because agencies get us work.  But agencies typically charge 15%. Turnhere would rather pay the production company the 15% and keep the rest. But they’re good at not letting people know that. I met many others who have worked for these types of companies – and all because they didn’t know any better. I’ve taken another hard look at companies like Turnhere, and realized that they are most likely looking for people who don’t know any better, because they know that true experienced pros that have been providing video production services for years would never do such jobs for that amount of money.

Needless to say I canceled my membership to Turnhere. I am also making it my company’s policy to inform and educate any up and coming video professional about companies such as this. The reason I feel education is important, is that these companies lower the standard rates overall for everyone in the industry. The more companies like this that open up….the more people needing video services will pass up the pros who are charging today’s standard rates for services provided by the guy charging the least.

It’s similar to what hotels call “rate integrity.” When I worked for a large hotel chain, they would never give out a room for half the standard rate, even if the hotel was at 1% occupancy. That’s because the more you start making exceptions the more people will come to expect those exceptions. When the hotels around you find out about your lowered rates, they will need to start making exceptions to compete for guests. Pretty soon everyone needing a hotel room will expect these lower rates as the new standard. Then when it’s time to go back to the standard rate, people won’t want to stay in your hotel because by then every other hotel in the city is charging less. Now if you’ve ever stayed in a name-brand hotel, you’ll notice they are pretty damn nice and well kept. Take it from someone who has been there…you DO NOT want to stay in a hotel that can’t afford the proper staffing and amenities to service the guests. Well, that’s what happens when you don’t maintain rate integrity.

Well, it looks like the founder of Turnhere is at it again…this time a new website that includes videos as accompaniment to classic stories. The website states: “A vook is a new innovation in reading that blends a well-written book, high-quality video and the power of the Internet into a single, complete story.” So they charge you money to listen to a classic story told in an innovative way using video. Pretty good idea. But unfortunately for the up and coming video professional who doesn’t know any better, they will again work for this company by providing this outstanding product for nothing more that $30 to $50 a video. That’s right, they will get paid $30 to $50 to use their years of training, eye for art, creative juices, and thousands of dollars worth of equipment to make compelling videos for a company that will profit heavily from such work.

Here’s the website: http://vook.com/

Here’s the invitation email I received from VOOK:

TurnHere Filmmakers,

Want to partner with Vook? We are an exciting new start-up company started by TurnHere founder Brad Inman – and we are looking for creative filmmakers who want to join the VOOK REVOLUTION and help create our exciting new product. Vook (www.vook.com) publishes enhanced digital books – mashing up the work of great authors with your incredible videos. Vook is on the cutting edge of digital book technology and we are growing rapidly. We are adding HUNDREDS of new Vooks this year. That means MANY HUNDREDS of creative videos for you to produce. We work exclusively through the TurnHere network and we are inviting filmmakers to create vook videos for one of their favorite old classic books as we turn public domain titles into Vooks.

You choose the title you want to work on, we’ll pay you $500 to produce 10-15 short videos for the vook PLUS a 10% royalty on the net sales of the vook you produce. That’s $500 up front, an additional 10% on every vook we sell after we cover the cost of production – AND you get full creative control. You are free to shoot original video, use existing video, images, photos, archival material, original music, graphics, animation – whatever you want – nothing is off limits.

Each Vook includes 10-15 videos that are integrated throughout the original book text in a way that enhances the reading experience. Take a look at our list of book titles below. Check out our web site at www.vook.com — and let us know when you want to get started.

Email stacy@vook.com and put Vook Classic in the subject line. Include a short proposal on ideas you have for creating videos for your Vook Classic.

I look forward to hearing from you!

JOIN THE VOOK REVOLUTION!

We can’t wait to hear from you!!

Check out www.vook.com

Stacy Waters
VP of Content Development
(415) 290-2960
stacy@vook.com

If you notice, they are saying they are paying $500 up front for 10-15 videos, translating into $30 to $50 per video, and you can make 10% of the profit from those videos.  (Which is not guaranteed).

The bottom line is, DO NOT undercut yourself for these types of companies.  Find out what others are charging for videos, set your rates, make them fluid to an extent so you can negotiate, and NEVER DEVIATE FROM THEM.  Just like the hotels, we video producers/filmmakers must maintain our integrity.  It’s okay to say no to offers for work that you know are not paying enough.  Just get out there and sell your services with confidence, and they WILL come….and companies such as Turnhere and Vook will be forced to pay what’s morally right.

Here’s an ASC (American Society of Cinematographers) presentation on digital cinema being integrated into traditional film workflow. Gives a great overview of film vs. digital then the process the ASC is promoting for best use practices for digital to maintain the filmlook. 

http://wwww.ascmag.com/society/pages/ASC_Tech_Dig_Look_Workflow.html#SlideFrame_1

Depending on which hat I’m wearing; producer or the cinematographer…I’ve experienced both sides of this.  This video is a great parody of how it is in creative businesses!

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=187870594054&ref=nf

Please join us in showing our condolences for the slain officers in Washington State by joining this Facebook group.  RIP Sgt. Mark Renninger, Tina Griswold, Ronald Owens and Greg Richard.