With NAB having come and gone, most of the lead camera manufacturers announced new cameras — competing for the top spot in the market. What I want to do in this post is give you a quick preview of what we can expect.

Direction of the Market

To me it seems that the two main features that camera manufactures are aiming for is 4K and over-cranking (slow motion). It is extremely clear that with the introduction of the RED One back in 2007, that camera manufacturers have been forced to rethink their marketing strategy. What used to be a slow race has now shifted to a full-speed marathon and camera manufactures are starting to release cameras almost every month!

With digital filmmaking becoming standard on many Hollywood productions, camera manufactures are realizing that a new market has opened up and that it is time to take a stab at a market that used to be limited to 35mm film. With this shift, we are starting to see many companies announce/release cinema cameras.

Everything Looks Better in Slow Motion

Now, one thing that I don’t quite understand is everyone’s fascination with slow motion. With cameras like the Phantom and the new TS3cine, it seems that everyone’s fascination may also be driving the market. I have attached a video that may explain why everyone loves slow motion. See below.

New Cameras from Canon

Canon has announced two additional cameras to sit alongside the company’s former lone flagship; the c300. You may have caught a glimpse of the EOS-1D C at the C300 launch, but what six months ago was a mere mock-up has actually become a reality. The second camera that was announced was the C500 — a higher-end version of the C300 that adds several shooting modes, dual 3G-SDI ports and a larger, permanent grip. Both cameras can capture 4K video, but in substantially different ways.

New Cameras from Sony

What interests me the most this year at NAB — even more than the new camera from Blackmagic, is the FS700. This camera offers everything I have been looking for in a camera at the price range it is estimated to come in at, which is under $10,000. Like other camera manufactures, such as the Blackmagic camera, you can use your Canon lenses with this camera. Sony will be offering mounts for your Canon lenses — which is sure to help Sony take a stake of the DSLR market hoping to upgrade to a real video camera.

The FS700 is scheduled to land in June, however, the camera’s 4K superpowers have been delayed until a promised firmware upgrade that will enable a 4K bitstream output from the 3G HD-SDI port to a compatible Sony recorder. Another amazing feature of this camera is it’s ability to shoot Super Slow Motion of up to 120 frames a second in a 16-second burst, or 240 fps in an 8-second burst. If you need even crazier time-suspension, the FS700 does 960 fps too, so long as you’re prepared to sacrifice 1080p. It has built-in ND filters and a packs a Super 35 sensor with 11.6 million pixels — ready to spring to life once that new firmware arrives.

The Digital Bolex

A new camera set to hit the market — (hopefully) — is the Digital Bolex. Now you may be asking, what is the Digital Bolex? Well, it claims to be the first sub $3K camera to offer RAW capabilities. I don’t want to touch on this camera too much as I am not sure it will ever get released. If you would like to read more, please visit their website.

The Blackmagic

Another camera sure to make a splash is the new Blackmagic Cinema Camera. Although a great price point, it is a version one camera and is sure to have some problems that will need to be worked out.

About the Camera

“Elegant, sophisticated and jam packed with the latest digital cinema technology, Blackmagic Cinema Camera gives your work that timeless feature film look! Blackmagic Cinema Camera features an amazing 2.5K image sensor with a wide 13 stops of dynamic range for a true digital film camera. You get a built-in SSD recorder, popular open standard uncompressed RAW and compressed file formats, compatibility with quality EF and ZE mount lenses, LCD touchscreen monitoring plus metadata entry, all packed into an exciting hand held design!”

To view more on this camera, please visit their website.

Recap

It seems that the camera manufacturers that have been producing cameras for years have a common strategy — 4K & slow motion — however, the newer manufacturers are focusing on RAW. Either way, I am extremely excited for these cameras and am sure I will continue to be impressed!

About the Video

In this video, Eric shows how to program a basic 5-Axis Move using the new fusion system. If you have any questions or would like to see more, please visit kesslerfusion.com.

About the Film

On April 17th 2012, Tom Lowe had a screening for his debut film “Timescapes” at the Brenden Theatre in Las Vegas, Nevada. In the video above, filmmakers from around the world give their impressions of the film as well as predictions of what we can expect next from Tom Lowe. Timescapes footage was taken from the trailer, “Timescapes 4k”. If you would like to find out more about the project, visit timescapes.org. To pre-order the film, click here.

It was an absolute privilege to be a part of this night .

NAB 2012 Recap

NAB is a must-attend event if you want to future-proof your career and your business. Another major benefit of NAB is the networking that takes place. It is the one time of year that over 100,000 people from the same industry come together for one event. With NAB wrapping up last week, I wanted to share my thoughts and experiences from the show.

NAB Teaser – Booth Set-up

About the Video

Similar to last year, Kessler Crane shared our booth with Zacuto. While setting up the booth, I filmed a quick video, which is attached above.

I started my travels on March 21st and arrived home on April 23rd — a trip that took me from the mountains in Alberta to Indiana and Nevada. It was great to meet so many people along the way. What I want to do in this post is recap what happened this past month as well as share a few things that I learned along the way.

Banff, Alberta with Micheal Curtis – Always Learning

I started out the trip in Banff with Michael Curtis to go test out some Kessler Crane gear. Michael is an extremely talented filmmaker and has a company in Atlanta called EditLab that focuses on Video Production and Post. If you haven’t checked out his work, make sure to check out his website. Below is the film we produced while testing out the gear. I am extremely impressed how well it has done as we didn’t spend a lot of time working on it! The main thing I learned from this trip was the importance of getting out to shoot. I find myself constantly learning even though I have shot over 5000 timelapses. Every situation you are thrown into presents a new challenge and it is important that you continue to push yourself and try things in new ways if you hope to get better.

Two Days in Banff

From Banff to Indiana

I left Banff on the 25th to catch a flight from Regina on the 26th. The drive was about 7 hrs from Banff to Regina and my flight was to leave at 6am the next morning so I only had a few hours to pack what I needed for what I thought would be a week in Indiana. My initial plan was to stay in Indiana until the 30th to shoot for an NBC pilot and then leave for a shoot on Monday in Toronto until Wednesday — and then home. However, both the NBC shoot and Toronto shoots were cancelled so I decided to stay until NAB.

Filming in Indiana

While in Indiana, my main focus was to great videos for the new products from Kessler Crane as well as a demo to be shown at NAB that was a mix of footage from all 27 Kessler Crane Shooters. The main thing I learned while producing these videos is what it takes to be in front of the camera. I have not been great — or comfortable — in front of the camera until the last video I produced part of this series. When in front of the camera it is key to be concise and push forward — even if you make mistakes. It is okay to stumble but make sure to keep pushing forward. When looking at the edit, in almost every case, I chose the first take. Below are two of the videos I produced while in Indiana.

NAB Countdown: Kessler Crane Product Releases

About the Video

If you would like to view more about these products or watch the individual product videos, please click here.

A First Look at the Shuttlepod Mini

About the Video

In this video, Joel Graves gives us a sneak at the new Shuttlepod Mini.

From Indiana to Nevada

I left for Vegas on April 12th to setup the Kessler Crane booth. I flew with Alegiant Airlines (who I will never fly with again) — bad experience on all levels. NAB this year was a blur for me. I arrived in Vegas on Thursday to setup the Kessler Crane booth. My main focus this year was to help at the Kessler Crane booth and also meet the Shape WLB crew (who happen to be fantastic people)! Below is the video I produced while setting up the booth.

Tuesday night was both the Timescapes premiere as well as the Kessler Crane party. I was asked to film both and create a short video from the night. I hope to have a cut done by end of day tomorrow. I will touch on this more when I have finished the edit.

Filmmaking Masterclass at Las Vegas Lake

My experiences at the Masterclass with Nino, Sebastien and Philip was fantastic. The topic was corporate and commercial filmmaking. For the workshop the attendees were broken into four groups. Nino, Sebastian, Sarah Estela, and I were given groups and Philip rotated through all of them. I focused on body language, lighting and composition.

Another focus of the workshop was timelapse photography. I had a breakout session the first day and then did some one of one setups with a few of the attendees. The workshop was a lot of fun and was a nice break from the bright lights of Vegas.

The major thing I learned while in Vegas is that people want to learn and want to hear what I have to say. I have a huge interest in helping people and try to as much as I can. My plan over the coming months is to establish regular workshops to help others that want to learn. However, what I found to be the best structure for me is one on one teaching verses a big group. I learn when I have hands on experience so feel that is the best way I can help others.

Overview

My experiences on the trip were fantastic and I learned a lot from the trip. I wish I could have made it out to the workshop in Miami but I missed home so came home .

Filmmaking Masterclass Las Vegas 2012 – Corporate & Commercial Filmmaking with Philip Bloom, Nino Leitner & Sebastien Wiegartner

I was recently approach by Philip, Nino & Sebastien to help with their Filmmaking Masterclass in Las Vegas as an assisting mentor — focusing on time management (how to produce a film a day and still make a living). I am extremely excited to be included in this as all three of them are extremely talented. When thinking of how to approach the content, I wanted to take a fresh approach — hoping that I could contribute (even if just a little bit) to the attendees experience.

A Little Background

When I started producing the shorts daily, I spent about five hours per film from conception to completion. As the shorts progressed however, I was able to get the average down to about two hours a day (However, I spent most of the time outside of the actual filming thinking about what I was going to do next). Now one thing I need to mention about this project is that it enveloped my entire life. I had to make many sacrifices and had to change many things in my life that I was used to doing. I learned very quickly the importance of understanding time management and how to maximize the hours that I was awake.

In order to accomplish this project, I quickly inherited the “shoot for the edit” mentality. By understanding what I was hoping to accomplish in each film and spending adequate time in pre-production, I was able to determine exactly what I needed to film to make the edit.

One of the biggest words of advice I can give to young filmmakers is that if you hope to become a better DP / videographer / etc, you NEED to start editing your own footage to see what works and what doesn’t work. I can easily say that if it wasn’t for the editing aspect of the film a day project (which I have grown to dislike), I would not have grown so much as a filmmaker. When I look back at the films that I spent two times as much time on and the more recent films, I can’t believe how much they have improved — because I edited my own footage.

Now before I dive into time management and how I approached it with the shorts — and how I approach it now, I want to explore the importance of taste and it’s impact on filmmaking and art in general. I have found that the major thing that separates successful from unsuccessful artists is taste. In virtually all aspects of the filmmaking process, you are forced to make creative decisions. It is these decisions that allow you to separate yourself from everyone else trying to make a living as a filmmaker.

In my short time as a filmmaker, I have noticed the impact that the artist has in the process. In order to be successful, you need to realize that every decision you make needs to have a purpose. You need to understand why you are making the decisions that you are making and stand by them.

My Approach

At this point, I am not totally sure what the three of them are hoping that I contribute, be it in lecture or another area but I am excited either way!

I am assuming that most of the attendees will either be emerging filmmakers or students so I am hoping that I can give the persecutive from someone who has just made the switch to full time freelancer. I know Philip has many years under his belt and from what I have seen from Sebastien and Nino, they have also been established for a few years. For me, this is my first year as a full time freelancer (Although I have been freelancing full time hours for the last two years). I won’t be talking a lot about what it is like to make the switch and when I told myself it was time to break free from the full-time government 9-5 film job (unless someone asks). There are so many variables that I will touch on in a new post in the future.

Time Management

In 2010, I spent the entire year producing and posting a short film everyday with the goal of becoming a better filmmaker. During the project, my goal was to try something new with every film — be it through technique or story. Each film explored something new. By attempting to achieve something new everyday, I was forced to spend a lot of time in pre-production — determining what I wanted to explore in the film. From the perspective of the viewer, there may not be a huge change in style or the type of film but for me, it was a constant learning experience.

I learned and grew a lot during the project. I gained both experience and opportunities that I would have otherwise missed. I met people I would have never met and saw places I would probably never see in a lifetime.

Time Management: The Process – Pre-Production/Production/Post-Production

I will be updating this section over the next couple days but for now, here are a few points I will be covering:

- Filmmaking is a game of compromise — staying true to your story.
- Determine what your main goals are and working towards them.
- Importance of pre-production — can never spend too much time in pre-production.
- Things usually fall apart if their is not a level of understanding of what pre-production entails.
- When all variables are is not taken into consideration is when things fall apart
- Importance of shot list & in some cases, storyboards
- Establishing/maintaining working relationships: Working with a team

A Sneak Peak

With NAB fast approaching, I thought I would give you a little teaser for what’s to come from Kessler Crane. Below are just a few of the new products that will be at NAB so make sure to visit Kessler Crane’s booth and say hi as I will be hanging out with the team! (booth #C9848)

Kessler Fusion

Kessler Fusion is the most advanced motion control system on the planet. With it’s near limitless connectivity and multi-axis control, it will be the only system you’ll ever buy. Take control of the super intuitive interface with fully configurable key frames, Bezier curves and precision positioning. This digital encoded, device independent system will bring your motion control game to a new level. Whether it’s visual effects, time lapses, live action or stop-motion, Fusion does it all.

Kessler Crane has designed Fusion to be as modular as possible to ensure compatibility, easy upgrades and a long-lasting life. Start your kit with one piece and build an army of gear right from the start. Easily upgrade into more axes of control-ability including motion-control cranes, pan & tilt heads, turntables, focus/iris/zoom (F.I.Z.), sliders, dolly track, etc. The possibilities are endless. The find out more about the Fusion, please click here.

Kessler Mounting System

A Closer Look: The Low Profile Ball Head

About the Low Profile Ball Head

The Kessler Low Profile Ball Head is an easy to use, ultra-low profile ball head system with a weight capacity of 20 pounds. The strong locking ball has 62 degrees of total adjustability. It features a 3/8”-16 thread stud on the top and bottom providing easy mounting to all the Kessler sliders and Shuttle Pods, without the need for an adapter.

The modular design allows the Low Profile head to be used on other Kessler mounting accessories such as the Cheese Plate, Multi-Angle Mounting Plate (for mounting a camera in multiple angle configurations including 90° for vertical slider moves), or the Kessler Kwik Release System. Other mounting accessories that accept a standard 3/8”-16 threaded stud are also compatible.

A Closer Look: The Kwik Release System

About the Kwik Release System

The Kwik Release System is a unique, patent pending mounting system featuring solid billet aluminum and stainless steel construction. With a one hand drop-in instant latching and push button drop-gate release, this mounting system is strong, secure, fast and easy to use.

Once the mounting plate is snapped into the receiver, the plate can be adjusted but it cannot slide out of the receiver thanks to the secure safety stops. We also built in an ultra-strong adjustable cam lock that, once tightened, will secure the plate with absolutely no slip. We have designed the Kwik Release System to be as modular as possible with mounting plates available for cameras, sliders, motion control heads and more.

A Closer Look: The Multi-Angle Mounting Plate

About the Multi-Angle Mounting Plate

The Kessler Multi-Angle Mounting Plate is designed to work in conjunction with the Kessler Low Profile Ball Head. The mounting plate can be attached in a 45° or 90° configuration and, coupled with the range of movement of the Low Profile Ball Head, will allow for configuring you camera at just about any angle you desire. The ability to mount to the LP Ball Head in a 90° configuration is ideal for doing vertical slider moves. With the optional Multi-Angle Cheese Plate, you can also attach various accessories and mounts; even another Multi-Angle Mount.

Multi-Angle Cheese Plate

You can use the Kessler Multi-Angle Cheese Plate with the Kessler Multi-Angle Mount to attach various accessories, like monitor mounts, mics, lights, etc. You can even mount another Multi-Angle Mount for specialized camera configurations.

ION Battery System

The ultra-light weight ION Battery System features the new Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFiPO4 or LFP) technology, which provides up to 4 times the life of other conventional battery systems. Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) is a special kind of lithium battery that addresses the 4 major issues with current lithium technologies: Safety, Life, Power, and Environmental Friendliness. Weighing in at only 2.4 lbs (4 lbs in case), this compact battery has a capacity of 9.6 amp hours making it the most powerful and longest lasting battery on the market for the weight.

Lithium Iron Phosphate batteries have No Thermal Runaway and No Poisonous Chemicals, making them much safer than other conventional or lithium batteries. Because there are No Heavy Metals, this battery is clean, environmentally friendly, and recyclable. The ingredients are safe enough to be used as soil to grow plants.

Unlike conventional batteries, this long life solution can handle 2000+ charge cycles! Since it is Lithium Iron Phosphate, there is no charge “memory effect” so you can charge the battery whenever you want to. No need to worry about fully draining and cycling the battery every time. We have built in a smart battery charger with charge meter so you can easily top off the battery before an all-night excursion into the desert.

We’ve wrapped the battery in a weather proof padded case with built-in device storage and rain guard for when the weather gets rough. One female XLR plug and two female 12volt cigarette lighter plugs are built in for connection of up to three devices without the need of additional adapters.

If the battery reaches the end of its useful life, we can replace just the cells and get you back up and running at about half the cost of a new battery system.

The new Kessler ION Battery System will change the way you power your remote rigs!

A Closer Look: The Shuttlepod Mini

About the Shuttlepod Mini

The Shuttlepod Mini operates with the same functionality as the full size shuttlepod. However, what makes this system unique is it’s form factor. You are able to purchase multiple lengths of 3/4 inch square rails which makes this system perfect for travel. It is compatible with the current electraDrive systems and will also be compatible with the new Fusion system. This system also features a new dovetail belt clamp system, which gains you added travel distance. The Shuttlepod Mini can be supported by the All-Terrain Outrigger Feet.

A Quick Look at the Camera Control Module v2.0 & Speed Doubler 2x Pulley

About The Speed Doubler 2x Pulley Product Release

For those of you that use either the CineSlider, Bloom or Stealth we now have the “speed doubler 2x” pulley. All you need to do is replace the standard 30tooth drive pulley with the 15 tooth speed doubler pulley and you will get 2x the speed. For example, when using the Speed Doubler with a 500 Series Motor (516:1) and now you’re 500 Series Motor will run as if it was a 200 Series motor (which is approximately double the speed of the 500). However, one thing to note is that the torque of the motor is now reduced by 50%, which means it may not be able to lift and hold as much weight.

This Motor Speed Doubler Pulley will work with any of our elektraDRIVE Motors (50, 100, 200, 500, 1000).

Note: This is NOT compatible with the Pocket Dolly Motor Mount.

To view the product, click here.

About The Camera Control Module v2.0 Upgrade

The Camera Control Module is required for the intervalometer function of the ORACLE Controller. You will need an ORACLE Controller with firmware version v2.06.1SL or newer and the camera control cable for your camera. The Camera Control Module comes with your choice of one camera control cable. Additional cables for other cameras can be purchased separately. With v2.0 of the Camera Control Module, you will now be able to control your camera’s exposure in Bulb mode with the ORACLE Controller.

Chart showing which cables are required for the various cameras can be found below under the Technical Specs on the Kessler Crane website.

To upgrade your Camera Control Module to v2.0, you will need to place an order on the website for the upgrade and send in your Camera Control Module. The upgrade is free, however shipping costs still apply.

Note that all new orders for Camera Control Modules ship with v2.0

Visit Kessler Crane at NAB Booth (booth #C9848)

If you would like to see these products and find out more, make sure to visit Kessler Crane’s booth at NAB! Below is a video Joel Graves put together from last year.

About the Film

I recently spent two days in Banff, Alberta demoing some Kessler Crane equipment with Michael Curtis. This film showcases some of the shots we were able to accomplish while testing out the gear.

In this video we used the KC-Lite, Pocket Jib, Shuttlepod, Cineslider, K-Pod, and Oracle system. As for cameras and lenses, this was shot using Canon 5D Mark II’s with the 24-105mm, 24-70mm, 70-200mm 2.8, 14mm, 16-35mm & the 50mm 1.2.

It was an absolute privilege working with Michael and I hope to work with him again in the future!

Music: God is an Astronaut – Fragile
Licensed through Rumblefish.

Photos / Frame Grabs from Banff

One of the features of a Kessler Crane sliders is the ability to motorize them. In this video, you will see how to install the motor and motor mount to your Kessler Crane slider (Philip Bloom Pocket Dolly, Stealth, Cineslider, Pocket Dolly v1 & v2).
Video Links

To view or purchase items seen in the video, please visit the links below:

ElektraDrive Bundles: kesslercrane.com/category-s/123.htm.

Sliders: kesslercrane.com/dolly-sliders-s/49.htm.

Motion Control Products: kesslercrane.com/motion-control-s/104.htm.

Music provided by The Music Bed. http://www.themusicbed.com.

To view or license the music, visit themusicbed.com/Song-For-The-Suburb-Instrumental-797.php and themusicbed.com/When-I-Am-Old-and-Gray-1055.php.

Student

Location: Palos Verdes, CA

Rates, Bio & Kit

About Max Allen

My name is Max Allen and I am a student at Palos Verdes High School. I got a GoPro camera for christmas last year and started making short ski edits. I liked film making so much I decided to film all the other stuff I love to do: surfing, skating, diving, flying. Aside from being an amateur film maker I am sponsored by HippyTree clothing for surfing.

Featured Video

Thursdays in California

About the Film

It was a beautiful day so my friends and I decided to skate around and enjoy it. This was shot it Palos Verdes, CA and the skateboarders are Justin Jones, Clay Wolf, Drew Murphy and Chad Larson. It was filmed and edited by Max Allen. Enjoy!

Equipment Used:

GoPro Hero 2

Education: What I Learned

I learned that it is possible to make a story out of something as simple as skating around with friends. The shots in this video were loosely staged at times and I ended up finding better shots that I did not plan. This made putting it all together in post production really fun because I found so many cool shots I did not plan.