Category Archives: Grading
Blackmagic URSA | Cinematography
The Bear in NZ Winter – Beta URSA Footage
This is a collection of footage that Hook has shot with a beta unit of the Blackmagic URSA (EF mount) over the last few weeks. Here are a few words from Hook about the footage…
—————
Disclaimer: I now work for Blackmagic Design but this video was produced the same way as my previous beta videos, and is definitely not some kind of ‘official’ demo video. Its just a collection of personal footage that I’ve shot while getting to know the camera recently. – Hook
I originally tried to upload an UHD Prores LT, but it failed at 88%. :( I will continue to try and replace the current file but even if not, I still recommend downloading the 1080 Prores LT version – the motion looks a little ‘funny’ on Vimeo.
This was all shot using ONLY the built in 10″ screen for composing/focus and most of the time it was just Danelle and I grabbing footage, I really wanted to see if this bigger camera could still be used like the much smaller BMD ones without a crew etc. The only exception to this being some music video footage, but that was also a tiny crew of 3 of us involving me as director/dop/gaffer with Johnathan Guest from Halcyon Digital being camera/lighting assist, as well as DIT and dolly grip!
The rest is friends doing us favours and getting footage while on holiday to celebrate our 10 year anniversary in Queenstown. Carrying around the URSA, lenses, and tripod on ski slopes was tiring and hard work and not much of a holiday! I also almost dropped the camera off the side of a friends mini speed boat while trying to hold it up to get footage going down the river. :P
HUGE thanks to:
Blackmagic Design
Jeremy and Julian McPike
Jim Pollard
Todd Columb and his freerunning friends
Jayden and Ange Keoghan
Sound The Ocean
Johnathan Guest
Chelsea and Michelle Barns
Tracey Bourgeois
and of course my much better half for the last 10 years – Danelle!
Edited and Graded in DaVinci Resolve 11
Mostly shot at 60fps Prores 422HQ in camera and conformed to 24fps
Lenses: Sigma 18-35/1.8 Art, Sigma 50/1.4 Art, Canon 70-200/2.8L II IS
Hoya ProNDs and Tiffen VariND+Hoya IR Cut
Schneider Hollywood Blackmagic 1/4 and Tiffen Soft FX 1
Music: “By Your Side” – used with permission from Alan Poettcker of “The Runaway Club”
Hurricane Kids – Over | Cinematography + Behind The Scenes
A few weeks ago we shot a music video for Hurricane Kids‘ new single ‘Over’! Check it out below. We had so many laughs on this two-day shoot, what a blast! This is the first music video we shot on the Blackmagic Cinema Camera too! Massive thank you to all of those involved in the video {credits below video} – couldn’t have done it without ya!
Director: CaptainHook
DP: Alex Jenkins / CaptainHook
Producer/Props/Styling: A Couple Of Night Owls
Production Assist: Danelle Bourgeois
Gaffer: Alex Jenkins
AC: Manon Laffitte
Jib/Lighting and 2nd Camera Assist: Ben Grainger
Make-up / Wardrobe: Nella Louise Zisser and Hurricane Kids
Venue Lighting Assist: Joshua Strand
On Location Sound: Scott Seabright
Pixel Drape Op: Ryan of The Production Co.
Edit/Grade/FX: CaptainHook
Shot on BMCC EF. Graded in Davinci Resolve. Compositing/FX in Nuke.
Crime Storm…
Behind the scenes…
Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera | Cinematography
Hook has been lucky enough to be able to test out the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera that’s due for release pretty soon. He was given the green light to be able to show this first set of footage that he got on it. Check it out! Below the video is a bit of commentary from Hook if you want any of the technical details…
From Hook:
I have been out grabbing some footage and testing this little guy the last week or so and having a blast! I really can’t get over the image that’s coming from this tiny little package. Amazing. The stealth factor is also great as everyone assumes you’re on a typical “point and shoot” and don’t think twice so pay you no attention. I can see myself shooting casually with this more than my EF 2.5k model (which I plan to sell to get the MFT mount version) as it’s so portable and light-weight, I can take it just about anywhere with me. I couldn’t bring myself to rig up this camera as it kind of defeats the purpose to me.
The footage is mostly made up of our Canon L Primes via the Redrock Live Lens adapter so that I can control aperture on our lenses. Some shots are with the Panasonic/Lumix 12-35/2.8 (thanks to Gilbert for loaning me this and a couple of other active lenses to test with).
Lenses used in this clip are:
Canon 24/1.4L
Canon 35/1.4L
Canon 50/1.2L
Canon 100/2.8L
Panasonic/Lumix 12-35/2.8
Everything is either handheld, on a monopod, or on a Glidecam HD4000 (thanks to Si Moore). Majority is shot at ASA400 (did not shoot RAW) with a few of the night shots at ASA800, but even some of them are at 400. Most of the night shots are also at F1.4. The glidecam stuff by the beach was the Lumix 12-35 at around F16 (don’t have any ND’s that fit the filter thread). Otherwise the majority of the day shots are at F2.0 using Tiffen IRND’s to get appropriate exposure.
Shot in BMDFilm with my LUT applied, and only minor corrections beyond that. You can find my LUT here.
I can see this camera becoming VERY popular. Great stuff and congrats again to all the team at Blackmagic, plus a HUGE thank you to BMD for letting me take this guy for a test drive!!
Music by the amazing Lennon and Maisy
Showreel | Colour Grading
Hook is a master of colour grading. It’s not a topic that most people know about, and most probably don’t even know what it actually is. In very simple terms, it’s basically colour correcting and creating a look for video footage. And Hook is the man at it. Below is a showreel that Hook put together of some of his colour grading work. Seeing the before and after footage really illustrates what he can do.
Colour grading done in Davinci Resolve. Originating footage from Red, Blackmagic Cinema Camera, and 5D MKii and MKiiis.