Shot on May 26, 2012 at the Rock and Roll Hotel, Spitfires United perform “Working” at a benefit show for the DC Chapter of the Wounded Warrior Project.
Shot on a Canon 60D with a Sigma 18-50mm and T2i with Canon 50mm 1.4. Out of necessity I operated both cams on my own, handheld. To see what can happen when working like this, see “Canon 60D hits the deck” http://vimeo.com/42925577.
Audio was captured by hanging a Zoom H4n from the ceiling using a Gorillapod (prior to the start of the show) positioned approximately fifteen feet from the stage. Ideally you would get a feed from the mixing board but in a pinch the Zoom does a nice job.
I’m extremely happy with how the video turned out considered the modified setup. Grabbing a wide angle via the Sigma and tighter shots with the 50mm 1.4 allowed me to capture two angles for a dynamic video. The 1.4 aperture of the 50mm on a crop sensor provided great shallow DOF while letting in a fair amount of light allowing me to keep the ISO low (400 on the T2i) getting a pretty clean image. Pulling focus with one finger while maintaing composition on two cams is however, not my recommended method. Get a second shooter when possible.
Edited and graded in Adobe Premiere Pro CS5.5 using Magic Bullet Quick Looks Free w/ native Premiere Pro color correction options.
Links to gear used in the production of this video:
Canon 60D podhelp.me/60dkit
Gorillapod: http://bit.ly/vELAxF
Canon T2i podhelp.me/t2ibody
Sigma 18-50mm 2.8 – 4.5 Lens (mounted to the 60D) podhelp.me/sigma18-50
Zoom H4N podhelp.me/rech4nzoom
Canon 50mm 1.4 http://podhelp.me/canon50
Black Rapid RS-7 Camera Strap http://podhelp.me/brapidrs7
Canon T2i 1080p 24f
Sigma 18-50mm 2.8-4.5 ISO 100
Various shutter speeds to control exposure
No color grading
Exposure Canon preset “standard”
in-cam T2i mic
Render out to 2:35 aspect ratio
Music:
“Fuzzy”
by All India Radio
On this episode learn how to choose, what might be the most difficult fruit to pick right, the watermelon.
The watermelon is approximately 92 percent water and for this reason it’s important to choose watermelons that are heavy for their size, very heavy!
Watermelons possess many clues that you can feel, hear, and see which tell you whether or not they are ripe. Most important of these are a watermelon’s shape, weight, and the sound it makes when tapped.
In order to perform the “thump” test (the test that allows you to hear if a melon is ripe) you must follow a few basic steps. First you want to make sure you are holding the melon away from your body. Next use an open hand to tap the watermelon as you would a bongo drum. Finally listen for a sound that is similar to a bongo drum except with a slightly deeper sound.
This technique is a skill as well as an art and the more times you perform it, the better you’ll get at picking ripe watermelons.
All of these tips, tricks, and techniques require practice. Try to find as many of these tips as possible in each watermelon you choose but don’t feel the need to find them all in each and every melon. The more clues you can find to a watermelon’s ripeness the better your chance of getting that perfect melon will be. Get out there and practice but most of all enjoy!