Taking Stock of Our Work

It's been a very busy and exciting spring and we're about to launch into summer with an even stronger team working along side us.  Our ever growing collection of New York City footage will now be represented by Getty Images, one of the most prestigious stock houses in the world.

Although Sarah and I have amassed a sizable quantity of footage creating our  short films, it is just the tip of the iceberg for what we need to gathering in the way of new imagery.  There is a lot of city out there and we intend to film a large part of it.   So, I'm using the start of summer to begin a year long expedition into the sights and sounds of New York City.  Well, at least the sights.

Over the last year I have been keeping a journal of interesting angles that I've noticed around the city, logging the date and the time of day, while also noting the position of the sun.  All extremely important facts and figures when you return with a camera.  I also note if the area is safe to film in and if there appears to be any reason that I might need a special permit.  

Along with creating new footage, we will also need to update many of our existing images, as the skyline is continuously changing and keeping our work current is important.

My first location was not in the city at all.  I started in Bayonne NJ, across the harbor from Manhattan.

On the tech side, I have been fairly successful using our Sony EX3 HD camera filming 1920x1080 24P.  24P is the electronic equivalent of shooting at 24 frames per second (fps) with a film camera and gives a "film look"  to video.  I have also taken to using Nikon prime lenses instead of the lens that came with the camera, for many reasons, the first of which is that that they are sharper with less chromatic distortion.  Thee color is more true and there is less fringing around the edges of object that I am filming.  

Another reason I like prime lenses is that they make me think more about what I am shooting and how I am shooting it.  This means finding a creative angle and using the best lens to capture my vision, rather than just zooming the lens in and out like a trombone.

The next time you watch a feature film, notice how rarely they actually zoom into or out of a subject.
Although the director and cinematographer may use many different lenses and angles to achieve the final scene, it's still pretty uncommon to zoom.  Now, in contrast to that, many reality shows and TV documentaries commonly use the zoom effect, ad nauseam.  Often, I speculate, to give a totally dull scene some sense of movement.

When using long, telephoto lenses on a video camera, every vibration is magnified.  The Bayoone location was very windy and even with a sturdy tripod like the Manfrotto 536, I needed to use my car as a shield.

I had been sitting at the edit desk all day, so a last minute run out to the harbor was a great way to chill out.   I love this stuff and I'm really looking forward to our new adventure.

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