A friend of mine asked me this question:

Hey Tim !

How are you ?

I've been following your work with your Canon 7D, pretty good stuff :) ... I also read you blog ( by the way, I was amazed by the two legged tripod trick :P ... ) and you seem to be right person to ask about cameras :).

I've been thinking of buying a 7D but at the moment it's a bit too expensive for me ... I was looking at the 550D, the little brother of the 7D I heard ... as I'm a beginner in the DSLR world, I was wondering if that's actually a better idea than the 7D, for the moment being.
What I'm really looking for are the HD video features and they seem to be similar in some ways ... am I right ?
I just wanna know how happy you are with your 7D and if you heard of what the 550D can do, video wise ...

Thanks!

To which I replied:

(the greetings first, which I took out, out of respect for my friends privacy)

Since I don't hear much talk about the 550D I'm assuming it must be an older model.

If the 7d is expensive, then I'd buy the Canon T2i, just came out a couple months ago and it basically shoots the exact same video/codex as the 7D. Really there is no difference in video mode. The cameras main difference is in photography and the body construction. Thats the main difference, and it comes in under $1000 - the best deal out there for a new and up and coming director like yourself! Never in the history of filming could you get this much camera and opportunity for so little. I think the video controls might be a menu or two buried, but not a big deal considering the price.

I am happy with the 7D. The biggest challenge I face on an almost daily basis while shooting is aliasing. There are tricks to help minimize the effects but I run into at least 2 to 3 times a shoot. While the 7D is great & revolutionary in so many ways ( anyone still talking about 35mm Adaptors?), its a steeping stone camera and I look forward to future models where these bugs can be worked out. I'm currently working on a narrative film shot on the 7d using external audio ( only use camera audio as a guide track ) so I will post more about the work flow of using audio shortly.

Hope this helps!

~Tim

State of the Art and not so state:

So much of what I see, read and talk about is state of the art technology.

This is not. This is not my rig.



Although I might be jealous.

It does represent so much of our business though, ingenuity, getting the job done. Even if it does involve a lamp cord!

A couple more notches in the DSLR belt

The list is growing and the growth will continue as more networks are jumping on the DSLR bandwagon. Add shows to the list like

Fox's "House " Season Finale:

or

The intro to Jay Leno on NBC :



and you have the big boys incorporating the latest in technology. George Lucas is also testing the camera for parts of the "Tuskegee Airmen " he is executive producing, schedule for a late 2010 release.

Heres a video shot with DSLR cameras screened at the exclusive theatre with Lucas, Tarantino & some other big shots!


Can't wait to hear the continuing news at the NAB conference regarding DSLR's and the latest and greatest gadgets to support them!

creativeLIVE - A Live Worldwide Creative Classroom

Free Education! It doesn't get much better then that. Watching the classes is free, DL's are where they make their money - sounds fair.

I recognize some of the names, not all of them. I'll be tuning in as our field is rapidly changing, good to know what some of the top minds are thinking and how they use the software.

creativeLIVE - A Live Worldwide Creative Classroom

Blogging my short Film experience

I'm starting production on my next short film project and without knowing where to begin, I'll begin by blogging the complete experience. Names may be changed to protect the innocent but all stories, laughs and tears will be included --- no holds bar!!! (ok, maybe not that extreme).

The link for the blog will be here:

http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=206232

but i'll have exclusive photos right here on the blog!

The slow matriculation of older projects

While my short film is uploading on Vimeo, it has got me thinking. One of the catch 22 of my business is that having been doing what i've been doing (T.V., Sports TV., Movies, etc...) for over the past 10 yrs is the fact how much time can pass without having anywork to show. Getting copies is truly hard if copies are even made. Or how do you show your skills if your one camera out of 13 !

Finally i'm starting to get the momentum here and gather older projects and post them on yours truly Vimeo account.

I'm almost dreading the day I find my old work on VHS I did WAY BACK in the day for my college classes. All I remember is one of them I made a Dr. Kevorkian parody commercial.Other then gig badges, a fair amount of gig photos have been saved so here are some of them.

This is half of my collage I made during my Intern year with Giants back in the wind tunnel days of Candlestick park. I do not miss the days of swapping out old panels on Jumbotron. We were convinced it was a known shrine where rats would die in honor. And it wouldn't be a small strech to say thats when the rodent world outnumbered paying fans.


This is me on camera during the 2002 World Series Game. Going from Candlestick to then Pac Bell is like you getting your first car, which you're happy has 4 wheels and runs to a BMW. What it's like to have working power windows, AC., a stereo thats not a boom box in the passenger seat. I think you get the feeling. It was that good.

In the middle of a week

Haven't had much of a chance this week to work on my own projects as i'm working a crazy long week for a TV show. Working with some of the top camera guys in the industry ( like trying to learn all the tips and tricks from the Steadicam OP who works on American Idol!).

Will be fun and i'll be posting some new updates shortly!