Mixing it up with Pitbull

Watch the HD video here: Chivas 12 Hours feat. Pitbull

I Know You Want Me... Pitbull gyrates to screaming fans

The party was Chivas 12 Hours. An eagerly anticipated event where 6 internationally acclaimed DJs performed for 12 hours to a crowd of more than 6,000 party goers. Guest entries were USD 59 and VIP entries were USD 82. Not only were the DJs of international stock, the crowd was a rich mixture of nationalities.

This night was significant to us because we shot it with two cameras: Canon EOS 7D and Sony EX3. This is a HD production with a dedicated video camera and a DSLR. This is an HD event video all the way!

The Cinematography team- Sai Bee with EX3, Baron with EOS 7D and Eddy our assistant

Our cinematographer Sai Bee shot with the Sony EX3 while Baron had his EOS 7D on the microShoulderMount. Both cameras were equipped with mobile video LED lights. This is a collaboration between two of the industry's most revered cameras. We were all eager to see how it turned out when the footage held up during film editing.

The neat thing about the EX3 was its compatibility with the Mac. The EX3 uses the Express 34 memory card as its recording media and our 17" MacBook Pro comes with the Express 34 built in. Perfect match.

Ravi, our apprentice from Saito College goes on stage with DJ Roger Shah

It was a sensational night. We were entertained by DJ Blink and Xu, DJ Roger Shah, Grammy Award Winning Italian DJ Benny Benassi, Hard Dance Queen DJ Lisa Lashes and Mr. MIAMI himself, Pitbull.

Audio Acquisition
The Automatic Gain Control (AGC) of the EOS 7D made it impossible to capture consistent quality audio. Being in auto mode meant the camera would reduce audio peaking after it happens. We were filming almost always in close proximity to outdoor-sized audio speakers and the 7D couldn't stop the audio from breaking. Without an external audio recorder like the Zoom H4N, the 7D won't be doing a good job at large events like this.

The EX3 on the other hand, fared much better. It has an integrated mic with manual audio controls. As long as the cinematographer checks his audio levels and sets them accordingly, audio recording will be good.

Oye! Pitbull does another one of his numbers

Light Sensitivity
The 7D triumphs here.

Both cameras were deployed with a mobile LED video light attached to their hotshoe. The US made LitePanels worked as advertised, this is not our first shoot with them. Both cameras went out to capture footage of crowd dancing, drinking and having a good time.

Baron films a 'flaring' demonstration by the Chivas bartenders

Setting the Gain to 12db makes the noise really stand out so the EX3 filmed at 6db Gain, with LitePanels' dimmer set to maximum brightness. Footage was good although a touch grainy.

The highest ISO we set on the 7D was 1,000. Grain was hardly noticeable. LitePanels was rarely used if at all. The cinematographer simply positioned himself, pressed record and waited for the house lights to blink and pulsate to the DJ's song. The brilliant lighting display complemented the equally excellent audio performance by the artistes.

Sai Bee grabs some close-ups of a DJ working on his turntable

Footage quality
Again, praises go to the 7D. It's shallow depth of field made subjects stand out from the background, something the EX3 simply couldn't match. Even with its 1/3" sensor, the EX3 isn't able to throw backgrounds out of focus as beautifully as the 7D can.  The 7D also made images and colours look richer and more 'solid' compared to the EX3.

Overheat. The annoyng big red thermometer icon. Time for a break!

Power Zoom. Film Directors and Cinematographers will be happy to note that the two cameras bear inherently unique features. The EX3 has lets the user do power zooms. It's zoom ring revolves with a smooth turn, allowing the user to change focal length (zoom) at the twist of the wrist. DSLRs are severely setback here. The lens gear isn't smooth to pull off a clean power zoom.
The EX3 also has an aperture ring which makes exposure control very convenient- the ring is located less than an inch away from the zoom ring. One doesn't have to press buttons and twist dials to get the proper iris setting- the hand that does the focusing also controls zooming and iris settings. On the 7D, the user rotates a dial located near his right thumb, convenient but I prefer the ergonomics of the EX3.

Where The Wild Things Are- Watching the crowd go wild, cheering their DJ

Rim Lighting. The clever positioning of backlight outlines the subject against a darker, contrasted background. Considered an advanced form of creative expression, Rim Lighting is the mark of a professional cinematographer.

Successful rim lighting doesn't depend solely on lighting. It depends also on the videography equipment.  Here, the 7D performs exceptionally. Its sensor is large enough to capture the nuances of that thin light that outlines a subject. The EX3 needs more setup time from the cinematographer, something that isn't readily available during an event shoot.

Why we do what we do... DJ Benny Benazzi's entourage take a fancy to us

Overheating. Unique only to HD DSLRs when filming in HD, overheating is an annoyance that plague DSLR cinematographers worldwide. I will write a separate entry about this. To overcome this, brief periods of rest (for the camera, not the user!) is recommended. When the overheat icon shows itself, let the camera rest for about 60 seconds. There's no such issue with video cameras, they can go on shooting till the cows come home.

The EX3 HD video camera- ergonomic, well designed and packed with features

The EX3 connects to the Mac via the Express34 card slot. The Sony Clip Browser transfers footage to the hard disk. The 7D hooks up via the provided USB cable (Mini-A). Footage is downloaded through Canon's EOS Utility. I'm very happy that EX3 footage plays back smoothly on the 17" MacBook Pro in Grass Valley's Edius 5.1 BUT the H.264 from the 7D conversion to CanopusHQ. The solution is to use ProCoder.

Sensational. The Chivas 12 Hours party- world class DJs performed all night

The 7D has some drawbacks, particularly in the overheating, audio and power zoom department but solutions exist to counter that. After tonight's experience, will we use the EOS 7D to cover events? Most Def! DSLRs, when properly accessorised become a cinematographer's dream, capturing film quality images even under light-challenged areas.

All's well that ends well. The party was great- the light show on stage was superb, fused with flame bursts and smoke effects. Pitbull's charismatic and energetic performance had the crowd gasping for more. It was non-stop dance music dance music accentuated by R&B, House, Trance and Electro. By the time we were done, it was 3am Sunday and we were almost stone deaf. It was worth it, thank you Chivas!

Photos are courtesy of Ravivarman Vicraman