That’s the way we roll: Absolut Vodka ‘Rock Edition’
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The iconic Swedish vodka launched its brand new 'Rock Edition' at Blackbox in KLMAP. The theme was rock & roll- leather jackets with studs, gothic makeovers and the rock star treatment. We were right in the middle of it all, filming the event in HD.
Dressed to rock! Excellent makeovers like this added a new level of authenticity to the party
Our HD DSLR, the EOS 7D rock and rolled with the rest of them, visiting the cool 'backstage' especially set up for this rock & roll themed adventure. We filmed in the cramped trailer-like entrance to the dark interiors of Blackbox where the gothic decor immediately brings to mind exciting images of a carefree rock band.
Filming the party in HD with Canon 7D supported by RedRock Micro's Cinema Field Kit
Absolut created a convincing experience as guests were treated to stellar performances by Naked Breed and Two Sides To A Story. Late in the evening, DJ Twilight Action Girl gave us even more rock inspired tracks.
The real deal: Rock & Roll band 'Two Sides To A Story' sing chart topping numbers
The HD footage was shot with Canon's excellent EOS 7D with RedRock Micro's microShoulderMont and attached FollowFocus. This setup made it compact enough for quick maneuvering across the crowded room and yet capture great looking shots.
Our Canon 7D HD DSLR setup allows for optimum mobility in crowded situations
The LitePanels LED video light gave us much respite from the extremely dark interior. It lit up the path yet provided soft light so that our subjects looked appealing.
Still, our setup overwhelmed some guests. As I poked my HD DSLR into a group, I remember someone blurting out, 'What the hell is that?'. For the more initiated, as I moved amongst some videographers (one of them with a XLH1), I overheard one of the mutter, 'Wow, it comes with a Follow Focus too!'.
Get the look. Professional make-up artists and fashion stylists transform guests into rock stars
The HD footage we shot exported easily into Edius 5. It was as usual, edited on our 17" MacBook Pro running Windows. I just love the Mac, Apple has truly created a computer that we can fall in love with. Of course, being able to install Windows means we can use the PC based Edius. The Mac and Edius, they work like a charm.
Our assistant videographer Kana with the XL1, providing Live Video Feed of the rock bands
Photos are courtesy of Kanageswaran (aka Kana)
Digital Film Making Course: Making 2 Films Each Week
All set for Kana's short film which the rest jokingly called 'Untitled'
Since the launch of our Digital Film Making Course in June, we have already covered the Scriptwriting, Cinematography and Film/Video Editing modules. Our Digital Film Making Course has become more popular that I've decided to add camaraderie by integrating WolFang Digital's Digital Film Making course with my students in Saito Collge.
Kana and Nasrulhaq team up as Film Director and Videographer in this week's Digital Film Making Course
In college where I teach part-time, I have noticed some of my more hardworking students take a keen interest in film making. They are pursuing Videography and Digital Video Production and as they wish to learn more than what is offered by their syllabus, I have given them the opportunity to be part of the WolFang Digital's Digital Film Making course.
'In this scene, this is how you should be feeling', Kana refers to his script and talks to Dhurga
This is the focus of our Digital Film Making course: to give our students the best possible film making training so they can easily transition from a student into a professional film maker when they graduate.
-Baron, Film Director & Lecturer-
Nasrulhaq makes the adjustments as Kana briefs him, 'I want the camera to track here'.
These hand-picked students will be undertaking some of the tougher assignments meant for WolFang Digital's students. How are students chosen to join WolFang Digital's course? They are picked by both merit and passion. Students who participate actively in class, who ask intelligent questions, students who take the initiative to make their own films.
Ravi slaps the Clapperboard as Dhurga and Ramavijay prepre for another take
My students are split into 2 groups. To maximise the learning experience, students must rotate their roles for each film produced. So, a film director for one film may become a cinematographer for the next production. Each group has to produce a short film. They are given only 3 hours to shoot their film.
Nasrulhaq as videographer readies the video camera while Ramavijay and Dhurga rehearse their lines
Once shooting is completed, every student must edit each others' film. Video Editing is done with Grass Valley's Edius. They then compare the different versions. Each editor has different interpretations of the original director's story. By watching these interpretations, their learning deepens as they understand how each person sees the same story.
Ravi's turn at being the Film Director while Kana rotates as Videographer
Courtesy of WolFang Digital, students get the chance to use our professional equipment for their assignments. They have at their disposal, video cameras, HD DSLRs, high-quality tripods, lights, audio recorders, shotgun/boom microphones, clapperboard, reflectors and even dollies.
Dhurga readies the clapperboard for Ravi's short film titled 'Stalkers'
This means they can feel right at home when they find work after they graduate. This is the focus of our Digital Film Making course: to give our students the best possible film making training so they can easily transition from a student into a professional film maker when they graduate.
Dzul becomes the real action hero. He rehearses with S Dinesh while director Ravi looks on.
Two films were shot this week, the first was Kana's unrequited for love drama affectionately called 'Untitled' by is coursemates. The story tells the story of protagonist played by Ramavijay who confesses his love to Dhurga but is rejected. She claims here studies are her focus and love will have to wait, an accurate reflection of real life.
The production team shooting the film from a higher angle
While Kana's story is a sit-down dialog driven piece, Ravi's film is a stark contrast by being an action film. Titled 'Stalkers', it tells the story of a cop looking for his suspect. The cop played by Dzul finds his man (played by S. Dinesh) in a busy library and a suspenseful fight scene ensues.
Down low. Kana goes down for a dramatic angle of the Stalker played by Dzul
Both short films are different in terms of pacing and dialog. My students will get to understand how to edit two very diverse genres. This challenge will help sharpen their storytelling skills while rotating their roles from Film Director to Videographer and Video Editor ensures that their comfort zones are constantly changing. Keep them on their toes, keep them sharp.
Ravi gets his hands dirty by showing Dzul and S. Dinesh how to finish the fight scene
On The Spot for Redberry Launch
Enjoy Jonah Lomu's interview. We recorded him in a crowded hall with music blaring and guests chatting away! Jonah Lomu is the legendary New Zealand Classic All Blacks Rugby player
On location at the launch of Redberry, doing a stand-in for our videographers to check lighting and sound
Redberry Sdn Bhd (Redberry) has kicked-off the revamp of its news and entertainment properties by launching two new TV shows to be aired on recently-established partnership channel Bernama TV at a glitzy and glamorous party in Kuala Lumpur today for the crème de la crème of the media industry. The exclusive event was co-hosted with Redberry anchor client, Celcom, and sponsored by ABSOLUT. (Excerpt from Adoi Magazine)
Peggy our video editor prepares her laptop to edit the footage as soon as its been shot
We were 'Johnny-on-the-spot' when Redberry organised a competition for best reporting during their soft launch (this being a media company). Each participant had 30 seconds to do a 'mock' news report. The guideline was, 'report about anything within the last 7 days'. The grand prize was a Blackberry smart phone. The challenge for us was to record the reporting, edit the them on the spot AND hand them the finished master. Redberry will then broadcast the reporting for guests to view.
Mic-up! A participant gets to have a wireless microphone under his shirt
Considering that this is an ongoing event, our time window and margin for error was considerably short as we had to shoot, edit and transfer the mock reports into a DVD. Kassandra Kassim (Redberry's Chief Creative Officer) was the judge of honour who decided the winner. Before the best reporter received his/her reward, our DVD will be played for guests.
Nasrulhaq keeps pace (30 seconds each) as Baron directs while Sai Bee shoots the scene
Nevertheless, we pulled it off but not without some trepidation. Our cinematographer, Sai Bee expertly coordinated our videography team while I directed the participants. Sai Bee guided the lighting technician, our sound technician and communicated with our video editor.
Under Nasrulhaq's watchful eye (and stopwatch), another participant gets his 30 seconds of fame
For this setup, we used the Panasonic HVX 102b which has 2 XLR connections, ideal for our dual wireless microphones setup. Our audio setup comprised of 2 Sennheiser wireless mics with receivers. These were all connected via FireWire to a laptop running Avid Liquid. The interviews were simultaneously recorded into the camera's miniDV tape and a FireWire hard disk as the they were shot. They were then ingested and edited in Avid Liquid, using cuts and dissolves.
Celebrity Stephanie Chai does her bit to encourage more participants to take part in the contest
Our clients had the convenience of the Sony GVHD700E. The 8" screen on the HDV recorder/player let them view the interviews as it was unfolding. Lighting was provided by two 650W Film Gear tungsten lights and reflectors which were sufficient for key, fill and backlight.
He's probably the youngest, but he knows his stuff! This chap goes on about sports.
When all the mock reporting were completed, it was Peggy's turn to work her magic. I don't envy Peggy (our Video Editor) all so lonely at her laptop but with all eyes on her, waiting for her to compile that essential DVD. Peggy aced it, Avid Liquid did what it was supposed to do and the DVD made it for playback. All's well that ends well.
Stand-up. Harith Iskandar, Malaysia's leading comedian, had audience roaring with laughter. This bought us much needed video editing time!
That was our setup: I directed as Sai Bee filmed and the rest of our team did their thing. Nothing prepared us for our guest of honour: Jonah Lomu, the famed New Zealand Classic All Blacks Rugby player. The brawny frame of Mr. Lomu arrived at our set with Kassandra Kassim (Chief Creative Officer, Redberry). The interview was conducted and edited. Well, sort of edited... Kassandra wanted the interview to be 7 minutes long, apparently reflecting the 7 Days program that Redberry acquired.
MCU or CU? Baron and Sai Bee discuss some of the finer points of videography
Kassandra Kassim is well recognised in the media industry and we've worked together many years back. As I remember her, Kassandra is exacting in her work. Nevertheless, I was surprised and impressed with how she ended the interview with Mr. Lomu almost on the dot... All this unrehearsed and impromptu!
Kassandra Kassim interviews New Zealand All Black rugby legend, Jonah Lomu. She ends the interview exactly at 7 minutes, just the way she likes it!
Our work was finally broadcast to guests after Harith Iskandar's stand-up. Mostly due to the good quality microphones we used and our Sound Technician's skills, we received good reviews from key people, one of them being Richard Duckett (Kassandra's husband). He claimed the audio clarity was top notch. This is no mean feat since we could hardly hear ourselves speak and we recorded right in the middle of all this!
Background info:
Redberry Sdn Bhd (Redberry) has kicked-off the revamp of its news and entertainment properties by launching two new TV shows to be aired on recently-established partnership channel Bernama TV at a glitzy and glamorous party in Kuala Lumpur today for the crème de la crème of the media industry. The exclusive event was co-hosted with Redberry anchor client, Celcom, and sponsored by ABSOLUT. The event heralded a new era for Redberry as it launched two fabulous new programs: The Last Word and 7 Days (Adoi Magazine)
HD film: Chivas 12 Hours feat. PITBULL
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Our latest HD film is out! Featuring american singer-rapper PITBULL (You Know You Want Me, Hotel Room Serivce) in the Chivas 12 Hours party. Includes dazzling performances by internationally acclaimed DJ Roger Shah, DJ Benny Benassi, DJ Lisa Lashes and DJs Blink & Xu. A staggering crowd of over 6,000 spent the night dancing away to the sensational tunes.
Read about how we shot the Chivas 12 Hours party 'Mixing it up with Pitbull'.
Pitbull performs to adoring fans in Malaysia for Chivas 12 Hours party
Commissioned by Pernod Ricard, this is a full HD event video filmed with Canon EOS 7D in synergy with Sony EX3 and edited on GrassValley Edius 5.5 on a 17" MacBook Pro.
The microShoulderMount in action supporting the HD DSLR
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
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