The DV Workshop

I spent some time debating whether or not I needed a matte box. In the end I decided it was more for looks than function , so I ordered myself a very basic one from The Cine City (www.thecinecity.com), an online store based in India.

This is the 80mm matte box with french flag, currently US$99. It attaches directly tot he lens and doesn’t have a rod support and this is probably my only issue with the product. The matte box plus the french flag together are too heavy for the lens. Take off the french flag and it’s fine but not nearly as cool looking.

I had to to create a small support for the matte box which connects to the rails on my shoulder support. It’s not ultra pretty but it works.

It’s amazing how a pro camera isn’t a pro camera if it doesn’t have a matte box and at least one french flag. Now in the real world I think there are many other ways I’d choose to control the light without using a french flag but…

Anyway, the matte box was the last part of the camera add-ons as such so next I turned my attention to the audio side of the equation.

So, I’ve got the camera, some lenses to put on it, and a shoulder mount to keep it all steady. What next…? Something to keep it all in focus of course

A quick Google search shows that there’s plenty of options for a DSLR follow focus. Once again though, there was the budget to consider. It’s hard to justify hundreds of dollars for something that may only get used a few times in a year.

After lots of research, I went with the D|Focus V2 from wwww.dfocussystem.com. At US$119 it’s by far the cheapest option out there and I’m pleased to say it works like a charm.

They’re not the most attractive units you will ever see but they’re built that way to keep the costs down. David Aldrich builds these to order but don’t let the idea of a ‘backyard’ operation put you off – he has the best customer service of anyone I’ve ordered from in recent times.

I also ordered the DSLR mounting kit that allows the D|Focus to be mounted directly to the 7D without needing rails. Very handy and I leave it permanently attached even though I have rails. That way I can go into ‘stealth mode’ just take the basic camera and still have the option to use the D|Focus if I want to.

At this point, I’m almost there – just a couple more items to order and I’m ready to rock’n'roll….

So my first try at shooting definitely made me appreciate the ergonomics of a real video camera. On a tripod it’s fine but try to go handheld and it’s a bit trickier.

Not that it can’t be done. I’ve had years of practice hand holding video cameras so I can do a reasonable job but my steadiest with the 7D was only just acceptable.

After alot of thinking and drooling over expensive bits of kit, and keeping firmly in mind that this camera is really for my personal enjoyment rather than professional film making, I opted for the Cavision shoulder mount.

It took a couple of weeks to arrive here in Melbourne but now that I have it, it does its job quite well.

I’ll agree with every other review in that it’s not brilliantly built and the shoulder mount is probably the most comfortable thing I’ve ever used but it’s serviceable and keeps the camera steady.

A bit of foam under the shoulder pad fixed the discomfort and I’m planning to add some weight to the back to help it be a little less front heavy, although I don’t find it to be all that difficult to manage as it is.

Once again, I see this as the starting point. I know I could get better if I spent more but it keeps the camera steady, supports a whole bunch of other attachments and that’s really all it needs to do.

If you’re on a budget, it’s a great place to start.

I’ve been making short films with friends off and on for the last three years. It’s always fun and one of us always seems to find a short film competition to have a go at.  This year though I plan to get a bit more serious. No more competitions (well, fewer anyway). I plan to take my time making the next few films.

To get myself in ‘serious’ mode, I got myself a Canon 7D just before Christmas. I know it has it’s faults but to be honest, I don’t really care. I see this camera as the training wheels before heading to something more serious from RED or maybe some of the other manufacturers if they start using this tech in actual video cameras, which I’m positive they will in the very near future.

Not having any Canon gear at all, I got the 7D with the 18-135mm kit lens. Not the greatest lens in the world but I remember someone saying in a podcast (Red Centre, maybe?) that they felt that 18mm through to 135mm covered all their film making bases. They were talking prime lenses of course but hey, this camera is just for me to learn with so a zoom will do.  I hit eBay and also picked up a Canon f4/75-300 zoom, and an old Nikon f1.8/50mm manual lens for use in low light situations.  I’ll probably pick up the so called ‘nifty fifty’, Canon f1.8/50mm lens if I can spot it on eBay sometime.

I can’t say much about using the 7D just yet. I only used it once the week I got it and all I can really say from that experience is that DSLRs are an ergonomic nightmare compared to video cameras.  I was also surprised that, even though a chunk of the short film was shot at night, I didn’t need the faster lens. the f3.5-5.6/18-135mm zoom did everything I needed.  There were a couple of shots where I added some hand held lighting (torches pointed at the actors) but that was it.

The film was made for the 48 Hour Film Festival and should be on the web somewhere. I’ll see if I can hunt up a link.