Recent Videography Articles

Six Simple Yet Creative Ways to Enhance Your Portrait Sessions

The most creative ideas are often the most simple ones. Here is a video a team from France put together showing you ways to enhance your portraits using cheap and basic tools that you can find at any grocery and hardware store. You don't have to worry, there is no French explanations, it's all done visually and is quite easy to follow.

Three Alternative Drone Shots to Add a New Dimension to Your Aerial Videos

Anyone who has flown a drone for aerial video capture has likely done one of the few shots that are pretty much the standard of any aerial video. In these two videos from Mark Richardson, he is going to explain techniques for three different kinds of shots you may not have thought of before.

With the Panasonic GH5 Imminent, Atomos Announce the Ninja Inferno as the Ultimate Companion

With reports that Panasonic have already begun to ship the hotly anticipated GH5, it seems Atomos have perfectly timed the announcement of their latest external monitor-recorder, the Ninja Inferno, due to ship March 31st. With 4:2:2 10-bit recording in 4k 60p and HD 120p, is this the ultimate companion for videographers awaiting their GH5 pre-order to arrive?

Canon to Provide C-Log Upgrade for 5D Mark IV

We've been hearing rumors that Canon will be releasing a firmware update for the Canon 5D Mark IV that will make it possible to capture in C-Log, Canon's own log file format, and that they will be making it available during NAB in Las Vegas next month. Whether the Canon EOS-1D X Mark II will get the same update is still unclear, but reliable sources have made it known that the 5D Mark IV is definitely getting updated.

The Men and Methods Behind 'Nerf John Wick'

Two days after its release on YouTube, "Nerf John Wick" has racked up over two million views and counting. So, I reached out to Corridor Digital to learn more about the people and techniques behind its making.

Winners of the 2017 NYC Drone Film Festival

I attended the Third Annual NYC Drone Film Festival this year and I have to say I was beyond impressed with some of the work I saw. I expected a lot of cinematic, crazy drone filming type stuff, but I was glad to see that there were a bunch of categories for all kinds of different drone work that was submitted. From all this, I was inspired to keep going out there and creating the work I do and maybe even submitting something myself for next year. Here are the winners of each category, check them out and enjoy some of the work that went into all this filming!

Peter McKinnon in the Alps to Shoot Porsches

Vlogging for photographers has become a great marketing tool. It's a video, so it's showcasing your editing capabilities, it's giving an idea of what it's like to work with you as a photographer, and it shows that you know what you are doing and based on your following, have a large amount of influence in the industry.

Comparison Between Two Affordable Cinema Lenses: Rokinon and Rokinon Xeen

Not all cinema lenses are made the same, not even those in the affordable price range or that come from the same manufacturer. In this article, you will see the structural and optical differences between Rokinon and Rokinon Xeen cinema lenses and what to purchase if you're looking for video glass on budget.

Learn More About the Meaning of Camera Movement With Film Riot

Camera movement can convey a lot more than you may think. Whether it’s intentional or not doesn’t matter. Your audience will feel a certain way depending on how you are moving the camera. So, before you go out and shoot your next video, be sure to watch Film Riot's latest tutorial in which they talk about the different movements possible and what you could use them for.

Dreamland: The Coolest Bike Ad Out There

I came across this video while just browsing around and it ended up being one of those videos that just took me back. I'm a huge nerd when it comes to drones, but also a huge fan of some good drone work for photography and videography. I expected this video to just be a narrative/documentary about a mountain biker, when suddenly it turned into much more. Flying through the trees, up to the mountains, into caves, and out to the snow and ice; this video takes you on one big journey with the mountain biker himself.

A Simplified Round-Trip Workflow for Davinci Resolve and Your NLE Program

In the world of film and commercial video work, there are so many working components that need to come together in order to have a successful production. So when it comes to bringing all those components together, you want it to be as smooth and simple as possible to minimize stress and streamline efficiency so that production does not fall behind schedule. One of those components that is insanely critical for a finished product is the coloring — not an area you want to skip on.

Tips for Shooting Black Light Video

It so happens that ultraviolet light bulbs (or black lights) weren't discontinued in the 90s. In fact there are plenty of photographers out there who are shooting some incredible stuff under black lights. But shooting video in this guise brings its own set of unique challenges. Here are some tips to create video in this hedonistic and fluorescent style.

'Grip Tips' Videos Are a Great, Free Resource for Learning Tools to Light a Film Set

If you're a fan of the informational videos put out by folks like The Slanted Lens, Film Riot, and theC47, then you'll also want to check this one out. Grip Tips focuses on tools of the trade for grips and electricians working on a film set, but the equipment that's explained could also be found in a photography studio as well.

Rhino Gets Belly Rub From Kind Cameraman

Cinematographer Garth De Bruno Austin was recently shooting a film on rhino poaching when one of the rhinos walked right up to him and waited to receive a belly rub, which Austin happily provided.

Are Gimbals Destroying the Cheap Steadicam?

B&H recently ran a deal on a product I had my eyes on a couple years back: the Steadicam Solo Stabilizer and Monopod for getting smooth shots. It was originally $500, but you can pick it up now for as low as $150. Where did it all go wrong?

The Added Effects of Audio in Video

A few weeks back, my business partner and I realized how sound can help pull a viewer further into a video. When we first began filming and making videos together, we never really understood the importance of audio and would just play videos to specific music. So one day, we set out to do a little test by filming parts of Asbury Park in New Jersey and then by throwing together a short edit with all sorts of sounds to create more of a moody video. While testing the audio, we were also testing some of the low-light capabilities of the DJI Inspire 2, X5S, 45mm Olympus lens and the Sony a7S II, which is known to be one of the best low-light cameras. By combining aerial clips, ground clips, and actual sounds of the locations, I think this video is much better than it would have been just to the sound of the music.

360-Degree Video Finally Comes to Vimeo

With the prices of 360-degree cameras dropping every day, and more people embracing the medium, it was only a matter of time before more video streaming services joined the 360 party. Showing up fashionably late is Vimeo. The company announced support for 360-degree video on its blog yesterday.

Learn About the Genius of Hitchcock's Filmmaking

If you're at all interested in cinema or filmmaking, you undoubtedly have watched Alfred Hitchcock's work. Its influence continues to this day. This great video breaks down just what it is about his films that makes them so enduring and compelling.

VP of Google's Data Center Operations Takes You Inside Google's Massive Data Center

Most of us use it every single day for one reason or another. Whether it’s searching for inspiring images or it's a part of our pursuit for the best priced and most highly reviewed camera equipment, Google has changed the way we access information and will shape the future of education by streamlining the search for data - but where is all of this data kept?

Five Tips for Beginning Cinematographers

Like many photographers during the digital revolution, the idea of being able to capture high-quality video with my stills camera has always been enticing. Filmmaking is a different way to tell a story entirely, because of the addition of context. While a still photograph can certainly be moving, influential, and captivating, a motion picture allows for the beginning, middle, and end of a story to be shown in a constant visual style.

Cinetics Launches Their (Fantastic!) LYNX Motorized Slider on Kickstarter

You might remember the team from Cinetics from their original product, CineSkates. Well, they're back at it, this time with a big update to their motorized slider system that they're calling "LYNX." We try to avoid promoting Kickstarters when possible, but I've had the chance to play with a pre-production unit of the LYNX system and have been blown away.

Musicbed Film Initiative Is Back with Over $70,000 to Fund Your Untold Stories

All films start with a small seed. An idea. It’s something we as filmmakers all have in common — we want to turn a thought into something tangible, a place where we can meet someone and share a thought. These ideas change with the season, but there’s always something there. It’s what makes us filmmakers.

Six Tips to Make the Transition From Photography to Videography

Moving from photography to video can be like trying to learn Spanish when you speak French: the similarities are undeniable, but each is its own distinct language. These six quick tips will ease the transition and give you a good basis to begin shooting.

How to Use Lavalier Microphones for Interview Video Production

A few weeks ago I shared some insight on using shotgun microphones for documentary style interview productions. This week, I’ve got a companion video that explores techniques for using lavalier mics, the standard go-to mic for most interview scenarios.

Five Filmmaking Tricks for More Efficient and Effective Videos

Whether you're working on limited time, limited budget, or you just want to expand your arsenal of filmmaking tricks, these five quick tips will give you some great workarounds and techniques for achieving better results more efficiently.

Build Your Own Motorized Camera Slider

Motorized camera sliders can really improve the quality of your videos and time-lapses, but they're also rather expensive. With a little bit of savvy, however, you can build your own relatively cheaply and in just a few hours by following this great tutorial.

$500,000 up for Grabs in This Year's My RØDE Reel Short Film Competition

RØDE is bringing back its popular short film competition, My RØDE Reel, for its fourth year, with a larger prize pool and more chances to win. With amazing prizes from over 20 of the biggest companies in the industry and talented judges like Philip Bloom, this competition has quickly become one of if not the largest for short films.

Ten Brilliant Moments of Subjectivity in Film

Portraying subjective experience with a device that captures an objective representation often requires the addition of certain elements or a certain savvy to manipulate the perspective of the viewer. Here are ten great examples of subjectivity in film.

Five Free Ways to Make Better Videos

Video is a beast of an undertaking. Every element: pacing, storytelling, lighting, etc. must be working in top form to achieve a truly successful result. Here are five quick and free ways to improve your video work.

Want to Shoot Video? Check Out the Best Camera Settings to Make a Cinematic Video

So you're interested in filming video with your DSLR. I don't blame you, I 100 percent prefer to shoot video over stills. I came across this super creative YouTuber, and in nine minutes, not only will you learn about the basics of shooting video, but you'll also save money by not spending it at an art school like I did. You're welcome.

Five Examples of Perfect Camera Movement in Film

Camera movements go beyond creating enticing shots that draw the viewer in on novelty alone. Carefully engineered and executed movements can evoke emotions and give away details that surpass the information given by dialogue and scenery alone. Check out these five amazing examples of camera movement in film.

How 'Planet Earth II' Warped Time To Create Stunning Moving Images

Wildlife films have dramatically improved over the last few years. We can now use image stabilization and smaller camera rigs to get closer and make the visual experience more cinematic. These techniques are perfected by the wildlife film producers and help create stories to show the world like we've never seen it before.

How an Outsider Delivered the Intimate Cinematography of Academy Award-Winning Film 'Moonlight' and the Photographs That Influenced Him

On Sunday night, "Moonlight," Director Barry Jenkins' beautiful film about the coming-of-age of a young man dealing with issues of race and poverty, while simultaneously discovering his own relationship to sexuality, won the ultimate prize, the Best Picture trophy at the Academy Awards. LensCulture just posted a lengthy interview with the film's talented cinematographer, James Laxton. Here is a bit of what he had to say.

4K Preview of the Panasonic GH5's Noise and In-Camera Stabilization

The Panasonic GH5 is due for release in late March, and it seems Panasonic was so happy with its product pre-release that the company has loaned plenty of bodies to influencers to publish preview footage. Every day, new preview clips pop up online, but none as comprehensive as this one by the team at Camerahoarders.

Is FilmConvert the Most Efficient Way to Artistically Grade Video for Beginners?

So you’ve decided to transfer your skills as a photographer to shoot video and have quickly found that some skills, such as composition, transfer well to motion pictures; but some do not, such as color grading. The main issue is that photographers get used to the amount of data in the raw format that can be saved and manipulated in post. In video, the data rates of almost all consumer DSLRs give you limited room to grade video without the image falling apart. Using the tool set of FilmConvert is an incredibly easy and efficient way to get to a cinematic look with almost any DSLR video file.

Fstoppers Reviews the Elvid FieldVision 7" On-Camera Monitor V2

So you've got a DSLR that records video. You think, "Hey, I can shoot video and make buku bucks." Well guess what? There are fun video toys for you and your DSLR, and I am here to tell you about one of them today: the Elvid FieldVision 7-Inch On-Camera Monitor Version 2.

BTS: See How 'Rogue One' Used Virtual Reality Controllers to Guide Virtual Camera Movements

BBC Click shared a video that gives an in-depth look at the tools used by director Gareth Edwards at ILM London to better show computer graphics supervisor Steve Ellis his desired camera angles and movements throughout "Rogue One." Using just an iPad and an HTC Vive controller, Edwards was able to explore the virtual, computer-generated world to find the best shots, which were then communicated to the VFX team so they new exactly how to guide the virtual camera movements throughout the film.

What Is the Difference Between Cinema and Still Lenses?

The majority of the readers of this article who shoot video probably use still lenses. You might ask yourself why you may need different lenses for video while your existing photography ones work just fine. In this article I'd like to show you certain features of the cinema glass that you probably always wanted subconsciously. Maybe after reading this you'll start saving up the money for one.

Fstoppers Review of Red Giant’s Magic Bullet Denoiser III

We've all been there. You were hired for a run-and-gun shoot only to find the location has terrible lighting. Or your shoot is running later into the evening and the sun is going down fast, without any lighting to plug in. The ISO gets cranked up, and your exposure is saved at the expense of adding unwanted noise to your image. This is where noise reduction software becomes useful, and a new product from Red Giant has changed the way it approaches this task with Denoiser III.

A Samsung Ad with Casey Neistat Shows off 'The Rest of Us'

Last night was the Academy Awards Ceremony; it's one of the most-watched shows of the year and the pinnacle of award ceremonies for the film industry at large. It's quite a who's who with a red carpet and television cameras all over the place and the people are dressed to the nines in the super-brand fashion designer dresses, flaunted for the world to see. Enter Casey Neistat, a YouTube creator who proposed Samsung make an advert that airs during the ceremony.

An Affordable Cinema Zoom Lens: The Fujinon MK 18-55mm T2.9

The video world is changing. If you thought you'd never be able to have a cinema lens because you couldn't afford it, think again, because Fujifilm just released their Fujinon MK 18-55mm T2.9 zoom glass. It will surprise you with its features and price tag.