Videography

For those of you who shoot video, want to get better at shooting video, edit your own video, or edit video shot by others, this article is all about you wonderful guys and gals. As someone who is editing a lot, I thought this short video was fantastic. The great hints and tips provided here are totally free, you don’t have to buy anything to get something out of this article, and if you aren’t doing this stuff already, this is guaranteed to make you both a stronger video shooter, and a producer of stronger edits.

At least once a week I enjoy watching something that totally blows my mind. I love challenging my brain and my perspective, and this video featuring Ray-Ban Clubmaster sunglasses does just that. Not really sure what it's supposed to teach me about sunglasses, but it sure as heck is sweet to watch.

At an altitude of nearly 14,000 ft., the observatories atop of Mauna Kea, Hawaii give a crystal clear view of space through the night sky. The contrast of satellites and lasers against the daunting view of space really makes us feel connected to something bigger. This was a recent Vimeo staff pick and definitely worth a watch, especially in full screen view.

It's been 7 years since Google spent a whopping $1.65 billion on the video sharing website YouTube. Although many questioned the potential of the popular video sharing site, Google’s decision has proven to be a good one. YouTube now hosts an impressive 450,000,000 monthly visitors. To put this into perspective, Vimeo is the 8th biggest video hosting site with just under 17 million unique visitors per month. With companies like YouTube controlling the market, it’s hard to imagine much optimism for a small startup company hoping to compete with these video giants. 

Back in March, Fstoppers writer Zach Sutton featured Fabian Oefner's "Black Hole"  series, high shutter speed images of paint being spun and flung quickly to produce some amazing art pieces. In this TEDxWarwick 2013 presentation, Fabian shows his passion for bringing art and science together to create his surreal and colorful work, and explains the process behind it all.

Urban Hippie is an award winning fashion-short film that is also a Vimeo staff pick. I was immediately engaged by the visuals that depict a girl's journey into her imagination. There is so much energy and life in the video that it's a must watch. The way each moment was shot was meticulous and every frame could be a photograph of its own. It recent won the the best experimental film at the LA Cinema Festival and the best visual effects award at the La Jolla Fashion Film Festival.  

Ever worry that the way you hold your strap makes you look like a tourist? Well, worry no more. Portland based photographer, Jimmy Hickey joins us with his slightly tongue-in-cheek video to teach all photographers how to take great photos and look like a pro while doing it.

I recently came across this beautiful "IR" time-lapse of an empty Philadelphia city and was instantly mesmerized by the lack of moving things like people or cars. Upon further investigation on the technique, I was surprised on how easy this was to actually do myself in FCP X, which adds considerable value to your time-lapse videos. I followed the comments of this video to Ross Ching, a filmmaker that inspired the creating of this video. I've posted a link to the original website below.

If you’ve ever struggled to put together a video demo reel, or you’re planning to make one in the future, this post is for you. Below, I’ll share some tips that will help you be more efficient in your process to prepare for editing hours of your footage down to a montage of a couple of minutes.

A year ago, I had the pleasure of filming Macklemore and Ryan Lewis in my hometown of Victoria, British Columbia. At that point, the underground Seattle based duo was unheard of by many and confidently rocked the smaller side stage at our local music festival. To put it in perspective, there were a few hundred people there and the majority of the crowd was hearing songs like  “Thrift Shop”, “Can’t Hold Us” and “Same Love” for the first time.

Before you shell out a ton of cash for a new MacBook consider a few DIY options that can drastically increase the performance of your machine. For me, there is nothing more frustrating than having a program take four minutes to open, having programs crash or the spinning beach ball of death. Computers, like most things, need occasional maintenance and tune ups. If you don't address this on a semi regular basis then you are wasting all those duckets you spent on your fancy Macbook Pro.

Devin Graham, better known by his internet alias Devin Supertramp, recently created this video (and BTS piece) that utilized over 50 GoPro cameras to capture dogs jumping and playing as if they were Neo dodging bullets in the blockbuster film The Matrix. If this doesn't make you crack at least a tiny smile, I'm pretty sure you may be Scrooge himself. For a behind-the-scenes look at how this was made, check out the video after the jump.

Whether we shoot stills, video or both, better utilizing light is probably the single quickest and most effective way to boost the quality of our work. I recently came across the beautiful work of cinematographer and DP Matthias Koenigswieser. If you love to shoot natural or ambient light and want to see just how beautiful applying lighting to achieve a natural light look can be, you’re in for a treat.

Like new-age magic, 'Box' pushes the concept of projection mapping in ways we've never seen before. Keep in mind, none of the effects you see with the projection mapping itself were done in post processing. This was all done as a live performance, captured on camera as is. 

Well, this is certainly not what I expected to run across today. GQ Spain proposed a film to director Álvaro de la Herrán inspired by the characters of the book "50 Shades of Grey." What results is incredibly NSFW (seriously, it's super sexual), but still quite beautiful. I have to say I'm a huge fan of how it was shot. The lighting is gorgeous. But we have to ask, where does fashion end and porn begin? The line is becoming rather foggy.

I don't even know where to begin with Erik Almas. His imagery simply stops you in your tracks and makes you wonder how something can be so perfectly imaginative. For photographers, or me at least, he makes we want to cry in the fetal position. Not because his stuff is so awesome that I get verklempt, but because it will take decades to come even close to where he was ten years ago.

When New York Times photographer/videographer David Frank got assigned to shoot a story about window cleaner Brent Weingard, he knew he will have to find a way to make it stand out. Make it interesting. He decided that if he wants to get the best shots, he will have to be outside with the window cleaner and shoot him from unique angles, hanging 100 foot above the ground. Frank was never a fan of heights, and never did anything like this. But to get the right shot he took the risk - and it was worth it. Check out the BTS above, and the story inside.

The new iPhone 5s sure has left a resounding first impression on consumers since its launch date on September 20th. Now, with the smartphone favorite out of stock and not available for shipping until October people are starting to release photos and video taken with the iPhone 5s. One major upgrade is the new sensor on the iSight camera and its ability to take video clips at 120 frames per second in 720p. Below are the first few glimpses of Apple's new achievement in smartphone technology.

From selling belts out his van to inventing one of the most popular cameras of our day – it must be surreal for GoPro founder Nick Woodman to look back at his companies growth. Not only is GoPro the go-to for the filmmaking community, but Woodman has successfully spread into a much wider market. In the same way that the iPhone has spawned an entirely new generation of photographers, GoPro has empowered athletes to become their own camera men.

The short film "Pictures" made by Gioacchino Petronicce is a prime example of how patience is a main ingredient in creating captivating cinema from still photos. Gioacchino spent over three years traveling multiple continents to capture perfect moments, and the images that led up to that perfect moment using a DLSR. I absolutely loved the tempo he created in this film with the acceleration up to the actual moment he froze in time.

Game of Thrones has got to be my favorite series on television right now. Its rich storytelling, amazing character development and stunning cinematography has entranced millions of viewers around the world. Season 4 doesn't premiere until spring of next year, but instead of just catching up with George R.R. Martin's books take a look at this awesome fan-made film centering around Ned Stark's younger brother Benjen who goes missing after the first book.

In wildlife photography, and being in the wilderness in general, there's always a risk that you'll meet one of the many wild and territorial creatures that calls it home. In this video, a photographer meets a (seemingly wild) pack of wolves that fight amongst themselves, yet remain gentle and affectionate towards him.

Peter Lindbergh is one of my all-time favorite photographers. I often refer to his work for inspiration not only for the technique but for the amazing beauty that exudes from his work. Not too long ago I found this little clip of Peter shooting Amber Valletta (a legend in her own right) for Vogue Italia. What I've found interesting about this video is the level of production that goes into a shoot like this, when the final image appears so effortless.

Everyone has to start somewhere, and for people seeking entry into the world of video production, or even studio photography, doing work as a production assistant is a great way to get your feet wet. I've hired lots of assistants, and before that I worked as one myself. I still do for some producers! Here are my tips on what to NOT do if you'd like to keep getting hired and make your way up the chain.

As photographers, many of us will do the occasional wedding or two to help supplement income and boost our careers. Wedding photography can be one of the most stressful and challenging aspects of photography, but is often considered the most important because of its purpose. However, how do you handle an awkward situation where you're asked to stop photographing all together, in the middle of a ceremony?

These days, it’s all too easy to get caught up in the advertising hype surrounding a new cinema product. All it takes is a slick promo video and clever marketing for companies to set the Internet ablaze. As the hype and expectations build, words like “game-changer” and “revolutionary” are thrown into the mix.

Fashion Week in New York is coming to an end today, and is largely considered the Grammys for the fashion forward and fashion photographers of the industry. It’s not too uncommon for fashion to get its share of criticism from the public, looking largely like a marketing con for “What’s New For Fall”. So what happens when Jimmy Kimmel decides to play some pranks on those at fashion week in New York?

I stumbled across this video that really blew my mind. A woman ages right before your eyes and you don't realize it is happening. You can feel a change but it's gradual. Once you reach the end and look back, you can't believe how much change has happened in just 5 minutes. 

It's always fascinating to get a glimpse behind the scenes of high-budget productions, and Andrew Kramer of Video Copilot provides us with an absolutely wonderful look into the creation of the title design and introduction scenes for Star Trek Into Darkness. The best part? The plugin used to create many of the effects only costs $150.

A few weeks ago we featured an interesting project by Casey Neistat: The CLA Project. Casey was hired by Mercedes Benz to create a new, fresh and creative approach to the typical stock car commercials that you've seen on television for the past twenty years. The final commercial for the new Mercedes Benz CLA has finally been released. I have to say it is definitely creative and unlike any car commercial I've seen before. I love the patriotism and the fun, light-hearted vibe in the commercial.

Salience is the name of the five minute short that will probably be remembered as one of the most innovative, experimental (and beautiful) short films of the year. If you do one thing today for your inspiration, please spend the next few minutes checking it out and you'll see what I mean. 

In a latest video by Vongspoth and John Burcham, we're shown a total of 15 seconds at a local county fair, shown to us in 2 minutes and 10 seconds of beautiful footage. Using a Sony NEX-FS700, Vongspoth and John looked to create a video that "would capture all the magic and fun a child experiences." What they left us with, is an incredibly mesmerizing video.

I'm one of those photographers that likes to take control, especially of my light. I use grids, snoots, barndoors, and every other contraption you can think of to maintain the maximum amount of control over my lighting.  One of the most important light modifiers for my work isn't a soft box or a beauty dish, it's actually a piece of fabric on a metal frame called, a flag.

If you have been to any sort of performance in the last few years, I think you'll recognize some of the people in this commercial. Crowds who take pictures with their smart phones, holding them up to reveal a sea of illuminated rectangles, often distracting an artist or blocking the views of others. This commercial takes this issue to an unreal level, but it's actually not that far off.

It wasn't that many years ago when our very own Lee Morris took me on one of his wedding gigs and totally opened my eyes to what wedding photography could be. I had this idea in my head that weddings were boring, cheesy and a photographic cinch to shoot. But when Lee introduced me to the idea of setting up killer seamless white photo booths at receptions, I realized they could be

One of RED digital cinema’s biggest strengths is building up hype around an upcoming product. The company is praised as innovators by the film community, for building cameras like the Epic and Scarlet. When other companies were content with 1080p, RED was building cameras with 4 times the resolution. Years later, RED users can’t help but chuckle as companies like Sony are developing 4k televisions – technology that RED’s competition once thought to be excessive.

Red Rock Micro recently had the chance to interview Captain Hook, the person behind the latest BlackMagic Pocket Camera footage, and answer a couple of questions about the BMPC and it's performance. For you that do not know about the BMPC check out our earlier post on it.

A big part of the appeal for composite photography for me has always been one's ability to imagine a scene, then use different components of the world around them to make it a reality. In this behind the scenes video from Erik Johansson, we're given a breakdown of one photo from the beginning sketches, to the different components and method, post production, and the final product.

Django Greenblatt-Seay and JJ Dreier joined together to form Tree Speed, self proclaimed as "A of couple of Mid-Western guys who spend vacation time traveling the country shooting time lapse photography."

Based out of Omaha, Nebraska, the duo recently took to the road and self produced a 10 day trip to Utah to create a series of time lapse videos. In order of appearance, the team shot in Latuda, Utah (a ghost town), Arches National Park, Canyonlands National Park, and Lake Oahe. 

In the last few years, video-sharing sites like YouTube have become a marketer’s best friend.

These sites offer the opportunity to disguise advertisements as pure entertainment. As more people recognize the marketing opportunity, getting exposure becomes more difficult. Video producers are constantly scrambling to stay relevant and unique.

I'm sure if you're reading this you are a Game of Thrones fan just like me!  Spin VFX has put together an amazing peek behind the visual wizardry that they do for the HBO series. Sometimes you will see some poor visual effects take you out of the experience, but this video is a  study in how to do it right.

It’s interesting times for those of us shooting photo and video. I enjoy highlighting photographers or videographers who are utilizing elements of both stills and motion work, and are pushing the creative envelope by integrating them so that the end result is more than just the sum of the individual parts. I'm going to go all in and lay my cards down here and say that the video in this post is going to be the most innovative, creative use of combining stills and video together that we’ll see in 2013.

“Philly is Ugly” is a timelapse photography project by Philadelphia area photographer, Nathaniel Dodson. He took an impressive amount of time to not only create this short film piece, but also to extensively document his behind the scenes process. When he sent this to me, I couldn't help but share this with you. In addition to the video, he provides a lot of info to help you learn everything that goes into creating a proper timelapse from pre-to-post production.

Shooting aerial video for commercial purposes might be iffy in the United States, but the team at Helicam, based in Finland and Estonia, make some truly epic video using a quadcopter, a RED and a custom stabilizing gimbal. The featured video is a reel showcasing shots from the system, but we also have BTS footage of the team using the copter and a video showing the custom rig being constructed.

The always entertaining Kai from DigitalRev TV takes to the streets, armed with 3 different models of Canon 50mm lenses: The 1.8, 1.4, and 1.2L. Using phrases like "sphincter twitching" and "buying meth", he colorfully illustrates his points about choosing the right lens based on your budget and compares the look and feel of each model.

Sunday seems like the right time to tell a big fish story, so I was happy when I stumbled across director Kibwe Tavares's, "JONAH". It's a visually impressive fiction that begins with every photographer's worst nightmare (a stolen camera) and becomes the tale of how one photo changed everything. Well, one photo and some masterful visual effects executed by Factory Fifteen and Jellyfish Productions. Watch the follow-up, "JONAH MAKING OF" for a peek into how it was all achieved.

When calling ourselves artists, we also inherently accept the title of “story teller”. We each use different mediums, but our goals are ultimately the same: Creating memorable and engaging content. We use art to tell stories in beautiful and unique ways, which in turn helps connect us together.

Recently, Julia Kuzmenko has been putting together a wonderful tutorial on how to read lighting in photography to help better understand different lighting concepts (Seriously, read Part 1 and Part 2). Applying these to photos, you can reverse engineer different lighting diagrams. However, using these concepts in your everyday life will allow you to give you a much better understanding of lighting techniques as well.

Earlier this year we showed you an amazing and advanced 4K aerial gyro system that lifestyle brand Teton Gravity Research (TGR) acquired. The Gyro-Stabilized Systems (GSS) C520 system is considered most advanced five-axis gyro-stabilized camera platform in the world. This week they released a trailer for their production "Way of Life" featuring the platform, and it looks fantastic.

In the past year, we've seen some pretty amazing advancements in camera/drone technology. Quadcopters like the DJI Phantom are incredibly affordable and seem very easy for anyone to master. When shooting a commercial earlier this year, I had a similar mentality. "Why don't I buy a cheap quadcopter and strap a GoPro to it. How hard can it be?"

As it turns out, even small drones can be used with disastrous results.