Leading up to (and inspiring) the launch of this site in February 2015, there were a few viral videos that folks found useful across the Interwebs. Since these videos have never gotten their own back-to-the-future debuts at this permanent residence, let’s use Throwback Thursday (TBT) as an occasion to see what they had to say.
This one’s especially sentimental. It’s the second commentary I ever made, but up to today, here are the stats: on YouTube, 54k views and 281k minutes watched, and on Vimeo, 23.3k plays. That’s pretty big for me (maybe never again), and it got a lot of love with a couple hundred comments. (I think it even led to my gig with Paramount Pictures.) Thanks for watching it, whether before, or here for the first time.
From April 19, 2014:
Last year, when the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera arrived, I made a video to break it in, and laid down a commentary to share some insights. Not the newest thing now, it’s still the only option for capturing 10-bit 4:2:2 log video without a big rig, and costing under a grand. But it’s always needed a bit of rigging, and while filmmakers keep using it to make amazing films – examples here – there’s still a lot to talk about, in terms of rigging it right. Following up the commentary I made last year that went sort of viral, here’s a similar chat: because sometimes showing stuff, and talking over it, works better than writing an article. For a streaming clip, it does run long, but it covers lots of ground – and I’m looking forward to your comments below.
The first and main theme is that it’s wise to choose Canon EF-mount manual cine lenses, so that you can adapt them to the Micro-4/3 mount on the BMPC (and E-mount on Sony cams) with gadgets that take advantage of the conversion, enabling behind-the-lens ND filters and focal reducers. But it’s also true that typical Canon EF-mount lenses that aren’t fully manual will lack aperture control this way. Important to clarify! (There is not currently any Metabones solution specific to this need.)
GEAR LIST (in order of appearance):
Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera
Panasonic 12-35mm f2.8 zoom lens
Rokinon Cine lenses for EF mount
HolyManta VND
Light Craft Workshop Rapid ND (use my coupon code LC-1308 for 10% off)
View Factor Contineo cage
Tamrac N-45 padded leather quick-release camera strap
Zacuto Z-Finder
Ikan battery adapters (choose desired battery & mounting)
5.5 x 2.1mm female (Ikan) to 2.5 x 0.7mm male (BMPC) adapter
Tascam DR-60D audio pre-amp/recorder
Rode NTG-2 shotgun mic
Polaroid shotgun mic mount
Flolight 1/4″-20 Stacker for mic mount
Tether Tools Jerkstopper thread mount
Roxsen Focal Reducer EF to Micro-4/3
