Massify Studio

Lighting: How To Do It Right

Amy Allen — 2009-07-23T14:21:10Z

Top cinematographers share their knowledge in these short videos (found on Creative Cow, directed by Jon Fauer). An excellent overview of what light has to do, and what it can do. Helpful to all. Second video after the jump.

Build Your Own Snorricam

Amy Allen — 2009-07-21T18:09:32Z

I'll admit that I didn't know what a Snorricam was before coming across this Indymogul video. For those of you who are into homemade camera mounts, this tutorial is useful and entertaining. You might also want to check out the article on (non-homemade) DSLR accessories in this summer's issue of Filmmaker Magazine. It breaks down the different options by price. Let us know what else you want to learn about in the comments, by going into this article's detail page. (Side note: Yes, we have comments now!)

DIY Steadicam

Amy Allen — 2009-07-15T16:37:52Z

Via Lifehacker, YB2Normal shows off a homemade steadicam. The home movie footage shot with the device is surprisingly smooth considering that the cost of building the DIY video stabilizer is, well, around $10.

The 5D Mark II Continued: Production and Post Challenges

Suraj Das — 2009-07-06T15:55:23Z

For the past two weeks, my DP, John Francis McCarthy, and I have been using two Canon 5D Mark II's to shoot a short documentary on an entertainment/lifestyle blogger working in New York City. I figured since I had been gushing over the camera a few weeks ago, before I bought it, I should post a follow-up now that I own it and use it.

Intro to the Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Suraj Das — 2009-06-10T19:08:06Z

Canon EOS5DmkII, One night in Beijing. from Dan Chung on Vimeo.

While purists insist on shooting film despite high media and processing costs, more and more filmmakers are turning to innovative and exciting HD solutions - like the Canon EOS 5D Mark II - to photograph their films for a fraction of the cost.

Last week, Canon released a highly-anticipated firmware update for the 5D Mark II, allowing users to manually control aperture, ISO sensitivity, and shutter speed while shooting HD video at full 1080p resolution. Whereas before, serious filmmakers attempting to use the camera for feature filmmaking had to devise elaborate workarounds to achieve full control over their image, the firmware upgrade means standard cinematographic effects can now be executed easily and intuitively.

Studio Daily Blog » Poor man’s control surface

Amy Allen — 2009-04-13T19:44:02Z

Studio Daily Blog » Poor man’s control surface.

Editors should take notice of the conversation happening over on the Studio Daily Blog. It's about DIY color correction, where little tricks make a big difference. From the experts at Studio Daily:

"If you do much color correcting and/or you have ever used or been around a high-end color correction system like any DaVinci or a Quantel Pablo then you’ve probably watched with envy as the colorist controls all the action by a dedicated control panel. There’s usually some combination of trackballs, rings and knobs that a good colorist can work like an extension of their own hands.