Last summer, as Keith and I were getting a little burnt out from rewriting our feature script, he had the idea of taking a small flashback and expanding it into a short film. Thus, our project SWEET NOTHING was born. Around that time, there were whisperings of an unexpected advancement in the HD camera world, unexpected because it started as a simple add-on to an “old technology” and evolved into a widely used tool in the industry.
This is a DSLR (Digital Single-Lens Reflex Camera), specifically the Canon 5D. Like any other professional Canon or Nikon camera, it shoots beautiful pictures. This model came out in 2005:
In comes the Canon 5D Mark ii, which arrived in late 2008 and changed everything:
Although the two cameras look the same, there is one enormous difference. Canon had received many requests from photojournalists to add a simple video record option to their pro-line of photo cameras so that one could capture the odd video in the field and post it online. Canon’s photo department obliged, and without collaborating with their video department, virtually slapped in an HD video feature. Little did they know they had created a camera under $3,000 capable of shooting more cinematic images than most cameras five to ten times its price. The reason? The camera is based on full 35mm frame photography (like a motion picture camera) instead of small chip television/video camera technology.
I don’t want to get too technical, because there are already loads of information out there from many great bloggers (links at the bottom), but when the 5D Mark ii first came out it was lacking many vital manual controls. While Keith and I were prepping to shoot SWEET NOTHING, some of the key issues had just been resolved via a firmware update and so it seemed like the perfect time to give HDSLRs a go. So, I sold this:
And bought my beloved, tiny 5D Mark ii:
Me and mine
Like most of my friends, I’m a bit of gadget freak. It’s an addiction that both pushes my career forward and in many ways holds me back. I’m sure a lot of you know what I mean. For those of you that don’t, well, what I’m about to say may be the geekiest sentence I ever written, but I’ll write it anyway… The first gadget that changed my life was a PowerMac G4 with Final Cut Pro. It enabled me to be a one-man post-production team, and Apple’s user-interface just made sense. That was 2001. Cut to 2009, eight years later, and you have the Canon 5D Mark ii, the second gadget that changed my life.
Keith and I were very lucky when we went into production on SWEET NOTHING because our good friend and cinematographer, Alan Poon, was living in NYC at the time and agreed to experiment with my new camera. He had his own set of Canon lenses, which we were planning to shoot with, but since we couldn’t find a follow-focus to rent, we were forced to rent a Nikon lens package with its own follow-focus. (A follow-focus is a necessity when shooting a narrative film. It enables someone other than the camera operator to make sure the actors are in focus as they move around.) One of the wonderful things about the Canon DSLRs is that they have a lens mount that allows you to put pretty much any old lens on it with an adapter. The old manual Nikons wound up being a great choice because they have a sharper, lower-contrast look than the Canons.
Looking back, the interesting thing about our first shoot with the 5D Mark ii is that Alan and I were not yet ready to ditch our years of film training/brainwashing, and so we treated the camera like every old mammoth we were used to, thus erasing one of the great aspects of the 5D, its minimal size. We virtually never took it off the tripod or detached it from our two external monitors. Still, the camera performed amazingly well and we were ecstatic when we finally saw the footage on a big screen.
Alan with the 5D Mark ii on the set of SWEET NOTHING
Here is a little teaser I cut to give you an idea of the vibe and look of SWEET NOTHING:
Since that project, I’ve shot almost exclusively with the 5D Mark ii, and already a lot has changed. Canon has released three new HDSLRs, all of which have their positives and negatives and range in price from $800 to $5000. That’s right; you can buy a camera, the Canon Rebel t2i, for $800 capable of shooting video similar to the 5D Mark ii! And the body is even smaller! Professionals are using these cameras to shoot television shows, commercials, music videos, and feature films. When I shoot with mine now, I try to keep it as stripped down as possible – truly guerilla! And I’m not the only one. Many projects are being shot with several HDSLRs at a time since they can be had so cheaply. How you use it is up to you. Some people still attach every gadget imaginable to their HDSLR, some attach nothing, some mix and match.
Here you can see director Robert Rodriguez (Desperado, Spy Kids, Sin City) on the set of a music video with a souped up 5D Mark ii and then on the same set with a stripped down B-camera.
(images via philipbloom.net)
For my kit, after doing a bunch of research, I decided to invest in some old lenses instead of buying the far more expensive Canon pro-line L series lenses. Much of the old glass produces as good or better images and can be purchased cheaper. I decided to go with Contax Zeiss lenses, and managed to wing the deal of the century. I found someone selling a 28mm, 55mm macro (vivitar), 35-70mm macro, and a 135mm on craigslit for $600! Be jealous; I’ll probably never find a deal like that again… The Zeiss glass is amazing – a little cooler in tone, but tack sharp and with amazing bokeh (aesthetic quality of the blur). I bought an adapter to use these lenses from adorama for $28.
Two features sorely lacking from the 5D are a true viewfinder and professional audio controls/inputs. So I completed my kit with an LCDVF and a Zoom H4N. I recommend both of these devices without hesitation, but there are many other options out there. Putting your kit together is a very personal and, once again, addictive thing. Just keep in mind that if you go overboard, you’ll prevent yourself from enjoying the freedom of having such a small and simple device.
I carry my 5D Mark ii everywhere. It’s my photo camera, my home video camera, and my movie camera of choice. And now, I’m very happy to announce that Keith, Derrick, Alan, and I plan to shoot our first feature film THE SKYLARK with HDSLRs!
Feel free to ask me any questions. I could write a novel about my beloved Canon, but that would take time away from actually using it…
-blake
PS. My top 4 blogs on the subject:
Filed under: Canon 5d Mark ii, Combat Rock, Screenwriting, Skylark, Sweet Nothing, Uncategorized, Video
*UPDATE: Because distributing the video on vimeo can be considered broadcasting, we’ve been advised to pull it for music copyright reasons (we have acquired festival rights only). Therefore the film is still on the site, but has been password protected. If you would like to have access to the film for private use only, please email us @ info@thehamiltonbrothers.com.
Now that SWEET NOTHING (formerly titled COMBAT ROCK) has been made available at The Ultimate Filmmaker Competition website, we figured it’s time to present the film to you here in glorious HD! However, please continue to direct your traffic to the competition site to vote and support independent film.
While finishing the screenplay for our feature film, THE SKYLARK, Keith and I thought it would be fun to create a companion piece that tells a little bit of back story. THE SKYLARK is about a brilliant young musician struggling to survive after losing his older brother/band-mate in a tragic accident. This short film, SWEET NOTHING, which takes place 20 years earlier, is about that older brother discovering his love of music and buying his first record. The film is intended to feel like an extended flashback.
One of the most interesting facts about SWEET NOTHING is that we shot it entirely on my Canon 5d Mark ii Digital SLR. For those of you who don’t know what this means, the 5d is a small photo camera that has changed the world of independent film and certainly reinvigorated us. It looks like this…
…and shoots HD images like you wouldn’t believe. I will be writing a long post about the camera and our experience with it soon. In the meantime, I’d like to give a special thanks to our wonderful cast and crew, and to the parents of Evan, Dominic, and Tristan who play the three leads in the film.
Without further ado, may I present to you SWEET NOTHING! (Be sure to click the fullscreen button in the bottom right corner of the player.)
I hope you enjoyed it and are ready for more in the form of a feature film! :)
-blake
Here’s one election that doesn’t involve punditry, lobbying, or picking a party: The Ultimate Filmmaker Competition is ready for you to help choose their winner! They explain on their site, better than we can, the importance of this competition, so please go to www.ultimatefilmmakercompetition.com now and vote! Then tell all your friends to vote, and tell them to tell their friends.
Our film THE SKYLARK is listed under KEITH AND BLAKE HAMILTON. Click on our names and you’ll find an interview with us, our bio, and a sample of our work including SWEET NOTHING in its entirety! And as promised, keep checking back here for out-takes from our interview.
Thanks for sticking with us. The time has come!
-blake and keith
Filed under: Combat Rock, Music, Photos, Screenwriting, Skylark, Sweet Nothing, Video
We have loads of news, but first I’d like to thank you all for sticking with this blog the last two weeks. Keith and I were slacking on the posts, but for good reason; we spent the last month finishing our screenplay and other submission content for the Ultimate Filmmaker Competition. I’m very excited to report that WE ARE DONE! The receipt of the materials was confirmed by the Filmmaker’s Alliance, and now we just have to try to wait patiently.
Keith and I spent many long days rewriting THE SKYLARK line by line, as we reported in previous posts. Overall, we trimmed a lot of fat and worked to heighten conflict where the pace felt slow. Along the way we received vital feedback from our friend Alan Poon and our wonderful ladies Julie and Sarah. We are all extremely excited by the finished product. I think it reads great, and as a director I can now SEE the film, which is when I know it’s working.
After completing the screenplay, we still had to submit three essay questions, plus a 7 minute video interview and a sample of our work. In my opinion, The Ultimate Filmmaker Competition earns it’s name by pushing it’s entrants to think through every aspect of their project and document it. The experience has been invaluable.
We decided to shoot our video interview in Central Park and cut it as a mini-documentary. This meant a lot of editing in a very brief amount of time. Alan shot some beautiful footage and we lucked out with a picturesque rainy day.
I decided to hold off on editing the interview until after we finished our screenplay, which only gave me about three days. I put in more than 40 hours in one weekend, cutting in music, photographs, old home-videos, and other b-roll.
For the work sample, Keith and I decided to submit the trailer for our first collaboration, UNFURL, along with our newest short film in its entirety. Now, here’s the not so great news:
COMBAT ROCK is now SWEET NOTHING
We managed to acquire the rights to music from The Velvet Underground, Depeche Mode, and Nina Simone for our small project, but ran into some resistance from The Clash. Such is life. Therefore, we have changed the name of the movie to SWEET NOTHING after the Velvet Underground song Oh! Sweet Nuthin’ which starts and ends the film.
I’m very excited that you’ll all finally be able to see some of the fruits of our labor in the coming weeks as the Filmmaker’s Alliance posts our work on their site. Get ready to vote and keep on checking back here. We’ll be posting outtakes from our interview and a lot of other content.
And finally, to celebrate the delivery of our work, here’s something beautiful in Central Park:
And another weeping ukulele to brighten your day:
Thanks again for the support!
-blake
