In The News
Baja International Film Festival
Alexander Tyson, November 2012
On my recent visit to Baja Cabo San Lucas, I had the opportunity to experience my very first Film Festival where I saw a mixture of international short films, documentaries, and feature films. I had the opportunity to meet many film makers from around the globe as I made numerous contacts and was able to network. The Festival brought many big name film makers like Edward Norton(Two time Academy Award Nominee), Matt Dillon (Academy Award Nominee), Mellissa Leo (Academy Award Winner), Diego Luma,Michael Apted (acclaimed director of "The World is not Enough"), Nicholas Echevarria, and Virginia Madsen (Academy Award nominee). I also met Vanessa Branch who has been in commercials, television shows, and feature films like Pirates of the Caribbean I, II, and III. The festival also included festival special guests such as Allison Janney (4 time Emmy Award winner. 3 time Golden Globe nominee), Gael Garcia Bernal ('Y Tu Mama Tambien,' 'The Motorcycle Diaries,' 'Amores Perros,' 'No'), Josh Lucas ('Sweet Home Alabama,' 'Glory Road,' 'The Lincoln Lawyer,' 'Red Dog,' 'J.Edgar'), Kuno Becker, and many others who where their to celebrate the very first film festival in Cabo San Lucas. I saw all 72 films that where showing and attended many of the venue parties where I had the opportunity to mingle and talk about the fabulous work of the film makers. As a film maker I was inspired to go out and make more films despite the tough economy.
“The Future, Ahead of Schedule” event at Sony Pictures Studios Culver City
Alexander Tyson, November 2012
On my recent visit to Sony Pictures Studios I had the opportunity to attend a seminar called "The Future. Ahead of Schedule". The Seminar was a big turn out with many Director of Photographers, and big name Directors, Editors,Colorist, AD's, and other influential film makers attended this great seminar. The seminar started of with a excellent reception hosted by Sony and Wolf Gang Puck. Then we went to the theater where we screened some upcoming film projects shot on the revolutionary Sony F5, F55, and F65 Digital CInema Cameras and it's clear Red is in serious trouble because Sony is ahead of the game as far as the Sony F65 is concerned. Sony seems to have it down and now are able to offer not just 4K but now 6K and even 8K. The F65 is True 4K, and its elevating the digital imaging to a whole new level. It's now able to offer unparalleled image quality thanks to the newly developed CMOS Sensor that is able to achieve greater naturalism that ever before. In addition the F65 has a extended color gamut, along with the enhanced flexibility of being able to support three recording modes. Unlike Red the Sony F65 provides ease of use for efficient operation. Pictured on the left is me with the revolutionary Sony F5 that captures spectacular images from HD to 8K. The Sony F5 is a Super 35mm 8K/4K CMOS Sensor Camera, which will allow you to capture a dramatic moment with a high frame rate, for example shooting sports requires a high frame rate when things are moving at a rapid pace you need the slow motion to capture it and be able to use it to tell a story. The F5 and F55 have been tested in low light situations and have shown that it can compete with any other camera with astounding results. Having seen what was shown in the theater has opened my eyes to a whole new level of film making. Matter of fact they mentioned that Taylor Swift just recently did a music video called "We are Never Ever Getting Back Together" and it was shot on this amazing camera and has clearly made other artists aware of this revolutionary style of cinematic filmmaking.
I shall be following up with Sony to get further training on the Sony F65 and hopefully will be shooting on this wonderful camera on my next big film project. Pictured below is the Sony F65 Cinema Camera with a 18-85 Fujion Lens. I would like to do a side by side camera test against the Sony F65 and the Red Epic with the new and improved Dragon Sensor, and see the difference in the overall look and resolution from both cameras. Having screened Stargate in Sri Lanka film I was amazed at the quality and the resolution, it honestly seemed like I was on location with the film makers just because the resolution seemed to be ever so clear and vibrant with the natural colors I had to convince myself that I was not on location but sitting in a theater watching the screening. After screening this film and seeing two films from the University of Southern California I was ultimately shocked by how these Sony Cameras are able to keep up in this race to deliver higher resolution than ever before. Although I have been a Red Camera fan for quite some time I thought we had it down to be able to continue being able to be ahead of the the game however having seen what the Sony F65 is all about and what its capable of shooting I think it will only get better as time goes by.
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"Live Beyond Definition And See The World in 4K" Event at The House of Rock Santa Monica
Alexander Tyson, November 2012
I attended the Sony 4K Event called "Live Beyond Definition and See The World in 4K" and what a great event it was. I saw some rather ingenious new ways of which Sony are taking it to a whole new level with their 4K television, like 3D Sony has now developed a television that can support 4K but rather has revealed the largest, highest resolution picture Sony has ever produced on a TV. The advanced picture processing ensures that every one of those pixels displays images with superb quality and you can now say goodbye to split screen and hello to being able to experience it your own big-screen view of the action as you fully immerse yourself in the games. According to Sony "SimulView™ gaming presents two separate Full HD pictures: each player watches independently through light easy to wear glasses that don't need batteries" which happens to bring a whole new level to playing video games. It certainly shows that Sony is one step ahead of the game as far as 3D is concerned. I think Sony has always been a good company with very high standards as far as durability and trust worthy as we have seen them make awesome game consoles like the PS2, PSP, and PS3, tablet pda's., and computers and they have certainly proven a lot in this short amount of time. We got to see the F65 up close again and got to check out the Sony 4K Projector now made for in home experiences, again I have to give Sony props for giving the consumer market a television that can show 4K movies.
"On Set of Cindy Bunny the Movie" a True Bollywood Style Film
Alexander Tyson, November-December 2012
Working on the set of "Cindy Bunny the Movie" was amazing. It felt amazing to be back on set doing what I love to do as far as making movies and capturing it on camera. It was the first time I had the opportunity to work with my DP, Brittany Bezzon and Director Seri Lyvers. My role in this film was to be a gaffer however it didn't take long until I found myself doing the work of the 1st A.C from making sure everything was in focus and checking the ISO on the Canon 7D making sure the camera was not over exposed or under exposed, however seeing the results from my hard work seemed to pay of which made me and the Director and DP happy so I felt like I accomplished a lot. Despite the rainy weather that we had we managed to pull through and with colorful results. It was the very first shoot that I had the opportunity to work with a jib and we certainly put the camera and jib through a lot of paces getting those high production looks despite the low budget and boy did it pay of. Both the DP and myself worked well managing to capture every little piece of detail in the short amount of time that we had in those 3 days of production. I had a blast and felt happy with the cinematic result from the precise ISO calculations that I put into the Canon 7D and was able to accomplish all of this with minimal lighting equipment. To say I had a full 1 ton grip truck full of equipment I was able to three c stands, a Kino Flow Kit, and a 200W Joker HMI Light along with the natural daylight coming through the windows and everything seemed to fall in place the way I imagined it to. Reflecting back on this shoot I would have preferred to shoot on sunny days however saying that we managed to finish in good timing and that to me was a job well done. Now I am eager to see the final product and hope to see this get into some film festivals and land me more credits on IMDB to go along with my credits.
"Shot on RED Film Festival" in Down Town LA"
Alexander Tyson, December 2012
Day 1 Shot on Red Film Festival
On Day 1 of the Shot on Red Film Festival I had the opportunity to see for the first time some independent films that where shot on the Red line up of cameras those being the Red One, Red Epic, and Red Scarlet. We screened twenty independent films from film makers across the globe. I saw many films that inspired me to take my film making to a whole new level. The Films screened where :D is for Dogfight - Marcel Sarmiento, United States, Departure - Albert Choi, United States,Driving Force - Chris Rupert, United States, Early Checkout - Clarke Richards, Australia, El Cocodrilo - Steve Acevedo, United States, Farbfilm - Gero Dennig, Austria, Feeding Baudelaire - Kristin Ellingson, United States,Forever in Hiatus - Andy Nguyen, Vietnam, It Ain't Over - Karl Koelling, United States, La Casa del Lago - Txema Munoz, Spain, Le Sniper - Yoann Garel, France, Man in Fear- Will Jewell, United Kingdom, Me and You Doron Dor & Heidi Berg, Israel, Moving Day - Jason Wingrove, Australia, She's Lost Control - Txema Munoz, Spain, So Pretty - Al Lougher, United States, Sons of God - Scott Byrns, United States, Table 7 - Marko Slavnic, United States, The World After - Phil Holland, United States, Two Legged Rat Bastards - Scott Weintrob, United States. Each of these films I was inspired by. Each one was unique and gave of a fantastic cinematic experience. It certainly opened my eyes to the possibilities of making unique films and not focusing on one particular genre and to go for the wide variety. Now I want to make more inspiring films and take my film making to a whole new level.
Day 2 Shot on Red Film Festival
On Day 2 of the Shot on Red Film Festival I had another opportunity to watch even more independent international films from across the globe. Tonight we watched another sixteen films and from all over the globe. The films that we screened where 3 Hours - Leo Bund, United Kingdom, Action Commerciale (License to Clean) - Pascal Jaubert, France, Already Gone - Ross Ching, Best If Used By - Aemilia Scott, United States, Como conoci a tu padre (How I Met Your Father) - Alex Montoya, Spain, Designed Around You - Caleb Slain, United States, In[b]etween - Jose L. Martínez Díaz, Spain, Lenny Lump - Per von Koch, Sweden, Love at First Sight - Mark Playne, United Kingdom, Practice Makes Perfect - Vance Malone, United States, Talking Dog for Sale, 10 Euros - Lewis-Martin Soucy, Spain, The Acrobat - Gerardo Herrero, Spain, The Lost and Found Shop - Caleb Slain, United States, The Wheel - John Roberts, United States, Worlds We Created - Kyle Kelley, United States, and Voice Over - Txema Munoz, Spain. I was impressed with each and every film and it opened my eyes to the possibilities of interesting ways of story telling.
Sony F65 Training Workshop at Sony
Picture Studios
Alexander Tyson, December 2012
I finally received training on the all new revolutionary Sony F65 Camera at Sony Picture Studios. The Sony F65 Workshop was very well done and I had a blast getting to get my hands on this pricey piece of technology and be able to try filming something with the camera set up. The Camera Workshop was held in Studio 7 of the Sony Picture Studios. The workshop consisted of many Local 500 Camera Operators, DP's, and Assistant Camera Operators. Some of them where from the SOC and ASC. Interesting enough I realized the Cinematography 1 teacher Jillian Arnold who taught me in film school was taking the class with me and another big name DP called Ronald Vidor who was taking the class as well with me as well. The class began with a 4K/F65/SRMASTER Overview of the Camera, shortly after that we where on the sound stage set where we had the hands on F65 Remote App, Camera Mount. Then we discussed about the onset color management/ data transfer or loader Metadata. Soon after we where shooting on the Sony F65. All the students who attended the workshop where split into two groups where we had 3o minutes to shoot 4 short films. Shortly after we went to lunch, while the Sony color team was at hard at work making our work look absolutely gorgeous for the final showcasing at the end of the workshop. While on lunch break I sat down for lunch with Ronald Vidor, and was able to learn even more life lessons of being a camera assistant and camera operator. Interesting enough he was the same person who originally brought the Steadicam to the television show "ER", although "ER" they originally said that they didn't want it to be on steadicam, Ronald Vidor ended up doing the whole season of "ER" on the Steadicam. He also told me that he worked on many projects such as Jaws, ER, and the list goes on and on. Ronald Vidor, is apart of the SOC: Cinematographer A-list camera operator, Steadicam, Aerial, Underwater, First & Second Unit DP. The more I listened to him I realized that I could make improvements in my own camera operating skills. He went onto talking about his underwater production work on Jaws and several other films. He originally was the person who did underwater, and now Pete Romano is the lead of the underwater cinematography. Interesting enough I found out that Ronald Vidor was the person who got my instructor Aldo Antoneli into the union as a steadicam operator. We finished lunch and went back to the same studio where we had another lecture and visited the color correction department and got to see how the workflow worked from the RAW Footage of the F65. When we finished seeing that we went to screen our films and we got to see how our teams did as far as shooting this new camera and got to see how it performed under the controlled environment of the studio. Soon after we saw all the work that we all did, we ended the workshop watching a film called "Eldorado" which shortly after had a discussion headed by Curtis Clark. Here are some stills from the movie "Eldorado".
Here are some stills raw stills from our Sony F65 Course, where I was the camera operator of the Sony F65. During this course I was able to test this marvelous camera out and see how it performs in a controlled environment. You will see that the raw footage looks amazing and with the 8K resolution, it opens a whole new world for color correcting and color grading especially with the endless possibilities for enhancing the look and feel for the environment making it easier to adjust in post production.
The 7th Annual Lake Arrowhead Classic Steadicam Workshop- March 10-16, 2013
In a few weeks time I will be in attending the Lake Arrowhead Classic Steadicam Workshop at the UCLA Lake Arrowhead Conference Workshop along with 15 other international students where I will be learning how to operate the Steadicam line up of Steadicam gear. This course will be providing me with a selection of the newest and best systems, from the S.O.C Award Winning Ultra 2 through the Ultra 2C, the Shadow, the Clipper, the Zephyr, the Flyer LE, the Pilot, and the Merlin. During the duration of the course I will be experiencing a wide array of Steadicam Accessories such as the vehicle mounts and extended posts will be in use during the course. The course will be taught by Garret Brown and Jerry Holway. I will be taught the basic Steadicam techniques and become familiar with related accessories. The course scheduled is broken down into the following areas:
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Flying the Rig
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Details of sled, arm and vest
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Vehicle Mount
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Use of ultra long post feature for super low mode and super high mode
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Balance of the Steadicam. Dynamic and Static Balance.
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Running work on stairs and uneven surfaces
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Hand Work
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Work on stairs and uneven surfaces
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Operating from both sides. ( Left and Right side Steadicam )
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Compositional skills and techniques
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Integration of accessories: Follow Focus, on-board recording, HD/SD
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Evening discussions of shots, screening clips and deconstructing shot design.
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Operator's Night
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And much, much more!
Tiffen hosts an Instructor's Evening, where working Steadicam Operators from the Los Angeles area come up to share experiences and frequently bring their kits for students to see. In addition, they will be teaching me how to market myself as a Steadicam Specialist, something that I never received while I was in film school. Photos and updates will be updated on a daily basis during my 6 day workshop. Check back for up to date coverage of the 7th Annual Lake Arrowhead Classic Steadicam Workshop.
Lake Arrowhead Classic Steadicam Workshop
Day 1:
Today I was first Introduced to the Steadicam and the line up of Steadicam Rigs. Upon arriving at Lake Arrowhead UCLA Conference Center I was met up with many students and my fellow Steadicam Instructors. Dan, Garret, Jerry, and Chris. We had a welcome lunch and sat down and got to chat with other film makers. After lunch we headed to the multi-purpose conference room where we had a quick introduction by Jerry Holaway. Shortly after it was time for us to suit up in the Steadicam Vests and learn the proper professional way to put on the vest. Soon as we had the vests all handed out we helped each other out with getting into the vests. We then proceeded to learning how to handle the Steadicam arm and learned the techniques involved with operating the arm. We had the opportunity to work with the G50 and G50X Arms, and it was quite a amazing feeling to know that I was officially learning from the true Steadicam inventor. Though for the first time it was quite a experience being able to feel like a real professional Steadicam operator. Although I experienced normal back pains I knew that it was just a matter of time until it would come, however they said it would be normal as the back muscles aren't used to using the Steadicam. The workshop started of with very basic drills of operating the Steadicam arm and sled and we worked with two of the five instructors teaching the workshop. Practicing the drills where challenging at first, but after repeating the the drills over and over I felt
more confident with moving the arms and homing my skills of camera operating.
DAy 2:
Steadicam Training began with learning the basics of leveling the rig and learning how to work with the remote tilt head, and by far presents a challenge for most people who haven't work with the Steadicam. I myself found it to be very complex, however I realized that I was capable of getting the perfect trim and tilt on the Steadicam by altering the knobs on the sled. We started with balancing the practice cage and made markings to remind ourselves that we knew where the balance point was on the camera, as soon as we put the cage on the Steadicam sled it was as simple as just locking in the dove tail plate to the sled. Then we proceeded to re balancing the lower portion of the Steadicam, at that point we altered the position of the monitor and the battery. When we had the lower set up done we continued onto doing the leveling portion where we spent time working out the tilt and trim for the sled. It took me around 10-15 minutes to home my skills in and was able to master it after seeing it done by the Steadicam Instructor. When I had the balance portion done, I proceeded with the drop test to see how long the delay was for it to come to a stop from being dropped from horizontal position to a vertical position. As the day went on we had four different workstations where we started to learn how to walk down and up stairs without falling. Trusting your spotter who is always on the lookout for you and any obstacles in your way. I was actually flying the rig for the first time outside in a outside environment. It was quite a experience like no other, I have to admit that the feeling of being able to boom up or boom down, or tilt or pan on the go is a fantastic feeling. As a newbie myself I found that I could do so much more than if I had a shoulder rig on. I will say doing the workshop with the professionals feels really imitating at times. I found myself at times becoming over stressed but I realized that you can't let your emotions show on set. Watching theses professionals nail it with precision really makes you wonder if you can follow up in their footsteps and that's when I told myself that I am in control of who I am as a person and that I am fully committed to making this my my full time career and that I am going to continue working twice as hard to make my dream a passion, that dream being a great Steadicam Operator. When I was able to walk through doors and walk up or down stairs it was like second nature to me. The instructors are always pushing me and are encouraging me to go out and become a great Steadicam Operator. The more I practiced the more I felt confident that I could do this and that I could do whatever i put my mind to. This workshop is amazing, even though its the second day I am amazed at how far I have come. Tomorrow we learn how to shoot in low mode so it will be a whole new dimension to film making and I am excited to see where it takes me as I continue on this Steadicam Workshop.
Day 3:
It's Day 3 here at Lake Arrowhead at the Steadicam Workshop. We begin of by learning how to shoot in low mode with the Steadicam. The idea behind low mode is that your able to achieve a lot lower perspective from the camera view and we are able to view the shot with the on board monitor that is hanging upside down. We discussed the series of shots with Jerry Holaway and we each had to attempt a moving shot in low mode. Alright it wasn't as easy as I thought it would be, but soon as I got settled in my zen I was seeing that my training was beginning to pay of. Although I worked hard to perfect my skills I realized that it will take many years and many projects in the future to really perfect the art, however being a Steadicam Operator is a very rewarding skill to know being a camera operator or DP. I often look back to my camera movement course of which I took in film school and often think that what I was taught as far as equipment for camera moving was mediaocre and to be out here learning from the elite Steadicam professionals was amazing. Although I often think we would have been better equipped to learn the art before leaving film school to say we had a Professional Steadicam Instructor we where without the proper training to take on this as a career, its finally come down to this workshop to be taught the correct way to operate a Steadicam is a real amazing experience and we the workshop students are so self driven to make these shots work the way we in vision them.
The photo on the right was me shooting from a high mode with the Steadicam. This shot was far more complicated and consisted of moving the Steadicam in ways that I never thought where possible and having had the opportunity to be trained by Chris, my Steadicam Workshop. When I was operating at the time I was able to go from a high level view and was able to look over the balcony and downstairs and was able to chase the actor as he was coming up the hill while chasing down the 1st actor. The shot was incredible but took some concentration to nail it .
As the day went on I was challenged to walk up stairs and attempt some really fast paste Steadicam shots. Often running through doors only cm away from hitting the door jams I began to quickly navigate the layout for the shot and realized that I can make these quick passes with very little to no effort and still glide in without bumping into anything. Although it might look daunting to anyone who hasn't done one of these workshops, I myself had to take a breather and say that I can do it, I can make this shot happen and that you can't give in and that's what made me motivated to keep on going especially as I was clearly getting so close to having gotten to this point of the workshop to begin making any changes.
Day 4:
Today we had the opportunity to use the Steadicam Tango, our Instructor Chris Fawcett was at our sides giving us tips and tricks with the Tango. The Tango is similar to a jib, unlike most jibs the Tango is portable and can be operated while walking with the Steadicam giving the operator more options with being able to shoot from high to low, to then being able to change the pitch and angle of the camera allowing the camera to be able to shoot in places no person would be able to fit, and allows the operator to get unique shots for a film. The camera on the Tango is a Cine Camera that has a balanced Cine Deck instead of a main camera body giving the camera balance while being able to be lightweight and portable at the same time.
Day 5:
Today's workshop taught me many useful techniques of using a Steadicam and being able to adapt to many different applications. We began today with working with the Tango and the Cine Cam and we got to test out the Prototype Steadicam Exovest, our workshop began with Jerry Holaway and we got to experiment with different unique techniques to shoot from really hard to reach places to everything else with the portability of working with the Tango. The next exercise consisted of a moving shot from a Steadiseg, we also where taught how to drive the Steadiseg with a hard mount and what techniques we needed to operate it. The following exercise consisted of riding with the soft mounted vest while riding the Steadiseg and being able to walk of from the Steadiseg and be able to follow the actor by running. I managed to nail it the second time after getting the idea of being able to walk of a perfectly good Segway. It was quite a experience like no other but gave me a greater appreciation of what the Steadiseg can do. The following exercise we did we got the opportunity to operate the Steadicam from the back of a suburban on the back roads of Lake Arrowhead
Operating a Steadicam like the one as pictured is very dangerous however with the proper training I received I learned that you can make it happen with the proper equipment. We practiced and got a taste of how to properly operate a Steadicam arm while been driven around at 18 mph on the back roads of Lake Arrowhead. While being harnessed to the car i knew that I was perfectly safe, yet I reminded myself that I had to beware of the dangers of any kind of moving shot and that you must always be ready in case of a accident. I learned that you should never operate a Steadicam from your soft vest and that you should always make sure you are hard mounted and that you have a harness to use. We all took turns shooting from the rear tailgate and what a awesome opportunity it was. I never in my life thought I would be doing this but in reality I am already ahead and ready to take what I have been taught and use it to fuel my new film ideas.
On Set of "Splash" Experiencing a day with a professional broadcast Steadicam Operator
Today I was given the opportunity to shadow Rob Vuona a broadcast television Steadicam Operator on set of ABC Television Series "Splash" Final Season Finale. The day began with a camera meeting and discussing all the camera moves from the rehearsal to the actual video tape recording. Following that meeting I had the opportunity to watch them tape the starting of the show from the mobile television studio control room. Seeing how it was done in a professional environment really opened my eyes to what goes on a real television series show. What was interesting was seeing how the studio kept a tab of all 24 cameras going on and seeing how they where able to communicate with all the camera operators, along with two jib operators, and a underwater camera operator, and a Steadicam Operator. I was lucky enough to be able to hear the control room making the cuts with the wireless receiver that I wore throughout the time on set. It was interesting to see how everyone worked together as a team to get the show done efficiently and it really made me have a better understanding of how a television studio runs a television show. From seeing how the rehearsals went to then seeing them tape the show it was amazing to see the steps involved to get a television show taped. It was a very educational experience for me and made me aware of what happens on a television set and has given me a insight of what it will be like to work on a television show. Seeing how Rob Vuona operated the Steadicam was quite a unique opportunity for me. Especially having just been recently completed my Steadicam training and seeing how he operated the rig efficiently really opened my eyes to the possibilities for being a Steadicam Operator, which has fueled my eagerness to become a professional Steadicam Operator. Coming away from this opportunity it has given me unique perspective of what my future might be like being a television steadicam operator.
Sony F55 & Workflow Workshop at Sony Picture Studios
I participated in the Sony F55 and F55 Work Flow Workshop at Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City. The workshop trains fellow cinematographers in the new Sony F55 Camera and its workflow. This camera has a multiple format design and allows the camera to shoot in XAVC and SXS Pro Cards allowing the camera to record in full 4K Resolution at 1-60 Frames Per Second as well as QFHD, along with 2K Resolution at 1-180 Frames Per Second, furthermore will allow HD to be recorded at 1-180 Frames Per Second. The Sony F55 has no crop factor, no loss in angle of view, and offered High Full Resolution allowing it to do S/Q up to 60 Frames Per Second. It also offers SQ up to 240 Frames Per Second at 2K Raw. Unlike most cameras out there on the market the Sony F55 comes with a DVF-EL100 completely new O.L.E.D View finder that allows for a stunning image clarity without a smear, it comes in a 7" 1280 x 720. Furthermore it comes with a universal lens system which can adapt for any lens. The F55 eliminates rolling shutter and flash band. It also comes with a AXSM Access Memory Card which uses the exFAT File System, with a 16 Bit Linear 2K RAW and 16 Bit Linear 4K Raw, allowing it to hold up to 512GB- 2.4Gbps- 300MB/S. The AXS card allows you to record 4K Raw in 23.98p SQ. 60min, and 59.94: Approx 24 minutes, now with the 2K Resolution you are capable of recording at 23.98 SQ: Approx. 240 min and at 59.94p SQ: Approx. 96 min.
The Sony F55 comes with a completely new DVF-L700 7 inch full HD allowing to experience 1920 x 1080. It allows for high contrast mode (1000cd/m2), with a unique interface to both the F5 and F55 Cameras. This monitor has a HD-SDI input and comess with a supplied Israeli arm.
Unlike most cameras I worked with the camera by far is lightweight and portable at the same time. I found it to be rather simple to put together, although it does require some delicate placing of camera parts I found it to be manageable to set up. The camera was amazing to work with and I would find this camera to be a ideal camera to use for any kind of film project. The menu system is kind of tricky at first but given time and practice it will eventually become second nature. The boot up time is quick and doesn't take as long as the Red One Cinema Cameras. It was great that during the workshop we where allowed a opportunity to shoot it in 4K resolution and really experiment with its potential capabilities for shooting. We also had a opportunity to preview our work in a 4K Presentation at DMPC Digital Motion Picture Center at the Sony Picture Studios.
Preparing to shoot my official underwater music video "Breath"
Today we start preparing for the upcoming underwater music video. I shall be testing out the camera equipment and making sure everything is ready before we shoot on June 9th the official underwater music video. Preparing for a underwater music video is no easy task and requires additional time and requires extra attention to make sure everything is good to go and ready to go.
Steadicam Operating on set of a band music video
I recently shot my second music video on the steadicam for the band "Ryder Buck and The Breakers " , a local band asked me of my steadicam services and was given the opportunity to shoot their second video. Although video is still not ready to be released at the moment. The photographs below are my stills taken from the footage of the shoot.
Shooting the Official Underwater Music Video "Breathe"
Steadicam Operator on the feature film Art of Deception
Discussing shots with Director of Photography Vishal Solanski before I shoot a action sequence with two fleeing vehicles, with a chase to the front door of the house.
Operating Steadicam with the Red Epic
Operating Steadicam on a superbowl Doritos commercial
Day 2 of Essence of Eternity: Steadicam Operator:
Red Scarlet
Essence of Eternity Premiering at Sundance Film Festival
I am proud to annnounce that my work as Steadicam operator will be premiered at the upcoming Sundance Film Festival in Park City Utah in January.
Operating on a Chapman University Thesis Film "In the Dirt"
Operation Undersea Voyager Project in Baja Mexico
I had the opportunity to work alongside a very passionate team of consevationists down in Baja Mexico and had the opportunity to film underwater in Baja Mexico with Lead Diver Dale Pearson from the Monster Quests Episodes of Pirahana Invasion, Giants Pythons in America, Monster Sharks, The Real Moby Dick, Killer Jellyfish, and several other projects to his name as a underwater camera man. My film work took me over the border where I experienced the real Baja oudoors. From prepping gear, to understanding the underwater communications and preparing them for use out in the ocean, to then taking the plunge into the water I realized that there was another world to explore with sea life like no other and how important it is to aid in the conservation to keep marine life alive for generations to come. Having had the opportunity to work with Dale Pearson It's made me a better underwater film maker. Over the past 11 years of diving I still found myself learning newer things about diving in general.
Steadicam Operating on a Fashion Style App Commercial in Beverly Hills
Operating my Steadicam Zephyr
Camera Crew and Cast of Style Finder App Commercial.
Gates Underwater Deep Red Epic
Training
Recently underwent and completed the Gates Underwater Deep Red Epic Housing training through Gates Underwater Products in Poway, California. Throughout the workshop I was trained one on one by the leading professionals at Gates Underwater Products on this new revolutionary camera housing. The workshop taught me how to dismatle and re-build the Gates Camera Housing from the frame up onwards. I learned all the necessary tools needed to put together the housing and all the parts of which are used to build the housing. The training and information I received from the course helped to guide me through the necessary steps to use the Red Epic with the Red Remote in the Deep Red Epic. It overall gave me the confidence to be able to be rest assured that I could be out in the field and be able to work through any issues I might have and being able to prblem solve and troubleshoot on the go. Below are some of the photos from the workshop.
Doc Hollywood and Ya Boy Music Video for "Palm Springs Beach House"
Glass The Tramp
Crazy Lonely Music Video
Me production assisting the Camera Department with fellow Steadicam Operator Jessica Lopez SOC on "Glass The Tramp" for the Crazy Lonely Music Video.
Cast and Crew Photo
Glass The Tramp
Crazy and Lonely Music Video
ARRI AMIRA WORKSHOP
Alexander recently attended the ARRI AMIRA Open House and Camera Workshop where he was intrdocuded to the ARRi AMIRA documentary style camera. This camera combines exceptional image quality and bringing affordable CF Fast Workflows with an ergonomic design optimized for single opertaor users. This camera allows for flexibility with the extended shoulder mount. This camera boasts in camera grading with preloaded 3D LUT's, and not to forget it can do slow motion up to 200fps. This camera boasts the same phenomenal image quality, and it allows the user to record in HD 1080 or 2K. In addition this camera allows 14 plus dynamic ranges with low noise allowing for clean crisp image.
Filming "The Lake"
Old Spice Commercial
UCLA Thesis Project
Alexander recently worked on a UCLA Thesis Film Project called "The Lake", this project was a commercial for a "Old Spice Commercial". Alexander worked as a underwater 1st assistant camera operator who had the job of focus pulling while filming in and around the water. This particular project allowed him the oppotunity to work with the Hydroflex underwater housings and splashbags of which where used to protect both a Red Epic and Red Epic Dragon Camera. From filming on live set in the middle of wilderness in Augora Hills to assist on a red eye shoot in UCLA Spieker Aquatics Center where he worked with six mermaids that where that where utilizing the mermaid costumes tails designed by the man who made Daryl Hannah's tail in Splash, and Alyssa Milano's tail in the Charmed episode, along with a old fisherman and male model figure. Alexander worked alongside four saftey divers and a underwater grip. Below are some of the photos from behind the scenes.
Photo Credits: Scuba Zac.
SOC/HYDROFLEX UNDERWATER WORKSHOP 2015
Photo Courtesy of David Shawl
Alexander recently completed a three day 2015 SOC/ HYDROFLEX Underwater Camera Operator Workshop where he underwent training on both Hydroflex and Nauticam Housings. He receievd training from Pete Ramano, Tom Boyd, and Ian Takahashi on how to shoot underwater scenes and be able to execute shots and learn new techniques to improve shooting underwater. He was able to utilized some of the most recent additions to the camera housings for the Nauticam Alexa Mini and Hydroflex Arri Alexa. He trained at the Tank 1 Studios at Signa Hill in Los Angeles. Below Alexander is photographed among other attendee's at the SOC Underwater Workshop.
Photo Courtesy Credit: Navid John Namazi
Here Alexander is framing up the shot for a top entrance with talent using the Hydroflex ARRI ALEXA Camera Housing.
Photo Courtesy of David Shawl
Photo Courtesy of David Shawl
ICA 3 Day DAVINCI RESOLVE COLOR CORRECTION TRAINING COURSE
Alexander is currently enrolled on a 3 day Resolve 101 with the International Color Academy in February training through Abel Cine in Burbank. He will be gaining practical real world training on the workflow, basic color theory, grading approaches, and techniques. He will be instructed by Warren Eagles.
Stay tuned for updates.
Before Color Correction Sample in Raw
After Color Correction Sample with node changes in Davinci Resolve.
Pick ups 2nd Unit Underwater 1st Assistant Camera on
Dam Sharks
Alexander recently waked away from his last feature film project exhausted but completely inspired despite the challenges he faced along the way. He got a call to do pick ups for a feature film for "Dam Sharks". His job started at Hydroflex, where he spent several hours trying to prep the underwater Hydroflex housing despite being without a camera package and lens package. He was in charge of taking the gear to Bakersfield where he met up with the production. Whille he was in Bakersfield he was faced with unpredicatble chalenges of trying to make a red scarlet lens package work wth mismatched gear with the existing Hydroflex Housing. Despite all the challeneges he realized that it was out of his control and he had to improvise with a alternative method to deal with making the housing work for the production. He found himself working with a DP who wasn't certified in scuba and realized the production didn't hire a underwater operator for him to asssist. Despite all of his challenges he was able to hold his composure and went above and beyond to ensure that the housing remained water tight from the water and was able to get production something to work with. Now that it's over he has come away with many production life lessons about the importance of preparing the equipment ahead of time, to ensure that your production equipment is trouble shooted before you arrive on set to ensure that the equipment works and functons the way it needs to be fully operational.
