The RAW files

Hello world, long time.

2010-05-13T14:30:00.000-07:00

I've been extremely busy, but wanted to post this before and after. What a difference huh? Big Shouts to Kris Cabrera on his amazing work on this. www.kriscabrera.com

"The greatest things in life aren't things at all"

2010-05-03T11:31:00.001-07:00

Hey guys!!!

So WOW, it's been a really intense few months. Since going out to the desert I've been locked away trying to finish this monster, and we made it!!! In all it's abstract glory "Chrysalis" has been hatched. A few sites have featured it today. Cinema5d.com posted by Jared Abrams. And photocinenews.com posted by Michael Britt.

And now drum roll please........

CHRYSALIS.

"The greatest things in life aren't things at all"

Full Credit's at the end of the movie.

$1000 Budget
Canon 7D
Shot in 2 days
ZEISS
LITEPANELS
REDROCK

FCP 7
AFTER EFFECTS
3D studio Max
Cinema 4D
Color

Chrysalis premier MAY 1ST HDSLR EVENT

2010-04-26T10:49:00.000-07:00

http://hdirawworks.com/HD_SLR_Event/HDSLR.html

Big day this saturday. We will be premiering our new film "Chrysalis" Follow the link above for more details on how to be apart of this amazing day.

Rodney Charters A.S.C and Bob Primes A.S.C will be doing lighting demos in the stage area.

EXCITING STUFF

REDROCK

ZEISS

LITEPANELS

BIRNS AND SAWYER

CINEMA 5D

And many others will be showcasing new gear.

ALL-----MOST--------THERE

2010-04-15T17:14:00.001-07:00

We are very very close now.

2010-04-07T18:14:00.001-07:00

COMING SOON!!!

2010-03-30T14:04:00.001-07:00

Final scene tomorrow

2010-03-19T18:08:00.000-07:00

Getting excited, about to finish this thing.

Stay tuned.

Update

2010-03-16T16:24:00.000-07:00

Editing has begun, also shooting the end of the movie this weekend here in Los Angeles.

Back in Los Angeles

2010-03-16T11:03:00.001-07:00

Hello everyone, hope you guys have enjoyed the blog while we we're traversing death valley.

We had an amazing time.

We're in post mode now, cutting scoring and coloring.

Stay tuned.

Last Day in Death Valley

2010-03-13T22:37:00.000-08:00

2010-03-13T12:55:00.001-08:00

Another update as we get ready to leave for some pick up shots tonight.

More pics and things when we get back!!!

Day Three.

2010-03-13T10:01:00.000-08:00

The wind is so fierce outside we have had to stay inside. Death valley is a crazy place.

More pics

Chrysalis Day Two

2010-03-12T16:44:00.001-08:00

Video Blogs below:

2010-03-11T09:33:00.000-08:00

Interested? Well stay tuned. Shooting our new short film this weekend. I'll be blogging the whole thing with pictures and such.

8:45 pm

So we've landed in Beatty NV (middleofnowhereville)

Here's some pics of the trip so far.

11:00pm

New Short Film - A Day At The Races

2010-03-09T09:56:00.000-08:00

Shot on a modified PL mount 7D with 20mm and 100mm Cooke PL primes and a Tokina 11-16mm modified to PL.

Read blog for more info: http://philipbloom.co.uk/2010/03/04/shooting-7d-pl-with-cooke-lenses-for-saturdays-la-masterclass/

Music by Loscil
Song: Charlie
Album: Plume

What a day, what a week, what a life.

More to come soon

A Day With Philip

2010-03-04T11:09:00.001-08:00

A GREAT DAY

Yesterday, March 3rd, 2010 I had the chance to work closely with none other than Philip Bloom. For those not in the now, Philip is the most recognized HDDSLR filmmaker in the world, but as I write this I can say with confidence that: very soon Philip will be one of the most recognized filmmakers in the world....PERIOD. We had an amazing day, and a great crew. Jarred from Cinema5D, Chuck from Litepanels, Illya Friedman from Hot Rod Cameras who supplied the PL mount, Robert Lehman my close friend and sound man, and of course the man who brought it all together my friend and the owner of RAWworks Neil W. Smith.

I have to say, I didn't know what to expect before meeting Philip. People who experience meteoric rises to fame usually have a screw loose. They tend to be living on another planet, huffing the fumes wafting from the surface of their ego. I know guys I went to film school with who think they are superstars because they have 900 followers on twitter and took a picture with Jason Reitman. For a guy who is the toast of the town with two of the largest figures in the history of Cinema all but sequestering the man, he's grounded, funny as hell and supremely talented. It was a real pleasure working with him and it gives me hope for a new day in this town. No ego, all talent.

Here's some screen grabs of some shots I've graded so far.

Don't miss out on the master class and register now. It's this Saturday here on the Lot.

Neil W. Smith At HD expo

2010-02-20T11:16:00.000-08:00

HdiRAWworks Top Man Neil Smith makes a good point in the interview to get your post flow going prior to shooting anything. When I confronted him off camera about the price of the Philip Bloom “Master Class”, he broke down the expenses for me. I also asked him to let a few film students in for free, which he graciously agreed to. So if you are a film student in the Los Angeles area and want to attend the Hdi RAW Works, Philip Bloom “Master Class” give him a shout.

Break Bread

2010-02-20T10:51:00.001-08:00

So, it's been a crazy 6 months here. I (Jeremy Ian Thomas) haven't had a lot of time to direct anything with a heavy narrative. My last short "Purple Line" was shot in July and is almost done. As of late It's been a lot of creative editing and camera tests, which has been grand. About two week ago, I had an idea for a screenplay. I've been talking with an actor friend of mine who is very smart. He's been hunting for directors and writers to begin writing micro budget films that he could star in, as he is an A list personality that could carry the whole film. . They would be shot on these new hdslr camera's and need to be very isolated and innovative. So rather than write about someone stuck in a house, or a bar or the desert I thought about a man living in his car, and what that would look and feel like.

So, I asked a close friend of mine, an amazing up and coming actor named Mike Wade if he'd like to shoot an experiment with me. I hadn't written anything I just knew I wanted to explore that kind of space. So he and another close friend of mine Robert Lehman (who ran sound on this) decided to shoot something. We didn't really know what we we're going to do, or how we we're going to do it but we knew we we're doing it. After 4 hours of rain, we finally caught a break and jetted down to the warehouse district near downtown. Armed with a Canon 7D a tripod and an H4n sound recored we went off. This is what we came up with. We are very excited and happy to present to you....BREAK BREAD.

Budget $3

Shot in an hour and a half

3 man crew (actor, sound, director/dp)

Starring Mike Wade

Written by Jeremy Ian Thomas and Robert Lehman

Directed by Jeremy Ian Thomas

BREAK BREAD

2010-02-17T10:01:00.000-08:00

Our freind and fellow shooter Philip Bloom is having his meet up on venice beach March 7th.

Be there or be ..... not there I guess.

RAWworks and Createasphere FEB 18th

2010-02-11T14:15:00.000-08:00

Createasphere/EXPLORE: Entertainment Technology Exposition
FEBRUARY 18, 2010 | Universal Hilton | Universal City, CA

DSLR Video Track

Welcome to the DSLR Video Track of the February 18th Entertainment Technology Expo. The world of filmmaking and photography are merging and it is exciting to see video DSLR education added to this event.

In addition to the workshops, there will be a video DSLR breakfast meet-up and orientation with interesting guests and great door prizes. Coffee and donuts should help get the ball rolling along with a quick rundown of the days DSLR topics. The Expo includes a trade show floor with access to some of the top companies involved in video DSLR and digital cinema. If you pre-register, the show passes are free, as is the Canon Intensive (wait list only). The two-hour transcoding and audio workshops are only $69 when you purchase them together. Breakfast, Show Access, a Canon Intensive, and two great workshops for $69. If you are serious about DSLR video, this is a no brainer.

10:00 AM-11:00 AM - DSLR Breakfast MeetUp and Orientation - Limited space, during registrationyou will see an option to check that you want to attend.
11:00 AM-1:00 PM - Canon Intensive Workshop - Canon EOS HD Video: New ideas. New Technologies (Wait list full) Details
1:30 PM-3:30 PM - Transcoding Workshop: From the Camera to the Web - Your Files and What to Do With Them - Details | Register Here
4:00 PM-6:00 PM - Sound Workshop: An Audio Primer for DSLR and Small Crew Productions -Details | Register Here

Canon Intensive Workshop - Canon EOS HD Video: New ideas. New Technologies.
11:00 AM-1:00 PM: Intensive Theater 2 - Hiro Room (free workshop)
Canon's line of EOS HD Video Cameras has created unprecedented interest among cinematographers for image acquisition. Join SuperMeet Co-Producer Daniel Berube, who will share his onset workflow experiences and discuss the capabilities of the 5D Mark II, 7D, and 1D Mark IV. Neil Smith, Managing Director of Hdi RAWworks will then compare the Canon EOS HD Video performance to conventional Digital Cinema Cameras. Smith will also present solutions for matching Canon's file-based cameras with the most functional workflow choices for your production. SEATING IS LIMITED**

Attendee INTENSIVE Instructions
SEATING IS VERY LIMITED! Seating will be first come, first serve. YOUR REGISTRATION DOES NOT GUARANTEE YOU A SEAT! Createasphere reserves the right to refuse seating to anyone.

Be aware: While you are registered for this INTENSIVE, we will begin seating for the wait list fifteen minutes before the start of the session, so please arrive one half hour before the beginning of the session to have the best chance at guaranteeing a spot.

Attendee Wait List INTENSIVE Instructions
If the workshops above are full we will begin seating for people in the wait list line fifteen minutes before the start of the session, so please arrive one half hour before the beginning of the session to have the best chance at guaranteeing a spot.

Need more information? Call (818) 842-6611 or email registration@createasphere.com

From the Camera to the Web - Your Files and What to Do With Them

1:30 PM-3:30 PM - (Paid Workshop - $49 or $69 for both DSLR workshops) Club Room
Register Now

It used to be that using camera originals was easy - develop, print, and project. But the digital revolution has changed that in a dramatic way. Now there are literally hundreds of ways to move and transcode your footage from your camera to your end user, regardless of whether it's the big screen, small screen, tiny screen, or cell phone.

Join Jeremy Ian Thomas for a two-hour workshop on transcoding footage from DSLRs and other HD cameras. Learn the best way to get your images on Vimeo, YouTube, Flickr, SmugMug, and others.

You'll learn:

What is transcoding
What's a codec
Why we transcode
Which online outlets use which file types
What are the best tools for transcoding, both software and hardware

We will demystify file handling and give you simple solutions for getting your footage online. You will leave with a clear understanding of how to transcode your files for the web and other outlets.

Jeremy Ian Thomas is Hdi RAWworks' Creative Director.

Sound - An Audio Primer for DSLR and Small Crew Productions

4:00 PM-6:00 PM - (Paid Workshop - $49 or $69 for both DSLR workshops) Hiro Room
Register Now

No matter how good your images, bad sound can make any project hard to watch. And now that you're using that brand new DSLR camera, or a small HD video camera and making amazing images, how do you get great audio to match?

Join Ty Higgins, Jeremy Ian Thomas, and Robert Lehman for a two-hour workshop that demystifies and explains the ins and outs of audio production for small cameras.

You'll learn:

How DSLRs record sound
The best choice in microphones for various conditions
Which hardware is best: pre-amps, mixers, digital audio recorders
On-set practices with a small crew
On-set monitoring and playback
And basic post production workflow

Ty Higgins is Hdi RAWworks' Audio Editor and is a former instructor at the LA Film School.

Canon Master Class with Philip Bloom

2010-02-11T14:10:00.001-08:00

World renowned filmmaker and Canon HD DSLR expert, Philip Bloom will be in Los Angeles on Saturday March 6th, 2010 to present the Canon HD DSLR Master Class.

Philip will be showing many examples of his filmmaking and will be sharing his experiences of shooting the pick-ups shots for 'Red Tails' a Lucas Films production.

Philip will be explaining and demonstrating all aspects of Canon EOS based filmmaking, workflow and output, including:

Main differences between EOS 1D Mk iv , 5D Mk ii and 7D for movie shooting
In camera settings to maximize image quality in post
Lens selection
Stabilization platforms and accessories
Exposure and shutter speed options
Focusing and framing tips
Audio
Codecs and transcoding options
Editing and Color correction
Output for Web, BluRay, HDCAM SR and film

The Philip Bloom HD DSLR Canon Master Class will take place on Saturday, March 6th. There will be two separate workshops: 9am to 12 noon and from 2pm to 5pm. Please register and pay for either the morning or afternoon session:

Please phone Kalani on 323 850 3550 for more details.

Or sign up here http://hdirawworks.com/page11/page11.html

RED DAY -- introducing the EPIC.

2010-02-03T12:11:00.000-08:00

So, it's been a while since our last update. Man have we been busy. Lets start with this.

hdiRAWworks were one of three beta testers for the new Mysterium X sensor for the RED camera. IT SHOOTS 5K and totally eclipses the RED ONE in dynamic range, Skin tone you name it...it's just better. One of the other beta testers is none other than David Fincher, he's shooting Social Network right outside the window here (amazing catering).

He said he loves the sensor, and for those that don't know David, he's never lost a pixel, he's one of the best to ever do it.

I was here on the Lot the night they shot the low light test with Leonardo DiCaprio at 2000 iso. Yeah, its that fast.

Check it out

That's 2000 iso, It looks amazing right. No noise. Leo was also there during RED DAY.

Below is a short piece I (Jeremy Ian Thomas) Directed, shot, edited and color timed. It is our pleasure to introduce "The EPIC" to the world. This is the only footage known to man of these prototypes.

This was all shot on the Canon EOS 7D at 3200 iso.

Enjoy

RAWworks and Createasphere

2010-01-22T10:46:00.000-08:00

RAWworks will be doing a live webcast on January 27th with Michael Britt. All about DSLR workflow.

The Createasphere webcast "SLR Video for the Web: The END of Trial and Error" is geared toward photographers who are new to shooting motion and is designed to shortcut the steep learning curve involved in this transition. Participants will be guided through camera setup and how to choose the hardware to achieve the goal of producing a great looking video for the web. This will include lens selection as well as aftermarket products needed for camera stabilization, focus control and improved sound quality. Compression, frame rates, shutter speeds, white balance, and recording codecs will also be discussed. This will be followed by an editing demonstration showing how to optimally get your movie into an editing program and start manipulating scenes. Color correction strategies will be talked about with industry experts followed up by an in-depth look at exporting options and uploading to web hosting services. Hosted by Michael Britt.

Neil Smith and Jeremy Ian Thomas from Hdi RAWworks are going to be my co-hosts for the webcast. They also hosted a Canon Intensive Workshop at the last HD EXPO and will be doing so again at the Entertainment Technology Event February 18th.

Prologue - Sherlock Holmes

2010-01-07T16:35:00.000-08:00

One of the best sites ever MOTIONOGRAPHER has the new Sherlock Holmes Main on ends for public consumption. I haven't seen this and didn't know it was a Guy Ritchie romper. Now i'm excited.

ENJOY

PROLOGUE --- Amazing design studio

Very cool use of EOS technology

2010-01-07T15:48:00.000-08:00

Saw this earlier when this film maker added us as a contact on Vimeo. Great story telling and ingenuity.

AMAZING 3D renders

2010-01-07T15:43:00.000-08:00

Found this on blog that I frequent, Greyscale Gorilla

Incredible 3d renders and camera moves.

The Third & The Seventh from Alex Roman on Vimeo.

And for those that don't think it's 3d

Compositing Breakdown (T&S) from Alex Roman on Vimeo.

Exeter Shot -- Making Of from Alex Roman on Vimeo.

Nick always has the cool stuff!!!

Gallo Canon Filmmakers

2010-01-07T12:36:00.000-08:00

As a Director of Photography Christopher Gallo's work has taken him to more than 70 countries and five continents. He has worked with such talent as Steven Speilberg, Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez. Gallo's work has been exhibited at the most prestigious film festivals (Cannes, Venice and SXSW) and his documentary "JUKEBOX" was archived in the "Rock and Roll Hall of Fame". He currently resides in Venice, CA. and is working on his first feature narrative film with two Canon 7D bodies and Nikon lenses. The film is entitled "Portable Life" and will shoot in Europe,South Africa,Bali,Morocco, Turkey and the States. Plus he's funny as hell.

"I had used the 5d as a b camera on a documentary with my HVX and a Letus and it looked great. When I heard about the 24p on the 7D I started considering it as the b camera for the feature film. The reasons were: it does Pal, it's a 5 man crew, we travel constantly, allows for great stealthy B-roll shots, convenient car mounting and interior vehicle shots as well as the most important reasons....the ability to shoot in low light at a 1200-1600 asa and the ability to shoot with my old school Nikon primes. But the more I shot with it the more I realized that for the budget of this film, what camera in this price range(under 10k), is going to give you these images. The best I could compare it with is the ex-3 which sacrifices the lowlight capability,and low profile but more then anything the ability to shoot with my Nikon Primes.That glass looks stunning. So I started to push to be the first ones in the pool, and the test was on. I contacted Neil Smith and Jeremy Ian Thomas from Rawworks to do the workflow edit and color correct, and David Hays from E-film to do a film out, because the films financing comes out of the Belgium grant system and contractually they have to finish on film. Looked like super 16 and never took away from the story.
We saw the results at efilm and sent them to Holland for a screening for the producers and director and now I am on day 3 of 43 freezing my ass off doing night exteriors in Belgium with 2 canon 7d's. I guess they thought the results were good too. Do these cameras have limitations? Of course they do, all cameras do. The focus is an issue, the smoothness of hand held can be an issue or the shake on a long lens. You need to nail the exposure so you dont get grain while posting, but overall its pretty amazing what is happening and this is just the beginning. I am sure an uncompressed full frame 24,60 or faster will be out next year. Its a game changer."

http://www.canonfilmmakers.com/

- Christopher Gallo
Director of Photography
http://gallodp.com
http://www.vimeo.com/gallodp

Jeremy Ian Thomas
Creative Director
RAWworks

www.hdirawworks.com

hdirawworks.blogspot.com

Super Secret Shoot.

2010-01-05T13:17:00.000-08:00

This Thursday, our team is going to Stargate Studios for a major shoot on a very secret prototype camera.

For those that don't know http://www.stargatefilms.com

Thursday is going to be EPIC!!!

Christopher Gallo gets his FIX.

2010-01-04T14:46:00.000-08:00

Our good friend and super talented cinematographer Christopher Gallo's new movie is making major waves.

The pictures called FIX He DP'd it and his close friend Tao Ruspoli directed it. Oliva Wilde from House fame (she's also in the new Tron Movie) costars as well.

Here's the trailer.

Here's the piece we did with him last month.

Go get em GALLO

Happy New Year

2010-01-04T09:49:00.001-08:00

Happy new year everyone, hope you all had an amazing holiday. 2010 looks to be an amazing year for filmmaking, expect RAWworks to be at the cutting edge of innovation and talent.

The Can-do Film fest is in full effect. make sure to enter and watch to win!!! www.can-dofilmfest.com

Circle of Eight on the strip

2009-12-16T15:22:00.001-08:00

While driving home last night, Jeremy saw this billboard on the corner of Hollywood and Highland. RAWworks was heavily involved in bringing this movie to the public. Neil W. Smith D.I. Supervisor, Jeremy Ian Thomas lead colorist.

Big thanks to our friends at Paramount.

31 day's of Oscar

2009-12-16T14:38:00.001-08:00

Exciting new's here at RAWworks. Jeremy Ian Thomas our creative wiz kid and lead colorist just completed color timing a commercial spot for (TCM) Turner Classic Moves. He worked closely with director Richard Taylor (VFX sup on Tron and Tron Legacy)

The spot is called 31 day's of Oscar http://www.tcm.com/2009/31Days/index.jsp

Here are some of the spot's from past years.

It airs in January.

More news coming soon.

Philip Skywalker

2009-12-13T11:00:00.001-08:00

A Friend of RAWworks and amazing filmmaker, Philip Bloom, lives out a child hood dream from a "Long time ago in a galaxy far, far away"!!!

http://philipbloom.co.uk/2009/12/12/the-tale-of-lucasfilm-skywalker-ranch-red-tails-star-wars-and-canon-dslrs/

kywalker Ranch from Philip Bloom on Vimeo.

FROM Philip's Blog

The problem with email, especially getting several hundred a day, is you miss some. Some more important than others. One email I completely missed was from Rick McCallum. Producer of the Star Wars prequels and many other films and TV shows at Lucasfilm. He said he loved my work and wanted to talk to me about working together on a movie they were making. I missed this email. Not good.

Fortunately they didn’t give up on me. Head of post production Mike Blanchard phoned me up 3 weeks later to see if I could come over and consult about the potential of using video DSLRs for their productions. He called whilst I was shooting so it went to voicemail. I picked it up the next day and thought holy shit! They must have thought I was playing hardball by not replying to Rick. I wasn’t. I am just a bit useless with all the emails!

“Star Wars” has been a part of my life for over 30 years. I saw it as a child when I was 7 and the second film, “The Empire Strikes Back” affected me enormously. I was in tears when I came out of the cinema. My hero…Han Solo, frozen in carbonite taken by Boba Fett! Anyway, I digress…

Of course I phoned Mike back said yes please! 5 days staying at Skywalker Ranch as their guest and showing them how to get the best out of the Canon 5DmkII and the Canon 7D. They also wanted to be shown how to use the EX3, Letus Ultimate and Nanoflash.

So I flew to San Francisco on Saturday last week and drove to the ranch (via Best Buy of course!). What a stunning place. In the middle of nowhere with enormous beautiful natural grounds and complimentary buildings. I was put in the Federico Fellini apartment. Each apartment is named after a famous person. From architects to actors, composers, writers, photographers, filmmakers. The one I was in is the one where Clint Eastwood always stays. Yes, I slept in Clint’s bed!

The first night, knowing the weather was not supposed to be great over the next few days I did some night timelapses using my 7D and 5DmkII. I left them running until 3am when they froze over!

All photos are taken with the Panasonic GF1 with the 20mm F1.7 Pancake lens.

The next day I spent the afternoon filming around the ranch, the morning was a washout but it was dry enough to start. Using my 5DmkII, Miller DS20 Solo tripod, 16-35mm F2.8, 24mm f1.4, 35 f1.4, 50mm f1.2, Shift Tilt f3.5 24mm and my 70-200mm IS f2.8. I also brought with me the new Glidetrack Shooter. Rick asked me to bring it and Alastair from Glidetrack kindly shipped one over to me straight away to take with me. The shooter gives you the ability to do really lovely simple dolly shots without the drag of a full dolly and track set up. I also used both the Fader ND 72mm variable ND filter and 77mm thin Singh-Ray vari-nd on every shot to keep my shutter to double the shooting frame rate for optimum film motion. That means when shooting on the 5d I was at 1/60th and on the 7d I was at 1/50th.

But still the weather was crappy. Very grey overcast day. Everything looked very flat and lifeless which makes it that much harder to make things look beautiful.

The ranch is beautiful and reminds me a little of Scotland mixed with Italy. Rolling hills, horses, cows, a stunning lake and beautiful buildings. It was even cold, very much like Scotland. I left the rushes converting to Pro Res overnight and at 7 in the morning i put together a rough edit to show Rick and Mike at 9am.

I had, at this point, never seen my work projected on a really good projector before so this was going to be a real test of the cameras. Rick and Mike wanted to see how well the footage held up on the big screen. They had shot some stuff and weren’t happy with what they were getting. So they converted my edit into an MXF to play through Avid and I sat down to watch the edit. I was nervous. Never having seen my work on a big screen as good as this, but also George Lucas came in to watch and also the legendary sound designer Ben Burtt. My heart was racing. I watched as the edit played and they loved it. My favourite moment was when the star timelapse came on and Ben Burtt said “Hey, now, hang on!!” This was a very quick ungraded draft edit knocked together from a crappy grey day as a test, not supposed to be shown as an example of my work! Then Quentin Tarantino came in as he was due to talk at a screening of “Inglorious Basterds” and George said to Quentin, come see this. Quentin waxed lyrical, calling it Epic and William Wylersesque and was shocked it was shot on a DSLR. He had no idea you could shoot HD video on them or they were so good. I love George Lucas and Quentin Tarantino, so to have my work screened to them was pretty special to me. Rick, Mike and I also watched some of my other work on the big screen. “Venice’s People”, “San Francisco’s People”, “Cherry Blossom Girl” and “Sofia’s People”. They all looked incredibly good on the big screen. Better than I could ever have imagined. We watched everything in the Stag theatre at the ranch too. Probably one of the best screens in the world. 40 foot screen and it looked incredible.

Mike and Rick were over the moon. They didn’t know how well these cameras would hold up on the big screen and it passed with flying colours. Lots of swear words of incredulity were used!

80% of the footage was shot on the 5DmkII at 30p, then conformed to 23.98p in Cinema tools, effectively causing a slight slowdown but as no sync was used this was fine. All the timelapses were done on the 7D apart from the first star one. Some shots of the mist on the lake were done on the 7D too in 23.98p mode. I found them indistinguishable in the edit. Picture profile was Neutral, sharpness all the way down, contrast all the way down and saturation down one notch on both cameras.

During the day I also went through the cameras with Mike and Rick on how to get the best out of them. Rick has my 7D training dvd so already knew a lot. I went through all the Zacuto gear with him. He particularly was impressed with the Tactical Shooter with Z-Finder. We also used the Marshall monitor and Miller DS20 Solo (and of course the Glidetrack)

The next day we shot with the Sony EX3, Letus Ultimate, relay and Nanoflash recording at 280mbs. Testing out this combination for the big screen too and it also looked pretty good! Although we did a lot less filming with this combo as it was the DSLRs that we really wanted to see how well they stood up.

So why were we shooting with these cameras and why is Lucasfilm’s producer Rick McCallum interested in them?

First off Lucasfilm has been at the forefront of digital technology. They were instrumental in getting a 24p Sony HD camera to use for some shots in Episode 1 of Star Wars and shot episode 2 & 3 entirely digitally. So being ahead of the pack has always been something they do. Pushing the reluctant industry forward kicking and screaming!

Rick and Mike had seen what these cameras were capable of and wanted to really know just how much you could push them. They had seen mine and others work online but really wanted to see how well they performed projected. The joy of these guys is they have a great attitude. If it looks great on the big screen then that is the most important thing. Not codecs, limitations, bit rates etc…all those are very important but the most important thing by far for them is how it actually looks and it passed with flying colours. That is what they really care about.

Talking of flying, that is a big reason why I was there. Lucasfilm had just finished principle photography on “Red Tails”, a WWII film about an African American fighter squadron. They filmed this in Prague and needed to film pick ups early next year. Much of this was going to be intimate in cockpit stuff and flying shots. They shot the movie on the Sony F35 but this is a beast and utterly impractical for the cockpit stuff. Hence the Canon DSLRs. They were also looking at new ways to shoot the much anticipated “Star Wars” live action TV series. So they wanted to see how well the 7D and 5DmkII stood up with this in mind. Not necessarily shooting on these cameras but perhaps the next evolution of them. If only we could connect that Nanoflash up to the 5dmkII or 7D…

Here is the Stag Theatre at Skywalker sound where we saw the films on the 40 foot screen.

On the day I left, Wednesday, I got up at the crack of dawn as I knew it would be really frosty. It paid off. I got some lovely shots of the frost and the mist which meant I could finish the edit properly as I had more footage to complete it. Which I did on the plane home using my 13″ MBP and then graded it using Magic Bullet Looks as well as tidying up the earlier edit and creating the new timelapse from stills.

I will be going back in February to shoot side by side with the F35 and either the 5DmkII (if the firmware is out) or 7D. Do comparison shots and use it for the really small intimate stuff. All very exciting that this little camera will be shooting with the big boys and a great experience for me.

HUGE thanks to Lucasfilm for giving me permission to post this short!

Am hoping to get a red lightsabre in the post for Christmas!

It's Official

2009-12-10T12:19:00.001-08:00

The Can-Do Film Fest 2010 is in full effect. We have some really exciting news that will be announced as soon as possible. Amazing Judges and huge sponsors.

http://can-dofilmfest.com/

A new site is being built as we speak.

STAY TUNED

RAWworks at HDexpo

2009-12-07T15:54:00.000-08:00

CAN-DO Film Festival.

2009-12-06T20:30:00.000-08:00

We we're going to wait to annouce this but the word has gotten out.

http://www.can-dofilmfest.com/

Welcome to the Can-Do Film Festival and Competition.

January 1st 2010 through to March 20th 2010.

Winners announced in mid April 2010.

Submit a short four minutes or less movie shot ONLY on the Canon HD DSLR EOS 1D Mk IV, EOS 5D Mk II or EOS 7D.

The short film can not be any longer than four minutes from start to finish .... if it is one second over the four minute limit it will be removed from the website.

The short movie can be in one of ten different genres:

• Music Video

• Spec Commercial

• TV Show Teaser

• Movie Trailer

• Narrative – drama, sci-fi, horror, humor, romantic comedy

• Documentary – people and places

• Documentary – nature

• Sports Event

• Wedding Event

• Military Services

There will be three separate cross-genre categories:

• Technical Innovation – cool use of EOS technology.

• Creative Inspiration – most unusual movie.

• Overall winner – story plus performance plus camera work plus wow factor!

Canon Inc and RAWworks prizes will be given to the Winners in each of the thirteen categories.

The winning entries will be compiled into a BluRay and projected at major media event in Los Angeles in April.

Strictly NO pornography allowed.

May the best filmmaker win .... let's see you get the most out of the Canon HD DSLR range of cameras.

http://philipbloom.co.uk/2009/12/07/can-do-film-festival-and-competition-really-really-great-prizes/

RAWworks on Vimeo

2009-12-05T18:08:00.000-08:00

FOLLOW RAWworks on Twitter

2009-12-05T17:32:00.000-08:00

Stargate Studios

2009-12-05T16:34:00.000-08:00

Founded in 1989 by Sam Nicholson, a distinguished cinematographer and special visual effects supervisor and producer, Stargate Studios was conceived as a high tech production company offering visual effects and production services to the film and television industries. Today, Stargate has studios in Los Angeles and Vancouver with over 150 artists, supervisors, and producers covering all areas of digital production and visual effects. Stargate Studios provides a turnkey solution to high concept film and television production and is the only independent entity which blends all the available production technologies into one fully integrated, high tech production and editorial service. (see Credit List). In addition to film and HD production, matte painting, 3D, compositing, and editorial services, Stargate Studios offers our innovative Virtual Backlot™ utilizing VB Live (our real time compositing system) and our Virtual Backlot Library, which includes hundreds of photo-real, virtual locations covering 28 major cities from around the world (see Virtual Backlot). To achieve the highest quality of work in an efficient and cost effective way, Stargate Studios is uniquely designed to provide online, real time networking to each artist in NTSC, HD, 2K or 4K. This allows shots to be worked on by multiple artists simultaneously and streamlines production, editorial and film output. Stargate Studios also provides its proprietary online ShotTracker™ system to every project and client, enabling producers, directors, supervisors, and artists an easy-to-use visual tool to track and manage each shot - from pre-viz to final delivery - from any desktop, or laptop, anywhere in the world.

A good friend of RAWworks and a maverick in the 3d world Sam Nicholson is doing some amazing things over at his next generation virtual studio STARGATE.

Untitled from RAWworks on Vimeo.

Here is a link to some of their incredible work.

http://www.stargatefilms.com/page.php?section=4&page=427

Circle of Eight

2009-12-05T12:28:00.000-08:00

http://www.myspace.com/circleof8

Last month we worked closely with some amazing filmmakers to complete Paramounts first digital release Circle of eight. Jeremy Ian Thomas was lead Colorist and Neil W. Smith was DI supervisor.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/television/news/e3i7a4f853fe57e4c0b158af0a77aee094a

December 2009

2009-12-05T12:24:00.000-08:00

It's been a busy few months here at RAWworks, hence the lack of updates to our blog.

With that being said, what an exciting time for filmmaking. We've been on the razors edge of the new technological ground swell in production imaging and post workflows.

As many of you may know Canon's new DSLR camera's have been changing the landscape of image acquisition. Their EOS 5D mark II and EOS 7D digital cameras are making deep impacts in the world of independent and even studio level productions.

Myself and my partner Neil W. Smith have been working closely with Canon and numerous filmmakers to maximize these technologies to enhance the art of visual storytelling.

We've done demo's at the D.G.A and HD expo on how to integrate these and all other imaging formats into a seamless post production pipeline.

More exciting news right around the corner.

Jeremy Ian Thomas

Creative Director

RAWworks

DREAM IN POSSIBLE 2

2009-12-04T17:37:00.000-08:00

Here's a different variation of out RED/Canon intercut.

Dream in Possible 1920x1080 (7D, RED, 5D) from RAWworks on Vimeo.

DREAM IN POSSIBLE

2009-12-04T17:28:00.000-08:00

On Saturday October 3rd, Rodney Charter, ASC and Cristian Luna shot a short movie using the RED ONE, Canon 7D and 5D MkII side by side.

The short film DREAM IN POSSIBLE was shot in one day using all three cameras simultaneously. The short was Written and Directed by Jeremy Ian Thomas.

RAWworks RED/7D/5D intercut demo 1920x1080 from RAWworks on Vimeo.

Canon EOS 7D Film out

2009-12-04T17:26:00.001-08:00

This is a short piece shot by Christopher Gallo, an extremely talented DP here in Los Angeles. He's shooting a feature in Belgium this month and next on the Canon EOS 7D. This clip is some test shot's he handed us here at RAWworks to edit and color time.

The point of this test was to film it out to a 35MM print. David Hays at Efilm oversaw the print. What your watching is the digital version not the print.

We viewed the print today December 3rd 2009 at Efilm.

gallodp.com
efilm.com
hdirawworks.com

Enjoy

Canon EOS 7D FILM OUT from RAWworks on Vimeo.