Color Grading and Denoising with FCPX and Avidemux

What do you do to create the best possible image in post?

DSLR cameras like the Canon 5D Mark II are changing the way people look at HD acquisition, but be careful, the camera doesn't do everything. Many people, both professionals and amateurs, buy a 5D to get the "film look". How do I get the "film look" is the lingering question. The 5D is a good basis but it doesn't do it itself! You need a story and many technical stuff, 24 frames per second shooting, good composition, shallow depth of field, professional lighting, camera equipment, prime lenses... The list is bigger but my point today is that one thing is often missing : Color Grading!

Color Grading is an important piece of the puzzle to create the illusive cinematic "film look" with DSLR cameras! I will show you how I have started making minor tweaks to the colors of my images to get clear shots. It is not the perfect way, it is just my own experience and it works for me.

First of all, the Color Grading process begins while shooting! You need to take the creative control of your camera. Grading is when you choose a look for your film. It's better to choose the look in post-production and apply that throughout to get an unified artistic vision. You will have greater flexibility in color grading by shooting flat with the Technicolor Cinestyle picture style. CineStyle works with all Canon DSLRs but it was clearly aimed at perfecting the Canon 5D Mark II specifically. CineStyle optimizes the dynamic range in the image by leveraging the capabilities of the Canon imaging chipset. It is well-known that it helps to maximize shadow details without hurting tonal range. Technicolor CineStyle comes with more noise, but it doesn't matter, you can use a denoiser after the color correction step. Let's continue the process!

The image is not as beautiful coming out of the camera but you will have something far more beautiful at the end of the color grading workflow. I edited my last short films Russian Sandglass and Barely Legal Stories in FCPX and I love the way you can make adjustments to the colors. You have an independent control of the shadows, midtones and highlights during all the process (color balancing, brightness / contrast and saturation adjustments).

Let's go further! What is the best workflow? What is the most efficient way to work with color correction in NLE softwares like FCPX? You know what... here is the perfect resource for you! You probably know the Color Grading Central web site. If not... It's not too late, this is by far the best free tutorial I've ever seen on this subject. It takes only 30 minutes to watch all the videos. If you don't have the time, just watch the 2 following videos. It will make you want to see the complete color grading training.

In the next video Denver Riddle talks about the workflow that top colorists use. It’s important to have an ordered systematic approach to your grading so you don’t get lost and end up making your image look "muddy" because you’ve lost track where you’re at. 

I use the same workflow all the time : setting focus exposure > setting dynamic range > color balancing > shot-to-shot matching > looks building. Technicolor CineStyle helps to get the best dynamic range. You have more latitude when you set the proper exposure correction between 0 and 100 on the waveform scope of each specific shot.

Editing in FCPX is really a good experience but I had many problems to get the best result as possible (clear shots) only with FCPX and Compressor (which is just unusable for me at this time). I have always an Avidemux step in my workflow. Avidemux is an open source project with many cool editing features. For instance, I like to apply my last gama correction in Avidemux with a filter called "Mplayer eq2" and my favorite companion is a filter called "Mplayer Hqdn3d" to remove the noise at the end of the process (very useful with the CineStyle).

I hope it could help make things look better than they really are. Don't hesitate to give your opinion and to share your workflow. What do you do to create the best possible image in post?

Barely Legal Stories - My third short film with the Canon 5D Mark II

"No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment." -  Article 5 of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights

I'm glad to announce that my short film Barely Legal Stories is released. It was filmed in one day with a Canon 5D Mark II and 7 inexperienced actors...

Don't hesitate to like or unlike this film on vimeo or on facebook. Please feel free to leave a comment below, on vimeo or on facebook.

Two lovely couples, two pistols, two ropes... A big pot of money... A duel between two men who do not seem to want to fight each other, but they had not anticipated that their wives would suffer such a fate... Is it a joke? Are their wives really attached to the ropes? They don't know but they are afraid of what could happen to them...

(Full HD is available on vimeo) 

Deux beaux couples, deux pistolets, deux cordes... Un gros magot... Un duel entre deux hommes qui ne semblent pas vouloir se battre mais qui n'avaient pas prévu que leurs femmes subiraient un tel sort... Est-ce une blague? Sont-elles vraiment attachées aux cordes? Ils ne savent pas mais ils ont peur de ce qu'il pourrait leur arriver...

This film is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike License (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0).

CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 : Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/

Interview with DSLR filmmaker Mike Buonaiuto

Sometimes, the best way to talk about what you do is to talk about what others do. The rise of DSLRs has caught the attention of both young and professional filmmakers. I've been following several DSLR filmmakers since the beginning of my blog and one of them is particularly talented.

I'm excited to share the interview I did yesterday with Mike Buonaiuto because we have a lot in common in the way we approach the filmmaking world. I think that this interview could really be interesting for aspiring young filmmakers and for those from all over the world in attempt to take their first crucial step into the film business.

JM: Hi Mike - Who are you?

MB: Hey - I'm a Director and Filmmaker from the UK who loves entertaining people. I produce Promo Films, Shorts, Commercials, Virals, Event Vids. I'm also Ex-Journalist & Automotive PR

JM: How did you hear about this blog?

MB: I heard about your Cinema blog through Twitter - it's awesome :)

JM: Thanks a lot - How did you start making videos for the web and why? What got you interested in it?

MB: I trained as a television journalist as I loved using film to tell a story. I then moved into PR, started filming and editing films for clients such as Citroen and Alfa Romeo - I then discovered Canon and HDSLR and was hooked!

JM: What's your day job?

MB: I'm Head of Production at Winchester based Creative Video Agency, Reko.Tv - and love it :)

JM: Do you have special education? I have personally learned a lot about the filmmaking industry by reading books, listening podcasts and browsing the internet. What about you? Did you take courses to learn filmmaking?

MB: I always learn about new filmmaking techniques and styles by networking on Twitter and browsing filmmaking blogs. I also learnt alot by working with clients and finding out what kind of material they want. And also I official trained at Bournemouth University in Multimedia Journalism specialising in television.

JM: What is your favorite book about filmmaking and your favorite podcast show?

MB: My favourite resource for filmmaking is either shortoftheweek.com for inspiration and nofilmschool.com for tips and techniques. These guys are so on the money it's ridiculous.

JM: Who are your big influences?

MB: Too many to mention. Phillip Bloom's incredible and such a lovely guy. I get a lot of inspiration through music too - which I guess was my first creative interest as I used to write songs and play piano.

JM: What equipment and software do you use?

MB: I shoot on Canon 5D mk2, 7D and 60D - variety of lens - love shooting on prime lens - much better quality.

JM: It seems that we are both doing our best to try to be visible on the Internet… Be visible! Was it the reason to create such great short films like Vedova and Jouet?

MB: Thanks. Vedova and Jouet are both projects where I let my creativity run wild and shoot something I really want to make. I want to make people think when they watch my films - which are more like poems than movies. I do use short-films together with social networking to promote my work online and it's great that people are have been showing a serious interest in them.

JM: Let's talking about your last short film Vedova… How many pre-production days? Did you storyboard? How much filming and editing? Did it cost you anything? How did you find the crew?

MB: Vedova was born out of an idea I had in a split second when I heard the piece of music used throughout the film. It was then 2 weeks of intensive pre-production, storyboarding, soundtrack composing, sourcing the cast, the crew, props, costumes and location (which was incredibly difficult as you try shooting a gothic, grim funeral in a religious location! It's difficult to get people to say yes.) I almost secured Guildford Cathedral which was used in the film The Omen. Unfortunately that ended up not happening - but Farnham Castle worked so so well - I'm so happy with it. The film cost about £200 including paying my cast, something I always try to do and paying for the location use for the day. After it was edited and graded I then set to work publicising it online, using my contacts on Vimeo to get it featured on channels, blogs and websites. and so far the response has been amazing - which I'm really thankful for. 1000 views in just 1 week online - awesome!

JM: What is your favorite part : directing actors or directing the story?

MB: I love directing - love it - there is nothing better - the whole point I do this is because I enjoy talking to people. It's surprisingly how many people who work in film and video industry who bury themselves in the technology and have poor communication skills - it's ridiculous!

JM: What is your opinion about the DSLR revolution?

MB: DSLRs have put the power of filmmaking in the hands of people who don't have £20,000 to shell out on some cool equipment. It has allowed me to produce cinematic quality films for online viewing, energise my creativity, and promote my work. Generally it's been the key I needed to jump between journalism and news to narratives and films. But I'm always looking for that next big thing and there are some big contenders coming up to steal Canon's crown.

JM: What advice would you give someone who is interested in filmmaking and wants to learn how to become an award-winning director?

MB: Don't make films to win awards... you'll only end up upsetting yourself. Instead make films you want to make and develop your own style and voice. Get used to being turned down (because you'll get it a lot in this business.) Learn to be thick-skinned, work-hard, learn as much as your can about new shooting techniques and always read about the online world of distributing film and video. The best way to learn is to do it, make mistakes and be proud of your work.

JM: Totally agree - What's the most challenging aspect of DSLR cinema for you? What's the best part of it?

MB: The most challenging aspect of DSLR cinema for me was rethinking how you shoot film. Regular film cameras have so many automatic settings and features that you can soon forget what ISO, F-stops or even what exposure actually means. But that's the most rewarding part, getting back in touch with the simple techniques that bring a picture to the screen and harnessing that power to convey whatever message or emotion you want.

JM: Do you plan to make your own feature film? When?

MB: I think the next longer film project for me will be a return to my journalistic roots, getting to grips with a really good documentary. Although I'm such a hard critic of my own work anything feature-length will most likely take years to make! haha

JM: Maybe we could work together one day. Why not? London is not so far… In my next short film, french actors will speak english… In fact, some of them will speak Franglish… Do you think that such a film could work in your country or is it a waste of time for us to do that?

MB: It's a really interesting concept and often playing with language isn't done on screen so it's something quite original too. There are lots of French speaking blog and websites which loved an English filmmaker embracning a French title for his work (Jouet) so I guess if you work hard and find the right people you will develop an audience for it. I like the idea a lot. What's the story?

JM: Be patient Mike ;-) This short film will probably be the subject of my next message...

JM: Thank you Mike!

I hope it will help. You can find Mike Buonaiuto (Reko TV) on his website and you can follow him on Twitter.

A new dream - Putting a DSLR in my pocket like a GoPro HD

This blog is dedicated to DSLR cinema and low budget filmmaking. Technology is important but it isn't the camera that makes the film, it is the filmmaker! Whatever the tool you use, the most important thing is by far the story. It becomes more and more true, because video technology available today makes shooting everywhere easier and cheaper than ever. 

The DSLR cameras are probably the less expensive professional digital cameras that allow you to put the film on the theatre screen. The 5D and also the 7D are well known to be incredibly good on the big screen. Today, I would like to go further and show that it's possible to make a film that looks professional even if you use a video camera smaller than a soda can and 10 times less expensive than the Canon 5D Mark II.

Let's focus on the GoPro HD cameras. These cameras are often used by people who have high-danger sports activities like ice climbing, motor cross, snowboarding and surfing… The GoPro Digital camera is perfect to capture exhilarating moments, but it also opens a different way for creativity and original ideas. In other words, it brings a new way to tell stories. GoPro cameras are great toys!

I can tell you that this GoPro camera was not designed for professional filmmakers, but you can really get a professional result. You don't have any flexibility! You can't define your own shooting settings! It is fully-automatic. The focal length is fixed. The lens aperture is fixed (f/2.8 is a good choice most of the time). The camera needs a lot of light to give a nice result. That said, I think these 4 videos are awesome enough to show that you can get a professional result with a GoPro HD Camera. If you know the limitations of the camera and do not expect it to do something it wasn't designed to do then you will have a wonderful time with this toy. You can also use a GoPro to complement the footage you take with more sophisticated cameras.

GoPro is an incredible tool that allows filmmakers to tell stories in a different way, with amazing point of views. It really puts viewers in a unique perspective : in a green bucket, on a hoop… On top of that, the GoPro camera is so small that nobody knows that you are making a full HD video… It's easy to make a video with kids who are having a great time and you can always keep it in your pocket.

The most interesting thing about this camera is the risks you are able to take that you would never consider with more expensive gear. You can put a GoPro on the ground and let a several hundred kilos object fall directly on top of it (just next to it). The GoPro won't get a scratch!

I'm personally excited. Professional adoption of GoPro cameras has not been as fast as for example the Canon 5D Mark II, but there is a lot of professional value in these cameras. Well, it's like the early days of HDV. Now I dream about a mix of both the 5D Mark II and the GoPro HD! In my opinion, DSLR and GoPro cameras bring their own cinema style. I would love to be able to put my 5D in my pocket. This is just a dream, one more for this summer...

The motivation to write this article came from a couple of videos I saw recently that just screamed at me to share them. Thank you Betty Wants In, FKY, Paul Kroeker, and Reel Story Films.

TAGs Button - An idea for the DSLR cameras manufacturers?

I tried to go to bed tonight and I failed... It's hot! I just lay there and I couldn't sleep. I tried to count the cows in my head. I tried to count the stars through the window. I tried to remember my 2 weeks trip in Peru 3 years ago. But, it didn't work. Sometimes, it's just impossible to sleep...

So, I was watching for the second time the Machu Picchu centenary celebrations, and was asking myself why I took so many pictures of the Machu Picchu during my trip... All I need is one or two and I have thousands pictures. The answer is probably that I wanted THE perfect picture of THE perfect moment, and I always keep everything to be sure to have the choice. I prefer to waste my time watching every footage in front of my computer, even if sometimes I know immediately which one will probably be the best. I have the same behavior when I shoot a film. Then I found an idea that seemed good enough to make me write this message (for PROs and no-PROs).

Eureka! A TAGs button! Canon... I need a TAGs button... I would like a TAGs button on my 5D for videos but also for images. I think that it would be quite simple to put such a button on the bodies of the next generation cameras and it would help people win time everyday...

How could this TAGs button work? I don't know exactly but here is the idea...

When you press the button and keep it pressed, the camera records your voice and creates an audio file next to the last file you created. For instance, the audio file will be named "001.MP3" if my last recorded video is named "001.MOV". If you want to tag a video which is already tagged, the additional content is appended to the beginning of the audio file. When you play and see your footage on the camera, you can also press TAGs to add tags afterward. If you want to create a tag before recording, it should also be possible to do that by pushing the button 2 times very quickly.

In my opinion, TAGs are useful if you want to do a quick overview on the camera and if you want to focus on what you think is the best, and I'm sure that I don't need to convince you about the interest of TAGs and keywords in the NLE softwares like FCP...

Cameras may provide drivers to make it work on computers, a TAGs decoder which would be a simple speech-to-text analysis. We only need a simple speech-to-text mechanism because manufacturers could recommend to use intelligible words. We don't need complicated things. Let's take a simple example. I have 3 shots of my next feature film's first scene. The first one is NOT GOOD, the second one is MAYBE GOOD, the third one is PERFECT. I have 3 tags here and I think that there is nothing more easier than to say NOT GOOD, MAYBE GOOD, or PERFECT just after recording. I could take many more examples but you get the idea.

I hope you like this idea, don't hesitate to say me what you think about that... It might exists... Maybe the Magic Lantern open source firmware has already a cheatsheet like this somewhere… And finally, help me to share this idea if you like it because I'm really interested to know if it could help many people.

Now I'm tired, it's time to go to bed...

Final Cut Pro X - The way to go for DSLR editing?

What to say about FCPX the revolutionary version of the Apple editing software? Is FCPX a revolution in editing for indie filmmakers, or did Apple fail to live up to their promises for the program? The internet has quickly been awash with first thoughts, opinions, angry rants and overexcited tweets. I took the time to use FCPX for a while before writing this message. There are so many different opinions on the internet that it's hard to know where the truth is. I'm amazed at how many people complain without knowing anything. I wanted to make my own opinion before to say something. 

FCPX has an exciting potential but it seems to be useless for many professional users. There’s a lot of passion on both sides. And both sides have some truth behind them. I do not want to get into the debate. I just want to share my experience, both the good and the bad. If you want to get into the debate or if you want more information about that, here are the best messages that I found on the internet :

• Shmuel Hoffman's
• Larry Jordan 1
• Larry Jordan 2
• Philip Bloom
• Philip Hodgetts

I purchased FCPX the day of its release and I enjoy it. It has many good things to recommend it. The user experience is really simple and everything in FCPX is designed to get a result as quickly as possible. It was fun at first being able to immediately import my 5D footage and edit with no delay, without worrying about codecs.

I quickly had a problem with stability. So, I decided to disable the background rendering (which is enabled by default) and it has changed my life. This option should be disabled by default because the platform is not stable and the software is unusable for a project that contains at least 20 minutes in the timeline. When you disable this option, you have a fast editing software that works really nice. I will probably like the background rendering in the future, but I can wait for a more stable version... Without this option, the performance of FCPX is incredible.

There's native H.264 support, and the auto transcoding, image correction and stabilization tools are all designed to help you get your footage looking more professional more quickly. Even with your 5D H.264 footage, you can apply color grades, crop, scale, and rotate all in real time and it's really impressive. In FCPX, you can add and delete filters and immediately play the result with no rendering.

FCPX is not stable and there are a lot of bugs but it works and it works well once you get rolling on it. And it will only get better as Apple provides updates and plugins become available. Don't forget that FCPX is distributed via the App Store, they can update the program much more frequently than when it was sold as a package on DVD. I hope that they will release quickly the first updates. FCP7 plugins don't work in FCPX and it is really a problem for many of us, but new promising plugins are coming for FCPX : CrumplePop Lumineux, Pomfort DSLRLog2Video FxPlug.

To be honest, the major issue I encountered during my last short film editing was due to the Technicolor CineStyle picture style. First of all, I wanted to put the CineStyle LUT table in FCPX but someone answered me : "no LUT table in FCPX", "no calibrated monitoring in FCPX". Since the release of my short film, a new free FCPX plugin called Pomfort DSLRLog2Video FxPlug has come. It transforms the "flat" gamma curve of material to a Rec709 gamma curve and it is intended to be used for material recorded in Technicolor's CineStyle image style for Canon DLSRs.

The other issue with the Technicolor CineStyle profile was different. Most of you probably know that Technicolor CineStyle comes with more noise and it is recommended to use a denoiser after the color correction step. No matter, there is a denoiser in Compressor X... but... It doesn't work! I really like FCPX and I believe in its future, but there are many missing features, and the open source project Avidemux saved me one more time. The Avidemux filter called "MPlayer Denoise 3D" is still my favorite companion when I use the Technicolor CineStyle picture style. I like to use the CineStyle profile with my Canon 5D Mark II because for me this is the way to get the best quality in post. I like to shoot with only just available lighting and the CineStyle profile helps to get the best dynamic range, especially in low light conditions. I can't figure it out why the Compressor X denoiser doesn't work. I could tolerate a bug but it simply does not do anything if you enable it. It is irritating me!

This is the only unsurmountable problem I had in FCPX. I think that FCPX is designed to provide a feature set for professionals but it is not ready, not yet... In my opinion, FCPX is not professional actually, mainly because there are too many bugs. I lost my work 2 times because FCPX blocked my mac. How is it possible? I know how it is difficult to make a software but I don't know how it is possible to release a software with that kind of bugs. I think that there weren't any tests for everything. For instance, the text inspector is really unusable, the Compressor X denoiser isn't functional, and it is not really possible to use Compressor X in FCPX. They should have wait before releasing the first version...

The most frequently reported problem for FCPX is that it is not compatible with FCP7. On one hand I can understand why people want this compatibility, but on the other hand let's be honest :

• Apple had warned in april 2011 : We would like to make the revolution possible and we will call it X for 10 because we move on... 10 after 7 means that we break the architecture.
• In April 2011, many people said that iMovie'11 was the way to go to be able to finish a new project in FCPX. I talked about that a few months ago in this message.
• If I start a project in FCP7, I can finish it in FCP7... I'm not sure to understand what is the real problem for that?
• If my project made with FCP7 is released... Do I really want to migrate to FCPX for this project? Maybe, but just for fun...
• If I start a new project, I can start directly in FCPX...

So, I entered into the debate which escalated into an angry exchange in many forums. I don't want to go further because I'm not an Apple addict or an Apple employee, but I just want to show that after spending a few hours learning how to deals with the bugs, FCPX has been a great experience for me, and finally a wonderful time-saver.

I really hope more people will give it a try. Trust me, it works. Many people said FCPX is not a professional editing solution, maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but I think that it will change in less than one year... I have read somewhere that FCPX is ten steps forward and three steps back. I agree with that. I made the choice to believe in FCPX and in its future, and I think that FCPX is the way to go for DSLR filmmakers...

Russian Sandglass - My second short film with the Canon 5D Mark II

"Do not do to others what would anger you if done to you by others." - Isocrates 

JiM : "I'm walking alone on a place, my heart beats, time flies... I have a few seconds to die or choose who must die for me. If your whole lifetime was suddenly contained into a sandglass, what would you do? I made my choice..."

I'm glad to announce that my short film Russian Sandglass is released. I did everything with 2 friends of mine Jean-Marie and Samuel. I have shot with my Canon DSLR camera (5D Mark II) and 2 lenses : the Zeiss ZE 50mm f/1.4 Planar, and the Zeiss ZE 85mm f/1.4 Planar.

Don't hesitate to give us a feedback on the facebook page of the short film, if you like it, if you don't like it, or if you want to suggest something...

(Full HD is available on Vimeo)

Russian Sandglass from Jonathan Musset on Vimeo.

This film is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License (CC BY-SA 3.0). You can redistribute the film freely, do as many copies as you want. The license allows one to share and create derivative works, even for commercial use, so long as attribution is given. The derivative work must also be available under the CC BY-SA license.

CC BY-SA 3.0 : Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

A journey in Nantes

I think that most of you don't know the city where I live. Nantes is one of major cultural, artistic, and creative pole in France and I just wanted to show you a new short film about the metropole. It was directed by Gaëtan Chataigner, and I'm really glad to see the city of my heart in such a nice video.

Le voyage à Nantes would like to make you discover the scattered monuments of the city in one single tour that makes of Nantes a sought-after destination, as a city of art and culture.

Please see this website for more details.

Most of the French film industry takes place in Paris, but hopefully, things move in other cities... Promising!

Prime Lenses - Tell the story more powerfully

When people say that DSLR cameras provide a strong cinematic look, they are often referring to the nice shallow depth of field that those cameras give. The best way to get a nice shallow depth of field is by using a lens with a big aperture (lower than f/2.8). One of the most important advantages of DSLR cameras is the possibility of changing lenses. A lens may be permanently fixed to a camera, or it may be interchangeable with lenses of different focal lengths, apertures, and other properties. Big aperture comes from fast lenses, and if you're on a budget, primes are the way to go. Lens with big aperture are always costly and it is not affordable for everyone. 

Fast zooms are more expensive : the more range you try to put in a zoom lens, the more compromises you must make, you lose quality in order to get range, or you spend a lot more money to keep the quality. Beginners often have only a kit with a DSLR body and a zoom lens. If you work on a short film or on a feature film, and if you ask me what lens you should buy with your DSLR camera, then my answer is in fact not to buy just one lens. You can also consider to rent a set of lenses. My answer would be different if you work on a documentary, because you could seek a wide-range zoom to duplicate what you could do and shoot very quickly.

Fast prime lenses are big and heavy if you have to take more than 3 of them at a time, but you need them to be able to focus on a person and leave the background, and also the foreground, blurry. Remember that you often need to do that to define a good composition of your shot. Fast lenses need less exposure time or can shoot in lower light, and I like to shoot at night. I like night life and night landscapes. So, I need fast lenses for those really dark scenes (indoors and outdoors). Most of my next short film will be shot at night.

I shoot with the Canon 5D mark II, and I carry all the time :

• The Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM, this is my travel/walk-around zoom lens and my short focal length lens, it has an image stabilizer which can be useful, but it is quickly limited in low light conditions
• Zeiss Planar T* 50mm f/1.4 ZE, this is the lens I use most of the time on my productions : long shots, medium shots, point of view shots, two shots, over the shoulder shots, american shots
• Zeiss Planar T* 85mm f/1.4 ZE :  this is my best portrait lens, it shoots most of my best footage, sometimes for medium shots, and at least 90 per cent of my close-up

The Zeiss 50mm is my "normal" human eye lens. No lens sees what the eye can see, but the "normal" lens serves as a constant. On one side of this norm there are the "wide-angle" lenses, which have a greater depth of field, and on the other, there are the "long" lenses, which compress space.

DSLR lenses by Carl Zeiss are robust, offer a high aperture speed, and feature an especially harmonious rendering of the out-of-focus area. Zeiss lenses are my favorite in low light conditions, and I think that it is a reasonable alternative for getting started in this business. 

During the NAB Show in Las Vegas, Carl Zeiss introduced an attractive bundled lens set offer for its SLR lenses. The set contains the following lenses with EF bayonet (ZE) : Distagon T* 2,8/21, Distagon T* 2/28, Distagon T* 2/35, Planar T* 1,4/50 and Planar T* 1,4/85... (FYI, in another price category, Carl Zeiss is also adding a new chapter to its Compact Prime CP.2 success story)

If you like Carl Zeiss products and if you have a budget, you should also consider to rent a Zeiss G.O lens set for your independent cinema production. A few months ago, the french cinematographer Crystel Fournier used the Zeiss G.O series with several Canon 7D to shoot the feature film Tomboy.

Finally, I would say that lenses can help to tell the story more powerfully. Keep in mind that the use of various lenses is one of the most important piece of the filmmaking puzzle because it enhances creativity.

Technicolor CineStyle - My tests with a Canon 5D Mark II

It's been several weeks since I've tried using the new Technicolor CineStyle. I wanted to make a comparison between this new picture style and the others. Picture styles bring the ability to shoot in the colors of your choice. Most experienced DSLR experts recommend using a flat picture style to get more control during post-production. If you choose a specific look before shooting and if you later decide that you don't like the chosen picture style, it will be really difficult to change it afterwards. 

Wikipedia defines color grading as “the process of altering and enhancing the color of a motion picture or television image, either electronically, photo-chemically or digitally”. In other words, Grading is when you choose a look for your film. It's better to choose the look in post-production and apply that throughout to get an unified artistic vision. So, you will have greater flexibility in color grading by shooting flat. Do not get me wrong, greater flexibility doesn't mean systematically greater quality. Other picture styles can also bring the same quality in post. It depends of what you want to do, what style you are following. Don't shoot flat if you don't have enough time in post-production. Remember that you can't ignore the color correction step if you shoot flat with the Technicolor CineStyle. On the other hand, in my opinion, if you have a cinema project, you should shoot flat.

Well, on Wednesday, I was shooting in Nantes with my friend Tug, and I decided to make a few pictures to test the new Technicolor Cinestyle.

(Place Saint-Pierre - Quick color correction)

(Château - Quick color correction)

(Palais de justice - Quick color correction)

CineStyle works with all Canon DSLRs but it was clearly aimed at perfecting the Canon 5D Mark II specifically. CineStyle optimizes the dynamic range in the image by leveraging the capabilities of the Canon imaging chipset. It is well-known that it helps to maximize shadow details without hurting tonal range.

So, I chose the castle of Nantes to make my benchmark and I wanted to show two things :

• The Technicolor CineStyle helps to maximize shadow details in low light conditions
• If shadow details don't matter, you can get more or less the same image quality in low light conditions after color grading whatever the picture style (so it's better to shoot flat because you can decide in post what is important or not)

The following pictures were shot in low light conditions with a 35mm lens, at f/2, 1/30 and 1250 ISO. Here is the default image I wanted to have for each picture style after color grading.

Let's make the comparison. The left column contains the shots with the different picture styles. The right column contains the graded pictures. All the pictures of the right column are more or less the same.

If you look very precisely the left pictures, the CineStyle picture is the one where you can see the most details in the dark.

The CineStyle shot

The CineStyle shot with the default color correction

The CineStyle shot with another color correction setting

The last picture is not really my favorite one but this is an example of what you can do in post if you need to highlight the details on the grass of the Castle. The Marvels Cine picture style allows also to get a good level of details on the grass, but the others don't, because the grass is too dark (since shooting).

Here is a short comparison between the Technicolor CineStyle and the Marvels Cine picture styles.

And if you want to learn from the masters :

• Vincent Laforet
• Philip Bloom

To be continued...

Color correction for pictures in Canon DPP

Open Source color correction for videos in Avidemux

... and maybe color correction in Final Cut Pro X...