Gear - Travel Lean

Lean is good but don’t cut all the fat.  Same with film tools. For leisure international adventures where you want to run and gun, can’t check bags, travel between extreme temperatures within a few days then minimal gear helps.

See the link below to my recent China trip shot with a medium size tripod/mono-pod, two inexpensive canon lenses ($100 each), a Canon T3i and a iPhone 5.  Checking bags was not a option and I wanted gear I wouldn't cry myself to sleep if destroyed.  This isn't production grade but it does show what you can do with a few tricks.

(1) iPod / Iphone / GoPro against glass.  Press the device firm against a car, airplane, train or gondola window…  Excellent for steady truck or dolly type shots.   Clean the glass and your lenses.  Make sure it’s level unless you’re going for a specific effect.

(2) Install Magic Lantern if you use Canon DSLRs.  No need to carry an intervalometer for time laps.

(3) Get a H1 recorder, it’s small and records much better audio then on your camera mic.  You can mount it on a hot shoe or hold it in your hand.  Great for audio samples and recording ambiance.

(4) Use IS lenses (Image Stabilized) it produces smoother hand held shots.  If you have unstable footage consider using the Warp Stabilizer in Adobe Premier or similar program.

(5) Go with a lean compact tripod that dubs as a monopod such as Dolica Proline.  If you don't need tripod features and are ok spending a bit more the Manfroto MVM500A is your friend.  A mono pod can also be used to get camas somewhere you can’t such as eye level with a statue or sign.   The weight is a bit much for to use for selfies in which case a GoPo or Smart Phone is a option for hard to reach shots.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x26vydg_china2014_travel

Business - Why Center Motion

Why center?  Why Center Motion.  Over the years videoagraphers have been dubbed human tripods of weddings.  Sometimes a slider or stedicam is tossed in.   Footage is sliced, diced, sprinkled with effects, spread with savory music and wola! You have a turkey sandwich.  The process repeats, turkey sandwich.  Again, turkey sandwich.  Nothing wrong with turkey but you say hey I like pastrami, grilled cheese, pesto chicken!  What's going on here?

A unique story is cut down to a square peg even though excellent cinematography is used.  It starts with making assumptions and neglecting a rule: What is traditionally perceived as important may not be important and to capture what is important requires getting to the center of each story.  I’ll say it again, what is perceived as traditionally important may not be important to the story.  How does one start to discover what is important?

Focus on parts of the story that matter most to the client.  For example, cutting the cake at weddings, important? Perhaps, but it depends on the couple.  Maybe they would rather emphasize the meal prepared by their five star chef and good friend who introduced them to each other.   Getting to the center of the story will focus filming like a script does in feature film production.

Finally, why motion?  Motion is what cinematographers use to tell their stories though the capture of light.  There you have it Center Motion.  Share a story with the world.