invisionary » Film and Video

Magic that Rocks – CTPA

joe — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 17:55:41 +0000

I’m very excited to have worked my first show at the Columbia Theatre for the Performing Arts – Curtis Adams / Magic that Rocks We did load-in beginning at 8:00 – a single semi with all the lighting and set gear. We had everything hung and ready for focus by about 1:00 PM. The rig consisted primarily of High-End Systems x.Spots, a few Cyberlights and some conventionals (PAR-64, ETC Source4, 8-way audience blinders) Everything was controlled with a Wholehog IPC. We also had a couple of video projects / screens (although there was a minor projection problem with one) It was an incredible show and Curtis Adams and his road crew were very friend, professional and fun to work with. Also, I’d like to thank Kelly Ragsdale for having me. I enjoyed working at CTPA with all their great local stagehands. Looking forward to Cabaret on April 15th! (forgive the crappy pic, I took it with my cellphone!)

Congratulations Beth and Eric

joe — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 01:05:55 +0000

I had the privilege of taking out the 5D Mark II for it’s first full project, the marriage of my friend Beth to her sweetheart Eric. The footage looks incredible and I am now in the process of getting the edit going for their wedding DVD. I’ll post some clips up soon.

In order to make sure I was as prepared as possible, I bought an extra LP-E6 battery, an AC power adapter for the 5D, a 501HDV fluid head for my tripod and an extra 32GB CF card which gave me the ability to shoot nearly 3 hours without missing a thing. Luckily I also had my laptop with me which permitted me to dump the CF card that was full while shooting on the other one. Next up on the list of kit to buy are a couple of good prime lenses, 50/85mm and a good 200-300mm telephoto. I also really need to get a 15mm rail / follow-focus and matte box system. I’m thinking Redrock Micro, when I can afford it. Can’t wait for the next project to use the 5D.

Truth in Light – Final Video

joe — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 22:33:16 +0000

Here is the final edit of Darcie’s video – she’s quite happy with it and I am excited to see her put it to use!

The junkyard portions were shot on a Sony MiniDV camera and the interview portion was done with the new Canon EOS 5D Mark II – edited in Final Cut Pro Studio / color, titles and such done in After Effects / Motion 2. This video was done pretty much on the fly with little or no planning and I think it turned out pretty good. It was really bright at the junkyard that day and it was hard on the MiniDV camera to compensate for this in any way.

The next video I shoot will be done entirely on the 5D Mark II – I hope Canon gets a firmware update out that addresses the manual control issues when shooting video with this camera….

New Gear – Canon 5D Mark II

joe — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 22:28:50 +0000

The Exceptional Canon 5D Mark II

Just picked up the Canon EOS 5D Mark II – after using it for a while I have to say I am very impressed, but I’m also hoping Canon steps up to the plate and provides us with an updated firmware for full manual control in the video features. I’m using this camera now in Darcie’s video to shoot some interview footage. Update: Thanks to Canon for getting us the firmware updates we needed for full manual video control, as well as true 30FPS / 24P video and audio level adjustment. The next thing on my list for this camera: A DSLR camera cage / shoulder kit from Red Rock Micro!

Viddy well!

joe — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 19:21:27 +0000

I’m working with Darcie of Truth in Light photography. We’re putting together a video of her in action for her business. I met her at All American Classics in Vancouver for a photo shoot and shot video of her and her models. We have some more stuff to shoot and the editing is going slowly, but hopefully she’ll like the results. I’ve written some new music for it as well… Pictures from the shoot are here

The Bird Man

joe — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 00:31:47 +0000

I’ve just started doing some animation work for a local indie film guru named James. His project is called “The Bird Man” and he wants to integrate some CGI animation into his live action HD footage. Its up to me to make the bird for the animation, so I’m using 3ds Max to model and animate the little fellow. Currently I’ve started the rough model using editable polys and basic shading. Once thats done I’ll start working on the IK / bones and animation controllers. From there its a matter of texture and paint, lighting and animation. I’ll try to post updates here as I can.

RSGmann’s title sequence test shot

joe — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 02:34:35 +0000

Its been quiet in here for a while. In the past several months we’ve done a lot of test shots and a few CGI composites for various clients, including one test edit for the Volvo / Pirates of the Caribbean giveaway. I haven’t had time to update any videos or clips for quite some time. Heres a sample of a title shot made by RSGmann for an upcoming RSG video title sequence he’s creating:

I’ve finally also got the PC workstation going again to handle all the 3D / heavy lifting chores required by some of our clients.

The Flood – update

joe — Sat, 12 May 2007 17:13:01 +0000

Well, it looks like the title sequence for The Flood is a no go, I sent all the comps off but the client backed out. Too bad, too, because we just got some really good looking renders done of the angry seas. I guess we’ll save them for another project.

STIFF Nights title animation makes its first appearance!

joe — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 19:38:30 +0000

We’re quite pleased to see a bit of our work out in the wild! The 3D title animation we made for STIFF is already showing up in their online trailers. Much thanks to Clint Berquist for letting us contribute this! Enjoy the trailer, and if you can, be sure to attend STIFF in June 2007 I had a copy of the video here but it has since been moved off of YouTube. Check out Stiff’s website for more info.

The Flood

joe — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 16:33:39 +0000

I got an email yesterday from someone looking to do a 3D animation of Noah’s Ark on stormy seas (its a bit more involved than that but out of respect for a possible client, I wont lay them all out here) It sounds like a fun animation to work on and I don’t know if we’ll be doing anything for it. Just in case we get a chance to work on it I’ve started messing with a pre-viz in 3DS Max, and also doing some water tests.

Here’s a small example (water / swells and rain)

If we end up doing this there will also be lightning and of course, the ship, bobbing up and down in those angry seas.