How to Lens Whack using a DSLR

How to Lens Whack / Free Lens using a DSLR camera 

Lens whacking is the filmmaking method of fully disconnecting your lens from your camera body, and moving it side to side, and backwards and forward from the camera sensor to achieve lens flares and artistic focus. This is because instead of light just entering the camera sensor from through the lens, light is also coming in from behind the lens where you have disconnected it from the body.

If you are lens whacking you are going to want to make sure that the lens you have chosen to use is 50mm focal length or less, any more and your image will be shaky as you will be holding the lens freely in your hand.

The best way to hold your camera and lens whilst doing this trick is to have your camera body in the palm of your left hand, with the bottom of your lens being supported by your fingers. With your right hand you want to hold your thumb over the record button as you normally would, and your fingers covering the gab behind the lens. By doing this you can adjust how much light you are letting into the lens, reducing or increasing the amount of lens flare within the shot.

For the camera settings, you need to make sure your shutter speed is double your frame rate, this is normal to any kind of shooting. Make sure your focus is set to infinity as you will not be needing to adjust focus whilst whacking with the lens.

Below is a lens whacking test that I made to show the effect that you can achieve. You can see the purple lens flares which I made by allowing light to enter from behind the lens, also it turns my Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II lens into a macro lens. The further you pull the lens away from the camera body, the closer you can focus to the subject, this is how I shot this macro video of the beer bottle.



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The Ultimate DSLR Filmmaking Tutorial Video

Fenchel Janisch recently released a 13 minute video tutorial on YouTube containing the best information for a beginner DSLR filmmaker. The video literally has every bit of information needed to get started with DSLR filming, including details about frame rates, ISO, Shutter Speed, Aperture and the depth of field each stop produces, Audio problems and solutions, different focal lengths and their effects such as using tele lenses for sporting close-ups or a wide lens to capture the full sporting arena and colour correction including flat picture styles and post production grading. Tips are also given on how to shoot in low light situations. This video will not make you a DSLR video expert, however it will definitely get you started and on your way to becoming one. I have been a DSLR filmmaker for almost two years now, I received my Canon 600D DSLR just after it was released in the UK. I am aware about how hard they can be to understand the fist time you use them. If you are a first time DSLR user, with a lower end crop sensor DSLR such as the Canon Rebel range 550D, 600D, 650D or the Panasonic Lumix GH2 or GH3 range, this video is definitely one to watch or add to your watch later playlist.

Starscape Timelapse Test Canon DSLR

This is a short starscape time lapse that I produced for a college music video project. I wanted to produce a much longer time lapse to share on my channel, however I liked how this version turned out. We used this 4 second time lapse in our music video. Also it isn't a shooting star going through the sky, it was actually an airplane.

I really did want to produce a longer time lapse to share on the channel, however after a week of attempting most nights, I just couldn't produce it. It was either too cloudy to see the stars, too foggy, or once it was okay, and 20 minutes into the time lapse the clouds appeared ruining the video. I decided that this version worked the best, with the airplane.

I shot this on my Canon 600D/T3i HDSLR with the EF 50mm f/1.8 II prime lens. I shot with a 20 second exposure, with 25 second intervals using Magic Lantern on a 32gb SD card. Auto white balance, and ISO. I left the camera shooting for around 16 minutes.

Equipment used in this video -
Canon 600D / T3i HDSLR
EF 50mm f/1.8 II
Integral ultima pro 32gb SD card
Magic Lantern firmware hack with the built in intervalometer

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Using Vintage Lenses on Canon HDSLRs

Did you know that by using a cheap adapter available from eBay, you could be using vintage lenses on your modern DSLR?

The adapters allows you to use vintage lenses such as 'Chinon' and 'Ensinor' lenses on your Canon DSLR. The adapter simply turns the vintage mount, for example M42 or T-Mount, into the mount needed to attach to your camera. 

One of the vintage lenses that I am using is the Chinon 200mm f/3.5. The videos below shows some shots that I captured using this lens, along with the M42 to EOS adapter on my Canon EOS 600D DSLR.

Another test is using the Ensinor 500mm f/8 Multi Coated mirror lens with my Canon 600D. The colours came out very flat, but with basic colour correction I managed to bring the colours back out.

The M42 to EOS adapters can be found on eBay from £1.85.

To find out more about vintage lenses and their capabilities, visit VintageLensesForVideo.com.
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MicroMuff DSLR Internal Microphone Wind Reduction

Just came across this cheap wind filter for the internal microphones on DSLR cameras whilst searching on eBay. It is simple to attach with the velcro attachment and the results sound fantastic. Whenever I film with my DSLR the wind does always ruin the sound, as at the moment I do not own a decent external microphone. However on the test video comparison below, the results do sound very good. They come in a variety of designs including 'Fat Boy',  'Original' and 'Skinny'. Click here to view the on eBay, with starting prices of £14.99.


                               

Imperfect - Finite Films - Short Film Noir

''When a fashion model is found murdered on his set, photographer Brendan Holloway begins to suspect that his new muse isn't to be trusted.'' 

A truly inspirational, aesthetically pleasing short film by 'Finite Films'. A black and white 'Film Noir' style short with the sub categories of 'Murder and Crime'. It's a very mysterious first person narrated film which follows professional fashion photographer Brendan Holloway as he tries to find a model to be his perfect lady in life. The soundtrack throughout was perfectly composed, with all the elements of 'noir' within it. The cinematography and lighting holds the mystery and identity of the murderer until the end. 

'Film Noir' is a style of filmmaking I am very fond of, and back in 2011 I produced a short film of my own called 'Dime Detective', which you can view on YouTube. 

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Zoom H1, Rode Videomic Pro & Rode Lapel Microphone Wind Tests

Carl from YouTube recently uploaded a video testing three different microphones in windy conditions, with and without the wind muffs for each microphone. He firstly tests the Zoom H1 portable audio recorder plugged into his DSLR camera, with the wind muff on. At certain parts in the test recordings the sound is very clear, however at other points the wind muff doesn't filter out the wind and the dialogue becomes over empowered by the wind noises. Secondly the Rode Videomic Pro is tested, once again plugged straight into the external audio input on the DSLR. From listening to the two tests, with and without the wind muff, I couldn't really hear any difference in audio quality. When the wind muff was on the microphone, the wind noises sounded just the same as it did without the wind muff, so maybe not the best microphone for exterior use like this. Lastly a Rode lapel microphone is tested, and in my opinion sounded the best out of all of the microphones in the video. It may not have the best audio recording quality, but the amount of wind that the lapel microphone filtered out was very good, with and without the wind muff in fact. The lapel microphone was most likely filtering out the wind the best due to it being held closer to the body, however this is the advantage of using a lapel microphone, and is why professional journalists usually use them.

'A Silhouette Story' - Short Film - Best Direction Award

Whenever I see a short film that inspires me in filmmaking, I like to share it on this blog. Here is my latest short film finding, 'A Silhouette Story', a Norwegian short film directed and edited by popular YouTuber 'Andyax'. The films protagonist is a lonely girl who meets a mystical creature in the woods, the creature helps her in life and shows the importance of being 'open minded'. The whole film shows the characters in silhouette form, with hand painted pictures in the background which make the characters stand out nicely. The film was awarded 'Best Direction Award' at 'The Gathering 2012' festival by 'The Karate Kid' director 'Harald Zward'. I think this film definitely deserved to win the reward, and I cannot wait to see more films from this director in the future. There is also a link at the end of this video which takes you to a behind the scenes/ making of video which shows how they achieved the silhouette shots.

Location Scouting for a 'Shane Meadows' inspired short film

We went out today to do a little bit of location scouting for our up and coming 'Shane Meadows' inspired short film. I have watched films such as 'This is England', 'Somers Town', and 'Dead Man's Shoes' all directed by 'Meadows' and the style of the cinematography is something I got a lot of inspiration from for our own short film. The song I used in this video is by 'Gavin Clark and Ted Barnes' and is used in the opening of 'Somers Town' which has similar shots used in my location scouting video shown below. Static wide shots of someone walking is used quite often in 'Meadows' films and this is something I want to incorporate into the short film. So far I have no real idea of the narrative for the short film, all I know is that I want it to be really simple, with minimal acting and dialogue and cinematography. I have people who are willing to help out and act for the film, who can also provide all of their own costumes and props; which are going to be 'skinhead and mod' style clothing such as Doc Marten shoes and Harrington jackets. There is even going to be a 'Vespa' scooter involved and I really want to do a cinematic tracking shot from the back of a car as the scooter goes down the road shown in the image for the first shot in the short film. I will be posting with updates whenever there is anything interesting enough to write about throughout the whole production process of the short film.

For Sale: Lensse MidX Camera Stabiliser - £39.99

I am trying to save up some extra money to purchase a half decent microphone for my DSLR, so I have decided I am going to be selling off some of my unused camera gear. I was going to put things on eBay, but I wasn't too happy with the charges for putting the items up. The first item I have for sale is the 'Lensse MidX Camera Stabiliser'. I got this item around a year ago, and haven't found a use for it, so I decided I would rather have the money from selling it than having it sit around doing nothing. The stabiliser will take most consumer camcorders and smaller DSLRs like the 550D or 600D, however to be on the safe side it will take cameras with the weight of 0.25-0.9kg (0.55-2 lbs). The balance weights which are on the bottom of the stabiliser are included, you get 6 bigger weights and 3 small weights to help balance the stabiliser with different cameras. If anyone wants to purchase this, please say in the comments below, and we can figure something out through PayPal. I am asking for £39.99 with £3.99 postage, this is still £30 cheaper than the ones being sold on eBay. The item is practically brand new, I think I tried using it once when I got the item. It never came with any packaging, so I will be posting it in a jiffy bag or similar packaging. You could find more information about this stabiliser on the Lensse website. Please comment if you have any questions, I will be very happy to answer any the best I can. Also please note I will be sending this item anywhere in England for £3.99, other postage charges can be applied if anyone from Europe want to purchase. The camcorder shown in the image was for demonstration purposes only, it is not included within the price.

Below is a official Lensse video from Vimeo which shows the stabiliser being set up, and then being used.

For Sale: Audio Technica ATR6250 Stereo Condenser Microphone - £19.99

The third item that I have for sale is the Audio Technica ATR6250 stereo condenser microphone which can plug into your camera or computer for audio recording. Included with the sale is the microphone, original battery and 2 spare batteries which I will add in, foam wind reduction filter, short cable (3.5mm stereo  to 3.5mm stereo) for use with your camera or computer and a longer cable (3.5mm stereo to two 3.5mm mono plugs) for use with a boom pole (not included), a mount which allows you to place the microphone to a standard tripod or to add a handheld grip and two 3.5mm (1/8") to 6.3mm (1/4") mono adapters. I am asking for a price of £19.99 with £3.99 postage within the UK for this item. If you check on eBay, this microphone is £44 at the cheapest. However I do not have the original packaging for this microphone or manual. The actual microphone is in great condition though. If you are interested in purchasing this microphone from me, please leave a comment below and we can sort something out through PayPal. This microphone has been produced to a high quality, and feels just like a more expensive microphone. Please note how everything in the image is what you will get, there will be no packaging and no instruction manual, however the manual can be found on-line.

Below is a test on YouTube which shows the audio quality of this microphone compared to a built in camera microphone, as you can hear this microphone reduces a lot of background noise.

For Sale: Revue Pan & Tilt Tripod Head - £9.99

The second item that I have for sale is a 'Revue pan and tilt tripod head'. The item has been used and has a few scratches, however it is working fine. The head has a camera platform with the measurements of 8x6cm which is quite good for bigger camcorders and DSLR cameras. This tripod head does not have the standard tripod connection on the bottom, it actually has a male thread with the measurements of 18mm (1.8cm), see the images for more detail. This item has no packaging, so what you see in the images is what you get with this sale.

I am asking for £9.99 with £2.99 postage within the UK, any other country in Europe will have a different postage charge depending on distance from the UK. The pan and tilt axis both have markings for precise panning and tilting whilst filming. This is a heavy duty tripod head. 

If you are interested in purchasing this item from me, please leave a comment below and we can sort something out through PayPal.

5D Mark III Short Film - 'Copelandia' - Three Tremors

This short film really is evidence to what a low budget and small crew can produce in a short time. The whole thing was filmed on the new Canon 5D Mark III and there was no post colour correction done, so what you see was straight out of the camera, and it looks pretty good in my opinion. I don't want to spoil anything for anyone, but from what I had seen for this short film and all of the pre production stuff, this definitely wasn't what I was expecting. Luke had made a fantastic narrative for this short film, and apparently is a very personal story for him. The cinematography is really good, and the locations that were used helped bring the depth of field into the shots with the mountain ranges in the background which almost look like paintings. The costumes were realistic, apart from the moustaches, however if you watch you'll find out why. The soundtrack was also produced by Luke by his second company, 'One Production Music', and I think it worked well with accompanying the cinematography. If you get a chance, definitely watch the production diaries for this short film, starting from pre production day 1.

Micro Budget Filmmaking - 99p Follow Focus / Focus Assist

The focus ring on my Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II is very small, and with the added addition to the lens hood that I use, it can sometimes be a struggle to actually find the ring to focus quick enough. I was thinking about how I could improve this focus ring without spending any money, when I thought about one of those rubber wristbands which you buy from different charities. The wristband has a perfect diameter for fitting around the focus ring, and almost triples the surface area to focus with. For a quick modification which didn't cost me a penny, I am very happy with how this turned out and will definitely be keeping it on my 50mm lenses focus ring for future use.

The image to the right shows the wristband on my lens. When you focus on the 50mm lens the front element moves in and out depending on what way you focus. I did think that the lens hood which also moves in and out would get stuck when it got to the wristband, however the movement of the front element stops perfectly at the wristband.



I would definitely recommend doing this quick modification on your EF 50mm f/1.8 II prime lens if you have problems focusing. Currently on eBay the rubber wristbands start from only 99p, click here to view them now, you can even get 'Joseph Kony' ones for a little more.. Most people have these wristbands from when they were a craze a few years ago, you will probably find one laying around like I did. Another solution for lenses with bigger focus rings, such as my EF-S 18-135mm zoom is 'Dave Knops' silicone jar opener follow focus, click here to view his YouTube video on it.

Click here to view the $45 lens/ focus shifter campaign on Kickstarter.

Popabrella - Mini Camera Umbrella

I was doing the usual Internet browsing when I came across an image of a man taking a picture with his DSLR camera, the weird thing was that he had a mini umbrella protecting it from the rain. I did some research and found out that this mini umbrella is an actual branded product called 'Popabrella' and they are designed to fit cameras. They come with a bracket which fits to any standard tripod, or the bracket can screw onto the bottom of the camera. I thought this would be a cheap way of weatherproofing my DSLR, however it isn't. The price for this tiny umbrella is around £20, it would be wiser to buy a £2 umbrella from eBay.

As cool as this product looks, I highly doubt I will be getting one, I am sure I can find something more useful for £20 such as a video light or spare battery for my camera.

You can view some of the people selling this item here.

Macro Cinematography and Photography - Cheap Close-up Filter

Macro lenses for DSLRs can be overly priced, and if your on a low budget they just won't do. However an alternative to macro specific lenses are macro close-up filters which screw straight onto the front of your lens threads. The filter basically acts as a magnifying glass which allows you to get closer to your subjects than the lens would go without the filter.

I took a sample photo with the filter. As you can see the focal range is very small, the middle of the 50p coin is in focus, whilst the Olympic logo and the bottom of the coin are out of focus.

Below is a test video I shot using the cheap macro filter with my EF-S 18-135mm lens on my Canon 600D HDSLR camera. As you can see, the results aren't bad, it does allow you to get closer to the subject, however there is a lot of distortion in the images. This is due to the filter being magnified by +8, I should have purchased a +2 to start off with. I think the shot of the watch came out nicely, and is a great example of how these cheap filters do actually work.

The filters can be found on eBay, with prices starting from around £3.

Is £3 still too much? Why not go to a micro-budget and actually use a magnifying glass, watch 'Knoptops' video on YouTube.

Independent Short Film - Dime Detective (2011) - 'Film Noir'

I really want to share a short film that I produced towards the end of 2011, I went for the style of 'Film Noir' and followed the narrative conventions in a different way to usual.

I produced this short film on a budget of under £200, with no funding or financial help from anyone else. This was the first short film I made, but most definitely not the last one.

Cinematography was done by me, so was producing and editing. The story was written by Hyan Thiboutot and I hope to work with him again, as he was a fantastic script writer. The full credits and links can be found in the video description.