Vincent Cortez - Reel 2 - Steadicam and Music

Here is a reel that features Steadicam/Camera Operation as well as some of my work as a soundtrack/music composer. It's funny to make one reel that encompasses both of those skill-sets/jobs but I thought that the visuals and music went well together. Enjoy and contact me if you have any questions.

HomeMade Gear: Light Stand/Accessory Cart

 
Being organized on a set can help things run smoothly. If equipment is scattered everywhere, especially light stands, you can run into trouble: things can slow down, setups become searches for gear, people can get hurt, location's can get messed up, etc.

This Cart was built for nothing, but has been very useful in keeping things isolated and organized. My father was getting rid of an old shelf that had been sitting in a backroom for a while. The best thing is that it is made of real wood and it is sturdy. It was the ideal height for my light stands and had enough room to fit plenty; it also has a divider in the middle for other accessories.

I first modified the shelf by cutting squares at one end of the shelf (if it were sitting vertically) while keeping the support/structure intact. Then, I cut another piece of old shelving (from a pile of scrap wood) to create the middle and bottom brace. A few tough screws and a drill gun, and everything was done. For now, I have placed it on a furniture dolly (which I already own; though they are roughly $10 - $20 depending where you look) to maneuver it around easier.

The picture above shows four light stands (two bare and two with heads/arms) but it could fit about two more. Across the divider rests gel frames and a few rolls of gels.

I could still potentially add handles to the sides and even rubber "caster" styled, swivel wheels for off road and rougher terrain.But so far, so good.

HomeMade Gear: The Cortez SoftKick

 I was actually tweaking with a really old small light housing and harness for a few years now; the light itself seemed to be a 100W flood light that was for news studio production. For the longest time I could not get "News Light" to work properly. When we finally sliced and diced its power supply and got it up and running, we realized three things: (1) The light itself needed to be plugged in to some type of power grid, that (A) I wasn't willing to buy and (B) why the hell would I buy it. (2) The lamp is this thin 100W lamp that is not even made anymore nor is there a manufactured equivalent. (3) The only thing of real value in the "News Light" was the light housing assembly itself (shape of the housing, the reflective - textured aluminum inner housing, bracket for mounting to stands).

Fast forward a few years later, and here I am looking to add another light that I can have some decent control over to my collection. On a few projects recently I have been using standard clamp on lighting (can be found at Home Depot; uses standard screw-in bulbs of varying wattage) to add variation or 'kick' here or there on an object or person. I won't go into to much technical detail because I think Scott explains it really well HERE.

Store bought CLAMP ON LIGHT (socket, clamp and housing) reference:

The lights themselves are handy. But the drawbacks for me have been: the inner reflector, I feel is very harsh and the clamp mount assembly can occasionally be annoying and flimsy.

I basically took apart the clamp housing and reflector, took the bare socket and cable, did some very minor drilling and cutting on the New Light housing, then transferred the clamp-on harness and secured it into the News Light housing.

NEWS LIGHT HOUSING with high rated internal socket and cable from the CLAMP LIGHT referenced above:

I put in a Reveal 60W G&E bulb (fairly inexpensive with a 'cooler' color temperature) and I am very happy with the results. The aluminum textured inner coating creates a softened yet even light. It is perfect for a slightly off camera rim light or kicker and it can mount to my light stands and adjusts easily. It is secured and functions like I hoped; I'll use it in whatever I work on next. Stay tuned!

UPDATE:
I've been using the 60W CFL light bulbs with a 5.5K color temperature and it works great as rim light and even a soft fill light.

Me and the Little-Camera-That-Could

Say hello to my little friend...  the Canon HV20.

To date, this camera has shot 3 short films (soon to be 4), two feature length films, one music video and at least 20+ hours of family occasions (including the first five or so minutes of my daughter's life). This camera has earned a spot in a bullet proof housing which will rest in my office like a retired fighter plane in an air museum.

A bare bones Canon HV20. Image from CamcorderInfo.com

The Canon HV20 was released in 2007, I purchased one not long after it launched because some investigating sparked excitement in my "gear" head. When brand new it cost around 1,000 bucks in Kit form (wide angle adapter, extra battery and bag). It shot to tape (which compresses and loses quality) when the market for HDV was emerging. But even shooting to tape, the results where promising at that time: the camera was not very "noisey" if you played with the electronic controls/settings. I would use it to shoot one short film, both as a filmmaking exercise and camera test. I was already thinking about tackling a feature and if this camera gave me something I hoped for, she would be the lucky one.

As it turns out, I was quite happy with the results this little champ mustered out. A 1/2 inch CMOS and 24P shooting (3:2 removal required) were great attributes. As time progressed I learned more tricks to gain some more control over the image (eg. the "block-to-wide-open" trick to get a 1/48ths Shutter in Cine Gamma mode).

I already liked the performance of the bare camera, but I would soon add accessories and rails while maintaining mobility and speed. It allowed me two shoot in a familiar style.  The real magic happened in two ways:

The Letus Mini 35 minus lens of your choice. Image from LetusDirect.com

1.) The Letus Mini 35mm lens adapter would give me the Depth-of-Field I had been searching for; something that I had long yearned to have in video since my earliest adventures in movie-making. When I was 8 years old my Uncle Raul gave me a really cool camera body (which I still have) that I could hook up to a VCR to record it's video signal. The coolest thing was that this camera had a really sweet lens that had macro functions and some manual focus control. So now, I would have an HD image and some filmic depth of field. The next step would be finding good deals on great lenses.

Screengrab from an initial lens adaptor shooting test. Image by VC.

Intensity Pro minus a tower & connected HDMI cable. Image from BlackMagic-Design.com

2.) The Black Magic Intensity Pro capture card which allowed for HDMI direct capture directly onto your computers hard drive. It would send out an uncompressed HD signal that I could capture with plenty of visual slack to tweek color and decrease digital artifacts.

Shooting at night.

WARNING: There were certain requirements for shooting with this Canon HV20/Letus Rig. Already considering a single sensor camera does not handle low light very well, the lens adapter only added to lost light. To put it simply, you had to overlight in many circumstances.  

ALSO: The fact that Canon would not allow you to adjust the shutter, iris and gain both individually and independently sucks. I mean, even if we had to do it electronically that would have been earth-shattering; but NO, they don't want to kill their own business (understandable to a point).

BUT if you spent enough time toying and testing this thing, you could find a way to find the ideal (sometimes just acceptable) setting(s). It was sometimes a fight, like give and take, with this camera; however, if I could walk away satisfied with the imagery, then it would feel like a win.

CAMERA BREAKDOWN

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 The camera package in it's entirety can fit in to one sturdy, medium sized case.

A.) HV20 and it's accessories: 3 batteries, the fast charger, Bag, Cables, Wide Angle Adapter, lens cleaner, LCD hood and HDV tapes.

B.) The Lens adapter and a padded foam and a few pairs of AA batteries. As well as a rail system with lens supporter and base plate.

C.) 3 Lenses in their own protective bags/pouches (30, 50 and 85mm) as well as various sets of filters.

"Look how much space I don't take up..."

 I heavily enjoy being mobile and light, the outfitted HV20 with lens adapter and lens weighs less than 10 pounds. This camera package worked great. I've seen high end HD Cameras and 35mm/S16mm film shoots where it takes a team of people to move all various boxes and components around, not to mention having a team of people operating the cameras. With the HV20, I could easily be a one-man-army and strike like lightning when necessary. Don't get me wrong, it would be fantastic to shoot with a big camera team, with a 40 pound or 60 camera, but for now: this little camera can do it.
- - - - -

While it is true now that you can spend the same amount on an VDSLR (Canon 7D with the basic zoom lens) that I spent on this HV20/Letus rig, you should think about your budget and the ever changing realm of technology before you sink your teeth into a camera. I have my issues with the 5D and 7D (ergonomics, functionality and heavy compression) and it's awesome imagery, but honestly the biggest investment  one could make would probably be acquiring fast prime lenses for whatever camera you'll end up with. The technology world changes so fast that today's hot new digital cinema camera will become what the HV20 is now: old news. The glass however (lenses), will most likely be the same.

Note: Photos of Me and the Camera thanks to Corine Aubin.

To conclude, create a camera package that meets your needs. If you like the image quality and the things that can be done with that footage then great: the content is where it really counts anyway.

HomeMade Gear: Doorway and Pipe LightJack

Here is a nifty little thing I've been tinkering with. I call it my 'LightJack'. It is a versatile mixture of very inexpensive objects ranging from 2x4s to C-Clamps. I recently came off of some doc style work where I was in charge of carrying out lighting/gripping orders: there is always that point where the stands are to cumbersome or Cardellini clamps can't mount properly.

Cardellini clamps are great. BUT when it comes to surfaces they can't fit on everything and they don't adjust as much as I'd like.  Perhaps the biggest drawback for me personally is the price $65-$85 (depending on where you look).

For slightly under $35, I came up with two distinct lighting accesories than can be used individually or in tandem.

First, we have a "Cortez Clamp" with a 5/8 stud mounted on by small heavy duty tube clamps. It is not welded but could be at some point soon; the clamp can fit on most doors and small trim. The 5/8 stud is also height adjustable due to the thread and socket (you can raise or lower the height from 1 to 6 inches. I made two of these bad boys: one mounts vertically, the other horizontal.

Next, we have the 2x4s which I DID NOT purchase because I have an abundance of scrap wood lying around my home. I cut a 6inch (A) and 5inch (B) piece that have rubber buffers lined and mounted on one side (I try not to destroy things). I used a metal joining bracket (also had one of these laying around) to mount a smaller 2.5 inch board at a 90 degree angle on (A). Then I purchased a large Heavy Duty Clamp that open from 0 to 24inches to connect (A) and (B) to whatever I needed. I also purchased a ratcheting strap to mount (A) to round objects with any depth of width (then I'd attach my "Cortez Clamp").

The LightJack holds lights under 20 pounds easily. If I weld the connection points and reinforce the boards it can easily handle more weight. But then again, most of my lights fall well under that weight.
Overall, the beauty is all these parts (ratchet straps, clamps and boards) can be used for other duties so I have various tools that can be combined or used solo.