Episode 62: Cheap vs. Expensive Sliders

Griffin buys an $820 Kessler Stealth slider, compares it to a $249 carbon fiber slider by Benro. Plus, your questions about SD card speeds, how to record two mono audio tracks, and whether to shoot your documentary in 4K or 1080.

Items I purchased today:

• Kessler Crane Stealth Slider Standard (39.5")

• Kessler CineSlider crank handle—can you believe this costs $50?!

• Benro MoveOver8B Carbon Fiber Slider and Case (35.4")

• (used) Manfrotto 3021Pro Tripod Legs

Nick thinks I need to upgrade my 37" 720p/1080i television. He just sent me this link—he recommends this new TCL 4K TV.

Episode 61: Digital Cinema Specs

A document from Australian theaters shows what tech specs they expect for your digital cinema files. Plus, your questions about SD cards and X-ray machines, the difference between European and American camera models, and how to film a weeks-long time lapse.

Thank you to John Cochrane in Brisbane, Australia—CEO of John Cochrane Advertising—for sharing these tech specs from Valmorgan Cinema Network:

View PDF—Production Specifications and Requirements

Episode 60: The Story of the Fire

Fire destroyed Griffin’s mom’s apartment in Bloomington, Illinois. She is safe, and the recovery process is going well. Plus, your questions about crop focal lengths, tracking freelance hours, and the best headphones for under $100.

Central Illinois news agencies reported on the fire, including this story in The Pantagraph.

How to protect yourself
The Red Cross has several fire preparedness tips—most importantly making sure you have working smoke alarms.

*My mom also appears in episode 54—she's interviewed on-campus at Illinois State University.

Upcoming workshop in Los Angeles
PHOTOCON LA 2018 is a three-day photo and cinema learning event in Los Angeles, which opens with my keynote Traveling Light While Filmmaking on June 8, 2018.

Regarding Austin’s question about counting freelance hours, I’ve come across ZEI° by Timeular, a tabletop device that tracks your working hours.

Although I prefer to trust wired lavalier mics (like the Sony ECM-44B) when possible, I’ve recently purchased a Sennheiser EW100 G3 wireless transmitter and ME 2-II lavalier mic.

John—looking for sub-$100 headphones—is considering the Sennheiser HD 280 PRO. Griffin likes his Sony MDR-V6. One of Nick’s favorite review sites, Wirecutter, has several suggestions.

Episode 59: Blackmagic Design Pocket 4K camera

Film tech announcements from the NAB Show, including the new Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K. Plus, your questions about shooting for cinema screens, what framerate to choose for editing, and if you should spend $1,000 on a microphone.

NAB announcements that caught our eye:

• Blackmagic Design Pocket Cinema Camera 4K

• Panasonic EVA1 firmware update

• Vimeo app for MacOS

• Rode NT-SF1 ambisonic microphone

Episode 58: ProRes RAW in FCPX 10.4.1

Final Cut Pro X’s latest update (v10.4.1) to video editing adds ProRes RAW and closed captioning right in the timeline. Plus, your questions about when you’re allowed to record audio without permission, the etiquette of film festival laurels, and how to sync timecode between cameras.

• NoFilmSchool’s article about this FCPX update
• Apple’s white paper about ProRes RAW

Next week, I’m teaching a one-hour filmmaking workshop at Illinois State University!
"Upgrade from Amateur to Documentary Filmmaker"
Tuesday, April 17, 5:00pm CT
Normal, Illinois
Illinois State University
Fell Hall 280 (Communication Innovation Center)
Facebook event—Let me know if you're coming!

This free event is part of COM Week—a series of educational events focused on entrepreneurship and career-building, hosted by the School of Communication at ISU.

HIRING
I’m hiring a few freelance positions around the world for an upcoming project. Email me at griffin@hey.film. Looking for—

• Drone operator in Tokyo
• Location scout/manager in Tokyo
• Drone operator in Taipei
• Location scout/manager in Taipei
• Drone operator in Singapore
• Location scout/manager in Singapore
• NYC-based editor fluent in Japanese
• NYC-based editor fluent in Mandarin Chinese

Episode 57: New HDR Monitor to Test

BenQ sent Nick their latest 31.5” HDR LCD monitor to test out. Plus, your questions about editing video on a Surface Pro, finding video work through the internet, and whether to place a lavalier mic on the bride.

In two weeks, at Illinois State University, I'm teaching a one-hour filmmaking workshop. And you're invited!

"Upgrade from Amateur to Documentary Filmmaker"
Tuesday, April 17, 5:00pm CT
Normal, Illinois
Illinois State University
Fell Hall 280 (Communication Innovation Center)

Facebook event—Let me know if you're coming!

This free event is part of COM Week—a series of educational events focused on entrepreneurship and career-building, hosted by the School of Communication at ISU.

Bonus: "What's your biggest failure?"

Jonathan Tilley is a personal brand strategist, and author of the book Embrace The F Word: Failure. On his interview series, he asked me about my greatest failure.

Bonus: How do I recover corrupt video files?

After shooting a music video, Taylor worries his SD card is corrupted. Nick recommends software to recover missing video files. Plus, we won “Best Podcast” from Johny Bosworth!

For recovering deleted or corrupted video files, Nick recommends the free, open-source, multi-platform software PhotoRec.

Episode 56: New, quicker FAA authorization for drones

In the United States, the FAA is rolling out a system called LAANC to make it easier and much quicker for commercial drone pilots to receive authorization to fly near airports. Plus, your questions about filming loud concerts, entering film festivals, and storing video assets.

Articles on this subject:

• Airmap: Nationwide Expansion of LAANC to 500 More Airports Begins Next Month
• Nextgov: FAA Expands Instant-Approval Flight Plan Program for Drones
• UAS Magazine: FAA expands drone airspace authorization program

Brendan asked about film festivals. Here’s a spreadsheet from 2014 that details the film festivals I entered Sriracha into, including their various deadlines and costs.

Episode 55: Cameras used by SXSW Filmmakers

No Film School asked 43 filmmakers at this year’s SXSW film festival what cameras they shot with. (It’s mostly ARRI Alexas.) Plus, your technical questions about the Panasonic GH5, lenses, hard drives, and what audio mixer to hook up to your computer.

Read: From ALEXAs to 1980s JVCs: Cameras & Lenses Used on SXSW 2018 Films

Warren asked what audio interface to use with his Sennheiser MD 421-II microphone ($380). He’s currently using the $40 Behringer XENYX 502 mixer. Our voiceover artist friend Matt Shivers recommends he upgrade to the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 ($150).

Episode 54: Filmed With a Live Studio Audience

Griffin is on campus at Illinois State University in Normal, Illinois—where his friends have joined as this podcast’s first live studio audience. Plus, your questions about the DJI Spark, unconventional interview framing, and why Griffin uses an ND filter but Nick doesn’t.

Special thanks to Illinois State University, Dr. Steve Hunt and Dr. Nathan Carpenter for letting us use their new Communication Innovation Center to film this week’s episode.

Special guests featured in this episode

• Adam Rahn also co-hosted Hey Indie Filmmakers episode 15. His website is Droi Media, his latest YouTube video is What should I charge as a freelancer?, and if you like his t-shirt, he sells them.

• Matt Edwards is a photographer and drone pilot flying the new Mavic Air. His website is Redcorn Studios, and he shares vlogs on YouTube.

• Matt Shivers is a professional voice over artist. I borrowed his Behringer B-2 Pro to record my VO for Sriracha. He currently uses a Neumann TLM 103 condenser microphone and Sennheiser MKH-416. His website is Shivers Media.

• My mom, Carol Hammond, starred in and produced my first film (at age 6)—Ghostbusters 3.

Join me this Sunday at Illinois State University for a live recording of Hey Indie Filmmakers!

Doors open at 11:00am. This free event begins at 11:15am.
Normal, Illinois
Illinois State University
Fell Hall 280 (Communication Innovation Center)

Nick will join remotely from Las Vegas, & we'll answer filmmaking questions from the audience!

Film Gear Garage Sale

Nick is moving, and Griffin is clearing out closet space. They’re selling filmmaking gear they no longer use, in a YouTube Garage Sale. You can buy any of these 11 items at http://griffinhammond.com/sale

EDIT: All 11 items were claimed in the first 90 minutes of posting the video!

• $250 — Nick's Synology DS41j DiskStation 12TB NAS
• $230 — Panasonic 14–140mm f/4.0-5.8 lens (version 1)
• $175 — Olympus A01 tiny camera (requires m4/3 lens and microSD)
• $40 — CineSkates & Cinetics Skate Plate (GorillaPod not included)
• $25 — My homemade DIY Video Light (includes eight 5500K CFL bulbs & umbrella)
• $20 — Beast Grip phone adapter
• $15 — Magnetic Coaster Set (new in box, looks like a 85mm f/1.2 lens)
• $5 — Sriracha art print
• $1 — Adobe CS3 Master Collection for Mac (on DVD)
• FREE — Sriracha movie poster
• FREE — The Last Jedi BB-8 figurine

Episode 53: Retractable Closet Camera

To build a convenient, retractable podcasting system, Griffin mounted an LED panel and a retractable camera mount in his office closet. Plus, your questions about step-up rings, when to use shotgun vs hyper-cardioid mics, and if you can show the iPhone operating system in your film.

Ingredients for Griffin’s retractable podcasting system

• Spekular LED panel mounted via Pedco Ultra Clamp
• LEE Filters CTO gel to make the bluish LED warmer
• Reflex SR5 shoulder rig reconfigured into a retractable rail system
• Barska Ball Head with an Arca-style quick release plate
• B+W 2-stop ND Filter to use with my 12mm f/1.4 lens

In addition to our usual filmmaking questions, Nick wants you to tweet other types of questions using the hashtag #askgriffin

Hey Indie Filmmakers is brought to you by Squarespace. Try it for free, then save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain—visit squarespace.com/griffin

We received a question about the pocket-sized Panasonic LX10, which has a built-in f/1.4–2.8 24–70mm lens (super 35 equivalent).

Episode 7: How to Produce Wedding Films [Rebroadcast]

Episode originally aired February 14, 2017
Happy Valentine’s Day! Nick and Griffin share their wedding film production techniques—from dealing with low light in dark receptions to copyrighted music. Plus your questions about DSLR recording limits, asking good interview questions, and what format to shoot commercials in.

Watch Griffin & Amy’s 5-minute wedding video, edited from only one good camera angle after Griffin screwed up Nick’s great close-up angle.

A sampling of wedding films produced by Nick Bodmer
A sampling of wedding films produced by Griffin Hammond

Nick mentioned finding collaborators on the /r/videography subreddit and /r/weddingvideography
Nick uses this “Precomposed Zip Kit” After Effects template for DVD menus.

Finding Love through Video

After an Valentine’s Day audio mishap, Griffin calls Nick for answers. Amy saves the day.

We met through a wonderful website called Film Fights.

Watch or listen to last year's V-Day episode, How to Produce Wedding Films (episode 07).

Episode 52: “Flicks” & Frames Per Second

One “flick” equals 1/705,600,000th of a second, according to a new open-source unit of time for measuring framerates. Plus, your questions about foggy lenses, appropriate audio levels, and if you can use Garageband music in your commercial video projects.

Read the Ars Technica article: Oculus creates a new, open source unit of time to measure frame rates

How many flicks have passed during this 44-minute, 23-second episode? 1,879,012,800,000!

Hey Indie Filmmakers is brought to you by Squarespace. Try it for free, then save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain—visit squarespace.com/griffin

The Burj Khalifa in Dubai, UAE

Episode 51: Filming Sharks in Dubai

In Dubai, filming sharks with an underwater camera housing—during Griffin’s filmmaking workshop tour through the United Arab Emirates. Plus, your questions about jitter and motion blur, settings for time lapse, and which camera is right for you.

View the full set of underwater equipment I’m using—including an Ikelight 200DL housing and accessories, and 2500-lumen Sea Dragon lights—at griffinhammond.com/underwater

Episode 50: Filming Underwater with the GH5

Shooting underwater can be expensive. Including the cost of the Panasonic GH5 camera, and 8–18mm lens, I’m submerging $6300 worth of gear in the ocean!

View the full set of equipment I used—including an Ikelight 200DL housing and accessories, and 2500-lumen Sea Dragon lights—at griffinhammond.com/underwater

This week, I bought a much cheaper set of gear: a third Pedco Ultraclamp, microGAFFER tape for travel, and LEE Filters CTO gels—to make some of my very blue LED lights look warmer.

For Panasonic GH5 V-Log footage, I’ve enjoyed a LUT called VLog_to_V709_Varicam, included in this free zip file of LUTs created by Mitch Lally.

For our 50th episode, our friend Adam Rahn has a gift for you! 101 free light leak effects you can use in your next video. Watch his tutorial video, and download the light leak video files here.

Episode 49: The New, Low-Light Panasonic GH5S

Panasonic debuted their low-light, dual-native-ISO GH5S camera at CES last week. Griffin and Nick share the 10 big changes that separate it from its predecessor, the Lumix GH5. Plus, your questions about daylight-balanced bulbs, how to transfer large video files online, and whether you should give your client the raw footage.

10 Changes to the Panasonic GH5S:

1. C4K 60p/30p. These 4:2:0 8-bit framerates were available in 3840x2160 UHD on the GH5, but not in C4K 4096x2160.

2. Multi-aspect sensor. C4K 4096x2160 actually uses a wider portion of the sensor, resulting in a 1.8x crop factor (slightly wider field of view).

3. No IBIS (in-body image stabilization). The newly designed, slightly larger sensor catches more light, but is too big for IBIS—which would cause vignetting. But many Panasonic lenses have built-in OIS (optical image stabilization).

4. 10-megapixel, not 20. Smaller photographs, but Panasonic added 14-bit RAW files—up to 10 frames per second.

5. 14 stops of dynamic range. That’s two more stops than the GH5 is capable of.

6. Dual native ISO. Native ISOs at 400 and 2500 means noise level at ISO12800 on the GH5S is comparable to ISO1600 on the GH5.

7. Includes V-log. The GH5S ships with V-Log L already installed. Previously a $99 upgrade on the GH5.

8. Timecode port. For syncing timecode across bodies, Panasonic includes a cable that adapts the PC/flash port to BNC.

9. Red detailing on Rec Button and Drive Mode Dial.

10. Price: $2499—the GH5S is $500 more than the GH5, and will be released February 6, 2018.

Griffin filmed behind-the-scenes as three filmmakers shot with the Panasonic GH5S for the first time:

• Jacob Schwarz shot Horizons*. Watch his behind-the-scenes

• Luke Neumann shot The Middle Path*. Watch his behind-the-scenes

• Alexandria Bombach shot Finding the Light*. Watch her behind-the-scenes (coming soon).

*Taking advantage of the GH5S’ greater dynamic range, all three films were mastered in HDR, so if you have a high dynamic range television, they look especially great. I shot all the behind-the-scenes films on my Panasonic GH5.

Hey Indie Filmmakers is brought to you by Squarespace. Try it for free, then save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain—visit squarespace.com/griffin