Robert Rodriguez says everyone has about 20 really bad ideas to get out of their system before they start producing consistently good work. I've got a poop-ton more than 20 bad ideas, but the point still applies
Making turds is part of "the process" (I'm big on Saban-isms).
My main problem?
... I did not approach this project with a story first mentality. That's a pretty big problem. There are some good shots throughout and some nifty edits in a few spots, but it's a crutch. My project does not stand on it's own as a story.
Why?
...Because I never filled my role as a director for the project. Instead, I drew David a lot of storyboards and gave him a rough shotlist. That's all fine, but I never discussed a "story" with him. I never sat down and said, "Hey David, I've got this really cool idea for how to tell a story about this football game". How can I reasonably expect him to deliver me the shots that tell a story if I never told him the story to begin with? He did a great job with what I gave him, and after editing we talked about ways to improve for next time. That's what I love about David. Before, during, and after every shoot, he wants to know one thing, "How can I make it better?"
As a result of laziness on the front end, I tried (poorly) to cobble together a story for the project in the editing lab. Projects shouldn't be directed in the editing lab, and that's what I did with this one. Bottom line.
-Henry
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Portrait of Place
Tuscaloosa County vs. Hillcrest. Vimeo has been giving me a ton of trouble in the last 24 hours, and for some reason the embed code won't post. Here's the link...
http://vimeo.com/15152651
http://vimeo.com/15152651
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Sony vs. JVC
I'm not even going to pretend like I have a hard time picking which camera I like better. I'll take the Sony hands down over the JVC. That doesn't it's actually better, I just prefer it.
The two cameras are fairly similar in terms of performance. So I think that the biggest thing when comparing two similar cameras is comfort and how well you know one over the other. Pretty much everything I've shot in the last year has been on the Sony, and I feel like I've gotten to a point where I know how to max its potential. I haven't shot with the JVC nearly as much, but I'm sure if I shot with it I'd feel equally as comfortable.
Low Light
It seems to perform a wee bit better than the Sony in low light. Neither do extremely well, but the noise structure on the JVC seems a little more organic - it actually looks a little bit like film grain. The Sony's noise structure is pretty lousy. I've got away with 6db or maybe even 9db once or twice when I was shooting stuff for Documenting Justice last year, but if you have to bump it past 15db it's going to be poop.
Function & Ease of Navigation
The Sony has it's share of quirks (some settings always seem to reset themselves on the Sony), but for me, the JVC is really a pain to navigate and operate. The white balance seems to be much quicker on the Sony, and I love the variations on the white balance presets. You can scroll between -8 & +8 for any white balance preset to cool or warm the image. It's great for documentary or something fast paced where you're dealing with constantly changing lights. I can just hit the presets and scroll around until I get a workable color temperature. And last but not least: 2 barrels vs 1 barrel...I think we all know which one is better (it's 2)
Tape vs. JVC
I'll call this one a draw. A card workflow as opposed to a tape workflow sounds too good be true, and for me, it kind of is. I don't like the paranoia of my media disappearing forever after I wipe the card. We all know drives can and do fail. So it's nice to have he backup of a tape. The tape workflow can also be a great advantage to an editor. The log and capture process really allows you to make notes that help the editing. With that being said, tapes are kind of a pain in the ass. They're expensive, they drop frames, decks tend to eat them, and the workflow is slower.
Image quality
I'll throw this out there - I don't actually know anything about the technological side of image specs. It's gibberish to me. However, under the ol' eyeball test, I'd go with Sony. The sony captures does well with color preservation. The JVC image always looks kind of flat and muddy to me. That probably has more to do with having used it a lot though.
In the end, you're the one that's gotta shoot with it. Grab whatever's most comfortable.
The two cameras are fairly similar in terms of performance. So I think that the biggest thing when comparing two similar cameras is comfort and how well you know one over the other. Pretty much everything I've shot in the last year has been on the Sony, and I feel like I've gotten to a point where I know how to max its potential. I haven't shot with the JVC nearly as much, but I'm sure if I shot with it I'd feel equally as comfortable.
Low Light
It seems to perform a wee bit better than the Sony in low light. Neither do extremely well, but the noise structure on the JVC seems a little more organic - it actually looks a little bit like film grain. The Sony's noise structure is pretty lousy. I've got away with 6db or maybe even 9db once or twice when I was shooting stuff for Documenting Justice last year, but if you have to bump it past 15db it's going to be poop.
Function & Ease of Navigation
The Sony has it's share of quirks (some settings always seem to reset themselves on the Sony), but for me, the JVC is really a pain to navigate and operate. The white balance seems to be much quicker on the Sony, and I love the variations on the white balance presets. You can scroll between -8 & +8 for any white balance preset to cool or warm the image. It's great for documentary or something fast paced where you're dealing with constantly changing lights. I can just hit the presets and scroll around until I get a workable color temperature. And last but not least: 2 barrels vs 1 barrel...I think we all know which one is better (it's 2)
Tape vs. JVC
I'll call this one a draw. A card workflow as opposed to a tape workflow sounds too good be true, and for me, it kind of is. I don't like the paranoia of my media disappearing forever after I wipe the card. We all know drives can and do fail. So it's nice to have he backup of a tape. The tape workflow can also be a great advantage to an editor. The log and capture process really allows you to make notes that help the editing. With that being said, tapes are kind of a pain in the ass. They're expensive, they drop frames, decks tend to eat them, and the workflow is slower.
Image quality
I'll throw this out there - I don't actually know anything about the technological side of image specs. It's gibberish to me. However, under the ol' eyeball test, I'd go with Sony. The sony captures does well with color preservation. The JVC image always looks kind of flat and muddy to me. That probably has more to do with having used it a lot though.
In the end, you're the one that's gotta shoot with it. Grab whatever's most comfortable.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
When I Grow Up...I Want to Jroll
I'll start off by saying that my "a" key on my computer is not doing so hot these days. I really have to give it a good mashin' for it to register. It's strange to think about but it really takes you out of a rhythm while writing..erm, typing. When I write, things usually start out pretty mechanically - it's the cadence of thoughts beginning to stir. Things start out in more of a pecking manner and then eventually evolve into machine gun stacatto. Hearing that steady click of the keys keeps me going. It gets me in the zone and I don't really have to think about anything. Unfortunately, that's not the case tonight. Things are little more measured, and little more stiff, and frankly, it makes me sad.
In first grade our teacher asked us the questions what did we want to be when we grew up. We were given a sheet of paper with "When I grow up..." already printed, and we were supposed to finish the sentence and the draw a picture of our future selves. I wrote in, "I want to jroll". Of course what I meant was that I wanted to "draw" but years of mangled Southern dialect rendered me incapable of "sounding out" the words I didn't know how to spell. Anyone may have look at that sentence thought, "Man, this kid is dumb as a rock", but I'll be damned if the picture wasn't spot on. Fastforward 14 years...
Hmmm. What do I want to do? I want to work in film as a cinematographer for stories that I'm passionate about. I want to work in commercials. There's so much potential for beauty, inspiration, and creativity in the micro short form. They're so immediate and visceral. Surely we can use the form to a more worthy goal than hawking for people to by boner pills.
Those are the things I would like to do. Here's the more complicated answer about what I will do.
Whenever I ride in cars, particularly on longer trips, I look out the window the most of the time, and if I'm lucky enough, I do so with the windows down. I could drive for hours just looking at the land and listening to the sound of wind. After returning from a trip, people always ask one thing, "What was your favorite part?" A normal response to that may be something a long the lines of a concert, a restaurant, or some kind of destination/ activity/ event. Mine is normlly something like "It was really foggy one day, but the sun started to shine and everything looked really cool." I'm constantly in awe of the complete beauty of the earth and the juxtaposition of the ugliness that often exists in it. It's bittersweet. I experience and understand the world visually, and I want to share it that way as well.
This could, and does, mean a lot of things for my future. But I think accepting this as my understanding of the world and as the catalyst behind what makes me tick a little bit more prepared for the future. I feel more flexible to share this passion in a lot of different capacities.
Cinematography is the most passionate way that I share my understanding of things. I do it other ways too: painting, photography (mostly bad photography), and other hobbies, but cinematography drives me. I like to do it because I feel like that's what I'm supposed to do.
But a man has to eat right? Touche'. I don't want to sit around forever waiting on a golden opportunity to do exactly the thing I want to do. That's dellusional, but it seems to be the shared dellusion of a lot of people, particularly in film. I'll go where I'm needed. Collaboration can be such a disasterous enterprise, usually ending in group apathy or individual domination. I never thought that collaboration would be a strength of mine, but I think over time, that skill set is starting to shape up. I've been blessed with a strong work ethic, and hard workers will never be in short supply. I have no idea where that will take me, but I can only hope and try my best to pursue my passions.
So where does all this hippie mumbo-jumbo fit into our class? Well...
I want to get my hands dirty in 312. It's sad that a discipline as experience oriented as film, our department has really done a pour job of fostering hands-on opportunities for students in the past. I can't wait to get my hands on everything we have. I 5d's, 7d's, Ex3's, Redrocks, Zeiss Primes, flex dolly tracks - it's an exciting time. Even though the tools of film are constantly changing, and learning the specifics of each one is really only usefull from a (relatively) short term viewpoint. Heck, we'll probably be shooting with moon lasers in like two years. The point is, trends come and go, but the field experience and the language we create with the tools (whatever they may be) are essential. They're enduring and invaluable. I feel like 312 can offer me some of those outcomes.
From a more idealistic perspective, there's a really great group of smart, talented, and hard-working people at the heart of the TCF department. Had it not been for students like the ones we have and some equally passionate, hard-working faculty, this department was one jelly donut away from keeling over and dying a horrible, sweaty, bowel empyting death. But it didn't. There's life here yet again, and it's very inspiring. I know one of my goals for the year has been to mobillize the talent outside of class. We're talking, we're sharing, and hopefully we'll start producing some really great stuff outside of class, as well as in it.
I hope that TCF 312 will be an extension of that goal. I want to grab all of the opportunities we have in this class - the equipment, the readings, the instruction, and the people - and do something awesome with them. In addition to the things we do in here, this class can be launching pad for other projects. I think about 312 as a taste of other things. I don't mean that to undermine the class; I'm certainly going to pour myself into, and I know there will be plently of late nights in Reese Phifer. But I think the best kind of class is the one that inspires you to do it on your own, and I have a good feeling that this class will do that for many.
In other news, here's a short promo Carly and I put together over the weekend for Creative Campus. Take a look and check on their website http://www.creativecampus.ua.edu/
I'll leave you with a song off of Nick Cave's soundtrack for "The Proposition". I've been listening to it a lot the past week. Maybe you'll like it.
Stick a fork in me, I'm done. Goodnight everyone.
-Henry
In first grade our teacher asked us the questions what did we want to be when we grew up. We were given a sheet of paper with "When I grow up..." already printed, and we were supposed to finish the sentence and the draw a picture of our future selves. I wrote in, "I want to jroll". Of course what I meant was that I wanted to "draw" but years of mangled Southern dialect rendered me incapable of "sounding out" the words I didn't know how to spell. Anyone may have look at that sentence thought, "Man, this kid is dumb as a rock", but I'll be damned if the picture wasn't spot on. Fastforward 14 years...
Hmmm. What do I want to do? I want to work in film as a cinematographer for stories that I'm passionate about. I want to work in commercials. There's so much potential for beauty, inspiration, and creativity in the micro short form. They're so immediate and visceral. Surely we can use the form to a more worthy goal than hawking for people to by boner pills.
Those are the things I would like to do. Here's the more complicated answer about what I will do.
Whenever I ride in cars, particularly on longer trips, I look out the window the most of the time, and if I'm lucky enough, I do so with the windows down. I could drive for hours just looking at the land and listening to the sound of wind. After returning from a trip, people always ask one thing, "What was your favorite part?" A normal response to that may be something a long the lines of a concert, a restaurant, or some kind of destination/ activity/ event. Mine is normlly something like "It was really foggy one day, but the sun started to shine and everything looked really cool." I'm constantly in awe of the complete beauty of the earth and the juxtaposition of the ugliness that often exists in it. It's bittersweet. I experience and understand the world visually, and I want to share it that way as well.
This could, and does, mean a lot of things for my future. But I think accepting this as my understanding of the world and as the catalyst behind what makes me tick a little bit more prepared for the future. I feel more flexible to share this passion in a lot of different capacities.
Cinematography is the most passionate way that I share my understanding of things. I do it other ways too: painting, photography (mostly bad photography), and other hobbies, but cinematography drives me. I like to do it because I feel like that's what I'm supposed to do.
But a man has to eat right? Touche'. I don't want to sit around forever waiting on a golden opportunity to do exactly the thing I want to do. That's dellusional, but it seems to be the shared dellusion of a lot of people, particularly in film. I'll go where I'm needed. Collaboration can be such a disasterous enterprise, usually ending in group apathy or individual domination. I never thought that collaboration would be a strength of mine, but I think over time, that skill set is starting to shape up. I've been blessed with a strong work ethic, and hard workers will never be in short supply. I have no idea where that will take me, but I can only hope and try my best to pursue my passions.
So where does all this hippie mumbo-jumbo fit into our class? Well...
I want to get my hands dirty in 312. It's sad that a discipline as experience oriented as film, our department has really done a pour job of fostering hands-on opportunities for students in the past. I can't wait to get my hands on everything we have. I 5d's, 7d's, Ex3's, Redrocks, Zeiss Primes, flex dolly tracks - it's an exciting time. Even though the tools of film are constantly changing, and learning the specifics of each one is really only usefull from a (relatively) short term viewpoint. Heck, we'll probably be shooting with moon lasers in like two years. The point is, trends come and go, but the field experience and the language we create with the tools (whatever they may be) are essential. They're enduring and invaluable. I feel like 312 can offer me some of those outcomes.
From a more idealistic perspective, there's a really great group of smart, talented, and hard-working people at the heart of the TCF department. Had it not been for students like the ones we have and some equally passionate, hard-working faculty, this department was one jelly donut away from keeling over and dying a horrible, sweaty, bowel empyting death. But it didn't. There's life here yet again, and it's very inspiring. I know one of my goals for the year has been to mobillize the talent outside of class. We're talking, we're sharing, and hopefully we'll start producing some really great stuff outside of class, as well as in it.
I hope that TCF 312 will be an extension of that goal. I want to grab all of the opportunities we have in this class - the equipment, the readings, the instruction, and the people - and do something awesome with them. In addition to the things we do in here, this class can be launching pad for other projects. I think about 312 as a taste of other things. I don't mean that to undermine the class; I'm certainly going to pour myself into, and I know there will be plently of late nights in Reese Phifer. But I think the best kind of class is the one that inspires you to do it on your own, and I have a good feeling that this class will do that for many.
In other news, here's a short promo Carly and I put together over the weekend for Creative Campus. Take a look and check on their website http://www.creativecampus.ua.edu/
Creative Campus Promo from Henry Busby on Vimeo.
I'll leave you with a song off of Nick Cave's soundtrack for "The Proposition". I've been listening to it a lot the past week. Maybe you'll like it.
Stick a fork in me, I'm done. Goodnight everyone.
-Henry
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