It was a scorching hot day yesterday, but the bright sun helped bring in some light into this old unused factory. There was no electricity so the band rented a 5000 watt generator for the shoot. We had full run of the entire abandoned lot which was awesome. This place was huge with several buildings over 8 stories high and had so much texture of steel, brick, and concrete. Sitting right off the water, the place was just so large, we didn't get to see everything. The entire area is private, fenced off, with 24 hour security so we were able to just leave stuff everywhere. I'd love to get back there and shoot again if I could. Would be a perfect setting for a horror film, that's for sure.
We started indoors with some really slow camera movements on the DIY track. It could have used another saw horse down the center for some additional stability, but worked fine for just slow movements. Going faster, it wanted to flex. We also did a bit of Crane shooting and later threw in some really close up hand held beauty shots of the band.
We moved up to the roof in the late afternoon, and to really show off the height we were at, slung a Canon 60D on a crane over the side of the building. A bit scary, but it should be a really cool looking swing from over the side of the building back onto the roof. Hopefully that went pretty smooth, but from what we can see on the LCD it came out great.
Next we went down to the outside grounds for a walking Steadicam Shot. The band followed the camera slowly while singing to the music. With the Canon 60D articulating LCD, I was able to walk forward and let the band frame themselves by looking into the LCD. They were able to monitor themselves and stay in frame, while I concentrated on not falling over or tripping on anything.
I'll get the video footage once the editor hands them back, and show some of the shots we did. The Steadicam looked really great with the Canon 10-22mm Lens I rented and had all this space to run around in. Flying through a wide open room with large glass windows and concrete pillars everywhere had a very cool flying effect. I have to admit that with the changes in light, using the white balance on the 60D was much more effective than trying to set it on the T2i (which was being used for some BTS video). The 3 Canon 60D's worked really well and meshes closer to the workings of the 7D than a T2i. Definitely a great camera to work with. Now that i'm done with this project, I may sell one of them, but tempted to keep them both!
[Thanks to Matt for grabbing these BTS photos while we were running around in the heat]
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juan
I have a 60d and I like it . To me it is the best camera.
Thierry of JetT-photo.com
since it was shot a while ago... is the final video up ? i'ld love to see it !
eitherway.... seems like you've done an amazing job, as always ! like you ideas 🙂
misterkofa
link to the music video?
Princeton
Hey Emm,
What jib are you using in the above picture? Is that the one that was selling for under $150 bucks?
Stephen
@Jeremy
I got my D7000 and I quite like it. The only problem I have with it is no 60fps. I haven't needed it yet, but it would still be nice to have. As far as changing aperture in live view, almost all lenses have aperture rings. The magnesium alloy body is also very solid, and the battery life is incredible.
If you are still getting or got the D7000, I'm sure it won't dissapoint!
kristina
Thanks I will keep that in mind. I just got the Canon 60D and my friends band wants to take photos around the city so I've been testing different things out and just not really sure on what I should use.
Emm
Post author@kristina - For still photography in very low lit concerts, I rely on a camera with clean ISO to keep my shutter speed up. Some blur and movement from the artist might be desired, but not the whole stage. I normally would set my camera to TV (shutter priority) to at least 1/125th and then adjust the ISO from there. A good lens with IS helps keep the movement down too.
kristina
now for just shooting still band photos what settings would you recommend?
Jon
Where did you shoot the music video? The location looks great, if it's somewhere near my area I'd want to shoot there for an upcoming project
Emm
Post authorEditor still getting approval. We are still waiting on the movie footage too.
Foreigndude
Emm - have you posted this video anywhere yet? I'd love to check it out.
Emm
Post authorI'll have to see if I can talk to the owner of the land. He was somehow connected with the band. It might not be open to other production because of insurance reasons. I'll see what they might have to say.
Anthony
Hi Emm. You'd mentioned that the abandoned factory you shot the music video in would be a great location for a horror film. I'm in pre-pro for a trailer for a horror film I'm shooting and this location looks perfect. Could you pass on the location info when you get a chance? Thanks. LOVE this blog!!!
Jon
Emm - How do you sync all that footage in post-prod?
Emm
Post authorit all depends on the project, time, travel, equipment, staff, etc. Just make sure you budget for expenses and compensation for your time in post too.
Emm
Post authorWe rotated with three, but not one ever overheated. We also only shot a few minutes each clip while changing shots in between.
flenoir
hi, that's really interesting. the final video should be great. Someone mentioned the cost of this video. Dod you do it for free and the band paid the charges ?
Eric
Also interested in purchasing the 60D if you are looking to sell it! Gonna buy one this week one way or another!
Emm
Post authorA good one costs over $500 easy, there's one on eBay called TommyJib, not sure how well that is though. But if you're going to build one, you might already be spending a chunk of change and spending some time.. Link: TommyJib 8' Camera Crane
kenswift
Did the 60D overheat at all?
Emm
Post authorDidn't change anything yet, just chose the 'standard' which is the camera's default setting.
Emm
Post authorplayback on an ipod or boom box. so long as the camera caught the audio we can sync it. This project is only a 3-4 minute song.
Andrew Zaragoza
@ jeremy mayhew - Some of this music video ( https://vimeo.com/15314282 ) was shot on a T2i and Nikon glass, but not all. Maybe you can get a good idea of what the 60D could look like.
Looking good Emm! I was filming a music video this weekend in NorCal as well (link above, sorry if I can't do that!). Your shots are looking great, can't wait to see it for ideas and inspiration.
-Andrew
Kelly
What picture profile did you set all the 60d's to?
Simon
looks like an interesting location. What did you use for music playback and what method did you use for sync?
Simon
Sincere Neter
I'd love if you, could tell me where I could buy or how I can make the crane tripod that you seem to be using in the above picture, oh I must add I'm glad I found this blog as a beginner theirs a wealth of information here for me and I'm sure the same is true for the more advance also.
Thank You in advance- Sincere Neter
Emm
Post authorI hope you're not using Auto mode for Video. Everything should be set to manual, and then aperture should at least be F/8.
logan
So what were your approximate camera settings while you were using it outside? Because I've tried that but doesn't seem keep everything in focus.
Lu
Hi Emm.
Great photos and a BIG thanks for your timely
efforts to comment on your progress with
60D and your new experiences with HD DSLR
and "stuff" coming up.
Cool ... and very useful!
Emm
Post authorSet your lens so that everything is in focus. Now when you walk, everything will still be in focus. Aperture.
Logan
Hey, I'm just wondering how do you keep focus with the dslr on a steadycam?
peaceLife
How much would you charge for a Music Video like this? Also if you are looking to sell your camera 60D let me know as I can get the money within a week to buy it
thanks
Emm
Post authorVideo on a T2i would be similar to a Canon 60D. Here' s a T2i video shot completely with Nikon glass only. https://vimeo.com/11225285. There was a lot of hand holding and at best a monopod. Nikon glass can be very effective if that's what you have.
jeremy mayhew
i am looking forward to seeing actual footage from the 60d. I have the d7000 on preorder but honestly i'm nervous that I should have bought the 60d instead just for video, as well as a adaptor for my nikon glass. problem is i haven't seen footage from either camera to really compare, blurg!