Indie-pop band OK Go probably spend as much time coming up with their music videos as they do with writing and recording their songs, and they have proven before several times, be it in zero gravity or high up from the air looking down. Now, they have done it again with their new video “The One Moment”, but spending only 4.2 seconds in the process – and it’s another fireworks of colours splashing and things going boom, people flying through the air and things getting thrown at them. Although it certainly took a long time in preparation and planning, the actual recording was done in just 4.2 seconds. How? Simple (yet not simple) – super slow motion, likely shot with a PhantomFlex camera (the same one we used on my documentary Through The Thick earlier this year). Watch for yourself and see the behind-the-scenes reel at the bottom! OK Go – The One Moment – Official VideoLadies and gentlemen, please enjoy our new video for “The One Moment.” A million thanks to our partners at Morton Salt #WalkHerWalk. Posted by OK Go on Wednesday, November 23, 2016   The total length of the video is 4:02 minutes, which means roughly that every second in realtime ended up being a minute in the music video. If our math is correct (and I hope OK Go will release more details about it soon), they shot the video at around 1,500 frames per second. (The PhantomFlex4K is capable of 1,000 frames per second in 4K, but more if you drop the resolution lower.) Despite looking like a one-shot, they did actually do different takes because, as the lead singer says, “there are no robots currently fast enough to shoot the entire action in one go”. If you look at how fast that Bolt motion control arm moves across in the behind-the-scenes, you will understand that he is most certainly right. OK Go – The One Moment BTSWatch the making of our new video for “The One Moment.” Posted by OK Go on Wednesday, November 23, 2016

EDIT: The recorded webinar is now available for free to stream on the Sony Pro Europe website. Head over to watch the 1-hour conversation in its entirety! Ever since the heydays of MTV in the 80s, music videos have been a creative experimental outlet for musicians and filmmakers alike. Budgets vary incredibly, probably more than in any other field of film/video production, but financial constraints can sometimes even spur creativity. I will be hosting and moderating a webinar discussion live from Sony’s Pinewood Studios facility in London on July 6 (in about two weeks), and the guests will be independent DOP Tom Swindell who has been busy shooting many music videos over the years, and Mike Marchlewski, who is an in-house DOP and project manager for Sony Music’s production team. from our music video production “Those Goddamn Hippies – Drift” – photo by Tony Gigov The format is not unlike our ON THE COUCH talk show series, with the difference that it will be streamed live and the audience will be able to take part in the discussion via live questions to the panel. Sign up here on the Sony site to join in on July 6 at 14:00 (BST) / 15:00 (CET) / 9 am (EST) or to gain access to the recording afterwards (this will be available only about a week after the recording). The discussion will last a total of 1 hour.   Here is what we will be covering in the webinar: •     Look like a million dollars: shoot attention-grabbing music videos on real-world budgets •     From storyboard to screen: conveying your artist’s vision •     Master your art: which cameras and lenses work best •     Telling a musical story: schedules, locations and shot lists •     Capture a great performance: taking care of lighting and audio •     Making the cut: break into the industry and get your work noticed Last but not least, here are three music videos from Mike Marchlewski (Sony Music), Tom Swindell and myself: Music Video: ‘Florrie – Real Love’, Sony Music Music Video: ‘Kes – People’, provided by Tom Swindell Music Video: “Those Goddamn Hippies – Drift” – directed by Nicola von Leffern, DP: Nino Leitner

Have you had a chance to watch the amazing video that pro skier Nicolas Vuignier did in early 2016? A good half a year and 4.000.000 views on Youtube later, the first music video which uses this so-called Centriphone technique has popped up. The Centriphone technique Pro skier Nicolas Vuignier released a really cool video back in February and he used a technique called Centriphone. After the massive success of his video, he created a making-of in order to answer all the questions he received from all over the world. The effect is just stunning! You can purchase the original Centriphone vessel on this official site, or, if you’re a proud owner of a 3D printer, you should check out the open source project, also by Nicolas Vuignier. Make your own Centriphone video It was just a question of time before more videos like his started to appear. New York based Indie-Pop duo Matt & Kim just released their new video for their song ‘Let’s Run Away’ using the amazing Centriphone technique, and it actually it looks like the effect is quite east to pull off successfully. As they explain in their video description, they used a GoPro on a string instead of an iPhone, and built their custom ‘rig’ around a wooden coat hanger and a bit of fishing wire (wait for it) because it seemed safer than the original. Sounds simple? Actually, it is! All you need is a good swing and some creative ideas of what to do with this device. But judge for yourself: No fancy gadgets needed, just a good amount of creativity and a GoPro and a you’ll have a ton of fun. I think it’s a great idea! One thing to keep in mind, though: the resulting footage will be really hard to watch when played back at normal speed. The super-fast rotating footage will cause some serious headaches, at the very least. But when you start to slow down the footage (which is why you would need something like a high frame-rate capable GoPro in the first place), the real magic happens in front of your eyes. And speaking of headaches: please make sure nobody is within the reach of your spinning DIY Centriphone rig, because a whack to the head with one of these could produce just that. Make sure to visit Matt & Kim online, as well as the YouTube channel of Nicolas Vuignier.

As part of our aim to strengthen the connection between us and our readers, we decided to try something new and give the many passionate talented people out there a stage to express themselves and share their success stories in our new weekly TALENT FEATURE. In this new initiative, we will feature a guest post written by you every week. We hope that with time, these guest posts will become a source of inspiration and point of information to our colleagues wherever they are. (Intro by Johnnie Behiri). The first talented filmmakers to be featured are Forrest and Zaynah Pando.  Forrest is one half of Pando Creative Co., along with his wife Zaynah. They’ve been lucky enough to find a niche in Charlottesville, Virginia, producing art-house wedding films under their parent company Citrus Ceremonies. The success they have found has allowed them to fill their remaining time with the promotional work and creative narrative projects that they’re passionate about, such as the most recent music video they co-directed, and which they are showcasing here. They’re working towards producing their first short film based off the aesthetics that they have been cultivating through their music videos, as well as drawing inspiration from Danish filmmakers. Name: Forrest & Zaynah Pando (Husband and Wife Filmmakers)  Age: 26 Based in: Charlottesville, Virginia. Language spoken: English. Occupation: Filmmakers. How did you get started: I went to film school in college after having my interest super piqued in High School. Zaynah basically went to film school through osmosis and after college, we began working together. She worked five jobs (waiter, hostess, dishwasher, screen printer, and our company) in order to support us while we got off the ground. Our bread winner now is Wedding Film, which allows us to be paid pretty well and do less high paying creative jobs with little risk of not being able to support ourselves.  Current assignments: Virginia Wine Summit recap video, Weddings!, and a series of shorts for a program pairing craftspeople with apprentices.  Usual types of production: Weddings. Promotional videos. Dream assignment/job: We both want to direct feature films, telling the stories that we’re passionate about.  What is done differently in work you’re presenting?: Directing is all about communication at the end of the day. Throw two people in as directors and it becomes twice as important. We’re always learning how to communicate better with each other and although I think we’ve reached a point where it is pretty easy, it could always be better.  Current equipment: Sony a7SII, Canon 5d MK III, Canon 24-105, Tamron 70-200, Zoom H6n, Zoom Wireless mics. We shot the music video above on a rented Ursa Mini 4.6K and absolutely loved working with it.  Favorite lighting equipment: We don’t have a favorite brand. We prefer working with soft lights and bounces. For weddings we are pretty much all natural light. For music videos, we choose lights based on the aesthetics we want. For the music video before this one (https://vimeo.com/134756399), it was black and white and we were using “Ida” as influence. We hung two Octagon soft boxes with Bright HFL bulbs above the table where everything took place. For the most recent one, we had a bounce we used in several shots to fill out features.  Drones or gimbals?: Yes, this is a tech-driven blog, and yes, I love learning and researching new tech like the rest, but we held off purchasing either of these for a long time. I feel that a drone can be useful in some projects, and a gimbal can be useful in some projects. The problem for me was that I used to put emphasis on the tech first, and let the idea for a project fall to the wayside. It was so much easier to say, “this drone footage is going to make my video amazing” than it was to say “how am I going to make the story and content compelling?”. You’ll be happy to know we have purchased a drone recently (DJI Phantom 4) and used the gimbal for the black and white music video for Post Sixty-Five. I am also still blown away by how equipment that used to be only for the big productions is now becoming increasingly affordable and making it possible for you to match your ideas and stories with the proper tools. That truly excites me.  Editing: Premiere Pro CC Colour Correction and Log: Just recently started using Log on the a7sII and colour correction using DaVinci Resolve. Holy smokes, Resolve is amazing. Travel/Packing Tips: My tip for packing would be less about how to pack and more about what to pack. What is the bare minimum you need to tell the story you’re going off to create? What might be a distraction? For weddings, we each carry one backpack from Mountainsmith that holds all our gear, so that we can truly be run and gun. This means we aren’t running around with gimbals and whatnot. But for us, it’s more about being as unobtrusive as possible.  If you want to learn more about Pando Creative’s work, head over to their homepage. Participate in our initiative: Share your talent and creative work by following these steps.

OK Go has released a BTS showing great insight into how they achieved their ambitious single shot, zero gravity music video for Upside Down, & Inside Out.  First thing’s first, if you haven’t already you must check out the video: To say there were a couple of challenges filming this would clearly be an understatement. It’s not quite as simple as choreographing some fun and games and enduring a zero gravity flight, if only if it were that simple. Check out the below behind-the-scenes for a fantastic insight in how they filmed the single shot music video; overcoming the restrictions of only 27 second zero gravity stints, all the planning involved, not to mention the nausea. In a nutshell, their 21 flights only enabled them with 27 second stints of zero gravity. it then took 4-5 minutes to gain enough momentum to generate another stint. The song was divided into 8 27-second segments which were performed in zero gravity, the 4-5 minute sections were then cut out and using morph blending were merged together. Unfortunately the song doesn’t quite divide into 27 second segments so easily, each verse and chorus is more accurately 21 seconds. To combat this, everything was shot and performed 28.5% slower, so that when sped back up in post it would match the 27 seconds they had per zero gravity stint. This also aid Directors Trish & Damian vision in creating movement that didn’t simply replicate the looked of slow motion. The slightly sped up tempo as well as fast actions gave the zero gravity a more unique feel. The below alternative BTS video surfaced around the same time as the official video release, it plays out all 8 takes of the grand finale, a scene production nicknamed Thunderdome OK Go can no doubt be considered pioneers of the conceptual music videos, from zero gravity music video to treadmill mounted dance routines to Busby Berkeley-esque choreographed wizardry, each video is guaranteed to pluck on the harp strings of unique-ness.

It’s always a challenge to find the right type of project for gear reviews – so when I had the opportunity to test the new ZEISS Batis lenses on a video project of my choosing, it sounded like a great fit when director Nicola von Leffern asked me to shoot her new music video for “Those Goddamn Hippies” (English solo artist Tom Marsh). Here’s the behind-the-scenes video shot by Patrick Zadrobilek and Gunther Machu (edited by Patrick): The production Within very little time, the director Nicola von Leffern and “Those Goddamn Hippies” were able to pull together a great ensemble of extras, two great dancers and the beautiful location of an old bread factory here in Vienna, Austria, which can be hired for all kinds of events. I organized a great camera and lighting crew as well as a great group of behind-the-scenes filmmakers and photographers (full credits at the bottom). For the shoot, we had a full set of ZEISS photo lenses as we didn’t want to include any higher-budget lenses like the ZEISS CP.2’s which I usually use on shoots like this one. The aim was to use very decent photo lenses that can be hired or bought for much less than the CP.2’s, and give them a go for video production. Apart from the Batis 2/25 and 1.8/85, I used ZE primes (15mm, 18mm, 21mm, 28mm, 85mm, 100mm Macro, 135mm) on a Metabones Speedbooster (EF-E) and the Loxia 2/35 and 2/50 on the Sony FS7 and Sony A7s on this shoot. It wasn’t easy to adjust all of them to the follow focus and matte box due to different diameters, but we did what we could in the very tight shooting schedule that we had on that day. Sony A7s with ZEISS Batis 2/25, in the hands of Nino Leitner Not specifically made for video First off, let’s put this straight – these two new lenses (Batis 2/25 and 1.8/85) are not made for shooting video. They are predominantly photo lenses, even more than their “older siblings”, the ZE/ZF primes, for various reasons. However, the fact that ZEISS developed two relatively short and very lightweight new lenses from scratch at a price that is in the reach of many (they are much less expensive than, for instance, a CP.2 lens) made them sound interesting. And when I took those lenses to my vacation with my A7s to get to know them before our shoot, I was amazed by the quality of the bokeh, which is hard to put in words … but judge for yourself on some of the photos I took. Both the 25mm and the 85mm lens sport a pretty consistent look when shooting wide open. Display This is new on a lens, the Batis come with a built-in display. Once you switch to manual focus, it lights up and shows the focus distance, which is constantly adjusted in realtime if you change the focus on the barrel and/or the aperture (with is controlled through the camera). The additional numbers show you the range of depth of field, which is useful as well. This is definitely a helpful guide as other measurements are missing on the lenses entirely, and it gives you an idea about “where you are” just by making a very short glimpse at your lens. Autofocus The Batis lenses are the first autofocus lenses made by ZEISS (not counting the Sony / ZEISS co-branded lenses marketed by Sony). They are E-Mount native lenses. Of course, autofocus is a feature that is of limited use in video applications, but this is slowly changing. With better and more accurate autofocusing systems in newer cameras, and the omnipresence of gimbals, autofocus systems gain more relevance every day. For the production of this music video, I shot on the Sony FS7, and used the A7s for all gimbal shots on the MoVi M5. All the fast-moving dancing shots in the music video were shot on the MoVi M5 in just 2 takes, using the ZEISS Batis 2/25 lens – with autofocus. As the entire music video was shot within only one shooting day, we needed to move efficiently, so I decided to go with the autofocus instead of a remote follow focus like the Redrock Micro Remote, which would have made me slower and less able to “dance” with the performers due to the added weight. The autofocus reacted relatively slowly (but this is due to the A7s’s autofocus functionality which isn’t as great as with other cameras), which wasn’t a big problem as I decided to step down to f/5.6-8 depending on brightness, with a Heliopan Fader ND in front of the Batis (I have a 72mm Heliopan, adjusted to the 67mm Batis diameter using step-down rings). It turned out that the autofocus worked really great on these fast-paced shots despite various changes in how far the performers were away from the camera. On the dolly track – thinking with director Nicola von Leffern (right) and 1st AC Sonja Aufderklamm   Manual Focus – Focus by Wire When focusing manually, the display (as expained above) on the lenses turns on and shows focus distance and depth of field area. The focus barrel is not mechanically connected to the focus of the lens – it runs through a motor that does the adjustments. Like Sony/Zeiss FE lenses, it uses the “focus by wire” method, which means that the focus distance on the lens barrel changes depending on how fast you move it. If you move it very fast, you focus from macro to infinity (or vice versa) very quickly. If you move it slowly, you have very fine differences and can perform a very precise focus manually. However, this feature makes focus marks utterly impossible – and focus pullers have to work with markers in order to be able to make their jobs properly. However, I found it works very good to operate the focus on the lens intuitively on your own as a camera operator, but of course that isn’t an option on many shoots. Considering the price bracket these lenses are in though, I can see them used often on budget-aware shoots were a focus puller might not be available. Dancing with the dancers, on a MoVi M5 and the Sony A7s with Batis 2/25   MoVi M5 – by Tony Gigov Reviewing the MoVi shots after our 40 degrees Celsius dance … Lighting We used natural light on all the dancing scenes, with the odd bounce every now and then. On the close ups of the singer we used Maxi Brutes gelled for daylight and shooting through a large butterfly (silk), same for the “army scene”. We were on a budget so we were kind of stuck using these heavy lights as we were shooting high speed most of the time and those were the only ones with the necessary output that would not flicker at the same time (on the budget we had available). Good suggestion by my gaffer Christopher Macher, however very cumbersome to handle those heavy lights. We used a hazer to get interesting light shafts in the amazing location from above. Conclusion The Batis lenses should be considered by video shooters who need a very lightweight option on their E-Mount cameras, who don’t work with a focus puller or focus marks, or who own a gimbal like a MoVi M5 or DJI Ronin, as the low weight is perfect for these devices. Photographers who shoot on E-Mount cameras like the A7 series should get the Batis lenses if they are looking for decent autofocus, low weight and a very sexy new kind of bokeh. It goes without saying that these lenses are extremely sharp, which is usually ZEISS’s top priority when designing lenses. They are certainly not as sharp as the OTUS line, but they also come in in a different price bracket!   Music Video Post-Production I can’t thank everyone who has been involved with this production enough. First off, hats off to director Nicola von Leffern who invested so much time in her vision of this music video, from pre-production to post-production. Then to everyone who worked on and off screen on the shooting day – it was one of the toughest shoots ever because of over 40 degrees Celsius / 100+ degrees Fahrenheit in the shooting location. The two dancers Karin Pauer and Mario Lopes were absolutely amazing in both their dancing and acting, as well as their endurance. Thanks to my gaffer Christopher Macher and best boy Patrick, who came up with creative lighting solutions on a tight-budget shoot (the selection of lights was limited due to high speed shooting flicker issues and a restricted budget for lights). Thanks to my two camera assistants Sonja Aufderklamm (1st AC), who didn’t have an easy life with all these different lenses regarding focusing, and Owen Kilgour who was a great grip and 2nd AC. Big thanks also to the behind-the-scenes crew Patrick Zadrobilek, Gunther Machu and Tony Gigov as well as other creatives who don’t want to be named, for documenting the process so perfectly and extensively. Last but not least one of my biggest bows goes out to editor Andreas Ribarits, who – like ages ago when he edited our C500 test short “ALEX” – came onboard this project at the very last minute and then poured all his heart and soul into the edit to finish it in three days. The same is true for colorist Daniel Hollerweger, who did one heck of a job matching Sony FS7 and A7s which looked really apart on this job, and creating a look that underlines the mood of the song perfectly. THANK YOU ALL! This was a great production. Sony A7s prepared for MoVi M5 gimbal with Lockport HDMI protector, and ZEISS Batis 2/25 on auto focus.   DISCLAIMER: ZEISS supported us in the production of this music video. I am personally a brand ambassador for Zeiss products, and they were looking for a showcase for their new lenses – so when the music video project came along, it looked like a perfect opportunity to offset some of the cost of this low-budget production with the support of ZEISS’s contribution. The contribution was entirely used for location rent, gear hire (especially lighting equipment) and some essential crew support. ZEISS also wants me to be open about my experiences with the lenses for video use (which isn’t their main purpose), which is exactly what I am (please read the review above!), so please don’t worry about a “biased review”. I am aware sponsored shoots like this one are a very delicate balance but if all involved parties agree on ground rules first, it can definitely work, like in this case. #gallery-1 { margin: auto; } #gallery-1 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 33%; } #gallery-1 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-1 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */ Getting the A7s ready for the MoVi M5 – Behind the scenes by Tony Gigov Behind the scenes by Tony Gigov Behind the scenes Behind the scenes by Tony Gigov Behind the scenes by Tony Gigov Behind the scenes by Tony Gigov Behind the scenes by Tony Gigov Behind the scenes by Tony Gigov Behind the scenes by Tony Gigov Nino Leitner on Freefly MoVi M5 and A7s with ZEISS Batis 25mm – Behind the scenes by Tony Gigov Behind the scenes by Tony Gigov Behind the scenes by Tony Gigov Behind the scenes by Tony Gigov Behind the scenes by Tony Gigov Getting the A7s ready for the MoVi M5 with the Heliopan VariND filter – Behind the scenes by Tony Gigov Behind the scenes by Tony Gigov Behind the scenes by Tony Gigov Nino Leitner on Freefly MoVi M5 and A7s with ZEISS Batis 25mm – Behind the scenes by Tony Gigov Behind the scenes by Tony Gigov Behind the scenes by Tony Gigov Behind the scenes by Tony Gigov Behind the scenes by Tony Gigov Behind the scenes by Tony Gigov Behind the scenes by Tony Gigov Behind the scenes Behind the scenes by Tony Gigov Nino Leitner on Freefly MoVi M5 and A7s with ZEISS Batis 25mm – Behind the scenes by Tony Gigov Getting that top shot … Behind the scenes by Tony Gigov Behind the scenes by Tony Gigov Dancing with the dancers, on a MoVi M5 and the Sony A7s with Batis 2/25 Behind the scenes by Tony Gigov Behind the scenes Behind the scenes by Tony Gigov Behind the scenes by Tony Gigov Behind the scenes by Tony Gigov Behind the scenes by Tony Gigov Behind the scenes by Tony Gigov Behind the scenes by Tony Gigov Behind the scenes Behind the scenes by Tony Gigov Behind the scenes by Tony Gigov Behind the scenes by Tony Gigov Sony FS7 with a ZEISS Batis lens, operated by Nino Leitner Nino Leitner on Freefly MoVi M5 and A7s with ZEISS Batis 25mm – Behind the scenes by Tony Gigov Behind the scenes by Tony Gigov Behind the scenes by Tony Gigov Reviewing the MoVi shots after our 40 degrees Celsius dance … Behind the scenes by Tony Gigov Nino Leitner on Freefly MoVi M5 and A7s with ZEISS Batis 25mm – Behind the scenes by Tony Gigov MUSIC VIDEO – Those Goddamn Hippies – Drift – CREDITS: CONCEPT / DIRECTING: Nicola von Leffern CINEMATOGRAPHY: Nino Leitner MUSIK: Those Goddamn Hippies DANCERS: Karin Pauer & Mario Lopes EDITING: Andreas Ribarits COLORIST: Daniel Hollerweger GAFFER: Christopher Macher AD: Sarah Scherer thosegoddamnhippies.com facebook.com/thosegoddamnhippies

OK Go have released a music video for their new single I Won’t Let You Down and it’s a drone masterpiece, check it out: OK Go have established quite a unique style for their music videos. Their slightly ‘less polished’ style of filmmaking paints a wonderful aesthetic, creating almost a home movie vibe. This is often countered by long, single take, heavily choreographed shots that in-turn create some wonderful videos. Likely first brought to light to many by their viral video Here It Goes Again, OK Go have continued to wow audiences with their unique videos, and there’s always something for us filmmakers. A recent release – The Writing’s On the Wall raised much discussion as to the camera choice. The hot topic at the time (and still very popular) Panasonic GH4 was pictured in the BTS video with a fig rig, which caused quite a stir as to whether the post stabilized process deterred or added to the overall look of the piece. I Won’t Let You Down is another fantastic example from OK Go, seemingly shot entirely in one take using a drone. Peta Pixel did a great job in pulling some BTS shots from the Instagram feed of frontman Damian Kulas. The pictures show great insight as to the process of the production. What must have been such a task to nail the choreography, could it have been filmed any other way without a drone? There are a few jimmy jib setups that would’ve gotten close to some of camera movement, but with some of the heights particularly towards the end; nothing comes close. I was involved in a much smaller production a couple of years back that shares similar subjects (but at a much higher level). We were shooting on a 32M cherry picker and were struggling for overhead clearance.  The drone offers such a unique perspective in this incidence, going from eye level to 100+ foot aerial views. The slightly-faster-than-standard playback does enhance some of the wobbles the drone (and dolly at the start) naturally exhibits, but arguably cements that ‘OK Go Look’ which their videos fail to present; it also offers a much more suitable tempo for the choreographed umbrella actions. As a filmmaker I’m always keen to see the latest OK Go video; they’re usually followed up by a behind the scenes release also so we potentially have that to look forward to. OK Go have a huge catalogue of unique one-take music videos, check them out on YouTube for more.

Johnnie Behiri got a chance to test the new and yet unreleased Sony Alpha 65 hdslr camera