AUTUMN 2019
The ultimate magazine for next generation filmmakers
Editor in chief Adam Duckworth Staff writer Chelsea Fearnley Contributing editor Kingsley Singleton Chief sub editor Beth Fletcher Senior sub editor Siobhan Godwood Sub editor Felicity Evans Junior sub editor Elisha Young EDITORIAL ADVERTISING
Sales director Matt Snow 01223 499453 mattsnow@bright-publishing.com Group ad manager Sam Scott-Smith 01223 499457 samscott-smith@bright-publishing.com Advertising manager Krishan Parmar 01223 499462 krishanparmar@bright-publishing.com DESIGN Design director Andy Jennings Design manager Alan Gray Designers Lucy Woolcomb, Laura Bryant, Emily Lancaster & Bruce Richardson PUBLISHING Managing directors Andy Brogden & Matt Pluck MEDIA SUPPORTERS AND PARTNERS OF:
There are two things I don’t mind admitting I’m addicted to when it comes to filmmaking. The first is the joy of owning new kit – from cameras to lenses and accessories. And the second is slowmotion. A little bit of slomo can really improve the production values of your films. And of course I’m not scared to also admit using it to mask the odd mistake I’ve made in shooting footage that’s, shall we say, less than optimal. Such as stretching out some B-roll to put on top of a talking head interview to mask a jump cut. Or making some wobbly footage look less shaky. And as I shoot lots of off-road motorcycle sport, it’s immensely useful to put focus on what the rider is doing as they go around corners, over bumps or through the air. There’s something that feels cinematic about slowmotion of a rider pulling on his or her gloves ready for a race. In real time, it looks too ‘normal’. I shoot the majority of action at 120fps with audio, so I can slow it down or ramp the speed up and down in post if I need to. Yes, I realise that breaks the old ‘rule’ of shooting at 24 or 25fps for a smoother look. But it works for me, and more importantly my clients who want social media or YouTube shorts. I’m not shooting Hollywood blockbusters. So when Blackmagic revealed the Ursa Mini Pro G2 complete with 300fps, I definitely took notice. A sexy new camera and 300fps slowmotion, all in an affordable package. Cinematography catnip, as far as I’m concerned. And you just know that as soon as I got hold of the new Ursa to test it, one of the first things I did was to overcrank it to 300fps and try out the slowmotion. I now have lots of test footage of my dogs running around the garden, as it was the easiest and quickest thing to test my new slomo superstar on. Of course, I eventually got round to doing a proper test of the camera at conventional speeds. But I just couldn’t resist going faster on the frame rates, just because I could. Having had a couple of weeks using the Blackmagic camera, I believe it points the way forward for cinema cameras which is to be useful for everything from cinematic movies to run and gun, and everything in between. It has a large Super35 sensor, takes all sorts of EF-mount lenses for a shallow depth-of-field if that’s what you require, and shoots in 4.6K Raw. You can also overcrank to 300fps for super slow-motion albeit in HD only, ideal for adding drama to action shots. You can use it as a shoulder-mount ENG camera, or rig it up as a studio cam. It’s whatever you want it to be. Check out our full test in this issue, to see if there could be a bit of Blackmagic in your future. FROM THE EDITOR
Bright Publishing Ltd, Bright House, 82 High Street, Sawston, Cambridgeshire CB22 3HJ
Pro Moviemaker is published quarterly by Bright Publishing Ltd, Bright House, 82 High Street, Sawston, Cambridge CB22 3HJ. No part of this magazine can be used without prior written permission of Bright Publishing Ltd. ISSN number: 2045-3892. Pro Moviemaker is a registered trademark of Bright Publishing Ltd. The advertisements published in Pro Moviemaker that have been written, designed or produced by employees of Bright Publishing Ltd remain the copyright of Bright Publishing Ltd and may not be reproduced without the written consent of the publisher. The content of this publication does not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher. Prices quoted are street prices. In sterling they include VAT but US dollar prices are without local sales taxes. Prices are where available or converted using the exchange rate on the day the magazine went to press.
ADAM DUCKWORTH, EDITOR IN CHIEF
3
AUTUMN 2019 PRO MOVIEMAKER
Powered by FlippingBook