Sky Replacement, HDR For All And How To Build A Reel From Scratch.
Also, there's some field of view breakdowns to help choose lenses and a look at DIY, shelter in place product commercials.
Sky Replacement Made Simple
If you’re working in Davinci or Premiere here a couple of really intuitive solutions for replacing boring, overcast or blown out skies. Quick keying and alpha channel outputs in Davinci can swap out a sky in minutes. Or if you prefer to stay in Premiere, a quick mask and HSL secondary pass change out a drab sky to something spectacular in minutes.
Sony Breaks Down HDR (High Dynamic Range) For Their Entire Video Line
For the first time Sony has added HDR capabilities to their prosumer and even consumer level video cameras. Now even the fixed lens, corporate event style cameras like the PXW-Z90 come with an HLG (Hybrid Log Gamma) recording option to significantly increase effective dynamic range. What’s that mean? More range will give you image more depth in the whites and blacks, allowing for better grading options and less risk of clipping or underexposing.
Full Sony White Paper on their HDR stats:
How To Build Your Reel (When You Don’t Have Clients)
Getting started in this business can very often seem very chicken or the egg. How do you get hired to make commercials when you haven’t been hired to make commercials to show people that you’re good enough for them to hire you to make commercials. It’s frustrating, but Daniel Schiffer breaks down how he got started in shooting commercial work. The short answer here is resilience and diligence and being willing to do some work on the cheap for the clients you want to work with. It’s how he grew his business and his brand in the last year to having 1.5M Youtube subscribers and sponsorships from companies such as Edelkrone and Aputure.
Field of View Breakdown with Cinematographer Newton Thomas Sigel
A comprehensive review of field of view for wide angle, normal and telephoto lenses as shot by Vanity Fair and explained by Newton Thomas Sigel, the DP behind the lens or Bohemian Rhapsody, Three Kings and Usual Suspects. Even if you’re experienced as a shooter, AC or DP, it’s always good to revisit the opinions and strategies of professionals from all walks of the craft.
That’s it for this week, as always free to share this around and hit me up on email with any concerns or questions.
Loren Graves
lorengraves@gmail.com