This semester our first-year students will be producing 16 thirty-second commercial spots over the next couple of months (2 per week). The goal is to train students in the entire production process, from pitching an idea, right through to production and post. This isn’t all about just running out the door with a camera and shooting, but about the planning, logistics that need to go into making a production happen.
By strange coincidence, the first two commercials this year are alcohol-related!
For a bit of background, each student production company (usually group of 5) is required to produce two 30-second commercials this term, and we stipulate that at least one of them must be a real client (to give the project a bit more of a reality-check).
First up was a project for Heineken Beer which illustrates the old saying about, boy meets girl, boy chooses the wrong beer, other boy who chooses the “right” beer gets the girl.
Second up, was a spot for Industry Bar & Grill in Richmond selling on the idea that no matter what might happen by accident, it’s all good for this bar’s patrons!
This week has been the first time we’ve taken our new first-year students out to work with their equipment around the BCIT Campus in a “production capacity”.
Students have been out practising the camera, audio, and composition skills they’ve learned over the last few weeks to produce short segments about some of the trades and technical students at BCIT. We’re looking for proper technical control of the camera (focus, aperture, white balance, audio levels), proper use of microphones (which mic to use, where to place it for optimum pickup), and how to compose shots to make it interesting for viewers.
After shooting, we head back to the broadcast centre to spend the afternoon in the edit suite with Final Cut Pro, putting all of the footage together so we can do some critiquing in class and learn about what worked and what didn’t.
A fairly busy day, but great hands-on experience!
Many people are probably familiar with open-source software, but when was the first time you’ve seen an open-source HD Cinema camera?
The “Apertus” is being developed by a team of international enthusiasts to give total control over inexpensive HD imaging hardware, allowing filmmakers to potentially develop their own alternatives to commercial offerings from Sony, Panasonic, Red, etc.
While it’s definitely still a work-in-progress, this sort of project would’ve been cost-prohibitive a few years ago. Now, the cost of the camera hardware (minus lens and audio) is only around $3,000 – and the software is free!
While it might not be as user-friendly or have a workflow as efficient as a camera from one of the major manufacturers, it does prove how quickly technology is changing, and how quickly people are exploring new options as they become available.
Check out a sample movie (click through to Vimeo for the HD version)
My colleague, John Mills, and myself had an opportunity to head downtown last Thursday to check out the Adobe CS5 roadshow.
(Apologies for the picture, the iPhone 3G just isn’t that good in low-light.)
While I still prefer Avid or FCP for editing, the tight integration between products in the Adobe lineup has always been one of their primary strengths, and they obviously know it…
With the new CS5 suite, they’ve taken it a step further. From script development, through capture, post, and output, it’s a pretty incredible workflow. If you need an all-in-one package to do everything, I don’t think it can be beat for the price (the academic price for CS5 Production Premium is $481.95)
The other item that caught my attention was the display at the Canon booth…
More Canon DSLRs being kitted-out for video. While I still prefer the workflow with a full-size professional rig, these cameras pack a pretty amazing punch for the price.
The Canon 7D is still relatively expensive at $1750 for the body (without lens); a more inexpensive option is the Canon T2i, which can be purchased for under $1000 including an 18-55mm lens, and has similar video capabilities as it’s big brother.
I love my Nikon DSLR, but Canon has refined their video offerings quite a bit more at this point in time.
A number of software companies are also coming out with plugins and applications which perform automatic sound-sync between the audio recorded on the DSLR and a secondary recording device (Zoom recorder, DAT, etc). Much easier than doing it by hand.
Zut Alors, one of our second-year production companies has just won two awards from the Broadcast Educators Association of Canada!
“Complicity” won for best Drama.
Written and Directed by Dylan Adkins, Produced by Lauren Weidel, Edited by Justin Li, Director of Photography – Jordan Lee, Assistant Director – Courtney Dunsmoor-Farley, Audio Supervisor – Denis Falardeau.
Complicity from Zut Alors on Vimeo.
Judges’ Comments:
- Initial impression- STYLISH!
- Great sequences with good composition
- Superior use of music to create tension
- Excellent editing, music transitions/fx and timing
- Lighting was very good
- While the story was slightly campy and silly, it still grabs your attention, keeps you involved and is well constructed.
And their mockumentary, “Shadow Hands” won for Best Comedy!
Written by Denis Falardeau and Dylan Adkins, Produced by Courtney Dunsmoor-Farley, Directed by Denis Falardeau, Edited by Justin Li, Director of Photography: Jordan Lee, Assistant Director: Lauren Weidel, Audio Supervisor: Dylan Adkins.
Shadow Hands: A Mockumentary from Zut Alors on Vimeo.
Judges’ Comments:
- Great delivery- were they professional actors?
- Excellent! Drew me in after the slow beginning
- Professional Actors? Well crafted and good storytelling
- Very well done, truly enjoyed it!
One of our second-year production companies, Zut Alors, has uploaded two major projects for the year on Vimeo. Check out the links below!
It’s worth noting that their second production, Complicity, was shot in HD on the Canon 7D, our first production to use a digital SLR for a major project. Very cool!
Shadow Hands: A Mockumentary from Zut Alors on Vimeo.
Complicity from Zut Alors on Vimeo.
