The cameras used to shoot a web series

Shooting Shades Of Bad - the Kit

Shades Of Bad was a departure into the web for us. Maybe we won't turn back!

We shoot a number of things from movies to web content, but we have just sold our Epic Dragon cameras and now are concentrating on web content. Our main web series are ‘Doris Visits’ the travel shows, and ‘Doris Shades Of Bad’ the drama series. For both web series we wanted to keep the quality at 2k, which is the quality of most current televisions bought and sold. That is certainly as good as most TV shows if not much better than daily soaps and lower level TV which are often shot at 720 lines and they are interlaced. If  I have lost you there I apologize, but most shows are now HD which the retailers are currently calling 2k.

The camera had to be small and I did not need fancy add-ons like slow motion. I just needed a camera that is used widely on the professional market and the cameramen that came in would be able to use. So, I asked them and Black Magic came out tops. I have seen recent blogs where the BMPCC goes up against some newer cameras and it wins hands down.

The kitchen that Shades Of Bad was all going to be shot in is small by filming standards and none of the walls fly away or have traps. I mean none of the walls are force and can be removed. What you see is the space we had. The BMPCC was ideal and there were few other coices. Stills guys compremise, but we never needed it to take stills, we just needed a dedicated movie camera.

It can shoot 2k raw but that means huge files and is over kill and would certainly be well beyond our Apple based edit suit, so we shoot at 1080 uncompressed. The edit still struggles when the shows get to 30 minutes, but we manage as most of the travel shows on line are around five minutes. The episodes of Shades were always going to be around three minutes.

All stop... it changed. As film makers our ambition was bigger and before long we were testing outside night shoots, filming in the woods and then going abroad. Just because we could and web series did not normally go to that expense. For us it was all a test, and adventure. It has generated a new series, the travel show Doris Visits which in 6 months has produced 100 films, over 80 of which are loaded. Now we have groups of actors and financiers coming to us to ask about the next step; shooting a movie this way.

If you are looking for a camera to shoot movies, take a look at some of our films on Doris Visits. This camera does not shoot stills. It is a movie camera. I will address more of our kit in later blogs.

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Ep61 goes live while Doris is away filming on board ship and in Canaries

Ep61 goes live while Doris is away filming on board ship and in Canaries

Away shooting more Doris Visits, but we release the very final episode of Season 3... and yes, it is on board ship as Manuel chases Doris with an eye on Romance. Remember the series started when her husband left her for the next door neighbour and her best friend ... not that that should destroy a friendship LOL...

Now, Doris has gone through quite a lot, but the man she was sent to meet in Barcelona seems to have taken an eye to her.

So, the series takes a break. You may ask whether it is the last ever episode, but no. We think there is life in the show yet, but we have plans for something a little different.... stay watching Doris Visits.

The latest shows on the travel front are the ones on the Costa Del Sol. Here is the one on Mijas.

The rest are easy to find, take a look on www.DorisVisits.com

Wobble TV - do you see the bouncing rubbish bins in Cold Feet

Wobble TV - the stabiliser button

For those of you who have no idea what a stabiliser is, or why the dustbins jump, let me explain. For those who do, I will be brief, skip this paragraph. If you film with a shoulder mounted camera, and the picture wobbles, you can hit a magic button and it might 'mend' it. It is basic maths and technicals. The picture / computer looks for a dominant mid picture icon, a dot, a cross member or upright lamp post. It says, right, that stays where it is - now ! As the picture was moving, but is now nailed by that point, the top will go up and down and the bottom will go up and down. The computer says, give me the best size you can and you might lose a inch from the top and bottom and then no wobble is seen.... magic. Simple really when you think about it. BUT >.... BUT, there are different perspectives. Like different levels of distance from the lens as in 3D and whilst the focal length of the face is anchored the very slight distance swing on the back wall moves.

So, as not to confuse you, you keep the object you want stable, the rest of the picture can be leaping around like a jack in a box. MOST PEOPLE never notice. It drives me mad ... it will you now I have told you want to look for. The worst example I have seen recently was the BBC film starring Julie Walters, Brooklyn. In the house in New York the whole picture I am guessing as shot hand held, I have no idea why as a drama it should have been stable. The executives had the insight to agree in post production and hit the stabiliser button. The wall paper is dancing an Irish jig in the back ground. How such a long list of executives did not have the experience to order the use of a tripod for intense drama I do not know but hey ..... the fact they used the stabiliser proves the shots needed to be steady.

So, Cold Feet .... two weeks ago as they walked through the park they we constant, but the stabiliser had been used on such an extreme shot that the rubbish bins in the park looked like they had been charged with explosives. They were jogging more than Julie's wall paper. It was an example of a very poor decision to save money (again) on a steady cam and use any gadget they can be sold from steering wheels with cameras in the middle to cameras on wheelchairs.

So, when you see the back ground move or phase, that is what has happened. The shot was wobbling, the main object is now fairly stable, but the other stuff is now in a musical.

What this also does is reduce overall quality, because 10 maybe 20% or 30% of the picture is lost. If you lose 30% of the top bottom and sides that is a square of the number as a loss.

100 x 100 = 10,000 pixels

70% left

70 x 70 = 4,900 pixels (half the quality (arguably)

So, as Sky Sports are now transmitting the first 4k football this year, and Broadcasters still shoot 2k at best and lose frame size with reframing and stabilising, what are they delivering? Less than you can get on YouTube...

So, there is a debate starter, like quoting that Netflix, Amazon and Sky all spend more on new drama now than the BBC. Sky! Form their little building in Isleworth, make more than the BBC who own as much in bricks as London transport. ... actually that is an exaggeration, but point made. Something is wrong at the top when multi execs stabilise pictures only after they see them, and bins dance on mainstream TV.

Just saying.... we used to be better than that.

Discovering Lost Actors, at both ends of the age range.

Actors, they All need a break

An actor is nothing without a part to play. Whilst it can be shouted 'there is no excuse', because with a camera in your phone and the internet as your outlet everyone can create.... they don't. OK, to craft a film may take study, but that is there to be learnt too.

I am often noted as saying I find a complete difference between US and UK actors. UK actors claim to have trained then do little more in the way of daily routine. US actors do classes and train non stop, like sports people they work the job. Australians are a fantastically different mix.
When on a huge US series recently I asked the US exec why there were so many Australians playing leads in action and driven US series. The answer was, that they are fit the part well in manner and body shape. UK males tend to be metro, US male actors are image protective, Australian actors can be built like farmers and have a 'don't care get in there approach'. You believe them in rugged roles.

It is interesting, but as young actors look for a break, and discover themselves, at the other end of the age scale, there are so many older actors also looking to re-invent themselves. Actresses who left to have children, actors who left to do more regular jobs so they could support a family. They, when released from the ties that took them away from the art form they would have loved to follow, are available to come back. Whether through local theatre, festivals, or internet publicity like CastingCall Pro, they can come back.

As a director the choice is huge, but, you often go with those you know. Great directors like James Cameron (whom I worked with) uses the same actors, so does Clint Eastwood etc... and Spielberg too. I had two actors, lost to the industry, that I deliberately revived when I stepped in to direct some episodes of Shades Of Bad. They now have active show reels again.

The first was Oliver Degnan who I used, well maybe 30 years ago! He was a child actor in the film The Usual Children, re-issued so many times, first as Millennium Madness then as Mystical Christmas. It was the first lead role for actress Laura Aikman, who 30 years on is still playing leads.
In Usual Children, Oliver played an off the wall off kid. In Shades Of Bad I needed youth who was unpredictable, a gamer and computer boff who could help Doris understand the potential in the future given technology. Who had an edge of violence.

The second actor was Nick Simons who I have seen on stage so many times, working with the above mention kids so many times. But after a financial London career, he is now available to the art again. He stepped into working with a camera like he had been doing it for years. And he had never worked with a camera, or to a camera before. He listened and was a dream.

The result, my favourite episode of Shades Of Bad of all time is The Sinister Jeweller, episode 59. Shot in a few hours at Nick's house it intercuts with exteriors shot in Barcelona (episodes before and after), and Oliver back at Doris's house planning to kill her best friend Wilma.

Take a look. These guys should have agents, maybe I will make that my next mission....
..... SSP

Russia - surprisingly easy to film in

In St Petersburg, no visa

It seems odd that Russia has reached a point where they realise the value of the western world and accept it in St Petersburg by allowing entry without a visa provided you are on a registered tour. The stupid thing is, the tour can be, 'on your own'. On your own means the coach takes you somewhere and says goodbye, you then are free to walk or go anywhere.

I am not sure I recall seeing a policeman. I saw a huge number of the pick-pockets we were warned about, and although they were extremely obvious I have been pick-pocketed twice, both in Romania so I can't suggest I am immune. More police in Russia would be nice, protecting the tourist.

Being an action film director by trade you hope you see these things coming, but it is not always the case and sometimes they happen so fast. In Romania it was different, a girl waits by a less busy cash point and as you turn away she literally grabs your personal area offering you sex. By the time you have refused your money and wallet is gone, you turn to try and redeem it and the girl vanishes. It is a well rehearsed routine that could get them into being members of the inner magic circle, but they would have to work small clubs for little wages and they make more from tourists. In Russia it is normally a younger man or woman offering your a leaflet for a tour. They engage you to sell you a tour and the older partners works you from behind. In the Church of the Spilled Blood the crowds are so crushed together and standing on awe of the place there is no need for a foil, you are just a target.

So, warning aside, carry little, no wallet, no handbag, and hold the camera. Cameras are targets in St Petersburg. You then get the freedom of the city.

We use a real simple camera set up. A Black Magic Pocket Cinema Camera that shoots at 2k, with an active Metabones on the front to a Canon 17mm to 40mm USM lens. A radio mic receiver plugs straight into the camera, Doris wears the mic and send unit. Rarely do I listen to the sound so I do not even wear headphones. The wave form of the sound can be seen to move, the background noise is what it is, and normally battery failure on the mic shows up as high level constant noise. So, as a film team we are invisible, however I am not sure that it would have made any difference, not even in St Petersburg.

Church of the Spilled Blood

It is amazing how the Christian church still has such a hold over Russia. It could be an interesting debate as to how wars are really won or lost and whether the benefit is rebels and dollars flowing as directed by the victor. The church is an incredible sight and major tourist trap. It claims to be closed on Mondays, as do many things in St Petersburg, but, it was open on Monday. You have to look at the crowds and ask why would you ever close it.

St Petersburg on your own

The on your own tour rents you an audio pen for a few dollars. I can't imagine why you would not hire one as it tells you so much and without it you are just walking around. There is far too much to see in one day, and many of the things are perhaps not too amazing, but take a look at the tour that sets you free without a visa.

On Line TV gathers speed

Doris Visits have gone with Opera TV via Daily Motion, with IBC approaching there are announcements all over. But on line TV is coming, has been coming, will come.

Doris Visits launched on Opera just a few weeks ago and now has 73 films in the platform and is growing. The key is good regular content. Here is our link so you can see how the platform works for us.  

http://apps.tvstore.opera.com/video_application/?bg=jpg&target_user=dorisvisits&app_id=171799#fix

Launch of Certification Program for OTT apps and
connected-TV devices

                      

New program targeting tens of millions of Opera TV-powered devices will solve key challenges faced by OTT content providers and device manufacturers

Opera TV has today launched the Opera TV Certification Program to bring over-the-top (OTT) services to multiple ecosystems of platforms and devices. The program by Opera TV, the world's largest HTML5-powered TV ecosystem, is a first-of-its-kind program designed to solve one of the biggest challenges facing OTT application developers and OEMs.

Currently, OTT app developers lack a unified approach to develop, test, verify and certify their HTML5 apps across connected TV devices spanning multiple vendors and industries, due to each having different flavors of video streaming and HTML5 capabilities. And, with RnRMarketResearch projecting that the OTT app market will increase more than 17 percent to $62 billion by 2020, the need to address this issue is urgent.

As the world's largest HTML5 TV ecosystem, shipped on more than 40 million devices each year, Opera TV looks to lead the way in addressing this market. To harmonize the two ends, the program is aligned with Opera TV’s latest HTML5 SDK, and consists of two key parts:

• Application certification provides tools and documentation for app developers, and certifies that the app is compatible with Opera-powered devices. This streamlines development efforts and reduces the time-to-market from months to weeks.
• Device certification provides device manufacturers and operators with a test suite to ensure their devices, embedded with Opera TV’s latest SDK, comply with device specifications. This significantly shortens the time to bring numerous top-tier complex applications to the device.

“With OTT quickly becoming an important viewing choice for consumers, there’s no reason for the app development and launch process to be so cumbersome—there should be a clear path that everyone can understand, trust and follow,” said Aneesh Rajaram, CEO at Opera TV. “OTT video app developers should be able to build once and deploy HTML5-based applications that are compatible with all Opera TV devices. This increased efficiency and cost savings mark a significant step forward for the industry. We look forward to helping content providers, developers, OEMs and operators reach new levels of success.”

The Opera TV ecosystem spans more than 40 million new connected TV devices shipped every year, making it the world’s largest unified platform for connected TV devices. The Opera TV Certification Program unites HTML5-based devices into one coherent ecosystem that is market-ready at the silicon level. It provides app developers with unprecedented access to specifications and documentation for connected TV platforms, simple-to-use developer tools such as emulators and code snippets, and access to a global support team of experts in Europe, North America and Asia. Unlike individual OEM or operator platforms, the Opera TV platform evolves quickly to keep pace with market requirements, supporting the complex needs of demanding OTT services.

Through the program, certified apps can be distributed through Opera TV partners, which include consumer electronic device manufacturers as well as the fast-growing pay-TV and free-to-air operators. Unlike other programs, this is a multi-silicon, multi-device, multi-industry approach, all aimed at reaching viewers in their living rooms on any device. Opera TV can also help with the distribution and publishing of certified apps and work closely with app developers and content owners to ensure maximum reach for their content.

The Opera TV Store, an OTT experience for consumers, brings more than 1,000 apps to major OEM brands and pay-TV operators. Existing partners with apps launched through the Opera TV Store have the easiest path to certification and are already jumping on board. In addition, Opera TV is expanding its relationship with other premium content partners, who have complex or custom requirements, to ensure they are perfectly aligned and can capitalize on all the benefits of the new certification program. For a full list of certified applications, please contact the Opera TV team. For more information on the Opera TV Certification Program or to start the process, please visit http://www.operasoftware.com/campaign/certification-program.

About Opera TV

Opera TV is the market leader in enabling the TV industry’s transition to OTT. The Opera TV portfolio powers a rich UI and OTT experiences on tens of millions of new Smart TVs, set-top boxes, Blu-ray Disc Players and chipsets deployed each year by more than 60 customers. The Opera TV ecosystem spans the Opera TV Store app platform, with over 1000 entertaining apps tailor-made for TV, the Opera Devices SDK for creating and rendering HTML5-based user interfaces including optional modules to enable HbbTV, the Opera Media Streaming Module, to manage the rapidly changing global OTT streaming requirements, and the Opera TV browser for browsing the full web. Opera TV offers solutions for OEMs, pay-TV operators, broadcasters and content publishers. Visit www.opera.com/tv to learn more.

Doris Visits launched on Opera just a few weeks ago and now has 73 films in the platform and is growing. The key is good regular content.

London - critics number 1 restaurant, Restaurant Story

London - critics number 1 restaurant, Restaurant Story

Many critics say this is London's premiere restaurant, so we went to see what the fuss was about. 'Story' only seats 40 covers, you need a reservation, it will cost the national debt of a small town, but, boy is it a great night.

Many thanks to my daughter, Laura Aikman and Matt Kennard who took me to the restaurant as a much belated special birthday present as when the birthday occured I was first away filming on an HBO series, then recovering from an incident on a film set. 

I glad she waited the two years so I could truly enjoy it. Perfect timing, fantastic treat.

Jean (Doris) also loved it, what a fantastic night out. We certainly had no intention of filming it, but as the first snack arrives you are compelled to reach for anything that will act as a camera, and then as the snacks continue and the smoke from the liquid nitrogen wafts over the razor clams you switch to video mode.

This is the result of an unexpected Doris Visits London film, and sorry it is not shot as well as they normally are. But, you may not get to the restaurant in the near future so please - enjoy. Click the text for the Daily Motion version of the film. The YouTube version below.

Click here for the Doris Visits web blog.

The day before we went on a Canal trip from Little Venice to Camden Lock Market, so it was a great birthday. This film was shot a lot better. If you have not done the water bus on the London Regents Canal, then take a look by clicking this text or YouTube version below.