How this camera saved my film (PART 2/5)

The making of my short film "Flee" - Day 2 (FULL FILM - • Short Film - “FLEE” (S... )
FLEE - Official Teaser Trailer • Official Teaser Traile...
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BTS filmed by - Taylor Illgen IG @tillgen
Edited by ‪@DrewWillson‬www.drewwillso...
Film Producer - Bessma Todd www.bessmatodd...
Lights used on this film from Nanlite:
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Nanlux Evoke 1200s - geni.us/2wI78S
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Tube lights - bhpho.to/3dRnORw
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Rode Video mic - geni.us/3d39z
Rode Go Wireless Mic - geni.us/BOkBruB
#behindthescenes #makingof #film

[@spensersakurai]

FLEE (FULL FILM) - kzbin.info/www/bejne/e5fLhIWbeb-cpJY

[@IsthisMike]

Vignette on cheap lenses = Bad Vignette on expensive lenses = Beautiful Characteristic

[@IsthisMike]

@@zebius4157 I hope this is satire. Vignettes is to balance out optical perfection? 😳

[@conner_productions]

lol the things people do to justify expensive lenses

[@conner_productions]

@@zebius4157 That comparison makes zero sense. Vignetting is vignetting. It doesn't look any better on a more expensive lens than a cheap lens. However, a more expensive lens can have better characteristics that make it a better overall lens. I'm not debating that nor trying to make myself feel better when I personally prefer more expensive cine lenses. But, what it comes to vignetting itself, it's ridiculous to say it's "nice character" on the pricey cine lens, but if it was on a cheaper lens they would complain.

[@andilematomela2043]

Facts 😂😂

[@andilematomela2043]

@@conner_productions I know I'm late but it was a joke bro. You're pretty much saying exactly what he was saying 😂which is that a lot of the things that budget cinema lenses get killed for, expensive cine lenses are celebrated for. At least on KZbin.

[@AdamPaulStone]

Hi, fellow filmmaker here. I’ve been directing narrative films for over 13 years. Friendly advice on directing (based on the bts) it seems like you are spending a lot of time with the camera team (a little time is fine) This is how I approach every scene. I find the shot with my DP with the whole team their (actors included) block the scene with the team. Send everyone off to do their jobs. While actors are getting hair/makeup/wardrobe I can work with any department that needs me. When actors are done, they are my full attention. I’ll pop my head into departments (camera, art) every once & a while to see if I’m needed. Then check on the shot before action. Hope that helps.

[@spensersakurai]

Thanks! I was with all departments all the time. The bts doesnt do it justice.

[@kineticfix]

In my humble opinion, this depends entirely on who you're working with. Some actors are good enough that they don't need a lot of attention, and a lot of them prefer it that way. Also, most directors gravitate to whatever department is closest to what their background is (photographers with camera department, theater with cast, editors with everyone, etc). I remember while being on the set of "Che", Soderbergh was also the DP and very rarely did he speak to Benicio del Toro. I don't necessarily agree with the method, but it doesn't mean it can't be done that way.

[@SeymourBJohnson]

@@kineticfix thank you for this comment!

[@lexgraham]

Man I understand what your going through. I began filming a 25 minuet short film about 2 months ago with a small crew and its so hard to gather all your thoughts on set and not get overwhelmed. Its hard to enter that "flow" state as a Director. But I remind myself what Jordan Peele said, "follow the fun". That always gets me right back in my groove. Cant wait to see this!

[@alfredpoopykins8264]

You just gotta focus on what’s in front of you. Take it one step at a time. Don’t go crazy wearing too many hats at once. It helps a ton to have an Assistant Director so you don’t have to stress about keeping everything on track.

[@Supercon57]

That reverse shot matches very well Didn't even notice the sun was setting until the BTS

[@MartinVlog444]

amazing BTS ! thank you so much this series it is so informative and motivational....

[@formatthitech]

Such a great series! The bts is beautifully shot too ♥️

[@bottledwaterprod]

Thank you for this. This is extremely helpful, honest, and illustrative not just for ppl like me that study filmmaking, but also just regular folks who might be a bit curious about the realities of filmmaking.

[@mikechriscameron5234]

Love these bts videos, Danny gervits did a bts series for his feature film and those are a fun watch as well. Keep up the hard work, these may be my favorite videos of yours that I’ve seen so far

[@MoCo_Filmmaker]

Ridley Scott is one Hollywood director who loves multi-cam shooting. I try to incorporate it when I know I'm on a tight schedule as much as possible. I also like the idea of one lighting look and then let that be part of the character of the shot rather than somehow having both actors on opposite sides perfectly lit. But it's all subjective, can't wait to see Flee!

[@KenFlanagan]

Such an excellent bts film. Seems to capture the wonderfully committed vibe and is honest enough to show the tensions and the learning curves. Tight budgets like this are a miracle of keeping people warm and fed. Imo being able to motivate a crew with a project often comes from the page. If the script is great then people will stay up all night. Writer director films often seem to have a very special vibe in that way. So great to see Spencer and hear his reflections in an honest and low key reflective way. Thx so much

[@spensersakurai]

Thanks!

[@BenThayorath]

I loved this, please make more types of videos like this! Very insightful and useful info of what set is like and the thought process and communication between each department

[@NKRDBL]

I must to mention: those spotlights are very useful to make clever bouncing like you did

[@BobWilcox]

Dude thanks so much for these breakdowns and behind the scenes. It’s always insane how much time goes into one scene…let alone one single shot! Can’t wait for more. Are you still planning on going the film festival route?

[@AutoFOCUSED.]

I love videos like this and appreciate the time you spent to put it together but I just wish you showed stills of how the shots looked after you set up the lighting or composed it however you wanted it to look. When you set up the lighting next to the van to try to get it to look consistency in the look of the scene, screen grabs would have given us a much better visual idea of the effectiveness of what you were doing. Great video nonetheless. I'll be following this series all the way through.

[@spensersakurai]

screen grabs to come at some point!

[@danielgrindrod]

Thank you for sharing Spenser, there's always something to learn from watching detailed BTS like these. Much appreciated!

[@spensersakurai]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@chaselochamire313]

I imagine you got vignetting using the full sensor. SPs are marketed to cover FF+ but they're cleanest on a Super 35 sensor. I've shot Ultra Primes on a C500 mkII a lot and the DP will switch to S35 crop when using anything wider than a 50mm. It's a vibe though!

[@sansan-fb2eu]

Also love this! What a pleasure to watch and learn

[@theyshouldhavenevergivenme5439]

There is very little regard for the actor standing there. Just set the scene with a stand in have the actors come in with a fresh mind. At least give them a chair or something. In this specific setup where the director is still tinkering endlessly at the moment of filming itself I would just do it handheld for the main cam. It not that much of a 'money' shot anyway. Just a driveway. It's really interesting to see how different folk go about these things, that's the great thing about this video.

[@spensersakurai]

lol you have no context. the actors had full control to sit and relax. youre getting 10 minutes of a 12 hour day in this video. feel free to run your set and shoot how you see fit and Ill do the same.

[@theyshouldhavenevergivenme5439]

@@spensersakurai Fair enough. My main point however stands, what are you trying to figure out at shooting time when it's just some basic shot.. it all feels very self-indulgent and frankly a little pretentious. But there is a lot of uneccecarry pretention in the industry itself to make something fairly easy look very complicated and hard. Because it as a director it only counts counts when your shoot seems hard and complex. Even when it isn't. Because then you would not have a story to tell about it. I see a lot of wasted time and recources for no apparant reason then to make it all look a certain way while shooting. So much overhead, no wonder it costs a lot and takes a lot of time. Anyway, just my two cents.

[@BenThayorath]

also would love a video breaking down lighting set ups !!!

[@timdanyo898]

I invest in Nanlites as well. Great value and some spare change left over for modifiers.

[@brwandon]

duuuuuuuuude i would love to hop on a set of yours for fun, this looks phenomenal

[@theindiefilmdude]

I'm a MASSIVE fan of shooting with multiple cameras. I do it every chance I get👍🎥🎬

[@benpossehl]

Loving this content man! Keep it up

[@seanhynes6696]

I shot a film with a police scene and for us it was lighting the subject as usual for a night exterior but the edge light was mixed with police light effect and the background was illuminated but not much hitting the foreground. But art is subjective I’ve seen the police lights illuminating pretty much everything in some other films and it works as well

[@selfscience]

First rule of filmmaking. Sleep 8 hours.

[@ryanluth]

the banana at 06:11 😅 love this bts video tho man, super inspiring!!

[@gabrielmachadobsb]

How do the Tokinas compare to the Supremes? I'm really curious about the differences between the two

[@spensersakurai]

bokeh was a bit charper on the tokinas but the both had about the same vignetting. the zeiss were just a little more refined. but both are great.

[@barthallomoo]

Really enjoying this series!

[@nathanksimpson]

Despite my previous critique of some of your comments I find these videos really helpful. So far the videos focus a lot about creating the look of the video. Would it be possible to comment on the sound of the project and issues related to recording sound? Also this video shows some manual manipulation of the pavo tubes. I think the newest firmware allows bluetooth control of most if not all Nanlite products through an app. If Nanlite helped you out showcasing this feature might be something they'd be thankful for.

[@ThinkingArtEntertainment]

The winding down process after a shoot is always the worst part for me. You're mentally and physically exhausted, but your brain can't stop going over the day - what could have gone smoother? did we get all the coverage needed? did we miss anything that we need to pick up the next day?

[@BrandonHinojosa]

Love this, thank you!

[@Cinematographer_brenton]

awesome video dude! I love BTS like this :)

[@JaymesMedia]

Enjoyed this a lot

[@FabianPourmand]

Great video Spenser!

[@audiomoritz]

Great content. I like the vibe!

[@SaintProductions1]

Thanks for sharing... Very informative!

[@hobbes1231]

so cool!!

[@trippwilsonphoto]

you got that safdie brothers music going on

[@dm.b7560]

Light projectors are nice, but bounced light has no control, and goes everywhere. Light coming through a window has a frame which is the window itself, so usually it does not affect walls and ceiling, so not sure bounced light is the best...... I guess depends on the framing tho.

[@earnieboy54]

I think he needs to do better with time management and accounting for challenges that come from shooting using the sun and site logistics. Like the bulbs in the house could’ve been addressed before hand with a proper location scout with the shooting camera.

[@spensersakurai]

oh boy. did you watch the first video before spouting off your opinions? DP couldnt make the shoot 48hrs before shoot days so a new DP filled in. we had scouted weeks in advance but the new DP didnt. Things always go wrong and you know that, so maybe lets not criticize something you dont know anything about. Cheers.

[@earnieboy54]

@@spensersakurai thanks for proving my point by hiding my initial reply. Be better bro. Get off your high horse. We all have room to improve. ALL OF US.

[@jorge.rubiales]

If you record master and closeups at the same time, probably the sound quality is going to suffer (you'll have to play the lavs more often or exclusively). There's no free lunch...

[@Erumentar]

Super cool you got David Spade as your DP 😂

[@darrenorange2982]

Absolutely always shoot two cameras...it saves hours of time an is easier on the actors and the crew as a director I also recommend operating one.

[@IJohnSmith]

Single camera is the way to go… forces you to really think about your composition and what shots you truly need. Wide masters > coverage imo.

[@darrenorange2982]

@@IJohnSmith Not with coverage, especially with continuity. You can get so many more options to work with later.

[@persquad8998]

As a Soundmixer, if your low on Budget, don't shoot with two cameras, as if you do a medium and close up, you will just have the sound of the medium. In the end the Sound will be shittier then it needed to be, and as sound is so underrated anyway, there really is no reason to make it harder then it already is.

[@darrenorange2982]

@@persquad8998 I'm not sure what you mean by low budget but two cameras cost so little more than just one just depends on the camera. If the camera itself costs that much you should likely question the camera. You could easily shoot many camera systems two camera vs the cost of just one camera. I've not yet had a single issue with sound and we are over half way done with a feature with two cameras. Haven't had to give up anything with regards to mic placement etc. I'm not sure what the point of sound mixing on a narrative set would be in todays world with 32 bit.

[@persquad8998]

@@darrenorange2982 32 bit is just a Resolution, if your to fare away with the mic it will still sound shit in post, and laveliers do not save you, they are just Backups at best. I don't mean low Budget in a way that you can't afford a second camera, rather you should make sure to have a nice mic as close as possible, which may take longer, thus needing more Budget. All in all, rather take your time with one camera and a good Boom then have 2-3 cameras with a shitty Boom and laveliers

[@rickylefleur2158]

awesome sauce

[@welchworks]

Is that Josh from Film Riot at 14:16?? 👀

[@parkerfilm2114]

Silly question, but how are you mounting the Evoke ballast to the combo stand at 0:42? I just got one, I didn't realize there was a way to do that behind maybe running a strap through that little metal hole or something.

[@Ickhart]

I believe there's a super clamp from Nanlux that has a clamp that sticks to the ballast to the stand

[@parkerfilm2114]

@@Ickhart Thanks man! I see the 1200b comes with one, but not the standard 1200... I finally found it on B&H, and it is 2-4 months out, lol. Oh well!

[@benpossehl]

The banana at 6:10 lol

[@JohnDewberry]

Banana for scale

[@blahblahblah2243]

Why isn't the camera ever on a dovetail and bridge plate?!?! Just screwing the quick release from the oconor straight to the bottom of the Venice is kinda mad...I guess the DP or operator didn't want a balanced camera lol

[@Kylehallphotography]

Where will it be released?

[@spensersakurai]

After festival run

[@Cyfer_Batman]

So, how do i watch this?

[@larionszilasi2964]

Im at around 5:00. I've heard that Fincher among other directors shoot in a big resulation, then crop the image. But with that, doesnt they ruin the overall characteristic of the senzor image? I mean, BMPCC4K shooters buy to speedbooster, to get a 35mm look.

[@piotrgraniszewski8544]

Venice is full frame. You don't need razor thin DoF if you really think about it, so it's not a problem.

[@Aaron_Smith_OM]

Pocket 4K users don't buy focal reducers to get a 35mm look. It's mostly to adapt lenses to other lens systems other than MFT.

[@AllThingsFilm1]

Is there training available for the Venice camera?

[@Ickhart]

Besides checking out online for manual or videos on youtube, probably going to a rental house or renting one out to play is probably a good way to learn the camera.

[@unknowncaller4739]

On KZbin these don’t look any different than any Sony lens you should post a comparison so we can see the special characteristics

[@tyleradams3490]

If you're staring at VFX work for your film and you think ANY of it looks less than stellar... HIT ME UP. Don't settle for "good enough" in post.

[@ismaelb.5278]

Very nice Project. When and where will it be released?

[@spensersakurai]

Post festival run

[@yann-davidakpa7635]

I know this has nothing to have with the video, but please…. Help us on cst for bmpcc 4K with the gen 5 , I’m shooting on ProRes and I’m struggling with cst..

[@larionszilasi2964]

Hi Spence! How is the short film doing?

[@spensersakurai]

Almost done! Just need a sound mix and sound mix!

[@Markplaats-x1h]

ha, he even put on a scarf to get into that 'this is my film, people' mode :p just kidding, good channel

[@cpsbench]

The camera I recommend to everyone! this link does not work, what camera is this?

[@spensersakurai]

Bummer. Blackmagic pocket 6k geni.us/mBF2

[@cpsbench]

@@spensersakurai i am thinking of getting BMPCC 4k for youtube, which lens would you sugest i shoot indoor videos just like yours. i am thinking cheapout on lens then upgrade it in future

[@spensersakurai]

@@cpsbench Get a 10 bit sony camera with Auto focus if youre just using it for youtube IMO

[@cpsbench]

@@spensersakurai which one

[@redbeardproductions-kevind9806]

You don't live in Oklahoma do you?...

[@Sahibproduction]

which tube clamps do you use at 1:27sec

[@NKRDBL]

Looks like matellini

[@Ickhart]

either a matthellini from matthews or a cardellini clamp

[@workinprogress2077]

While i understand this is a channel about cinematography whcih is one part of telling a story, but as I consider you a creative person you don't talk about wotking with the actors beyond blocking whic hyou do cover. Why don't you ask the actors what is was like working with you.

Too much tripod shots?

[@adliberate]

Get some big sleeps in dude and get that girl a decent coat!

[@Aaron_Smith_OM]

Exactly! I cannot stand directors making talent needlessly suffer on set. That shit is disgusting.

[@spensersakurai]

lol you have no context at all. everyone was well taken care of. get your negativity out of here.

[@Aaron_Smith_OM]

@@spensersakurai k.

[@mastercypher9970]

What cameras did you use here and which one saved your life? 🙂

[@spensersakurai]

sony lowlight saved the film

[@nicodehnhardt466]

AND THE FOOTAGE ??? ALWAYS I SEE THIS KIND OF VIDEO THEY NEVER, POST THE FOOTAGE

[@spensersakurai]

soon

[@dathofilms]

am I the only one who feels Spensers vibe as a director is not really what you would want on the set?

[@alexdoesstuff5260]

That’s quite vague, I truly don’t know what gives a director a good or bad vibe.

[@DANAMIONLINE]

You have crawl before you walk and Spenser is learning to be a Director.

[@iammilesq]

What kind of comment is this? 😂 - everything we hear about Tarantino says that he was a wild man, while others are mild mannered and clinical. Different strokes, different folks etc

[@envisagefilmshouston]

You’re right! Accurate. He gives like… weird vybes

[@dathofilms]

I feel like, he is not trusting the crew and trying to over control situations. While he thinks this will help, it actually works the opposite people cant express freely and creatively in such environments. Hope he reads and become a bit more self aware.

[@envisagefilmshouston]

Ummm ok where’s the video? 🤔 tf

[@spensersakurai]

After festival season I can release