Lens Whacking & Masters in Motion

[@151filmsCoUk]

just wanted to say, that we at onefiftyone films think your videos are the best thing out there for us guys! keep up the top notch work.

[@alexpollock6932]

Quintin tarrintino used the split focus a lot in the hateful eight and I was amazed at how he was able to pull it off

[@tuckerwagner7477]

Very possibly it could have been done digitally.

[@spidiq8]

Tarantino shoots film and is one of the few remaining staunch advocates of film shooting for the distinctive looks it achieves, this is evident from every interview with him you see. It wasn't done digitally, he just knows how to set a scene and paint a superb cinematic image.

[@alexpollock6932]

spidiq8 he has a real love for film

[@MaevaBM]

So do you think Tarantino's operator was holding the lens with his/her hands ??? I just can't imagine that happening on big features with budget movies, especially on film, the risk of getting your film exposed or dirty is too high, no ?

[@TechnoBabble]

There's actually a lens that you sit in front of your camera's lens usually called a split diopter filter. It's basically two pieces of glass that changes the focus distance for the lens that are joined in the middle of the filter. For high budget movies using film they are likely using extremely high quality split diopter filters.

[@mastermcginnis]

This is basically the coolest discovery I've made about video ever. I've always wondered how this effect was achieved or what it's called and now I can't wait to play around with it. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!

[@TaylorJacksonPhoto]

I have a D800 and I'm able to record without a lens. Sweet video. Learned something new today

[@filmriot]

No. You can get some dirt on your censor, but you just need to clean it. I've done it plenty and so far no issues.

[@TYS0NIC]

Just finished watching EVERY FilmRiot episode from the beginning. It's going to be hard to go from watching multiple episodes per day, to only 2 per week!

[@noobeliminator109]

The only camera I have is my phone... Tried separating lens from the sensor.... Broke my phone... THANK YOU RYAN! (sadface)

[@alifrio75]

NOOBeliminator in toooo theee tooop..

[@MariusIhlar]

Haha, it actually works with phones aswell. Just try to put your 50mm lens infront and start practising those Macro shots!

[@juandaviddiazorozco7445]

NOOBeliminator faq :v

[@RamaDolman]

hey there, im a 21 year old film school graduate from australia, perth. and ive gotta say that video is damn good for someone that is 15... amazing, keep at it.

[@Mulletmanalive]

I was interested in the freehand tilt/shift thing in Cain. I was under the impression that all the dual focus things in Cain were done with either crazy lights on F8-16 or optical double exposure... Learn something new every episode. Thanks, Ry.

[@SpencerBarrettFilms]

You know Phillip Bloom? He's a very talented guy, his work just blows my mind. He has told me that if I have a cool project he might work with me on it. I look forward to that day! Great video, might have to have a play around with that technique.

[@filmriot]

The second option is for those who don't have a DSLR, as I said in the ep. This was a tutorial, and wouldn't fit in a Monday ep, since Mondays are not tutorial episodes.

[@Sixteen0Four]

Not only to make the lens a macro, but to achieve the same effect as ryan did, but with more control. Like a follow focus to control the rotation of the lens and the distance to the camera.

[@filmriot]

No, just used it to show what I was talking about since I was filming with the 5D.

[@ergometrics]

I think they did this effect a lot in Heroes. I really loved the cinematography in that! This was really helpful! Cheers!

[@ERICJAMESCOMEDIAN]

Just want to say thank you for all the information. Very few artist I meet have the love of the art enough to want to create more artist.

[@MobileMicroShows]

Always been curious about this effect but thought it was a lot more complicated, involving lighting tricks as well as some post production. Just did a little test run with my Canon 50mm and it turned out great! Thank you so much for this video!

[@sharad2020]

I love lens whacking! And I love James Miller as well! His stuff is awesome! My first two videos I posted on vimeo are done through lens whacking.

[@danieljohnson2046]

Ryan, I can't thank you enough for this Lens Whacking tip. It's so awesome! I'm super excited to get out there and try it out now!

[@JarrodTetreault]

Thanks for showing us this lens whacking technique. I just tried it with my camera, and it worked great.... kinda hard to get a good image at first, but it worked, and now I'll mess around with it. Thanks Ryan!

[@excelisinsane]

Hey Ryan and co. Just wanted to say thanks for all these awesome videos. We all really appreciate them. Best damn film school out there!

[@Andrew_Price]

Watched this in 2016... for my future short. Ry... u rock :D

[@CineFix]

Very nice!

[@Sixteen0Four]

That is an insanely good technique! As i watched it, i got the idea of building an apparatus to mount the camera and the lens to. Maybe with the possibility to move the lens further away or closer to the camera and rotate it horizontally. That would get rid of the chance to drop the lens or your camera...

[@filmriot]

Love that movie.

[@danieljohnson2046]

Holy crap, Ryan!!! You shot that opening short? AWESOME!!

[@cesarpinto32]

Newbie question: I just bought a camera and I'm new in filmmaking, this technique doesn't damage the camera? or, do I need to keep something in mind to no damage my cam?

[@RedSpectrumPictures]

I think I am going to try lens whacking in the thriller short film I am currently making. Thanks for the tips Ryan!

[@Delinz]

Ahhhh man i really appreciate you showing the lens whacking! Seen it in a lot of musicvideos and wondered how they made it. Gonna try use this

[@jackdelamare]

Had no idea about this technique, what a great idea. Thanks Ryan!

[@TheBiffleCompany]

Vincent Laforet is such a cool guy! Totally nice and down to earth. Gives GREAT advice too.

[@Sniperop775]

Please do those types of videos on Mondays !! I want tutorials back !! Pleaaaase!!

[@LeinadDLT]

This is so cool! I never knew you could do that, and I've seen this effect before! THANK YOU FILM RIOT!

[@JamAshleyFilms]

I feel so lame asking this... but isn't "dust" an issue when you do this? I still try to do an Indiana Jones Idol Swap move when I switch lenses... am I paranoid?

[@jeremybizzano5448]

That is a concern... I mostly do still photography and learned if you don't turn the camera off when changing lenses, the electrical charge on the sensor will attract dust much more than if the camera was shut off. It definitely looks cool, it's a trade off. You may have to clean your sensor frequently.

[@orioncreativearts]

People who hate this are using compact camera

[@IByourHELPER]

Great technique! Never even heard of it, excited to use it!!!!

[@kawaiichibiz]

Wow, this looks so cool! I'm definitely going to try it sometime.

[@HudsonRyde]

I've been wondering if you guys were ever going to do some lens whacking! I love doing it

[@kulmajaba]

For Canon crop frame cameras such as the T2i/T3i/T4i I find a focal length around 30mm to be good. As for the focusing, old Tamron Adaptall 2 lenses are great because it's essentially attached to all systems with a different removable adapter and they're pretty cheap too. I bought a Tamron Adaptall 28mm f/2.5 and it works great with my T2i for this purpose. Flares like heck too. Also, you can record your own light leak assets by putting the lens cap on and recording some lens whacking.

[@huntressxwizard]

This effect is actually really easy once you have all your fire in place. Just duplicate all your fire layers, scale the duplicated ones up a bit, make sure they're all in place, then pre compose that moving all atributes into the new comp. In the new comp, blur all the fire a bit, then in the origonal comp, make the second fire layer invisible, then drag a displacement map effect onto your footage, and use the fire pre comp as the displacement source...

[@MechaJapanese]

Thank you Film Riot! Great video!

[@filmriot]

Because I was shooting with the 5D.

[@cratedigger89]

According to Roger Ebert's commentary on "Citizen Kane," that scene was actually two different performances put next to each other, and not shot at the same time like most would believe. Just a fun fact. (I think it's correct, anyway)

[@jasonmireau]

Video starts at 1:18

[@websitemaker2634]

I read this and still wasting time :P

[@KyleJasonLowell]

That opening video should be your intro. It's unreal. Not that your current one isn't.... oh gawd... what have I done?!

[@film_magician]

Who could hate this technique?! awesome video

[@jamesquartararojr1298]

Thanks for this! I was wondering if this would work well enough to bother whacking a Kamlan 50mm F1.1 on a canon full frame body. I don't have one, since I have canon only.

[@TylerPulsifer]

An idea about holding the lens, if you shoot with a crew, have your focus puller hold your lens for you? Seems like a pretty good plan.

[@thenewnewsmen6523]

Hey guys! I tried to do this with my Dslr (Canon 100d) but every time I detached the lens from the camer it would say that I can't film cause there is no lens present. Is there something I should turn on/off or am I doing something wrong?

[@thenewnewsmen6523]

Thanks a lot that worked really well!

[@mikeeubank246]

I had the same problem. Kollin's tip works

[@huntressxwizard]

you might be able to get a lens adapter that's usually used to make your lens mount compatible with lenses with different mounts. The camera will probably recognize the adapter as a lens so you can have your lens off the camera. I've never tried this, but it could work.

[@Schaaf]

thanks, very helpful!

[@N0616JCProductions]

From what I can tell, it is usually in the video format selection before you start editing in Premiere Pro CS 3/4. I don't know what kind of video editing software you are using, but I think there should be a way to do it. If there is no option for it, it might the default setting for every video.

[@feuerwehrinnovativ]

Really amazing - thanks for that great tutorial!!! Best wishes from Austria

[@noteshade]

Thank you, Oliver Robinson! i have the same cam and this works!!

[@therondoshow]

Wait do you primarily use a Pentax camera now rather than the 5D?

[@LittleW00d]

Other good Film and video events primarily for Europe and the UK is Camera Image which is a huge event held in Poland. The other is BVE (Broadcast Video Expo) which is a tradeshow event hosted in London as well as the North of England, lots of equipment that you can try out as well as many workshops. I got my first paid Film job through some of the people I met at BVE.

[@JckHanrahan]

Hey this is pretty awesome! but is there any risk of harming ur sensor or the internals of the camera by doing this?

[@TheEditingResource]

Did you change something with the way you produce your audio? Sounds better then ever.

[@timmilgram]

Great way to get a ton of dust on your sensor... Cool effect, but in my opinion it's not worth the hassle.

[@BarkingMadMediaCan]

I've done the effect and I agree, you do run the danger of getting your sensor dirty. There are dust collection tricks im testing out

[@Webcast01]

I think the enabling/disabling options of a camera is there so you can protect the sensitive digital sensor.

[@rokorokero]

Just watched The Hobbit: an unexpected journey yesterday and I gotta say it's an awesome movie. After this random fact, here's my request: could you please make a tut on how to achieve the foggy blur that occurs when Bilbo (or Frodo in the previous LOTR movies) puts on The Ring?? Thumbs up so they can see!!!

[@KuneMaster]

You can create this lens flares by yourself. Just keep the lens cap on while lens whacking and then key out the black in post. You get similar results to the 4kLeaks preset.

[@huntressxwizard]

Awesome! Now all I need is a camera that I can take the lens off of. What do you guys think of the Sony NEX-VG20?

[@ESTRAELLA]

What's with the Pentax camera? I thought you had a T2i

[@rand0m4productions]

No, but yes, kind of. Basically you edit in Windows and then export the individual frames that you want to add flashes to. You take those frames into a image editor, add your flashes, save them, and then re-import. I know this can be done using the Vista and early versions of WMM, but I don't know about later versions.

[@N0616JCProductions]

From the minimun skill in video editing, just choose the 24FPS option when before your start the editing and your final product will be in 24 FPS. The cool thing about having the base video at 60 FPS is that you can do slow-mo with that thing easier. Anyhow, hope that helps you. I know I'm not the *cough - expert*.

[@OvercastWorks]

Did you happen to meet James Miller at MiM and then decide you should probably play more with lens whacking? I'm pretty sure when I saw his work, I made a video the same day of lens whacking experiments... it's such an interesting technique. Anyway, nice post!

[@2109917162]

Hey Ryan. There was this one effect that I really like in movies that I would like to see you show us how to do and what its called. It looks like a zoom but it has a handheld look to it and feels like a reporter zooming in on something in the back. Here is a clip of the Avengers that shows it. It happens at 0:33. It is also used a lot in Avatar. Thanx Ry!

[@TYKEY10]

to get it in post you can do lens whacking with the lens cap on then put it in blending mode in post

[@Magmafire]

I believe Lens Baby makes lenses that can do this effect and the effect of having two subjects of varying distances in focus. I personally don't know the model name but I'm pretty sure a friend of mine told me this before. It might be something to look into.

[@seancowgill8470]

lensbaby gets a similar focus effect but you can't get the light leak/flares with the lensbaby. its because the lens is physically off the body that allows the light to enter into the camera. So you just have to ask what look are you going for.

[@MrSiklon762]

Hey yo Ryan... I seen your guy's ad here on KZbin. Good stuff.

[@ZombieOfun]

The audio sounds exceptionally well this episode, did you get a new mic?

[@therondoshow]

Hey! Thanks! Glad you like my stuff :)

[@Sniperop775]

This would be better on Mondays!!!

[@jordangarcia1999]

What is the dlsr camera used in the video and does it have good video quality can it record hd?

[@chrisw443]

WOAH your friends with Philip bloom and Eric Kessler? You sir have just reached awesome on my film mentor list.

[@ShinnyCharSiewPau]

@filmriot hey, what is the name of the music u used for the opening sequence?

[@TheRamenSamurai]

Hey Ryan DSLR or a "Prosumer" camera (such as the Canon - VIXIA HF G10) which one should I go with for Christmas?

[@TheVisualDigitalArts]

Thank you Ryan for the lens whacking tip it works perfectly with my canon 60d :)

[@stevechz]

Hey RyBro! What do you use to make the music for all your videos? Love the industrial track for the Lens Whacking vid!!!!!!!!

[@Nokkturnal79x]

You should test out using a lensbaby composer pro with double glass optic or one of the many other optics You can get some really good effects in camera with them in both photography and video

[@SamScelza]

Hey Ryan! Do you need a lens that can have its focus at infinity? I only have the kit lens on my T3i and I can't seem to keep what I want in focus. Is there a way to do this?

[@non_regulars]

turn the mode into the manual mode and under the settings just alter the slot release. i have the same camera and i got it to work.

[@danieljohnson2046]

I'm pretty sure they get the royalty free music at Audio Micro dot com. He's said it a few times on the show before.

[@TheGalvanizedProject]

What's the music used in the lens whacking example?

[@MegaEverythingElse]

what program do you guys use to make your intro? with all the animations and stuff.

[@EnegativeFilms]

Is this the same basic function of tilt-shift lenses or the lensbaby products?

[@Createafish]

Most video editing programs allow you to change the framerate (e.g in Sony Vegas you go to properties and change the undersample rate). Or you could just export it as 24 fps. What guitarplayerzzz is telling you, is that when you have a footage that is 60 fps, you can turn it into 30 fps by slowing it down 2 times, which will give you a smooth looking slow motion, but that's obviously not what you are looking for.

[@Webcast01]

Maybe you have to go to your camera settings. I have a Sony VG30 and it has options for enabling/disabling shooting w/o a lens.

[@TheMuismat]

Hey Ryan, I just got my Sony NEX vg-10 with a 18-55 mm lens, any lens suggestions? What your opinion on the NEX cameras? Mike

[@makeamovie94]

hey Ryan! Your episode is brilliant as usual! Just one question: Is 4kleaks collection compatible with sony vegas? i'm only asking because I really consider buying it and I can't find any sort of note that tells me it's compatible... Thanks! :))

[@timm2020]

I have been looking into making an Adapter where one can connect a lens and do lens whacking. It would take the holding the lens part out. I am still in the pre build stages. Would it be something you guys would but when I get it done? -Peace

[@WarTornProductions]

Thats sick thanx

[@Tonykartracerdude24]

What is the music for the opening sequence with the projector?

[@carstenweizer]

thanks i literally just got after effects. just one more question where is the 24 frames per second options

[@ConnorHamiltonThomas]

Love this effect, but wont it effect your sensor ? what with dust etc getting in!

[@darkbunny225]

Yeah I have a D3100 too, as long as you use Full manual (M) mode or aperture priority moce (A) you should be able to shoot withour a lens on,

[@irishdevil]

Does using an effect like this go into your pre-production planning, or do you usually find yourself doing it on the fly? Also, effects on camera rule. Waiting for post production renders sucks.

[@LeondalePhotographer]

Had the same issue, this works! Thanks!