A touching short movie about dogs and cats who haven’t been that lucky. Thousands of volunteers takes care of them in centers spread all over Spain. These images were shot in AAA – Marbella. Their hard work allows us the possibility to adopt.

Great work people ! aaahelps.com.

Needs mentioning that centers like “AAA”  live from donations. The local government only takes care of the electricity bill; luckily dogs don’t consume that much …. !
Shameful if you ask me.

The movie was shot on our new Canon 5D MarkII and edited in Final Cut Studio. “Blondy” is my dog and she once lived on the street ….

Awaiting Home … from quanvision on Vimeo.

Awaiting Home … shot on Canon 5D Mark II is a post from: Cloud Mixer - Mixing New Media Ideas

We all need inspiration right !

It’s what feeds our creations never mind the kind of work we do.

We all live by it and we find it around us. Specially with nowadays social media it has been made very easy for us to find. I came across this guy on Vimeo, his name is Leonardo Dalessandri and he works with the same camera equipment as we do; a Sony EX1 with 35mm adapter, a Canon 5D Mark II and a wide variety of lenses.

He makes short movies of the things he shoots and somehow turns them into art. Inspiring !

Thanks for sharing your work with us Leonardo.

An autumn’s tale from Leonardo Dalessandri on Vimeo.

Inspiration on video with the Sony EX1 and Canon Mark II is a post from: Cloud Mixer - Mixing New Media Ideas

It is probably the most talked about camera in my direct surroundings so why not join the conversation and tell you something more about it. The Canon 5d Mark II is an excellent photo camera but more important of course for us is that it shoots some awesome quality video in full HD (1080p). This camera has the audio visual sector rumbling on its foundations so we finally decided to buy one ourselves. Yes sir! Some things you just need to have, …. you know the feeling ?

We normally shoot with our Sony EX1 and, as mentioned in my previous posts, we bought a letus 35-mm adapter (links) to create more depth of field in our images. It’s the film look we’re after and this is also exactly what the new Canon 5d achieves. Mind you that it shoots a great quality video but as sole video camera it has of course it’s limitations. A camera like this doesn’t serve all purposes like our Sony EX1 but having it aside is simply perfect. As well does it provide you the ability to shoot stills and video without changing cameras and this opens up new creative boundaries.

Mobility and Anonymity

New creative boundaries are always nice of course as creativity is our business but what really made us decide to do the purchase are the words “mobility” and “anonymity”.
Just imagine yourself going to Barcelona and wanting to abuse the occasion to shoot some nice city images. I can tell you that walking around our EX1 with the Letus mounted and a needed, serious tripod means weight. Even if your name is “Rambo” you would already scream for help if you see a nice shot on the other side of the street and need to cross it. You speak altogether about a rough 20 kilos on your big shoulders and with considerable volume which makes simply going around by Metro not so simple. The Canon 5d with a good set of lenses and monopod fits a small shoulder bag and does it for a rough 10 kilos. Ok true, … It will take you some more time to set up your shots but thats actually the fun part….

Another things is that you draw some attention with an EX1 and mentioned equipment. It looks professional so people start asking which TV channel you are filming for, security guards love asking permits and if you come anywhere near their responsible territory they’ll hunt you eagerly to ask for one and others simply enjoy waving into your camera. The Canon 5d seems to appear less impressive at first sight. Suddenly you are no longer a professional and you are left alone …. thank you so much Canon !!

Shooting with the Canon 5d in comparison with a “normal” professional video camera is a relief in specific occasions while in others it can be a pain so make sure to make the right choice for the right job.

Here some of its key features;

* 21.1 Megapixel full-frame CMOS sensor
* 1920×1080 Full HD Movie Capture
* ISO range from 50-25,600 with expansion
* DIGIC 4 processor

The full-frame sensor provides a field of view the same as film. Depth-of-field is the same as well, allowing for finer control over what is in and out of focus. The larger sensor also means larger pixels, with inherently lower noise levels.
The advantage of the full-frame CMOS sensor is immediately clear – low light performance is excellent and the depth-of-field in videos can be tightly controlled in a way that video cameras with smaller sensors cannot achieve. You can even shoot stills while shooting video. It also allows the use of all the EF lenses from the Canon lens range, so would-be film-makers like myself have no shortage of options when it comes to choosing the look and feel of their productions.

Have a look at a commercial a highly respected colleague of mine shot with the 5d for Greenpeace. Brilliant stuff !

Greenpeace: Voices of change. Shot on Canon 5dmkII from Philip Bloom on Vimeo.

The Canon EOS 5d Mark II DSLR is a post from: Cloud Mixer - Mixing New Media Ideas

After my introduction to the Letus Extreme in my previous post I would now like to take you a little deeper into its features.

DOF Definition

Depth of field (DOF) is the distance in front of and beyond a subject that appears to be in focus. Obtaining different depths of field can create dramatic, film-like effects that will take your productions to the next level.
Rather than trying to describe the varying depths of field between different camera types, let’s explain it with a simplified chart. The image below shows the difference between a 35mm film camera, a 1/3″ sensor professional camera, and a typical 1/4″ sensor consumer grade camera. A sample of each is displayed with their approximate “in focus” ranges and how the different focal planes may appear.

DOF Sample Chart

As you can see, the extremely shallow depth of field (depth of focus) on the 35mm camera makes the subject of interest very evident. As we move down to the professional camera, more elements come into focus making it harder to know what the main subject is supposed to be. In this case, it could be either our coconut girl or the tree behind her. Both are in clear focus in this deeper DOF.

Finally, we have the consumer level camera. These cameras have a massive DOF making it next to impossible to know what to focus our attention on. Everything except the first few branches of the front tree are in focus here. Video shot with this deep of depth of field screams “home video”. If you want your films to have a cinematic look, you must shallow up your DOF. This is exactly what the Letus35 lens adapters were made to do.

Now, with the help of a Letus35, you can achieve the same shallow depth of field effects as a high-end 35mm film camera with your existing DV/HDV camera. Whether you have a small consumer grade camera or a higher end professional HD camera, a Letus35 can dramatically change the look of you footage by producing the same DOF effects as a cinema level camera.

I shot some new material with our Letus which I will be very happy to share with you in my next post, so hope to see you then.

Bye for now !

Letus 35mm adapter – Features – Part 2 is a post from: Cloud Mixer - Mixing New Media Ideas

We bought ourselves a new toy a little while ago and i thought would be interesting sharing it with you. This toy is called “Letus Extreme”. It is a 35mm adapter which we mount on our Sony EX1 High Definition camera. The purpose of this adapter is to create dramatic, film-like effects and it should take our productions to the next level.

With it we bought a set of prime lenses; 180mm, 105mm, 50mm, and 28mm. With the help of the Letus35, we should now be able to achieve the same shallow Depth Of Field effects as a high-end 35mm film camera. Still using our existing HDV camera, it should change the look of our footage producing the same Depth Of Filed effects as a  cinema level camera. Sounds almost too good to be true !

The Definition: Depth of field (DOF) is the distance in front of and beyond a subject that appears to be in focus.

But first things first. My next few posts will handle this subject so I will slowly take you deeper into the matter, alongside my own experiences.

I went to our nearby, decadent harbor, “Puerto Banús” to do some shooting on two separate occasions. The first time I went with only the camera and a tripod. The second time I mounted the Letus and carried our set of prime lenses in a shoulder bag. The first thing I noticed is that moving around with the Letus is rather complicated as it altogether weights a ton !! Either I have to grow some mussels here or I have to bring along an assistant to help me carry this load. Not sure what i choose yet :-)

Using the Letus 35mm Adapter

Other than that my first experience was excellent ! You should know that working with the Letus changes the whole functionality of the camera. So buttons you’re used to work with are now without function and everything is manual only. There is one new button however on the Letus itself, which makes the inside focus-plate vibrating, and it is an important button. It is mounted underneath the Letus so you don’t see it and in the viewfinder you don’t see any difference either. This is very tricky and unfortunately my first few shots came out useless as i forgot this f***ing button.

Shooting is a whole new experience but it is fun though. You simply put yourself in a spot and start looking around. By changing lenses you right away have an enormous variety of shots to choose from. I felt suddenly more like a photographer being equipped a video camera. Depending on the lens you use of course the focus is very sensitive and a 1mm turn of the focus ring results already in quite some meters of focus shift. Anyhow the image you see through the viewfinder is somehow much more interesting and softer and you can really put the attention on a specific area in your frame.

Back in the studio

I couldn’t wait to get back to the studio and see the first results. Apart from the fist few shots being ruined by not pressing the Letus button I became really enthusiastic with the results. No doubts anymore that this will take us a level higher and I am very eager to go out for some more test shooting.

Underneath a short edit I made with the footage from the two different occasions. So some are shot only with the Sony EX1 while others are shot with the Letus mounted. Let’s see if you can already figure out which ones !

A day in the Port from Frank Knipschild on Vimeo.

Shooting with a Letus 35mm Adapter – Puerto Banus – Part 1 is a post from: Cloud Mixer - Mixing New Media Ideas

After having introduced myself i thought it would be nice to show you the surroundings i live in in, … and fell in love with. I have been living here for about 10 years now and due to my profession as director at quanvision, we have collected  so many images that i simply had to do something with them. When i came across a track of Andain with the name “Beautiful Things” it all fell together.

Please sit back and relax and let yourself be taken into this Andalucían dream. After the show i will give you some background info and you can compare it with some other video’s of Andalucía which i found on the web.

Artist Impressions Andalucía

Andalucía – Artist Impressions from Frank Knipschild on Vimeo.

Now music in my opinion is at least 50% of a video and i would say especially in this case. The track is very ambient, offering different moods and therefor allowing specific themes to accompany them. The words are like a dream and give sufficient space to play around with. Simple text elements have been implemented to make the viewer more aware and to drag him deeper into the story. Not that there is a real determined story but there is a red thread throughout which makes if feel as if a story is unfolding.

Well not !

It is simply an edit made on top of a fantastic music track with the purpose to show Anadlucía through an artistic eye. It’s a dream so everybody can make up his own story. The grading has been chosen colorfull and saturated. The images come from different camaras and formats, some in Standard PAL and others in High Definition. The edit is of course done in Standard PAL. The illustration of the bull is taken from a painting of my partner Maro Bombach.

Something else about Andalucía:

The official publicity campaign of the Andalucían governement: “Andalucía te quiero”

Make no mistake, this is a top of the range production and is far superior to what i have done. No comparison as all scenes are staged and we speaking big budget here. My scenes are simply taken from the street so to say :-). This is shot on film and is an excellent campaign.  A big inspiration for me. Enjoy !

Turismo de Andalucia (Publicidad) from Alex Garcia on Vimeo.

Andalucía es de cine

I would like to leave you by inviting you to come and visit Andalucía. If you haven’t done that already i hope my post has been convincing enough to make you take this step.

Bye for now.

Andalucía – Artist Impressions is a post from: Cloud Mixer - Mixing New Media Ideas

Who doesn’t remember the scene in the classical movie “Forrest Gump” where Forrest decides to simply start walking and finds all these followers along the way.

Well here’s a guy who done it for real.

Christoph Rehage is his name and he choose to walk all the way from Beijing to Germany. Who cares that he didn’t make it in the end as a year walking away deserves anybody’s respect. Mine for sure ! 4646 km he covered in a single year on foot. He made thoughtful photos along his adventure and produced this stunning video on his return. A time lapse in which we notice his physical change. Way to go Christoph !!!!

The Longest Way 1.0 – one year walk/beard grow time lapse from Christoph Rehage.

Christoph Rehage – The Longest Way Video is a post from: Cloud Mixer - Mixing New Media Ideas

Frank can be called an all-rounder with nearly a decade of experience in the audio visual production environment. As partner at quanvision S.L., an agency for audiovisual communication, he has done it all and he is of course still doing it all! You name it; scriptwriting, story boarding, filming, editing, grading, converting… he has been there done that.

Not claiming to have all the required specialities but he surely recognizes them, knows where to find them and knows how to fit them in. He is a mac-man and absolutely passionate about editing on Final Cut Pro. If you would speak about the -look and feel- of a movie he would more likely respond to the feel. Quanvision is the producer of the series “American Iron meets Driver” and “Eat Golf TV“.

Current projects: getting into social media and the production of the web/tv series “American Iron meets Driver”

You can connect with Frank on Twitter, on Facebook or on Linkedin

Heres a taste of the first episode of American Iron Meets Driver:

Introducing Frank Knipschild – Cloud Mixer Author is a post from: Cloud Mixer - Mixing New Media Ideas