Focusing on this AND that...

I've always loved shots that do something a bit out of the ordinary, and this scene from Pulp Fiction features a great example of split focusing, with Bruce Willis in the foreground in focus at the same time as Ving Rhames in the background.

So i've been continuing to add to my collection of camera gear, and my latest ebay bargain is a used but as new split diopter filter, which is perfect for exactly this kind of shot.

I use a Cokin filter 'P' filter holder for my Canon DSLR, the Cokin range of plastic filters are easily the best value filters on the market and a great way to add value to your shots without breaking the bank.

The filter holder slides onto a ring mount (available for all lens sizes) and has a single filter slot which allows the filters to be rotated or raised/lowered.

The split diopter looks a little like a half magnifying glass, and slots into the Cokin holder easily, although it does exhibit some vignetting around the corners when using the lens at it's widest angle.

Here are a couple of shots that show the diopter in action, the first shot shows the scene with the naked lens.  The camera is looking through a mirror back into the room.  The bed is in focus but the frame of the mirror is soft.

This second shot shows the scene with the diopter in place, and the difference is immediately apparent.  The foreground mirror frame is much sharper while the bed in the background remains in focus. 

The downside to using one of these diopters is the visible edge of the diopter itself. There is always a clearly visible line of soft/sharp focus where the split needs to be hidden, in this case I've aligned it with the edge of the mirror frame, you can just see the blurred line above the starfish.  In the Pulp Fiction example the line is hidden by the edge of the wall.

I'm pretty excited about how well this diopter works, and it's another useful tool for the camera bag, I still need a few more grad ND filters, and a mattebox to control flare.

 



November in the edit

November is drawing to a close and I've been busy editing my 'Bourne' style short film. This is the first time I have spent so long on editing, usually I tend to fine-tune the edit as I go and finish with what is basically a first-draft edit. This time I am trying a different approach, i've been putting together a rough assembly edit, and then I will work on reducing and fine-tuning it over a period of several days.

Right now I have an almost complete edit which is already running five and a half minutes, although I expect the final film to be closer to three minutes. It's been very liberating to try this rough-edit approach instead of labouring over every edit as I go.

I've also taken delivery of my new toy, a Lilliput 7" 669GL-70NPCH monitor, which should prove to be a real help with my 550D rig as it will give both a bigger image to focus with, and having a positionable monitor should really help with framing when the camera is in awkward positions.

Camera Envy

So here we are, the end of february already, just past the submission date for the local film festival.

A few weeks ago my company was all set to send me to Sweden for two months, which should have meant I would be typing this from Stockholm. But at the last minute the plans changed, which meant two things...

1. No two months of fully comped fun in the north.

2. No film festival entry from me because I thought I didn't have time to shoot anything before going.

So I missed the deadline for the festival, and I had a great project worked out for it too. So I'm going to go ahead and shoot anyway, but it'll just be a 'for fun' project instead of a contender.

In other news, the new Canon 550D (Rebel T2i) HD-DSLR has been released, and I am sorely tempted. It's looking like a great little camera, and it would offer the option to shoot for 35mm style DOF without needing to use my home-built adaptor, which means it'll be much, much easier to do run-and-gun work on the move.

The iso settings are pretty impressive too, especially the low-light shooting range.

I had told myself I didn't need any new gear, and that I should simply shoot with what I have, the HV30 and the XH-A1 should be more than good enough to shoot anything, especially with the option to use the 35mm adaptor. Obviously I was wrong.

It's strange, the more I read about the 550D, the more I find myself cruising past Dabs.com or even Jessops 'just to look'. I reckon I may have ordered one of these beauties before the weekend is over!

Of course my wife is the voice of reason, pointing out that I don't need another camera, and that we don't need the expense of a new toy. Especially when the house could do with some more renovation.

Still, I'm thinking if I forgo my morning Costa purchase, I could easily scratch up the £80 per month I'd need to pay for a basic 550D kit with stock lens.

Of course, I would then need to really get moving on the next project. Especially if I had a new camera to play with.

Decisions, decisions.