BLANK SPACE

Taylor Swift not only released a music video for her new song “Blank Space” but also an interactive app based on the music video. It’s an immersive technological experience. This is the regular music video: 

In the interactive tablet and smartphone app you can explore the virtual mansion for the length of the song. When using the app you are transported into a recreation of that setting for the course of the song where you can follow a realistic animated Taylor Swift and her love as they enter and exit new rooms of the mansion or you can leave the couple and explore.  You use the phone or tablet as your eyes, wherever you move it is the angle of your vision. The 360-degree action is very similar to the actual video. Aside from following the couple there are several trinkets placed in the virtual mansion. For example, a book on the coffee table includes exclusive, never-before-seen photos from Taylor’s childhood.

The app was created right after the video was completed. Once the video was wrapped another crew was brought in to photograph the mansion and created the interactive world. Taylor Swift talks about it in a short interview. 

After using this app I was very curious about how they did it so I researched and found a bunch of interesting information...

Immersive Media was the company responsible for the 360 camera systems, on set live-stitching/viewing, and 360 post services. The linear music video production was shot with a Red Dragon in 6K and used a DJI Ronin for a lot of the camera work. The 360 crew had the challenging task of recreating the key scenes from the music video after the linear crew was finished. During a 360 take the entire room must be clear of equipment, lights, and crew. The actors have their directions but are basically free to move where they want as the camera is capturing them from all angles. The 360 camera is placed on set and a cable connects the camera to the primary recorder. The camera used on this production is a called a Lady Bug and is made by Point Grey. There are basically two other types of 360 camera systems today including the GoPro version and the Red Epic version.

GOPRO

RED

None of the GoPros allow for real time viewing of the stitched image. However, in some cases the small form factor of the GoPro rigs make them the only chose for 360 video capture. Most of the popular 360 videos online were shot with GoPro rigs.

The Red Epic version has way more resolution, allows for cinema lenses. However, their downsides are that they are very large and that they image plane of each camera is very far offset. Therefore, they are not ideal for stitching. This system doesn’t currently allow for real-time viewing of the final stitched image either.

The real strength of Immersive’s 360 camera system and workflow, is that you can view the 360 image roughly stitched together live while you are shooting. You also have control of the shutter, gain, and some other key controls.

I think this is a very cool idea and its going to become more prevalent. 

Innovation in cinematography

In the past, cinema used to be a very small form of entertainment. It used to be that only people who have experience and access to video cameras, could be cinematographers. In addition, the only way to share those videos would be through the screens at movie theaters or on the televisions at home. As of now, that preconception of cinema is a thing of the past. Anyone and everyone can become a cinematographer thanks to the availability of high definition cameras followed by using the internet to share their videos with anyone, at anytime, anywhere in the world.
Take the GoPro camera for example. GoPro is an american corporation that manufactures high definition cameras that are durable enough to be used for extreme action cinematography. This camera alone has captured some of the most breathtaking videos anyone has ever seen.

 

Because the GoPro camera is so small, users can strap the camera onto themselves and put the viewer of video in their shoes. For example, this video puts you in the driver's seat of this BMX rider. When watching this you feel like you're riding this bike down this treacherous hill. This is called a Point Of View shot or (POV). GoPro was made for this kind of shot. 

 

Breathtaking, huh? 

Without the technology of the small GoPro camera, this stunt would be next to impossible to do with a larger camera (Think of trying to do this with an FS100 camera). Without the BMX rider being the videographer, we wouldn't have been able to get this thrilling footage. And without the help of Youtube, we as viewers would have never been able to experience something quite like this unless we did the riding ourselves. Do I have any takers to do this stunt to experience the real thing?............Didn't think so.   

My main point of this post is if it weren't for the innovations in camera technology, our cinematic experiences would be very limited. If it weren't for the innovations in cinematography, we'd still be getting our cinematic experiences through the movie theaters or the televisions in our homes.Where else would you be able to experience riding that bike in the previous video if it weren't for the BMX rider who strapped a GoPro to his helmet to give us this great POV footage? I believe cinematography is changing from something that was once so small into something so universal.  

Shooting on a Budget

Before college I never had the equipment, knowledge, or courage to create films. I was always scared to put myself out there and accept criticism. However now that I am at college I have friends that drive me and the resources to create beautiful pictures. Over the past two summers I decided to start building my arsenal of camera equipment. The summer before freshmen year I bought a GoPro Hero 2 and this past summer I bought a Canon Rebel T3i which came with a 18-55mm lens kit. I now find myself wanting to expand my accessories but wanting to make sure I get my money's worth. I feel as though this lack of equipment is somewhat holding me back when it shouldn't be because in the end I will find myself getting quality shots as long as I just keep filming. I have started to follow a few photography and DSLR film blogs to try and learn how to get better shots and perhaps stumble upon some equipment deals. When scrolling through the blogs I found one post called "Working with Less (or, Get Out There and Shoot."  This post is all about making the most of what you have. David Kong, the author of the post and creator of Portrait of Macerata, an impeccable video portrait, talks about how when he was traveling he only had his backup camera yet he still created a professional video with less then 1000 dollars worth of equipment. Before going any further watch the video David Kong made below.

As you can see this is a beautiful video. What interested me so much was that it was very simple and done with inexpensive equipment but it looks like it was shot with a 5D Mk3. In actuality it was shot with a Canon T2i. This fact really excited me because I have a T3i. I figure if I put enough effort into it I can make a video very similar to it. The next part of the blog post is a video of David Kong going through each piece of equipment in detail and how he used it. It helped me learn about some accessories I will find useful in many situations and I should make the investment in. This is a series that David Kong does and I plan on following very closely.
The biggest point I'm trying to make from this point is that money doesn't make quality, and also the only way I am going to get better is if I learn more about my camera and I can do simply by using it more and more. I plan to try and make an effort to film anything at least once a week hopefully more. I hope you enjoyed this post and just remember the more you shoot the better you'll get.

To see the original blog post visit the link below.
Working with Less Part 1

Insane Base Jumping and Great Camera Work

      Recently on Youtube, I saw a video titled "Insane Base Jumping, Falling with Style". The colors in the shots immediately caught my eye. My original thought was that it seemed as if it could be a car commercial because of how illuminating and bright the colors of the car and background were. Turns out Ford made this video happen by sponsoring the team. Anyways, I was mainly interested in how they got such cool shots of the individuals falling or jumping off the bridge or hot air balloon. Turns out Devin Graham, one of the main cinematographers for the video, said he simply used a Go-Scope with a GroPro connected to it. A Go-Scope is basically a pole you can get at any length, that you can use for a shot that you may not be capable of getting otherwise. 

        

      Certain shots that he got with this Go-Scope made it seem as if the viewer is falling with the base jumper. It is truly amazing. The aesthetic values on this piece is phenomenal. With all the light being natural and from the sun, the colors that the landscape gives off in each shot is breathe taking. It truly does look so beautiful it could be fake. The electronic music that goes along with the video is by Overwork, and fits perfectly with the continuous falling and landing. I think this video is extremely well done and definitely goes to show that even the toughest of shots can be achieved.