VOYAGE… a short film by Bob Davis – Canon EOS 5D Mark II

To see VOYAGE, click on the movie below. If you want full screen, click on the white box in the bottom right hand corner of the controls. And if you want to see VOYAGE directly on Smug Mug, CLICK HERE TO SEE VOYAGE IN HIGH DEF.

I’m totally stoked that Canon gave me the OK to post my movie… VOYAGE…! The day after I received my new Canon EOS 5D Mark II camera, I was out filming my 1st movie. All I can say is WOW. It’s unbelievable what this camera can do.

Right out of the box I was impressed. I noticed the build of the body was solid, more rugged and sealed than the previous 5D. The 3 inch LCD monitor, I was drooling! This is the best screen Canon has ever had, I can actually judge sharpness and the files! The still images are fantastic. The Digic 4 processor rocks, greatly increasing the range of ISO. I was shooting files easily at ISO 6400 that looked great! Yes, there is some noise, but I would say it’s equal to that of 1250 ISO on the old 5D and there are multiple levels of built in noise reduction.

I knew Canon would step it up with every feature of the still image, but lets look at the video capabilities of this camera. Let me say, I’m a visual storyteller, I capture life’s most important moments. The camera is tool I use to capture these moments. Now, I can use motion and sound, coupled with the power of still images. You are hitting the viewer on all of their senses. The video capture is high definition 1080P. The image quality is so amazing you can feel the color and texture with the skin of your eye.

I challenged myself to embrace this new medium and create a short movie. What to shoot? I’m curious by nature and I use my camera as a passport. The town I live in is along the Des Plaines River and the Cal Sag Canal, I have always been curios about the barges and tow boats, it was perfect! I new there was a tow boat company based in my town. I called Illinois Marine and asked if I could make a short movie about life on the tow boats, 48 hours later I’m boarding the William C. It was frigid cold, -3 degrees without the wind chill. This was going to be challenging conditions to shoot in and see how the 5D Mark II performed in such harsh conditions. It held it’s own, performed just like my 1D series pro bodies. The cold and snow did not slow me or the camera down. I had two batteries and plenty of San Disk Extreme IV 4 gig CF cards, tripod and a fluid video head and armed with every lens I own from a 14mm up to a 300mm f/2.8 with a 1.4 tele converter. The 5D Mark II gave me the look I’m used to as a still photographer but with a cinematic fell. Some of the challenges I noticed when shooting video. Steadiness! The video picks up every little vibration, every bump when focus or zoom the lens. I never used a tripod like I did while making Voyage. The wider the lens the less you see the bumps, the longer the lens, every tap is magnified. Making a movie is a different mindset.

The first afternoon I was shooting, I kept wanting to capture still moments, the 5D Mark II allows this! Just push the shutter, the camera stops the video, captures a still frame then continues on recording video, but my timing was off. At that moment I said to myself, either I’m making a movie or I’m shooting stills. Since this was my first video, I chose to concentrate on the film. I approached each shot as I would normally, only then I allowed for motion to carry the shot. I love that I could use all of my prime lenses to create the look and feel I was after. I love the 14mm, 50mm f/1.2, the 300mm f/2.8, these lenses gave me the look I was used to in still photography, only now I capturing video.

I can’t stress enough working with a good team. I’m in the beginning stages of leaning Final Cut Pro, I knew the look I wanted, so I hired the BEST editor I know. Anton Lorimer at Lorimer Works.  I had given Anton some direction and allowed him to put his touch on the film. He is absolutely brilliant at his craft. Together I feel we made a strong team. He filmed and edited the promo video for our Vegas Love Story workshop which you can check out by clicking HERE. I can’t say enough good things about him. Hats off to you Anton for completing my vision perfectly. I encourage everyone to check out Anton’s work. He’s amazing. And he makes the most incredible promo videos for photographers if you’re looking to enhance your marketing.

I’ve only touched on some of the awesome features the EOS 5D Mark II is capable of, it has forever changed how I will think of visual story telling. CHANGE IS INEVITABLE, embrace it, use it.

I want to say thank you to everyone who helped me with my first movie production. First and most importantly, thank you God for all the blessing I enjoy. Thank you Dawn for always being there in so many ways, I would not want to do this without you, Bobby & Alli, who keep things fresh. Our editor, Anton, for all of his input and great editing chops, thank you.

If you would like to expand your vision and learn more about this convergence of technology, check out these bolgs & websites.

Vincent Laforet http://blog.vincentlaforet.com/ and Bruce Dorn http://idcphotography.com/blog/

Cheers,

Bob

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