tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70036607059682552702024-03-05T15:21:38.760-08:00Robert Scott JacobsStill and Moving PicturesRobert Jacobshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08447660505161822984noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7003660705968255270.post-3742132065128527792015-01-12T13:33:00.001-08:002015-01-12T13:33:36.520-08:00Keep it Moving<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="background-color: #444444;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Motion c<span></span>an do a lot of things. One interesting thing it can do is "show" thinking. When a person is speaking, moving the camera just a little helps give a sense of an active mind. And it's a nice visual look as well. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #444444;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This profile of John Heimbuch, a Perpich Arts High grad, incorporates a LOT of movement. Of course, the camera is moving during the interview, but I kept the camera moving throughout the piece.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #444444;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">For the establishment shot of the high school, I used a 12-foot jib. I like this shot a lot. I think it captures a lot of what you might want in an ideal jib shot: A sense of depth—there's distance conveyed between the sign and the building, motion tracking—the camera follows the students as they enter the school and a nice reveal—what does that sign say, anyway? </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #444444;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Schools can seem kind of static. Kids sitting in desks isn't that visually exciting. But Perpich Arts High IS exciting. I wanted to capture that excitement. Even if the students are physically static, they're super-engaged. The wheels are constantly turning in their heads.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #444444;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The music was a hard choice. I sampled literally hundreds of songs before choosing Brandenberg Concerto No. 4 by Bach. It's complex and fast moving, which represents creativity. Yet at the same time, it's classic, so it's appropriate for a "serious" institution. Ultimately, it just "fit."</span></span></span></div>
Robert Jacobshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08447660505161822984noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7003660705968255270.post-21398819983038410222012-10-22T12:16:00.004-07:002012-10-22T12:16:54.407-07:00In Their Own Words<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Sometimes the best thing to do is skip formal scripting and let the subject of your video tell their own story. That's what I did for this piece for the Perpich Foundation. After meeting with school and foundation staff, we came up with a set of questions that we felt would encourage the students to tell the story of the Perpich Arts High School. One question in particular that I thought was interesting was to ask about the school's culture. At most schools, I suspect the question would either evoke a blank stare or a diatribe about all the things the student didn't like about school. Not at Perpich.<br />
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While I'm proud of the production values, it's the students that really make this video work. You just can't script the confidence and passion they have for their school. Add some camera movement and an evocative musical score, and you've got a powerful video that can be used for fundraising, recruitment and a range of other uses. It was a fun video to make and a great school to support.</div>
Robert Jacobshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08447660505161822984noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7003660705968255270.post-19933857798111355602012-07-29T17:41:00.000-07:002012-07-29T17:41:19.710-07:00Go for the Rim<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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In Photographic Lighting 101, you're taught that the first light you worry about is the key light--the main light of your image. From there, you add lights to get the look you want. This usually includes a fill light and a rim light. Over the years, I've grown to prefer starting from the rim light in a lot of shots. The photo above demonstrates why that's the case. The highlights created by the rim light are what add all the interest. It highlights the fingers and the right side of the face (to the viewer's left). The hair and even the eyelashes get a little sparkle. We still used a key light for the face, but in this case, the "key" really acts more as a fill.<br />
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Pay attention to good quality movies and commercials. You'll find they often use a similar approach. If you have a good rim light to separate the subject from the background and provide some shape and depth, providing a lot of key light isn't always needed. Sometimes it's better to keep the subject a little bit in the shadows to add a sense of mystery or interest. With the rim light providing the shape and contrast, the fill only needs to be strong enough to show major details, not necessarily with extreme brightness. It's kind of like the idea that you can sometimes get more attention with a whisper rather than by shouting. The rim light says, "Hey, look over here." Once you've got the viewers attention, the key light only has to whisper.<br />
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The rim light came from a Canon 420EX Speedlite, positioned camera left and just over the shoulder of the subject. The key light came from a Yongnuo 580EX with a 60cm x 60cm soft box placed to the camera-right of the subject. Both were triggered by a Yongnuo ST-E2 wireless trigger. The camera was a Canon T2i with a standard kit lens. I could have used my fixed focal length 50mm f/1.4, but this shot was hand held and I wanted the extra insurance of image stabilization to maximize quality. As you can see, sharpness isn't an issue, even with this rather inexpensive lens.</div>Robert Jacobshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08447660505161822984noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7003660705968255270.post-64064678258108544792012-07-22T07:28:00.000-07:002012-07-29T17:42:06.130-07:00Color Correction Demo<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I've got a friend that's running for city council in Brooklyn Park. Strategically, we wanted to show the breadth of support he has. The best way to do that was with testimonials. Based on on locations, timing and budget, there wasn't much we could do with lighting beyond a reflector and diffuser. However, with the right color correction and a little camera movement, even a relatively static shot can be made to look interesting. The music bed helps, too. This video shows before and after color correction. </div>Robert Jacobshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08447660505161822984noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7003660705968255270.post-8028845368153373372012-06-20T10:17:00.000-07:002012-06-20T10:17:34.633-07:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I had a lot of fun combining images shot during a transit tour of the proposed Botinneau Blvd. transit route with follow-up interviews from a representative of ACER, Wokie Freeman, as well as a PR representative, Yeamah Brewer, contracted by Hennepin County. While talking-head interviews can be a little dry, I tried to add a little visual interest by shooting them with the camera mounted on a track-dolly.<br />
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I chose the Bottineau Blvd. Park and Ride to shoot Wokie because it tied into the subject matter and I thought the physical structures would frame Wokie as she spoke. I think it worked pretty well! It was a cloudy day, so I didn't have to worry about harsh shadows. No external lighting was added, although I brought along a reflector just in case.<br />
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Yeamah Bewer was shot at an ACER event. We found a spot just off the main floor of an exhibition, but kept the activity behind her in view to keep things interesting. We used a telephoto lens to minimize the depth of field, keeping the background out of focus. Lighting Yeamah was done with two soft-boxes--one behind her and to camera left to provide some rim light to separate her from the background while adding some modeling to her face and highlights to her hair. We used another soft-box to the right of the camera as a key. There was enough daylight spill that we didn't feel the need for a fill light. We kept the lighting levels relatively balanced with the existing room light so that Yeamah would look natural. Audio was handled via lavalier mics recorded onto a Zoom H4n that was synched in post. </div>Robert Jacobshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08447660505161822984noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7003660705968255270.post-52102946857269821462011-08-01T16:56:00.000-07:002011-08-17T13:44:19.699-07:00Eidem Farm<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/LyydggePsKs?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>I had a great time using a number of new tools for this promotional documentary of Brooklyn Park's historical farm, Eidem Homestead. The opening and closing shots were done with a dolly on 10-feet of PVC pipe track. For closer quarters, a small jib was used extensively. You'll see a lot of these shots in the farm kitchen.</div>Robert Jacobshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08447660505161822984noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7003660705968255270.post-75652223350914397382010-10-29T17:06:00.000-07:002010-10-29T17:15:40.201-07:00Follow Focus DIY dry-erase marker loop<object height="295" style="background-image: url(http://i2.ytimg.com/vi/5IHjx_wfRMY/hqdefault.jpg);" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/5IHjx_wfRMY?fs=1&hl=en_US"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/5IHjx_wfRMY?fs=1&hl=en_US" width="480" height="295" allowscriptaccess="never" allowfullscreen="true" wmode="transparent" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object><br />
This is a short little tutorial on a solution I came up with for a convenient and inexpensive way to mark focusing points on cinematic-type projects. The basic premise for the focusing came from a posting by Andrew Wilson at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2hbd35hthI . I've added to that by adding a dry-erase method for placing focus points.Robert Jacobshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08447660505161822984noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7003660705968255270.post-57576328113209106682010-10-13T10:49:00.000-07:002010-10-13T11:06:16.043-07:00Third Ave Bridge<object height="295" style="background-image: url(http://i2.ytimg.com/vi/Y7qBSP5mfRU/hqdefault.jpg);" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Y7qBSP5mfRU?fs=1&hl=en_US"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Y7qBSP5mfRU?fs=1&hl=en_US" width="480" height="295" allowscriptaccess="never" allowfullscreen="true" wmode="transparent" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object><br />
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This is a video postcard of scenes around the Third Ave. Bridge near downtown Minneapolis.<br />
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Equipment used include a Canon T2i, Canon 100mm f/2.0, Canon 50mm f/1.4 and Tamron 17-35 SP f/2.8-4.0.<br />
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Music is from Kevin MacLeod at incompetech.com. Kevin provides a wonderful service of providing royalty-free music. You'll see a lot of his stuff on the net.<br />
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I had a little bit of fun in post production adding graduated tints to enrich the skies in a couple of takes. Amazing how the little tweaks can add so much polish to a project.<br />
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This was shot with a standard camera tripod, making smooth pans pretty difficult. I've just added a wonderful new Chinese-made Weifeng tripod and fluid head to my arsenal. It's really a beautiful piece of equipment. I can't wait to show everyone how it works in an upcoming project.Robert Jacobshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08447660505161822984noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7003660705968255270.post-28102662228495081152010-10-11T12:40:00.000-07:002010-10-12T17:41:56.115-07:0036 Views of the IDS Center<object height="295" style="background-image: url(http://i1.ytimg.com/vi/45qtV_He768/hqdefault.jpg);" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/45qtV_He768?fs=1&hl=en_US"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/45qtV_He768?fs=1&hl=en_US" width="480" height="295" allowscriptaccess="never" allowfullscreen="true" wmode="transparent" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object><br />
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A monumental project--capturing 36 unique views of the IDS Center in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota. Inspired by Hokusai's classic woodcut series, "36 Views of Mount Fuji," this series will likely extend beyond 36 images, just as was the case with Hokusai's work.<br />
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Since this project was completed there are several new architectural showpieces in the Twin Cities that I'd love to include int the series. This includes the beautiful new Target Field and TCF Stadium at the U of M.<br />
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A version of this series was posted on Youtube several years ago, but that was before HD resolutions were available. The set has been re-edited and compiled for a higher quality viewing experience.Robert Jacobshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08447660505161822984noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7003660705968255270.post-51748891106248728962010-09-24T08:10:00.000-07:002010-09-24T08:34:32.874-07:00Beautiful Portraits with One Flash<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvQQsI82bZPJRShigrpTXpMyqOr_t5qMgDniSEszLuacfVlz2dpblWU9DQxMn52Mebde_4fl9jWNtkWIApqUNR6y9adQuYUS66g4TRTF2teKLQlGOISIrub_fKHROL4y5ffqLYsSZTOvg/s1600/IMG_3456.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvQQsI82bZPJRShigrpTXpMyqOr_t5qMgDniSEszLuacfVlz2dpblWU9DQxMn52Mebde_4fl9jWNtkWIApqUNR6y9adQuYUS66g4TRTF2teKLQlGOISIrub_fKHROL4y5ffqLYsSZTOvg/s400/IMG_3456.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520498663048202898" /></a><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh99kEwLOfkSLFZlhKcVP5Qw5NGvEfFty_YlngyzBpX4xvOIC6hGXi5hnHI2UWgQNq8S3i4Hcoq7WBRB1dUXTJlHH9gg9VWSSNf6jzoU9xMHnqBSKwPZ6HBBtIDorSdCgKXS2zczXHDp0Q/s1600/IMG_3454_lzn.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh99kEwLOfkSLFZlhKcVP5Qw5NGvEfFty_YlngyzBpX4xvOIC6hGXi5hnHI2UWgQNq8S3i4Hcoq7WBRB1dUXTJlHH9gg9VWSSNf6jzoU9xMHnqBSKwPZ6HBBtIDorSdCgKXS2zczXHDp0Q/s400/IMG_3454_lzn.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520498659653001138" /></a><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">This<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#999999;"> </span>portrait of my son was taken a few years ago. The first image is okay. It's from a single flash bounced from the ceiling.<br /></span><div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">The second image has a lot more sizzle but still uses only one flash. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">The difference? Foamcore. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">I had Adam hold a piece of white Foamcore under his chin just out of view of the camera. The light from the flash was diffused twice—once when hitting the ceiling and again when bouncing up from the Foamcore. This fills in a lot of shadows under the nose, chin and around the eyes. It gives the whole image more of a bright glow. By comparison, the shot without the fill looks downright gloomy.</span></div></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Could it be even better? Yes. A second light to produce a catchlight in his eye would have added just a little more life to his face. In post production, a subtle vignette could be added to draw more attention to his face. We're not really interested in his orange shirt.</span></div></div></div>Robert Jacobshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08447660505161822984noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7003660705968255270.post-90865249125579812382010-09-24T07:49:00.000-07:002010-09-24T07:59:47.814-07:00Timing is Everything<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7mBy-ot5dKSXVR3tWKPsve4bS5wusWMi7ZrRbX4EiWFs1x15PnEy1rs60WFnw3SN2ScoQzL-r_W7cbyPLzMB0E8TD8M0mOUnU6WUIc6iW95Znmj1sCU6INwH-Cb1RxzkWqigVvLThOFk/s1600/IDS-Peavey1221.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7mBy-ot5dKSXVR3tWKPsve4bS5wusWMi7ZrRbX4EiWFs1x15PnEy1rs60WFnw3SN2ScoQzL-r_W7cbyPLzMB0E8TD8M0mOUnU6WUIc6iW95Znmj1sCU6INwH-Cb1RxzkWqigVvLThOFk/s400/IDS-Peavey1221.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520492771560862706" /></a><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">I love architectural photography. Buildings never blink or have bad hair.</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Anyone who's ever shot a building knows that the best images are usually found during early morning or just as the sun is setting. With the sun below the horizon, the sky acts as a giant reflector, giving you smooth tones without harsh shadows.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">You also get a number of other benefits from shooting at this time. While there's still some light (and color) in the sky, building and street lights are on, too. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">This image is from the series "36 Views of the IDS Center" and features Peavey Plaza in the foreground. These locations are in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota. The long exposure made necessary by the time of day also provides for some really nice imagery of the water flowing from the fountain.</span></div>Robert Jacobshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08447660505161822984noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7003660705968255270.post-62470842124977208942010-09-23T03:40:00.000-07:002010-09-23T04:06:52.128-07:00Making the Most of Natural Light<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBYfa74rtNS2oloTEuCcVt7AoZ1tbxth8stcxnDVAP0YyGCjC9y3R105I0JrUlg_TVuRvmLwolKRR0_pUJtdBsTnGdU82vxQFCZXSrB_QaOiaiszi4_PLAeqPBgenjdT9zNXstkJ58GAg/s1600/IMG_1462.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBYfa74rtNS2oloTEuCcVt7AoZ1tbxth8stcxnDVAP0YyGCjC9y3R105I0JrUlg_TVuRvmLwolKRR0_pUJtdBsTnGdU82vxQFCZXSrB_QaOiaiszi4_PLAeqPBgenjdT9zNXstkJ58GAg/s400/IMG_1462.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520059692391155458" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Portraits can be tricky. Too sunny and you'll have harsh shadows and lots of squinting. Too cloudy and the image can be a bit gray--but your expressions will look natural and terrific.</span></span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">There are two good ways to add a little "pop" to an outdoor portrait. First, you can use a flash for fill. Second you can use reflectors. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">For this sunny-day portrait, we avoided squinting by positioning our subjects so the sun was behind them. This allowed the sun to work as a rim light, adding highlights to the hair and shoulders. This also separated the subject from the background. However, without a reflector, the faces would be too dark--almost silhouettes. Add the reflector and you get beautiful lighting, making the sun do double-duty. We used a gold foil for our reflector to add warmth to the skin tones.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">By using a telephoto lens and a special filter ("neutral density" for you technical types) to limit the amount of light that reaches the camera sensor, we're able to create a creamy-smooth out-of-focus background, drawing more attention to the subject.</span></span></div>Robert Jacobshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08447660505161822984noreply@blogger.com0