Magic Lantern and You

MAGIC LANTERN IS THE MOST AMAZING THING OF ALL TIME

…is how my colleagues expect me to open this post. And to be honest? That’s fair. I love magic lantern. It’s basically the reason my t3i is still in service. While I love my rebel, ML really opens it up and takes it to another level.

So, what is magic lantern? Before we continue, we have to mention: Installing Magic Lantern is done at your own risk! We cannot guarantee success, no issues, full functionality, etc. and Canon does not approve of using it. 

So now, on to the fun stuff.

• First off, according to the ML team, it is not a hack.  We don’t necessarily agree with them, but it’s important to note their stance.
• It is a firmware you add on your SD/CF cards. It only takes up about 10mb, so don’t worry about reduced space on the card.
• It allows an insane amount of customization and tools for your Canon camera. Most DSLR’s produced by Canon can have it installed.
• If you remove the SD card, your camera functions without it. If you want to use the Canon menus while it’s running, that works too. It is useful to think of it as a parallel firmware.

Here are few of the tools we find to be the most useful/fun on ML, as to detail them all would be silly. If you are comfortable adding it to your camera, go for it and test it yourself! While we have never had any issues with it, there is always a risk when you use a non-verified 3rd party installation on your equipment. That being said, if the ML team has showed us anything, it’s that Canon’s cameras are capable of much more than they let us have out the box.

Woot! Digital zoom! (Sorry, it can’t solve moire)

• Intervalometer. That’s right, a built in intervalometer. You can take high-resolution, raw stills for a good time-lapses. We use this regularly.
• Live-view/Rec. picture style. If you use FLAAT, CINESTYLE, or another picture style designed to flatten your image for coloring, you can set your pre-record view to a more saturated look to get an idea of what your image will end up looking like at the end.
• Zebras/Focus Peaking. Self-explanatory, for the most part. You can set your camera to show what’s over-exposed and get a solid feel for what’s in focus on the fly.
• Digital zoom while recording. You are able to zoom and check focus while recording, a feature needed for way too long.
• Lastly, one of the simplest and most useful features: Audio metering. At the top of your liveview you can see your audio levels (a feature only recently added by Canon with the 5DIII).

Here’s the install guide from the ML Wiki. Basically:

1) Make sure camera firmware is up to date (UNLESS IT’S A 5DIII)
2) Download the files
3) Low Level Format your card
4) Drag and drop ML files onto the SD card
5) Go to “M” mode. Do the Update Firmware process on your camera and voila!

Used Magic Lantern before? Have any questions on it? Give us a shout!

Image from eoshd.com

How much will my video cost?

Need a green screen for your shoot?

This is arguably the most frequently asked/heard question from both sides of the table. As a potential partner, your first consideration is generally cost. You want to know what it takes to accomplish your vision – whether a commercial, a television pilot, or even a series of instagram videos. Unfortunately, many people end upon  production websites and can rarely find a specific quote for their project. Here’s why (and how you can make your life much easier when talking to companies like us).

The answer is simple: Not all videos are created equal. Simplistic and over the top? Sure, but easy to remember. A three minute video is not just a three minute video.

• Are talent/actors featured?
• Is there a script? Do we need to copyright it?
• Is studio space required? Do we need to travel?
• Do we need to license music? Hire a composer?
• Do we need specialized equipment, such as drones or cranes?

As you can see, the possibilities are endless. Luckily, we don’t need to play what-if.

So what should you ask yourself and us? The more details you give us, the more accurate an estimate we can give you, and the more time both groups save – then we can get straight to work and make your video a reality.

A little prep goes a long way
From: “In the Bag” – Produced by Peter Zuppardo

• What is your end-game? What’s the goal? Are we selling a product? Building an image/brand awareness? Increasing web traffic? Ultimately, what does success look like? If you can tell us the results you want, we can help craft a video that suits your needs.

• Where will your video live? Is it a 15-second instagram video? 2-minute youtube video? 30-second TV spot? Multiple cuts for different platforms? Maybe you aren’t sure – we can help you determine what in our opinion is most appropriate and move from there.

• Where is it happening and when? Approximate dates and locations can go a long way, but they are not required. Part of our job can very much be location scouting and determining the best time for a production to happen.

• Are there any special shots that are essential to your final product? If we need to film underwater, get a drone shot, or create complicated animations, knowing up front allows us to tell you our capabilities or give you very specific numbers for what it costs to hire out.

There are many more details you can have prepared, but we frequently ask some version of the above questions whenever talking with a potential collaborator. Luckily, the work does not fall squarely on you. We know it’s our responsibility to be ready to answer these questions and, when we don’t have the answer immediately on hand, where to find it.

Let’s connect and make your project a reality