Posts Tagged Gary San Angel

Over the Valley wins top honors for Pink Martini Music Video Contest

Aug 11

Posted by Gary San Angel in Pink Martini MV Contest, m4/3 Revolution | No Comments

We just want to say many thanks to Pink Martini for selecting our animated short film as one of the top five music videos selected for the Pink Martini Music Video Contest. It was truly a dream of mine to put an MV together for one of my favorite bands who I have admired, respected, and seen grow from their early beginnings. Our MV for their beautiful ballad "Over the Valley" took a fifth place award and we are very humbled to be chosen.

The film is dedicated to my "Auntie Lina" Marcelina Doma who came to the Philippines in the late 60s and was a telephone operator for White Memorial Hospital in Los Angeles. Her home was the touch point for many of my family who came to the U.S. and we would affectionately call her small apartment in East Los Angeles "Auntie Lina's Place". She helped raise me and did not have any children of her own. Her children were all her family who she helped take care of so that they could all have better lives and her many stuffed animals that she collected over the years.

She was also a fanatic documentarian and had her super 8 camera around with her documenting all our family gatherings and daily events. In a small way, that has rubbed off on me and the work I do documenting everyday stories and peoples lives comes from seeing her filming all of us.

When I first heard "Over the Valley" for the first time I thought of Auntie Lina and the animated story for this MV is a metaphor for her life and dedicated to her memory. Both Rocky Kev and I who collaborated to create the piece wanted to create something simple and touching that brings elements of childhood memories and reflections of our loved ones past. Today August 12, 2010 marks the anniversary of her passing and I know that she would have loved this animated film.

Her spirit will always be with us.

We are truly honored to have been selected from the many fine pieces that were submitted to this contest. Again for both of us, the beauty is in the simple fact that we created it and are able to share it to others who I hope will also be touched by its message. I'd like to give a special shout out and thank you to my sister Jenny San Angel (pictured above with me and my Auntie Lina). She introduced me to Pink Martini and their amazing music and sent me the link to participate in this contest.

Please enjoy "Over the Valley" by Pink Martini

Tags: Auntie Lina, Gary San Angel, Jenny San Angel, Marcelina Doma, Over the Valley, Pink Martini, Pink Martini Music Video Contest, Rocky Kev

My KoAloha Story

May 20

Posted by Gary San Angel in My KoAloha Story | 2 Comments

Gary Self Portrait KoAloha

Aloha All!

The KoAloha Ukulele Story is an animated documentary film short about Hawaii’s very own Renaissance man and inventor Alvin Okami and his amazing story about how he changed his plastics company into one of the worlds most admired and respected ukulele companies.

I had recently touched base with Alvin’s son Alan Okami VP of KoAloha Ukulele about the possibility of putting together something special for the 15th Anniversary of KoAloha.

I've had the idea for a while of sending a HD video camera to trusted individuals who would film themselves telling a story, playing a song and perhaps giving their own testimonial about their own KoAloha story.

The project is called "My KoAloha Story".

I was really moved by people’s reactions to our little animated film and how it was an opportunity for people to share their own personal stories and experiences about how they found the ukulele and found a connection to the Okami and KoAloha family.

I've had this concept set for ukulele for a while and tested it out last year with a local community project in Philadelphia working with NYC based artist Taiyo Na using his beautiful song "Lovely to Me (Immigrant Mother)".

I put the camera in the hands of the community and youth and various individual members filmed their moms and grandmothers.

I just finished it for Mothers Day and you can view it here:

Taiyo Na – Lovely to Me (Immigrant Mother) – Mothers Day Version

I hope this gives you an idea of the simple and profound concept of putting the camera in the hands of the community. My KoAloha Story is not only a celebration of KoAloha’s 15 years but a unique opportunity to connect and celebrate the whole ukulele community.

Since the KoAloha anniversary event is just around the corner I’m hoping to move quickly with this and do a short version first selecting up to seven individuals with a long form slated to finish later this year.

I have been very blessed to work with the Okami family and have had the humble honor of making a documentary animated story about Papa KoAloha that I hope captures the heart of what they do best and that's sending love out to the world with their beautiful instruments.

Papa KoAloha's story was just the seed. And I hope that you can help me by being a part of this project. If you are a KoAloha player with your own special story to tell please share and be a part of this project. Whether you are a novice ukulele player or master, this is an opportunity to share your story and to celebrate a unique and inspirational ukulele company.

If you would like to be a part of this project or have any questions please feel free to contact me at gary@componentgeek.com.

Many thanks and I look forward to hearing from you soon!

Gary San Angel
Director
The KoAloha Ukulele Story

Tags: Alan Okami, Alvin Okami, Gary San Angel, Hawaii, Immigrant Mother, Ko Aloha, KoAloha, Lovely to Me (Immigrant Mother), Taiyo, Taiyo Na, The KoAloha Ukulele Story, ukulele, ukulele story

Lovely to Me (Immigrant Mother) for Mothers Day

May 15

Posted by Gary San Angel in Canon FD on m4/3, Legacy Lenses on m4/3, Lovely to Me (Immigrant Mother) | No Comments

QT Vietnamese Sandwich Shop

I think there are just some projects that you do in life where all the stars are aligned and the vision for what is created is not only shared by you but by a whole community. This was one of those projects that I will be proud of for the rest of my life.

Lovely to Me (Immigrant Mother) was a reminder to me of the power of the creative process and that the art of filmmaking at its core and at its very best thrives in a community based process.

This was a key core value to our process. Whenever I talked to Taiyo he would always say, "This is not about me. It's about the community."

Working with community can be challenging but I have been doing it for a very long time and I know that part of making a successful process is by having a simple structure that is engaging and where you listen more than you speak and where you can foster and encourage individual voices.

One of the things that we did is we gave an HD camera to individual community members from the Asian Arts Initiative so that they could film their own moms and grandmas from their own point of view as a son or daughter. My direction was simple. Just be. Be with your mom. Be with your grandmother. Film the moment as it is happening. Nothing is too small or mundane. Just be present and real and let the camera and your creativity peel away the layers within.

In the process, these filmmakers with very little training revealed their own moms and grandmas as they truly are showing their love, their strength, their weariness, their laughter, and vulnerability. Nothing was sugar coated. This was the real deal.

The "mom" footage became part of the backbone that has made Lovely to Me (Immigrant Mother) a special kind of music video. A music video with heart.

Lovely to Me (Immigrant Mother) has had more than 17,000 viewers with postings on many community blogs and has been very well received at the Los Angles Asian Pacific Film Festival and DisOrient Film Festival in Eugene, Oregon. We have been floored and moved by the response as it continues to garner attention.

Loc Mom

It had always been my hope to create a variation of the music video as a short film version and to get it in time for Mothers Day.

Back in the day, when you would go to your mom and pop record shop and purchase a new single sometimes you would have a b-side with a different cut of the song. I always found little surprises and often times found new meaning from the song with the new variation of that single. In some small way I hope that you can find the Mothers Day version of Lovely to Me (Immigrant Mother) as a variation on that theme. It's an experiment to fuse documentary and music video together as short film. I had always wanted to figure a way to make it work and I think after months of trying and then giving up I finally found something that I'm really proud of. I think this is a start in the right direction in what I hope will be an exciting ongoing exploration of this form.

The initial release of the music video fell on the Thanksgiving holiday and I only thought it was appropriate to book end that with the final short film release of the Mothers Day version of Lovely to Me (Immigrant Mother). (We are a little late of course. But its coming to you Filipino Time!)

I want to give my whole hearted love and thanks to Taiyo Na for taking a chance on me and letting this song touch the lives of so many people from our neighborhoods to the world wide web. I want to give a special shout out to our producer David Lin who has been a long time friend and collaborator from the Peeling the Banana years in NYC and has helped greatly to make this project a reality. I want to also honor and thank Gayle Isa and the Asian Arts Initiative community who have really been the core inspiration and the visual voice for this beautiful song.

Happy belated Mothers Day! May we always honor our mothers each and everyday!

With that I say, "Love you Mom!" And enjoy the Mothers Day version of Lovely to Me (Immigrant Mother).

For more credits and info please visit:

componentgeek.com/archives/429

taiyona.com
componentgeek.com
asianartsinitiative.org

Tags: Aditi Vilayphonh, Aleyamma Mathew, Andrea Pien, Anna Hang, Annamma Mathew, Annie Tran, Arturo Ho, Asdy Wan, Asian Arts Initiative, Barney Seng, Betty Nguyen, Can La, Canon FD, Cathy Harris, Catzie Vilayphonh, Charles Ramirez, Cheryl Tse, Chinatown, Chinatown Arch, Chinese Culture and Arts Inc., Chon Phoeuk, Colors of Light, Cornelia K. Ramirez, David Lin, DVXUser, Eric Law, Fe San Angel, Frederic Cheung, Furious Style, Gary San Angel, Gayle Isa, Giz, Grandma, Grandmother, H. Tran, Hazel Isa, History of Chinatown, Husayn al-Jamil, Immigrant Mother, immigration, indiRAILSpro MP, indiSLIDERmini, IndiSYSTEM, Inja Coates, Issilah Productions, Jason Kao Hwang, Jeff Cylkowski, Jes Vu*Hao Vu Le, Jordan Coates, Josh Sarantitis, Juhi Nayeem, Kaitlin Dugan, Karen Tha, Keiko Kubo, La Phoeuk, Lai Har Cheung, Lau Fong Lo, Lauren Harris, Linda Saroeun, Loc Nguyen, Love is Growth, Love Park, Lovely to Me (Immigrant Mother), Lynne T. Dugan, Mai Phan, Mary Seng, Mas Yamagata, Mathew Varughese, Michael Lu, Michelle Myers, Mildred Carter, Mom, Mother, Mothers Day, My Dailies, Myong Pok McCloud, Myong Pok Myers, N. Phung, Nya Harris, Panasonic, Panasonic GH1, Philadelphia, QT Vietnamese Sandwich, Randy Hecht, Ratha Chea, Sangvuth Ly, Sarin Sek, Sham-e-Ali al-Jamil, slider, Slope, Sovansuny Uy, Steve Serota, Taiyo Na, Tim Ovel, Tina Huong Nguyen, Toni Dang, Trieu Le, Vanessa McCloud, Victor McCloud, Victoria Chau, Viola Kung, Vudoo, Wai Man Ip, Wondlan, Yellow Rage, Yuk Kan Lo

Mosaic’s Pennsylvania Station another happy film accident

Mar 28

Posted by Gary San Angel in C-Mount Zooms on m4/3, Legacy Lenses on m4/3, Pennsylvania Station, Schneider-Kreuznach Variogon 1:2/18-90 | No Comments

I recently went up to New York City to meet a film collaborator friend of mine in Times Square. It was the first sign of spring after a series of blizzards in the Northeast that trapped everyone indoors all winter so I thought it would be a nice day and a perfect opportunity to test the SNAP! lens gear from iniSYSTEM. My goal was to try to be as low profile as possible and to carry light with only my bike messenger bag to hold my camera gear. I decided to take with me my GH1 and Schneider 1:2/18-90 C-Mount zoom lens and the indiRAILSpro MP with a 75mm SNAP! gear.

Most of my footage was just quick tests pulling focus with the gear and seeing how well you could rack focus. Overall I was really pleased with the performance of the SNAP! gear with the indiFOCUS20. With the right amount of squish in place between the lens and gears I was able to pull focus very solidly and with the MP and GH1 it looked like I was just shooting stills in Times Square.

When I got home I was initially just going to cut the footage as quick tests showing the smooth focus of this combo but when I looked at some of my opening shots I realized I starting filming at Pennsylvania Station and a light bulb went off in my head.

Whenever I think of Pennsylvania Station I think of Mosaic aka Glenn Suravech who is an amazing artist, producer based in Los Angeles. Mosaic released his ambitious debut album in 2007 entitled "Through the Eyes of A Woman" collaborating with independent artists and musicians from across the nation. One of my favorite tracks is his song Pennsylvania Station which my amazing sister Jenny San Angel who is also a singer/musician in her own right is also featured.

So I thought hmm..

Maybe I can use some of this test footage to make a music video for Pennsylvania Station.

Because I was literally just shooting what I saw that either grabbed me visually I was not focusing on any particular shots I was really just focusing on the SNAP! gears usability factor. I was not thinking end result at all so this really was kind of a challenging prospect.

But I decided to go for it and sat with the song for a while to listen to the lyrics and to find the heart and emotion of the song. For a few weeks I would play random images with the song in the background to see what relationships I could find to tie in the right image to the music. There was an Asian bike messenger who was sort of contemplative and calm among the fast flowing walking New Yorkers and tourists of Times Square. I sort of focused on him from far away and shot a quick sequence of him preparing to get on his bike and then riding off into the crowd. When I found that section and played it with the first verse of the song I knew that we could make something from what was meant to be just a simple test.

I tried a number of variations and combinations of footage literally squeezing every bit of good footage I had to make this work. The last scene of Times Square was shot with the very common peephole effect you get from using c-mount zoom lenses. From a technical aspect it's generally frowned upon because you want to use a lens to cover the full frame of the sensor. In this case, I liked it and left the imperfections. I wanted to use what was a visual flaw and make it work. It still had the right feel and moment.

When I finished I sent it to my sister Jenny and to Glenn as a little surprise. I knew that if they liked it we could post it as a music video online and if they didn't it would be just some nice test footage. When I got their e-mails that they loved it I was really floored simply because I never thought the outcome of the footage would be a music video for Pennsylvania Station.

In Glenn Suravech's e-mail to me he shared a little bit about the background and meaning behind his creation:

"When I was putting this song together for Jenny back in 2006, I imagined her standing and walking amid a ocean of people (just as you depicted in this video). While most of your shots were overground in Times Square, the setting for Pennsylvania Station is underground in the subway stop located beneath Madison Square Garden. There is a huge lighted corridor there where people seem to walk expressionless past rows of store fronts. Your video captures all of that in the song except that it's overground, outside."

I'm proud to put together a visual interpretation that complements this beautiful song and to use Times Square as it's backdrop. I went for simplicity and rawness allowing the imperfections to come through. The visual imperfections of me trying to focus from one scene to the next as well as the human ones, the images of real moments of people passing each other by, walking uptown alone, a city worker collecting garbage, a bike messenger on his way to his next destination or just friends and loved ones in a group going "uphill" though the "ocean of people". These are moments that we don't see because we are so busy going to our own destinations. In this piece, we can take a moment to see where they may be going and see our own connections to these random travelers.

Many, many thanks to Glenn Suravech and Jenny San Angel for allowing me to put this little piece together.

Pennsylvania Station

Written and Produced by: Mosaic

Lead vocal: Jenny San Angel

Lead guitar: Shin Kawasaki

Acoustic guitar, bass and keyboard: Mosaic

Drums: Harvi Kato

Special Thanks:

Gary San Angel– for your love, support and inspiration.

Tim Ovel, indiSYSTEM – www.indifocus.com

David Lin

www.glennsuravech.com

www.jennysanangel.com

www.componentgeek.com

Tags: David Lin, Gary San Angel, GH1, Glenn Suravech, Harvi Kato, indiFOCUS20, indiRAILSpro MP, indiSNAP!, indiSNAP! Gear, IndiSYSTEM, Jenny San Angel, Mosaic, Panasonic GH1, Pennsylvania Station, Shin Kawasaki, SNAP!, SNAP! Gear, Through the Eyes of A Woman, Tim Ovel, Times Square

Studio 4 Productions unleashes the IndiRAILSpro MP on ‘Lovely to Me (Immigrant Mother)’

Dec 21

Posted by Gary San Angel in C-Mount Zooms on m4/3, My Reviews, Schneider-Kreuznach Variogon 1:2/18-90, indiSYSTEM - Studio4 Productions | 2 Comments

IndiRAILSpro MP = mobility, stabilization, and follow focus all wrapped into one. Some of you may be wondering what gear we used to create “Lovely to Me (Immigrant Mother)”.

A large part of the film was shot using the IndiRAILSpro MP made by Tim Ovel and Studio 4 Productions to help out guys like me who need stabilization for their smaller DSLR cameras but who are constantly on the move. The MP is ideal for run and gun, wedding, and documentary work because you can set up your shot quickly and be on the move in an instant. Instead of a tripod and a separate follow focus rail system, the MP has a monopod which rests under a long J- shaped support system. On the rear side of the support system is pad that rests on your shoulder.

In the middle, there is a sliding camera mount made from a Giottos MH-652 compact quick release assembly and MH-642 plate where your camera sits and an additional Giottos quick release mount located under the support system to attach to the monopod.

To finish it off they added a follow focus on the front of the rig so you can run and gun with your DSLR and your prime lenses in manual focus while having the ability to rack focus fairly smoothly.

In most larger rigs the shoulder support and the follow focus are separate attachments but Tim and his crew created a lightweight one piece alternative. The follow focus on the MP is the Indifocus 20. It’s a little larger than my Chrosziel AC-206-50S follow focus and a lot cheaper in price of course. The Indifocus 20 is fixed to the front of the MP with a sliding plate that loosens and locks into place with a quick release mechanism to allow you to change out your lenses fairly quickly. The quick release levers are not only placed on the follow focus mounting plate but also on the sliding camera mounting plate.

This is a great feature that was just added so you can adjust your camera and the follow focus at the same time with little hassle and with the ability to do immediate fine tuning in a pinch. When your camera and lens is not in the right spot you can tighten up the follow focus plate and camera mount with just a few turns of the lever and be ready to start shooting quickly. For Lovely to Me (Immigrant Mother), we used the MP with the GH1 and Canon FD primes. It was imperative to use the MP in order to draw as little attention as possible and to set up our shots and move in and out very quickly. In Chinatown and Love Park, this was a necessity because the streets and sidewalks constantly have moving traffic from cars and people walking just about anywhere. With the MP, folks would turn slightly and walk around us, it’s a leaner setup and perfect to retain that honest realistic setting of our Chinatown and Philly neighborhood surroundings. I already had my Zacuto zip gears on my Canon FD prime lenses and they worked very nice and smooth with the MP follow focus. There was a little bit of play compared to using to the Chrosziel but overall the setup with the MP and GH1 and Canon primes were very lightweight and was a wonderful surprise to use. I’m so used to using not only the HVX or EX1 but also the added weight of a 35mm adapter rig. This was really like a dream come true to be so streamlined. The MP’s follow focus also includes one adjustable gear to place on your lens. It’s made of plastic and is usable but I found that even when you tightened down the gear the plastic tended to slowly slip especially when using a larger lenses. I had a hard time fitting the gear on my Schneider 1:2/18-90 C-Mount zoom which is a larger lens.

Putting the gear on the smaller Canon FD lenses seem to work but I needed reliability and consistency and it was nowhere near the solidness of Zacuto gears. There is some light adhesive tape that is like a cushioned version of double stick tape that does help secure the gear to the lens but it is cumbersome to put it on the lens and helps a little but not a whole lot. My recommendation would be to wait and see if Tim Ovel comes up with better gears or go with some alternative manufactures. On the shoot, I found the MP’s strengths to be the following: (+) The use of manual lenses both zoom and primes is a major plus. Not having to drag along a heavy rig and follow focus system is perfect for those who want to use their DSLR in a variety of settings, on the streets of a big city, the wilderness somewhere, covering concerts, sports the sky is the limit. I used my Schneider 1:2/18-90 on the follow focus and MP and it worked very nicely. No need to worry about a gear ring because the Schneider lens has a built in gear ring on the focusing ring itself. This was a nice find. The quick release type locks to loosen and tighten the follow focus, monopod, and camera mounting plate are very well designed and well built. I also appreciate that the sliding plates are grooved into the bracket so that when the mount slides it will not move from side to side. This is really important and something that was added just recently so it shows that these guys are constantly tweaking and making things better. Based on a suggestion I had, the groove that the camera mount slides on has been increased so that the camera can be moved closer to the follow focus when using smaller cameras like the GH1 are used and that often use smaller prime lenses. I had no problems with my Canon FD primes and though I have not tried it yet popped on Kodak cine ektar lenses and they can reach the follow focus quite nicely. (-) The MP can never replace the stability of a tripod and a good fluid head. It definitely is not meant to do that. Even with a steady hand, you will get shaky footage especially when shooting with higher focal lengths. With the MP being a one piece unit it is a challenge to figure out how to store it and travel with. It's hard to find a bag that will accomodate the L-Shaped bracket. I'd rather not have to take that off every time. The Giottos camera mounting plate to the camera needs to be a stronger and a tighter fit. One of the problems that occurs is that the camera would loosen and move side to side over the course of a shoot from the pressure and use of the follow focus. I think if there is some way to lock the position of your camera to the mounting plate with out having it move from side to side that would be ideal. (>) I would love to have the ability to have a swivel tilt monopod head. This can be easily added and found online but it would be nice to have it with the package right off the bat. Although I like the MP’s follow focus, I would love the option of putting my Chrosziel follow focus. I kind of figured out a way to do it but it meant adding an additional component and a set of rails. It would be nice to have a simple cushioned slip cover and strap to protect the follow focus and that can hold the monopod and L-bracket. It would be great for traveling and storage. Currently, I have to strap it to the outside of my tripod bag. One thing that has been nice is seeing that you can also put the mp on a tripod if you need to have that extra bit of sturdiness and smoothness. It would be nice to get an additional Giottos quick release mount so that you can quickly switch from monopod to tripod. Overall, the IndiRAILSpro MP was a great asset for us on our shoot of our music video and I constantly use it for event shoots were I can't bring a tripod. I know that Tim and his crew are constantly re-tweaking their gear all the time so I'm hoping that with some of these improvements the MP will be a solid go to tool for the always on the go filmmaker. Here is an outtake from the film/music video of Taiyo Na's Lovely to Me (Immigrant Mother). These are different shots that we were exploring for the opening sequence. The footage was shot with the Panasonic GH1 and Canon FD Prime lenses using the IndiRAILSpro MP from Studio4 Productions.

Taiyo Na – Lovely to Me (Immigrant Mother) – Outtake – IndiRAILSpro MP and GH1 from Gary San Angel on Vimeo.

Tags: Gary San Angel, GH1, indiRAILSpro MP, IndiSYSTEM, indiSYSTEM - Studio4 Productions, Lovely to Me (Immigrant Mother), Panasonic GH1, Schneider, Studio 4 Productions, Taiyo Na, Tim Ovel

We Won!! We Won!! “Flying Away to the Movies” Winner of the 2009 Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival Trailer Contest

Sep 18

Posted by Gary San Angel in Film Fests & Awards, Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival | No Comments

OMG!!!! Our trailer called "Flying Away to the Movies" won as the winner of the 2009 Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival.
We were not expecting to win at all seeing some of the other 3-D Animations which were really quite impressive and visually compelling. We thought for sure the judges would go for the other submissions because they had much more of the industry look and commercial appeal.
We really saw ourselves as the Philly underdogs and are really very surprised and honored to be chosen among some very fine trailers submissions. A lot of Philly love was put into this trailer so we are just ecstatic to represent Philly, pay homage to Philly's Chinatown, and create something that we hope will bring a smile to your face and make you think of the first time you went to the movies.
Here's a little more info:
Animator Rocky Kev, music recording artist Wayne Hsu and, filmmaker and director Gary San Angel create a 30 second trailer for the Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival called "Flying Away to the Movies."
A young boy leaves his static television world and follows a flying film reel, taking a journey to find inspiration in movies at Philadelphia's very own Chinatown Arch where the opening night film of the festival is about to begin.
Rocky Kev's vibrant digitally hand drawn animations and Wayne Hsu's catchy high soaring music inspire us to remember why we are drawn to going to the movies in the first place.
The animation includes a cast of hundreds and is meant to be seen again and again allowing the viewer to find and hear things that they never saw each time they see it.
We’re glad to represent Philly and PAAFF and hope that our trailer will be something that people will look forward to seeing, something that they will remember and associate with PAAFF even after this year’s festival.
On behalf of myself, Rocky, and Wayne, we humbly thank the judges for the award and are extremely excited and honored to be chosen as the winner of the 2009 Philadelphia Asian American Film festival Trailer Contest!
Feel free to pass it on!!

Tags: Asian Arts Initiative, Chinatown, Gary San Angel, My Dailies, PAAFF, Philadelphia, Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival, Philadelphia Chinatown, Philly, Rocky Kev, trailer, Wayne Hsu

Gorillapod meet Noga arm. Noga arm meet Gorillapod. The GORILLA NOGA on the GH1!

Sep 10

Posted by Gary San Angel in Gorilla Noga, My Reviews, m4/3 Revolution | 2 Comments

What do you get when you cross a Joby Gorillapod SLR- Zoom and a Noga HOLDIT 3-Joint Locking Articulated Arm?
A GORILLA NOGA!!
THE GORILLA NOGA
It's a mini tripod!! It's a DV stabilizer!! It's a mini steadicam!!
Just before the GH1 came out there were lots of folks exploring ways to stabilize the GH1. Because of it's small size, many folks this summer looked at the Joby Gorillapod as a possible GH1 stabilizer.
One of the first pics that I found putting together this idea with the GH1 and the Joby Gorillapod was from Flickr user retroleum who posted this great picture of the GH1 and the Gorillapod as stabilizer.
Gorillapod Stabilizer Proof of Concept by retroleum
Of course many GH1 users continue to tinker with their gear to create modified rigs with bastardized parts from our old 35mm adapter rigs that are sitting and collecting dust. Inspired by retroleum and folks at DVXUser forum, I started to tinker too. I bought a Joby Gorillapod SLR-Zoom (you can find them for $30-45 bucks) and I felt it was useful but it didn't have the flexibility of use that I needed it for my work. I wanted to create a simple rig that could be put in a small camera bag and used for the documentary that I am working on about the Jook Songs Asian American performing group at Yale University.
It's the 10 year anniversary of Jook Songs and we are putting together a little doc to commemorate the groups existence. What I'm currently doing is sending a GH1 in a small camera bag all around the country to members of Jook Songs past and present for a portion of our documentary called "Video Check-Ins". Each member will get the GH1 package and film a day in their life as well as give reflections on the impact of the group on their lives today.
I wanted to put everything they needed in a small camera bag including a tripod, stabilizer, and steadicam. Ha! Of Course we all would to put all our gear in one small bag. At least I tried…
So I rummaged through my gear and found a heavy duty Noga arm that I wasn't using:
NOGA "Hold-it" Heavy Duty Arm- with 1/4-20" mount & 3/8" monitor lockdown
Then I rummaged some more and found a 3/8-16 and 1/4-20 Universal Converter kit that I purchased from filmtools.com:
Universal Converter: 3/8-16 and 1/4-20 KIT
Then I attached the pieces together to a Joby Gorillapod SLR-Zoom Tripod:

I put it all together and viola! The GORILLA NOGA!
GORILLA NOGA on the Panasonic GH1 with kit lens
This little guy folds down and pops into my GH1 camera bag. It's super light weight, flexible, and gives you the ability to have a small tripod, a camera stabilizer and a mini steadicam, all in one, all fitting in a little bag.
GORILLA NOGA in Small GH1 Camera Bag
In fact, all the footage shot for my c-mount zoom Angenieux tests were used with the little GORILLA NOGA mainly as a mini tripod and GH1 stabilizer. Some footage was a little shaky but that's at the higher focal ranges where having a tripod should be the norm. You can view a little bit of the Angenieux footage with the GORILLA NOGA abilities here on this blog.
One of the great things about using the GORILLA NOGA with the GH1 and Angenieux Type L2/L3 zoom lens is since the lens is so small it does not create a top heavy feel to the GH1 allowing the use of the GORILLA NOGA's flexibility to create a counterweight to allow for a pretty successful steadicam feel.
Here is a tutorial that I put together for the Jook Songs group who will be using the GORILLA NOGA and the GH1. You can just skip through my simplistic explanations on GH1 use. I apologize in advance for my simplistic tutorial on the GH1's use but I just needed to convey the use of the GH1 to users who may be technically challenged.

GH1 Video Tutorial for Jook Songs "Video Check-ins" – Gorillapod / Noga Arm Steadicam from Gary San Angel on Vimeo.

Tags: Angenieux, Angenieux Type L2, Angenieux Type L3, component geek, componentgeek, Flickr, Gary San Angel, GH1, Gorillanoga, Gorillapod, Gorillapod SLR-Zoom, heavy duty noga, HOLDIT, Joby, Jook Songs, m4/3 Revolution, mini tripod, Noga, Noga Arm, Panasonic GH1, retroleum, stabilizer, steadicam

Angenieux Zoom Type L2 & Type L3 1:2.2/17-68 C-Mount on the GH1 – Sharp & Compact even with 2x Digital Zoom

Sep 7

Posted by Gary San Angel in Angenieux Type L2/L3 1:2.2/17-68, C-Mount Zooms on m4/3, Legacy Lenses on m4/3 | 5 Comments

Angenieux Zoom Lens F2.2 17-68mm on Bolex

The Pegasus II DV stabilizer took a lot of my time this past month to look at and to get the quirks figured out so my initial c-mount zoom tests were placed on a holding pattern.
As promised here are some initial impressions of the Angenieux Zoom Type L2 and Type L3 1:2.2/17-68 C-Mount lenses.
Angenieux Zoom Lens F2.2 17-68mm on G1

These pictures are with the Type L3 Angenieux lens on a G1 courtesy of Andre Dupuis at vintage bolex movie cameras on ebay.
Closeup Shots of Angenieux Zoom Type L3 1:2.2/17-68

Closeup Shots of Angenieux Zoom Type L3 1:2.2/17-68

The Angenieux zoom Type L2 and Type L3 lenses are very hard to find these days but well worth having as part of your GH1 arsenal if you can grab one. Many of these older c-mount cine lenses were used on Bolex and Bell and Howard 16mm cameras. I was fortunate enough to pick up a Type L2 and Type L3 Angenieux zoom and despite the fact that the image circle of the lens is smaller than the sensor and you do get the "peep hole effect" and a bit of vignetting, there are still some great things going for these older lenses. As far as I can tell from the recent tests both the Type L2 and Type L3 Angenieux zoom lenses had the same image circle size, bokeh and sharpness.
(+)

At wide open F/2.2, the lens is tack sharp, much faster than the 14-140 stock lens at F/4
The small size. This little zoom lens fits inside my pants pocket! Much lighter than the 14-140 stock lens and makes the GH1 feel like a toy with the extremely light weight feel of the Angenieux
The beautiful Angenieux bokeh, creamy and lovely especially at higher focal lengths to display that shallow DOF.
With the GH1's 2x Digital Zoom, you move beyond the vignetting and get a nice usable picture.

(-)

As was brought to my attention from the Indy Pros at DVXUser Barry Green and Illya Friedman, there are image degradation issues with the digital zoom engaged even at 2x. Illya Friedman who runs Hot Rod Cameras informed me that "Extended Optical Zoom is just windowing the sensor, effectively lowering the number of pixels used to create the image by about 75%."
Obviously, no autofocus and image stabilization capabilities so you can't really use this lens on a steadicam or for tracking shots.
With the GH1's 2x Digital Zoom engaged in movie mode, camera shake increases with magnification so you must use a tripod or DV stabilizer for decent results.
With the GH1's 2x Digital Zoom engaged in movie mode, the focal lengths double from 17-68 to 34-136.
This particular cine lens need a Series 7 step ring to use ND filters.

(wishes)

If Panasonic could give us .5x, 1x, and 1.5x as an option for the Digital Zoom in movie mode and Extended Digital Zoom in picture mode I think it would help with the flexibility to use these c-mount lenses with much greater control. The Angenieux Zoom Type L2 & Type L3 with out the use of the digital zoom feature at 17mm is a little shy of filling the sensor. With the ability to use a 1x instead of a 2x optical zoom we'd have the ability to have a wider frame with perhaps less camera magnification jitters and image degradation.
So far, I can only use creative motion picture mode on the GH1 because it is the only mode that I can engage the digital zoom feature. Again, most c-mount zooms and primes under 25mm will have a small image circle and vignetting so in order to use these lenses you need to engage the digital zoom in movie mode. It would be nice if Panasonic allowed us to use the optical zoom in picture mode for still camera use currently I could not engage the extended digital zoom in any of the picture mode settings.
Maybe someone out there could make a c-mount teleconverter or reducer that has a large enough image circle to fit the sensor so that we would not need to engage the Gh1's optical zoom. That would be the ideal.

Over all, the GH1 has literally breathed new life into these older cine lenses. In the beginning, it was the G1 users capturing amazing pictures with these c-mount lenses but now that the GH1 has hit the scene, many are using these cine lenses for what they were intended for and that is film.
As stated in other forums and blogs, the digital zoom and extended optical zoom features do degrade resolution on the GH1 but with the right elements in place, these lenses are great fun and you can get some really nice images. For some the image degradation and resolution loss will not be acceptable for others this may be a chance to bring retro cine flair to your new GH1 and you may find these images will work for your needs.
So despite the resolution drawbacks, the Angenieux Type L2 and Type L3 are great for the on the go casual shooter who wants that "Angenieux look" with out having to carry a huge lens and who can sacrifice some resolution loss. You'll still need to step back to get that wider shot but for those who want that shallow DOF there's still some nice bokeh and sharpness in this lens that will be a great addition for narrative work and even talking heads documentary shots.
For those wanting to find a good deal on these older lenses, you might want to go to local camera shops first, explore the ones that still carry 16mm camera gear before going on ebay. Just within the last six months these lenses have all jumped up in price so be prepared to pay at least $400 for this lens if not more.
Thanks again to Barry Green and Illya Friedman for providing me with updated information concerning the Digital Zoom features on the GH1. Here are a few more pics with Angenieux Zoom Type L3 1:2.2/17-68 on a G1 courtesy of Andre Dupuis.
Angenieux Zoom Type L3 Lens at 17mm

Tags: Andre Dupuis, Angenieux, Angenieux Type L2 1:2.2/17-68, Angenieux Type L3 1:2.2/17-68, Angenieux Zoom Type L2, Angenieux Zoom Type L3, Barry Green, C-mount, C-Mount Zooms on m4/3, component geek, componentgeek, DVXUser, Gary San Angel, GH1, GH1 c-mount, GH1 c-mount zoom, Illya Friedman, Panasonic GH1, Type L2, Type L3, vintage bolex movie cameras, Zoom

GH1 with indiRAILSpro MP & Schneider-Kreuznach Variogon 1:2/18-90 C-Mount – Ocean City, NJ

Sep 7

Posted by Gary San Angel in C-Mount Zooms on m4/3, Legacy Lenses on m4/3, My Reviews, Schneider-Kreuznach Variogon 1:2/18-90, indiSYSTEM - Studio4 Productions | No Comments

Before "goin' down to the Shore" as the say here in Philly, Tim Ovel from Studio4 Productions was kind enough to send me a few goodies to test out. One of which is the their new indiRAILSpro MP, which I took with me to Ocean City, NJ for a little test run.
indiRAILSpro MP from Studio4 Productions
The new indiRailspro MP combines the best features of a shoulder mount system, the ability to go hand-held, and has a built in follow focus to boot. It's lightweight, lowprofile, and flexibility is perfectly designed for the event shooter or anyone who needs the ability to stabilize their DSLR and use manual prime or zoom lenses and be on the move in an instant.
The MP consists of a Velbon RUP-40 monopod with a Giottos MH-652 compact quick release assembly and MH-642 plate which mounts to a top mounting stabilizing bracket. The monopod can be quickly attached and removed with the Giottos quick release assembly which is an added plus for quick setup, break down, and storage. On the bracket you have the ability to adjust the monopod, camera, and shoulder pad length as desired. An additional Giottos MH-652/642 quick release plate is where your DSLR mounts and you can slide your camera along the bracket's adjusting slot to set your camera and lens for proper follow focus use. Unfortunately, the slot was not long enough for me to use the GH1's 14-140 stock lens with the MP's follow focus. Tim will be sending me out a new bracket with a longer slot for me to test soon.
In the meantime, I decided to test out another c-mount lens that I recently just got back from being overhauled, a Schneider-Kreuznach Variogon 1:2/18-90 C-Mount zoom lens which I will talk about in detail later.
I wasn't able to use the follow focus on the MP with the Schneider so instead I wanted to simply focus on the MP's ability to be used as a DSLR stabilizer. Because the Schneider c-mount lens does not have a large enough image circle to fill the sensor, the GH1 must have digital 2x zoom engaged in order to get full use of the lens though out the zoom range and to fill the image sensor with out the "peep hole effect". Doing this however, means that any slight camera movement in higher focal ranges will create a heck of a lot of camera shake.
And this is where the MP comes in. I wanted to use my Schneider c-mount lens but I was on vacation and didn't want to drag an additional tripod with me. The MP was a perfect fit in this department because I could split up the MP with the Velbon monopod in my day bag weighting less than a pound and the stabilizing bracket (less than 2 pounds) in my camera bag.
Without the follow focus, you can be ready to go in 5 seconds, the MP's combination of monopod and shoulder mount bracket allows for enough stabilization so I can get fairly steady shots with my Schneider lens even with the 2x zoom engaged on the GH1. If I didn't have the MP, it would literally be camera shake city. Don't get me wrong, this is no substitute for a good tripod for rock solid shots, you will always see some movement and sway but when using the Schneider lens at the lower focal ranges like 18-30 (which is doubled with the 2x zoom factor to 36-60) and by keeping that camera nice and steady you reduce camera shake and can capture some really nice steady footage. The big advantage with the MP is quick mobility combined with stability.
The footage I captured was nothing special, just a few shots of our day at the beach with friends. Two big challenges with shooting with the GH1, aside from the sand and wind whipping around, the GH1 camera mics are absolutely atrocious and unusable in windy situations. Number two, in bright outdoor beach type settings, it is literally impossible to get an accurate reading on focus and exposure with the flip out LCD. I didn't have a hoodman on me so through out the footage you'll see the exposure settings change that is not the camera it's me trying to play with my Variable ND filter because I couldn't see the screen.
Again, the GH1 audio was simply unusable being a windy day so the visuals are accompanied with a live version of Dar William's song "The Ocean".
Here is a quick test of the indiRAILSpro MP (no follow focus) with the Schneider Variogon 1:2/18-90 in c-mount.
The footage was captured at 720/60p and converted to 24p using NeoScene.
GH1 with indiRAILSpro MP & Schneider-Kreuznach Variogon 1:2/18-90 C-Mount – Ocean City, NJ from Gary San Angel on Vimeo.

Tags: C-mount zoom, component geek, componentgeek, Dar Williams, Gary San Angel, GH1 c-mount, Indifocus, indiRAILSpro MP, IndiSYSTEM, indiSYSTEM - Studio4 Productions, NJ, Ocean City, Panasonic GH1, Reviews, Schneider, Schneider Variogon, Schneider-Kreuznach, Studio 4 Productions, The Ocean, Tim Ovel

Studio4 Productions IndiSYSTEM tools for DSLRS provide quality and affordability & great Midwestern service

Sep 3

Posted by Gary San Angel in My Reviews, indiSYSTEM - Studio4 Productions | No Comments

Tim Ovel and Studio4 Productions is one of those companies that continues to surprise me even through these tough economic times. This modest company based in Waterloo, Iowa saw the road changing and created some nice products to support the new burgeoning DSLR market.
These guys are about making quality products at a price point that is remarkably affordable. For the novice indies to veteran pro industry folks, the tools that Studio4 Productions put out are simple, innovative, durable, and in most cases will last longer than your camera. In fact, I still have an older version of the indiSLIDER. I've changed cameras like four times but I still have that indiSLIDER, though a little beat up, it gets the job done and is a wonderful tool in my kit.
indiSLIDERmini Deluxe from Studio4 Productions

I talked with Tim about the possibility of reviewing a few of his new products including the indiSLIDERmini Deluxe which I thought would be a great companion to the original indiSLIDER. Something that can fit in my tripod bag and that I could easily take with me when shooting with the GH1. I did a few simple tests before I went on vacation and I am loving it. The fact that the mini can fit in my small gitzo tripod bag is just astounding. I do a lot of shoots in Hawaii and on the West Coast so I travel frequently though out the year and taking the mini version is so doable allowing me to get my baggage under the 50 pound travel regulation. I was literally wishing for something like this to come out all summer and finally here it is!
Seriously, at $99 for the indiSLIDERmini it's a no brainer. The ability to have a mini dolly in your tripod bag for your GH1 for a mere $100 bucks and some change is worth it. One of the nice things when using the indiSLIDERmini with the GH1 and the 14-140 lens kit is that the auto focus is pretty darn good and you can use the tracking abilities to keep focus on your subject when dollying in and out with the slider.
I'll be doing some further testing with the indiSLIDERmini as well as the the indiRAILSpro DSLRsm and the indiRAILSpro MP on a music video shoot with NYC based artist Taiyo Na in a couple weeks.
Tim Ovel has been great in terms of responsiveness. I did some initial testing with the MP this week but the GH1 14-140 lens could not mount properly to work with the MP's follow focus. Tim's great Iowan customer service has been first rate, very friendly and responsive with a dash of humor. He's sending me out a new plate for the MP to make sure that we can test it with the GH1 and the stock lens. It should be a nice opportunity to put the gear though it's paces. When I get it I'll let you know the results.

Tags: component geek, componentgeek, Gary San Angel, GH1, Indifocus, indiRAILSpro DSLRsm, indiRAILSpro MP, indiSLIDER, indiSLIDERmini, indiSLIDERmini Deluxe, IndiSYSTEM, indiSYSTEM - Studio4 Productions, Panasonic GH1, Reviews, Studio 4 Productions, Tim Ovel

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Adventures in Indy Film Geekdom with Gary San Angel