As promised, here is the review of the 5D training DVD from F-Stop Academy. A lot of people are interested in getting HDSLR training DVD for Christmas but dont know which one to get. By the end of this review, you should have a better idea of which one is better for your needs. While this video is targeted at the 5DMrkII market, almost all of its content is also valid for other HDSLRs.

I have decided to keep a similar review format to the one I used for my previous review of the 5dFilmschool DVD.

Notice: I reviewed the electronic download version of the training. And, as always, I suggest this format for a better viewing experience.
Pace

The pace of the clip is quite fast. Blasting over 25 chapters in less than 75 minutes could seem scary but it is in fact a very good way to cover everything one has to know to get going with an HDSLR. And if you miss something, there is always the rewind button!
Precise

Each concept is demonstrated with actual footage from the 5D. I really like the example with the Vari ND filter. The only example that I did not find convincing enough was the demonstration of what happen when a high shutter speed is used instead of staying around 1/60 as we already outlined in a past article. I would have expected a side by side comparison with a footage shot at 1/60sec.
Useful content

Philip covers a lot of ground in this training. Actually, he covers pretty much everything you need to know to start shooting your first clips. He starts from the very first step, reviewing all the gear in his bag and shows how/when/why to use each of them.

While most of the content has already been talking about somewhere on the web (or even this site!), the DVD regroup everything in a single content packed DVD. In a bit more than an hour, you will get pretty much every bit of useful content that has been written about and all of this illustrated with nice examples. you might even learn a few tricks! Not a bad deal if you ask me!
Entertaining

Philip is an entertaining guy and shares a few of his recent experiences with us during the training. I was quite surprised to see how easy it has been for him to ‘convince’ his clients to agree to use the 5D instead of a conventional camera. I also like the aesthetic style of the video. While the video is shot with a big Sony video camera, the training is littered with clips from the 5D. These clips are either from past jobs or footage taken while making the DVD content. I am sure they did this on purpose because when you see side by side clips form the 5D and those form the video camera, there are no doubts in your mind about which one you want to use.
Verdict

My wife went to Guatemala to do some humanitarian work and I wish I could have shown her this movie before she left. It would have saved me hours of explanations and I am sure she would have remembered everything.

While I think everyone will find at least one interesting/useful bit of information on this DVD (even I did learn something!), I think the people who will benefit the most from it are those who are either new to HDSLR or dont want/can spend the time to browse the net and learn all of these things. This make this DVD the perfect companion gift to a brand new 5DMrkII for Christmas!

So, should you get this DVD or the other one from 5DFilmSchool (review)? While some of the content overlap between the two products, the F-Stop DVD talks more about how to shoot and get good images (Bloom style) while the 5DFilmShool is more about the various steps required to make a film (with a story/directing line) with high production value.

My advice: get both if you can afford them ;-)

Next up: 7D training from F-Stop Academy.

Main review can be found here http://www.canon5dtips.com/2009/12/f-stop-academy-learn-5dmrkii-dvd-review/

Some of you have seen that we have a page set up for Philip Bloom’s new training series for the Canon EOS 5D Mark II and the Canon EOS 7D. Den Lennie sent us a copy of both and finding time to do the review has been a bit hard. But I have good news – friend of planet5D Dave Warner (@LensFlare35 on twitter) has let us ‘borrow’ his review and I’ll add a bit of my own thoughts after his.
Redrock Micro

Here’s Dave’s blog post (you can also read it on his site)

Canon 7DPart of getting either the Canon 5D Mark II or the Canon 7D is the excitement of having that 1080P HD Video capability. I know that when I got mine, I had visions of these wonderful clips just spilling out of the camera and onto my hard disk. I’d look at some commercials on TV, or some scenes in a movie and I’d turn to my wife and say “I can do that now – I have that capability in my new Canon!”

So, next stop read the manual? Yup, I did that; didn’t understand half of what they said, but thought I had everything set up the way it should be and went out and shot some video. Well, the problems started right after downloading the footage off the camera. Ok you Apple owners, here’s your first laugh – I am a PC user and the footage looked great in QuickTime, but stuttered and was not smooth, audio didn’t sync with the video and a host of other problems.

Well, let’s just shorten this WHOLE initial experience to a few words. After several weeks of trying to research on the Internet, testing different pieces of software, crunching pieces of video clips from here and there, I STILL didn’t have anything that I could put together on Vimeo or YouTube. And no, I was NOT going to post another ‘Test’ piece of 5D Mark II footage up there that was pure babble! Isn’t there enough already?

So, I was lost, disappointed, upset, and really feeling like there was no way to get any decent video footage out of the camera. I’d wasted my money upgrading because my 5D had been just fine for the landscape images I was taking with it! And yes, my wife WAS giving me ‘the look’ for spending money on yet another toy that “I just had to have because you won’t believe the capability it has and the things I’ll be able to do with it” kind of story.

During all that research, I had figured out a few things:

1. I was NOT the only one out there with this problem
2. There wasn’t much information about EXACTLY what I needed to know to make this work
3. There was no list telling me WHAT extra hardware I had to have and what it would cost
4. There was no list of additional software I needed and exactly what I would have to do with it to get a nice piece of video out of it (Apple users – the all-in-one answer for everything was Final Cut Pro)
5. There was almost NO information about what software to use on a PC and HOW to use it
6. Steve Weiss (Zacuto), Vincent Laforet, Philip Bloom and a few others were doing a LOT to help educate people and to help.

So, I tried contacting the first three names I’d come up with for interviews. I figured I would learn SOMETHING from talking to them, which would help me, as well as everyone else. So, I booked Steve Weiss and learned a lot, had Vincent Laforet booked, but then Canon told him to pull down his video of Nocturne shot with the (at that time) brand new Canon 1D Mark IV – haven’t heard from him since. FINALLY booked Philip Bloom after chasing him around the globe via Twitter, email and peer pressure from his friends. I learned EVEN more from him. During his podcast interview, he had mentioned his affiliation with F-Stop Academy and the products they were trying to create on DVD, so I thought it was worth a follow-up and here we are.

Philip Bloom

So who is this Philip Bloom guy? Well, he is widely regarded as the worlds leading authority on low budget digital film making techniques. He recently hit two million views on his blog and is regarded highly in the indie film making world as a modern ‘guru’ of digital film making practices. In recent months he’s filmed a commercial in Bulgaria for a National Mobile Phone network, he spent ten days in India shooting a Viral for Greenpeace and then he shot a promo in London with Kevin Spacey – all on the Canon 5D Mark II. He also had some VERY popular videos on the web, including Sophia’s People.

Well, Philip and Den Lennie decided to found F-Stop Academy in May of 2009 to answer the most frequently asked question by film makers worldwide – “What’s the best camera for creating the film look and how do you use it?” Best news is, that same question happens to be the one many of the stills photographers were asking about these cameras.

300px_5d_3d
So they set about creating a course that would break down all the elements that would allow you to create images and films that mimic the look and feel of film using your video camera. Their first two DVD’s are a great chance to start answering some of the questions that myself and many others have had about shooting video with these types of cameras, AND in particular the 5D Mark II or 7D from Canon.

After my interview with Philip, I contacted him and asked if I could review the two DVD’s. He kindly said yes, and I downloaded the digital version of the one for the Canon 7D and Den sent me the 5D Mark II DVD via Priority Mail.

I’m going to focus my comments on the 5D Mark II DVD, since Phillip said they were very similar. Here’s the table of contents for the DVD:

Main Program (57 minutes)
1: Main Titles & Introduction
2: My 5dmkII history
3: Shooting with the 5dmkII
4: What kit do you need?
5: Setting up the camera to shoot video
6: Setting your ISO
7: Creating the best in camera picture style
8: Getting the correct exposure
9: Lenses
10: Lens discipline
11: Using a Macro Extension
12: The Mattebox
13: Follow Focus
14: Using a video monitor
15: Monopod & view finder
16: Variable ND filters
17: The IS Lens
18: Shooting handheld
19: Avoiding the “Jello effect”
20: Shutter speed
21: Getting the depth of field YOU want using the Fader/Vari ND
22: Shutter speed in artificial light
23: Sound
24: Best way to learn? Go out and shoot!

Workflow (17 minutes)
1: Bringing your footage into your computer
2: Converting to a format you can edit with
3: How to convert to 24p or 25p
4: Using Cinema Tools to change frame rate
5: How to sync sound

The Plus Side

The packaging is great, the DVD is professionally designed and put together, and the video footage (of course) is high quality and edited well. I think that many people will get bored right off the bat with chapters two and three, but I personally think they are essential! I wanted to know about Philip’s history and how he got started with all of this. Yes, I didn’t learn anything about using the camera, but it did give me some perspective on who he is and why he got into using these cameras. I also liked the next chapter where he talked about actually going out and using them and showed examples of his more popular ones. It gives you additional perspective if you can hear about it and watch it at the same time.

The remaining chapters were excellent, as they piece by piece explained different aspects of how to set the camera up, additional equipment you can/must use, and how to shoot with it. After watching this, it is a wonder I got anything out of the camera at all! I think I had all the settings incorrect (after actually reading the manual).

One thing to remember though is that this is a beginner’s introduction to all of the material. It just begs the question – is there going to be a MUCH more in-depth version of the DVD coming out? One that covers some of the same title areas, but goes deeper with examples of how it was shot, downloaded, manipulated and then finally edited?

The bottom line is that unless you are already successfully using the camera and getting great video out of it, this is a must-have DVD. It will save you SO much time right up front when you get the camera. I wish I’d had it weeks ago…

The Downside

Occasionally, Philip uses some terminology in the DVD that he doesn’t explain. For instance, what the heck are rushes? You eventually figure it out, but for those starting out, you don’t know what he’s talking about!

The menu settings – he went through them WAY too fast! I’m familiar with the camera and the menus, but not to THAT level! He was clicking and changing screens so fast, that even with extensive use of the Pause/Play button, it took me a bit to mimic his settings.

The Workflow section – kind of just an introduction, so there MUST be another video on the way. It clearly left me wanting, and for PC users – you will be lost. It doesn’t answer a single thing for you. You will know how to get your settings correct in the camera, and shoot some great video, but you won’t be able to do a thing beyond that unless you’ve already figured it all out.

And Finally Price – I think the pricing on the videos is WAY too high; $135.00 for the Canon 7D video and $120 for the 5D! Whether you get it on DVD, or download it digitally, the price is the same. There should be some kind of price break for the digital download, since there is no postage, handling, physical packaging, or anything else involved. I think I’d rather see $59.00 for the DVD and $49.00 for the digital download. I think they’d actually make a LOT more money with the better pricing – hard to say no to those amounts!

Here are the links to purchase either of these:
Learn Canon 5D mkII Cinematography with Philp Bloom * Add to cart*
Learn 2 Shoot Great Video on your Canon 7D You can buy the DVD downloads here

Review of the Canon 7D DVD

After going through the 5D Mark II DVD, Philip then asked me to take a look at the one for the 7D. He said that he thought it was much better. I went through that DVD as well, and would have to agree with Philip. I think it was more polished, they answered more questions and gave the information out in a much better fashion, and they added a time-lapse section as well, which was pretty cool. Other than some minor settings for the 7D, you could use the information in this DVD and apply it to shooting with the 5D just as easily. So, you make the call as to which one to buy, but at least one of these is a must for getting started with video.

Ok (back to planetMitch now), that’s pretty complete… well, I do have a few thoughts!

I do tend to agree with Dave that maybe Philip and Den have priced these a bit high, it seems that something a bit lower would get more sales. Especially when you get a digital download option (that is currently on the 7D disk). Without having to deal with shipping and a physical DVD, you’d hope to get a little discount (but then again, you seem to pay close to full price for songs on iTunes don’t ya?). However, I realize that there’s a lot of value in these discs and if you were getting live training, you could pay a lot more than this.

Ok, so what are my thoughts on this training? Especially since we’ve just reviewed a similar disc (5DFilmSchool’s Canon EOS 5D Mark II 101 and 102). It seems to me that both of these may have a place in your library depending on your current skill level. If you’re an absolute beginner when it comes to video/movies, you’ll want to get the 5DFilmShool as well as Philip’s discs — the 5DFilmSchool is 2 discs and covers more materials – including the movie basics. Philip assumes you already have some video/movie skills and you’re looking to tweak your knowledge for the Canon EOS 5D Mark II. Sure, there’s a bit of overlap, but each brings it’s own set of good information to the party and eventually, you’ll probably want both.

Philip brings a lot of his knowledge to this training. He gives a lot of tips and tricks that specifically apply to the Canon EOS 5D Mark II and the Canon EOS 7D. Especially things tailored to “creating the film look” – you’ll get a lot of information you won’t find in many other places.

One negative I remember about the 5D2 training is that some of the chapters feel a bit short. You’ll get a title for the chapter and you’re looking for a lot of information on that topic and in 2-3 minutes you’re already into the next chapter. Both of Philip’s training discs are over 60 minutes, but you keep wanting a bit more in several of the chapters. That’s probably more true in the 5D2 than the 7D disc. I think Philip learned quite a bit between making the 2 and it shows in the 7D training.

Philip is very enjoyable to watch – there’s not much boring about him. I especially liked the introduction on the 5D2 disc where he talks about how he first got the 5D2 and fell in love with it. I was wishing that was included in the 7D training (since they’re so similar). The 7D training is cool because every scene is shot outside. He even includes info on the flicker caused by different artificial lights and even doing a time-lapse. The 7D download also comes with a separate file that is 12 minutes on Philip’s editing workflow tips including slow motion and time-lapse.

So, I like all of these materials and feel you’ll get good value for your purchase. I’m sure Philip will be working on additional titles (especially with the Canon EOS-1D MKIV coming soon) and we’ll look forward to the lessons he’s gained while working on these titles.

Philip also highly recommends a couple of products we recommend as well…
pluralEyes (a Final Cut Pro plugin) for syncing the sound (and he covers some of the use of external audio with the Zoom H4N)
the z-finder from Zacuto.

So there you go – some more great training available for you learn how to make cinematic movies with your Canon EOS 5D Mark II or Canon EOS 7D!

Review of the F-Stop Academy DVD’s for the Canon 5D Mark II and 7D

by Dave Warner on December 2, 2009

Hello there!

Canon 7DPart of getting either the Canon 5D Mark II or the Canon 7D is the excitement of having that 1080P HD Video capability. I know that when I got mine, I had visions of these wonderful clips just spilling out of the camera and onto my hard disk. I’d look at some commercials on TV, or some scenes in a movie and I’d turn to my wife and say “I can do that now – I have that capability in my new Canon!”

So, next stop read the manual? Yup, I did that; didn’t understand half of what they said, but thought I had everything set up the way it should be and went out and shot some video. Well, the problems started right after downloading the footage off the camera. Ok you Apple owners, here’s your first laugh – I am a PC user and the footage looked great in QuickTime, but stuttered and was not smooth, audio didn’t sync with the video and a host of other problems.

Well, let’s just shorten this WHOLE initial experience to a few words. After several weeks of trying to research on the Internet, testing different pieces of software, crunching pieces of video clips from here and there, I STILL didn’t have anything that I could put together on Vimeo or YouTube. And no, I was NOT going to post another ‘Test’ piece of 5D Mark II footage up there that was pure babble! Isn’t there enough already?

So, I was lost, disappointed, upset, and really feeling like there was no way to get any decent video footage out of the camera. I’d wasted my money upgrading because my 5D had been just fine for the landscape images I was taking with it! And yes, my wife WAS giving me ‘the look’ for spending money on yet another toy that “I just had to have because you won’t believe the capability it has and the things I’ll be able to do with it” kind of story.

During all that research, I had figured out a few things:

1. I was NOT the only one out there with this problem
2. There wasn’t much information about EXACTLY what I needed to know to make this work
3. There was no list telling me WHAT extra hardware I had to have and what it would cost
4. There was no list of additional software I needed and exactly what I would have to do with it to get a nice piece of video out of it (Apple users – the all-in-one answer for everything was Final Cut Pro)
5. There was almost NO information about what software to use on a PC and HOW to use it
6. Steve Weiss (Zacuto), Vincent Laforet, Philip Bloom and a few others were doing a LOT to help educate people and to help.

So, I tried contacting the first three names I’d come up with for interviews. I figured I would learn SOMETHING from talking to them, which would help me, as well as everyone else. So, I booked Steve Weiss and learned a lot, had Vincent Laforet booked, but then Canon told him to pull down his video of Nocturne shot with the (at that time) brand new Canon 1D Mark IV – haven’t heard from him since. FINALLY booked Philip Bloom after chasing him around the globe via Twitter, email and peer pressure from his friends. I learned EVEN more from him. During his podcast interview, he had mentioned his affiliation with F-Stop Academy and the products they were trying to create on DVD, so I thought it was worth a follow-up and here we are.

Philip Bloom

So who is this Philip Bloom guy? Well, he is widely regarded as the worlds leading authority on low budget digital film making techniques. He recently hit two million views on his blog and is regarded highly in the indie film making world as a modern ‘guru’ of digital film making practices. In recent months he’s filmed a commercial in Bulgaria for a National Mobile Phone network, he spent ten days in India shooting a Viral for Greenpeace and then he shot a promo in London with Kevin Spacey – all on the Canon 5D Mark II. He also had some VERY popular videos on the web, including Sophia’s People.

Well, Philip and his partner Den Lennie decided to found F-Stop Academy in May of 2009 to answer the most frequently asked question by film makers worldwide – “What’s the best camera for creating the film look and how do you use it?” Best news is, that same question happens to be the one many of the stills photographers were asking about these cameras.

300px_5d_3d
So they set about creating a course that would break down all the elements that would allow you to create images and films that mimic the look and feel of film using your video camera. Their first two DVD’s are a great chance to start answering some of the questions that myself and many others have had about shooting video with these types of cameras, AND in particular the 5D Mark II or 7D from Canon.

After my interview with Philip, I contacted him and asked if I could review the two DVD’s. He kindly said yes, and I downloaded the digital version of the one for the Canon 7D and Den sent me the 5D Mark II DVD via Priority Mail.

I’m going to focus my comments on the 5D Mark II DVD, since Phillip said they were very similar. Here’s the table of contents for the DVD:

Main Program (57 minutes)
1: Main Titles & Introduction
2: My 5dmkII history
3: Shooting with the 5dmkII
4: What kit do you need?
5: Setting up the camera to shoot video
6: Setting your ISO
7: Creating the best in camera picture style
8: Getting the correct exposure
9: Lenses
10: Lens discipline
11: Using a Macro Extension
12: The Mattebox
13: Follow Focus
14: Using a video monitor
15: Monopod & view finder
16: Variable ND filters
17: The IS Lens
18: Shooting handheld
19: Avoiding the “Jello effect”
20: Shutter speed
21: Getting the depth of field YOU want using the Fader/Vari ND
22: Shutter speed in artificial light
23: Sound
24: Best way to learn? Go out and shoot!

Workflow (17 minutes)
1: Bringing your footage into your computer
2: Converting to a format you can edit with
3: How to convert to 24p or 25p
4: Using Cinema Tools to change frame rate
5: How to sync sound

The Plus Side

The packaging is great, the DVD is professional designed and put together, and the video footage (of course) is high quality and edited well. I think that many people will get bored right off the bat with chapters two and three, but I personally think they are essential! I wanted to know about Philip’s history and how he got started with all of this. Yes, I didn’t learn anything about using the camera, but it did give me some perspective on who he is and why he got into using these cameras. I also liked the next chapter where he talked about actually going out and using them and showed examples of his more popular ones. It gives you additional perspective if you can hear about it and watch it at the same time.

The remaining chapters were excellent, as they piece by piece explained different aspects of how to set the camera up, additional equipment you can/must use, and how to shoot with it. After watching this, it is a wonder I got anything out of the camera at all! I think I had all the settings incorrect (after actually reading the manual).

One thing to remember though is that this is a beginner’s introduction to all of the material. It just begs the question – is there going to be a MUCH more in-depth version of the DVD coming out? One that covers some of the same title areas, but goes deeper with examples of how it was shot, downloaded, manipulated and then finally edited?

The bottom line is that unless you are already successfully using the camera and getting great video out of it, this is a must-have DVD. It will save you SO much time right up front when you get the camera. I wish I’d had it weeks ago…

The Downside

Occasionally, Philip uses some terminology in the DVD that he doesn’t explain. For instance, what the heck are rushes? You eventually figure it out, but for those starting out, you don’t know what he’s talking about!

The menu settings – he went through them WAY too fast! I’m familiar with the camera and the menus, but not to THAT level! He was clicking and changing screens so fast, that even with extensive use of the Pause/Play button, it took me a bit to mimic his settings.

The Workflow section – kind of just an introduction, so there MUST be another video on the way. It clearly left me wanting, and for PC users – you will be lost. It doesn’t answer a single thing for you. You will know how to get your settings correct in the camera, and shoot some great video, but you won’t be able to do a thing beyond that unless you’ve already figured it all out.

Review of the Canon 7D DVD

After going through the 5D Mark II DVD, Philip then asked me to take a look at the one for the 7D. He said that he thought it was much better. I went through that DVD as well, and would have to agree with Philip. I think it was more polished, they answered more questions and gave the information out in a much better fashion, and they added a time-lapse section as well, which was pretty cool. Other than some minor settings for the 7D, you could use the information in this DVD and apply it to shooting with the 5D just as easily. So, you make the call as to which one to buy, but at least one of this is a must for getting started with video.

Commercial cinematographer Philip Bloom has quickly become the poster child for DSLR cinematography. Over the past year I have grown to ‘know’ Philip Bloom by reading his blog, following him on Twitter, and watching webisodes that he has created with Zacuto’s Steve Weiss called CRITICS. Over this time I have become fond of his shooting style and am fascinated by his love for creating, and more importantly, sharing his work.

A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to meet Philip Bloom during Re:Frame, a 4-day Cinematography workshop that was held in San Francisco. Aside from being taller than I had imagined, Philip was very much what I had expected – based on his online presence. I guess that speaks for how real he is on his blog and in his interviews or webisodes. It is this easy going personality and ease in front of the camera that makes his “Learn” series (5DMKII and now one for the 7D) so engaging to watch.

Each of these DVD’s offer the equivalent of getting a private intro to DSLR cinematography from Philip. Imagine walking into a camera store and finding someone who can answer all of your Hybrid DSLR questions regarding the best frame rates to use, which lenses to use, how to get proper focus before and during recording, how to capture the best sound quality, to demonstrate what a Matte box is and why and when you might want to use it, how to shoot in bright daylight while keeping the shutter speed low AND the aperture open, how to shoot timelapse still images and convert those images into a full motion film*, best picture settings to use for the most flexibility in post, and which software to use to edit your footage. It’s almost guaranteed that you won’t every that one person, but with this DVD you have.

• Time lapse is not covered in the 5D video

If you’re a photographer who is serious about adding video into your workflow or a videographer or filmmaker considering adding a Canon EOS 5D Mark II or EOS 7D to your gear bag, Philip will give you the run down on everything you’ll need to start shooting professional video. Truthfully, aside from a couple of minutes of changing some settings specific to the 5D or 7D, these DVD’s can be equally helpful even if you’re shooting with other video capable DSLR models. In just about 60 minutes you’ll have a pretty good knowledge of gear you may not have understood or known about. This alone can help you plan your spending accordingly, putting focus on the items you need most today and saving or budgeting for some of the items you would like to add in the future.

What I really liked about these two DVD’s is that Philip seems to have had no hidden agenda or commitment to promote any specific product(s). This gives Philip the freedom to talk about products he actually uses on a daily basis, whether it’s items he’s purchased from eBay such as the Fader ND filter, lenses he uses from Sigma, Nikon, Zeiss, and Canon — as well as Matte boxes, viewfinders, LCD monitors, microphones, tripod heads, and monopods he uses from various other companies.

Screen shot from “Learn 2 Shoot Great Video on the Canon 7D”

Content Comparison
There are some minor differences between these two DVD’s, but for the most part 85% of the content is similar. If you happen to own both camera models I would recommend just getting one of them. The question is which one?

The “Learn 5D Mark II Cinematography” DVD offers a back story on how & why Philip started shooting with the EOS 5D Mark II and how it led to new commercial work shooting both video and stills. The workflow section also seems to offer a bit more detail, though it doesn’t cover the process of converting timelapse stills into video. In both DVD’s Philip provides a through-the-lens look at a wide variety of lenses, a very helpful addition as to each of these DVD’s. I think the lens demonstrations in the 7D video were a bit more helpful mainly due to the beach location he was shooting in. This gave him a wider variety of subject distances, allowing him to demonstrate a wider range of focal lengths. The 7D video was also filmed a couple of months after the 5D video, so Philip has some new gear to show you in this video – such as the updated Zacuto Z-Finder II and new lightweight support rigs. In the 7D video Philip also covers timelapse photography using an intervalometer, and then demonstrates how to take these stills into your PC to create a movie.

Chapter Information
Learn Canon 5D Mark II Cinematography

• 1 – The Evolution of the Canon 5D MK II
• 2 – Philip Bloom’s 5D MK II History
• 3 – Shooting with the 5D MKII
• 4 – What Kit do you Need
• 5 – Setting up the camera to shoot video
• 6 – Setting your ISO
• 7 – Getting the best in camera picture style
• 8 – Getting the correct exposure
• 9 – Lenses
• 10 – Lens Discipline
• 11 – Using a macro extension tube
• 12 – The matte box
• 13 – Follow Focus
• 14 – Using a video monitor
• 15 – Mono pod & Viewfinder
• 16 – Variable ND filters
• 17 – The IS lens
• 18 – Shooting Handheld
• 19 – Avoiding the “Jello” effect
• 20 – Shutter Speed
• 21 – Getting the depth of field YOU want using the Fader/Vari ND
• 22 – Shutter speed in artificial light
• 23 – Sound
• 24 – Best way to learn? Go out and shoot.

Bonus Workflow Chapters

• 1 – Bringing your footage into your computer
• 2 – Converting to a format you can edit with
• 3 – How to convert to 24p or 25p
• 4 – Using Cinema Tools to change frame rate
• 5 – How to sync sound

Learn 2 Shoot Great Video on your Canon 7D

• 1 – Introduction
• 2 – Sound
• 3 – Setting up the menus
• 4 – Setting up extended ISO
• 5 – Creating a more filmic picture profile
• 6 – How to focus
• 7 – Follow focus
• 8 – Using a monitor
• 9 – Using a viewfinder
• 10 – Shutter speed
• 11 – Remapping the buttons*
• 12 – Controlling the exposure
• 13 – Using a Matte Box
• 14 – Lenses, Converters, & Nikon Adapter
• 15 – Camera Supports
• 16 – Frame Rates
• 17 – Slow Motion
• 18 – Recording Sound
• 19 – Rolling Shutter
• 20 – Avoiding flicker from artificial light
• 21 – Shooting at night
• 22 – Timelapse
• 23 – Summary

Workflow Extra

• 1 – Importing
• 2 – Getting slow motion from 50 and 60p
• 3 – Creating timelapse video from stills

Conclusion

These DVD’s teach you how to best use and optimize your video DSLR to shoot video and are NOT lessons in filmmaking or videography. The incredible image quality, low-light capability, and relatively low price of the EOS 5D Mark II & EOS 7D are the reasons why many broadcasters, news organizations, and filmmakers are buying these camera’s by the thousands, however they do have limitations. In these DVD tutorials Philip provides the knowledge on how to get around these limitations to get the best possible results. He covers focusing, controlling depth-of-field even in bright daylight, avoiding or minimizing the ‘rolling shutter’ effect, stabilization techniques and advice, lens choice, capture settings, audio recording, post-capture workflow, best conversion settings, time-lapse tutorial (not on 5DMKII DVD), and more.

If you want to quickly get up to speed on using your Canon EOS 5D Mark II or EOS 7D to shoot video there is no quicker and better way to do that than with one of these videos. If you own both camera models I would suggest just getting the latest 7D DVD. Actually, even if you own the 5D Mark II I would still recommend getting the 7D DVD. The information contained in it is relevant to both models, aside from a couple of minutes that cover some specific 7D frame-rates and button configurations.

I really enjoyed watching these DVD’s and feel that anyone new to video DSLR shooting should pick up a copy. Philip is a very likeable guy and has a very easy going, laid back style that makes it easy to watch and learn from him. He doesn’t just talk the talk – he’s out there everyday, with camera in hand, shooting, trying new ideas, editing short films, and then sharing them in his video’s and on his blog.

Full original article can be seen here http://www.cameratown.com/reviews/fstop_academy/

Review: Learn 2 Shoot Great Video on Your Canon 7D with Philip Bloom

cover-7dDVD Product Page

Philip Bloom is a busy fellow. His 5D Mark II DVD was released barely a month ago and he’s already out with a 7D DVD. Philip gave us access to the video content of the 7D DVD so we could review it without delay. As such this review is based on that footage, not a final shipping DVD.

A little background for anyone who isn’t familiar with his work: Philip Bloom has been shooting video all over the globe for the last 20 years. He’s done work for Sky News, Discovery HD and many others. In the past year he’s become very excited about the emerging HD DSLR segment and has emerged as a prominent evangelist of the production technique. Canon loaned him a pre-production 7D prior to the 7Ds launch, and he shot ‘Dublin’s People’, a follow-up to his 5D short ‘Sofia’s People’. Inspired by the quality Philip was able to get out of the 7D, shows such as Saturday Night Live and Dollhouse have added it to their shooting kit.

Over the past year Philip has been working with Dennis Lennie of F-Stop Academy, holding tutorials and training sessions for aspiring digital filmmakers all over the world. This DVD, like the 5D Mark II DVD before it is an outgrowth of those events.
Chapter List

Introduction
Sound Limitations of the 7D
Setting up the Camera Menu
Expanded ISO
Creating a more Filmic Picture Profile
How to Focus
Using a Follow Focus
Using a Monitor
Using a Viewfinder
Setting correct Shutter Speed for video
Re-mapping the Operational Controls
Controlling Exposure
Using a Matte Box
Selecting Lenses
Sensor Crop Factor
Tips for Shooting Handheld
Using Video Support
Video Frame Rates
Shooting in Slow Motion
Recording Sound
Shooting a Sequence
Rolling Shutter
Avoiding Flicker from Artificial Lights
Shooting at Night
Timelapse Techniques
Summary

Post Production Extras (For Final Cut)

Importing Files for Edit
Creating Slow Motion
Converting Timelapse Frames into Video
The Presentation

While the 5D Mark II DVD was primarily shot with a Sony F350, this disc was shot primarily (or possibly entirely) with digital SLRs, both the Canon 5D Mark II and the 7D. The video feels much more cinematic as a result. Shot on location in Lido Key, Florida, the backgrounds and setting are great. Philip is still comfortable in front of the camera and this time he actually has some wardrobe changes.
Intended Audience

This disc will be valuable for anyone using a 7D who doesn’t have much experience with DSLR HD. A fair amount of what’s covered in the disc is similar to the content of the 5D, but here it’s more compressed and direct. While in the 5D DVD Philip did show a lot of expensive kit, on this disc he makes a point of stating that all you really need is a stable support, some fast primes, plenty of batteries, some good CF cards, and a viewfinder attachment. That lowers the barrier to entry, so don’t worry that you won’t get anything out of the DVD if you aren’t in a position to drop $2,000 on accessories.
The Good

The disc is more entertaining than the 5D Mark II tutorial, while that was a two-man-band affair this one gets some added interest from some assistants and talent, as well as a more interesting location. (No offense intended, Cambridge and Philips edit bay.) Philip runs through the basics (camera setup, crop factor, exposure, shutter speeds, VariND filters, 4×4 filters, matte boxes, eyepieces, gunstock supports, tripods, rolling shutter, etc) in short order, leaving plenty of time for an exploration of lens looks (from a 10mm fisheye all the way out to a voyeuristic 1260mm extended telephoto) and most useful, a breakdown of a short subject piece.

Philip walks you through the filming of a short narrative piece with an actress reading to Debussy’s The Girl With the Flaxen Hair. You see all the shot setups, the wireless audio setup, he talks about options for getting certain looks in certain circumstances, and then he shows the piece edited together. It’s really helpful for getting a handle on how the process works. There are also some nice touches when he shoots a slow-motion sunset piece. Sometimes it isn’t easy, and it does take 6 takes to barely get the shot.

There’s also a segment at the end on shooting time-lapse movies with a Canon TC80N3 remote timer. The Extras are screencasts covering MacOS X workflows for transcoding to Apple ProRes (for editing), converting 720/60p footage to 29.97 for a slow-motion effect and creating a time-lapse out of a series of still photos.
The Not-So-Good

An hour goes by fast, and you might wish there was some more meat, but it’s hard to think of something explicit that isn’t included. Also, Philip covers the gear he has, so you won’t find reviews or demonstrations for a variety of manufacturers, but that’s what the internet is for.
Conclusions

There’s not much to not like about this DVD. It’s entertaining, beautiful and overall a very pleasant way to learn about shooting HD with the Canon EOS 7D. It isn’t a full-blown cinematography course, but it is a good introduction to the 7D and how it works.

Review: Learn Canon 5D Mark II Cinematography with Philip Bloom DVD

Written by Jeff Kramer on October 9th, 2009
Filed Under Canon EOS
Review: Learn 5D Mark II Canon Cinematography with Philip Bloom

Philip Bloom 5D DVD Cover

DVD Product Page

My, how times change. A decade ago DV was the hot new thing. We were all debating whether shooting full frame, full frame with an anamorphic screw-on-lens (remember those?) or in-camera anamorphic was the best route for 35mm blow-up. We all dreamed of being able to flip a switch and record beautiful, high resolution shots with shallow, film-like depth of field. Here it is, 10 years later, and while video cameras have indeed gotten better, the current heir apparent to the film look for low budget production has come from an unlikely source. That Digital SLR you had grew up and started shooting jaw-dropping footage at 800 ISO in candlelight. Who knows what the next 10 years will bring.

Shooting HD on a dSLR is only roughly a year old. That’s not long for a production technique. In the last year things have developed rapidly. Techniques have been developed and become outdated (I’m looking at you, half-twist-off the lens for aperture control), products are already in their rev 2 incarnation, and the first dSLR feature-length narratives are in post.

One of the most well-known voices in the HD dSLR space is Philip Bloom. He hails from the UK and his background is primarily in videography. Big shoulder cameras, 35mm adapters, etc. He got a loaner 5D from Zacuto while in Hawaii for a shoot and fell in love. He’s shot extensively with the 5D and has been putting on 5D training courses all over the world for interested videographers. He recently released this DVD, a focused introduction to cinematography with the Canon 5D Mark II.
The Product & Disc

The DVD is packaged in a standard clamshell case, just the disc, no insert. The disc is natively 16:9 and looks great played with my PS3 on a 1080p LCD set. There are some compression issues, specifically in some of the middle chapters with footage shot on the Sony F350, but the 5D footage looks amazing.
Contents

Main Program (57 minutes)
1: Main Titles & Introduction
2: My 5dmkII history
3: Shooting with the 5dmkII
4: What kit do you need?
5: Setting up the camera to shoot video
6: Setting your ISO
7: Creating the best in camera picture style
8: Getting the correct exposure
9: Lenses
10: Lens discipline
11: Using a Macro Extension
12: The Mattebox
13: Follow Focus
14: Using a video monitor
15: Monopod & view finder
16: Variable ND filters
17: The IS Lens
18: Shooting handheld
19: Avoiding the “Jello effect”
20: Shutter speed
21: Getting the depth of field YOU want using the Fader/Vari ND
22: Shutter speed in artificial light
23: Sound
24: Best way to learn? Go out and shoot!

Workflow (17 minutes)
1: Bringing your footage into your computer
2: Converting to a format you can edit with
3: How to convert to 24p or 25p
4: Using Cinema Tools to change frame rate
5: How to sync sound
Presentation

Nearly the entire DVD is Philip talking to the camera, with some examples of 5D footage and split screen comparisons for variety. About a third of it is in his editing space, two thirds shot on location in Cambridge. Philip’s comfortable on camera and is an entertaining presenter.
Audience

The target audience for this tutorial is someone with photo or video experience who has an interest in this production technique but doesn’t want to spend hours or days teasing out nuggets of wisdom from forum threads. The DVD doesn’t spend much time on controls or fundamental photography/cinematography aspects. It assumes that you understand f-stops, ISO ratings and editing systems. The workflow sections which are included as an extra are Mac, and somewhat Final Cut Studio 3 specific. Non-FCP users will probably find this interesting, but it won’t be directly applicable.
The Good

The DVD does a good job of getting you up to speed on what the 5D is capable of so you can start shooting fast. It competently covers the basics: the kit he uses, defaults for camera settings that’ll give you flexibility in post, gotchas with the 1.1.0 firmware, tips, tricks and things to watch out for.

The chapters are direct, he doesn’t belabor any points and gives you enough information on everything he covers so you can feel competent about it. There’s quite a bit of 5D sample footage in the DVD, including some candlelight footage, behind the scenes footage of 5D shoots and filter look examples. It’s very helpful to see the footage and know what lenses and settings are used to create the look.
The Not-So-Good

This is obviously a rapidly developing field, and while this DVD covers the state of the art as of July of 2009, the 5D is fairly new and techniques are constantly evolving. You won’t find as much about mixing footage between cameras or handling multi-camera shoots. Philip also chose not to mention Magic Lantern, which is somewhat understandable since it’s not an official product, but for anyone serious about shooting with the 5D it’s an odd omission. It addresses a lot of the gotchas that Philip covers (ACG options, zebra stripes and now high resolution HDMI). It’d be nice to at least have it covered by a web special feature.
Conclusions

The disc is a great resource for someone who hasn’t been following dSLRs for HD closely and wants a concise introduction by an expert. After watching it I felt like I could pick up my 5D and produce some good footage. Philip’s very good at making it not feel like magic.

Reviewed By Scott Bourne www.photofocus.com Oct 19th 2009

Few video shooters have made as big an impact on the hybrid/convergence market as Philip Bloom. Bloom is a UK-based shooter who is known for using 35mm lenses on traditional video cameras. But in the year that shooting HD video on a hybrid DSLR has been a reality, Bloom has also become known for his use of a Canon 5D MK II to make stunning productions.
F-Stop Academy is offering a tutorial on DVD. It is a basic introduction to cinematography with the Canon 5D Mark II.
The hour plus production covers things like recommended lenses, how to set the camera to shoot video, using matte boxes and follow focus and how to avoid rolling shutter. There’s also a fairly detailed explanation of Bloom’s suggested workflow. As long as you use Final Cut Pro and the 5D MK II you’ll get plenty out of this tutorial. If you use other tools, you still may glean something here but I would assume you can find better resources.
Bloom is a likable, intelligent and talented teacher. He’s easy to watch and listen to. Production quality of the DVD itself is very good. I have had some back and forth with Bloom via e-mail and Twitter. He’s helpful, positive and responsive. In short, I think he’s a genuine thought leader in this space and well worth your attention.
I liked the DVD but want to make sure prospective buyers understand what they are getting. Bloom approaches this subject with the mindset of a filmmaker. He does a better job of translating for photographers, some of the differences between still and video shooting, but as is my criticism of all such training I’ve seen, that approach ignores the larger market. I guarantee you that there are more still photographers looking to get into fusion than filmmakers. I continue to lobby people in this segment of the industry to remember that the photographers are the market and more effort should be made to reach them on their own terms. (This is of course one of the reasons I have jumped into fusion with both feet. I may be able to serve as a translator for photographers looking to make the jump with me.)
Photographers or filmmakers, this tutorial is aimed at people who are complete rookies. It does assume you understand the basics of image-making, but beyond that it sticks with the basics.
You should understand that in this short period of time, Bloom can only cover so much. There’s nothing on camera technique or even working with the 5D MK II’s upgraded bootleg firmware. But then again, I didn’t expect any of that.
It’s clear from watching the tutorial that Bloom has sponsors, but what I really appreciated about him is that he spent time talking about competing products. This gave him a great deal of credibility with me.
There’s no doubt that after watching this tutorial you’ll know more about shooting video with your 5D MK II. It does feel a bit uneven in places and rushed in others, but if I had to rate it on a scale of one to 10, I’d be comfortable with giving it a solid eight.
$120 plus shipping from http://www.learntocreatethefilmlook.com/learn-canon-5dmkii-cinematograph/
UPDATE: I have also been granted access to the Canon 7D version of this tutorial. By the second time around Philip seemed to really hit his stride. I feel like the 7D version was more cogent and flowed better. There is some information that is common to both titles. The 7D title is a bit more up-to-date. I don’t know its release date or price but I feel very comfortable recommending it. 7D version is 10 out of 10!