Shooting in a Green Room - No, Not that type of Green Room!
Corporate video production can have it's challenges. One of these challenges is locations as we don't often get to choose where we shoot. If we're lucky, we get a scout day or pictures of the location we're supposed to shoot in or we've been there before and already know what we're walking into. In these cases, we are prepared with the correct lighting and grip set up to make everything look great. But sometimes we go into a location blind as to what we'll be working with. At these times it's best to bring a versatile lighting set up because sometimes a green room is exactly that.
Recently in Las Vegas, we walked into a room where the windows had such a strange tint on them that all the light coming into the room was an eerie green in color. These were large floor to ceiling windows and there was no time or enough crew to gel them accordingly. Luckily we had brought four Litepanel Gemini 1 x 1 LED panels. With these lights we were able to dial in the amount of green to match the light coming in from the windows and then after that, it was simply white balancing the Canon C300 Mark II cameras accordingly. The room, despite looking eerily haunted, looked perfect on camera and the subjects, instead of looking sickly, appeared vibrant. It's a simple technique but would have been much more difficult to pull off without the right tools. It's one of the things FiveSix is known for, everything turned out great in a less than ideal situation. Effective video production is about being prepared, even if you're tossed into a glowing green room.
Down here in Southern California...
FiveSix Productions' crews hit the beaches from Long Beach to San Diego!
Do you know what's better than having sand literally everywhere on and in your body? Not much, because you must have been on the beach to get that way, and, if you're on the beach, you're winning. Down here in Southern California, we catch some shade for our clothing, but hey, Hawaiian shirts dude! What, are we supposed to wear tuxedos!? It's a bit different at our Long Beach office, than back at command-central in Las Vegas. Southern California video production doesn't mean dressing for the club or casino. (We love you Vegas!)
We absolutely love it down here, and it reflects in our work. From the sand in Seal Beach, to Griffith Observatory (I swear there's no better view of the city!). And we recently went down to San Diego's Gaslamp District. It's totally worth the drive to go check out all the cool bars- I mean, birds. When you are passionate about what you do, where you do it, and who you do it for- the results can't get any better.
If your next Southern California video production needs to be the best you've ever had, look no further than Long Beach video production company FiveSix Productions! (We do own a couple non-Hawaiian shirts, in case of emergencies!
Trekking Through Appalachia
Trekking Through Appalachia, a journey through the American South.
While FiveSix Productions' motley crew call either Las Vegas, Nevada or Long Beach, California home, we certainly love to travel. We are no strangers to jet streams and interstates. We travel throughout the year, but late spring and early summer seem to have us gone more than not. While I'm writing this, we have a crew down in Laughlin, Nevada, filming along the Colorado River. Later this week, we'll be taking our talents to Baltimore, Maryland for some crab cakes and football, (Apparently, that's what Maryland does.). Last week however, we had the pleasure of going all Clark Griswold, and road tripped till the wheels fell off. After a quick flight into Dallas, we hit the road and spent time in charming cities like Shreveport, the always fun and unique New Orleans, and up in the beautiful hills of North Carolina. Southern Charm is real, and we were charmed from the bayou to Appalachia. We said our goodbyes to Dixie in Atlanta (couldn't find Donald Glover, unfortunately), and returned back to our west coast homes. We certainly can't wait for our next trip down south, but have plenty of work to do- so, we're out. For your next Las Vegas or Long Beach video production, or anywhere you find yourself in this crazy world of ours, let us know, and we'll be ready to roll!
New Canon 5D Mark IV!
Canon 5D Mark IV.
The Canon 5D Mark IV line of DSLRs from Canon is one of their finest product lines. The newest edition is the 5D Mark IV, and it definitely doesn't disappoint. Our 5D Mark II was a great camera, and we definitely had some amazing times together, like that one-time lapse we did, or that time we took a bunch of great still images. Alas, the gods didn't see fit for us to be together forever- as it was stolen away by a thief in the night.
We found the courage to put the broken pieces of our hearts back together, and upgrade to a 30.4 Megapixel full-frame CMOS sensor, with a DIGIC 6+ image processor. Our fingertips have found warmth on the 3.2" touchscreen LCD monitor with 1.62m-Dot resolution. We have found renewed purpose knowing that the Mark IV records DCI 4K video at 30fps, and provides 8.8MP still grabs.
The Mark II definitely left a hole in our hearts, but, with time, the Mark IV can perhaps fill that void with its awesomeness. It's already on its way to film in the beautiful and mysterious state of Michigan, childhood home of Dumb and Dumber co-star Jeff Daniels. We hope we can be a part of your next Las Vegas video production and Long Beach video production soon.
Audio Recording. Don't let the noise monster get you...
Let's talk about Audio Recording.
No, let's talk about money. I believe RZA and his Wu-Tang Clan said it best in 1994, when they taught us about C.R.E.A.M. Cash rules everything around me- that's a lesson that applies far beyond the confines of the 36 Chambers of Staten Island. What does this mean here in the world of video production? It means the same thing it does in the music industry, and the same thing as it does in the world of professional sand sculpting. Money moves, and money rules. Nothing is cheap in this world- especially producing beautiful sounding and looking motion pictures. That being said, what's worse than your expensive video being ruined by unexpected and uncontrollable noise? The answer is having a rabid grizzly bear loose on set- but, after that, it's the noise. Now how to have a good audio recording session.
When you film on the Las Vegas strip, you're thinking "Oh, gee, this will be so dope! We're going to have so much fun and make so many nice pictures, and everything will be perfect, and nothing will distract us!" That's 99.9% correct- with a large margin of error. While much can be done to control the environment in the local hotel rooms and conference rooms, there are some things that just come with the territory. There is an airport of international proportion nearby- in which, airplanes fly. Airplanes make noise, so- if you are anywhere on the strip, chances are, at some point throughout the day, those metal birds will make their presence known. There are also a lot of folks in loud sports cars and motorcycles cruising up and down L.V. Boulevard- you'll hear those too. There's an Air Force base here in town- those brave men and women who defend our liberties practice swooping, rolling, and diving in their jets from time to time... believe, you, me, you'll hear those too. Let's say you go and hide down in the very back corner of the back corner of the convention hall... SERVICE HALLWAY!!!! Hahahahaha!
Now, before you give up and call it quits- remember: with a little patience, and a little trust- we can work around those noises, and your audio recording will sound amazing! You may have to wait thirty seconds or so, every hour, on the hour, for some bells, but, then it's all good. Also, remember the fine folks, the good hearted folks, folks like our good friends at Dog & Pony Show here in Vegas can do miracles in their studio for production and post-production. Oh, sound blankets work too... also- silent films.
Good luck!
Nucleus-M Follow Focus
We definitely felt like kids on Christmas Eve, as we waited for our Tilta Nucleus-M follow focus system to arrive. When it did, oh boy, were we excited! This thing is amazing. The kit includes three motors to drive focus, zoom, and iris; all of which can be daisy chained off the same power source. There is a handheld unit that can control all three motors simultaneously, or, two handles that can be mounted to a shoulder rig or our amazing DJI Ronin 2.
The Nucleus-M features multiple functions including programming start and stop points, calibrating lenses without hard-stops, 1000' transmission range, and more. This product is definitely an essential component of your next Las Vegas or Long Beach video production shoot; and will give the DP/camera op so much range and flexibility. Contact us today to book your next Las Vegas video production, and make sure to ask about including the Tilta Nucleus-M with our amazing Schneider cine-primes.
New shoulder rigs coming soon!
Every once and a while, you get that spark of imagination, the creative juices begin to flow... and suddenly, you have created something totally righteous. That's just what we're doing here at FiveSix Productions. We realize that to expand and improve upon what we can offer to our clients, and to continue to push the limits of what FiveSix Productions is capable of, well, we need to never stop expanding on our gear and skill sets. That's why we're building a pair of sleek, dynamic, and versatile shoulder-rigs that will allow us to push beyond what we've been able to do with our older shoulder rigs.
Now, don't get too excited, we didn't opt for the edition with the sparklers and mini-fridges, but we are pretty sure these will work just as well. Coupled with our new Tilta Nucleus-M follow focus system, and our upgraded power-distribution solution, anything from our Canon C300 Mark II's to our RED Epic Dragon will be set free. We are excited to announce that our new DJI Ronin 2 will also benefit from our Nucleus-M follow focus system, and between that and our shoulder rigs, series of sliders, jibs, and tripods, we've completely set our photography free.
Make sure to ask about our new shoulder rigs and DJI Ronin 2 when booking your next Las Vegas or Long Beach video production project with us.
Governor Sandoval and Autonomous Vehicles
Governor Sandoval took a moment away from a gathering of the National Governors Association (which he Chairs) at Lake Las Vegas, to experience a couple of the incredible autonomous vehicles from the companies Navya and Keolis. These two companies have been in fabulous Las Vegas, Nevada this week for CES, and were excited to meet Governor Sandoval, and show him the great progress they've made since unveiling their autonomous vehicle at CES 2017. FiveSix Productions was along for the ride this week (pun intended), and got to spend three days with the magical and mysterious cars at the Las Vegas Convention Center, downtown on Fremont Street, and of course, in gorgeous Lake Las Vegas. Our spectacular Canon C300 MkII and stupendous DJI Ronin 2 made easy work of the b-roll we were capturing, and allowed us to stay bold, crisp, and smooth as silk. CES week is always a busy but exciting week here in Vegas, as we kick off our spring season, and we hope that includes you and your shoot here in Vegas; and also, all our friends down in Long Beach-CA, as we ramp up and fill in our calendar on the coast. For your next project, make sure to hire the best video production company in Long Beach and Las Vegas, FiveSix Productions.
Do this before filming in Long Beach!
Do you have a project, big or small, that you're planning on filming in Long Beach, CA? The very first stop you should make... after Starbucks... so, the very second stop you should make before you advance one frame of celluloid, is with the Office of Special Events and Filming, within the Long Beach City Manager's Department. Here, you'll find a staff of friendly, knowledgable, and hard working folks who know everything there is to know, regarding filming your project in the city. From permits and fees, insurance requirements and city-services like blocking traffic, public, and all the like, they're the folks who can make it happen. Absolutely every aspect of your project will be covered, whether you're a freshman at CSLB or perhaps you're a fella' named J.J. Abrams. Save yourself a headache, and possible tickets/life-imprisonment by going here: the official website of the Office of Special Events and Filming. If you have any other questions about shooting in the LBC, or heck, even need crew and gear to shoot your epic tale of the early life of Snoop Dogg, reach out to us, FiveSix Productions, your favorite Long Beach video production company.
Boardroom Interview - Mike Hynson Part 3
Mike Hynson is one to tell it like it is. He didn't hold anything back in our interview. Our interviewer, Robert Bell was loving life as story after story was told about the early days. Our production team has put together the final part of Mike's interview for your viewing pleasure here.
Check out the full documentary at www.boardroomfilms.com
If you enjoyed this interview with Mike. You will want to see this one with Rich Harbour from Harbour Surfboards.
