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.
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.
Golden Knights' Engelland on Vegas Tragedy
FiveSix Productions got the opportunity to work with the Vegas Golden Knights.
This time, reflecting on the recent tragedy at the Route 91 Harvest Festival. Vegas Golden Knights' veteran defender Deryk Engelland sat down to talk about the fateful night, and how he and his teammates rallied to give back to their home. FiveSix provided gear and crew, and felt honored to be a part of spreading the message of support that our new hockey team is providing our city. While we are heartbroken over the events of October 1st, and offer our support and condolences to all those affected, we are glad that we can help shed light on the incredible people and organizations in Las Vegas that are working to rebuild and make us a stronger, closer community. If you're looking for the best Las Vegas video production company, look no further than FiveSix Productions.
Filming at Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas
One of our most frequented Las Vegas video production venues is Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, Delano, hotel Four Seasons hotel, and the 2 Million square foot Mandalay Bay Convention Center.
This property is gigantic! In Mandalay Bay, there are 3,309 rooms, a huge casino floor, about two dozen restaurants, a House of Blues venue, a theater or two, and an events center that is a little smaller than MGM Grand Garden. Then, there is the Delano, which has an additional 1,117 rooms, all of which are a minimum of 750 square feet- so we end up doing a lot of in-room/suite shooting there. Delano has a couple of restaurants, one of which is at the very top of the hotel, and includes amazing views of the strip, mountains, city, etc. The Four Seasons is hidden, but a gem once you find it; it's really beautiful, occupying four of the floors of Mandalay Bay near the top, and then there are some meeting rooms, restaurants, and a nice looking lobby on the ground level. The best way to get to the Four Seasons is to simply valet there, but, if you want to push in from M.B., you need to head towards the pool/M.B. valet pickup.
Mandalay Bay is located at 3950 S Las Vegas Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89119.
Parking is easily accessed from Las Vegas BlVd and Mandalay Bay Rd., but we prefer Frank Sinatra Dr. Mandalay Bay is an MGM property, so everyone pays to park, including the new convention center parking garage. Pushing gear in easy, but you definitely get your steps in if you're parking at Mandalay Bay garage and going to the convention center.
The convention/meeting space is located on the south and southeast end of the property, and our friends at Encore handle in-house audio/lighting services. There’s not always communication between the client and the house, so make sure to bring enough power and audio cabling, just in case it isn’t always set. We’ve also gotten into the habit of bringing a lavalier kit, XLR turnarounds, XLR to 1/4 inch, and various other cables for when we run into various and differing audio boards, we’ll be set. This is one of the largest convention venues in the city, and an expansion was just completed. Biggest tip: parking is usually easy, but beware, when big conventions come in, the convention garage fills up really fast.
If you're in an oversized vehicle, there's an auxiliary lot across Vegas Blvd, just take Four Seasons Drive and go behind the Shell Station- kind of a pain in the butt, but hey, buy a smaller truck.
The most important item, however, is that there are two Starbucks. They are both really far from the convention center- the closer one, of course, has the longest line. The other is located near House of Blues... so, it's good to stop on your way.
Stoked For The New Year!
Now that the holiday decorations are put away, the confetti has been swept away, and the last of the sparkling cider has been sipped, it's time to get back to the fun and adventure that is Las Vegas video production! One of our favorite times of year is the winter and spring, as it brings great trade shows like CES 2017 to town. The fun doesn't stop at trade shows though, now that the kiddo's are back to the class room, mom and dad are back to getting some work done, and that means we have work too! We're excited to see what the new year will bring us, and we sure can't wait to reconnect with all our great clients and production contemporaries, as well as meet some new faces. So, don't hesitate to reach out for any project you need help with, and we will see you on set, real soon!
The Vegas Golden Knights: Our New BFF!
I think we can all agree, our favorite aspect of the film "Slap Shot" is the Hanson Brothers (caution: some strong language).
Those three provide limitless laughter and entertainment as they decimated their opponents in ruthless fashion. Hockey is a fantastic sport! It's full of speed, danger, excitement, and occasional fisticuffs. The best part: Las Vegas now has their very own, shiny, fresh-out-of-the-box NHL team! The Vegas Golden Knights.
Recently, FiveSix Productions got to create a super-dope video chronicling the genesis of the team's name and logo. Now, if you're curious, the answer is yes, it was the video that was supposed to play during the name-announcement ceremony at T-Mobile Arena. Unfortunately, there seemed to be a technical glitch with the ceremony, and the A/V guys over there, couldn't get it on screen. We're not sure if it was just chop-full of too much awesome for their equipment to handle, or maybe they had a little Smeagol turned Gollum moment and wanted to keep Precious all for themselves. Either way, we were proud to be a part of the beginning of Las Vegas' first professional team: the Vegas Golden Knights, and you can check out the video we made here on their official website.
Oh, and, if you're curious about the "Golden" instead of "Silver" since Nevada is the "Silver State", it's because Nevada produces more gold than any other state in our beautiful Union (looking at you California).
FiveSix Productions on: Smashing Trucks
So, here's the thing, most of the time, those little signs on the bottom of overpasses, tunnels, bridges, parking garage entrances, etc. can be ignored... but sometimes they shouldn't be. For instance, if you're in a tall truck, if you play in the NBA, or maybe you're on a pogo stick, you'd probably want to proceed with caution. When you're in a vehicle that's tall, make sure to know just how tall it is, so that you know if it's safe to proceed past low hanging obstacles and barriers. We saw this truck recently that did not check all the stats before proceeding...
For your convenience, here is our most up-to-date list of clearance levels for some of the properties on Vegas Blvd.
Wynn: 8'2"
Caesars: 6'8"
Mandalay Bay: 7'2"
Rio: 7'6"
Cosmopolitan: 8'2"
MGM Conference Center: 8'8"
Aria: 7'6"
Bellagio 7'6"
Venetian: 6'8" (Easy access oversized lot adjacent)
Palazzo: 7"
Mirage: 6'10"
Best of luck.
Awesome New Recording Tool
The Blackmagic Video Assist by BlackmagicDesign is a versatile and compact solution for video monitoring and recording. Perfect for DSLRs, and video cameras that shoot on SxS, XDCAM, and P2 media, the Blackmagic Video Assist records on inexpensive and high quality SD memory cards. Capable of recording 10-bit 4:2:2 quality ProRes and DNxHD files, the footage works seamlessly with Premier Pro, AVID, Final Cut, and DaVinci Resolve editing software. Along with the invaluable recording capabilities, the Blackmagic Video Assist provides a beautiful 5-inch, 1920x1080 HD monitor with an incredible 135° viewing angle so multiple crew can view every shot. There is a 6G-SDI connection so you can view Ultra HD when using with say, a Canon C300 Mark ii, or a RED Epic Dragon. All in all, the Blackmagic Video Assist is an amazing tool that will no doubt enhance your production; we have a couple on hand, and a couple more coming to join the team.
Think Outside the Box
Even when you think you've brought too much gear, and have items you'll never use for a particular shoot, there's always the chance unexpected challenges will arise. Last week, we were shooting a single talent, stand up, short script via teleprompter, and we were outside. The biggest hurdle seemed to be getting clean audio despite a busy roadway only fifty meters away, however, lighting ended up becoming a bit of a hurdle too. With the call time in the early afternoon, and photography not starting for a few hours later, we had to play with the sun sinking behind the nearby building. In order to incorporate a couple iconic resorts and the recognizable Spring Mountains in the background along with the busy local neighborhood, we were limited on adjustments we could make with camera and talent placement. A 6'x6' diffusion gave the talent a nice, soft wrap around light, but as the sun sank more and more, we weren't getting the fill light we were hoping for. Not having time to run power and do a proper lighting setup, our DP quickly had our 1-ton grip van pulled up to use as a bounce! The van is new, so it is still shiny and vibrant. This unconventional, but quick solution was just what the doctor ordered, and did a great job filling in light. We set up a small "video village" for the director in the back of the van, so it all seemed perfectly normal and convenient. Just goes to show, you never know what can be used as a great tool!
Spider Pod = Super Duper
The first of two Spider Pod TR2SP2 sets has arrived, and we couldn't be more giddy (we're skirting school girl status). This awesome bit of amazing consists of independent tripod riser and operator platform. That they're separated means that operator movement, chuckling, or coughing won't result in a shaky image- which is awesome when you're 150mm deep in the back of a frigged ballroom. The riser can hold up to 200 lbs (so you can totz rent F11's RED Epic), and the platform can hold up to 300 lbs (more tacos, less gym), however, together they weigh only 42 lbs (all the tacos, none of the gym!). Our vatos at F11 Rentals have one in stock, and a second one available in just a couple days. So, make your client ultra stoked and save the money you would've spent on those over-priced house-risers, and go with this nifty diddy.