Ben Hamilton

Thanks for your advice and links! Good luck to you as well.

Hello Everyone, I have not been on here in a month or so but I would love to get everyone's feedback on practical growth options for my company. I am currently a student at UT studying film and own a small video production company, Pioneer Videography. I am by no means a master at any of this, but have worked hard over the past 5 years to network and put projects together. This summer I spent 5 weeks in Alaska directing and filming a documentary about the Tongass National Forest and I am seeing my career push into the field of social (entrepreneurial) film making. Over the past few weeks I have begun to put together my business plan and so I can be ready to launch full throttle when I graduate. If anyone has practical advice on these questions I would appriciate it greatly. I currently own a V1U and edit on Xpress Pro - Where should I invest or rather, what are the best blogs/site to keep up with that will allow me to stay informed when making my decisions? As men and women with more experience, what would you like to see preserved in the next generation of filmmakers? If you could go back and do it again, what mistakes would you have missed, and what steps can I take to achieve? Any other advice is appriciated! Thank you all for your help and I look forward to reading your comments. Sincerely, Ben Hamilton www.pioneervideography.com www.humansymphony.org - environmental campaign site with Echoes of the Tongass Trailer

Hey everyone, I am going to Alaska to shoot a documentary on my Sony V1U but we are looking to buy a second camera for the trip and we are looking at the HVR-Z7U. Anyone have links to footage or peoples experience with the camera? Thanks, Ben

Scratch that, when I did it with the Upper Field it turned out flawless. Thanks to everyone who gave advice... huge help!!!

Ok i tried out your method... still looks choppy after the render. If i dont have a third party plugin will it now work?

Do you suggest the 20'' or 38''? http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1779...lver_White.html http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1780...lver_White.html 20'' is pretty small but also folds to a really manageable size. The other one folds to about 12'' which is not bad. Will the 20'' give enough reflection?

I am unsure but I think you might be confused. I don't own a F900 (Cinealta), I have a Sony HVR-V1U. If there is a way I can go to 720 and maintain frame rate at 1080i/60 I will def try. How is that done exactly?

The one I put a link to previously can compress down to only 10'' which is good because everything has to be backpacked in and out. I will def use that idea in the future though, great and affordable.

I don't have any reflectors or cards right now and this one has a number of them. Any use? http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/2151..._Reflector.html As well what do you mean by the best view?

I own the Sony so cost wise it is better for me to keep it. I can test out the different looks of 60i vs 24p slowed down in post.

I want to approach the documentary from a more narrative aspect than a wildlife tv show. What I am alluding to is often on tv wildlife shows seem very plain. A camera just watching an plant or animal in 16x9 with not epic feel to it. When watching Planet Earth, I was able to see a bit of what I am looking to reproduce in my documentary, although i know much of what they did was shot from the air and with tons of equipment. I noticed that motion in the frames makes the shots seems more "cinematic" as well as high contrast shots. In regards to the frame rate, the 24p mode on my camera looks great when filming the majority of our projects, however when I slow it down it will look choppy. If i shoot at 60i it looses that smoothness but will it allow for better slow motion replay? I could shoot at 30p and gain alittle back but I am unsure. I will definitely check out the gradual filter for static shots as well as a bounce card for the interviews. What about for motion? I am on a tight budget but I am looking at the differences between the Glidecam 2000 vs the Steadicam Merlin. Any advice?

Thanks a ton... I will definitely do that. What about filters? I have never used any, will they help?

Hey Everyone, I am working on a wildlife documentary that will be half interviews and half nature. I want to approach it as more of a cinematic experience opposed to a standard wildlife video. I will be shooting on the Sony V1u and will most likely be cropping down to 1:85:1 or even 2.39:1. I am wandering the best ways I can create a film like style without having any lights? I don't want to compromise being able to slow down the footage or lose quality by going to 24p but I might be wrong. Thanks for the help. Ben Hamilton

We are highlighting the entirety of the Tongass. It is an Old Growth forest in south east Alaska. Subjects will range from marine life to bears and eagles and most importantly the forest and landscape. My concern about water was getting the camera wet not drinking. I have been looking at some different spash bags and it seems like the ewa-marine (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/493748-REG/Ewa_Marine_VF7_VF7_Underwater_Housing.html) one would work but I have never used it so I can not say for sure. Can you suggest any backpacks that might work well? The KATA bags seem great but again I have never used them so I am unsure.

Hey Everyone, I working on a the preproduction stages of a documentary that is going to be filmed in Alaska. I am looking for some advice on strategies for efficiency and quality when shooting in the outdoors. We will be traveling by kayak and backpack only so both energy and water is a problem. Everything will be shot on the Sony V1u. What backpack is good for caring a camera and other supplies? Should I bring a small steady cam? Is there any current system used for steady filming out of a Kayak..(ie suction tripod)? Thanks for all of the help!!!