“The Last 3 Minutes” Canon 5D 24p Firmware Shines
When the rumors about the 24p update for the Canon 5D were swirling, I was perfectly happy with my cocktail that I had perfected on the Navy SEAL film; 30p and then Twixtor to frame blend. Then, commercial production companies and ad agencies started to inquire about needing 24p because they could not deal with the rendering time of all the Twixtor files, and the 7D started to rise as the premium capture. That is when the aha moment happened for me. I wondered, why is everyone asking for second best when the Canon 5D is king? At that point, I knew I had to be a proponent of the 24p upgrade and shoot something with it that would bring people back into focus about the camera that started it all.
So Lydia Hurlbut negotiated with Canon to sponsor a visual short produced by Hurlbut Visuals and Bandito Brothers Productions that showcased the 24p firmware update in the 5D to remind everyone of the power of this amazing tool. A tool that can inspire out-of-the-box thinking. I wanted to feature the Canon glass to show what I had learned over the last 13 months shooting one feature, 12 commercials, and 20 short films with this platform.
Director: Po Chan
“The day when Shane asked me to come up with The Last 3 Minutes treatment I was so excited. I knew that I did not have to limit my vision and could go wild because of what this camera can do. I wanted to write a story that would enable us to showcase different kinds of lighting scenarios and extreme camera angles that will touch audiences’ hearts. Visuals without a story have no meaning.
My own little philosophy about life is that life is like a BIG CIRCLE. We are all born INNOCENT. No matter how many wrongdoings or right things we have done, in the last minutes before death we will again become innocent. This is the big circle of life and it is the inspiration behind The Last 3 Minutes.
The main element in this film is the CRYSTAL that William carries with him, which represents the theme of INNOCENCE and William’s own conscience. A crystal refracts light, so when William looks inside it each refraction becomes a different memory in the course of his life.
It is analogous to peeling back layers of an onion with the center layer being just at the moments before death. All of the elements in this film: casting, music, wardrobe style, and color, make-up (the lipstick color on the actress), hairstyle and color, set dress pieces, and the texture of those pieces to the look of the crystal. Everything was carefully planned and considered to make sure every element worked in concert with the story, together in harmony.” For further questions about the concept please email Po at pchan731@yahoo.com.
Cinematographer and Executive Producer: Shane Hurlbut, ASC
“I asked Po to write this short and she delivered a phenomenally creative concept within a day. Po not only wrote a heartfelt story but a piece that took advantage of every unique possibility with the Canon 5D technology, especially because of her ideas with using a first-person experience. A huge thank you to Po for her tireless vision and leadership.
When Po and I discussed her creative concept, I believed that the Canon L series glass would be the perfect lens choice because of the close-focus ability and creamy quality. The Canon glass shined on this project and I was so impressed with the 35, 50, 85, and 100mm Macro L Series lenses. Their contrast range and color knocked me out.
The main character in the short is William Turner, a janitor whose life seems mundane and uninteresting on the surface but as it unfolds there are many layers. We shot his boring existence in the present day at 24p utilizing the new firmware. The story then goes on a journey of William’s life over a time period of 67 years which we shot 30p and pulled it in at 24fps so that it would have a slightly dreamy feel. The creamy Canon glass delivered the period look that we were going for as we went back in time beginning in the 1980s and moving backward to the end in the 1940s.
Technology Specifications
On the tech front, Doggicam came forth with an amazing new 5D helmet cam that put the 5D very close to the right eye and moved gracefully down the 3rd baseline as well as crawling through the high grass in the Vietnam sequence. It uses Doggicam’s patented 5/8″ rod technology to put the camera wherever you would like. It is extremely lightweight and stable.
Our shoot encompassed 17 different locations over 4 1/2 days. The project was a labor of love from the Hurlbut Visuals Elite Team Members and all the production staff from Bandito Brothers. This would never have been possible without their time, expertise, and willingness to donate gear and take on whatever roles the project demanded. Jacob Rosenberg and his post-production Elite Team from Bandito Brothers knocked it out of the park!!
For specific post questions, please email Jacob at jacob@banditobrothers.com. A big thank you to Andrew Huebscher (andrew.huebscher@gmail.com) for his amazing color correction and Brett Novak for his beautiful crystal transitions. The biggest thank you goes to my wife and collaborator. She was the glue that held this little short together with countless hours on the phone connecting people, arranging the deal, coordinating the finances, working with the parents to schedule all of the children, and watching over the kids on the set which was a daunting task.”
Director Po Chan and Shane with HV Elite Team Members in action Carmela McCoy (Costume designer and Makeup) on right and Hether Breckrest (Makeup) on left HV Elite Team Member Rudy Harbon and Shane viewing a shot
Producer: Greg Haggart
“My team and I knew that we had the task of making this project go off without a hitch. Our job is to anticipate potential problems so we can avoid them to stay on time and within the budget. I location scouted with Po and asked many favors from equipment vendors and the special effects team members from “Act of Valor.” I believe that the Canon 5D encourages the essence of what filmmaking is all about. Everyone giving it their all; whatever needs to be done for the love of the project with the end result of putting the highest quality image possible up on the screen.”
For further questions about production, please email Greg at greghaggart@mac.com
Editor: Vashi Nedomansky
Po asked me to cut “The Last 3 Minutes” and then brought me super-detailed storyboards and the script that proceeded to act out every shot, angle, and transition. What I realized right away was this was to be no ordinary short film. Once I received the footage, I had confirmation. As an editor, I have seen the best and worst shot footage from every camera. What Shane can do with the 5D MkII will make your jaw drop.
The images are so organic and pleasing that we spent most of the time looking at the reference monitors in disbelief. The edit was a smooth one and with so many choices for each scene, I let the visuals do all the work. I did hide a couple of zero-cuts in the edit to blend two takes together but otherwise, I tried to stay out of the story’s way. It’s amazing how a cinematic image can instill more emotion into a scene. That, along with the shallow depth of field, really gives you more tools to tell your stories in the most visually interesting way.
For further questions about editing, please email Vashi at vashikoo@yahoo.com.
Behind the Scenes of “The Last 3 Minutes”
Stay tuned for a sizzle reel of the Behind The Scenes video of The Last 3 Minutes directed and edited by Elite Team Member Tim Holtermann. In the Behind The Scenes footage, we break down how different scenes were done and discuss how a particular scene was blocked, different camera angle choices, and unique lighting setups.
It will be released on Canon’s Digital Learning Center as well as on our website.
Breathtaking.
Once again you have created a truly beautiful piece of work we can all aspire to, kudos to all involved in creating such a wonderful short, and thanks for sharing – really looking forward to seeing the behind the scenes footage.
Mike, thank you so much, I will pass on your praises to all of the Elite Team and our amazing crew.
Very nice. One question, though. Can you define a “zero-cut”? I’m not familiar with the term (hey, I’m still learning). It’s in Vashi Nedomansky’s quote: “I did hide a couple zero-cuts in the edit to blend two takes together..”
David a zero cut is something that as an audience you don’t feel that it is a cut. The zero cut is when she goes under the sheets, and another zero cut when William’s Dad throws the camera into the air. There is a zero cut on the throw.
Brilliant!!! One of the best short films I have ever seen. Was the film exclusively shot with Canon glass? Did you use a remote follow focus on all the shots? Thanks for sharing Shane, this is very inspirational.
ilia djondric, Thank you so much. Yes all Canon glass except the lens baby shot when William is born. All Bartech Remote Follow Focus. You are welcome
Fantastic. The question that first comes to mind is What was the budget? Time to complete?
Gerorge Socka, thank you so much. The budget was $40,000.00 and 4.5 days of shooting and 3 days to edit. 1 day of color and sound.
Beautiful work, Shane. I love watching shorts like this that really move me. Did you have any trouble with rolling shutter? We are planning on shooting a feature later this year and I want to use the 5D. There are certain scenes, like driving dialogue, that make me nervous about getting rolling shutter. Any thoughts?
Tony Reale, Thank you so much. I am so glad that it moved you. Me too. We had a couple anomalies with the rolling shutter but very few and far between. It seems to be more apparent with the 24p then the 30p footage.
Outstanding Shane…
Very heartfelt..
I love the transition at 3:18! Can’t wait to see what you guys did on “Act of Valor”
Ryan Kelly, Thank you, I am glad that it moved you. My favorite transition is the one under the sheets to the beach, how the beach shows up of the sheets like a projection screen. Act of Valor is a comin’
Wow that rocked! The wobble during the beach scene was all that gave it away. Really brilliant work and a very touching story. Loved it!
Quality stuff guys. Loved it
Avey
Mr. Hurlbut, that is an amazing piece of work. I watched it with a tear in my eye. The story is still echoing in my head…. You guys did a great job with the Canon, I’m quite new with this platform but getting my way with the 7D right now. This piece of equipment is really a revolution imho. Could this short have been made without it, or would there be budget problems if you had to shoot it ‘old school’ ? Kind regards,
What you’re doing with your team is a great source of inspiration for every pretending filmmaker or dop…
Thanks for sharing your work and passion with us!
Excelent job! The gradding is perfect!
But, have you see this video?:
I live in Spain and I usually work with 5D and 7D (http://www.rodrigodelacalle.com) and you are my best DSLR-Video reference in the net. Please, dont stop blogging :)
Epic work by your entire cast and crew, Shane. Having directed and worked (grip, dolly, lighting, art director) on several music videos, I can truly understand the amazing feat of getting this in the can!
You had some great light on the beach scene (absolutely beautiful) and the war scene is a tremendous contrast to the beach … definitely my two favorite scenes. Can you explain your choice to shoot 30 fps and pull it to 24 fps, as opposed to shooting the entire piece in camera at 24 fps? What are some drawbacks to shooting 24 fps in camera?
Dig it,
‘J-dog
j-dpg, Thank you so much for all your kind words. I wanted the memories to feel a little slow-mo not real time so I shot them at 30p and when we pulled them into Final cut at 24 they look slightly slowed down.
Hi Shane,
Surprisingly I did not see any aliasing issues. It is compressed 720p however. In my experience artifacts should dance around at faces in any closeup shot (eyebrows, wrinkles) and that crystal… hmmm lets say it normally should appear alive ! Did you use any filters ?
best
Andreas
Andreas, you will not find aliasing. It is very clean. We used the White Water IR ND for all of the day ext. shots.
I enjoyed and was moved by this film. It felt a little like the live action verion of Pixar’s ‘UP’ when they have that montage throught the years and the wife passes away. That same feeling I got, kind of choked up and makes you think about life, death and everything in between. Well done.
Justin, thank you so much, I am so glad that you were moved by the story. Po Chan the writer/director put together a beautiful journey.
Wow, what a great film! Looking forward for the behind the scenes to find out more. How did the focusing go with the Canon lenses?
Mario
Mario Toscani, Thank you so much. The Behind the scenes sizzle will be up in 5 days so stay tuned. The focusing went extremely well now that I understand that the only remote follow focus system that you can use with this camera is a Bartech. Once that was figured out, Canon lenses are going into all of my kits.
G’day Shane,
I really enjoyed this film and was thoroughly entertained and moved. I spent the first 30 seconds watching it as a DSLR nut and then became enthralled. On first watch I felt a couple of the cuts in the opening scene either felt a little stilted or made the janitor’s performance feel stilted… in comparison to the rest of the film anyway, which I thought flowed beautifully (as opposed to this sentence). I have since watched it again and again and don’t feel the same. Only on the first viewing… can’t put my finger on why? Just a first impression.
I loved the visual style of this film and thought the performance of “the wife” was fantastic. The editing was great and amazing transitions between scenes… loved it. I am surprised, but I think the stuff shot at 30p and pulled back to 24 has a nicer look to it than the native 24. Your work continues to inspire me and I look forward to playing you at poker on Monday night at the Hard Rock. Thanks for pushing the boundaries and sharing your wealth of knowledge. It is truly appreciated.
Cheers,
Mick
Mick Jones, Thank you so much for your kind words. The director Po Chan wrote and directed this piece and had all the transitions laid out. I love the one from under the sheets to the beach and then to Vietnam. I thought Po put together an amazing cast. You are welcome. I will continue to push. I cannot wait to meet you at the Poker table. Please know that I do not even understand the game and I am prepared to get my ass kicked. See ya there.
Outstanding. Just wondering if you have had a chance to use the new Canon 70-200 2.8L IS II? It seems to compare very well to the 85 1.4 Zeiss in the resolution chart test at http://www.the-digital-picture.com/
Hello Shane,
Thanks for sharing so much great info through your blog. I noticed on the Canon website that you guys shot this with a neutral picture profile with the saturation value set to minus 2 and the contrast at minus 4 (as low as it goes). I understand the minus 2 saturation value (particularly with the warm Canon lenses) but do you guys always shoot with such a low contrast value? Is greater latitude and flexibility in post your rationale for keeping the contrast so low?
Thanks again
Ben
Ben Denham, Thank you, and you are welcome. Yes, I always shoot so that I can have a little range in post.
Shane,
I was actually asking if… well not if, rather then what anti aliasing-moire filter did you used. Or is it the compression eliminating the aliasing. Bottom line is that we all know the camera suffers from aliasing artifacts. I use Caprock 1.0 filter and I have pretty good results with 50mmm and 85mm. Going wider gets messy again. What’s your secret ?
bestest :)
Andreas
Andreas, I do not use any filters, but I would love to check the Caprock out. My secret is to never use the sharpening tool, and to turn off 90% of the camera functions that are based for still photography and not vHD capture. Thanks for the tips.
I enjoyed this short. Nice to see a quality project under 3 minutes. I loved the compositions and overall feel of the piece. Solid film.
It’s nice to see someone know the 5D well enough to apply it artistically to a story and thus make a stronger film.
JCahoon, thank you so much for you kind words. I am so glad you like it. I hope people start looking at this platform as a viable capture after this.
After collaborating for over eighteen years with you, Shane, it is not surprising to me that you can throw together a film like this in between shooting with me and the many others that enjoy working with you. Congratulations. Finally, a filmmaker’s film to show off the possibilities of the Canon 5D. As you have said many times before, “It’s a game changer.” An no modeling lights! I’m looking forward to our next project together. I’ve learned a ton. Bravo!!!
Rob Lawe, thank you so much for your words Rob, it means so much. We have collaborated for 18 years now, wow, holy S*%# and I enjoy it more every time we create. Yes this was a difficult one to pull off in between the Dominican Republic and Smash Cuts for CBS, but we did it. The Elite team kicked ass once again. You are so welcome and I look forward to our next project.
Congratulations on the short. It’s very similar to Chris Milk’s 5DMkII film: Last Day Dream ), which was shot for alot less of your 50k budget and used only a lensbaby
excellent and inspirational as usual, well done
rod Hardinge, thank you so much and thank you so much for all of your support.
You people are so talented! Its my pleasure to tell you how much we (my wive and i) enjoyed this.
Carlos R. Duenas, thank you so much for you and your wife’s kind words.
Shane, do you use the highlight tone priority feature on the cameras? And when you said you turn off 90% of the still features, what are the main settings you would suggest disabling?
Thanks for all the help and support!
Josh, I never use highlight tone priority, it sucks, and increases your video noise. If you sign up on the website for the inside track, you will get back newsletters that will give you the keys to the castle. Peace and you are welcome.
Beautiful Shane.
For the beach scene did you have something covering the camera for the inevitable splash?
Jeff Lower, we just blasted the camera each time and then dried it off. The Bartech remote follow focus motor got hit the most and had some corrosive damage, but the camera was fine.
very nice work, if the 5D is king of the hill than you are the emperor.
I like the helmet cam shots, did you use the 30mm lens for that? and did you experience any rolling shutter problems with the shot when the guy & the girl spins the camera like its a baby?
thanks for having this wonderful blog.
jorn, thank you so much for you kind words. The helmet cam shot with a 24mm, and a 35mm and a 50mm, depending on how wide our view needed to be. No rolling shutter issues except for the close-up of the old janitor looking at the crystal C.U. we had a weird shutter anomaly and had to use another take. You are very welcome.
The video completely took my breath away…I was captivated for the whole thing and didn’t come back to the real world until it was done
Excellent work. I wish to be as good as you are one day
Ahmed Eid, thank you so much for you support and wonderful comments. That was all the Director Po Chan’s creation I just brought this baby to life. All the transitions and her shots were all planned out ahead of time. She is very good with finding the perfect emotion.
Shane,
Sorry for not planning to sign up in your newsletter men, but anyhow and with all due respect, are you going to tell us here and now how there is no aliasing in an otherwise disturbingly full of aliasing camera ?
I have been the Guinea pig trying to solve the problem with many different filters and settings, always reporting my findings to multiple forums. If you are not using Caprock then what ? Leave the newsletter aside for a minute.
Much appreciated
Andreas
Andreas, I do not use a anti-aliasing filter, I do not use sharpening, I do not use highlight tone priority, I do not use auto light optimizer, I do not use HIGH ISO noise reduction, and I do not like your tone. If you do not want the keys to the castle then stay your course. I do not have these issues and if they arise I cut around them. All the best.
Andreas, I think the reason he suggested you sign up for the Newsletter is that some of this information has already been discussed there. Shane is very busy with shooting projects so we should appreciate the time he spends on here considering he has so little of it to spare.
Also, as someone who was on the set everyday for this project I can tell you that the only things we put on the front of the lens were ND’s. We did not use any anti-aliasing filters, special tricks, voodoo, or to my knowledge post production fixes. I’ve looked at all of the raw footage, including tons of additional footage I shot with the 5D for behind the scenes material and I too do not see any problems. Use AdobeRGB, Keep the sharpening down, Contrast down.
Tim, thank you for addressing Andreas. I will do whatever I can to help. I am shooting nights for 3 days on a Yahoo world cup commercial. Then speaking at NAB with Canon, then coming back to LA for a 9 day Loctite commercial I am directing. Doing my best to keep up with everyone.
Shane,
My tone is light as feather. Having no issues at all. No offense was intended in any level. As I said, all is much appreciated. All I meant was something like “give me a break with the newsletter and let’s start some brainstorming or something” My opinion is that the camera has some serious aliasing issues that clearly are not demonstrated in your footage. Feel free to share anything, anytime, anyhow you want, I am here for the discusion if you feel having it. If not, that’s fine and farewell !
Keep up the good work
Andreas
Andreas, I just shared the info. I told you everything that I do. The rest is my experience as a cinematographer. I do not do this newsletter for my health. It takes me a serious amount of time to help educate and inspire. I am not trying to push it on you, it is yours for the taking if you want it. Thanks
I’ve watched this several times now and each time I find it plucks all the right emotional strings. My most recent fave short was “Nuit Blanche” which left me reeling and I’ve got to say that this video comes close to that same feeling. It’s representing such a tragedy in such a short timeframe and yet the viewer in that time is allowed to make a strong connection with the subject – truly a great video and I thank you for bringing it to life.
robk, you are so welcome and I thank you for all your kind words.
hi shane,
loved the short film. looking forward to see how you lit it all. would love to see how to create effective ‘small lighting’ to go with this ‘small camera’ :-)
i’m a stills guy who has been inspired to begin a journey into filmmaking thanks to the 5d2. you, phillip bloom and one or two others are the ones teaching and inspiring me so before i make a request, a BIG thank you.
i have signed-up to your newsletter but can’t work-out how i can get my hands on the older ones. ideally, i would love them all. i especially want those ones which feature details re: getting the best image form DSLR’s.
thanks.
Atma Singh, once you sign up it takes 48 hours for you to get the welcome letter and they you can access all the old newsletters in the Archives. Thank you so much for your support and wonderful comments. I am glad you loved the short This camera has a way of doing that.
Really Shane, this is SO. FREAKIN. COOL!
I just love the energy and sense of joyous freedom in the imagery here. There is a sense of purity to it because it doesn’t feel weighed down by restrictions. There is a wonderful precision and depth, and the joyous energy of the shots makes the path this man’s life ultimately went that much more sad. It must be really quite liberating for you that this humble little camera with all it’s faults is delivering so much wonderful potential. I imagine it can make you well up a little. Canon didn’t know what they had created, but creative Cinematographers have taken ownership of this little ugly duckling and shown what it can really be. It’s almost like it’s become the ‘people’s’ camera, because ultimately anyone can potentially do this. I hope the energy you have stays alive and kicking.
Keidrych Wasley, thank you so much, I am so glad you enjoyed it. You are right about it being the peoples camera. It is a revolution. My energy for this will be undying.
Shane, Po and the Team,
Great work, really nice little short with heart! (and clever concept re first person perspective Po!)
Shane, I’m curious as to how much lighting you needed for the short film. Was it a full trucks worth or minimal kit? The images are beautiful!
Good luck with NAB!
James MsKissick, Thank you so much for your kind words, Yes it was a full truck of lights. I did not use that many though. Still getting use to using less light sometimes I forget and order too much. But for the first flash back scene I needed tons of fire power so that the outdoors would not blow out and I could hold the detail in the greens and the tree bark. Thank you for your support.
Great stuff, Shane. I’m appreciating it more with each viewing, and I liked it quite a bit the first time. Was that you walking across the lobby talking on the cell phone in the opening scene. I have a feeling it was
Jerry W., thank you so much, I am glad you enjoyed it. No, that was the producer Greg Haggart walking across the floor.
Wow, I saw this film and it was really stunning!
You guys packed a lot of emotions in three minutes, really. A job very well done. I always loved short movies and now I owned the 5d2 for 2 months already, but I never tried to go shooting movies with it. You just give me the inspiration to start. Really appreciate your work.
Reyhan H., thank you so much for kind words and support. The 5D can do anything. I love this camera and has inspired me I hope this get’s a lot of people fired up to see that anything is possible.
Hello Shane, congratulations on your work of course but more so on this website and the endeavour to share your knowledge with us. We appreciate the quality of your reports.
About the Canon L lenses that you used, I realise all of them have the ability to control their own focus and iris, internally (as happens with stills).
Is there – or is there not – an ongoing “quest” to harness this power (with “manual” control, naturally) or I am overlooking something technical here? Can’t there be a feature (or hack) that can convince the ultrasonic motor to move the glass to where the focus puller wants it? I am talking about bypassing the autofocus feature but still using the internal motor, thus dispensing with external follow focus systems.
P.S. Please excuse me for being kind of “off topic”.
All the best from Romania!
“I hope this get’s a lot of people fired up to see that anything is possible.”
Between you using the 5DII for 80-85% of “The only easy day was yesterday” Rodney Charter using it on “24” (not sure as to what extent) and now the season finally of “House” filmed completly with 3 5DIIs with all Canon lenses, I think people are finally starting to open their eyes. I don’t see how production companies don’t jump on this given that the quality is equal to film. What a cost savings! What it makes up for in slightly less latitude, it more than makes up for in low light sensitivity. And your new 3 minute short is an excellent pitch for the 5DII for narrative work. Exciting times!
Dear Shane,
I would like to first off echo everything the others have said about gratitude to you and Lydia for pulling this newsletter together. It is a fantastic one of a kind resource to all of us.
To everyone else out there, I had the opportunity to see this piece projected at a conference in Palm Springs. The quality was phenomenal. I was literally slackjawed by what I saw on the screen. It is one thing to see these POVs on a computer, it is a whole other thing to see them projected. The experience was in the realm of seeing Avatar, in that it was so thrilling to see something on the screen that I had never seen before. Extraordinary work that fullfilled the promise of the small camera. Finally, here as a piece of work that stepped out of the history of cinema to show us a way of seeing that we hadn’t seen before. No hyperbola here, it was really like that.
Upon returning from seeing the film, the first thing I did that Monday was to call Doggicam. Great people there. I had a nice talk with Gary who told me the whole story of the construction of the helmet cam (don’t try DIY on this one, it is way more complex than it looks),its various adventures-POV of diver from platform into a pool was my favorite, and about the whole Doggicam world. I understand you will have the helmet cam out at NAB this week, otherwise I was going to go out to visit them and give it a test run-literally run with it on.
At that same conference I was able to see and handle the HV base plate, which you had spoken of, but I didn’t really understand what it was. For the others readers out there, and I hope I can explain this correctly, it is essentially a mix of a Really Right Stuff quick release with a baseplate that accepts rods. The cameras are fitted with RRS L brackets that can super fast be switched on and off the rigs with these HV base plates. Of course I wanted 3 of them on the spot. Lydia has since let me know that there is now some availablity of these plates through Alternative Rentals in Culver City.
Best of luck at the poker tables at NAB. Keep up the great work, and thank you again for so kindly sharing your knowledge and experience.
David Harry Stewart
David Harry Stewart, wow, I cannot thank you enough for those kind words and support. I am so glad that Gary fixed you up at Doggicam, they are great guys over there. The Poker table experience was so much fun. Two of my Elite Team members were at my table. I knew when the time was right I went “All In” and Tim Holtermann won the 4′ Slider Cam. It was a pretty sweet rig. Mike Svitak my other Elite Team member was the first one to get knocked out in the high dollar round and one some gift certificate. So it was a very fruitful night. You are so welcome.
As usual, excellent work Shane. I really like the dreamy feel you’ve got by pulling the 30p footage to 24. Like others mentioned here, I’ve seen the short several times, and every time I see it I like it a little bit more.
I would like to mention a couple of things nobody else commented:
– I love the music. Not only it’s very beautiful by itself, but it is also perfect for the story, adding to the nostalgic feeling.
– I see in the credits a mention to “Kino Flo”. Did you use any fluorescent lighting? and in case you did, did you have any problem? I’m asking because I’ve read somewhere (maybe here) that this kind of lighting can be problematic with the 5D.
– At the beginning, when William falls and with him the bucket and mop, I see what it seems to me a reverse angle shot (i.e. a violation of the 180º rule). Is that an error? is it done on purpose? or simply it’s me that I’m wrong and there’s no reverse angle?
Thank you so much for your time and for sharing your knowledge. It’s much appreciated.
Gerard, thank you so much for your kind words, I am so glad you liked the music, it is a friend of mine, our kids play together, he really knocked it out. There is no issue with Kino Flo’s they are all flicker free and you never have to worry about them pulsing with the rolling shutter. I saw you second post and, no there is not a reverse cut, Po Chan the director wanted you to be slightly disoriented for a second so you feel like William, he does not really know what is happening, so we cut to that tight shot as he falls into frame. I hope that answered your question. You are very welcome.
Never mind the last comment about the reverse angle shot. I’ve seen it again and I no longer see any “line-crossing”. Still, something feels wrong or weird to me at that cut, but it’s just me probably… so as i said, never mind.
great work, Shane, this is an invitation to Norway
ragnar gohjerta, I am there, I love that country. I was there shooting your glaciers back in the 90’s for a Cunnard Cruise line commercial. I would love to come back the Fiord’s were so beautiful, they took my breath away.
Simply Fantastic, Thanks.
Michael Confer, thank you so much for your kind words. You are welcome.
I was researching on the capabilities of the Canon 5D Mark II, when I saw your short film on one of the digital cameras review websites, my mind was blown away with your film. I don’t know what are the requirements for the short film category but it has the quality for an Oscar in that category.
Virgilio Rodriguez, Thank you so much for your wonderful words and support. Thank you for the Oscar comment, that made my day.
Excellent use of this camera, Shane. I saw the film first at NAB today, and was incredibly inspired as to the possibilities of my upcoming pilot. This was exactly what I needed to say. So I say, well done. A great example of how the technology can serve creativity, and you are definitely part of the vanguard of that movement.
Jeremy Saville, thank you so much for all of those kind words. I am so glad you got a chance to see it on a bigger screen. I am trying to hang it out there. Let’s continue to push this wave forward together.
That looks great. Thanks for spending the time to run these sites Shane. You are doing some terrific work.
ben wheatley, thank you so much for your kind words and support. You are welcome.
Hi
just brilliant, my wife is still crying!!…. I wish I had the skill and the imagination to do this with my 5D. You are a genius
Nick
Nick Cosh, thank you so much for all of your wonderful comments and support. Did you hand her a tissue? That is so great to hear.
Excellent production, the broadcast/film camera makers will be sweating.
Did you record the sound Double System?
Alan Hough, Thank you so much for your kind words. Yes, I did record this double system.
Hi Shane:
I saw yesterday your presentation at the Canon booth. I was taken back by your energy and enthusiasm…brother I got exhausted just watching go back and forth describing your shots and scenarios with such contagious excitement.
I love your attitude and your “guerilla” mentality when it comes to composing shots and designing rigs…the best by far has to be the $5 dollar t-shirt strapped to the motorcycle with gaffer’s tape.
I came out of the presentation pumped up…I had not felt this excitement since reading Robert Rodriguez’ book “Rebel Without a Crew” several years ago. I took a look around the hall and I saw people with the same expression as myself…awe and excitement.
Thank you for sharing your excitement and passion with us. Your “The Last 3 Minutes” simply is beautiful…yeah you made a 270 pound man choke up…I had to tell my business partner that my eyeballs were sweating.
Continue the excellence!
Coco Bermudez
Coco Bermudez, WOW!!!! Thank you so much for your wonderful comments. I try to keep it simple when shooting. I am glad that my talk inspired you, that was my hope. I love what this little camera can do and it amazes me everyday.
Hi Shane love it simple story and beautifully executed.
One question, how did you go about the in camera picture style?
Bo Bilstrup, that picture style was one that I had finessed through the picture style editor, to get the most out of the image for color correction purposes. What I found was that in the color correction, I hardly did anything with the color it was mainly contrast control. Getting to my point you have to get it very close when you are shooting. Take the time to finesse your lighting, it make all the difference in the world.
Hi Shane,
Really beautiful work, thank you. Coming from the Nikon side of the fence, it kind of has me wondering if I took the right bus! ;o)
As for the music; I find it really haunting and frustrating that I can’t find it on iTunes, or elsewhere, for that matter. Do you know if Tim will be releasing it at any time?
I can’t wait to see more of your work with these fascinating cameras.
Mike Le Gray, thank you so much for your kind words, yes I think Nikon’s hestitation to jump into the digital world was 2 years too late, they have been looking at Canon’s behind ever since unfortunately. Here is Tim Godwin’s music links:
timgodwin.net
home.myspace.com/timgodwinmusic
More work is coming, the behind the scenes went live today and more will follow.
behind the scenes
Hi Shane,
Thank you for the one-on-one time at the NAB with your advice on using the Canons. Congratulations on pulling huge crowds with your talk at Canon’s booth. “The Last 3 Minutes” looked great there, it’s a very powerful short and it was nice to see it on a good sized monitor. The clips from “3 Minutes” over in the Canon HD Theater on the big screen there were breathtaking.
Hal from Edmond, OK (The short bearded older guy in the dark suit).
Hal Smith, it was so great to meet you also. Thank you so much for your kind words and I was so happy with the turn out and the questions to follow. I am also very happy with what we were able to accomplish. Po Chan wrote and directed an amazing piece and the Elite Team and Bandito Bros. production staff rocked it out. Check out the behind the scenes video it is up and ready to go.
Nice work as always. Also congrats on the Directing gig with Bandito Brothers, I read about it in Shoot Magazine. I hope this new venture works out for you.
Is it possible to see some posts that go more into detail on your lighting approaches/techniques?
All the best,
Shaun
Shaun, Thank you so much for your kind words and I am looking forward to my new roost at Bandito. I have some more behind the scenes episodes where I will be going into more depth with voice over to what I am up to lighting wise. So yes they are coming. Stay tuned.
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Hey Shane, do you find that 30fps converted through twixtor to 24p, on the 5D MK ii, gave less rolling shutter than the new 24p?
Thanks!!
Leo.
Leo, yes I do, because I had a more rolling shutter issues on “The Last 3 MInutes” than I had on the whole movie, which was the equivalent of 1.5 million feet of film.
shane,
i shot with both the 5d and the 7 at 30fps and found that when objects moved parallel with the
lens, like a car going across screen, it would have some jagged pixels on the tail of the car as it moved across screen.
Also when we shot out a car window with scenery going by there was a lack of focus, very soft.
Both time images were moving parallel with image plae. Have run into this or any issues with motion?
walt
I thank you very much sir. The “The Last 3 Minutes” made me understand more my midlife 30 crisis. For some reason, I know what I have to do the rest of my life. and it all thanks to you… God bless you!
German, when my wife negotiated the deal with Canon I brought this to this very talented director Po Chan and asked her to write a short that would showcase the power of the Canon 5D, she wrote that in one day. When I got the treatment I said OMG, this is it. Po felt that this would strike a nerve with the viewer and I think she has been right on the money. I am glad you enjoyed it. If you want to email her and tell her your thoughts I know she would appreciate it. pchan731@yahoo.com
Hey Shane, if you had to choose from a 30p to 42p conversion via twixtor vs the native 24p which one would you go for?
I heard that the frame blending looked artificial in twixtor and thus needs a lot of time spent altering the image to get it looking good. I don’t know whether sorting out rolling shutter takes as long as sorting out the twixtor conversion? If it does then I guess the 24p wins?
Thanks,
Leo.
Leo, Having testing the new 24p firmware, I would say that the pros in shooting native 24p out way the cons of shooting 30p and then Twixtoring it. There is a ton of management that goes with altering the footage and finding the right cocktail in Twixtor. Go for 24P. You are welcome.
3 minutes of total emotion involvement-wonderful and better than a lot of 2 hr length films !!!!
I arrived here via a link on a Flickr photo group and I’m very glad I did
Thank You
Carole, well I thank you for those kind words, I will pass those on to the director Po Chan, she will love to hear that. I am glad you landed here too. Welcome!!
Shane im from Turkey and i love all of your works.especially Crazy/Beautiful watched more than 5 times.i know its out of subject in here but i would like to ask which camera and stock did you use on crazy/beautiful
Thanks..
Kemalettin Sert, Thank you so much, I am glad you like Crazy/Beautiful, I loved shooting that film. I shot that on Panavision cameras with Primo lenses on 5277 Kodak fimstock, which they do not make any more. But it was rated at 320 ISO and I rated it at 80 ISO to get that look.
Thanks Shane for the very quick reply !!!
now im going to watch it again ;) Exterior night shots simply outstanding..Thanks for your effort ! i have t2i and trying to learn something from you.Keep it up Mr Hurlbut
i admire you
sorry forgot ask which 8mm camera did you use on opening?
Kemalettin Sert, I did not use an 8mm camera
Very nice work! Has this been released anywhere in its full resolution? I’d love to have something like this on hand to show friends just what my camera can do. Don’t get me wrong it looks great on vimeo but I think it would look even better on my HD TV at 1080P ;)
Any info would be great.
The paradigm shift has begun eh? ;)
James, Thank you so much. This week has been very busy and I just projected “The Last 3 Minutes” at Mann’s Chinese on a 60′ screen and there were only jaws on the floor. They could not believe it. Yes the paradigm has shifted.
This is wow!! I am thinking to switch Nikon to Canon now….
BTW, what was the title of the b/g music?
Ken, thank you for your kind words and support. The music was Across the Wide Missouri.
wow, the film was excellent,the imagery first class,i have been using cannon now for 5 years and it is without doubt the best camera and imaging device there is, keep up the great work
This was an excellent short film. I thoroughly enjoyed it and was amazed watching such beastly cinematography. I am happy that I saw it.
This short film was by far one of the most creative films I have seen. Such amazing depth and imagination along with real life moments. I am truly touched and amazed at your work. Inspiring!
Serg, thank you so much for your kind words and support. Po Chan is am amazing writer/director. I just helped bring her amazing story to life. I have worked with many directors in my years as a cinematographer but none delivered the vision and emotion as well as she did. It was a pleasure working along side of her.
Hello Shane
First, thank you very much for this website and blog where you share your knowledge and experience with filmakers all around the world.
The last 3 minutes is amazing film. The emoitional impact, story, visuals, everything is just beautiful. congratulations to all the artists involved in making this film.
I am director and i was thinking to shot my next feature film on Canon 5D M2 and after seeing “the last 3 days” i am not thinking anymore but i am sure. Now my remaining question is, how does color graded 5D M2 film looks when you do a transfer to 35mm film and do a projection in cinema. What is your knowledge or experience in this area. I have none thats why ia am asking.
Thank you for all inspiration :)
Have a nice time and keep up with great work
Dejan, I have projected Last 3 Minutes on a 60′ Screen at Mann’s Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. I did a 2K digital cinema as well as a 35mm film out. Both looked incredible. The studio execs had their jaws on the floor. This was going through Adobe CS5 and then converting those files to DPX files for the Davinci Resolve. Thank you so much for your kind words about L3M. Po Chan the director knocked it out of the park on this one. She has the Last 5 Minutes ready to go but we have no funding for it. Looking for the funding for the next chapter.
Shane, thank you very much for the quick answer on this issue. You really made my day very happy, cause now i know exactly how to proceed.
I wish you and Po get the funding for Last 5 minutes as soon as possible, so we all can enjoy another great emotional film.
Dejan, Thank you so much. We will be finding a way.
Great story concept, great Cinematography regardless of which platform, but at this stage it’s still remarkable that it was shot on the 5D M2, and those point of view shots are otherwise tough to get, if at all possible without as much effort to shoot so many POV shots. Watching the making of the film for example, with the man tossing the camera in the air, simulating tossing the baby, I cant imagine tossing a Red or an Arri Flex.
Avi B. Romanovich, that is exactly right. The DLSR’s get you thinking out of the box. You start to move camera in ways we never thought possible.
Hi Shane,
I recently had a chance to watch The Last 3 Minutes and it was wonderful! The story and emotions you and the rest of the team were able to capture in that short amount of time is amazing (checked out the “Making of” too). I have a 40D but after seeing this I want to upgrad to the 5D and try shooting video. Thanks so much to you and your team for the inspiration!
Mark Webb, Thank you so much for those kind words and I will pass your wonderful words onto Po Chan the writer/director of the piece. Canon came to me to shoot a short film to showcase the new 24p firmware update on the Canon 5D and I went to my close friend Po and asked her to write a story that would show the power of this HDSLR platform. 24 hours later she came back to us with “The Last 3 Minutes.” Blew are minds. You are very welcome.
Your work is inspiring. No doubt you’re surrounded by a great team that really understands your vision and purpose in every project. Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge and experience. You’re my new hero, I want to shoot like you shoot!_
Dante Lara, WOW, these are the comments that inspire me. Thank you so much and welcome to the HURLBLOG.
Hi Shane. Fantastic job showcasing the quality of the HDSLR camera. I have had my T2i for about 7 months now and the more I learn, the more I realize I haven’t even scratched the surface. I was once a communications major about 15 years ago and for some crazy reason I dropped out. I thought I would never get a chance to get back behind a camera or edit footage again until this swing to digital came about. Thank you so much for all you have shared with us. It might just make this veteran paramedic one day have a film career!
Hi Shane,
Amazing work… mind blowing for a total new concept on film shooting!
I’m a cinematographer (AIC) myself… gonna start a new project with 5D ! He’s definitly your fault!
Just wondering what it is the right workflow to go for Hd tv as final media?
Thanks!
Hi Shane , Great work from you & Po . I am a director from India, I am force to shot in 5D &7D ,it bothers me lot but it is encouraging me after seeing your work. I have lot of chasing shots in nights(outdoor),Pl advice me how it looks and how we can avoid shakiness of the camera , Because i didn’t find any proper rigging for 5D camera .And generally how it looks in Day outdoors in sunny country like India .Pl tell right tool for final Color correction to go on film stoke. Thanks & Regards
Krish, the camera holds up incredibly well. You need to make the camera heavy. Mine is about 8 to 10lbs. That will take the shake out. Day exteriors look amazing. Don’t be scared. You need some good Tiffen WW ND’s to give you the shallow DOF. Never shoot over a1/50 of a second on your shutter.
Thanks for putting out a great short film. I am an actor but have recently directed and filmed my first short using a 5D. It is an amazing camera and can’t wait to work with one again, on both sides of the camera! I’ll definitely be checking back to your blog for for information and hints. Also, maybe one day our paths will cross and I’ll get a chance to work with you or a project!
ASTONISHING
Hi Shane, I’m a DOP from india, very soon going to shoot a movie in Canon 5D. saw ur short film ” The Last 3 Minutes”. it will be great help if you could give some tips on camera setting that you used in your film because i really loved the look of “The Last 3 Minutes”. looking forward to your reply.
Thank
Miles
Im grateful for the post.Much thanks again. Really Great.