GEAR // Sliders, Drive-ins & Dives

So on a recent shoot with Guy Fieri (MY NEW BEST FRIEND) at his behemoth Times Square restaurant, I yet again rocked the double slider set-up, marking the 8 billionth time I've used this set-up. So I figured it was high time I got my own. As I've mentioned in a previous post, I'm a huge fan of Cinevate's Atlas 10 slider.

At least,  that review was of what I thought was the Atlas 10... SAY WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT? #PLOTTWIST

After receiving my Atlas 10, I opened it up and exclaimed, in the words of She, "WHY IS THIS SO THICK? WHAT IS THIS EXTRA GIRTH THAT I WAS NOT EXPECTING? MY THIS IS SMOOTH."

Side-by-side, the rail on the Atlas 10 that Adorama rents out (left) is essentially half as thin as the actual Atlas 10!

And the carriage itself is also only about half as big! (the Cinevate logos above are the same size) So what exactly is this bizarro anorexic Atlas 10 that Adorama is renting out? #SCANDALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL

It seems like this thinner 35" rail is actually part of the vertical kit that Cinevate makes for the Atlas 10 (note the carriage sizes above). Now, I'm not sure why Adorama opted for a whole bunch of just vertical kit rails, especially since they'd have to then separately order the end caps and feet and re-build each slider... Oh Adorama, what a quandary of a business you are.

While it is heavier, I do actually welcome the wider rail and carriage. A MkIII with a 70-200 pretty much maxes out the Adorama Atlas 10, but the version I have now at least feels like it'll handle much, much more. I get a little less travel with the wider carriage, but it does let me put a beefier head on there as well as a larger camera package~

So those looking to throw down for an Atlas 10 after playing with Adorama's, BE WARRRRRRNED, it's not quite gonna be what you expect it to be...

...unlike Guy Fieri's restaurant, which is EXACTLY what you expect it to be:

TOTALLY. MONEY.   

FOOD // Obsession of the Month: Broken English @ Mad Sq Eats

Madison Square Eats is back! And while these food vendor fests are usually filled with unfortunately overpriced and undersized fare, there's a new vendor this year that makes me go, EHRRRRMAGERRRRRRRRRD. 

Broken English sells il trapizzino, which are triangles of warm of and crusty pizza dough cut open to form a pocket and stuffed with warm and hearty stewed dishes, like oxtail (pictured belowwww)

They've got all sorts of options, from pulled chicken with rosemary and white wine to ratatouille to even beef tongue. The intensely Roman man behind the counter touts, "DIS IS-AH REEL ROMAHN FUD." Then he showed me his collection of chariots and centurian garb. 

The kicker? THEY'RE ONLY 5 BUCKS. Get two and and a soda and you've got yerself one of them fancy pants Manhattan lunches you can Instagram to make your out-of-state friends jealous. 

Madison Square Eats is only going on until Oct. 19th! Located at 5th and 25th in Worth Square~ 

BTS // Taken 2 & Looper

Because you'd be lying if you said you weren't stupidly excited to watch Liam Leeson beat up more Europeans and JGL do a weird Bruce Willis impression...

BTS // Total Recall

So I've yet to see Total Recall (definitely not because I was watching Step Up Revolution for the 9th time), but there's a really neat shot in the trailer that I had been wondering about for a while (@1:05):

There are a couple frame wipes, so my theory was that they have their set choreography, and they'd break that sequence into 4 or 5 camera moves. They'd do one move, cut, shift the camera over, do the next move, cut, shift the camera over, and so on and so on and stitch it together in post with the frame wipes. And all the people that fall in the foreground are composited in later. That's how I'd do it, anyway, especially for the next Bon Appetit piece where Jean Georges tries to get arrested by heavily armed customs officials for importing French truffles and un-pasteurized Camembert cheese but then KILLS THEM ALL INSTEAD. (That'll be in the September issue~)

Total Recall was actually in this month's American Cinematographer too, but I completely forgot it was there because the cover story was the Dark Knight Rises, which was maximum amounts of more interesting. But on a flight to LA for a shoot yesterday, I finally got around to reading through that article (after buying a 9ft tall replica of the Easter Island statues for my study off SkyMall), and they don't even talk about that shot! BOO.

But alas, the answer is actually in the bts footage over on Trailer Addict!

And the answer was just get two more cameras and have them all going at once on their own remote crane rigs, have their ending frames overlap and just paint out the rigs in post. DUH. So simple, I mean, just look at this video village. EASY.

Here's the rest of b-roll that's sure to make you sad you don't poop solid gold:

And then here's the b-roll to Hope Springs to make you happy again! :D

Oh Tommy Lee Jones~ Your perma-frown never ceases to tickle my fancy, but your series of Japanese Boss Coffee commercials will forever be my sole inspiration for working in this industry.

FOOD // Yunnan Kitchen and the New York Mag 2012 Cheap Eats List

Earlier this month, New York Magazine released their Cheap Eats list for 2012. All their coverage is available online on their website, but you can probably still catch this July issue for your bathroom flipping pleasure (WHO SAYS PRINT MEDIA IS DEAD?). 

And while the term "modest prices" is delightfully vague, New York Mag certainly has had a history of having a slightly above average definition the phrase, at least to recent graduates who start blogs to distract themselves from finding work and then complain about the lack of work. (SHUT UP MOM, IT'S JOURNALISM) 

But alas, while waiting for the 6 train, I flipped through the issue ever-so-semi-casually, every now and then pretending to be dissatisfied with the cosmetic condition of the magazine so I wouldn't have to buy it when my train came. That is, until I saw Yunnan Kitchen on the list. 

Yunnan Kitchen is located around the corner from me on the Lower East Side on Clinton and Rivington, and for my money, was one of the most disappointing meals I've ever had. This isn't to say the food isn't good, it's solid. In fact, they have one of the best eggplant dishes I've ever had. 

// Charred Eggplant with Sawtooth Herb, Crushed Peanuts & Chiles - $9

It's supposed to be a cold dish, but we got there right when they opened, so the eggplant actually came out still warm, which I think is way better than had it been completely cold. You get a nice crisp from the char with a smooth buttery eggplant interior, which pairs wonderfully with the crunch and bite from the peanuts and chiles. 

// Braised Beef Rolls with Mint & Cucumbers - $10

Tender brisket contrasts wonderfully with cool and refreshing cucumber, with just bit of kick from the caramelized minced garlic.

// Stick Rice - $2

Properly prepared with just the right amount of softness and bite. 

Again, all these are delightful dishes at an albeit above average price point. SO WHY THE HATERADE? Well, another dish on the menu caught our eye when we were there:

//  Fried Pork Belly with Mint and Yunnan Spices - $10

Oooh, pork belly! You can never go wrong with pork belly. Pork is the staple meat of Chinese cuisine, we're masters of the stuff! Braised, stir-fried, twice-cooked, any way you have it, this has to be delicious! But then they bring us this:

I'M SORRY, YUNNAN KITCHEN, BUT THIS IS JUST A PLATE OF BACON WITH SOME LEAVES SPRINKLED ON TOP. 

I'm sure a lot of has to do with growing up with Chinese food at absurdly low price points compared to New York, but charging $10 bucks for two slices of bacon cut up into 2 inch pieces is just plain absurd.

FOOD // Tennesse Jed's COMBO FEAST

So the other day a bunch of us went out to Jones Beach way way out in Wantagh to celebrate my friend Natasha's birthday. Being the small, health-conscious, baby carrot and spelt cake loving lady that she is, us guys in the group decided that the perfect post-beach birthday meal would be A SHIT-TON OF RANDOM MEAT AT A RANDOM BBQ PLACE. 

Enter my new best friend in the world, Tennessee Jed. 

On every table, you get the delightful soda-crate turned condiment trough of sauces.

The "regular" tasted just like McDonald's BBQ sauce, so fuck that noise. But the other three, when together on a single plate, form what I like to call THE PERFECT STORM of sauce. You get the kick from the the hot, the tang from the sweet, and the chicken-finger nostalgia goodness of the honey mustard in every bite.

We all know building sandcastles burns about 12,000 calories a minute, SO WE NEEDED TO GET OUR CARBS ON. 


Oh, what's that Tennessee Jed? Tater tots covered in melted cheddar cheese, pickled jalapenos, smoked bacon and a mysterious white sauce? YES, PLEASE.

As filling as the Tornado Tots were (yes, they were called Tornado Tots), we figured we could use a little something extra, just to top off the meal.


Oh what's that Tennessee Jed? You have a dish that's a virtual Noah's Ark of BBQ? Let me think about tha- OH WAIT, YES PLEASE. 

 From the top:
- 1/2 Smoked Chicken
- 1 Rack of Texas Beef Ribs
- 1/2 Rack of Baby Back Ribs
- 1/2 Rack of St. Louis Ribs
- Texas Links
- Pulled Pork
- Brisket

Forrest back there is from Texas, and he approves.  

Oh yeah, and it comes with 4 SIDES.


Creamed Spinach? Awesome. Sweet Potato Fries? Beautiful. Mac 'n Cheese? Creamy Heaven.


Coleslaw? STUPID AND TERRIBLE BECAUSE NOONE LIKES COLESLAW, GABE.

VICTORY. *Note how the coleslaw has remained untouched. 

WE ARE MEN. 


Oh yeah, and Natasha got a burger or something stupid like that. Happy Birthday! 


---


Tennessee Jed's 
3357 Merrick Road, Wantagh, NY
516.308.3355


---

GEAR // Simulation COMPLETE

If there's anything I've learned from buying video games recommended to me buy old Japanese businessmen, it's that SIMULATIONS ARE FUN. And while toggling through all the menus of your favorite camera may not be so awesome that you'll want to marry 'em, it is quite useful when you've agreed to AC a shoot for a camera you know absolutely nothing about. 

The folks at Arri were the first to the party with their Alexa menu simulator, but now they have a menu simulator for their Alexa Plus.  

And Canon, not to be outdone by their former fellow Axis Power, has recently come out with a simulator of their own for the C300.  

And over at Abel, they've recently added the BlackMagic Cinema Balls Face Box to their Field of View Comparator (which I'm pretty sure isn't a real word). Now you can finally put an end to the fiery debate you've been having with that punk DVXUser member over what your uncle's sweet Canon FD lenses that you found in the attic would look like on an F65.

GEAR // Cinevate's Atlas 10... AND STEAK

I was recently on a shoot for Bon Appetit Magazine and I finally got the chance to play around with Cinevate's Atlas 10 slider, which I have to say, has actually become my new favorite slider for lightweight HDSLR work.

I used to be Kessler all the way. I had tried both their Pocket Dolly and CineSliders on various past doc shoots, and while not perfect, their roller bearing system was miles better than the friction based sliders I had used before, like Glidetrack's. 

But an Adorama rental guy told me that they recently dropped all their Kessler sliders, opting for Cinevate's instead. "The Kessler ones are a pain the ass, they keep breaking for some reason!" he said as he used a stack of c-stands to bank-shot a lens bag into a returns bin. 

But I'm a fan! It's miles lighter than the old CineSlider and performs a whole lot better. It doesn't have a drag adjustment like the CineSlider, but it doesn't need it. The amount of drag is really quite perfect. You can feather in moves with a single finger quite nicely (THAT'S WHAT SHE SAID).

It's thin, but surprisingly rock solid (THAT'S WHAT SHE SAID). The rails are guarded so they won't get damaged during travel, and in the center there is a rubber dot so you don't clink against the ends of the track (THAT'S WHAT SHE SAID?).

It's a shame Adorama only carries the 36" version. There are longer and shorter versions that Cinevate makes, but at 30 bucks a day, you really can't complain. OH, ADORAMA, you shall forever be the Wal-Mart of rental shops... 

Oh yeah, and this was crafty on set today. Gosh these shoots are tough... UNLIKE THIS STEAK.

STEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAK.

BTS // Moonrise Kingdom

Moonrise Kingdom just premiered at Cannes, which the Guardian described as, "eccentric but heartfelt."

NO. WAY. 

Here's a look at the some bts footage from the film, which is really just a good 23 minutes of Wes Anderson yelling, "NOT SYMMETRICAL ENOUGH."

FOOD // Madison Square Eats 2012!

Remember that one time it was delightfully sunny one day, but then sad and rainy the next day, but then delightfully sunny again the next day but strangely cold and windy for being so delightfully sunny? SOUNDS LIKE THE PERFECT TIME FOR AN OUTDOOR FOOD FESTIVAL. 

Madison Square Eats is back! But only until June 1st. It's a great collection of food festivalable things from all over Manhattan and Brooklyn that aren't fried oreos. Check it out in that little triangle plaza next to Eataly on 25th and Broadway. 

PHOTO DUMP TIME. 

Kafta & Eggplant Wrap (Lamb & Beef, Harissa, Eggplant and Lettuce) and Phoenician Fries topped with Sumac, Salt and Garlic from Ilili. -- EAT IT

Pulled Pork Empanada from La Sonrisa -- EAT IT

Ground Beef Empanada from La Sonrisa -- EAT IT

Pulled Pork and Salsa Verde Sandwich with White BBQ sauce from Mayhem and Stout -- EH

Pork Meatballs with African Onion, Tempting Tomato, and Not Your Momma's Brown Sauces from Mighty Balls - EH

The Norma Arancini (Eggplant, Tomato, Basil, and Ricotta) from the Arancini Bros. - EAT IT

Pork Belly and Beijing Duck Buns from Hong Kong Street Cart - EAT IT

Shaved Milk Snow topped with Fresh Mangoes, Frozen Champagne Grapes and Red Bean from Hong Kong Street Cart - EAT IT

I ATE IT.

Oh yeah, and they have ALCOHOL!

GEAR // Philip Bloom's D4 vs D800 vs 5DmkIII Shootout

Oh Philip Bloom... I've never actually seen anything you've shot, but you have a slider named after you and a British accent, so I'll listen to you anyway. Below is his long-awaited (?) comparison of the Canon 5DmkII and Nikon's new HDSLRs, the D4 and the D800: 

In case you don't have 30 minutes to kill to watch the full review because it's a Monday afternoon and you have like, a real job (PFFT), here are the results in a nutshell~  

Nikon D4 - $5995.95
- completely useless in video mode unless you're shooting at 2.7x crop - FAIL

Nikon D800 - $2999.95
- produces the sharpest image of the three
- aliasing is worse than the 5DmkIII but better than the 5DmkII
- has clean HDMI out, allowing you to feed to an external recorder like the Sound Devices Pix240
- usable image up to 3200iso

Canon 5DMkIII - $3499.00
- images needs to be sharpened in post to compare to the D800
- performs the best when it comes to aliasing 
- ALL-I compression bests the Nikon's at 90mb/sec
- usable image up to 6400iso


So you've got a mixed bag of pros and cons where no one camera stands out as THE MOST ULTIMATE CAMERA EVER CREATED. But then again, that's electronics for ya. While you get a sharper image straight out of the camera with the D800, it's at much lower bitrate than the Canon, which may screw you if you're looking to do a lot in post. But then again, you could just go HDMI out of the Nikon into a recorder and get 220mb/sec Pro-res files, which would be miles better than the Canon. But then you suffer in low-light and aliasing performance. OH DECISIONS. 


There is something to be said though about where the industry stands when it comes to that question of "what camera should I buy?" My first HDSLR was that cute little Panasonic GH1, and I loved it. Especially with the bitrate hack, it was an awesome camera. But I ended up selling in lieu of the Canon 60D because, as much as I thought the GH1 was a better camera, Canons were what more people were using, and, more importantly, Canons were what clients were hiring.


If you're looking to get a camera for your own personal use and make really really good looking sex tapes, then knock yourself out, get whatever camera you want. (I suggest Go-pros, they're easy to hide) But if you're working freelance, 9 times out of 10 clients are looking for Canon cameras. Whether it's to work with B-cams or match something that's already been shot. As a freelancer, the worst thing you can do is be a pain in the ass. And if you're that guy who they and their editors have to make all these exceptions for because you're shooting at a different codec or on different media or they have to rent rigs specifically for your camera body because the heights are different, chances are you're not gonna get the job. 


BUT THE BIT-RATE IS HIGHER ON MY GH-13!!! Yeah, well, the number on my paycheck is higher, BOOM. Now bring me more cake.

Of course, things may change. I'm not saying don't get anything other than Canon cameras. In a couple years, Brett Ratner may be shooting the Tower Heist/Rush Hour cross-over on that goddamn Black Magic Cinema Camera. WHO KNOWS? It's just important to gauge where the industry is, especially if you're looking to invest in a camera body with the intention of making it back in rentals~ 

GEAR // Shoulder Rig Mk XXVIXIIVXIII

I have this theory that the "perfect shoulder rig" is just another one of those unattainable things in life that we as a species are just going to have to accept, like Captain Ahab and Moby Dick, humanity and world peace, or me and a 3 am taco that doesn't make me curse all of humanity the morning after.


I am glad to say though, that I've reached a point in the countless iterations of my shoulder rig with which I'm at the very least... pleased. I recently did a shoot with my good friend and fellow cinematographer Alex Chinnici, shooting an ad sales piece for CollegeHumor and IKEA. This is where my Mk XXVIXIIVXIII shoulder rig made its maiden voyage. 


On a completely unrelated note, I finally had IKEA's $4.99 ribs, AND THEY ARE DELICIOUS. I really have no idea how IKEA's cafeterias make any money whatsoever, especially when they recently slashed the priced of their breakfast FROM 99 CENTS TO FREE. But I digress... Here's the Mk XXVIXIIVXIII perched atop the Malm 6-drawer dresser.

From front to back, the handles are, of course, the Shape 15mm handgrips. The monitor is the SmallHD DP6 HDSDI, connected to the camera's hot shoe via a noga arm. The follow focus is the Red Rock V1 follow focus (um, it's like, totally vintage, okay?). The baseplate is a Chrosziel baseplate with a generic quick release plate. The shoulder pad is a Zacuto shoulder pad with quick release, and off the back is a generic V-mount brick on a Trusmt battery plate, which actually powers the monitor (and can power the camera body as well if need be).


What I like about this setup is that is that it's pretty fantastically balanced. The weight of the camera in this setup sits close to your body, meaning the counterweight, in this case the V-mount battery, doesn't need to extend five feet backwards backwards to properly act as a counter-balance. COMPARE:

The above Zacuto rig Alex was stuck with was probably a solid foot longer than mine. Of course, Zacuto doesn't advertise the counterweight being so far back in any of their product photos, but this is actually how far back Alex needed to have the weight to make the rig remotely comfortable. 

If there's anything I hate more than dead weight, it's dead weight that has as a stupid ironic name, which is why I swear against products like the Zacuto Z-Lite. The way I figure it, if you're going to put extra weight on your rig, it sure as hell better serve more purpose than just to be stupid and heavy. Although, to be fair, spinning around in place with this rig is the perfect way to say, "GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY WAY, I'M MAKING MOVIES."


Perhaps I'll add some retractable version of this feature in the Mk XXVIXIIVXIV.


In the meantime though, I'm racking my brain trying to come up with a single word that describes these rigs I put together while paying proper homage to my Asian heritage... OH WAIT.