Baraka on a budget.

Laurence wrote on 7/20/2010, 8:22 AM

I am doing this job gratis. The guy who sent me the email is a guy I've known about a year and really is quite brilliant though it may not be easy to tell from the tone of this particular email. He did a short documentary about thehomeless in Orlando Florida that I really liked and another piece on poverty in the Philippines that I also really liked. Here is a trailer for the Florida homeless piece:

There are all sorts of minor things that could have been done better in both pieces, but overall they were both really moving and well done. We have been working together over the past year doing this "Give to Live" documentary and have worked really well together during this time. There is a website http://www.projectjustice.org/GivetoLive/here[/link]. If you look at the top right hand corner you'll see that we have done interviews with some pretty amazing people here in the US. On the website it lists a guy named Chris Landy as the DP, but I have shot about half of what we have so far and I am the main video guy on this trip. I'll worry about the credits later. ;-)

When we do an interview it is quite something to watch. We'll have what seems like a stuffy intellectual and then Justin will start asking specific questions about what he read on a certain page of one of their books and they will just open up and come to life. I really like working with this guy.

Here we are at TedX in Atlanta (I shot this event for free just so that we could have this bit):

The third guy is a young guy in his late twenties who immigrated here from Kenya when he was a child and now works with troubled children in Philadelphia. We are staying with his family and they will be helping line up our travels while we are there.

I may be wrong but I really feel that this is a special project and will do whatever it takes to make it be what I believe it can be. After it is done, we will be going through the process of promoting it, entering it in film festivals etc.

For what it's worth, it gives me a chance to dream and get out of the local ad and church promos that make up the rest of my professional life.

busterkeaton wrote on 7/20/2010, 8:29 AM

I believe the makers of Baraka built their own 70 mm camera, because it would be too expensive to rent for the time they needed it. The producer owned a machine shop.

That is also a key to Baraka is the amount of time they took to get the images they wanted. That is luxury most of us don't have.

I suspect the difference between the DVD of Baraka and the Bluray is an order of magnitude. I saw it on BluRay and the clarity of the images is jawdropping. I have never seen anything more lifelike on a TV. Roger Ebert says it's the best video disk he has even seen.

The film was photographed over 14 months by director Ron Fricke, who invented a time-lapse camera system to use for it. In 1992, it was the first film since 1970 to be photographed in Todd-AO, a 65mm system, and in 2008, it seems to have been the last. The restored 2008 Blu-ray is the finest video disc I have ever viewed or ever imagined. It was made from the Todd-AO print, which was digitally restored to a perfection arguably superior to the original film. It is the first 8K resolution video ever made of a 65mm film, on the world's only scanner capable of it. It is comparable to what is perceptible to the human eye, the restorers say. "Baraka" by itself is sufficient reason to acquire a Blu-ray player.

The idea of shooting "Baraka-quality" images with HDV cameras is as goofy as saying your movie is going to be as good as Citizen Kane because you are shooting in Black and White.

Jay Gladwell wrote on 7/20/2010, 9:02 AM

"The idea of shooting "Baraka-quality" images with HDV cameras is as goofy as saying your movie is going to be as good as Citizen Kane because you are shooting in Black and White."

Buster, I think you're being too harsh. What I got, generally, from his posts were that they wanted to get the feel of the movie--they wanted to try to emulate the style used in making Baraka. Certainly an admirable goal.

The making of, by Ron Fricke...

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6804995481504004534#

busterkeaton wrote on 7/20/2010, 10:19 AM

The style of Baraka was a product of the luxury of time involved on the shoot and their access to computer assisted camera equipment, that allowed them to do slow, steady repeatable moves.

It's one thing to be inspired by the feel of a movie, it's another thing to set yourself up for failure.

Again they don't have 70 mm cameras. The resolution of those cameras contributed to the style. You can hold a shot a lot, lot longer before it gets boring, when the resolution allows you to study the frame without it being boring

I think Preproduction time, would be better spent on what can actually be accomplished with the available equipment and personnel.

Laurence wrote on 7/20/2010, 10:46 AM

Thanks so much for that link Jay.

farss wrote on 7/20/2010, 3:14 PM

Good, just the way that email was worded......

Moving on. Suggestion. Scrape the Baraka idea as a reference. Instead grab a copy of Powaqqatsi as your reference.
It is similar and yet totally different. Instead of the rip our eyeballs out resolution it uses tighter, shorter, faster motion shots that look more at texture and color. The style does survive translation to the small screen and you'd actually have a chance of pulling of something similar.

http://www.koyaanisqatsi.org/films/powaqqatsi.php

Bob.

Jay Gladwell wrote on 7/20/2010, 3:34 PM

"Scrape the Baraka idea as a reference."

Easier said than done (as well as being a defeatist attitude).

In the end, I'm going to have to disagree with you and Buster, as it pertains to the idea that simply because one isn't using a super high resolution medium or that the project isn't destined for the "big screen" that he ought not try to emulate a specific film's style or approach.

As long as Laurence and his partners know and understand their limitations, whatever they may be, I would encourage them to move forward.

Laurence wrote on 7/27/2010, 8:16 PM

Anyone messed around with sliders like the Kessler Pocket Dolly?

Yoyodyne wrote on 7/27/2010, 8:27 PM

I've used a bunch of sliders but not the Kestler pocket dolly.

Phil Bloom seems to like em' though.

http://philipbloom.net/2010/07/23/timelapse-film-from-the-set-of-lucasfilms-red-tails/

I'm a big fan of sliders, great bang for buck production value and very quick and easy to set up.

David Settlemoir wrote on 7/27/2010, 8:31 PM

If you have a few spare hours read through this on DIY sliders.

farss wrote on 7/27/2010, 8:59 PM

"Anyone messed around with sliders like the Kessler Pocket Dolly? "

Sure, we bought Losmandy's three prototype units, they decided against putting them into production so they're one of a kind and yet pretty much exactly the same as what you can buy or build yourself.

All of these cheaper units use nylon linear bearings, not the recirculating ball bearings used in the more expensive units. They're good value for money if you understand the limitations. They will not tolerate side loads and have more striction. By the time you get a pan head etc mounted on them you have to be careful to push the bottom and not the pan handle. You need to keep the rails clean and lubricated. A squirt of WD40 and a wipe down is all they need. Trying to execute complex camera moves (e.g. truck and pan) takes practice. The longer units do need two tripods to support them.

Olof Ekbergh of Westside AV has quite a range already made and does custom builds for a good price including one with a lead screw drive. That should make getting long smooth movements much easier but has got to add to the weight. We've bought a number of Olaf's bits and pieces and I can vouch for him as building value kit. He's also a pretty good cameraman so he gets to test everyting he makes in the line of fire.

Bob.

[edit] Losmandy have had the Tracker on show for a few years now and I think it's finally available. Unfortunately it's not cheap or all that portable but you might be able to rent one in the USA. It looks like ti would be quite suitable for your kind of location shooting.

Skratch wrote on 7/27/2010, 10:46 PM

A lot of what they did in Baraka had to do with time lapses... single frame shots over extended period. If you want to go for that with a film look, you can still shoot on Super 8, or even 16mm within a decent budget. You won't have the rez of a 70mm frame, but you can shoot with a lot more color, do timelapse, and scan the films to HD in a lot of places now. Most super 8 cameras have intervalometers built in, 16mm is a little more specialized. The newer film stocks have a lot more resolution than they used to. HD video has resolution, but it's still video. Apples and oranges when compared to film.

Jay Gladwell wrote on 7/28/2010, 4:41 AM

Skratch, just for the record, you can shoot timelapse with certain video cameras, such as the Sony EX series. So one wouldn't have to resort to using film.

When properly shot and posted, these days it's practically impossible to discern video from film. Perhaps a better way to say it would be practically impossible to discern analogue from digital.

jrazz wrote on 7/28/2010, 7:51 AM

Hi Laurence. Did you get the email I sent you through the forum?

j razz

Laurence wrote on 7/29/2010, 1:04 PM

Yes, sorry I didn't reply until now.

Dave_OnSet wrote on 7/29/2010, 8:01 PM

Just ran across this thread...
Made me take another look at a magazine interview I had done with Mr Fricke back when Baraka came out. (Interestingly enough, the prints were struck from the original negative to maximize quality, rather than from an IP) - and I must admit it is one of the most visually stunning screenings I have ever experienced.
My impression of what you need to do to get your look -- think outside your box. If you're married to an HDV camera use a NanoFlash to optimize your quality and add decent time lapse options. If you can't afford motion control, figure out a way to 'gear it down' to something that you can afford. learn every feature your camera has, and find new ways to use each one of them. Remember, time is money. He shot for 13 months with money, so without money allow yourselves proportionately MORE time to play with things, wait for the day when the light is perfect, when the clouds are right, when the stars all line up. His shooting ratio was about 10:1 !!! What that really means is that he made a lot of his choices before turning on the camera.
It's not about finding a way to duplicate a camera move, but about finding a way to create the proper mindset within yourselves so you cam be open and ready when the shot moment is perfect.