OT: Slow Dancing

farss wrote on 12/1/2007, 5:09 PM

You can view some of the footage here.

If you're lucky enough to live in the right place a trip to see the installation might be worthwhile.

This was shot on the PhantomHD camera at 1,000fps. Camera was rotated 90deg so the talent filled the frame.

Some of the background info is kind of interesting given the current discussion about tapeless workflow. The camera at that speed only records for 5 seconds which creates 12GB of data. Downloading that took 8 to 20 minutesand as it's RAW data processing it took even longer.

As they used a 180deg shutter that gives 1/2000th exposure and to get a useable stop they needed around 70KW of light on the dancer.

Bob.

Edit: Just checked the exhibition calendar and all listed showing are long gone, sorry. Still might be worth visiting from time to time to see if any new installations come up.

Comments

vicmilt wrote on 12/1/2007, 6:35 PM

So a million years ago I was hired to shoot a campaign for Schweppes ginger ale. The concept was simple - zoom into the area above a glass of soda to reveal the tiny bubbles that bounce off a fresh glass. The bubbles slow down and reveal a ballet dancer made of bubbles.
So I shot a test with a 16mm at 450fps and it looked great.

But the spot was national, so we were gonna finish it in 35mm.
That involved flying the (one of three in the world) camera in from LA, accompanied by a specialist Assistant Cameraman to setup and take care of the camera. The camera was not shipped - it had its own paid for seat - in First Class - as did the assistant.

Because the shot was a macro, I knew we'd need a small f/stop to hold a bunch of bubbles in focus... AND we had to do the shot at 800 or 1000 frames per second. This camera was the one used to shoot ballistic bullet tests. Between the small f/stop and the high speed I knew we would need a LOT of light.

So I lined up 5 - 10,000 watt lights in a semi-circle (backlit to highlight the bubbles) rim to rim.

Finally it was time to do the shot. I had rehearsed the zoom (essentially a snap zoom) a dozen times and we were ready. Now the film had to zoom through the camera at 1,000 fps. That is fast. So ( I was nervous, I admit it ) I said, "Lights" - BAM - They threw the hugh light switch to turn on 50k of electric. "Camera" ...whizzzz... it ramped up to speed. "Zoom" - the AC snapped the zoom. "Cut - we got it... let's do it again".
The gaffer sez - we can't"
"Why not?"
"Cuz the table is on fire"
It's true. We had started a Butcher Block on fire. The soda was boiling. And we had shot a 1,000 foot load of 35mm film (normally 10 minutes) in about 15 seconds.

I'm going to look for that spot on Monday - it's a long time ago, but we'll see if I can find it. Some of the older of you (Stateside) might remember the campaign - it was called schweppervescence. Before we were done we converted those bubbles to a dancer, a pole vaulter and a bunch of other active characters.

It was very successful.

v

DavidMcKnight wrote on 12/2/2007, 9:55 AM

Vic, PLEASE write a book or get someone to film your BIOgraphy. We'll buy it. Director/Cameraman was a great Volume 1 but there are hundreds of these stories.

vicmilt wrote on 12/2/2007, 11:35 AM

Thanks!

I'll write that book... when I get old :>))

meanwhile, I'm still writing the chapters of my life - and so should you all.

Sometimes I have young people tell me, "I'm too old to learn that".

Bull Flop!

Here are some landmarks in my personal life - not that they achieved enormous success - but just that I had So Much Fun doing them. I know that there are MANY other stories right here on this forum, and I invite you all to tell your unique stories, as well.

Take heart and take inspriation -
age 15 - started as an assistant to a local photographer. I had to beg him to let me work. He accepted when I lowered my "rate" to $.35 cents an hour. But I learned photography, and I learned professionalism. (Painful professionalism)
age 19 - opened a small portrait and wedding studio ("You're too Young to be in business for yourself!) Bull Flop
age 22 - moved to NYC and started as a "Fashion Photographer" - "You don't have a chance - the competition is too tough - you've got no experience - you're too young" - BF (see above)
age 23 - by testing, and experimenting and shooting models for free, I landed my first paying gig for Glamour magazine.
age 25 - owned a studio with a staff of 3 people - all older than me - doing regular spreads for Ingenue, Glamour, Seventeen and covers for McCalls publications
age 29 - moved into film ("you can't do that!!! You can't shoot if you're not in the union - film is too expensive - who's gonna trust you with $60,000 a day - when you have NO schooling or film experience?"
So I started a company called "Small Stuff" - "we don't WANT your BIG commercials - just your test commercials and Small Stuff" - so I did dozens of "test commercials" in 16mm for a flat rate of $3,000 each. Using that reel and experience I finally had something to show.
Age 31 - shot my first national spot for Colgate
If you show up on time, and do the job with a minimum of BS, you can succeed - I did.
By the time I was 50 I had hundreds of national commercials on my reel and dozens of national awards.
Age 50 - I want to learn to play the keyboards ("HA! You're WAY too OLD" - you've got to start music when you're a kid) BF
So I learned the "three basic chords" and put an ad in the Pennysaver - "50 yr old keyboard player want to jam - classic rock, blues - no metal"
Age 51 - invited to join a cheesy bar band - within a year we were playing gigs all over Westchester - gained a large "biker" following - I'd look out off the stage and think, "Not only am I older than everyone in the band by 20 to 30 years... I"m older than a lot of their parents!" What a blast - no money - limited future - regional fame - best times of my life
Age 55 - knowing that the end of my TV career was in sight "You're WAY too old" - I got started in interactive programming - read the manual -try it out - totally self taught.
[aside] - gave up film and started video production - the Sony BVW 70 was my tool of choice.
Age 57 - selected by AV Video as one of the top 100 programmers in the USA. It was hysterical to see that issue. We all had pictures and ages with a tiny bio. The next oldest guy was 37 - and he was a dinosaur - the next below him was 27 - oh yeah, and me -
BTW - won numerous awards for programming -
Age 59 - on cover with 8 pages inside of AV Video Magazine
Age 60 - totally gave up tape and turned entirely to DV production. Produced one of the first national commercials for American Express Publishing ever completed on DV - no one knew - shot entirely with the VX1000.
Age 61 - joined this forum and started with Vegas 3 - produced major jobs for Allied Signal, Honeywell, GE and many others - all shot on DV and edited entirely in Vegas - on home computers,
Age 62 - started my first documentary and began to lecture at NAB (thanks to my new friends - met here on this site - at VASST)
Age 63 - won three national awards and was finalist in the Palm Beach International Film Festival with above documentary - total budget - under $2,000
Got state grant and private funding to expand the movie to feature length.

What's that all about? Am I so GD "talented"? Hell no!
I'm thorough. I'm (TOTALLY) reliable. I'm easy-going (with a bit of a temper on rare occasions and a "big mouth" as well).
And I'm ready to fail - and pick up the pieces and fail again - and pick up the pieces and fail again - until I see "It ain't gonna work" or "Congratualations"

I made two movies to inspire people like you - an instructional, "LIght it Right" and a motivational/instructional, "Director/Cameraman"
D/C won a telly last year for instructional video
Both have been the top selling DVD's at the NAB for three years running.

I love what I do - and I love all of you.
I wish I could live forever and I know I won't, so I don't waste my time on BS. I stumble, I fall and I feel bad. But tomorrow is another day - so I go to sleep and start over again. Most days are wonderful. We live in the greatest era EVER to be a "regular guy". I'm the poster boy for that.

But I won't hear Bull Flop excuses from anyone!
Not you're too old, or too young, or not experienced, enough or not connected or a man or a woman or too straight or too gay or ANYTHING!

I believe some of you will grow to the absolute BEST in your field, and I want to have been a tiny part of that success. I want to help you.
So enough about me...
get out there and START SHOOTING - Today - Now - get off your butt - Go!

best,
v

Spot|DSE wrote on 12/2/2007, 11:41 AM

Saw it/played with it at Post Production Israel this week. Very nice camera, very simple but sweet to use. Smaller in person than the photos I'd seen of it.
It was nice to actually get a copy of the content, as the display they were showing looked horrid.
Very cool camera for what it's supposed to be.

Tom Pauncz wrote on 12/2/2007, 11:43 AM

Vic,
You are a real inspiration to us all... just love your DVDs..
Tom