I received it about 10 days ago but not had a moment to catch my breath since then. I have a bit of free time this weekend so going to do some filming with it mounted on my EX1 or 3. Probably nothing too ambitious as this commercial I shot this week has sapped most of my creative juices and tomorrow am filming zombies rampant in London!
July 1st, 2009
DDB- Sofia saw my short film “Sofia’s People” and approached me at the beginning of last week to go back to Sofia and shoot a broadcast 30 second commercial for M-Tel with the same intimate feel as my film, but we pre-cast real people. So keeping it authentic, no actors, just the right mix of people for what they are after.
My kit in Sofia
I of course jumped at the chance to go back as I really enjoyed my time in Sofia. The only daunting thing is I am directing, shooting and editing it and only arriving in the country a day before the shoot. I have not had a hand in casting but the people they have chosen look great! The other scary thing is it needs to be finished and ready to go out on National TV in Bulgaria on Friday night as the time is already booked. So that’s a hell of a turnaround!
Also, I will be taking stills of each couple with the 5d for print campaigns, so a great example of convergence here.
It’s funny how what was essentially me just doing some filming on my way to Dinner has evolved into this. As I always say, keep on plugging away. Keep posting your work and you may get a lucky break.
YES, it’s another “social networking” tool but quite a useful one. Twitter is great (follow me @philipbloom) but is more for conversations. Facebook is well, Facebook and for me is going through a bit of an identity crisis right now…Tumblr is more of a twitter/ blog highbred.
It gives me the ability to write more detailed info about how tests with new gear are going, how shoots are going etc..more immediate than my blog but less detailed (of course way more detailed than twitter!).
I love that so many of you are from all corners of the globe. Please click the world map below for live visitor updates and leave a message saying where you are from!
Just got one, it’s got potential. But what I am interested in is how much you can make out of it’s limitations. How good can you make a film on it? Well this is the place as I am now going to start what I think is the world’s first iphone 3gs film competition.
It starts as of now and you have until the 24th of July 0001 GMT to Submit it to my group on Vimeo, email me details and if it follows the guidelines below then I will add it to my channel on Vimeo
Methods of judging to be announced soon. It may be a panel but most likely will be public voting…I will probably enter myself but just for fun, not in competition!
Very simple rules. Shoot ONLY on the new iPhone 3gs. Make as long or as short as you want, but don’t forget we all have VERY short attention spans. It can be one continuous take or edited. Pg13 content only 
Oh and it needs to be follow thses rule, and that rule is to make the most out of the small form factor. It needs to be utterly guerilla, I want to see you make the most out of filming in places you really shouldn’t film in and couldn’t film in with a proper camera. It can be any genre…So get out there and impress us!
I have already mentioned the Nikon adaptor by MTF services in a past blog. Well Mike Tapa has sent me over a selection to take a look at and they are pretty impressive. Not just that but they are bloody good value!
1/3" to 2/3" B4 adaptor from MTF
The above adaptor is to let you use 2/3″ B4 lenses on 1/3″ cameras like the JVC HD line, new HM700 and the Sony Z7. It costs £265+VAT (about $410). The Fujinon version from B&H costs almost $1200!!
I just got this in the mail today. Got stuck at customs for a week and I ended up with 30 quids worth of duty and tax charges on it. Not cool. I wish I had bought it whilst in the US, would have saved me some money!
Anyway, for all you Canon 5dmkII owners who are struggling with using the LCD for video then here is a cheap solution…The Hoodloupe 3.0 from Hoodman.
Most of my work you don’t see online. I don’t have the rights to show them on the internet or can’t get copies (like my Discovery HD work). What I do post on my website is some of the paid work I am allowed to show, like NT Live, 3 Seconds, The Echo, Valentine’s Day, The Trench, Siberian Portrait as well as, of course the stuff I shot and directed like Life of Crime, Eddie Gibson, Religion and of course my Anorexia films amongst others. The vast majority is my personal work…
Shooting in Germany for Discovery
Films like Sofia’s People, Cherry Blossom Girl, My Autumn’s Done Come, Return to Dungeness, Love from Southend, Alone in Tokyo and many more here are mostly just my personal projects. You see, my passion is filming, it’s the biggest thing in my life, for better or worse. I am lucky enough to be doing what I love, so when I get the chance…whether it is to test a new piece of gear or just to capture something that I want to capture I go out and do it. I can be prolific at times when I feel really motivated. I have new bits of gear I really need to try out and the best way I find to try out stuff is to film with them and make something out of it. I have the new Redrock Encore, a glidecam 2000, glidetrack, Jag35…still, the gh1 with sigma prime lens and many others. I am desperate to go out and use them but finding the time is hard, amongst answering all the emails, keeping the site running and of course actually doing proper work!
I was in Chicago co-hosting a new internet film review show with Steve Weiss from Zacuto. It’s epic. 8 Cameras, including 2 behind the scenes manned by Daniel Skubal and Matthew Byori Mann. Two guys I met on twitter when I put out a message looking for two shooters to help out. If you don’t follow me already do! I am @philipbloom. I always am looking for people all over the world! There was a jib, a circular spider dolly, a straight dolly and 3 straight cameras! EPIC! Can’t wait to see what it looks like.
Publicity photo for new show
It’s a show focused around vimeo content which we review. No name as yet but here are some more behind the scenes photos at the bottom of this page…I hope I was fair in my critiques of films…I never want to discourage, just give constructive advice! 
Whilst there I took the opportunity to do a short film using the Canon 5dmkII and loads of different lenses. Also using the new “Gorilla” support system for DSLRs called the “Tactical Shooter”. It certainly helped make my footage a lot steadier. I actually used it both in the tactical configuration and the rapid fire configuration depending on how I was shooting and what lens I was using. Read the rest of this entry »
I am trying out a new section on my website called “Case Studies”, the idea is to highlight some interesting stories and work made using today’s new breed of HD cameras. Whether you are a pro, semi pro or just amateur and want to share your experiences, frustrations and excitement about your work then please email me with details, link to the work.
I will need from you the ability to embed your video, an article telling us about your experiences and ideally some behind the scenes photos.
First off is stills photographer Neill Watson. He is new to video, but the Canon 5dmkII has opened up a whole new world to him. So please read his article and watch his video.
Thanks,
Phil
