S106 Directors Blog

During the second leg of our flight from Arusha to Bukoba, Tanzania I was sitting in the cockpit of a very small airplane. While flying over Lake Victoria to the shore I was astounded by this beautiful view.

Just a quick edit of some early footage, the morning ritual of an African woman washing her son with water form a domestic water reservoir. Made available through Dutch development aid.

We landed on the Arusha airstrip on wednesday, at 9:00 pm local time, a hot and damp night. The next day we drove to Same district to shoot the first episode of our documentary series in Africa. The subject was water irrigation and financial management. Same has a city bond with the Dutch city Tilburg, they have been helping to develop the region for the last 23 years.

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Just a quick update showing where we will be staying during our 2 month shooting period in Africa.

Here it is, my new HPX300 config. The kit lens just wasn’t up to par for me, On full zoom the lens would collapse and with open aperture all kinds of artifacts came in to play.  All in all this is stuff I should be able to live with since it’s a kit lens with a 1,500 US street price.  So here is the stuff i could not live with; a 0.9 meter MOD and a 5mm field of view (1/3″ chip). This makes shooting in a car next to impossible.

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After being off the radar for nearly two months it seems fair to give you an update. I have been spending my time prepping for a big project and after signing the production contract I can now share my plans with you.

The project is a two month shooting period in east Africa, during this time we will be visiting five countries; Tanzania, Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya and Malawi. We will be making 13 episodes for Dutch television about Dutch traders, aid workers and foundations in these countries fulfilling an important economic and social role. Each broadcast we will portrait one of these businesses through the eyes of our reporter Leon van der Zanden. It is a road movie where the crew plays a major role during this trip. The program is made possible to date by COS Brabant, Cordaid, Liliane Fund and Mundial Productions.

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After the release of Sony’s new PMW-350 I thought it would be appropriate to speak up for our Panasonic HPX300. Sony might have the 2/3 ” battle won but with a 35mm adapter chip size isn’t that important. The Sony still records 35 m/s Long Gop wich is an old mpeg codec, no match for Panasonics 100 m/s AVC Intra. And do remember that the Sony is double the price.

Ok so a lot of people have been asking for some test footage from our new camera. They were right there should be more, so here it is:

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It just didn’t work for me anymore. I tried balancing the EX1 rig with more and more Zacuto stuff. In the end it was all so heavy my back couldn’t take it anymore!

Looking back on my EX1 / Letus Extreme purchase, well it’s difficult. The EX1 produces a very good image and can very easily be mistaken / intercut with high end sony HD cams. But it’s just not a good handheld shooter. And let’s face it neither is the EX3. Price was the biggest reason I tried the Letus Extreme and I must admit that the image is very nice. But the build quality is just horrible. Not to mention the lack of product support.

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I just wanted to share a short excerpt from my latest documentary. It’s a short interview about apartheid. Shot in an old church that provided cover for black people during this horrible period. Is was shot on a Sony EX1 in 720p HD, the video is HD flash so please be patient and do click the fullscreen button!

This week I have treated myself to an upgrade to our follow focus. We currently have the Redrock unit and are very happy with it. One of the nice things about Redrock is that they always release upgrades to the current line up when releasing new products. Here is my mini review.

When they released a new follow focus I ordered the update, and the new reverse gear making normal operation possible with Nikon lenses. The upgrade is very easy and a manual is included. The new unit feels much lighter, you can easily mount the unit without removing anything from your rods due to the quick release system. Also the thicker marking ring is a nice addition.

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