City of Black & White — Canon 7D documentary on Vimeo

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1. City of Black & White — Canon 7D documentary

by Charles Son

2 years ago

A short film about the last show of Mat Kearney's City of Black & White tour.

Shot on the Canon 7D.

Directed by Ryan McNeill, Charles Son
Filmed and Edited in Final Cut Pro by Charles Son
Graded by Adam Sakellarides in After Effects, with Neat Video Noise Reduction for some shots
Special thanks to Lisa Rucker for syncing up the audio
Music by Mat Kearney

Equipment:
Sigma 30mm 1.4
Tokina 11-16mm 2.8
Canon 24mm Tilt-Shift 3.5
Canon 50mm 1.4
Canon 24-70mm 2.8
Zacuto Rapid Fire rig
Sennheiser G2 wireless lav

See the (mostly) ungraded version here:
youtube.com/watch?v=rtH7kTdPLIo
Also:
matkearney.com

Credits

1,559 Likes

Elle & Be - Blayre Ellestad
1 day ago
eboz
6 days ago
We Believe Studios
1 week ago
Stephanie Dzieglo
1 week ago
Frank Desiront
2 weeks ago
Norma jean Worden rogers
2 weeks ago
fernando de france
2 weeks ago
Kiidk.
3 weeks ago
Ryan Roark
3 weeks ago
Bun done
3 weeks ago

Tags

Dippen Zinzuvadia 2 years ago

great video! the footage on the roof looks awesome!!!
Fusco Brothers Films 2 years ago

Wonderful piece! I'm filming a live show at a venue in San Francisco in 2 weeks with my new 7d, any tips on camera settings for filming on stage and in the club? Would be grateful. Brad.
Charles Son 2 years ago

Hey thanks Brad. I shot this pretty soon after I got the camera, so I'm just using the Neutral setting! If it's dark and you need to use a high ISO, a noise reducer comes in handy in post. Neat Video's plug-in is ridiculously good.
Bao Vo Creative 2 years ago

Footage looks really good, guys. Editing and grading are impeccable too. :)
diego 2 years ago

really nice footage!
Chris Black 2 years ago

very nicely done!
Ashley Harrison 2 years ago

Spectacular! I agree with Dippen, the roof shots were so good. Any clue on the setting there? I really enjoyed this!
Charles Son 2 years ago

Thanks everyone! All the roof shots were on the Sigma 30mm at around f/2 using the Neutral Picture Style. It was extremely dark so the ISO was probably around 3200.
Jon Chou 2 years ago

Hey charles, this is an awsome film. Why shoot at f/2-2.8 if the Sigma can go down to 1.4? Please let me know! I have a Sigma 30mm as well!
Charles Son 2 years ago

Thanks Jon. You know, maybe I did open up as far as 1.8 or so, but the reason for not opening all the way to a 1.4 is that the DOF is extremely shallow at that point. When doing hand-held on a moving subject that is fairly close to the lens, it's really hard to keep focus. And the quality of the image is much better if you stop down a bit.
Quan Nguyen 2 years ago

Really loved it!
katie faulknor 2 years ago

wow! this is really wonderful!
Mark 2 years ago

This is great. Did you use anything for camera stabilization?
Charles Son 2 years ago

Yeah, I used a Zacuto Rapid Fire rig, which is basically like attaching it to a rifle butt to put against your shoulder... it keeps the set-up small, but it helps a lot. I'd love to have something with a counterweight over the shoulder though...
Daniel Gustafsson 2 years ago

Really great stuff man ! Enjoyed the whole production from start to end. Very professional!
panic embryo 2 years ago

well done guys. Slick, engaging and wonderfully filmed & edited.
Tim Davison 2 years ago

Nice video. Singer has a extremely similar voice to Chris Martin (Coldplay)
David J McCrea 2 years ago

was thinking the same thing..very similar!
Eduardo Crispim 2 years ago

wow nice!
k00k 2 years ago

Looks great! As for Mat, ironing a shirt before a show isn't very Rock n Roll, but if it means you keep getting those lovely women at your shows, iron on my man!
Charles Son 2 years ago

they just cut out the ironing scenes from all the other rock n roll docs!
C.C. Chapman 2 years ago

Really nicely done. Had never heard of this band but now must check them out. Great job getting some great shots and editing it all together.
Cielo Blaq 2 years ago

nice... lovin' the 7d
Martijn Doornenbal 2 years ago

beautiful shots and there's a really nice flow in this movie. Great job on the color grading too.
DaVincicode 2 years ago

Charles Son nice to you and the entire crew. One must give congrats to the band. And you did an amazing job. I have to ask you how you got such good audio from your 7D. And the editing was superb. Bravo Bravo Bravo to Mat.
Charles Son 2 years ago

Thanks! We really appreciate the compliments! The audio for Mat was actually from a Sennheiser G2 wireless lav fed into an HVX-200 that we synched up later. The audio of the fans on the street was from the 7D, which sounds just as bad as everyone says! A separate sound system is a must!
Vitamin 2 years ago

wonderful.
one of the best music tour documentaries that i have seen
Charles Son 2 years ago

thank you!
Mark Spencer 2 years ago

Beautiful images and nicely edited
Hungry Eye 2 years ago

Beautiful production all around. A great short on a great performer.
Joseph Lindsay 2 years ago

Awesome!
Eric Cathcart - Event Producer 2 years ago

Brilliant.
Martin Anderson 2 years ago

I have a canon 500D, the only problem i have is with the setting in the shooting mode, everything turns into automatic, the biggest problem with that is the ISO, with low light ambient the iso turns on to 1600, which I think you are familiar with, brings a lot of noises.. I can barely disable that and i have no control on the diaphragm and the aperture.. Does 7D offer you manual setting on shooting mode?
Charles Son 2 years ago

Martin, I haven't shot with the 500D. The 7D does indeed have complete manual control, which you really need for video. You could probably live with having auto ISO (can always remove noise in post), but that's a shame if you can't control aperture and shutter speed. Just hope that Canon will release a firmware for manual control on their other cameras!
Martin Anderson 2 years ago

Thank you for the reply, its good to know that 7D comes with manual control, about that I have been discussing that with a friend, and he made a point, if Canon releases new firmware for that, then how are they gonna make money with the upcoming products, if they are giving you everything in just one camera? lol obviously 500D is a lot cheaper than 7D, of course in future you will find a new camera that 7D doesnt have.. Thats the business trick there...
Charles Son 2 years ago

damn technology... they really need to stop innovating so we don't have buyer's remorse
Jon Rawlinson 2 years ago

Lovely piece.

I really enjoyed it.

Great work!
Michael Brown 2 years ago

That looks really great! And a joy to watch in terms of content and editing too!
Marvin Mohr 2 years ago

realy nice doc. I like the colors and good idea to use the neat video plugin- i love it :-) Fanatstic focussplay with the mirror.
ÅndersonCentral 2 years ago

Very well done and great subject matter...
Matthew Dringenberg 2 years ago

Dude this was an awesome video, I love Mat Kearney, I listen to his albums for hours and go driving. So Jealous that you got to be there for the tour with him.

Great job on the video the interview was in a great location, and the b-roll is great. Thanks for letting the fans in on this great story, makes me feel connected.
Charles Son 2 years ago

wow thank you! so glad fans and people who have never heard of him are connecting with him. we were only there for the los angeles show so don't be too jealous! thankfully it was the last stop, so he was feeling reflective...
Dave & Charlotte 2 years ago

Sweet... can't wait to get my hands on a 7D or 1DMKIV!!! Sick.
Charles Son 2 years ago

do it! although the 7D is $2300 cheaper.... wonder how many great lenses you could buy with that! but if you got the money, I hear the 1D is amazing and not as much worrying about the rolling shutter
David Merfield 2 years ago

Spectacularly shot, but my god those guys had egos. Still, they're rockstars, what was I expecting.

Beautiful treatment though.
Bellographix 2 years ago

Egos? Really? I am used to be around musicians, I think these guys are just playing the part.
DELUXE 2 years ago

Realy love it, very good job !!!
Scott Gold 2 years ago

Loved it, looks great! Well done.
videos 2 years ago

hugely enjoyable.
singer is v. good
Two Brothers Films 2 years ago

Love it! Amazing clip.
Karl Soehnlein 2 years ago

Great work - this is fun to watch.
James Starlin 2 years ago

Man the audio is real good! I think this is the first 7D footage I've seen with audio. What kind of mic are you using and man how do you even put a mic on an SLR haha?
Charles Son 2 years ago

Thanks. You can't feed a mic into a DSLR with good results because of the Auto Gain Control. You need to have a separate system to control the levels then sync it up in post
Morten Engelien 2 years ago

best i've seen in vimeo for a long time! This was brilliant!
bob lorrimer 2 years ago

Really excellent end-of-tour coverage.

I have a 7d ...your film is now my low-light tutorial.

Thanks for the 'neat video' tip I will look into that now.
Charles Son 2 years ago

thanks bob! neat video is great, fast, and really easy to use... but usually it's TOO GOOD at removing noise. you gotta back off to 5-10% removal so you keep the sharpness.
Edgar Cobo 2 years ago

Wonderfully filmed and edited, love the tilt shift takes and the way you use it. Very touching doc, and the singer has a especial voice!!. A clear case of how a video can make a band world famous!!! Good work!!!!
BLOG Á DOX 2 years ago

can you recommend one of the lenses that you believe is necessary to create this fantastic looking picture? could you have done so with only one lens?
Charles Son 2 years ago

i really liked all the lenses i used, but if i HAD to pick one i would go with the Sigma 30mm 1.4. i used it the most out of all of them, including the roof, the dressing room, and when he's watching the lighting design. it's a great focal length for hand-held work and cheap for a semi-wide 1.4 lens.
Kevin Thio 2 years ago

fantastic!
Dave Dugdale 2 years ago

Well done and I liked the music too!
Adel 2 years ago

Brilliant!!
BLOG Á DOX 2 years ago

ok, thanks man. keep up the good work :)
Harris Publishing 2 years ago

Beautiful.
Lyuben Todorov 2 years ago

Superb. I like. Keep on this way.
jason gatewood 2 years ago

Tottally the kind of mini music documentary I want to try and do. Truly inspiring piece of work for filmers as well as mucisians.
Charles Son 2 years ago

thanks jason!
Osmany Tavares Barbosa 2 years ago

Nice stuff, really.
LensFlare Films 2 years ago

Very well done. Just a quick question. How did you capture the audio from the LAVs? Did you send it to the camera or captured it on a third device?

thanks in advance.

Pouyan
Charles Son 2 years ago

Hey Pouyan, we avoided the AGC of the 7D and fed it into a third device. But since we didn't have a pro audio system, we used a Panasonic HVX-200 for the XLR inputs.
Ross Chapman 2 years ago

Hey Charles - you recommend the Sigma 30mm 1.4 as a general lens. Would you further recommend that over the kit lens? (EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens)

Great video, watching it over and over and over again!
Charles Son 2 years ago

Thank you Ross... glad it's got some legs! I wouldn't want the 18-135mm because of the variable aperture (although I hear IS mode is great for long shots). I've been avoiding buying a long range zoom because I haven't read anything definitive on which lenses are parfocal, which is very important if I'm zooming for video. Supposedly L series lenses are, but who knows.

I like the Sigma for the price, but I'd love to have the Canon 24 1.4 or the 35 1.4. Instead I saved the money so I could buy things like my brand new Zacuto Z-Finder! But if you're on a budget, the 18-135 might be better to have than just a single prime...
Ross Chapman 2 years ago

Thanks Charles. Kit, then Sigma! thanks, Ross
Jason Koontz 2 years ago

great job capturing the energy and emotion of the tour! i think the film really goes a long way to make fans appreciate this band. the images you captured added just a bit as well :)
Nick Bibbo 2 years ago

Wow! This was great!
Bellographix 2 years ago

Man, this is pure art! I loved every second of it. Indredible editing, great docu work, great story telling. I can honestly say that this is one of the best things I've seen and has inspired me to keep going. Thanks so much!
Charles Son 2 years ago

Thank you Diego. A very inspiring comment!!
7DPRO.COM 2 years ago

Love it man! wicked
Siberg 2 years ago

Beautiful. Fresh. Engaging.

I'm considering a 7D to follow my wife around on tour. Firstly because of the gorgeous look you've demonstrated and secondly to condense my current kit - Canon XHA1 (video) and 350D (stills).

My big concern is audio. Have you tried running an XLR adaptor like a Beachtek into your 7D?

Keep up the cracking good work Charles!
Clair Pruett 2 years ago

Just use a Zoom H4N and sync it up in post using pluraleyes
Charles Son 2 years ago

Thanks Simon. Haven't tried to use a XLR adapter because of the auto gain control of the 7D, which can sound decent in some situations but could be terrible in others. Clair's suggestion seems to be the most popular out there for small 7D crews or one-man armies. I haven't had the chance to use the h4n or the plug-in, but I'm planning to. Right after I buy that 70-200L....
Marty Nowak 2 years ago

Im curious, will the Tokina work on the canon 5D mark II?
Charles Son 2 years ago

Technically it will but it's meant for an APS-C sized sensor, so on a full frame camera like the 5D you'll have a giant black border. If you zoom in all the way to 16mm, it's gone but then you're basically left with a bulky "prime" lens.
David J McCrea 2 years ago

fab! typography really fitted, lovely atmospheric shots on the roof and with the stage lighting. all round rather captivating! :)
J.D. Remington 2 years ago

That was fantastic!
Eric Fritsch 2 years ago

great job on this one very well shot and edited. love the depth shots.
Miguel Martinez 2 years ago

Wow this is an awsome video guys. You are all truely talented in front and behind the camera!
Michael Scherr 2 years ago

Really great footage!
That's what vimeo is made for!!!

Congrats!

What about a little moving during shots?
Take a wide lens and use something like merlin for steadycam...

Then You will get 10/10 ;-)

Michael
Mike Panganiban 2 years ago

Lovely edit Charles...Kept my interest through the whole way.
Jim McKenzie 2 years ago

Good Stuff!!! The footage is amazing but your storytelling ability is even better.
Charles Son 2 years ago

Thank you!
Matt Grover 2 years ago

*Really* nicely shot and put together! Well done!
Kyle Kondas 2 years ago

Really nice piece. You have some really great shots in there. It's something that I would definitely like to show the students in my video class.
Charles Son 2 years ago

Thanks... and definitely show it anywhere you'd like!
Make Some Tea 2 years ago

Everything about this piece is perfect
Adam Funk 2 years ago

Well edited, well shot, good music (although I hadn't heard him before, as far as I know), and great all around. Did you use some kind of monitor while shooting this, out of curiosity? The focus was perfect.

So I'm thinking about buying a 7D when I get the money to get it and a lens or two.... (either that or a car, but a car will keep costing me money), and I've been checking out the 7D stuff on Vimeo.... really excellent.
Also, would you recommend the 7D?
Charles Son 2 years ago

I would definitely recommend the 7D. Although, like the car, it might keep costing you money because you'll want to keep buying lenses!

I only used the LCD on the back of the camera to pull focus... no external monitor. It took extreme concentration not to screw it up! Thankfully, it was in dark environments, so the LCD worked well. It would've been much harder during the day to see past the sun's glare... Thank you for noticing!
Ian Kalmbaugh 2 years ago

Great work, Charles!!! You captured some really interesting and unique moments with Mat. My favorite is the mirror shot at 1:45.
Charles Son 2 years ago

Thanks Ian! Hopefully we cross paths again soon... Happy holidays!!
Brad Shutack 1 year ago

I was just going to mention this! That conversation was so much better because this haha. good job man