ikan News Blog

So… it’s inevitable that at some point in a videography career, one will end up doing a complete shoot by themselves.  Camera, lighting and audio, all inclusive.  Now, for most, the goal becomes to condense the kit down to something manageable, while still having the necessary pieces for a production.

Of course, everyone’s going to have variations and their own preferences… it would actually be pretty cool to see many of those listed here, in the comments section.

But, having my own preferences, I decided to post the primary load-out I use when shooting with my Canon 7D.  The kits vary by camera, but this is a nice, compact solution for a variety of shoots.

Camera Kit

• ikan Explorer bag – carries the full camera kit for a DSLR, even a smaller camcorder, like a Canon XA10 or the XF100/105
• Six ikan LP-E6 compatible batteries
• Two Canon LP-E6 batteries
• Two Canon LC-E6 chargers
• DFocus V3, with JAG35 DSLR baseplate and tripod mount
• extra focus gears
• focus whip – 15-inches (ebay variety)
• speed crank (ebay variety)
• Pelican 0940 CF Card Case
• Hoodman 16GB CF Cards
• Contax 50mm F/1.4  EF lens
• Tamron 17-50mm F/2.8  EF lens
• Canon 7D Body
• ikan VL7 monitor with LP-E6 battery plate

Lighting & Grip

• One ikan ID-1000 – Great key light and small form factor
• Two ikan ID-500′s – Solid for interviews, scene lighting, etc; great form factor
• One ikan Multi-K – great accent or fill light
• One ikan ILED 144 – another great accent or fill light
• Three ikan light stands – sturdier than the ID-500 kits; lightweight and solid
• Hard Plastic Foot Locker – Perfect fit for the three lighting units, gel rolls, small box of black wrap, power adaptors/cables, and bag of C-47′s
• Three Cinebags Gel Rolls –  One each of Blue (Diffusion), Green (Party Gels) and Orange (Color Correction) and assorted gels
• One Box of Black Wrap – A must have
• Two Carabiner Bungies – One carries Gaffer’s tape (2 x 2-inch Black, 1 x 1-inch White, 1 x 1-inch Pink, 1 x 1-inch Yellow) and the other carries A-Clamps in the 2-inch and 1-inch sizes (available at Home Depot).  The link is to the Pony brand, but the house brand is less than half the price.
• Two Pencil bags filled with C-47′s
• One small pouch with mini Spring Clamps
• Two Avenger C-Stands with 40″ boom arms
• Three 25 ft. stingers
• Three 3-plug cube-taps

Additional Accessories

• Small Service Cart – perfect for loading down with the gear; fits through any doorway and in the back of most mid-sized SUV’s; wheels can also be customized and changed out if need be
• Tool Bag – gloves, flashlight, multi-tool, basic electrical kit, various other tools
• Plastic Tote – additional accessories (boom pole holder, extra black wrap, Kimwipes, plug adaptor kit)

As promised last week, I am serving up a few more BTS pictures of the music video shoot from the third week of May.  And as with last week’s tip of the week, this one centers on some of the gear we used for the shoot.

Now, I am sure that there are a great many folks who will read this article and will feel that tungsten lamps or HMI should be a go-to choice rather than LED.  And in some cases, I would tend to agree.

However, having both tungsten and HMI instruments as part of our lighting package, I still found that we continually pulled out the ikan ID-1000 lighting units.  We had two on the shoot and to

be honest, the only reason we had those units was because the ID-500 (which I had requested) were impossible to lay hands on.  ikan cannot keep those units in stock for anything.  The units are just too popular!  But as the time for the shoot drew nearer, I went ahead and opted for the larger units, figuring we could always dim them down or decrease the number of active banks.  Even diffusion was a possibility.

And it ended up being a perfect solution for our needs.  The ID-1000′s had just enough punch (even in daylight situations) to provide the necessary fill for several key scenes.  However, I also could tell you that having three of them would probably not have been necessary.  After all, we had tungsten 1K’s and a 1200 watt HMI on standby.  And that brings me to the purpose of this week’s column… building your own custom LED lighting kit.

Now, this is definitely not a standard tip of the week… it’s not a neat little piece of tech to utilize our products, but rather a helpful nudge to tell you to contact ikan’s second-to-none customer service & sales dept with your own custom requirements.

Sure, ikan has pre-assembled kits listed in dealer networks and the website, but who’s to say that’s all you can purchase?

Why not look through the catalogue of offerings from ikan’s LED line and pick and choose the instruments that most fit your shooting situation?

For me, I found that packing 2 x ID-1000′s and 2 x ID-500‘s, plus a Multi-K and an ILED-144 would give me the perfect mixture of sizes to have in a small grab and go kit.  But who’s to say yours needs to be anything like this?

Why not call Lindsay or Daniel or Ryan at the ikan office and ask about purchasing 1 x ID-500 and two ILED-312 units, which would be a highly effective run n gun kit.  Throw a pro battery plate on the back of the ID-500 and you’re ready to go, completely wireless!

Or, you could go for the full enchilada and order 3 each of the ID-1000, the ID-500 and the ILED 312, which would provide you with every possible combination of LED lighting unit you could ever hope for?

In reality, your specific production needs can be met perfectly by spending less than an hour perusing the ikan website and then calling the office at 713-272-8822 to ask a few simple questions.

So, what are you waiting for?  Your perfect kit awaits!

This week, country came home for me when I DP’ed the first music video for a new country singer, Neil Austin Imber. Today we wrapped shooting after a very brief two day shoot that incorporated a ‘General Lee’ replica (remade as a souped up big-wheeler), a brief stop at the Firehouse Saloon in Houston, TX and a leisurely stay in LaGrange, TX.

It was a smaller production, with a crew of 5, so staying lightweight and affordable in the gear we carried was high on the priority list.  For instance, the largest lighting unit we went in with was an Arri 1.2K HMI, which actually didn’t get brought out after all.

That being said, ikan gear was definitely present on the shoot, with monitors, lights and Elements pieces all in use.  In the coming weeks, I will touch on one or two of the pieces we used, but in this week’s tip, I wanted to focus on a single, specific piece in the arsenal… the ILED 144.  This little light ended up being a life-saver in a variety of situations.  Inside a vehicle, in a dark corner of a room, outside under an overhang… the brightness, combined with the size and the long-lasting battery allowed us to drop the light into a wide variety of situations, always giving just the right amount of light, thanks to the dimmer switch.

In the past, even when working at ikan, I didn’t always use the lights in the field.  Sure, here and there, but during this two day shoot, the iLED 144 must have been brought into play at least a dozen times, if not two dozen.  It’s use had always been a thought, but as we kept moving, it was far too easy to snag it, tweak the dimming knob, adjust the color temperature and position it for a quick shot.

Whenever the music video itself goes live, I will make sure and post it here, but I did want to spotlight three key spots when it was vital to our success.

1) Lighting the Interior of a Vehicle: Almost every vehicle had one of these inside to help brighten certain angles.  We carried a Manfrotto Metal Flex Arm and several Super Clamps, but actually consistently just used it handheld to execute the shots.  At a couple of points, the talent even held it in place.

2) Providing Fill for Talent’s Faces: Coffee shop, car wash scene and more… the ILED 144 got held in place for several key close-ups, providing a tiny extra kick.

3) BTS Flashlight:  A quick turn away from a scene and a level could be read or a key found.  Why break out the mini mag-lite?

More later, but make sure and check out the ILED 144 and it’s big brother, the ILED-312!

Everyone loves a ‘Top 10′ list, right?  Well, let’s throw just one more onto the pile, with our listing of the Top 10 Pro Video Resources available to professional content creators, right now.  These are all resources that I have personally used or have had several trusted people recommend to me.

So, without any further ado, let’s move right into the list!

1) NoFilmSchool.com – So, what makes this blog stand out from the rest?  More than just a news aggregator, this blog provides whole sections devoted to subjects like DSLR Cinematography (actually, an entire E-Book exists for this one) and How to Build a Hackintosh.  In addition, the blog provides other articles regarding subjects as varied (and valuable) as Time Tracking for Creatives all the way to Tips for Building Buzz for a Web Series.  Each article is meticulously researched and written clearly and concisely.  It goes without saying that the value of many of these subjects can not only be of a monetary nature, but can alter the strategic direction of your content creation business and multiply your output/profits. I had the opportunity to have drinks with Ryan Koo, the primary writer behind NoFilmSchool and it was enlightening, to say the least.  To sum it up, I would equate him to the Tim Ferriss of the filmmaking set… someone who clearly and easily shares the results of his own experimentation in (creative professional) lifestyle design.  Not a blog to be missed.

2) “Making Videos for Money” by Barry Hampe – A solid collection of tips for the burgeoning video maker.  Of course, it just scratches the surface, so more reading from other business-minded books is required, but it’s a solid start.

3) Cheesycam.com – Who likes saving money on video gear?  Emilio and his crew post a wide variety of DIY tactics regarding DSLR videography and more.  His links generally include some of the most affordable tools on the market. Not for the faint of heart!

4) NextWaveDV.com – Reviews, Tutorials and more make this a solid video blog for the growing video maker.  I’ve benefited greatly from the variety of resources there and with the new focus on covering trade shows and spotlighting the latest gear, I have been more than impressed with Tony and Sean’s striving for excellence in the content they put out there.

5) VideoCopilot.com – Tutorials and Plug-Ins for the After Effects video artist.  Almost everybody has heard of this site by this point, but it doesn’t hurt to mention it.

6)

The Elements from ikan.

For many, they signify a series of kits that are made up of various parts from a larger ikan catalog, not really meant to be considered as individual parts, but rather as kits to choose from.

Coming out of a production background in which customizing your rig to suit your exact needs is a way of life, the Elements have appealed to me for quite some time.  With their continued evolution, the ability to mix and match parts is invaluable for one seeking a their own ‘perfect rig.’

As I continued to build up my own rig, I found myself needing a few parts that I could not find anywhere else, at a budget range to quality ratio that made me comfortable.  Of course, one can always spend $400 a find a beautiful bracket for their needs, but who wants to spend that much just to attach a piece to 15mm rods?  Instead, I found the following solution to be extremely helpful:

Taking an ikan Quick Release Rod Adaptor (ELE-15QRA) and attaching a standard ikan Cheeseplate (ELE-PT) gave me a stable, quickly removeable platform for an accessory I had purchased a while back, but not yet found a way – to my liking – to attach to my rig.  My Sewell-Direct HDMI Splitter and the small custom battery pack ($1.95 at an electronic parts outlet in town) mounted via Velcro tabs fit nicely to the Cheesplate.  Popping off the top of the Sewell splitter and inserting two rivets through the body was no problem and within minutes, the HDMI splitter itself was permanently fastened to the Cheeseplate.  This gave me a flexible piece that could securely lock onto my rod system, but still be removed with minimal fuss, if need be.

This “accessory platform” can be underslung as well, providing for multiple ones to take up less space, if need be.  This is especially useful for those using on-board audio solutions.  A wireless lav or H4n Zoom can be attached and ride up top while an HDMI splitter or other accessory rides below.

This solution seems to be pretty solid.  The dual outlets of the Splitter have some overlap on their side, to allow me to fasten down each connection, hopefully preventing any snags or jerks that could hurt the outputs on the splitter.

All in all, the Elements accessory platform, with HDMI splitter, seems to be pretty solid.  I am looking forward to testing it out on a shoot next week, and that should – hopefully – provide some notes.  My own application aside, there are a lot of possibilities with the Elements line, apart from the standard kits.  In my eyes, the growing collection of kits are just a starting point… a springboard, if you will.  From there, the  various combo’s one can create are literally endless.

Maybe you’ve had a chance to hear the rumors==the answer is YES! ikan now has a fixed gear Follow Focus for your cinema rig. We are now accepting pre-orders.

Our Press Release, thanks to Brian Upchurch, follows:

New Product Announcement: ELE-FGK

Get Focused

Introducing the highest quality geared follow focus in its class. ikan’s FG Follow Focus offers precision machined aluminum construction, light weight design, beveled dry erase marking disk, and is compatible with all ikan Elements kits and/or any 15mm rod-based camera support system. Driven by a 2” diameter control wheel, the FG Follow Focus features low backlash and is compatible with standard film pitch gearing of .8 MOD supported by a 2.3” diameter focus gear. The horizontal adjustment feature accommodates a wide range of DSLR lens diameters and is complimented by a focus mark indicator and lockable focus control.

Reaching Out

The included 17″ FG Follow Focus Whip features vinyl covering and a crank stability grip for smooth control. Utilizing ikan’s compact square connector, the FG Whip provides leverage over distance and smoother focus pulls all around.

Crank It Up

Our 2.3” FG Follow Focus Crank Knob provides rapid focus, allowing you to move from focus mark to focus mark at a high rate of speed.  Fitted with ikan’s compact square connector, The FG Crank Knob offers fast and accurate control.

Get It In Gear

Also in the box is a pair of 2.5” to 4.25” diameter adjustable zip lens gears. Complete with two no scuff, non-slip lens gear liners; your DSLR lens is protected and ready to pull focus.

FG Follow Focus Cine-Kit Includes:

• FG Follow Focus
• 17” FG Follow Focus Whip
• 2.3” FG Follow Focus Crank Knob
• 2.5” to 4.25” Diameter Adjustable Zip Lens Gears (2)
• No scuff, Non-slip Lens Gear Liners (2)

For information and images, please visit:

ELE-FGK

Watch Cinema5D’s Jared Abrams review ikan’s FG Follow Focus Cine-Kit.

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For Additional Information, please contact:
Brian Upchurch
713-272-8822
brian@ikancorp.com

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