How to Digitally Remove an Object From Your Shot

So you've shot your movie. You have the wrap party, recover the next day and then open your footage in your editing platform of choice...then your heart sinks. There's something wrong with your scene that amazingly NONE of the crew on set noticed. Either it's something in the shot that SHOULDN'T be there (a misplaced prop, one of the crew members' water bottles, somebody's reflection in a window) or it's something missing that SHOULD be there (a sign that appeared in one shot but not another, a disappearing prop). These are called "goofs" and cinema is laden with them. Seriously, you'd be surprised just how many of them pop up even in multi-million dollar movies and how obvious they seem once pointed out. Don't believe me? Here's a short list of 10 big ones you probably never noticed.

But once they're baked into your shot, what do you do to fix them? Options are either to reshoot, edit around it or get a magician to make the mistake go POOF! Luckily, some mistakes are easier to fix than others.

Here is one example for you to see: A PSA for Bike Safety that shows a cyclist running through a stop sign. The producer contacted me and asked how difficult it would be to remove the stop sign so the shot would be usable. This video is the answer.

This PSA was produced by the folks at Synndicus.

Why I Refuse To Upgrade My Canon 60D

This may be a bit ranty but I feel the need to express the feelings I have towards this incessant need for filmmakers to continuously crave the "best-of-the-best" cameras for their next project. And this will also justify my complete comfort in still using a Canon 60D (a cropped sensor model DSLR that was released a few years ago) as my go-to camera. When RED launched their camera it was all anybody could talk about. There were filmmakers were little experience and also clients with zero knowledge who were insisting that to shoot on anything but a RED camera was not only foolish, it automatically meant your movie was not going to be the best it could be.

My Mom Bought Me A Red

The same effect was seen when DSLRs hit the scene, especially (and still to this day) with the Canon 5D Mk II or Mk III. When I arrived on set for a shoot recently with my 60D in hand, the other shooters who were armed with their 5D MkII full-frame cameras looked unimpressed and some even commented on my inability to get a full-frame camera.

If I could somehow post the video without singling out the people involved, I would happily challenge anyone to watch it and try to pick which angle was mine, the lone cropped-sensor camera amongst the full-frame big boys.

The school of thought that everything must be shot on the latest and greatest gear in order for it to be high quality goodness for the eyes and ears is ludicrous. Yes, there are amazing images captured on the RED, the Blackmagic and the Alexa. But does that mean that you can't shoot your picture on an inexpensive camera?

Ryan Connolly and the boys over at Film Riot proved this way of thinking wrong with a short film called Operation.

This tense short film was shot on an iPhone 4S. You can see how they achieved this from their BTS making-of video. The point of this example is that they pulled a high quality short film out of a smartphone.

Even on most features shot on RED it's not uncommon to see pick-up shots and second unit camera work being done with a DSLR (even a Rebel T2i, like a previous project I worked on). And it's very difficult to tell the difference between the two.

Long story short, when trying to choose a camera for your film it's not always smart to only settle for a high-end, Peter Jackson-level camera when you could just as easily be shooting with something more accessible. The focus shouldn't always be on the tool, rather than the artist wielding the tool. There are amazing movies shot on small cameras (smartphones, crop sensor DSLRs) and there are also really crappy movies shot on big cameras (RED, BM, Alexa). Whether you choose one over the other will not determine the outcome of your shoot. Only how you use it.

Will I shoot every project on my Canon 60D forever? Of course not. It is still important to keep up with technology as much as it is to stay well-practiced on technique. But only when the time is right and the wallet will allow.

Two CHEAP Tools That Every Cinematographer Should Have

Rarely do I impulse buy new toys for myself but I just couldn't resist with these two. Because they are both incredibly cheap AND looked to be very fun to play with. The Røde smartLav ($59.99, depending where you shop) and the KICK light from Rift Labs ($179) are two amazing tools that every shooter should have in their arsenal.

As videographers we all have to shoot talking heads every once in a while (interviews, not the band) and the ideal way to capture crisp audio for them is with a wireless lav. Decent mics can be mighty expensive to buy and renting all the time can be a hassle. Røde has created an inexpensive solution: a wireless lav that you plug into your iPhone or iPad that records quality audio.

You can use whatever audio recording program you like, but there are two Røde apps in the iTunes store (a free version and a Pro version for $5.99) that they recommend you use. Having just installed it I'm still getting familiar with it and have yet to try it out in the wild. When I do, I'll share the results. One downside that I see to this device is that you cannot monitor the audio as you're recording. So if you're ever using it for a VERY important interview you might be sweating bullets praying to god that it is capturing clean audio.

By far the coolest gadget here is the KICK light which is a deceptively small-yet-powerful LED light from Rift Labs. It is controlled through your iPhone via a free app that allows you to adjust the intensity, colour and behavior of the light remotely. This little sucker is powerful and versatile. It can be used even as a fill light for a fairly large scene. I used it the other day on set and will be asking for footage so that I can share the results.