1 Clip is on the Line

I'm glad I had my camera on me while I was driving through the city the other day.  I thought a shot like this might be useful to some visitors who use my footage for documentary purposes.  The "shoes on a power line" shot is a nice way to depict both rural and urban area adolescent culture.  I also really appreciate having clips in my toolbox that make good use of negative space.  I find it to be very helpful if you need something for an opening sequence, titles, or credits.

In doing some research for this post, I found out the practice of throwing tied shoes over power or telephone lines is referred to as "shoefiti".  The explanation behind why shoes end up on these wires is varied based on region and culture.  The Wikipedia entry is actually a very interesting read. Feel free to check it out here: Shoe Tossing 

You can preview and download the clip by clicking "read more" below.  Happy Downloading!

As always, please e-mail, like us or share this on facebook, tweet, google plus, pinterest or do whatever you can to spread the word about this site. Thanks!

This video was shot using a Sony NEX-FS700

3 Clips are Set to Wave

I managed to get away the other day and head on up to Lake Ontario when I noticed an especially interesting sunset.  I managed to get these few shots while I was there.  I would like to try to start releasing clips in packages which will hopefully help all of you when editing the stories you hope to tell. 

 You can preview and download the clips by clicking "read more" below.  Happy Downloading!

 

As always, please e-mail, like us or share this on facebook, tweet, google plus, pinterest or do whatever you can to spread the word about this site. Thanks!

These videos were shot using the Sony NEX-FS700

2 Clips are Making the Fire Work

So it is with great happiness that I am able to share with you these 2 clips, yet I am also greatly disappointed in myself for the state that their audio is in.  I was in a great position to visually record these fireworks, but I was also 2 feet away from an air conditioner that was working hard to keep a 5 story building cool.  The result was a VERY annoying fan hum throughout the entire show.  The slow motion clips themselves did not record audio because that is not something the FS700 does.

I tried to add some audio effects to the footage, but everything I tried seemed to only fit my own personal taste.  I DID manage to find a really cool site in the process of trying to find sound for these.  It is a site that also offers free media and as far as I'm concerned a place you should visit just as much as you do my blog.  It is from the FinalCutKing himself Zach King and it is called http://sweetsoundeffects.com.  The link will take you directly to his Fireworks Sound Effects package.  I have no doubt that with a little TLC, you can personalize the sound for this footage to your liking.   Please visit, give him some love, follow him on Facebook and subscribe to him on YouTube.

You can preview and download the clips by clicking "read more" below.  Happy Downloading!

 

As always, please e-mail, like us or share this on facebook, tweet, google plus, pinterest or do whatever you can to spread the word about this site. Thanks!

The slow motion video was shot using a Sony NEX-FS700

The real time video was shot using a Canon EOS Rebel T2i and a Sigma 24mm f/1.8 EX DG Lens

4 Clips are as Busy as Bees

I would not suggest filming busy bees with a shallow depth of field for those of you who are not patient.  Because I was trying to capture them at 240fps I needed as much light as possible which meant I needed to keep the iris open, which also meant that I would be operating with a narrow focus distance. 

These little guys were hard at work pollinating my raspberry bushes, which meant that they were happily distracted and not too interested in me.  Let me follow them around for a good amount of time, which is nice because I had to do an insane amount of takes just to have these 4 useable shots. 

My motivation for capturing them was the recent news stories about the dwindling numbers of bees.  Hopefully people doing news stories about them will find them useful.

You can preview and download the clips by clicking "read more" below.  Happy Downloading!

 

As always, please e-mail, like us or share this on facebook, tweet, google plus, pinterest or do whatever you can to spread the word about this site. Thanks!

These videos were shot using the Sony NEX-FS700

1 Clip is For You Cloud Users

Some of you may see this and think to yourself sarcastically "Oh Great, more clouds".  Let me tell you, you WILL have a use for this at some point in your career.  Besides showing the hands of a clock moving, clouds are a great way to illustrate the passing of time.

This clip is a product of me trying out a feature of the Sony FS700 that people may not first care for.  I shot this at 2 fps, which is a little strange since most people will jump to using the slow motion capabilities of the camera.  What is nice vs. my DSLR is I can get an even exposure without shutter variation and the footage is compiled directly in the camera.  I also can shoot FASTER than 1fps which is helpful when I want clouds that are not moving TOO fast.

You can preview and download the clip by clicking "read more" below.  Happy Downloading!

As always, please e-mail, like us or share this on facebook, tweet, google plus, pinterest or do whatever you can to spread the word about this site. Thanks!

This video was shot using a Sony NEX-FS700

1 Free Stock Footage Clip is Driving Hard

Got this great macro shot when I unexpectedly had one of my computer hard drives quit on me.  It would try to spin up but it couldn't read anything.  I decided to open it up and capture it before I disposed of it.  What I love most about this shot is the fact that I lit it using a "flash" app on my Google Nexus 7 which I normally use as a preview monitor with the DSLR controller app.

You can preview and download the clip by clicking "read more" below.  Happy Downloading!

As always, please e-mail, like us or share this on facebook, tweet, google plus, pinterest or do whatever you can to spread the word about this site. Thanks!

These videos were shot using a Canon EOS Rebel T2i and a Sigma 24mm f/1.8 EX DG Lens

Building a Community

Hey everyone,

I just wanted to take a moment and express how happy I am at how this blog has been growing into something more than a stock footage repository/dump.  I want to thank all of you who have commented, asked questions or passed along links or suggestions.  Doing this by myself has been a great challenge and it is encouraging to know there are people out there benefiting  and finding a real world use for my random clips.  If you haven't already, I hope you would consider joining me on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter (just signed up!), or all 3.  This site has grown thanks to your "likes", "subscriptions" and "re-tweets" and my wish is that it keeps evolving past "just a blog" into more of a "creative community".  I look forward to talking and interacting with you.  Please help yourself to the links below and find us on your preferred social media outlet and please, let your friends, students, teachers and colleagues know!

Follow us on Twitter

 

 

Subscribe to us on YouTube

1 Clip is a Little Foggy

This clip was taken early in the morning in a very mountainous area of New York State.  I was actually visiting my extended family, not really looking to get any footage.  The area was beautiful and I only had one 16GB memory card on me that had the Magic Lantern Firmware.  This meant that I only could come home with one time lapse (lesson learned!).  This was, I think my 6th attempt at something.  The previous day, I had captured a couple of cloud formations that I thought were nice.  Each time I deleted the contents of the card to capture something "better".  The next morning I woke to the mountainside covered in fog.  So ... I deleted the previous day's time lapse and took a risk.  While I feel it turned out great considering it was shot off of the front porch of my grandmother-in-law's house, I do feel the deep focal length hurt the shot a bit.  The shot was composed between two foreground pine trees on each side of the lens, a home across the street below and power lines in the foreground above.  This far in, it created much more motion that I had hoped for in the shot considering how the background is not established for long.

You can preview and download the clip by clicking "read more" below.  Happy Downloading!

 

As always, please e-mail, like us or share this on facebook, tweet, google plus, pinterest or do whatever you can to spread the word about this site. Thanks!

This video was shot using a Canon EOS Rebel T2i and a Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM Lens

1 Clips Grass is Greener

I really wanted to get a shot like this.  I had a lot of fun mounting the camera.  With the few mounting arms and adjustable grips that I had, I feel it stayed where it needed to be pretty good, considering the amount of force I needed to apply to push the mower through the lawn (that I unfortunately let get a little too long).  Also, watching this in slow motion I noticed that my yard has a pretty high clover to glass blade ratio.  Not something that I would have observed just stepping on the stuff.

You can preview and download the clip by clicking "read more" below.  Happy Downloading!

As always, please e-mail, like us or share this on facebook, tweet, google plus, pinterest or do whatever you can to spread the word about this site. Thanks!

This video was shot using a Sony NEX-FS700

Dealing with the light flicker while shooting high speed with the Sony NEX-FS700 - My personal experience and simple fix.

In my short time so far with the Sony NEX-FS700, I have been trying to put it through it's technological paces.  A big part of this testing, and a big draw for most people, is the slow motion capabilities. (Full 1080 HD, 240 frames per second in 8'ish second bursts). 

I want to preface this whole article by stating that the "light flicker" is not something that is wrong with the camera.  It is something that naturally occurs with the usage of artificial/studio lighting powered by AC current.  There is a great in-depth explanation about lighting flicker at high speeds at the Abel Cine website in a FAQ about the Phantom High Speed Camera.

1 Clip is Raining Supreme

One of the amazing things about slow motion footage is how beautifully chaotic some of the simplest things are. I caught this during a rainstorm the other day and love the razor thin depth of field which allowed me to focus on a part of one leaf.  It was raining pretty hard, but you are able to only see the select few drops that hit this particular leaf.  You are seeing the rain fall at 240p played back at 30 frames per second.

You can preview and download the clip by clicking "read more" below.  Happy Downloading!

As always, please e-mail, like us or share this on facebook, tweet, google plus, pinterest or do whatever you can to spread the word about this site. Thanks!

This video was shot using a Sony NEX-FS700

1 Clip Leaves Much to the Imagination

So over the next couple of weeks (and who knows maybe longer), you will be fortunate enough to reap the benefits of my acquisition of a Sony NEX-fs700 camera to play around with.  I feel we've time lapsed ourselves out a little huh?  Get ready for some silky smooth slow motion.

I really like this clip.  There is something very strong and chaotic about it, even though it is slow and fluid.  I was impressed at how much detail came through in the leaves even with the strong backlight of the sun.  There are a lot of people out there who use my footage to accent their writing, music and poetry.  I feel this might be appreciated and helpful in this community.

You can preview and download the clip by clicking "read more" below.  Happy Downloading!

As always, please e-mail, like us or share this on facebook, tweet, google plus, pinterest or do whatever you can to spread the word about this site. Thanks!

This video was shot using a Sony NEX-FS700

2 Clips For All Of You 'Weeners

I'm a little late with these (or very early with them?!?!).  I guess if people celebrate Christmas in July, Halloween in May shouldn't be too far off. 

I managed to film these clips around Halloween of last year and haven't really had much time to put them up considering they wouldn't exactly be topical until next October.  I do want the make sure they are up here in plenty of time for this year's holiday so people can have the opportunity to use them.

You have the option of downloading a PhotoJPEG, H.264 or WMV file. I'd also like to go back and update all of the earlier clips and will do so eventually.  Doing so is a very big time commitment for me with the current processing power of my computer.

You can preview and download the clip by clicking "read more" below.  Happy Downloading!

As always, please e-mail, like us or share this on facebook, tweet, google plus, pinterest or do whatever you can to spread the word about this site. Thanks!

These videos were shot using a Canon EOS Rebel T2i and a Sigma 24mm f/1.8 EX DG Lens

1 Clip is Cumulus

I managed to capture this time lapse the other day on my quest to film what I call "Toy Story" clouds.  While I believe I got the right conditions, the interval of 1 second between shots seemed too long considering how fast the clouds were moving.  I plan on taking advantage of Magic Lantern's FPS override feature next time to try to get a much more slower, fluid, dreamy like movement.  The only downside is that I will lose the RAW imaging flexibility I get from doing stills.  We'll have to see how far my ND filters and polarizers can balance things.

You can preview and download the clip by clicking "read more" below.  Happy Downloading!

As always, please e-mail, like us or share this on facebook, tweet, google plus, pinterest or do whatever you can to spread the word about this site. Thanks!

This video was shot using a Canon EOS Rebel T2i and a Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM Lens

2 Clips Are Not Exactly Fast and Not Really Furious

I get excited every time I get another idea on what to shoot and offer.  I love using my Sigma lens because of it's macro ability and fast exposure.  Sure there are Canon lenses that have this similar ability, unfortunately I don't have those ...

These clips were shot after I added a clip category tab at the top of the page for "Buildings and Traffic".  I would like to start expanding on certain topics to give my users a variety of shots to choose from when editing their projects.  Many of you have sent me some really great stuff using the traffic time lapses, and I was trying to think of something that could be easily cut between those to better tell a story. 

To get this shot, I was able wedge my camera in-between the dashboard and the steering wheel.  I have a flexible arm with a clamp that is actually holding the camera to the base of the steering column.  This allowed me to drive safely while shooting.  Because I didn't have access the perfectly level roads, our local expressway added a couple of bumps along the way.  I actually exaggerated the camera shake to give the clip a sense of speed and well as mask the unintentional hits to the shot.  

I grabbed the extra seatbelt clip when I was getting out of my car... something I hope someone can use in something like a safe driving PSA.  It may cut nicely with the emergency response clips I have.


Anyways, as always, I hope these clips are helpful and add a little something to your editing toolbox.  

You have the option of downloading a PhotoJPEG, H.264 or WMV file. I'd also like to go back and update all of the earlier clips and will do so eventually.  Doing so is a very big time commitment for me with the current processing power of my computer.

You can preview and download the clip by clicking "read more" below.  Happy Downloading!

As always, please e-mail, like us or share this on facebook, tweet, google plus, pinterest or do whatever you can to spread the word about this site. Thanks!

These videos were shot using a Canon EOS Rebel T2i and a Sigma 24mm f/1.8 EX DG Lens

1 Clip Watches from the Rooftop

I offer you a time lapse that I shot during a beautifully overcast day.  You can click "Read more" and I will share the interesting process I had to go through to make this clip usable.  This is also available for the first time as a WebM file for those of you repurposing these clips as backgrounds for your websites.

You can preview and download the clip by clicking "read more" below.  Happy Downloading!

 

As always, please e-mail, like us or share this on facebook, tweet, google plus, pinterest or do whatever you can to spread the word about this site. Thanks!

This video was shot using a Canon EOS Rebel T2i and a Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM Lens

1 Clip Casts Its Vote

I made this clip for a friends project.  It gave me a chance to test out After Effects "Write On" effect.  It worked out nicely and I have decided to share it with everyone.  I have included both a "Yes" and a "No" vote. 

I do understand that many of the site's visitors may not use English in their projects.  If you are interested in getting the "Yes" and "No" in a different language, please feel free to let me know in the comments below along with the proper spelling/grammar/usage.  I will do my best to customize it to your language and upload it in a timely manner.

You can preview and download the clip by clicking "read more" below.  Happy Downloading!

 

As always, please e-mail, like us or share this on facebook, tweet, google plus, pinterest or do whatever you can to spread the word about this site. Thanks!

This video was created using Adobe After Effects

1 Clip Lacks Focus

I was playing around in Adobe After Effects again and wanted to find a way of duplicating the wonderful stock background I am using from the blogger template in animated form.  This clip is a from-scratch creation using default CS5.5 tools.   It is simply a tweaked CC Snow effect paired with a Camera Lens Blur and a Colorized Hue/Saturation effect.  10.5 hours of rendering later and Voila!  Hope you like it!

You can preview and download the clip by clicking "read more" below.  Happy Downloading!

 

As always, please e-mail, like us or share this on facebook, tweet, google plus, pinterest or do whatever you can to spread the word about this site. Thanks!

This video was created using Adobe After Effects

1 Clip is My Way On The Highway

Hello All!

Here is the first Time Lapse I feel comfortable releasing created from my modified (CHDK Hacked) Canon Powershot S95.  

So this clip offered is my travels along my local expressways at night.

You can read about my experience as well as preview and download the clip by clicking "read more" below.  Happy Downloading!

 

As always, please e-mail, like us or share this on facebook, tweet, google plus, pinterest or do whatever you can to spread the word about this site. Thanks!

2 Clips are "WALKIN' HERE!!!"

Start spreading the news.....

I was fortunate enough to land myself in New York City a few months ago and managed to bring my camera along.  While performing other duties, I managed to grab a few time lapses that I hope would be helpful to some people.  The first one at dusk is in Manhattan while the second one during the day is across the river in Brooklyn.

As you may know, recently I am pushing the boundaries as far as how many media files I can associate with each clip through Archive.org.  You have the option of downloading a PhotoJPEG, H.264 or WMV file. I'd also like to go back and update all of the earlier clips and will do so eventually.  Doing so is a very big time commitment for me with the current processing power of my computer.

You can preview and download the clip by clicking "read more" below.  Happy Downloading!

As always, please e-mail, like us or share this on facebook, tweet, google plus, pinterest or do whatever you can to spread the word about this site. Thanks!

These videos were shot using a Canon EOS Rebel T2i and a Sigma 24mm f/1.8 EX DG Lens