Here it is. A whole new, similar look. The blog that is. Thoughts? Criticisms? Concerns?
Love,
Chicano Lawyer
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This past weekend, my friend Miguel got married. And I had the challenge of shooting, editing and projecting it before the cake was cut.
I’ve done this before, but with help. Miguel’s wedding was my first time doing everything on my own using only a GH2. Overall, it could have been much easier. The problem, a stale cookie.
While at my friend Dave’s house, I ate a cracker in his kitchen. Unbeknownst to me, this cracker was over two years old since expired. As soon as I finished the cracker, I immediately realized something was wrong. It tasted like death. Vomit, right? I tried. I couldn’t. I then turned to Tequila. Three glasses of it.
So now my upset stomach is gone, but my ability to shoot a wedding on my own after three tequilas seemed like a bad idea. Many things would probably go wrong.
Ultimately, I managed. Although sweaty, smelly and tired, I showed the video during the reception.
Anyway, here’s the final product.
Love,
Chicano Lawyer
Hello readers,
Today I made the mistake of barefoot running to the Festival of Books at USC. The problem? Bricks get hot. My feet sizzled. Smelled good though. Like Tandoori Chicken.
Anyway, I haven’t posted in awhile because I’ve been doing all kinds of stuff.
Mostly, I’ve been writing my next script and dealing with questions of narrative structure and comprehension. I’m experimenting with a more fractured narrative structure; one which forces the viewer to actively participate in the structure and comprehension of the unfolding narrative. I played with this idea in my first feature film, “Hustlas,” but it was executed in such a half-assed way that no real lessons were learned. Anyway, I’ve posted that film on Youtube for anyone who wants to frustrate themselves for wasting 90 minutes of their lives.
I also posted my last completed film, “Life Sucker,” for any interested viewers. I love this film. It’s basically my love letter to Takeshi Kitano, hands down one of my favorite filmmakers.
I’ve also been overseeing the editing of my third feature, “Suite 101.” The rough cut is about 97 minutes and it’s still not completed. This is good, since I’ll be able to cut a lot out.
I also put together a wedding video for my big brother, Jorge. It was his wedding present.
As to my obsessions with technology, a lot of new stuff has been coming out that simply amazes me.
First, there’s Adobe’s CS5.5. It will be released in a few weeks and the advances in shot stabilization will destroy the necessity for Steadicam operators. CS5.5 will basically take your shaky hand-held footage and automatically stabilize the shot to make it look like a dolly track shot.
Second, Apple announced Final Cut Pro X. It basically will do everything except go to the bathroom for you. And it will only cost $299. What?
Third, I’ve been learning Lightworks. They came out with an update that really improves this open-source editing program. Check it out if you want to start learning how to edit video. The program is completely free and very powerful. It’s the same program most of Martin Scorsese’s films have been edited in. What?
Fourth, Technicolor has released their 100% FREE Cinestyle picture profile. If you have a Canon HDSLR Camera, download the picture profile. It basically lets you completely fuck up a shot, in terms of exposure, and allows you to correct it in post. Specifically, it’s a file that you upload to you Canon and it alters the camera’s sensor to capture color and light by an S-curve instead of a linear curve. This means you can recover details and color in the really dark areas of a shot as well as in very bright areas. And it does this with very little digital noise. Awesome, right?
Anyway, back to the screenplay.
Love,
Chicano Lawyer
My big brother got himself married to a beautiful woman. After begging and pleading, they allowed me to video the wedding.
I’m still editing the footage. Shot way too much. But I also photographed a little.
The following photos were shot with abolutely no flash and in near darkness. I love the 1D Mark IV. It makes me look talented.
The picture above was at 6400 ISO. What? That is stupid high. No flash. No light. Just a 50mm 1.4 EF prime lens.
Here’s my brother and his wife. Again no flash, natural low light and my 50mm prime lens.
Albie at Jorge's wedding.
Above is my lovely lady. Here I used the 28mm f1.8 prime lens.
Above is my brother after the dollar dance. According to my woman, this is not a normal wedding thing. I guess it’s a Mexican thing. Now I know.
Here’s the old man, Leo. I love this guy.
That’s pretty much it for now. Just a little show n’ tell. Now, wake up! Get back to work.
Love,
Chicano Lawyer
This past weekend I was fortunate enough to photograph and film the baptism of my good friend Sherif’s son, Ramsey. Since I haven’t been to a baptism since my own, I jumped at the chance.
Preparing for it, I knew I would get no second takes. It would be totally up to me to catch all the moments that people expect at a baptism. Also, I wanted to pack as light as possible. Thus, I took three lenses only. The Canon EF 70-200mm IS f2.8, the Tokina 28-70mm f2.8 and the Sigma 17-35mm 2.8-3.5.
Overall, I was reminded how much I love the 70-200mm lens. It is the holy grail. It is worth every penny I overpaid for it. The Tokina also is great. Not as sharp as the 70-200mm, but still very versatile.
As for the Sigma 17-35mm, it is a mixed blessing of a lens. I love the ability of getting a 17mm wide angle shot, but it took several attempts to get it sharp and in focus. It definitely is a lens for wide angle wild life. Not Coptic Baptisms.
Above is Ramsey and my friend’s father.
And below is Ramsey and her happy mom.
Here’s another shot of Ramsey.
And here’s the Kodak moment. Well, actually considering Kodak’s recent declining market share, here’s the Nikon moment? Or Canon moment? Sony? Anyway, look how happy everyone looks. You wouldn’t guess, a few minutes ago Ramsey wailed to previously impossible sonic levels. It was loud.
Here’s a wider shot with the Coptic priest.
And finally, the proud father.
Love,
Chicano Lawyer
I went a little After Effects crazy on this video. I basically added an explosion and camera shake whenever I felt like it. Some look good, most look cheesy.
Mmmm. Cheese.
Anyway, I shot this while riding my KTM LC4 620 Enduro. I wore a cheap $20 ebay shoulder mount to hold my camera while shifting. I used my Panasonic GH2 with a Pentax 25mm f1.4 lens.
The ISO was at 3200 the whole time. The lens is a manual lens so I basically had to ride and focus at the same time. Good times.
So watch it. Enjoy.
Love,
Chicano Lawyer
Presenting Zack Gemmell’s “Waiting”!
Alexandra and I both shot this after Zack finished helping me remodel my upstairs unit. Thus, cinema vérité music video!
So for Zack’s video Alexandra shot on the Canon1D Mark IV. I shot on the GH2. Can you tell the difference?
Anyway, enjoy.
Love,
Chicano Lawyer
Happy New Year!
I know, I know, “Where have you been?” Or not.
Anyway, I haven’t posted because I’ve been resurfacing a hardwood floor. It’s much more work than it sounds like. I never knew my buggers could be so white – filled with sawdust.
Anyway, here’s the video my woman and I shot for the Doritos Superbowl commercial. South Central Matt and Wayne Byrd also helped. We used the GH1 Hack and the Canon 1D Mark IV. Wayne used the 1D. Alexandra used the GH1.
Can you tell which camera shot what?
Anyway, enjoy.
Love,
Chicano Lawyer
I finally received my new GH2 camera and it is amazing.
In terms of image quality, it’s on par with the GH1 Hack in normally lit situations. But in low-light situations, the GH2 shines. I shot the video below at 3200 ISO just to see how far I can push the GH2′s sensor. I used my Pentax 25mm f/1.4 and my Rokkor 58mm f/1.4 lens.
Notice the lack of digital noise in the image. And that’s at 3200 ISO. What? Although it doesn’t shoot 4:2:2 like my GH1 hack, and it doesn’t shoot pictures like my 1D Mark IV, I’m definitely considering getting rid of one of those cameras.
The video is of my childhood friend, Eddie, who asked me to shoot him eating a pig nose. It disgusts, nauseates and disturbs all in a matter of minutes. It’s the first time I shot something that keeps making me sick with every viewing.
Anyway, enjoy and watch at your own risk. If you vomit, you have only yourself to blame.
Love,
Chicano Lawyer
So this past weekend, I shot some great Mexican food at Teresita’s Restaurant.
Teresita’s is located at 3826 East 1St Street, Los Angeles, CA 90063. And if you like Mexican food, you need to check it out. It’s awesome. A friend from my law school days invited me to photograph some of the plates they serve and since I never photographed food before, I jumped at the chance.
I did my research, consisting of Google searches and a conversation with professional photographer and motorcyclist Paul Buck. With that information in my head, I took my gear to Teresita’s.
The day started slowly since I never photographed food. I spent about an hour trying to figure out how to arrange the plates in a natural yet appealing way.
This first plate seemed forced and unmotivated. The coffee breakfast looked great, but arranging them in a straight line wrongly suggested an assembly-line type restaurant.
I eventually figured out that the plates should be surrounded in a circle as if a starving food critic was about to eat for the first time after being rescued from a deserted island. I also cropped most of the areas that didn’t show food.
This helped.
The following are some of the other photographs shot.
The last photograph is of owners Teresita Hernandez and her son, Tony Hernandez.
Now go do yourself a favor. Go to Teresita’s Restaurant and eat like that starving food critic recently rescued from a deserted island.
Love,
Chicano Lawyer
