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Luke writes in and shares this video with a Behind the Scenes look to the recent 'Monsters' movie. Ok so there's mixed reviews on the movie's entire story, but you have to admire what has been made from an almost nothing budget. Take a good look at the gear (or lack of) and you'll find what's looks to be a simple Sony EX-3 working hard on a $24.00 shoulder support and a basic set of rails. This looks pretty much like the two handle setup I'm using with my Gini Rig. Still worried about that cheap shoulder support not holding up? I'm guessing these guys really put it through the paces and seemed happy with the results. A Letus Adapter gives it a bit more depth of field on the Sony prosumer camcorder for that traditional Cinema look. There's also a nice comment towards the end about the importance of audio. All in all it's a pretty cool BTS video that definitely shows even cheap gear can be used for big things. Thanks for sharing and pointing that out Luke.

Here's the official trailer that was released for this movie

Here's that shoulder support again:
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find-price-button Shoulder Support Pad for Video Camcorder Camera DV / DC

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Vimeo is one of my favorite video channels next to Netflix. Both support HD video streams but it's not often I ever saw it on a big screen TV. So for my Netflix convenience and Vimeo addiction, I picked up the Roku XD Streaming Player. You'll find other options like Apple TV and Google TV, but I decided on the Roku mainly because of the price. It's such a tiny unit, it's easy to move it around to different TV sets or even bring over to a friend's house. All the unit requires is an Internet Connection via LAN cable or by connecting with it's built in Wireless (Wireless N supported too). Setting it up took a few minutes as it went through a software update, but nothing difficult or overly techinical. Here's a look at the unit and the steps required to set it up to my Vimeo account.

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The entire Roku player is small, and not far from the size of the included Remote. The remote is basic with no way to program for a television. So you'll still need a seperate remote to control the volume of the videos playing. Although this version supports HDMI, it did not come with an HDMI.

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Different versions of the Roku include only Composite video out and basic Wireless, while higher end models include HDMI outputs and support for Wireless N. This version is the Roku XD that has an HDMI output.

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Wireless Setup was pretty straight forward even with Security enabled on the router.

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You'll need to setup a Roku account to activate the device for streaming video. Same process for Netflix devices.

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The Roku can be setup to adapt for different resolutions and aspect ratios.

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There's a ton of different Internet Channels to keep you entertained, including Facebook Photo Galleries. If you own the Nintendo Wii, there's a market place of Channels you can add to the menu for free - and some you'll need to pay a subscription fee for like Hulu Plus. I have to note though that the included remote needed direct line of sight like other infrared remotes, but even to operate even from a few feet away. The menu does navigate fairly quickly, and channels loaded up in a few seconds when launched.

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Linking to the Vimeo Account is similar to setting up a Netflix Device. Visit Vimeo's special page and enter a passcode from the Device.

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Streaming video depends on the quality of the video you're watching, and bandwidth. Watching Vimeo HD movies was clear on this small screen, and Netflix was also very impressive. With the push for Internet Video channels from GoogleTV and Apple TV times are definitely changing. For film makers who care about the quality of their videos being watched through internet streams, this definitely opens up a whole new perspective.

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find-price-button Roku XD Streaming Player 1080p

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NextWaveDV.com HDSLR 101 Training Videos

Some good people over at NextWaveDV.com have been working hard putting together some very informative training videos around DSLR's titled 'HDSLR 101'. So thanks to them for putting in all the effort in those very well produced videos. Looks like some good stuff, and I requested they give something to offer the good people who read this blog. See how I got your back? I'll let them tell you a bit more about HDSLR 101 with the information from their website below:

[From NextWaveDV.com]
After over 4 months of work, we are excited to announce the launch of HDSLR 101, a complete training guide for people new to DSLR video. Whether you have shot stills for years and are new to video, or have been shooting video for years and have never picked up a DSLR…we will cover all the basics of DSLR video workflow and have you comfortable shooting video on your own HDSLR.

We will be releasing HDSLR 101 every 2 weeks for the next 6 months for a total of 12 episodes and over 2 hours of training.  For those who don’t want to wait that long, they can download the entire HDSLR 101 series on our website for only $19.99.  Not only does this help support our continued training resources, but you will also have access to a special BONUS episode.

And as a thank you to your [Cheesycam.com] readers, we would like to offer a special 20% off discount code valid through This can be used on HDSLR 101 and our NextWave Tracks royalty free music packs.

Discount code: cheesycam
Savings: 20% off any order
Link: https://store.nextwavedv.com
Valid thru: 12/25/2010

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visit-button Express35.com DSLR Shoulder Rigs, Follow Focus, and other Accessories

For anyone who's ever asked me about a good inexpensive starter DSLR rig taken right off the shelf and ready-to-go, I would have to say my first response was 'Express35.com'. Today news dropped in about Express35's new DSLR Shoulder Rig Lite. Ideal for small camera setups like the Canon T2i, Panasonic GH1, GH2 + follow focus. It's a simple combination of important features with high quality parts that make this an excellent rig for light weight camera work. Of course this is also a good starter foundation for later upgrading and adding additional parts - should your gear list grow. Earlier Lite Rig versions from Express35 did not include the more expensive HD Handles (which i'm a big fan of) but is now available in this setup. Check it out here: https://express35.com/category/rigs/.

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OK, the first part of the video is me testing out the Sony SLTA55 and it's Auto Focus and Auto Exposure features. I'm not a fan of 'Auto Exposure', but as you can see the 'Auto Focus' kicks butt and works pretty fast. Not ideal for every situation, and with lots of movement happening in front of the camera, it might be a bit distracting. If you wanted to compare, I would say that it does work very very well though (much better than Nikons Auto Focus in Video).

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Second part, which is really the main point of this video is to show the changes that Meike has undergone in it's LCD Viewfinder product. They released an updated 'look' of their popular viewfinders, but pretty much kept the same quality. If you find the original version of their LCDVF look-alike version, that might be old inventory. Here's the new stuff which they've released to address any design copy issues.

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Glass feels the same, still works great, and the body is of the same weight and aspect ratio. The eyepiece cup has changed a bit as to be slightly different from it's Evil brother, and i'm not sure if it's just me, but the magnets seem to be much stronger against the metal frames. These are the new products, a bit pricier than their first product release, but still nice to see they are cheaper than the big time stuff out there.


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find-price-button New Meike LCD View Finder for 3" DSLR LCD's

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Above is the only example I know of showcasing a Hollywood Lite Camera Stabilizer. When I first mentioned the stabilizer on this blog, the auction sold lighting fast from this article: http://cheesycam.com/hollywood-lite-video-camera-stabilizer/. This is a discontinued type of stabilizer that is designed to support cameras up to 4 lbs. I can't imagine it was very useful in the old days of heavy cameras, but with all the new lightweight Canon T2i's, Sony Alphas, and Panasonic GH2's coming around, it's seems to be relevant once again. Now i'm not saying it will fly a 7D, but for those GoPro Video makers, or iPhone Video junkies this might be an inexpensive solution. Cody left a comment and wanted to share that another thought to be extinct Hollywood Lite stabilizer shows up online again. On auction now and up for another day.

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find-price-button Hollywood Lite VS1 Video Camera Stabilizer

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G.I. Joe always told me 'knowledge is half the battle'. So for the newbies in the hiz-ouse - If you're still shopping for a microphone to suit your DSLR audio needs, you'll probably already find that the Rode VideoMic is a very popular one. I've run my own tests and found that it does perform much better than some microphones going for twice it's price. But before you start throwing down a solid buck, you can read up some other interesting suggestions through the B&H Insights blog that might help you get a bit more 'knowledge' - Go Joe!.


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visit-button B&H Photo Video Insights Blog for DSLR Microphone Options

So a microphone will help you focus in on a little better sound than just the onboard microphone, but for the best sound processing, you'll want to shop for a portable audio recorder. The in camera audio of the DSLR's are just not up to par for the true audiophile. The link below jumps you to another B&H Insights article about different Portable Audio recorder solutions.

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visit-button B&H Photo Video Insights Blog for DSLR Portable Audio Recorders

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If you're looking around for some great fresnel lights the first name anyone usually drops is 'Arri'. Above is featuring a three piece set of 650w Arri Fresnels. I've worked with these lights on a few sets, and they are everything everyone says they are. They do come in at a pretty penny too.

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find-price-button 3 Piece Arri 650w Fresnel Kit

Now check out the claims about these lights below. These are a couple of lights that i've been getting questions about, but i'm not familiar with them myself. Sometimes going by Blueline or JieTu, this three piece set of 650w Fresnels is a direct knock-off of the Arri kit going for a third the price. No joke when I say it's a direct knock-off, as it carries the same (looking) housing, and available in all the same sizes from 150-2000 watts Fresnel heads. All descriptions claim to be 'Like Arri', 'As Arri', or 'Perfect Clones to Arri'. Looking at the different retailers and sellers i'm curious as to why there isn't any negative reviews on these items.

There's not too much information about these 'other lights' on the web, but here's a video showing off one that's 'Arri-Like' going under the brand CineLight. I'm not saying CineLight is the same, but looks close enough to me and it definitely isn't an Arri. Has anyone used these, seen these, bought these? Leave a comment and share some info, since I can't answer the questions coming in.

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find-price-button Tungsten Fresnel Lighting Kits as Arri

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find-price-button LitePanels 1x1 LED Video Light Color Changing Dimmable

If you aren't familiar with Bi-Color LED lights, these are the ones that allow you to change color temperature so you don't have to fully fuss with color correcting Gels to match ambient. Some very low tech tricks by just using two different colored LED's with a dimmer to mix and match. You can find some information about Bi-Color LED lighting here: http://cheesycam.com/color-changing-variable-color-led-video-lights/. Unfortunately, don't bother looking for those lights on Amazon they are only found on eBay since the worldwide shortage I was talking about.

On auction now is a BI-Color LED from LitePanels. Some of you might already be rocking these so it could be a sweet deal to add in to your existing collection. Cheapest you'll find these right now is still over $1500 each. Yeah we all know this 'particular one' won't sell for that starting bid of $100 US, but you still might be able to grab this used piece cheaper than it's retail price of $2500+ US found here on B&H Photo Video. Perhaps play that 'Price is Right' strategy and bid $1 dollar over the next guy...