Looks like my new year resolution was broken after the first month. I wanted to keep my entries to this blog weekly but failed miserably in month two, February. I've got a good excuse and I'm sticking to it. A dirty four letter word with an o and a k in it ... WORK.
The video work which is taking over more of my life than I expected. During February we arranged to complete the last days filming for my music video which included shots in the Caribbean. We also were planning the edit and organising some of the footage already taken.
So I went on my annual pilgrimage to Trinidad and Tobago for Carnival 2013. It was awesome! I took for company my Canons 7D and 600D as well as 24-70mm USM II lens and a nifty fifty. I also took along a shoulder rig, filters and Macbook for ingesting and storing files. Collectively they weighed more than my usual Z1 stuff. However, the quality of footage captured made up for all the hassle received at customs and bruises on my shoulders.
There were three phases to my holiday. The video shoot, the parties and the carnival shoot.
For the video shoot and for continuity we used the 7D and the zoom lens to get some tropical and beach shots. The artiste wasn't in the mood on the morning I met her and she decided that to relax the vodka I had would be her breakfast, lunch and ... well there was none left for dinner. Rock-star stuff but it worked. We got some marvellous shots and I hope the final edit proves that. Can't wait to get that finished this month.
The parties aka fetes were great! A little expensive ... but great. Army, Shades, Beach House, Soca Monarch, Calypso Monarch, etc. were all fantastic. On nights where I did not go to parties "the Avenue" (formally known as Ariapita Avenue) is the place to hang with its Uptown Bars and nightlife.
I got an idea for a documentary whilst there and tried out my three key questions on a few friends. The answers they provided gave me confidence that I had a good basis for a documentary. I took along the 600D with the nifty and an EV eng mic to the Avenue and interviewed a few of the local people. I also took that camera with me most places to get cut away shots, etc. The low light shots gave me incredible satisfaction.
I also got a nudge from a friend who belongs to the committee of one of the masquerade bands, Bliss, that it would be possible to have exclusive access to the band whilst they were on the road for Carnival Monday and Tuesday. How could I miss such an opportunity? A phone call and visit to the office to share my credentials resulted in a media pass and identification T shirts.
It was an enjoyable experience having the opportunity to have such unfettered access and the resulting footage was magnificent. Well you can judge for yourself here .... Savage Tuesday (Diary of a Mas Band) This was filmed using the 600D and the zoom lens with shoulder rig. The viewfinder helped greatly with the framing of shots and positioning of the camera at low angles, something that would not have been possible with the 7D.
Overall a great holiday with my DSLRs and a productive February 2013. Music Video and Olympic edits my work for March ... all work and no play.
Tony
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