Red Spectrum Pictures

Cambridge Buskers & Street Performers Festival 2013 - Official Highlights Video

2013-07-14T13:33:00.000-07:00

Above is my latest film production, a highlight video for the recent Cambridge Buskers & Street Performers festival, which showcased a variety of solo musicians, bands and street performers over 3 days at the end of June 2013.

Cyclists v Motorists Documentary Film

2013-05-19T03:45:00.003-07:00

A documentary film that I produced which covers the subject of motorists and cyclists in my home town of Cambridge. To view the full film watch the embedded YouTube video above.

Time Lapse Photography by Bradley Stearn

2013-05-09T13:06:00.002-07:00

The above playlist contains photography time lapse videos photographed by myself. I will be shooting time lapses regulary throughout summer. Subscribe to my channel on YouTube to be kept up to date with what I am shooting. At the end of summer I will be making a montage containing all of the best time lapses that I shot. So far I have shot starscape and cloud time lapse.

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How to photograph stars for time lapse

2013-05-04T04:42:00.001-07:00

Now I am no expert at photographing the stars, but I have learned a lot from the small amount of experience that I have had. In this post I am going to give a step by step guide on how to achieve the best results when photographing stars, along with tips and tricks I have learnt, and also with some tips on the post production side of star trail photography.

Equipment needed for star photography is very basic, you will need a DSLR, a wide lens (I use an EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5), a sturdy tripod to ensure the camera doesn't move during the long exposure shots or during the time lapse shoot and an intervalometer which is a device which automatically takes a picture for you at set intervals of time. I use the Magic Lantern firmware hack on my Canon DSLR, this makes it to I can have a built in intervalometer which saves carrying extra equipment. I highly recomend taking warm clothes, you will not regret taking gloves and a beanie hat, as it will get cold standing outside at night doing nothing.

These are the settings that I used for the star trail examples below, these settings don't need to be copied exactly to get good results. Firstly make sure you are using a long shutter speed, I recommend between 25 to 30 seconds long, doing this allows for plenty of light to hit your DSLRs sensor which helps bring out the stars in the sky. You also need to make sure you are shooting with an aperture which is at least f/3.5 or lower. ISO depends on how much brightness you need, but I usually use ISO 1600 on my Canon T3i because anything higher is quite noisy.

I won't go into too much detail about the post production side of star time lapse photography, but I do have recommendations on software to use if you are a Windows user. I usually batch edit and process time lapse photos using Digital Photo Professional, which is the free editing software that comes with all Canon DSLRs. I will then use Sony Vegas to edit the photos into a video file that can be uploaded to YouTube. I also have a free application called 'Startrails' which places every photo from a star time lapse into one image to show the 'trail' of the stars over time. You can download the 'Startrails' application by clicking this link which will take you to the official website.

If you found this post useful, please support me as a photographer and filmmaker by following me on Twitter.

How to Lens Whack using a DSLR

2013-04-04T13:31:00.002-07:00

How to Lens Whack / Free Lens using a DSLR camera

Lens whacking is the filmmaking method of fully disconnecting your lens from your camera body, and moving it side to side, and backwards and forward from the camera sensor to achieve lens flares and artistic focus. This is because instead of light just entering the camera sensor from through the lens, light is also coming in from behind the lens where you have disconnected it from the body.

If you are lens whacking you are going to want to make sure that the lens you have chosen to use is 50mm focal length or less, any more and your image will be shaky as you will be holding the lens freely in your hand.

The best way to hold your camera and lens whilst doing this trick is to have your camera body in the palm of your left hand, with the bottom of your lens being supported by your fingers. With your right hand you want to hold your thumb over the record button as you normally would, and your fingers covering the gab behind the lens. By doing this you can adjust how much light you are letting into the lens, reducing or increasing the amount of lens flare within the shot.

For the camera settings, you need to make sure your shutter speed is double your frame rate, this is normal to any kind of shooting. Make sure your focus is set to infinity as you will not be needing to adjust focus whilst whacking with the lens.

Below is a lens whacking test that I made to show the effect that you can achieve. You can see the purple lens flares which I made by allowing light to enter from behind the lens, also it turns my Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II lens into a macro lens. The further you pull the lens away from the camera body, the closer you can focus to the subject, this is how I shot this macro video of the beer bottle.

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DSLR Time Lapse Light Streak Cars Magic Lantern

2013-03-11T11:06:00.001-07:00

Photography by Bradley Stearn

A time lapse I have been wanting to make for years now, I have just been procrastinating about it. I finally persuaded my friend to drive me to make this last night, and I am very happy with the result. I have always liked the light streaks that you get from long exposures and car lights at night.

I shot this time lapse with the Canon 600D / T3i DSLR, with the EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 kit zoom lens. I used the Magic Lantern V2.3 intervalometre to make the time lapse, I shot at 5 second exposure at 7 second intervals.ISO 100, f/5.6, 18mm focal length.

Equipment used in this video -
Canon 600D / T3i DSLR w/ EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5 - 5.6 kit zoom lens
Manfrotto 700 RC2
Magic Lantern V2.3
Integral Ultima pro 32gb
Sony Vegas Movie Studio 9.0

Time Lapse is something I really enjoy, I am shooting another time lapse during this week, so expect to see that on my YouTube and blog by next Monday.

The Varsity 'Get Down, Get Loud!' E.P Release

2013-02-02T05:17:00.001-08:00

Unsigned band from Cambridgeshire, 'The Varsity' are releasing their début E.P, 'Get Down, Get Loud!' on the 2nd of February 2012. The E.P consists mainly of feel good music for anyone to enjoy listening to.

A track off the E.P was released early the other day, due to it being a very special track to the band members and close fans, 'Jake's Song' is dedicated to a close friend who passed away last summer in a freak accident whilst on holiday.

You can listen to the full playlist on YouTube below -

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Psychological Thriller Short Film Teaser Trailer - DSLR Filmmaking

2013-01-14T08:18:00.002-08:00

A few weeks ago I shot some test footage for a psychological thriller film. At the time of shooting the test footage we did not have any idea of a clear narrative, apart from the idea of having a psychologically challenged character walking through the woods. The protagonist in the film is troubled in life, and the idea that in the film we will hear various voice-overs from key moments that have led to his insanity.

I am working on this film with a friend, he is helping come up with the 'psychological' elements to the film, as he is a big Christopher Nolan fan.

''The person the main character kills could actually be a colleague or a friend (as inspired by Christopher Nolan's 'Insomnia'). He might have killed him accidentally whilst he was apprehending the real criminal. And because of it, he kept it a secret - this could be the cause of his coma''

The test footage/ teaser trailer was shot on the Canon 600D / T3i DSLR with the EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 zoom lens on the Manfrotto 700 RC2 fluid head. For the super wide angled fisheye shot I used the GoPro HD Hero camera, to create a sense of distortion to the shots to help represent the protagonists state of mind.

If you would like to be kept up to date with the production of this short film, please like my facebook page by clicking here.

Canon DSLR 60fps Slow Motion Video Footage

2013-01-13T08:33:00.000-08:00

A video I shot yesterday for the fun of it involves an air rifle, cans and bottles and a dslr filming at 60 frames per second, all of that equals a lot of fun. I have never tried slow motion before, so when my friends started shooting an air rifle in the garden, I decided to film the impacts of the air rifle pellets with my Canon 600D DSLR, at 60fps (frames per second) to capture the full explosions of the cans and bottles being shot. I then took the footage into Sony Vegas Movie Studio 9.0 and changed the playback rate to 24fps (frames per second), which resulted in the footage being in super slow motion, whilst being smooth at the same time.

I used my Canon 600D/T3i DSLR along with the EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 kit zoom lens to film these video clips.

Below is the same footage, but played back at normal speed. The original footage really shows how slowed down the slow motion video is above -

If you enjoyed this video, please support me by liking my facebook page.

Super 8mm Ektachrome Short Film Update

2013-01-09T10:00:00.002-08:00

If you have been reading my blog you will know that I received a Canon Autozoom 318M Super 8mm camera for Christmas last year. I also received one cartridge of Kodak Ektachrome 100D film stock, which will last me around 3 minutes. I really want to use that 3 minutes wisely and I decided just filming random shots around my home town of Cambridge would just be wasting the cartridge. I really want to use it on a short film that involves some sort of planning and pre production before I start shooting footage.

I have always been a fan of skateboard edits, specially the 'old-skool' style of edits which have been shot on Super 8mm film. I really like the style that the Super 8mm camera gives to the visuals, making them look far more interesting than what any of my digital cameras would be able to shoot without colour correction in post production. Basically I want to make a short film under 3 minutes about skateboarding in my home town of Cambridge in the United Kingdom. I came up with idea on the bus journey home from college yesterday, when I saw two skateboarders riding along the pavement from the railway station entrance.

I want the film to show various skateboarders from around Cambridge. Locations that I have in mind include the various skateparks in Cambridge, including the fairly new Jesus Green concrete skatepark, Parkside/Donkey Common Skatepark and the Orchard Park concrete skatepark. Shooting at the various skateparks will showcase different skateboarders and talents. I also want the film to show off the wonderful city centre and back streets of Cambridge city centre.

At the moment I am thinking I will just ask skateboarders at each skatepark if I can film them, and I'm sure they will be willing to be caught on film. I suppose if you are reading this and you are a skateboarder in the Cambridge area, and would like to take part in my newest short film, please contact me on my facebook page by clicking here.

If you would like to help out with funding for this short film, please donate what you can through PayPal. I will need to buy more film cartridges to shoot with, with the discontinuation of Kodak Ektachrome 100D, Super 8 stock has become expensive. Also the process of paying a lab to digitally process the film stock will cost me quite a lot of money. Click here to donate through PayPal.

Below I have embedded a Super 8mm skate edit by Safari Clothing, filmed with Minolta and Canon Super 8mm cameras.

To read my short overview on the Canon Autozoom 318M Super 8mm Camera click here.
To like my Facebook page for photography and filming updates, click here.

The Ultimate DSLR Filmmaking Tutorial Video

2012-12-29T14:23:00.001-08:00

Fenchel Janisch recently released a 13 minute video tutorial on YouTube containing the best information for a beginner DSLR filmmaker. The video literally has every bit of information needed to get started with DSLR filming, including details about frame rates, ISO, Shutter Speed, Aperture and the depth of field each stop produces, Audio problems and solutions, different focal lengths and their effects such as using tele lenses for sporting close-ups or a wide lens to capture the full sporting arena and colour correction including flat picture styles and post production grading. Tips are also given on how to shoot in low light situations. This video will not make you a DSLR video expert, however it will definitely get you started and on your way to becoming one. I have been a DSLR filmmaker for almost two years now, I received my Canon 600D DSLR just after it was released in the UK. I am aware about how hard they can be to understand the fist time you use them. If you are a first time DSLR user, with a lower end crop sensor DSLR such as the Canon Rebel range 550D, 600D, 650D or the Panasonic Lumix GH2 or GH3 range, this video is definitely one to watch or add to your watch later playlist.

Canon Auto Zoom 318M Super 8mm Cine Camera Overview - Kodak Ektachrome 100D

2012-12-26T10:25:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone had a great Christmas, I certainly did and received some fantastic presents. One of my presents was a vintage Super 8mm camera. I asked for a Super 8 camera because I am a big fan of the style of film that they shoot, with scenes in films such as Paranoid Park and Somers Town inspiring me to shoot on this small format. I received the Canon Auto Zoom 318M Super 8 Camera, in very good condition, I would say almost brand new with all the original packaging inserts, and even a leather case. In this post I just want to do a quick overview of the camera, I will be sharing digitally processed footage as soon as possible.

The Canon 318M has a zoom lens that can be altered automatically with the Wide or Tele switch, or manually with the zoom ring. It has a focal length of 10mm wide and 30mm tele, with an f stop of f/1.8, I am excited to see how it performs in low light situations. The lens does have an optional macro mode, with an orange switch on the left hand side of the camera triggering focus for anything below 22.5cm.

A fairly large dial is located on the right hand side of the camera, this is for the focus. It goes from infinity which is 15 metres/50 feet, down to 1.5 metres/ 5 feet. I have found that this focus dial isn't the smoothest, I am not focus pulls are something people do with Super 8 cameras though, I think I will have to set the focus, and then film without changing the focus.

A switch opens up the battery and cartridge compartment on the rear of the camera. It takes 3 AA batteries to run this camera. I also received Kodak Ektachrome 100D Colour Reversal Film 7285 to use with this camera. I will use it wisely though, as it is limited to under 5 minutes of film. I am aware that Kodak have recently discontinued the Ektachrome 100D film, so I was very lucky to get a reel before they ran out, as they are currently not even available on eBay. I predict that limited supplies of the reels will result in much higher prices, I definitely need to think twice before filming anything with my reel. I am aware that Gauge Film currently have Ektachrome 100D in stock, I think I will be stocking up on some more reels.

I am extremely excited about learning this new format, and you can follow my process with Super 8mm on my photography and filmmaking related facebook page.

I found a short film that was shot on the Canon 318M Super 8mm Camera, I hope to create similar edits to this one. This video seems to have been cropped from 4:3 to 16:9 aspect ratio, doing this means the top or bottom of the image has been cut off.

Below is one of the skateboarding sequence's in the film Paranoid Park, directed by Gus Van Sant and cinematography by Christopher Doyle, one of my biggest inspirations in filmmaking and photography.

Starscape Timelapse Test Canon DSLR

2012-12-11T04:01:00.002-08:00

This is a short starscape time lapse that I produced for a college music video project. I wanted to produce a much longer time lapse to share on my channel, however I liked how this version turned out. We used this 4 second time lapse in our music video. Also it isn't a shooting star going through the sky, it was actually an airplane.

I really did want to produce a longer time lapse to share on the channel, however after a week of attempting most nights, I just couldn't produce it. It was either too cloudy to see the stars, too foggy, or once it was okay, and 20 minutes into the time lapse the clouds appeared ruining the video. I decided that this version worked the best, with the airplane.

I shot this on my Canon 600D/T3i HDSLR with the EF 50mm f/1.8 II prime lens. I shot with a 20 second exposure, with 25 second intervals using Magic Lantern on a 32gb SD card. Auto white balance, and ISO. I left the camera shooting for around 16 minutes.

Equipment used in this video -
Canon 600D / T3i HDSLR
EF 50mm f/1.8 II
Integral ultima pro 32gb SD card
Magic Lantern firmware hack with the built in intervalometer

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Tunde Kelani 'MAAMI' Q&A at the Cambridge African Film Festival

2012-11-15T01:11:00.000-08:00

An audience question and answer session with Nigerian director 'Tunde Kelani' which I filmed after the screening of his film 'MAAMI' at the 'Cambridge Arts Picturehouse' as part of the 2012 'Cambridge African Film Festival 2012'. In this video Tunde Kelani answers a few questions from the audience, and also discussed Nigerian cinema, 'Nollywood'.

Credits -
Filmed and edited by Bradley Stearn
Director - Tunde Kelani of Mainframe Productions
Host - Michael Boyd (Director CAFF, Take One Magazine)

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Attach your GoPro to a tripod: Freeze Pro Shop - GoPro Tripod Mount

2012-10-29T08:19:00.001-07:00

I just got a tripod mount for my GoPro HD Hero camera from 'Freeze Pro Shop', I was extremely happy with the fast delivery time and the overall customer service, I highly recommend purchasing GoPro accessories from this company if you live in the United Kingdom. I got two GoPro mounts, the one I am going to share in this post is the GoPro Tripod Mount. The GoPro camera has an odd mounting system, only official products will attach to the camera. Unlike a normal digital camera, the GoPro doesn't have a standard tripod mounting system. The GoPro tripod mount adds this standard tripod mount to the bottom of the camera, allowing you to attach to a tripod, or any accessory with a standard tripod bolt. You may have a suction mount or bike mount which has the standard tripod mount, now you can use these mounts with your GoPro camera. The photograph to the right shows my GoPro camera attached to a mini flexible tripod. With this simple set-up, I can leave the camera filming or taking time lapse photographs in various locations, where the camera without the tripod mount would have just fallen over.

This is the product that you will receive for £8.99. It includes the standard tripod mounting hole, along with the official GoPro mount to attach your camera to it.

Here is the mount attached to my GoPro HD Hero camera. As you can see it is very simple to attach. All you need is one GoPro bolt which is included with the camera.

To see the full range of GoPro accessories and mounts at the Freeze Pro Shop, click here.
Click here to visit the 'Freeze Pro Shop' to purchase winter sports gear and accessories.

Top YouTube Web Series

2012-10-02T06:12:00.000-07:00

There are a lot of really good free web shows which can be viewed on YouTube, some well known and some lesser known which can be just as good. In this post I will be listing my favourite web shows as I watch them, so please make sure to check back to see new additions to this list. If you found this post useful, please head on over to our facebook page and like to be kept up to date with everything.

The Vault -

''Enter "The Vault," the greatest reality television competition in history... Or at least that's how they're selling it. A 24/7 game show that offers more questions than answers. The contestants, college students chosen from all over the country, will have 7 days to uncover its secrets and win a multi-million dollar prize. But once they're locked inside, they'll discover a game that's bigger and stranger than they could have ever imagined.''

Fresh off the Plane -

''An awkward comedy web series centering around a group of foreigners living together in the San Fernando Valley''

Sync - Bammo & CorridorDigital -

''In the year 2025, mankind has created the first computerized human, and he is a bad ass.''

The Danger Element - Westhavenbrook Productions -

''A member of a secret order of crime fighters and his estranged sister take on the mob and a troubled scientist in pursuit of the stolen Danger Element, which they believe has the power to bring their father back from the dead.''

Video Game High School - FreddieW -

''The story is about a down on his luck, young aspiring gamer. He has no friends. His cat hates him. His name is Brian. He loves playing video games. One day during a public match the number one gamer the "Law" arrives to do a little bit of showing off. Out of no where Brian manages to kill the "Law". It's like the shot heard around the world. Because of it and all the hype Brian gets invited to Video Game High School. It's about a kid and all the troubles of high school but in a very different way. It's a competitive gaming school. While attending VGHS Brian tries to make it to his dream of playing at the highest level of gaming. Along the way he develops a crush on Jenny Matrix, the JV FPS Captain.'' - Tommy Whitehall IMBD

Fallout: Nuka Break - Wayside Creations -

''Join Twig (Zack Finfrock), a former Vault Dweller, Ben (Aaron Giles), a radiation-ravaged ghoul, and Scarlett (Tybee Diskin), a sexy former slave as they attempt to survive the harsh wasteland that is Fallout.''

RCVR -

''RCVRs are humanity's greatest assets and it is the job of Agent Luke Weber to track them down. In doing so, Weber is also tasked with conducting one of the most important disinformation campaigns in American history. But the cover up is about to get even more difficult for Agent Weber. ''

Drone -

''In the near future, war drone technology has advanced and a new weapon has been unleashed - a humanoid drone stronger and faster than any soldier. But in the aftermath of a mysterious incident, damaged battle drone 237 is forced to go on the run with its programmer (Kenneth Choi) to try and take down their corrupt commander (Lance Reddick).''

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David Frankel 'Hope Springs' interview at the Cambridge Film Festival

2012-09-29T12:23:00.001-07:00

Above is the longer version of David Frankel's 'Hope Spring' interview at the Cambridge Film Festival.

Recording Room Tone - Indy Mogul

2012-09-28T12:50:00.001-07:00

Russel from Indy Mogul's Friday 101 show shares with us this week what room tone is, and why we should be using it in our short films. Basically room tone is the sound of a room when everything is completely quiet. For example in a silent room there may be a flickering sound from a light bulb, slight hissing sounds from plumbing or buzzing sounds from computers or electrical products. These sounds can be hear when recording dialogue audio for your short films. If you record the room tone separately, it can be used to cover up jump cuts between the audio, making your audio seem smoother.

Cambridge Film Festival: David Frankel, Monika Treut & Stelios Kammitsis

2012-09-23T12:10:00.000-07:00

Above is a short video that I produced over two days at the Cambridge Film Festival. The video contains an audience question and answer session and interview with Hope Springs (Meryl Streep, Tommy Lee Jones & Steve Carell) director David Frankel (The Devil Wears Prada, Marley & Me), and also interviews with Jerks director Stelios Kammitsis and The Raw And The Cooked director Monika Treut. I had a great time producing this video, and also met lots of new people who are active within the film industry. Click here to see more videos shot at the 32nd Cambridge Film Festival.

To see some photos and to be kept up to date with everything film and photography related, please like my facebook page.

Monika Treut 'The Raw And The Cooked' Interview - Cambridge Film Festival

2012-09-23T04:09:00.000-07:00

Above is the video containing the full interview by Hayley Dean with German filmmaker Monika Treut, on her newest documentary film 'The Raw And The Cooked'. The documentary concentrates on food culture in Taiwan, and this interview gives a little insight into the film. This video contains sections of the trailer to the film, so hopefully you can get a feel for what it is about.

To see more videos shot at the 32nd Cambridge Film Festival 2012, click this link to see the full playlist.

Stelios Kammitsis 'ΚΩΛΟΠΑΙΔΑ' Interview - Cambridge Film Festival

2012-09-22T02:37:00.002-07:00

Above is the full interview with director Stelios Kammitsis at the Cambridge Film Festival, about his début feature film 'ΚΩΛΟΠΑΙΔΑ' (Jerks). A story which follows three Greek friends during their last twelve hours in Athen before they leave to start new lives in Berlin, Germany. This video contains some of the trailer to the film, and the wonderful original soundtrack by Nikola Metaxa 'It's All Right'.

To see more videos shot at the 32nd Cambridge Film Festival 2012, click this link to see the full playlist.

Filmmaking Tutorial - DIY Avalanche - Knoptop

2012-09-11T09:48:00.001-07:00

Knoptop just uploaded an awesome how to/ DIY style video to his YouTube channel. In this video he teaches us how to make an avalanche look realistic, when using pieces of gravel and stones being thrown down a small hill. Knoptop used his trusty T2i DSLR camera to film this, 720p 60fps was used to film the rocks being thrown. The other shots were filmed in 24fps, with the 60fps being slowed down to 24fps playback in post production, making it all look even more realistic. The biggest thing used to sell this effect are the sound effects used. Using websites such as 'freesound', your videos can become more realistic.

If you enjoy reading this blog, you can head on over to facebook and like our page to be kept up to date with everything filming and photography related.

Get more likes on your Photography Facebook page

2012-09-11T07:56:00.002-07:00

Photography facebook page 'Photographer Obsessed' is running a fantastic feature for other photographers to share their own photography facebook pages to gain more likes on their own. All they have to do is like the other pages that have been shared. I gained around 40 news likes using the 'Photography Ladder' on the Photographer Obsessed facebook page, and I definitely recommend that you try this out for yourself.

Canon EOS 600D T3i Test Video Footage

2012-09-08T09:07:00.000-07:00

One of my most viewed videos on YouTube is the first video that I uploaded that was shot on the Canon 600D DSLR. I uploaded the video as soon as I got the camera, at a time of low content in ways of test footage with this camera on YouTube. The views rocketed up into the thousands quickly, and I would like to see more people watching the video since the view count has slowed down drastically since the new 650D DSLR was released by Canon. I would like to increase the view count of this video, so if you can do anything to help, it would be much appreciated. Please comment, like, favourite and share to all of your friends and family. Please don't forget that you can follow my photography and filming projects on my facebook page.

GoPro Mounting Tips & Tricks Videos

2012-09-07T03:01:00.001-07:00

Above I have embedded a very useful playlist of videos that I recently came across on YouTube. The playlist is full of videos which contain tips and tricks on different ways to secure the GoPro camera to objects, and how to do it safely so the GoPro is secured. The playlist currently contains multiple activities, such as biking, scootering, skiing, boating and more. The guy who makes these videos also has other playlists with tips on how to use the GoPro menu to get the best results out of the camera.

Click here to view more GoPro posts from this blog.