DPCFilms.com» DPCFilms | Extreme Action Sports Videos & Photos

Ferrari Challenge at Infineon

DPC — Sun, 23 May 2010 10:01:42 +0000

Thanks to Bryant Kreaden I had the opportunity to shoot second camera at the 2010 Ferrari Challenge at Infineon Raceway early this month. I was primarily shooting with the HVX200, but I also brought along the Canon 7D to get lifestyle footage and take a few photos. Along with my typical HVX setup (Century Optics .55x fisheye, wireless lav, tripod, etc..) I was using the Canon 7D with a combination of the 70-200 f2.8 IS and the Sigma 10mm f2.8. It’s definitely a workout trying to run around a racetrack with both camera setups, but in the end all the hard work paid off with some amazing footage!

Overall I’m stoked how the footage turned out, but since I’m not doing any of the editing on this project you’ll have to wait until the producers post the video online before I can show you anything. From what I’ve seen so far they used most of the 7D footage!

Here are a few still photos that I took in between filming.

Spring Break? Warm and..

DPC — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 07:20:12 +0000

sunny? Nah! More like snowing like crazy! It seriously feels like the middle of winter with a foot of new snow in the past 12 hours. And I’m not talking about your typical Tahoe wet-cement snow either.. but the nice and dry snow we don’t see around these parts much! By the looks of the Radar we’re going to get dumped on ALL night! If this is a result of Global Warming then we need more of it!

On a side note.. I thought this would be a cool opportunity to do a time-lapse with the Canon 7D only to find out that its not possible without an intervalometer. Hmmm, the Nikon D700 has this feature built into the camera, so I’m using it instead. Strike one against Canon!

Butter Cup – Highlight Reel Done!

DPC — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 20:16:14 +0000

The Boreal and Northstar Butter Cup highlight reel is finished and I’m Just waiting for final approval before I can release it. I’m pretty stoked on how it turned out and I want to thank Damon, his brother Dakin, and Mad Dog for helping out! Typically filming these events is an one man show, but I figured this was a good project to test out how the Canon 5D & 7D would hold up in a “event” style setting. Having the extra man power present allowed us to play around with the cameras and their settings while making sure the main action was still being captured. A few of the 5D “lifestyle” shots made it into the Boreal section and quite a few of the 7D shots “action shots” made it into the Northstar section. Overall I’m very impressed with how well the cameras held up and they complemented the HVX200 footage well. There were a few technical hurdles to overcome in post-production, but I think that discussion is best saved for another post.

GoPro HERO (HD) Timelapse

DPC — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 07:28:37 +0000

The GoPro is a great POV cam, but it can also take pictures every X seconds. Since it was going to be sitting idle at the last shoot I decided to set it up on a tripod and let it go for the entire event. At the end of the day I had 2,543 pics and plenty of battery left! I will post the video in this post once it’s done..

Lonely no more..

DPC — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 23:10:13 +0000

My poor 70-200 has been sitting idle, in the box, and hasn’t see the light of day for a while.. I was so close to selling the lens to Steve Bates (CWB) and even though the extra cash would have been nice I really have to thank Steve’s wife for nixing the deal! What seemed like bad luck at the time was in fact just the opposite! Overall the video DSLR bandwagon has been out of control and I was going to wait before jumping on, but all it took was seeing the 5D Mark II footage from last weekend’s shoot, a long phone conversation with Ryan Taylor, an email exchange with Mike Isler, and a lengthy text message conversation with Travis Valtierra. Thanks guys!

Well today is the day… The 70-200 waits no more!

Red Bull Butter Cup – Boreal

DPC — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 05:01:19 +0000

Just wrapped up logging the footage from the Red Bull Butter Cup at Boreal and we got some good stuff! I want to throw a shout out and thanks to Damon, his brother Dakin, and their trusty side-kick Mad Dog for helping out. We got some really sick footage, so stay tuned as the video will be dropping soon.

Red Bull Schlittentag

DPC — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 07:35:38 +0000

Just wrapped up the video for Red Bull’s Schlittentag (German for “Sledding Day”) that went down at Alpine Meadows on Saturday. It was definitely a true test of will for most of the 16 teams that participated and I’m not even talking about the intimidation factor of the 60+ foot start ramp, two huge rollers, and the finish-line drop-off.

The journey started the night before as the teams battled a major storm that dumped over a foot and half of snow in just a few hours. It was so bad that Hwy 80 was shut down for a few hours turning an already long night even longer. To put into perspective a drive that typically takes less than two hours had many car bound for eight plus.. leaving some teams to arrive just a few hours before the start of the event. With no time to rest and an endless supply of Red Bull the staging area was busy with teams putting last minute touches on their sleds (or some even just getting started..)

On display were sleds ranging from a simple blow up mattresses mocked up as iPhone all the way to a 12ft wide eagle winged sled dubbed “free bird” with the stars and strips graffitied all over it. By noon the stage was set and the skies cleared up leaving spring like conditions, a fast course and show for all those that came. The final results were:

1st: Crash Cab
2nd: Schliten Frat
3rd: Trucker Deluxe
Best Crash: Freebird

Equipment used: Panasonic HVX200a & GoPro HERO HD, cut on PPRO CS4

DPCFilms Cable Cam

DPC — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 10:18:53 +0000

The following is the video taken by the DPCFilms CableCam v2.1 at the 2007 Spanky Beaver’s Rail Jam in Sacramento, California. This one-of-a-kind wakeboard/wakeskate event took place in an Olympic size pool where all different kind of sliders (wakeboard term for rails) were set up. The event coordinator Al Marchiniak and all the riders were kind enough to let me put my cablecam to the test.

Category	Qty	Desc	Unit Price
Rigging	3	Sterling Heavy Duty Flat Webbing Anchor Runner 4′WRR4 (MBS: 40kN)	$6.90
Rigging	3	Sterling Heavy Duty Flat Webbing Anchor Runner 6′WRR6 (MBS: 40kN)	$8.90
Rigging	1	Sterling Heavy Duty Flat Webbing Anchor Runner 8′WRR8 (MBS: 40kN)	$10.40
Rigging	3	Sterling Heavy Duty Anchor Sling 4′ WSS4 (MBS: 40kN)	$8.50
Rigging	4	Omega Pacific Rescue Carabiners – 1/2″ Modified Steel D Screw-LokOP12S38L (MBS: 65kN )	$18.45
Rigging	3	Omega Pacific Five-O Straight Gate Non LockerOPFOS (MBS: 25kN)	$8.50
Rigging	4	Petzl Triangular Screw-Link 12mm	$8.95
Rigging	1	SMC Crevasse Rescue Pulley SM159000	$12.75
Rope	320	AmSteel12 – (MBS 8280 lbs)	$0.68/ft
Rope	300	Sterling Accessory Cord 5mm ST5* * THIS IS USED AS GUIDE/SAFTEY LINE AND SHOULD NOT BE USED TO HOLD THE CABLE CAM IN ANY CIRCUMSTANCE *	$0.24/ft
Wireless Video	1	Matco 2.4 GHz 8 Ch Wireless A/V Transmitter (ASK-2008T) *	$75.00
Wireless Video	1	Matco 2.4 GHz 8 Ch Wireless A/V Receiver (ASK-2008R) + (ASK-2008R-CASE) *	$74.00
Misc.	1	RRG Rescue Rope Deployment Bags, Medium RRG2RB	$28.60
Misc.	1	RRG Deployment Bag, Small RRG1RB	$23.00
Wireless Video	1	Range Video – 2.4GHz 1000mW cased audio/video transmitter	$100.00
Wireless Video	1	Range Video – 2.4GHz Portable Receiver	$100.00
Battery	2	24V 4200 mAh NiMH Flat Battery Pack (4×5 SC) for Robot / DC devices (#RB-HSC20S2TM)	$115.95
* 2008-11-10 – The Matco wireless video setup was replaced with the RangeVideo 2.4 Ghz System

RESOURCES

The following is a list of useful links that I discovered while researching and building the DPCFilms CableCam. I’ve listed them here hoping that they will help you in your quest to explore the possibilities and build your very own Cable Cam.

I also encourage you to join our small, but growing community at CableCam.org/forum to learn more, get help, and share your experiences in this exciting world of CableCams.

CableCam Websites

Forums/Threads

CableCam.org – started by a fellow indie cablecamer
DVInfo Dolly/Track/Cable Forum
Lego Cable Cam
Dual-Cable Cable Cam – This cable cam is designed to run on two parallel cables.
http://hbsboard.com/index.php/topic,2264.0.html – The jpeg and video links are dead.
Aleksander Steffen’s Cable Cam – Aleksander’s design evolves from a single-cable to a dual-cable design.
http://www.cinematography.com/forum2004/index.php?showtopic=19046&hl=cable+cam
http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=40251
http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=79680
http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=58990 -
http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=79321 – Looks like this was shot from a zip line with a human riding down it.
http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=106481 – Zip line with a human
http://dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=54443
http://dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=29790 – Use of gyros to stabilize a cable cam – incomplete
http://dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=76948 – Andy Graham’s Cable cam for an XL1 – smooth video!
http://dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=89448 – In search of motorized Cable Cam
http://dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=59081

Professional Websites

Spydercam – This cable cam is insane! Used in a lot of block buster features like Spiderman, Superman, Mission Impossible, etc..
Skycam – A flying Steadicam® — a broadcast quality robotic camera, suspended from a cable-driven, computerized transport system.
Garrett Brown – FlyCam or FlyCam – Wire-borne, Point-to-Point, 80 mph Stabilized Tracking Camera System
Super Fly Cam – Another Garrett Brown invention.. SuperFlyCam is the world’s lightest, safest, most economical 35mm point-to-point, cable suspended camera system.
Aerial Video Systems -
Filmotechnic – A few different designs including one that looks similar to the cablecam used in the NFL (not cablecam related, but check out their Mercedes ML55 chase car!)

Personal Websites

Steve Larsen – Vancouver Grip – This is a serious Cable Cam – 10+ feet in length and uses bike rims. Check out the following photo galleries for close up shots: Dungeon Siege > elf_falls
Dungeon Siege > Becher Bay
Dungeon Siege > Robert Burnaby Park
Crew Pics
Brandon Kahler – Lego Cable Cam – This cable cam is built entirely out of LEGOs, has a wireless video feed, is motorized, and has a motorized turret.
Léonard Chevalier – Bignoz Cable Cam – The website is a French website, but I used google translate to convert it to English.

Set Up / Rigging

Ropes

Seattle Marine – 1/4″ Amsteel Blue ( SKU: SAM872016) – NOTE: For an extra $17 per end Seattle Marine will weave and thimble the ends of the rope for you.

Straps

Websites http://www.slacklineexpress.com/

Wireless Video

Transmitters/Receivers

Matco Security Camera (2.4 GHZ Wireless Video Solutions)
Range Video
Check this out! I originally found the Range Video receiver / transmitter during my initial research and then a few weeks later someone posted up the Flex Cam link on DVXUser. Well these look like the same units to me and there’s a $495 difference..! Is it just me or is this crazy?. $595 Flex Cam version vs. $100 Range Video version

Gyros:

Heading hold camera mount

Misc.

Battery Related

niMh Battery FAQ
Li-Ion Battery FAQ

Specials Thanks To:

Rich (Bee Gee Hobby) – Rich was the first RC Professional that I approached with my concept and he got me pointed in the right direction. Thanks to his advice I ended up using a Cordless Drill motor to power my CableCam.
Jim Newton (Tech Shop) -
Jim Smentowski (The Robot Market Place) – Jim was instrumental in getting me dialed in with the right speed controller and allowing me to replace the original servo on trigger-finger controller I rigged. He also offered up great advice on DC Motors and more!
Brian Smith (HobbyTown USA) – Brian offered up tons of advice and guidance on the RC controller and receiver.

Film Burn Tutorial

DPC — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 05:54:14 +0000

Looking to add that timeless and ever-so-popular “film burn effect” to your videos and have no idea where to start? Well you’re in the right place! I originally created this tutorial back in the day for Premiere Pro users, but this technique can be applied to other popular NLEs like Final Cut Pro (FCP), Vegas, etc..

It’s quick, it’s easy, and you can tweak as necessary to match your needs. To get started you’ll need a film burn clip (which is included below), your own footage, and a vision on how you want to apply this effect. I originally put this tutorial together using the Artbeat’s clip, but was recently surprised when my Panasonic DMC-TS1 decided to start recording on it’s own while I was snowboarding. The clip turned out pretty cool and please feel free** to use it in your videos.

Tutorial

Please note that this tutorial contains *no* audio..
You can also download the Film Burn Tutorial (.mp4 | 3 MB)

Film Burn Clip to Download

File: FilmBurnClip-720p-dpcFilms.mp4
File Size: 36 MB
File Type: mp4 (h.264)
Run time: 30 secs
Resolution: 1280×720

Step by Step

Open your NLE (Premiere, FCP, Vegas, etc..)
Import the Film Burn clip
Place the Film Burn clip on the video track just above your footage
Trim the Film Burn clip to the desired length (usually 2 – 3 seconds)
Apply the Luma Key effect to the Film Burn Clip
Adjust the Luma Key > Threshold and Cutoff values.

** In return for providing this *free* film burn clip please do not claim the original as your own – OR – host/post/sell this clip on other websites. A link back to this post is cool and if you want to throw a shout out to dpcFilms.com in your credits, that’s cool too!

You can find the original clip used in this tutorial at Artbeats Film Burn clip (Clip name: FC137), but be prepared to pay some $$$$ …

Red Bull Schlitten-who!?!??

DPC — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 01:15:15 +0000

Just got word that I’m filming the upcoming Red Bull Schlittentag event at Alpine Meadows in Lake Tahoe, CA on March 13. What in the world is “Schlittentag”? Good question because I was thinking the same thing..

Schlittentag is the German word for “sledding day”. Put simply, it translates as “daredevils willing to propel themselves down a snow-covered hill and over a jump on a sled they built themselves”. This will be the most winter fun you’ve had sitting down. Three person teams will stretch their imagination to build the wildest, fastest sled this side of the Alps. One will be the pilot and the two others will help give their sled the push it needs to win the race and the fame and fortune that follows.

Sounds like a good time and a good opportunity to get some carnage on film. Time to get the GoPro HERO cam ready!

In the meantime here’s a video from Red Bull’s 2008 Snow Warz