Phillip Bloom: Skywalker Ranch

We don’t usually feature straight cinematography work on Motionographer. However, what Director/DP Phillip Bloom was able to capture on Canon 5D and 7D DSLR’s during his 5-day stay at the Skywalker Ranch is so beautifully shot and full of inspiration that we just had to share it.

At the home of George Lucas, with Lucusfilm Producer Rick McCallum and Head of Post-Production Mike Blanchard, Bloom was faced with only one mission: show them how to get the best out of the Canon 5D Mark II and the Canon 7D.

This epic, 7-minute short film goes well beyond that with one jaw-drop after another.  Philip Bloom’s blog post on the shoot is also a useful guide into his process and gear.

With this level of quality coming from the new breed of DSLRs, this undoubtedly changes the game for studios of all shapes and sizes and their creation of high-end live action.

For a fitting example, check out Prologue’s beautiful use of the Canon 5D in this motion test for the Sherlock Holmes main title (via Art of the Title.)

Have you used DSLR video for a project? Share it in the comments!

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17 Comments

William

Hi!
Bloom’s film is beautiful – I especially like the nighttime time-lapse.
I’m finishing up some post work on a horror feature shot last November in Austin, TX on the Panasonic GH-1.
The movie, “I Didn’t Come Here to Die,” was photographed and directed by Bradley Scott Sullivan.
I was also on set and enjoyed watching Brad weaving and bobbing – the versatility and form factor that DSLRs provide.
Of course the workflow is its own beast (rolling shutter, transcoding, motion artifacts under certain situations, syncing sound, etc.) but once you understand the pluses and minuses, I found it to be a fun and creative method of filmmaking.
Currently there’s a Vimeo page with “I Didn’t Come Here to Die” BTS footage intercut with a little DSLR action, and more to come in the next several weeks, as well as the imminent trailer that will show off Brad’s material.

ciao!

http://www.vimeo.com/channels/idchtd

lucioso

We just finished a promo for Sub Focus “Could this be real”. Link here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VekdpVjWNQc

We used the 7D and a couple of fast prime lenses and it was super easy to work with on low light conditions. Set up was a breeze and that was also one of the main reasons why we used it. The post on the compressed footage was actually pretty good and we could push the footage a lot while grading. Look out for the straight to hard drive HDMI connection coming out in the next few months…4:2:2 footage!

kennymosher

Here is a short we did with a 5d mk 2 for the Canon/Vimeo contest:
http://www

rhervag

I have been shooting Anamorphic cinemascope lenses on both the Canon 5D mk II and the 7D for ultrawide projections such as this :

Also a commissioned series of urban landscapes and timelapses around LAVAL city during last summer :

jbarnesnyc

here is another great example of what this camera can do..

Justin Cone

Awesome work, everyone. Keep ’em coming!

nicolas charavet

Beautiful… Beyond the technical aspect of this awesome work, it has that Eames’ House: after 5 years of living’ feeling to it. Gustav Holst, Elmer Bernstein… sweet…

rsqst

Totally! The Holst is so perfect for this, perhaps because it has inspired so much film music.

Joe Clay

Just posted the first one I’ve made since I got the camera. I didn’t have a much time on it as I’d have liked, so be gentle. :)

http://www

andrewfallon

We just shot a series of miniature stuff on the 7D. Can’t post it quite yet, but will when it’s live. Without the ability to use macro it would have been pretty hard to shoot it any other way. Great little cameras, but the constant Live View blackout gets annoying.

Renato.Marques

This is my contribution.
It´s a broadcast for TED´X OPORTO.
Shoot entirely on my brand new 7d,
with a home made rig to create super-macro.
I hope you´ll like it.
Cheers.

Alex Anderson

I directed a little film for Google’s Nexus One that was released this morning:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ArRc5EdyK90
Shot 5DMII and 7D. Love these cameras.

yangiroux

A short surrealist movie shot with the 5d.

http://www

had fun, loved the flexibility.

DigitalSoup

Oops! Check your spelling for Lucasfilm!

JvL

Here’s a series we did with the 5DMK2. Thanks for the thread! Jeanie
http://www

Mark Brian

Hi there,

The video is great and inspiring.
I made a very quick 24 sec video of my friend jasmine with my 7d, i hope you like it.

http://www.emosyon.com/jasmine.mp4

-Mark Brian

stevegray

Hey, yes we’ve been following Bloom for a few years now – it’s amazing to see what he’s been able to do with these cameras. I think it’s great, seeing stories told from people who wouldn’t have been to afford expensive high-production value cameras before…
Here’s a couple of our pieces:

Life as a dream:

Quiet Night:

Aussie Adventures Episode 03 (comedy)

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