behind the scenes of splendid cupcake

Mon, 27 Feb 2012 16:51:42 -0700

I wanted to show my viewers the process in which I take in filming a fairly simple How To video. In this video we are working with Mimi from Splendid Cupcake. She has such a sparky personality, but when that camera starts rolling, she starts to get so nervous! This is where the producer side comes in. It is our job to calm the client down and help them through the process.
A good friend of mine, Will Snyder, filmed all the BTS footage. He was a champ, he came in on such a short notice and did an amazing job in capturing the overall feel of the shoot.

Feel free to email me if you have questions regarding this BTS video!
jarrod@justbaslproductions.com

Update on Dolly

Thu, 6 Oct 2011 19:09:19 -0600

The Spider Trax Dolly build really changed who and why people were following me and my production company. It has shot over 10,000 plays and is closely reaching 20,000 on just vimeo! On YouTube is has hit over 20,000 plays. This was crazy to me that so many people would be interested in the gear that I have designed with simple parts from a hardware store! From this build many others have sprung up. I have designed a HDSLR cage and lately, rig handles. I have continued to draw up and desgn new gear. Through trial and error, some has worked and some has not. I am currently working on a new dolly design that requires certain tooling. I feel like this design will be just at useful at the last if not more useful!
Thanks for watching and tuning in!
Jarrod
Just Basl Productions

New Zeiss Lens!

Sat, 20 Aug 2011 00:09:55 -0600

I just got the Zeiss Zf f1.4 T* 50mm Planar lens. This lens is gorgeous and I am really excited about using it on some of my new commercials. I am really happy to be able to add this to my arsenal of prime lenses! The bokeh is amazing, the build quality is like no other lens I have ever used. I most likely will not be reviewing this lens because there is already a lot of good reviews out there. Here is one of them.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYPB_H8eVo4

You probably know I shoot with Canon bodies, so why did I go with the Zf lens and not the ZE mount (canon). Because when I bought my Zeiss 35mm Zf.2, I also purchased a Novoflex adapter. Now when you see the price tag on this adapter you’ll probably wonder why did I pay so much when there are much cheaper adapters out there. One main reason, half stops. Having this adapter with the little blue lever allows me to dial in my aperture manually. This give me more options to be more precise with my settings. With the Zf mount having the aperture controls on the lens, this will also makes this lens nearly future proof. Unlike the ZE mount, where you have to adjust the aperture form the camera body.

Here is a few sample shots I took the first day I got it!

90 degree clamp reviews

Sun, 14 Aug 2011 22:45:36 -0600

We all start out with the need to stabilize our very sensitive DSLR cameras for shooting video. Once we have got passed that part, then we need to start adding some necessary accessories. We need a secure way of doing this, they also need to be attached to our already existing 15mm rods.
This is when we turn to the 90 Degree Clamp. I have put together a short video displaying some of the options these little guys can give you to make your DSLR rig and full fledged cinema rig. These clamps combined with a RedRockMicro spud can make this small attachments configurations nearly limitless! I would suggest having at least a few of these in your gear bag at all times.

Dave Dugdale turntable review

Tue, 9 Aug 2011 19:31:34 -0600

So if any of you viewers out there have ever watched my product reviews you will notice that I have a specific style to filming them. Most noticeably I use a turntable to display the product. Dave Dugdale over at LearningDSLRvideo.com decided to do a DIY version of how to make this turntable. He came up with a really cheap way to make this happen by using materials from a hardware store and an old rotisserie motor he found on ebay. He did a great job showing the capabilities and the kinds of shots you can get with this setup. I especially like how he integrated my name and logo in the video when mentioning that he contacted me to get some pointers on how I use this style of filming.

If you haven’t checked out Dave’s site you should head over there he has a lot of helpful hints if you are starting out with DSLR’s or if you have already dove in a bit.

New spider dolly email

Tue, 9 Aug 2011 19:22:37 -0600

The spider trax dolly track DIY video is hitting over 17K right now on vimeo. I am still currently emailing out the build lists out a few times a week, and its been over a year since I had uploaded that video!
There have been a view viewers that have emailed pictures of their versions and I really enjoy looking at how people may have alter the design a bit. This version comes from Cedric Kpade. He sent me these picture right after he had finished the dolly part of the system. He is now going to tackle making the track to go along with this dolly. Posted below are a few shots of his version which uses a wood base rather than the cheeseplate design.

Thanks for sending the pics Cedric!

If you would like to donate to keep these videos coming, please do on the main blog page click here

Rig Handles

Thu, 4 Aug 2011 18:54:12 -0600

I was at it again with another DIY project for camera users. These are rig handles than can be used for your shoulder mount rigs. They can also be used with cage rigs as well. Video HERE

A friend of mine was has been wanting to replace his Jag35 handles for quite sometime. I have sent him shots of my RedRockMicro handles and he really likes how sleek and durable they are. They are really some of the most professional handles out there, but for $74.50 a piece they can really hurt the pocket book! So i came up with a strong and durable design that really can match up to the RRM look.

These handles are simple and easy to assemble and cost under $10.00 a piece! Granted you will need to buy some 90 clamps to attach them to your rails but you could use those 90 clamps for other things when you are not using them for your handles. The other great thing about these is that they are so customizable! You pick out the handle grips, you could spend $5.00 or $50.00, its all up to you!

503 Shoulder Pad

Thu, 4 Aug 2011 16:56:14 -0600

I recently filmed another product review, this time showcasing the 503 Shoulder Pad that you can buy on ebay. Video HERE

This is a great shoulder pad and was designed with comfort in mind. It really shapes to your shoulder and provides a nice stable comfort. The one that I am comparing this to in the review is the RedRockMicro Shoulder Pad. Although this shoulder pad is a little more expensive, it is good comparison to the 503 shoulder pad. They both have positive things about them. I feel if I were going to have run n gun setup with no counter weight then I would go with the 503 shoulder pad. Simply because this shoulder pad wraps around your shoulder much more securely than the RRM shoulder pad. Now if I were to be going on a shoot where I would be leaving the camera up on my shoulder for long periods of time, then I would choose the RRM. The RRM shoulder pad offers more padding in the shoulder pad which make it a lot more comfortable when you have a heavier setup.

The 503 does come with a set of rails and a riser block. Unlike the RRM that only comes with the shoulder pad. The rails that come with the 503 are threaded which give you an option of expanding them one day. The 503 offers 4 tightening knobs to secure it to the rails while the RRM only offers two, but RRM offers the best tightening knobs I have ever used. So there would be no need for four tightening knobs on the RRM.

The hollowed out design of the 503 shoulder pad does make it a tad lighter than the RRM pad, but it really is not that noticeable.

I think you would be more than happy with either purchase. There are more bad shoulder pads in the market then there are good.

Hutch Shoot #3

Sun, 19 Jun 2011 22:09:12 -0600

I had the pleasure of working with an actress from New York on my last shoot, Mary Hynes. She is an upcoming actress on broadway and it heading for big things! So I was very pleased and excited to work with an actress of the rise. A friend of hers at the shoot was kind enough to grab some photos of the shoot and she just sent them over to me. I thought that I would share them with you.

New gear at an affordable price

Tue, 7 Jun 2011 23:38:31 -0600

I was very fortunate to come across some new affordable and very well built gear. I was so impressed by the quality I decided to film a few product reviews. First VF prime is great piece of gear and until I used an LCD Viewfinder on someone else’s rig, I really didn’t see the point in needing one of these. On a friends rig they were using a Zacuto viewfinder, which are very nice by the way, but so is this one. In fact other than not having release plate at the bottom I really couldn't tell the difference. This viewfinder uses a sticky frame, which I was against at first, but now do not mind it all. I really take my DSLR to the next level in a filmmaking machine.
The Rokinon 85mm 1.4.... What a beauty! This lens is amazing and perfect for the DSLR filmmaker. For the longest time I was drooling over the Canon 85mm 1.2 L, and who wouldn’t by the way. This is so far beyond what the price tag shows. It is steal for anyone who is looking for an 85mm lens. The sharpness, the bokeh, the durability, all top notch. Speaking of durablity, when filming this review below the lens actually fell off the platform and hit the carpeted floor below, about 4 feet down, and nothing happened. Not rattling, no loose aperture blades, nothing. For the price I was really afraid that something would have just fallen apart when it fell, but no, this lens is solid and I highly recommend it to any DSLR filmmaker.

Enjoy the reviews below -