Anamorphic Lens

We've recently got our hands on an anamorphic lens to try and capture some more cinematic images in a small form factor.  The lens is from Moondog Labs, a firm based in New York that has been producing lenses for over a century. Here is a very short clip. Straight out of the camera (iphoneX) using FilmicPro. No colour correction, no filters, luts etc.

The lens is a 1.33 anamorphic. With the FilmicPro app, you can de-squeeze in camera, so the image you see is in the correct aspect ratio. With this lens, you can buy a camera case which the lens will screw directly into. The lens itself comes with a lens protector and also a back cover, that goes into a soft bag. However, the first thing I got was a small hard case to store and protect it.

So you can go hand held, but my current setup is the Zhiyun SmoothQ gimbal to give steady footage. Due to the weight of the lens, you will need some counterweights that magnetically link together and go on the other end of the gimbal.

Case, lens, filter adaptor

If you want to keep the shutter speed down, to say 1/48 if shooting at 24fps, you will need an nd filter. To attach this you will need an adapter to go from the lens to a standard 52mm connector. You can then screw in any nd or variable nd filter. With FilmicPro you can then adjust the shutter speed, otherwise when shooting outside, everything will be overexposed at 24fps. FilmicPro can also shoot log profile.

Rhinoshield case that lens directly screws into

Counterweights on the SmoothQ gimbal

FilmicPro App

Music from Manus film - 5 days not 5 years

The film ‘Music From Manus’ has been released to raise awareness of the situation on Manus Island, which appears to be getting worse rather than better.

Dawn Barrington (musician) and Tim Maisey (filmmaker) went to Manus Island to play music and listen to stories from their friends on Manus Island. Their friends are refugees.

Poster for film

Dawn and Tim didn't know whether they would get a visa, get onto Manus Island, be arrested, have their equipment taken or stolen, or whether any refugees would even come and see them. They stayed mainly in their hotel room as they were not allowed into the camps and it was generally not safe to be outside especially at weekends. The film was captured as it happened depending on who visited on the day. They ventured outside only occasionally - they visited one of the camps to try and get in, talked to the guards, but were turned away. Some of their friends saw them and then they played music nearby in the shade of a local's stall.

Three weeks after returning from Manus Island, the project was featured on the front page of the local newspaper, together with the first public screening of the film which included live music from Dawn and a question and answer session.

Many thanks to our friends on Manus Island and Port Moresby who came to see use, welcomed us, shared with us and fed us. Many thanks for their personal stories and personal film. It takes courage.

Any money generated from this film will go towards supporting refugees on Manus Island and Port Moresby.

The original trailer was re-edited in collaboration with a Sydney-based producer who had seen the film when it was on tour. The film was pitched to Netflix, SBS and ABC.

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The full 40 minute short film is below and has been shown across Australia in cinemas, and community venues sometimes with music from Dawn followed by Question and Answer sessions:

The film has been entered into Sundance, New Orleans, LA Shorts International, Chicago International, British Film Institute, Edmondton, New Renaissance, British Documentary and Barcelona Human Rights film festivals.

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The following re-edited version was entered into the New York mobile phone film competition using only the iPhone film segments.

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The film has been shown at the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain as part of a session dedicated to the refugee theme relating to artwork from Javier Téllez on view at gallery 103 in the Guggenheim.

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Dawn and Farhad

50 Years Coop Himmelb(l)au

I studied this architecture company at uni and had to build a physical model of one of their buildings - not easy!  Check out their website which has some great concepts.

Music from Manus - 5 days not 5 years | STORY

I recently went to Manus Island, Papua New Guinea (PNG) with Dawn Barrington as part of a documentary film Music from Manus - 5 days not 5 years.

Dawn is a musician who I knew through working together at Denmark Arts.  Dawn had remembered that I dabbled in films and wanted me to film a new music video for her. So we had an afternoon as a trial at Dawn's house, but it seemed a little bit uninspired. So we were going to come back to it once I had found some free time and Dawn had returned from travelling over East for some gigs.

A couple of weeks later, before Dawn went away, we bumped into each other in the street and she mentioned that she was fundraising for a trip to go to Manus Island. She had just started fundraising and asked if I would go with her to film the trip. My current philosophy is to say 'yes' to opportunities/events like this without giving it too much thought, because you never know what can happen, if anything.  I was not getting paid for the trip or post-production and was going to take a week off work as holiday. I did not know much about refugees or even where Manus Island was, but I said 'sure'. So off Dawn went to Melbourne, Tasmania and Sydney. Dawn said that it would probably take a while to get the money; we needed around $6,000 for the trip as PNG and flights there are expensive. Before Dawn went away I filmed her at the local Denmark Arts markets and interviewed her for the fundraising page.

This is a music video and trailer for the documentary Music from Manus - 5 days not 5 years. Dawn Barrington and Tim Maisey travelled from Denmark in Western Australia to Manus Island in Papua New Guinea to play music with refugees and record their stories.

But, about a week into the trip, Dawn messaged me to say that she had got the money and that we were going to Manus Island. Dawn, had managed to get most of the money from someone she had met by chance in a coffee shop!

More interviews ensued before we went away, on the journey, and then with the refugees in Port Moresby and on Manus Island. I then did a short film edit as the music video and also as a trailer for the documentary. I then spent a week on the trailer and then thought we would leave it a bit to allow time to reflect on the trip and review the hours and hours of footage. But the response was so good to the trailer and everyone was asking about when the documentary would come out, so we started looking at venues.  The only appropriate space and largest venue in town was the Denmark Civic Centre.  I was expecting less than 20 people, but then Dawn got onto the publicity...

From Denmark Bulletin newspaper

From Denmark Bulletin newspaper

We hadn't finish the edit when the newspaper came out, but knew we had to get it finished, the sound sorted as best we could, get some better speakers for the event and go for it! It was live music from Dawn, the documentary film which was now around 40 minutes long and then a question and answer session. We had a great crowd, the response and feedback has been very positive and more showings are planned around Australia and beyond.

Music from Manus - 5 Days not 5 years. Questions and Answers session in Denmark.

Dawn has subsequently travelled all over Australia performing and showing the film at small venues and cinemas. The film has also been submitted to film festivals.