Trilogy News

C300: Worth the wait?

2011-11-29T13:19:00.000-08:00

Okay. We waited for it and now it’s here: the Canon C300. Problem is, it didn’t blow the doors off our expectations. Or did it?

The C300 has some stiff competition out there. RED is creeping up quickly in becoming the choice for major Hollywood productions. Small time film directors James Cameron and Peter Jackson (I’ve never heard of them either) have ordered a boat load so they (RED) must be doing something right. Right? Right.

But lets forget about comparing the Scarlet & the C300. Lets have a look at another camera that is working against the future sales of the C300. Chances are you’ve already heard of it. Hell, you might even own it.

The 5D Mark II.

Yes. The 5D Mark II. Because when you look at what the two have to offer, they’re not that different.

So Canon changed the game with this little number. The DSLR hasn’t and never will be the same, bringing incredible 1080p HD quality with interchangeable lenses put quality film making in the grasp of a lot of film makers (basically creating a whole new industry) who before had to settle for some horrible clunky adapter system on average video cameras to achieve the same look. I’ll cut past some of the incredible under the hood features the C300 has going for it (such as internal 4:4:4 processing) and straight to the price. $20,000 vs $2000. That's a whole decimal point.

I’d expect some major, not minor, improvements when that’s the difference. Has Canon finished before they’ve even started? If I was looking to run a small indie production and faced with the choice of these two cameras I (and I think a lot of others) would quickly go with several 5D Mark II bodies and STILL have $10,000 towards my production instead of one C300 body.

All this goes with the fact that there’s a supposed “concept” cinema DSLR which has yet to be officially announced. Apparently 4K too. I’m scared to think of the price since it’d be absolutely ludicrous to release a camera under the price point of the C300 that shoots a HIGHER resolution.

I’ll admit, I’m a little confused as to Canon’s strategy here, but I guess we’ll have to see what happens in the next year. All I can imagine is that we should be looking at the C300 as a broadcast camera, not cinema, which a lot of us are... and maybe that’s our fault.

Rumor has it that the price point has also dropped from $20K to $16K, but that might not be enough. Once this body is around the $10K-$12K I see it being an actual possibility. Till then, it just doesn’t make sense to choose the C300, whether you're going Canon or RED.

Welcome Olaf!

2011-09-27T07:49:00.001-07:00

It's been a busy summer here at Trilogy... and now it's fall! How time flies. (And how behind I am in blogging!)

We have not been idle, however, and it's our pleasure to announce the addition of Olaf Blomerus to our staff.

Olaf has taken the role of 'Digital Production Manager' here at our studio which allows both Grant and I to focus on photography as well as building relationships with our customers. (And have more time to blog... as evidenced here.)

Olaf's role represents an important step for us in quality and customer service.

You can contact Olaf at olaf@trilogystudios.ca (should you wish to compliment him on his hat)

Shooting for a start-up: Introducing Jelly Modern Doughnuts!

2011-04-25T13:45:00.000-07:00

When we were asked by TAG Advertising's Todd Sloane if we'd be interested in shooting some doughnuts for a new company here in Calgary we couldn't have anticipated just how fun, challenging and rewarding it would be. The new upstart Jelly Modern Doughnuts was in it's infancy and needed strong photographs to show the world what they're made of... literally!

Valrhona Chocolate... the best!

Jelly Modern Doughnuts uses the highest quality, natural, organic ingredients to create a quality doughnut like no other. They really must be tried to fully appreciate the difference these better ingredients make.

I love their super-cool location on 8th St in Calgary.

It sure has been fun to be part of a new venture... now go try them!

Applied Arts selects Trilogy Studios!

2011-03-07T15:01:00.000-08:00

Trilogy Studios photographer and digital artist Grant Waddell will be featured in the upcoming Applied Arts photography annual. Grant's image of a steam train, which has been posted on our blog previously (Train Part One and Train Part Two) was selected to be featured along with some of the top photographers, illustrators and digital artists in Canada.

Congratulations Grant!

Great article, great photographs.

2010-11-05T13:13:00.000-07:00

"It was Eli’s idea to see if a very large manila envelope would fit over his head; Eli’s idea to blow into one end of a vacuum cleaner hose and hold the other end to his ear to hear the whoosh."

An Amazing Talk... very powerful.

2010-11-05T11:44:00.000-07:00

I usually like to sit and watch a TED lecture when I have lunch here at the studio. I swear something guided my mouse to exactly this video to exactly this day. Elizabeth really tapped into what I have believed for a very long time. If your a creative individual at all, you have to watch this. Especially if you feel stuck.
Please leave a comment and let me know what you think.

Spare Change #3

2010-10-08T10:08:00.000-07:00

A Bad Day for Ice Cream and Birds.

I saw the ice cream first on a concrete storm water sewer access and about 5 minutes later down a path I saw this pile of feathers. The parallel struck me.

1000 Words...

2010-10-06T07:30:00.000-07:00

So, as part of our marketing effort, we decided sometime ago that we would embark on a grand exercise to see how effective radio advertising would be to a commercial photographic studio. Some thought we were off our rocker. Whether we are or not, here it is. Big shout out to GGRP and Admaki for their creativity and actually being able to create something that works for such a narrow market. Currently running on XL 103.1

Spare Change #2

2010-09-18T10:00:00.000-07:00

Wandering past this get away, and found this kinda interesting. The great thing is, no photoshop!

Cloud and Flag Pole

Spare Change #1

2010-09-17T16:58:00.000-07:00

"They became the "pennies and nickels" on the bedside table, taking up space, and practically worthless."

In a previous post "Outside the Circle" I explored the idea of moving out of your comfort zone and exploring new creative territory. It originated from a thought I had that the creative work we do for our "jobs" does not always represent our true artistic vision, but is simply a safe place to hang out in and make a living.

It doesn't mean that I don't shoot outside the circle, but I don't take it as seriously. I didn't plan the shot or set up lights etc etc. I simply happened across it, lifted the camera, and snapped a pic. Back in the studio, I would download these pics into the computer and after that, pretty much ignore them. They became the "pennies and nickels" on the bedside table, taking up space, and practically worthless.

"The question arises as to why I took them in the first place"?

Because there was a part of me that wanted to, thats why. The part that was long forgotten in my photographic past. The original photographer that started it all. The curious, quizzical, ever interested photographer that had no "rules" as to what you can and can't shoot.

Some of you may be thinking "rules"? I've met a few photographers that feel the same thing. It's a slow insidious disease that invades every creative pore. You don't notice it until your a long way down the commercial road. There comes a time when you leave behind the fancy free photographer and claim you don't have time to shoot personal work, or even simple snap shots because you have a family to feed and a studio lease to pay for. Serious work only please.

But this original photographer is very persistent. He quietly pushes his way to the front of my brain and makes me take a picture. A simple snap of something he finds interesting. A "Spare Change" photo.

So, I'm going to roll up these pennies and nickels and give them the value they deserve.
I took them for a reason and I'm going to start posting some of them.

The commercial side of me is just going to have to deal with it.

Spare Change #1- The Bike

The Train Project Part II

2010-09-07T10:42:00.000-07:00

Ok so last we left off with the image partially mapped out. I have my 3D elements ready for texturing and my cliffs in place. So once I had the basic idea as to how I wanted the image to feel, I began to work on finalizing the trestle by going out and shooting textures that I could apply as a texture map to the 3D model. I began by modelling a simple element, a railway tie, mapped the textures onto it, and rendered it out. I also modeled and rendered a rail as well although the rail won't really be seen. But hey, who knows where I might use this asset later.

Here's what the look like.

Two of the many rendered elements

I then mapped the entire trestle and rendered it out with the lighting angles that I determined earlier.

Textured Trestle

The final phase was to finesse the lighting through several adjustment layers. I used the rendered train "boxes" as a placeholder for the real train which I rented from a local model train shop. I took it into the studio and using the data from the 3D program, placed the model and camera and shot the train in pieces. Pieces you ask? Even at f/22 I was unable to hold the depth over the entire length of the train and I had to shoot it first with the locomotive in focus and then racking back car by car. The images were then imported into Photoshop and the train was built section by section till I had it completed.

Final Train

After that it was time to place the train in the final image and work on marrying it in to the composite . Steam and smoke were added for more realism. I also added textures such as grime and rust to the train to make it not so "model" looking. I also had to adjust the shape of the receding cars slightly to fit the perspective of the plate and I reduced the contrast and saturation slightly to simulate the effects of atmosphere.

Once I was satisfied with the broad aspects of the image I started to drill down farther by adding smaller details. Extra items were added such as bits of grass etc.

Here's the final image as it sits. I have a few last additions to make and that will be coming shortly. It will show what I really wanted in the final image from the start. I never intended for this to be just an image of a train chugging up a mountain pass but more of a story. An image that may make you look a bit closer and smile. It has two possible finishes. One is comical and the other is more ummm epic.

Not sure which way I'm going to go.

Posted by: Grant Waddell

The Train Project

2010-07-12T09:54:00.000-07:00

Most of my personal projects start out as a simple thought born from a simple visual seed. But like anything that starts from this simple beginning, quickly grows into something much more involved. The Train Project is one of those. A train runs up a mountain railway, smoke mushrooming from it's stack. Steam bleeds from the cylinders. A wooden trestle lies ahead, spanning a deep cleft in the rock. It's late in the day, the train cast in shadow. Warm light bathes the upper cliffside.

You get the idea. So how to begin. I start with some rough sketches to determine basic composition and what elements are needed. A train obviously, a wooden trestle, and cliffs or rock to mold into an environment. Then a plan to build and shoot the elements.

So here's what I gathered together. I was in Fernie one weekend and while driving eastbound on highway 3 discovered a big cliff right beside Crowsnest Lake.

Somewhere about here.

Here are a few images of the cliff bits and pieces.

Then I started the 3d work on the trestle in Lightwave.

Next was to bring it all together in PS and start the process of creating the basic cliff and where the train would sit in the environment.

One of the techniques I like to use is creating a very rough (and I mean rough) model in 3D and place lights and a camera in the 3D set to help determine POV for the composite. This is where I started.

Now I'm moving towards a direction for the cliffside and how the light will play off it. I used a place holder image of a train to drop in to see how things might interact. And what other elements may be useful.

There's a lot to think about. Position of trestle and how it marries to the 2D environment plus other elements such as steam and smoke, foliage and other dressing for the image.

In the next post I'll show you the next steps from texturing the trestle to shooting the train and the final composite.

Outside the Circle

2010-05-17T14:52:00.000-07:00

Just the other morning, I was sitting in my big overstuffed chair journalling over a coffee like I normally do when I struck by a thought. I drew a big circle on the page and another small circle in the middle of it. The big circle was everything I could possibly shoot. The smaller circle was the area I had chosen to occupy. After staring blankly at this bit of random artwork and trying to figure out why I had drawn it in the first place the thoughts came fast. I came to realize that the style of work that I have been doing over the past few years has been highly manufactured. I was creating pieces that rely heavily on Photoshop and in Calgary, have a relatively small audience. Was the target I had defined valid in this market. That's been a question that I've been trying to answer for a while now.

I have shot for many clients and shot several hundred projects. I have pretty much defined myself by the style that I've developed for those projects. Every artist out there would agree that your style is what sets you apart from everyone else. But here's the tricky part, and the most uncomfortable.

What happens when you decide to shift focus and move away from that center circle?

It's like being four all over again and being separated from your parents in the mall. You know your in a safe environment but that feeling of panic rushes in. "I can't change what I do now" you say. "I've put to much into this". The center circle is my comfort zone. If my crude drawing became three dimensional, the center would have high walls and a moat. The outside circle a nasty place. Kind of like M. Night Shyamalans movie "The Village".

I was amazed at how simply shooting things that were different from what I had defined for myself could cause a stress reaction. Especially when linked the the possibility of slowly shifting what I do on a professional level. Get the crash cart!

This has been a topic of conversation Mike and I have been discussing as we both explore our more personal side of our photography. We haven't really "practiced" our craft unless it's work related. But we've both agreed that we need to augment the work with personal projects that lead us away from the little circle and show us territory we've travelled in before, but forgotten along the way.

A shot from outside the wall

Our New Portfolios are Here!!!

2010-04-28T15:24:00.000-07:00

After much agonizing, designing and re-designing... they're finally done, our new portfolios!

The process of editing and choosing our best work has been quite the journey. Grant and I have found that by looking over our past work we've become aware of what's been successful and what's been, well, less successful.

Printing our pages on high quality Hahnemuhle paper has led us to a new appreciation for the difference between the computer monitor and the printed page. What we've discovered is that viewing our images in print form has been extremely healthy and causes us to see the image in a new way. We've now adapted this into our routine and will be using proofs during our shoots more frequently to evaluate the final product.

We are eager to share our work with you and will no doubt be contacting you soon for a chance to sit together and talk about the creative process and sip lattes... or mochas, in my case.

Yay for us!

Mike

Night Shots

2010-04-15T11:26:00.000-07:00

So after dinner I decided to pack up the camera and head out into the quieter parts of town. After about two hours I came back with these selects from many.

`Grant

MKM - Project 63

2010-04-12T15:47:00.000-07:00

Just finished a project for Margaret Kool Marketing out of Edmonton. It was for a safety campaign directed at Highway 63 which runs into Fort McMurray. A very dangerous stretch of road.

The focal point of the shoot was a hat that we created for the models to wear. A standard baseball cap with one exception. The brim extends out 8" and drops down the sides 4".We had it made locally by a great prop maker in town called El Diablo.

The elements for the shoot involved three models being put on a turntable where 60 shots were taken of each and made into a 360 degree spin. Very similar to a video game character creation page. They were then brought into the the other side of the studio where we had the car shots set up. We shot these on blue screen so we could image a highway and associated vehicles into the window to portray imminent danger. All the outside elements were shot separately, road, trees, sky, trucks and cars and composited together and given the appropriate treatment for each scenario.

All in all a great project. We've created a time lapse video of what happened over the two day shoot which includes the three final composites. Let us know what you think.

Social Networking 101

2010-02-17T11:58:00.000-08:00

Starting down the road of social networking. Should be an interesting experiment. Spent a good couple of hours figuring out how to make sure that Mike and I had the ability to both add to the Blog as well as Twitter, and have common access. Then make sure that the two talked nicely with each other. I have a Twitter feed now on the blog, but it would appear that Twitter has only one possible link to Trilogy in either a website link or a blog link. Not sure if I'm missing something. I'll keep at it.

One thing for sure, there should be no free time if doing this properly.

Thoughts on the iPad

2010-02-01T14:51:00.000-08:00

So, Mike and I were sitting back, watching the announcements for the iPad roll in as the presentation was happening, and I couldn't get over just how right I was about the final product. I am so pleased with myself (tongue firmly in cheek). I knew in my gut that it wasn't going to be this all in one, make coffee and clean the house device that all you had to do was "think" about what you were wanting and it would execute your thought with gleeful precision.

I said it from the start...

It's going to be a device that delivers your digital content. Movies, mail, music, photo's etc. on a bigger screen and thats it! No OSX, no Photoshop, etc etc. It's not a traditional computer in the true sense of the word. When people saw it and said "it's just a big iPod Touch", I thought, "and what were you expecting"? Whats the problem with laptops? Nothing. If you need mobile computing that will allow you to edit your film, then a laptop will work just fine. You want to make a phone call? Pick up your damn iPhone or whatever you use and make your call. You want to watch Youtube or a movie or TV program, the iPhone or iPod touch are reasonable at that as well. The iPad sits in a very grey area. If you own a Laptop, it will do everything the iPad does and a whole lot more. If you own an iPhone, same thing. I think people were expecting a mid-sized computer phone. Look ma, I don't have to carry my phone or my laptop.

So why create the iPad?

The only issue I could see was screen size. I don't want to read a book on a 2x3 inch screen or zoom in on web pages and scroll around. And that forced me to sit at the computer "again" so I could write this, or see that. Thats why the iBookstore wasn't brought out years ago. I don't want to read at my desk or even at the table in Starbucks. I want to sit on my couch and lay back and read. Not to mention the benefit screen size has to all the games on iTunes.

So, thats it, content delivered, better interface, on simply, a bigger screen. BUT....

The one notable exception was the iWorks suite. That got my mind rolling. If Apple could create a version of their software that is, as capable, or it seems, possibly more capable than their desktop cousins, then what about other big software vendors? What will this mean for photography? What about Adobe? They've already made Photoshoip.com Mobile. Pretty positive that this simple app is actually a precursor to something much bigger. You could use this as a portfolio viewer when meeting with clients, or connect it to your camera using the camera connector and get a much bigger preview in the field as well as download images to the device and maybe even do some basic work on them. That is, once you can view raw files on it. Who knows what else.

I believe that the iPad is going to be the birthplace of a whole new way of computing. Developers will write software for pretty much everything you can think of . New docks, and other accessories will flood the market. Apple has given us the tool with the belief that the masses will take the football and run. I can hardly wait to see what new things appear and what develops for my industry in particular.

Let's talk about light!

2009-12-01T11:45:00.000-08:00

Recently, I was asked to speak at the Calgary Illuminating Engineers Society luncheon. The IES is made up of engineers, designers, architects and lighting suppliers and their goal is to "Improve the Lighted Environment"

Pretty cool stuff, especially for me as I don't often get together with people who are as passionate about lighting as I am.

I was able to share a little bit about my style of photography and show some examples. The event was held at Fort Calgary and the food was great!

Congratulations to Lighting Design Solutions and Robertson & Associates Engineering who each won a door prize worth $300 toward their next shoot!

Friday the 13th is a lucky day for renovators!

2009-11-13T12:14:00.000-08:00

Each year the CHBA Sales and Marketing Awards offers an opportunity for renovators to compete for bragging rights as the best in the business in Calgary. This year is no exception and I have been very busy helping my renovator clients put together their best entries.

I have to say, the quality of work and the commitment to quality displayed by these renovators is exemplary. It is always a pleasure to work with such committed, professional people.

Best of luck to Ultimate Renovations, Trademark Renovations and Newcastle Renovations. Too bad we have to wait until April to find out the results!

That Smells Good!

2009-10-28T21:01:00.000-07:00

Well, the other day Mike and I ventured into the studio and started working on a project that we had been discussing for a very looong time. Too long. After some planning and the help from our very talented friend and colleague, Sue Spicer we began cooking something up in the kitchen. Mike has shot food before and I have shot a lot of it as well when I worked in Vancouver but except for a spattering of small shoots we haven't stirred that pot very often. It's not that we didn't want to. It's simply that our styles evolved and our subject matter changed over time and was heavily linked to what the local market was doing. Because Mike shoots mainly architecture and I shoot commercial work mostly shot on location, our studio sat empty and under utilized.

So, after lots of talks and planning meetings, we set-up and began a day of shooting food. When those onions hit the hot oil and began caramelizing, I though I'd died and gone to heaven. It took me back and I enjoyed every minute of it. We shot four images for our upcoming promo's and left with big smiles and full stomachs. (You have to sample)

We'll be posting samples soon.

East of Claresholm

2009-10-03T11:43:00.001-07:00

On the way to Bonnyville

2009-09-27T21:08:00.000-07:00

Firestone Tower #1

2009-09-18T19:13:00.001-07:00

Saturday Morning

2009-09-16T11:20:00.001-07:00

Trying out the email to blogger thing.

Roadrunner

2009-09-03T10:29:00.000-07:00

An image that I've been working on. A classic Roadrunner on an MTS set, shot last September in the foothills of Alberta. The crew was shooting against a green screen to comp in the two MTS buffalo's. I used the green screen to put in a snowy image from a previous shoot and treated it from there.

New stuff Coming

2009-09-03T10:21:00.000-07:00

We've been working on some fun new material but can't share it with you just yet. It's been a while since the last post but we're going to start to change that soon.

Wasa

2009-07-08T16:15:00.000-07:00

A few pics from a recent trip to Wasa, B.C.

New Industrial Portfolio Added

2009-07-07T12:23:00.000-07:00

We've added a new industrial section to the site. Check it out.

www.trilogystudios.ca

Tim Horton's Brier "The Champ"

2009-04-13T15:47:00.000-07:00

Calgary recently hosted the Tim Horton's Brier down at the Saddle Dome in March. Some of you may have noticed the outdoor campaign that was run for the month prior to the event. We had the good fortune of being the studio hired to shoot the visuals and it was through our good friend Brad Bell of One Monkey Creative. It featured John Morris who was last years MVP for the Alberta team.

It created quite a buzz in the curling community and the curling media. Calgary Herald curling writer Allen Cameron was quoted as saying "I just think it's the coolest print ad I've seen for a curling event" You can read his blog here. It's fun because it features a knockoff shot of Brier host committee boss Ian Henderson.

Prevue Magazine did a piece on it called "Pumping Granite" that you can read here.

The Curling News talked about it here as well

This is the first official blog of the Trilogy News

2008-08-20T14:42:00.000-07:00

Just testing our new blog link etc from our new website.