Silent Rebellion Studios

Rebel Stream is now on Worldtv.com

2011-11-16T13:15:00.001-08:00

Low Light Test- Nikon D3100

2011-10-27T17:04:00.000-07:00

Yes I recieved my Nikon D3100 and I have put it through some rigorous paces shooting everything and anything I can.

But the above is my first low light test with it and it performed okay. I only wish I had more control over my ISO in video mode on this cam as well as full control over my shutter speed and aperture in video mode but despite all that in the right hands this little beast can do some good work.

This again proves my philosophy when it come to all good film making and television- it is not necessarily the equipment but the people behind the equipment that makes a great product. Any one can buy the latest camera but not everyone can buy your technical know how, your vision, your sweat and expertise.

I will keep practicing...

Rebel Stream Videos this week

2011-10-19T14:56:00.000-07:00

Aidonia Concert Highlights 2010

2011-10-03T08:24:00.000-07:00

This one was too long over due. Here is some nice footage I got with my Sony PD 170 that i recently sold off. Enjoy.

2011-09-30T06:39:00.000-07:00

Did a little redesign on the openning sequence for Rebel Vibe.

Plunging Into The DSLR Phenonema

2011-09-30T06:02:00.000-07:00

Melissa & Dennis' wedding - another view from Neil van Niekerk on Vimeo.

So I have finally made the plunge. I have laboured with my trusty Canon HV30 and it has served me well but it time to get me some of that DSLR video goodness. I have been courting a serious window shopping for all different types of DSLR, mirrorless and Micro four thirds cameras for quite some time. One of my friends was like "O lawd just buy the ting already!!!" What she didn't know was the true range of choices before me. So in my usual REBEL style I made the best bang for buck decision- the Nikon D3100. It ships to my neck of the woods next week.

I was initially going for the Canon T3i but due to a tight financial situation the Nikon fit my budget without compromising video quality as much as I previously thought. My only problem is that the Nikon D3100 doesn't have an audio input however since all my upcoming work utalizes the Tascam DR-05- (a superb audio recording device!!!)- I can live with lining my audio and video from separate sources in my post production.

The above video showcases the superb quality you can get out of the Nikon D3100. Again I will stress its not always about your gear but how you use what you have.

Photoshop Magic Is It Real?

2011-09-28T17:13:00.000-07:00

People often ask me to touch up some photos and overlay some graphics. Its no fault of theirs but its like they expect you to wave a magic wand over an image and presto you have a wonderful final image.

I firmly believe that before you touch up a photo in photoshop its best you get the photography part right. That means proper lighting, composition and ensuring your photo has the right amount of exposure. But the truth is you wouldn't always get an ideal image to work with.
The above image was given to me by a friend and while it was not the most ideal image I ever worked on, it had a decent exposure and composition. However he had already manipulated the image and resized but the proportions was wrong his frame ended up being too wide for his height. and this image was taken with a cell phone camera and there were some noise artifacts that were particularly troublesome on the edges where his skin began to meld with the background in a weird freaky noise dance. I had to cut him out using the pen tool and guesstimate edges that crossed over into green in some cases to help keep him in natural form. Once that was done I re-proportion his width to his height- another guesstimation. Some aggressive colour correction and a brush dabs and end up with this:

Its not my best work but I still pulled off a pretty decent final image. So is photoshop magic real? Of course it is but with every other skill you need to practice your art until you are good enough to whip some magic...

Nikon D3100

2011-09-28T07:28:00.000-07:00

Amazon is current selling the Nikon D3100 SLR for about $530 US. It is a tempting buy. At this price it is a worthwhile alternative to the Canon Rebel t2i and t3i. I have been reading up some reviews and my only problem with is the lack of audio input for your video recordings but I still plan to check it out for myself soon...

TWISS Radio

2011-09-22T19:21:00.000-07:00

TWISS stands for Tird World International Sound System. It is a DJ sound system owned and operated by Fadda Flex. After I created and conceptualised Rebel Stream Flex continues to help me operate and formulate the groundwork for Rebel Stream as a medium for grassroots urban culture.

We both agreed that as operators of Rebel Stream and TWISS that we would push and support local music from Trinidad and Tobago as much as we possibly can. Flex has since started TWISS Radio an Internet Radio station and I wish him all the best as he continues to operate it.

Elance.com is Nice!!!!

2011-09-22T06:43:00.000-07:00

So I just discovered elance.com. So far it looks like a great platform for freelancers and I now I think I am ready to step out hold the bull by the horns and start my freelance business online.

it even has a greater tracker system that can log your hours on a project and automatically send a report to your client. I'm really new to this but I plan to get as familiar as i can with this tool and try to have a great profile to attract clients...

http://www.elance.com/samples/fadda-flex/34964402/

Perks

2011-08-16T07:56:00.001-07:00

Rebel Vibe

2011-08-16T07:47:00.000-07:00

We started shooting Rebel Vibe every sunday featuring local artistes from TRinidad and Tobago.
This week Perks came through and it was a lot of fun just vibing with this cool brother... Look out for more next week...

Rebel Stream

2011-07-19T06:51:00.000-07:00

Rebel Stream is a new brand I am working on. The original concept was created solely as an internet tv station to stream live and original content made about urban trinbagonian culture, music, art and other movements within the underground scene locally, but we may widen its scope a bit.

I have had some help building it from Fadda Flex from Tird World International Sound System, mainly promoting it on Facebook.

The Facebook group has grown to about 780 members and we have people on board willing to help us create some new content, but we're still still doing BETA testing, planning and trying to sort out some of the finances needed to fully launch this project off the floor.

We plan to at least bring it on full stream by 2012...

Cheap Halogen Work Light Mods

2011-02-23T11:20:00.000-08:00

Nice useful tips for using halogen workshop lights

thefrugalfilmmaker.com or filmflap.blagspot.com

2011-02-16T04:20:00.000-08:00

Really cool blog, great tips for film making on a budget. Check it out
filmflap.blagspot.com

Starting Small Big Time

2011-02-15T12:00:00.000-08:00

My tutorial base...

They say do what you love. and do it hard. I really don't want to repeat the cliche, but this is really exciting times where quality content can be created with a low budget and time to invest into what u are doing.

Mystery GuitarMan does it hard:

And this dude DeStorm

O wait thats Ray William Johnson in that clip too, dude's Equals Three show on youtube is tha shit yo!

Adobe CS 5: So good it makes you feel Obsolete.

2011-02-15T07:11:00.000-08:00

I have been longing for my copy of Adobe CS 5 Production suite. However I can't get it just yet.

Adobe CS 5 in all its sweetness, hello content aware selection in Photoshop? Hmmm wow. I likey but "content aware" is adobe's new technology that allows you to easily fill in a background behind an element that you have taken out of a photo. Well the following vid explains it much better:

However, I can't get this goodness just yet, you see Adobe CS5 hasn't just bumped up its creative powers but it has become a much larger powerhouse, literally. This 64bit system renders my crappy old 32bit Mac Book pro useless if I want to upgrade from CS4 to CS5. So I have no choice I have to buy a new Computer. O well. I cant be obsolete forever.

180 Degree Rule

2011-02-14T08:05:00.000-08:00

180 Degree Rule from Filmstudies_DaVega on Vimeo.

The 180 degree rule good to know for every filmmaker.

$28 Dirt cheap 3.5 inch DSLR Field monitor

2011-02-14T01:58:00.000-08:00

Genius! Dude hooks up an ultra cheap monitor to his DSLR rig.

Stu's Colorista II- I want it

2011-02-13T12:52:00.000-08:00

02 - Multishot Workflow With Magic Bullet Colorista II from Red Giant Software on Vimeo.

This plugin is the shit! I want a copy!

Rebel T3i comes out with a Bang?

2011-02-13T12:28:00.000-08:00

Canon T3i and T3 are they really that much better than a T2i?

Meggy Media- New Logo Design

2010-04-29T17:28:00.001-07:00

Here is a new logo design I created for my video production company Meggy Media. I'm thinking of offering my logo designing services pro bono to my first three clients who may need a logo designed for them like this one. First come first served.

Rational:
Meggy Media is indigenous. It is Trinibagonian and proud to exclaim ME! amongst a black red and white colour scheme. Meggy Media showcases the best T&T has to offer and packages it for the whole world and constantly evolves to meet the growing needs of a global market. Hence the growing circles emanating from the 'M' is an abstract representation of that evolution that Meggy Media is committed to.

Revelations

2010-04-27T10:12:00.000-07:00

Its always a surreal feeling I get when I confront my own stupidity.

No really. Sometimes, weeks, months will pass and I would think back to a certain incident and the AHA! Moment pops up in my head. Aw shucks too late to apologise or take back what I said or done. Damn.

So I just wheel back and try to learn the best I can from the offending gaffe or action and try to brush up on whatever discernment skills I presently have.

The real fool is the one that refuse to admit fault.

I used to beat myself over and over about these things and then I finally realised that is no use either. No one could ever be perfect all the time. So humble myself admit my wrong and then move on. I can smile and feel much lighter than having to carry a dead burden nobody else really cares about.

But most renching is being brave enough to admit this to someone else other than yourself especially when some iota of vulnerability is involved....

Especially when not everyone is on the same level of life, maturity and frame of mind...

So it is much easier to write this than to actually do it but self reaffirmation helps even more when I begin to listen to myself as well as others around me. Negotiate between the constant chatter within and the noise outside and maybe you may just get the message. Live well and live well with others.

Peace

Hmmm 3D

2010-03-27T22:17:00.000-07:00

I once thought that editing in premier pro was the coolest thing after photoshop. Then I discovered after effects and I fell in love with her. We spent so much time together my wife complained that if After Effects were a woman I would cheat on her with my beloved AE in a heart beat. If AE was an android I probably would have gotten the sexbot plugin upgrades.

But now I can confidently say I am a video compositor and motion graphic artist.

But alas I think I have gotten yet another mistress, Cinema 4D. So far I interface with her so well I just want to get to know her more while we make beautiful motion art together...

Don't worry my wife understands that i am passionate about what I do... After all I am a creative professional I cannot help but get a little intimate with my tools of the trade... So me and C4D will be getting jiggy a little more often than usual until I graduate to an Advanced level user of this 3D software...

Malcolm X

2010-03-17T08:32:00.000-07:00

Malcolm X is an important historical icon.

I always wonder what he would have said about the current war in Iraq, the bush administration, the "war" on terrorism, 911 and the Global economic crisis. Most people with a discerning intelligence can agree that there is a coordinated hand behind the veil that our governments, our media and our education systems throw over our eyes. Wake up.

I can only a heed a man's words who challenged these very systems in the past and died because he refused to compromise with the evils therein. May he always be a source of inspiration.

More Sprawlers Designs by Me

2010-03-02T11:15:00.000-08:00

Sprawlers

2010-03-01T05:53:00.000-08:00

Its amazing what a little perseverance, hardwork and resourcefulness will get you. We haven't even made a dent into the level of goals necessary to complete in order to bring it all together. But Sprawlers promises to be hard-hitting smash-up of a martial arts film produced locally for 2012. we just decided to fool around with some photos and it looks so good we decided to continue sharing throughout the whole process.

We're still in pre-production, so there is definitely a lot more to come!

HD Video Digital SLRs- One Sweet Deal

2010-02-21T18:15:00.000-08:00

I thought I had it all figured out. Buy a Canon HV40, a letus mini and a canon prime lens and boom I'm in business but then my world changed over once again.

Nikon brought out the first DSLR that can shoot HD video and then Canon, Sony and Panasonic. Filmmakers everywhere stood in awe of HD footage shot superbly with these DSLR models. They're not video cams. I was absolutely sceptically at first. I looked for all kinds of reasons why it won't work.

And then I investigated. What about Audio? Surely they would have crappy mono audio from the built in mic. But then the Canon 5D Mark II came with a stereo mic input to hook up an external stereo mic. Wow. So too did the Canon 7D. Damn.

But the memory can only shoot about 12 mins per card. thumbs down. And then the news broke in from the rumour mill on the net the Canon Rebel T2i the Successor of the Canon Rebel T1i is coming with cards capable of shooting up to 29 mins HD 1080p at 30 fames per second. Double damn!

I'm officially converted.

Did I mention the superb control of depth of field? Did I mention I get all that for $900 US for the Canon Rebel T2i?

Damn!

Before & After Silent Rebellion

2010-02-21T18:10:00.000-08:00

SRS Showcase.mp4

2010-02-06T06:48:00.001-08:00

Sticking to the Dream

2010-01-22T05:23:00.000-08:00

Cinema sometimes feel like a dream. In reality it is a result of the screen play writers', directors' and producers' dreams composed and formulated and constructed for your entertainment.

There is always a formula being employed. Some work gloriously and others fail miserably at the box office. However our local cinema is dominated by Hollywood film formulas, Bollywood shines through but not as much as Hollywood while Nigerian films are gathering a local cult fanfare in the local DVD market in trinidad and tobago.

But local filmmakers are starting to come up. I may not see a local film take American or foriegn Cinemas by storm any time soon but it is a dream myself and almost all other local filmmakers share: to tell our stories on the world's silver screen. We just need the right formula.

Working a Film Concept

2010-01-18T14:29:00.000-08:00

So I met some dudes who are enthusiastic about doing a low budget martial arts film. These guys are mixed martial artists capoiera, kick boxing, muay thai and whatever other styles in their arsenal. I'm excited. It's not everyday I have an opportunity to shoot an action feature length movie.

The first thing was that when we sat down to discuss the project we realised that there weren't a solid story line to work with. Everyone had their own concepts but nothing written. So we had to develop our concept some more. So now I'm writing a script with the help of one of my close brethrens.

I'm learning a lot and I may even start to train and learn some moves myself. We bounced many ideas. some where great others were shot down immediately, I'm the main writer but it seems I just can't do this by myself.

So the process so far is that I write only when I feel that "urge" and I completely forget about it during the week when I am about doing other stuff. Every sunday I travel to South Trinidad and add some more to the script after a brainstorming session. Two brainstorming sessions and it seems that we have quarter of a script.

It is only going to evolve even more and some parts may change completely before we are done with it. Wish us luck.

2010-01-12T15:14:00.000-08:00

Colour Your World Part2

2010-01-10T07:37:00.000-08:00

Earlier I spoke about the use of colour in film. I should be more specific and talk about colour palettes instead.
A colour palette, is the film colorist's basic guiding factor towards finishing a shot. Is the scene supposed to be dark and ominous? Is it supposed to radiate the golden hues and skin tones associated with a romantic stroll on the beach?
The number one priority for any colorist is the storyline. He is always asking himself how do these nuances in colour tones help to tell the story?
Although I am not a professional colourist using Da Vinci colour grading systems, as an independent producer, I find myself colour grading every single project in After Effects even those than don't require extensive graphics or special effects. The result? More control over my shots and a greater arsenal of tools in film imitation digital kit.

Sin City's Visual Effects Supervisor, Stu Maschwitz shares a few secrets using Magic Bullet's Colorista and Looks at the following link.
http://www.redgiantsoftware.com/videos/redgianttv/item/23/

9mm

2009-12-04T08:29:00.000-08:00

Colour Your World

2009-11-19T18:03:00.000-08:00

Lately I have been looking at films in a different light. Literally. Colour is a very important element to telling your story in film. But now I see varying changes in colour tones from shot to shot in most films and it is the usually due to the mastery of a colourist- the person who deliberately manipulates the colour of every single shot in a particular film.
Now we have complete control of this color grading process in the post production stage of the filmmaking process. And hollywood seems to have taken full advantage of this. I have been training my eye for digital colour remastering of shots in all the television shows and films I watch and I hardly see a recently film shot for the silver screen or for tv that has not been colour graded. The reason? Colour quickly conveys the mood you want the audience to feel within a particular story line. Simple.

Some More Screen Shots Of the Beast Wants to Rise Music Video

2009-11-19T06:36:00.000-08:00

Getting Down to Business

2009-11-19T03:25:00.000-08:00

With the digital revolution we now are able to create films at cheaper costs. Before it was a dastardly expensive affair. Film reels where thousands of dollars and film cameras were thousands more to rent. The celluloid processing was a chemical process that you just had to pay for. Now a HD Camcorder could be bought for a few hundred dollars (that is US) and the film processing step has been knocked out all together.

The modern filmmaker instead uses film stock emulation and colour grading in the post production process to further advance and embellish the story he/she is trying to tell. We have now broken it down to a particular film colour palette, contrast level, film grain, saturation level, depth of field, frame rate and 24p emulation in post.
Most traditionalists argue that 24p is absolutely meaningless and can never replace film. In a sense they actually have a point. 24p at HD resolution cannot compete with film. The resolution that film outputs is significantly larger. However even this is quickly becoming a digital affair. The Red Series of digital cameras already have achieved film resolution pixel for pixel and are developing the Scarlet a cheaper version geared specifically for the pockets of independent filmmakers.

Can't afford a 24p cam? No problem. You can convert your footage to 24p in the post production process all it takes is a little know how in the software that you are using. The folks at Red Giant have broken this down to a science a to deliver a great set of colour grading and film emulation software, the magic bullet suite.

So what does it all boil down to? More creative options for you whatever your budget size maybe. What separates the best from the rest? Making the right creative decisions that optimise the capabilities of your budget, and pure skill and talent.

Business Planning Sucks

2009-11-18T19:24:00.000-08:00

I've been trying to get my business plan down for the past two months. Everytime I do the budget it seem that the money is never enough and my wishlist of things I "need" to run my business is getting bigger and bigger. But recently, I have gone back to the drawing board with a realistic scope for SRS and hopefully a realistic solution for my targeted market. And then what? A f%^ing feasibility study and some market research and maybe a SWOT analysis and I still might not get the funding I need. But what is a dreamer supposed to do? Forge ahead I guess and do whatever I can to get this business off the ground.

Wait... You actually thought fadda flex was touching those turntables?

2009-11-17T08:31:00.000-08:00

And that's the way the cookie crumbles. Turntables don't magically float in the air duh!

Simple Yet Effective

2009-11-17T08:05:00.000-08:00

Nice clean designs always win. There is no clutter, no claustrophobic elements dangling for a sense of purpose or a bunch of messages that the artist seemed to have vomited out onto his canvass and/or intellectual space. Just a simple wonderful design and the message is clear. Photography and design MC Garcia.

Jah Angel

2009-11-17T05:13:00.000-08:00

Jah Angel is a trinidadian reggae artist with natural swagger and can croon his way into the hearts of many of your lady-friends. He recently sang on the Reflections Time Riddim, Produced by Studio 12 and music video produced by SRS. See the rough cut of Jah Angel in the recording booth at Studio 12 below. Photography and design by MC Garcia.

The Beast Wants To Rise

2009-11-16T04:50:00.001-08:00

Here is a snap shot of Soldier Ants' The Beast Want to Rise music video that I am currently working on. Soldier is a trinidadian reggae artist with a unique world view and political conscience-ness that is anti-political, if that makes sense but that is the best way I can describe him. Another cool rastafarian brethren. Peace

Studio 12

2009-11-15T19:50:00.000-08:00

Studio 12 is the young vibrant recording studio responsible for the songs featured in the Reflections Time Music Video. Here David Millien representing one half of the dynamic duo that makes up the powerhouse of Studio 12, poses for a promotional shot i designed. Keep up the good work fellas.

Yow check it.

2009-11-15T07:23:00.000-08:00

Graphical opening sequence I created while working at CNMG as a motion graphic artist.

2009-11-15T04:07:00.000-08:00

Zion Starr is a reggae artiste from trinidad with a natural swagger. one of the best and upcoming stars, zion recently rode the Reflections Time Riddim produced and directed at SRS peace!

Business

2009-11-15T03:21:00.000-08:00

some of my friends say they just love the blog but its still young and a I need to do a lot more work. I feel good, contributing helps to calm and focus my sometimes scattered brain. I'm on track but I need to do some more. and promote my brand. I own and operate a small one man shindig called silent rebellion studios- specialising in motion graphics, film/video post product and film/video production. Its been a tough road but i'm learning the ropes. Peace.

Tird World Coming at you str8!

2009-11-14T18:28:00.000-08:00

Featuring fadda kern catch him on 96.1 wefm trinidad.
Photography Hammond Worrell, Design by MC Garcia.

Another Tird World International Promotional Shot- Fadda Flex

2009-11-14T10:41:00.000-08:00

Big up to my rastafarian brethren.

Canon HV20/30/40- The Ultimate Budget Camcorder

2009-11-14T06:14:00.000-08:00

I call this little bugger my little beast and indeed it is. Canon seemed to have caught the ultra low budget- bang for buck market with a series of camcorders that blow your mind away when you review your video on a TV monitor.
The HV40 is on bhphotovideo.com for $749 US
So what's the payoff? A sub $1000 cam that shoots 24p (that's the film like mode for peeps who don't understand the jargon) at HD quality.
You also get the advantage of being able to place these small cams in places bigger prosumer types just can't go as well as the ability to shoot "incognito" without drawing the attention a huge production can make in a public space.
Potential clients, however, will not be impressed with its size but they are always impressed by the results.
Independent filmmakers on a tight budget, film school students and documentary makers can benefit significantly with these cams.
However as consumer level types you sacrifice the professional handling that most above $3000 prosumer cams offer. The focus wheel is so tiny and the eyepiece is also small and unadjustable, this makes for some cumbersome operation.
The forums at hv20.com have countless users who have overcome these obstacles with various mods and add ons, the most notable are Depth of Field Adapters that work well with these cams for that shallow depth of field characteristic associated with film.
The high image quality makes up 10 times over for the consumer level handling that comes with this cam.

create & buy custom products at Zazzle

Natural Healing

2009-11-13T18:21:00.000-08:00

We never ventured too far from the studio to do this one. I placed Zion Starr and the model in corner and lit them up with a single light pointing upward for one take. In another I point the key light behind a fan and let the shadow of the blades cascade over them, they dance on the wall in my gallery- looking like they were at some party or the even a club and the rest of takes were green screen with composited backgrounds.

Fadda Kern Big Up

2009-11-13T15:33:00.000-08:00

for those of you who saw this on facebook yes I designed it. Photography by Hammond Worrell design by Silent Rebellion Studios. Featuring Father Kern from Tird World International and DJ on 96.1 WEFM Trinidad.

Another Promotional Shot

2009-11-13T15:01:00.000-08:00

Action Movie mock up.

create & buy custom products at Zazzle

2009-11-13T14:42:00.000-08:00

Tird World International. Photography Hammond Worrel and Maurice Christian Garcia.
Design Maurice Christian Garcia

my show reel

2009-11-13T11:37:00.000-08:00

Nice

creativecow.net- sweet

2009-11-13T07:27:00.000-08:00

So I just got an email saying SRS's video been added to the brand new creative cow's demo reel application. I love this. Without creative cow I don't think I'd have learnt what I do so fast or understand half of what i try to do every time I take on a creative project.

So its great to feel like I'm getting into a community of creative professionals that inspire me every step of the way. May be one day I'd be the one doling out After Effects video tutorials. But for now I'm still working on my super-wizard-master-guru-ness skills up to the level of those like Andrew Kramer, Aharon Rabinowitz, Maltaanon and Eran Stern.

I can't thank you all enough for all I've learnt and applied to my own work.

Promotion Photo

2009-11-12T21:12:00.000-08:00

The man behind SRS me. Actually shot this at my home based studio
here is the shot before:

Back ground removal

New background added

Colour Correction/film treatment

And finally light flares, vignette and logo added. And we have a marketable image.

Behind the Scenes

2009-11-12T20:22:00.000-08:00

This is the behind the scene clip for the reflection time video:

Check it yo

2009-11-12T19:18:00.001-08:00

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Reflections Time Music Video

2009-11-12T18:55:00.001-08:00

So Zion Starr and Jah Angel came to me excited about this project. It is going to be a rhythm smash up of three songs- an evolution of God and the cosmic energies that God spliced love into the procreation between man and woman.

Least to say the songs are all on the positive side (pun boy!). Well if some one was to ask how I came up with this concept, I really couldn't answer an exact methodology but what I can say is that I focused on the spiritual bluish glow that I always associated with spirituality.

The funny thing is not too recently i read a Green Lantern Comic and in it there were a group of blue lantern whose powers where gathered from the spiritual emotions of the universe.

And then there is that ball of energy. I used it throughout the whole video like a subliminal way to say that God is love and God is in Love when my Rastafarian brethren sang I Love this girl- God is there too.

Here is the video watch and enjoy.

Fighting The Power

2009-11-12T17:00:00.000-08:00

So I have the skills. I have a very very small studio space. and I have 2 cameras.

Not quite the big multimillion dollar company yet I know. but I am fighting the power and so far I have about four music videos to show for my efforts. Here is a Show Case of the work i have done so far.

The next step? Well thinking of getting investments. I am investigating some social marketing apps and investment forums that may be useful if you are like me trying to rub two pennies out of thin air.