My Version of the Perfect Camera Bag: Shimoda Action X is here!

Hey Friend!

I’m super excited to share the new Action X bags from Shimoda. As a pro team member I’ve helped develop and test these bags in some of the harshest shooting conditions. From out on the ocean to the top of mountains, these are the best action sports camera bags I’ve been able to get my hands on.

I am working on a longer form review style video, but you can watch a rough BTS style walkthrough of the bags in my video down below!

Okay LEt’s Talk about these BAGS.

The new top loading bag is great for wearing on your chest during big climbs. It’s an awesome way to keep your gear close to you while working hard.

Bags are personal, and there are a lot of factors that go into what we chose to protect our gear and take it into the mountains.

What would your perfect camera bag look like?

What size?

How much room for gear?

What kind of fabric would it be made out of?

For me it’s not a decision I take lightly, as the right gear can make all the difference when it comes to shooting videos in extreme environments.

The Hardest Kept Secret.

I’ve been apart of the Shimoda Pro team since before the launch of their first series of adventure bags, the explore series. Those bags are incredible. But since the launch of these bags we’ve been working on a series of bags that kicks things up even further. More on that in a moment.

What makes Shimoda special is the mastermind behind the design of the bags. Someone who is a practitioner of getting into the outdoors and is passionate about making gear that is cutting edge and ready to be used.

You might not know his name, but he has earned the reputation of one of the most respected outdoor camera bag designers in the world. His decades of experience speaks for itself, but over the years Ian Millar has been behind some incredible products that you’ve definitely seen in instagram posts and on the backs of some of the hardest working photographers from all over the world.

Thats why I was humbled to be apart of that first kickstarter launch, and also getting to play a roll in helping prototype test and give feedback on a more action focused line of bags. A line of bags for those who are pushing the limits of both their craft, and the gear used to get the job done.

The Next Chapter

What I was most excited about was a larger mountain ready bag with some of those same innovations that Shimoda implemented in the explore series. Those little features that I’ve come to rely on, but in a larger heavier duty form factor.

From the choice of fabric, to the quick access pockets on the shoulder straps and every little detail in-between, no aspect as been overlooked.

What Sets the Bags apart

If you are new to Shimoda, the biggest difference you will notice out of the gate, is a proper back packing harness. This is huge. A harness that can actually adapt to the size of your body and transfer the weight of the bag properly with its internal aluminum frame. This is essential for any bag you want to keep on your back for hours while having confidence on the side of a mountain.

So that’s how you carry the bag, (which is truly a game changer if you are coming from a traditional generic fitting bag) but the next stage is maintaining intelligent gear protection with quick access to everything you would need on the mountain.

The bags are designed to adapt and change to your shooting style and the project you are working on. If you want to carry more camera gear, go for it! Add more ICU’s (or a large one) and you’ve got more protected storage. What if you want room for cloths or other equipment in the bag? Just use a smaller ICU and take advantage of more volume in the bag!

All corners of the bag are just slightly tougher than the explore series. Making sure to withstand years of hard use. A big thing that I am really excited about on the 70L is how the side pockets work. It’s not a dinky water battle holder like most bags, instead it is a massive protected expandable pocket.

This is rad because now your tripod can go on the side of the bag and ACTUALLY STAY THERE! Seriously. No more slipping tripods, no more wrapping the straps around and around hoping it will stay in place. You can open up this expandable pocket, and it works as a perfect storing location for anything from tripods to sliders or a bottle of wine.

These pockets are awesome. I am so pumped with how they turned out, and it’s a testament to the rewards that come from re-thinking how previous bags have been made in the past.

I have a lot more to say about these bags, but in the meantime if you have any questions hit my up on instagram as I’d love to answer them.

The bags are live on kickstarter right now, so head on over to check out all features!

All Podcast Interviews with Levi Allen - Full List

This is a list that get's updated after every podcast! Let me know at @theLeviallen on twitter which one you've enjoyed

LIST OF ALL INTERVIEWS 

• Documentary Filmmaking Chat with Scott Mckenna: iTunes or Sticher
• Storytelling Series episode with Wedding Film Academy:  iTunes or Player Fm
• Making a Film with your friends and Zero Budget with Caleb Wojcik: iTunes

(Descriptions and embeds below)

Documentary Filmmaking Chat with Scott Mckenna

Here is a link to listen to this interview on iTunes

Description: Levi Allen is an incredibly talented filmmaker, and YouTuber. We had a lot to talk about in this episode, and I hope you find it valuable. A few things we discussed: 1) His journey to where he's at today. 2) Why he loves the GH5 3) Why he recently switched to FCPX after using Premiere for years.

STORYTELLING SERIES: AN INTERVIEW WITH LEVI ALLEN

A link to listen on Player Fm

Here is a link to listen to this interview on iTunes

Description: This week, we are so excited to introduce Levi Allen, adventure filmmaker and founder of Leftcoast Media House! Levi loves people and is super passionate about storytelling. He has filmed and created all kinds of stories, and several of his works have been featured all over the world! Join us as we learn all about Levi's adventures, his love of filmmaking, and how he tells stories!

MAKING A FILM WITH YOUR FRIENDS AND ZERO BUDGET : PODCAST INTERVIEW WITH CALEB WOJCIK

Here is a link to listen to this interview on iTunes

Description: Today's episode brings you Levi Allen, a filmmaker out of British Columbia and Founder of Left Coast Media. Levi's most recent film 'Untethered' was featured as a Vimeo Staff Pick in December 2015. In this episode Levi discusses how he started out making films, the importance of not letting gear stand in the way of creation, why he decided to begin vlogging, the story behind the making of Untethered and why he decided to release his film for free.

Free LUT for Cinematic Color Grading (with tutorial)

FREE LEFTCOAST COLOR GRADING LUT

Success! Now check your email to claim your download link

There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

First Name

Email Address

We use this field to detect spam bots. If you fill this in, you will be marked as a spammer.

I'd like to receive the free email course.

GET YOUR DOWNLOAD LINK

Or you can download here: http://left.ly/lutfreedownload

How to Make Videos People Actually Want to Watch - Levi Allen at Craft + Commerce 2017

Why should you start making videos?

That's what I set out to answer in the talk I delivered at Craft + Commerice 2017. I not only wanted to convince people they should start making videos, but also give them some advice and encouragement to get them started. 

Below I have all my slides from the talk in one big gallery. My speaking notes are also shown below each individual slide. Underneath the slides I have the main body of text the I used to build this talk from, using months of jotting down notes, and refining my ideas. 

I am hoping this talk is something that helps push you over the edge to start. I truly believe when looking back 10 years from now, you are going to wish you had started sooner. Now's your chance. Go and start.  

MY FULL DECK OF SLIDES & SPEAKING NOTES

HOW TO MAKE VIDEOS PEOPLE ACTUALLY WANT TO WATCH - LEVI ALLEN AT CRAFT + COMMERCE 2017

INTRO:

- Joke about last name: VanderKwaak

• I feel so grateful, because i really love what i do. 
  • I am an intensely curious person, and filmmaking gives me an outlet to explore the questions I have about people I find fascinating. 
  • Through videos I have had the opportunity to meet and spend time with some of the most inspiring people from all walks of life. 
• I love filmmaking. I mean seriously, what other careers is it socially acceptable to follow people around badgering them with questionsand filming them. 

DEBUT FILM SUCCESS STORY:

• This journey of “Becoming a Filmmaker” has been anything but straightforward. I struggled deeply with feeling like an imposter, and I was disappointed with the quality and impact of my work. 
• I wanted to make something I was truly proud of, yet it felt like a majority of the ideas I had just petered out.. 
• In the summer of 2015, I managed to tackle and follow through with my biggest project to date. 
• I made a documentary about Slack liners. 

MY BIGGEST FEAR WHEN MAKING MY FILM, IS;

1. ONE: That it would suck, but
2. TWO: That i would pour my heart into it and nobody would be there to watch it when it’s done. 

Maybe your worried

• Maybe you have similar fears, especially after this weekend. You might have some great ideas you are getting excited about, but how do I make sure there is actually people who truly deeply care. 
• So i went ahead produced the film: I managed to independently produce the film with my freelance income.
• Shot, Directed, Edited, and everything in between. I self funded it through freelance work I was doing, I used the gear of a production company I was apprenticing with, and I edited it in the evenings after I was done doing client work. 

I WENT STRAIGHT ONLINE FOR FREE: AUDIENCE HELPED ME DO IT. 

• When I released the film I skipped the traditional film festival route, put it online for free, while offering a 4k version people could purchase. The launch was a massive success. Not only was it incredibly validating as a filmmaker to have people resonate with my work. I ended up landing an international distribution deal and now the film is currently playing all over the world. 
• “I’ve gotta say, It was a lot of fun getting texted pictures from my wife on one of her recent plane rides, watching the film.

Needless to say, my biggest fear didn’t come to pass. In fact, it felt like the furthest thing from my fears. 

But I skipped a larger part, of the story I just told you. 

• I strongly believe this was a success, and that i reached the goals I set,  this was attributed to the process I went through is because I started making videos for my audience along the way.
• I say my audience, but when I was starting I really didn’t have an audience. And that was part of my feat. But non-theless I started creating online videos while working on the film. 
• BTS videos, tutorials, and whatever moments I could bring them in on. 
• THE RESULT: was people supported me way more then I ever expected. 
• Making these additional videos, made the single biggest impact on my ability to actually complete the film, but also to ensure it had a successful launch and was able to reach people.

This morning I want to talk to you guys, about you can be creating videos right now, that help build trust with your audience.

That help add a depth to your online presence that will help you stand out, and be rememberable. 

I want to talk to you right now about the process I went through to start making online videos. 

 “HOW TO CREATE AUTHENTIC VIDEOS”

 Building trust with audience. 

 

How do you know if you should make videos

• As small business owners, and online entrepreneurs we have and incredible opportunity on our hands to create pieces of video content on a regular basis that helps build and audience, but more so an audience that trusts us. 
• Video is super powerful because it blends and uses the three most powerful forms of communication:
  • Words
  • Music
  • Visuals

So this morning I’m hoping to help you with making videos for your audience. 

• That’s truly what I want to help you with, YES, I’m a filmmaker, but I want to talk to you about the other videos. The ones you can make. 
• Video content that connects with people is like a hacking step through all of this. Having the added depth of a video to your online presence. People that watch you on video more than ever feel like they have a connection to who you actually are. They care more about your work. 

“Making Videos For building Trust” 

BEGINNER: How does one even get started

I really wanted to videos to build my audience, but I was running into two big problems. 

• I was having the worst time starting.
• and I didn’t know what to make them about

PROBLEM 1: Starting

• This is the really hard part to overcome
• What pains me, is I knew for years that I should be making videos for my audience. And I just kept pushing it off.
• It came to a point, where I realized I was saying video was important, but I wasn’t actually doing it with my actions. So that meant I either had to acknowledge I was a liar, or start to take action. 
• I had spent so long observing, that I had started to feel like, yeah I could do that
• There is also a list of lies I was telling myself as excuses
  • I don’t have time.
  • I don’t have the right gear.
  • People won’t be interested.
  • It seems like too much work.
  • What if people don’t watch?

COURAGE. Muster up the courage for the step you have to take next. Don't look at the length of the journey.

• I've loved following the slackliners. Turns out, 
• Even the best...
• Community....

Starting for me was hard because I had a lot of pride in my craft. I was a filmmaker. And now I was reducing myself to trying to share my business goals to a camera for others to watch. I thought my ideas sucked, and I didn’t like the quality. It felt like a lose lose. 

I got fed up, so i sought accountability:

• But I stuck with it and released that first video on our private forums. 
• Turns out encouragement is actually really helpful. 
• By going through this process of actually doing it several things happened. 

Now I urge you guys to consider this:

    - we now have these amazing short video platforms like instagram and snapchat. Start practicing. 

So I started making videos. Phew. But the problem is, I made the first few videos about how I was going to start making videos. What do I actually make the videos of?

That leads us to

PROBLEM 2: What to make the videos about. 

This might be one of the most important questions you have to answer, over and over again. 

• I didn’t want to be one of those internet famous wanabe people. I wanted to make things that people found truly helpful. 

What do you make your first videos about? I realized the answer is, what can you give people? That is the key to making videos that build an audience. What can you give people? If you are going to be uploading your videos to youtube, remember that it is the 2nd largest search engine in the world. This is huge. 

• What questions is your audience asking you?
• What questions did you have when starting?
• What questions are people asking on the videos you watch? (gold mine here)

Let’s take a moment and talk about vlogging. 

• You have to earn the right to vlog. What I mean by that, it is extremely rare to build and audience when the first videos you are making are vlogs. I love vlogging. 
• But your first videos really should be teaching what you know. 
• if it’s quality, people will want to knwo more and stick around. 

Yes document the process: but try to make stuff people will miss if it’s gone. 

If you take only one thing away, please remember that. Make stuff that actually helps people.

So as I was making my first film I was putting out videos. BTS of the process, and also tutorials trying to teach what I new. At a dozen or so videos I started to develop a pretty good process for tackling this stuff. And it started taking me less time.  

AUDIENCE WILL BE SMALL:At the beginner stage, unless you have an existing audience to push towards the videos. The audience is going to be small. Really small. But the key is to persist and show up regularly. 

JAMES CLEAR: SHUT UP & PUT THE REPS IN.

ADVANCED: YOU ARE NOW SOMEONE WHO MAKES VIDEOS:

At this stage you really want to know what your videos are about. It really helps to put boundaries on the content. I say this at the advanced stage, because when I was starting I really didn’t know what to focus on. 

    - But that is really key. People need to know what you do, and what mental box to put you in. 

Being able to fill this in is super important:

• if you can’t answer that, how could they?

So I started to figure this out, and it became more clear. I’m not just a filmmaker, but I make adventure films. 

I don’t make videos about gear really, so I want to help people tell better stories. 

People want the real you on video. They don’t want to feel like it’s an act. 

• I noticed a big impact on my videos when I started to incorperate more aspects of what made me, me. 
• Context here is important, but include who you are. 

Okay, so at this point, I had started to make several dozen videos. It was a big victory when these things hit a 100 views. I was stoked. 

There was new problems for me at this stage. 

I wasn’t good at telling a story:

I felt super awkward on Camera:

Feeling awkward. And the biggest shift in the way I talk to the camera. 

• treat it like a skype call
• remember you are making this video for one person to experience. 

LEARN WHAT MAKES AN INTERESTING STORY:

Some people hit this stage. They’ve made dozens, sometimes hundreds of videos, and yet it feels like the audience isnt growing, and if it is, it’s not nearly as fast as you would like. 

Remember to make stuff that you would actually like to watch. Just because you make videos, doesn’t mean you deserve having people care. You have to make something that is actually interesting to a group of people. 

• A few thoughts on growth:
  • You don’t deserve peoples attention
• But if you are trying to reach more people, start to recognize the patterns that are working, and try to capitalize. 
• Conflict is the rocket fuel for yourstory. 
• Learn about how you can divide your video up into a structure of three acts
  • Tell people what you are going to try do, why you are doing it, and what the challenges may be
  • Go about doing the thing
  • And then tell them you you did and what you learned in the process or what the take away is, or what needs to happen next. 

This frame work and be easily applied to almost any part of your day. 

• Tell a better story through the structure of your video. 
  • When starting, the tendency is to do a lot of sitting down and explaining things in one place.
  • But you can actually capture people’s attention far better if the video is moving around. If it feels like it is going somewhere. Now some of this comes to subjective style, the video needs forward momentum if it’s going to capture peoples attention. 
  • That’s when I went through a really powerful shift of mind. 
  • Is this actually interesting. 

EXPERT:

To really see things through to the next level, we need to continually be creating plans, and executing on those plans over the long term. 

When you get in a rhythm and stop asking what people want to watch, you are setting yourself up for failure. 

Problems I face at this stage are:

This is the stage I see myself currently in. 

• Continually come back to making stuff people would miss if it was gone. 
• Finesse the art of the thumbnail and the title: This is the art. (you are technically starting that earlier,
• Know when to make asks of their audience

The strange thing is, I feel like I know now what steps to take to continue moving in this direction, and yet the execution and follow through can be the most difficult. 

• Don’t get distracted
• Remember what works
• Make things that are truly valuable here. 

The power of multiple points of contact. 

• the power of daily. 

Don’t forget to keep doing what your business was created to do in the first place. 

So coming back to legacy. Can you actually build a legacy through video?

CLOSING: For me starting to build an audience through video has been on of the best decisions I could have made. And I want you guys to start.

---

Phew! You made it to the bottom of the post. For a while I thought I lost you there. I hope you gained something out of this, and found some nuggets of practical advice somewhere in here. If you enjoyed this I would love it if you passed it along to a friend, or someone you know who should be getting started on video now!

All the best,

- Levi

Introducing the Leftcoast Signature Series

The LEFTCOAST SIGNATURE SHIRTS ARE HERE, & READY FOR YOUR NEXT ADVENTURE!

The very origin of these shirts is almost a decade in the making. When I was a kid sitting in the back of my middle school classes, I would often day dream of  building a company of my own. Inspired at the time by the likes of the Coastal Crew and Chase Jarvis, I knew one day I wanted to have a production company, build a team of people that made rad stuff–a brand that had a purpose behind it. 

Every spare moment I was scribbling down potential logo ideas, business plans and the vision behind what I wanted to create. At the very start I named the company after my own last name, "VanderKwaak Films."

It didn't take long to realize that spelling that out in person was becoming a bit of a hinderance for sharing where people could find the projects I was working on. 

"VanderKwaak Films" turned out to be a rather difficult name for people to remember.

The search for a name continued. 

View fullsize

I got a lot of clarity once I realized what I wanted the name to capture what I felt inspired me most to create. I wanted it to point to the very physical nature of my environment that had contributed to my development as an artist and a filmmaker.

The coastal mountain trees, powerful ocean waves and the vast landscape of where I lived that could be explored in any direction. 

I found myself constantly in awe of my physical surroundings here in my home of British Columbia. The very nature of this place inspired the possibility for creating and capturing visuals  and stories that moved people. 

Leftcoast Media House came to be. It was the best combination that would encapsulate this feeling for me. The years of building trails in the tress of my back yard, endless days exploring in the mountains and chasing the rush of a surf in the cold ocean waves of Vancouver Island.

That was back in 2011 when a name was finally picked.

And yet even though I had a name, it proved difficult to develop an image behind this name that could be iconic (iconic for me at the very least). One that both captured the nature of coastal life, and yet I would be proud to wear on a T-shirt.

I never studied graphic design and frankly I actually don't know much about developing a visual brand, but what I did know is I wanted my logo to look rad on a T-shirt. Rad enough that a complete stranger would be willing to say,

"Woah that's awesome, where can I get one?"

This very thing happened on one my first trips out wearing an early version of the logo on a shirt. My wife who was with me just laughed and gave me a knowing nudge, "that's exactly what you wanted to happen." Let me get back to the story though, where did the idea of the bear even come from?

My #15secondsofBC is from knight inlet in northern BC. Have you seen my latest sailing film yet? Link in bio! Or http://Leftcoast.co/salts

A post shared by L E V I A L L E N (@leviallen) on Sep 5, 2015 at 9:42am PDT

I was on a sailing trip on the BC coast when I got the experience of a lifetime. Getting up close and personal with the beautiful grizzlies of Knight Inlet. 

It's hard to describe how incredible a moment like this truly can be. You can feel all the nerves in your body being hyper aware of any potential risk, and yet at the same time you are flooded with a sense of awe and admiration of these powerful creatures. 

It was from very this sailing experience, that one unforgettable morning watching bears from our dingy, that the idea of using the likeness of a bear as our logo was born.

Months of sketching followed, but I am really proud of where we arrived. A bold and strong image of a bear. The bear is moving to the left to capture the unconventional nature of how we go about doing what we do at Leftcoast. The image itself is made up of clean yet intricate connecting lines showing both intricacy and simplicity of a powerful creature. 

View fullsize

It is my hope that this logo will be a true representation of how we approach our work

Showcasing and symbolizing what we seek to create in the films we decide to make. Experiences built with intentionality, with intricate care for every detail, and yet at the same time bold, strong and moving in a direction with purpose. 

Now is the day where you can finally own a piece of the Leftcoast Life yourself and wear it proudly on your next adventure. Check out our new shirts here and grab one for yourself!

Leftcoast Signature T - (Deep Green)

$28.00

Leftcoast Bear - Mesh Snapback Hat

$26.00

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

How I Light Interviews in the Mountains // Flexlight Overview

How I Light Interviews in the Mountains // Flexlight Overview

Bringing gear for shooting interviews into the mountains is quite the task. I wasn't even planning on taking lights while shooting the slacklife series because all of the extra weight. That is until I found out about the flex light kit from westcott. This kit has made me fall in love with lighting interviews in the outdoors. I simply didn't consider bringing lights with me until this kit came along. 

On the series I used this gear as my lighting kit:

Flex 2-Light X-Bracket Kit - https://www.fjwestcott.com/flex-2-lig...
Flex Battery - https://www.fjwestcott.com/flex-porta...
 

You can check out the trailer for the series we shot here, the first episode will be coming out in March! So stoked.

View fullsize

Pictured above is my ideal interview setup. I'm using the RODE filmmaker kit for my LAV audio, and the NTG3  over head for the best interview sound I can get. To the left I have the flexlight 1x1 set up as my key light, softening the light through a generic softbox I got on amazon. The Panasonic G7 is mounted on top the Kessler second shooter for some smooth interview pans. 

View fullsize

And this is what it looks like with all the pieces in play. I'm monitoring audio, camera, and knocking out a fantastic interview. That's how you gotta roll as a solo filmmaker, and I honestly wouldn't have bothered taking lights at all if it wasn't for the extremely portable flexlight kit. 

View fullsize

Pictured above I am adjusting the output of my keylight. Having a dimmer you can hold near your camera is extrememely handy for dialying in the lights just perfect. 

If you have any questions about this setup be sure to let me know. Make sure to subscribe to the Leftcoast TV newsletter so you don't miss any new videos!

---

CHECK OUT ANOTHER RAD TUTORIAL!

LEARN FILMMAKING

This is the fastest way to get the latest adventure filmmaking education from Levi Allen!

Success! Now check your email to confirm your subscription.

There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

Email Address

I'd like to receive the free email course. SUBSCRIBE Unsubscribe at any time

My Favorite Editing Strategy in Premiere Pro

One of my most popular videos on editing, at least the one that gets the most "holy smokes, this was so helpful," responses–is my double your edit speed tutorial. 

I have learned a ton since then. I would also like to think I've become slightly better at teaching. I felt like it merited a revamp of the tutorial where I included some of the things I've learned since, and really help you take this to the next level. 

You can find a list of my most used shortcuts at http://left.ly/shortcuts

The Better & Faster Way To Cut Selects in the Source Monitor – Premiere Pro

Shortcuts Cutting Selects in Premiere:

Open Multiple Clips into Source Monitor
Shift + O = to open in source monitor

Short Cuts for Cutting Selects ( You need to add these two, or set them for whatever you want)
+ = For Source Clip Next
-  = For Source Clip Previous

In and Out Points: I & O For setting in and out points
With LKJ for shuttling the playhead back and forth.

, to insert clip into sequence. 

Further Editing Shortcuts: (tutorial coming soon)
(default)
Q - Application -> Ripple Trim Previous Edit To Playhead
W - Application - > Ripple Trim Next Edit To Playhead

You need to add
S - Application -> Sequence -> Add Edit
            (comes default as command + K)
E - Application -> Ripple Delete

You can also select a blank space and delete
A and click - selects everything to the left of playhead. 

Other Helpful Shortcuts

B - Application -> Ripple Edit Tool

N – Rolling Edit Tool

A Year with the Kessler Crane Second Shooter

Disclaimer: Right off the top, I need to let you know the Second Shooter I was using this past year was on loan. I purchased my first real slider (you know the kind I didn't make out of PVC pipe and skateboard wheels) from Kessler Crane in 2012, and since then i've been a proud customer.  Kessler lent me a Second Shooter to use while shooting Untethered. The opinions of this article and the video are my own, I have not received any payment from Kessler. 

This past year I've been testing out a new addition to my camera support kit. I finally got into the motion control game and have been extensively using the Kessler Crane Second Shooter along with my already owned Kessler sliders. I wanted to share my experience of putting this gear to test throughout  this past year and why I've come to love this piece of MOCO gear. 

An intro to Motion Control

The Second Shooter is essentially an addition of motors and a tiny computer to a Kessler slider. This system allows you to set keyframes for different positions on the slider, and then move the camera between your set positions automatically. You can use this for Timelapses moves over long durations of time, or you can use if for live motion setups with the looping feature. 

My favourite traveling timelapse set up. A 2 Foot carbon stealth paired with the slider motor. 

My Favorite Features

Modularity

The biggest feature I love about the Second Shooter is the modularity. The options for different configurations are endless, and yet you are never committed to one exact setup. Sometimes I would use the pan and tilt head, other times I would just use the slider motor.  You can use it dozens of combinations with all of Kessler's sliders. I often take a 2-Foot carbon stealth with me into the mountains and use a larger Cineslider when back at the studio or shooting time lapses where I want longer camera moves. 

A photo posted by L E V I A L L E N (@leviallen) on Oct 18, 2015 at 8:38am PDT

Straightforward timelapse setups

Using the keyframes and the controller to trigger your camera, adding motion to timelapses is a really straightforward process. I've used several systems previous to this that were extremely complex. The Second Shooter makes figuring out intervals and durations really easy. It has handy built in duration calculators and each parameter is flexible making it really easy to add additional frames, or extend the interval. It also has awesome shoot–move–shoot functions which allows you to capture long exposures and not have the camera move. 

Rock Solid Interview Looping

The looping feature of the Second Shooter is definitely the most frequently used when I am shooting.

It's amazing how much a controlled parallax slide can add to a very generic interview set up. With the pan and tilt head you can track your subject across an entire slide. This feature alone merits an investment into motion control. The ability to do complex timelapse moves is all just a bonus in my opinion. 

 

BUILD QUALITY

The build quality is another feature that I’ve really come to appreciate. I am super tough on my gear, I take it with me everywhere and I am using it constantly. Throughout this past year, my equipment has help up brilliantly and shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon. 

A photo posted by L E V I A L L E N (@leviallen) on Jul 19, 2016 at 7:17am PDT

Using THE Manfrotto Magic Arm

A helpful tool to use alongside the Second Shooter is the Manfrotto magic arm. Using this arm I was able to place the camera off axis from the slider. If that's looking down over my subject or doing timelapse moves low to the ground. 

I feel like I am just scratching the surface of what I can do when using an arm in combination with the slider.  

Supporting a Single Tripod

It is also helpful when shooting on tripod setups and you want to help support the other end of the slider to prevent weight sag. 

Shooting Untethered

When shooting Untethered I used the timelapse function of the second shooter to help capture these gorgeous transition moments. These time lapses were key to the edit and the way the storyline came to gather. The added movement helps give a sense of time passing and I used these shots to help separate the different scenes of the film. 

The Second Shooter is Dead Easy to Learn

Lastly, I have to say the Second Shooter is incredibly intuitive to use. I tend to avoid instruction manuals, and on my first day using the second shooter I had it up and going, getting fantastic shots, in under 15 minutes. I have definitely had experiences in the past with motion control equipment that needed a book to learn. I can teach someone else how to use it in under five minutes, this is huge for getting additional hands up to speed. 

What did I find challenging when using the second shooter?

1. Cable management
   • This is less a fault of the second shooter, and more a reality of motion control setups that are modular.    I don't like needing to remember more cables or have other cables to look after. That is just one of the pains that goes along with these kinds of setups. There newly released TLS seems to offer better cable management as the controller and battery travels on the same sled the camera is one. 
2. No way to set limits on the controller for slider length
   • The most common error I make when setting my keyframes is sliding the camera to far to the right or the left. I usually make this error because I am trying to set it up fast, or I am doing two tasks at once. When you hit the end of the slider track, the motor can sense there is something wrong and resets the controller. This is frustrating at times because you then loose the keyframes you just set and need to start over. 
   • I don't know if there is a solution to this, but it comes as a byproduct of the controller and motors being able to work with various different slider lengths. I wish there was a way to tell the controller which slider length you were using, and where the start and stop points are, and then have the computer remember it for all future keyframes you set. 

Would I Choose the Second Shooter again for My Next Big Project?

I like to use the best gear that is available for me to use. If there is a better option of any piece of gear that exists, I am often looking for it and trying to use that instead. As a principle I have a hard time settling for equipment that is "almost good enough" to do the job. 

So when I ask myself, "Would I chose to use this piece of gear again on my next big project?"

The answer is, yes. And in closing I can boil it down to two reasons for myself. 

1. LOOPING FEATURE: This system offers the most reliable interview looping feature I have been able to test out. 
   • It can be packed down into a bag I can travel with
   • It is quick to set up
   • It is reliable and does the job exactly how I would want it to
2. FLEXIBLE TIMELAPSE SETUPS: The second shooter can adapt to all of the slider products available from Kessler. I am never locked in to a certain setup, or by a slider length or style. If I want bigger I can go bigger. If I want to go timelapse only I can go timelapse only. 

I’ve really come to love and rely on my second shooter. From shooting on set to life int he mountains It really is a trusted  member of the Leftcoast team. 

I’m thankful knowing my investment in the Kessler Eco-System is going to bring value to my series for years to come. I want those to actually be tools that are going to last me and not be outdated.  

I want to say a huge thanks to Kessler for letting me test their gear while shooting my film, and creating tools that empower me as a filmmaker. 

How To Export a Video From Premiere Pro

How to Edit to the Beat of the Music

Join the collective for free http://Left.ly/Collective Be part of an epic community who receive my videos and tutorials early every week! http://Left.ly/Collective You will also receive free adventure filmmaking tips by joining the Collective, did I mention it was free?? I have a guide of all my software tools available to all new subscribers.

How To Edit a Vlog in Premiere Pro

How To Create a New Sequence In Premiere Pro

How To Start and Optimize a New Project File in Premiere

How to Organize Your Media For a Vlog

How to Edit an Entire Project in Premiere Pro

1. How to Organize Media For a Vlog

2. How to Start a Project In Premiere

3. How to Create a New Sequence in Premiere Pro

4. How to Edit a Vlog in Premiere

5. How to Edit to the Beat of the Music

6. How to Export a Video From Premiere

How To Edit a Documentary Intro & A Look Inside the Project File

A Look Inside the Untethered Project File

Receive These Tutorials Directly in Your Inbox!