Fortress Of Freedom Board

[Maurice Ali]

I have set up both the HD version and 4K versions of Beyond The Fortress Experiment.



I’m only using stereo but the digital cinema package audio I added included 5.1 Dolby of all things - cool!







Realistically, the main work will be on the 4K project timeline. I included the HD timeline just in case I lose definition on the SD stuff outputting to HD from UHD (4K). I’m just covering all the bases - just in case…..




Canon XA50

I have changed recording format on the Canon to XF-AVC and UHD at 23.98. On the Pocket 4K I’m in Prores LT UHD at 24. I’m not using the 12bit Blackmagic RAW as I can’t be bothered color grading clips and all that from the start. And those files are enormous! Prores is like DNxHD from my AVID editor so I’ll use that. Fun fact for you filmmakers out there - using Blackmagic RAW is the best image at 4K, but drop to HD and it crops the sensor - with Prores it still uses the full sensor, so the Prores gives you more definition in HD - go figure…..




My new Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K!



I’m sort of good to go. The Pocket 4K was a devilishly good move as the cinema camera and camcorder covers each other’s limitations nicely - and I did it on the cheap. Buying a more expensive used camera is worse than a gamble. The previous owner sold it because he knows “something” and it’s just a matter of time till you find out! Remember my HDV Canon XH-A1 - all those camcorders are crapping out with the flashing blue light disease! If I knew this six months ago I would sell it and have the new owner take the chance - this is not deception because it still worked perfectly - but see what happened last week! Man, having that camcorder permanently crap out on me last week still pisses me off.




My old Canon HDV camcorder - 18 years old and busted now!



I will let the gang know I have started filming the update movie and then maybe get some current videos on where everyone is at. All the principal characters have all aged and most are old now. Then add all that in the timeline and then start cutting it all down to 95 minutes.



No matter, the show is the show and this is reality. From the start we had the dreams and then success in reality and finally the realizations of what will become of it all. That simmering reality will probably mean the film will be more of a success than the more upbeat state in the original film.



So I have actually started a second full on movie!




Goodnight…..





https://youtu.be/EvpNdwh__Fc?si=Nn6QOtd4Zc_8zHv8

[Maurice Ali]

Back to my regular routine…..



I should receive my batteries and external charger for the Pocket 4K today. Up till now I had to make do with the single battery in the Pocket 4K and the wired charger that came in the box. This makes my life much easier. I also just bought a V60 SD card for that camera. My base for this camera is Prores LT or BRAW 8.1 and my testing on Sunday confirmed it is iffy with a. 30 SD car. So the Canon 4K camcorder gets the two V30 SD cards and that 512 no-name V30 card is relegated for emergency use going forward. I also have a 12” mini xlr to regular XLR to hook up an external mic on order. Maybe some ND filters and that about it for the Pocket 4K!



Aside from the movie making stuff, some very minor stuff happened.


In guitar land:






I finally got my warranty replacement pickguard for that Les Paul Standard I picked up in the spring - it finally came in. The one on the guitar was cracked - a tiny crack - but at this price range it gets replaced! I really have everything I need now and haven’t really bought or wanted anything at all. Now it’s just playing…..




Goodnight…..

[Maurice Ali]

More progress with Beyond the Fortress Experiment:


Shane is in for an update interview. No reason to rush this yet as there is no deadline. But it’s been seven years since there was any video on the main cast.




More progress with the Pocket 4K…..



The 256gig Anglebird V60 SD card is now in the Pocket 4K. I really wanted the 512 but consensus is that you should have multiple cards so if there is a failure you don’t lose everything.



The batteries arrived with a charger and it all works! Instead of a wall outlet connector these can charge through any USBA or USBC connection which really means charging from a car which is a plus on location.



I’m still waiting on the XLR connector. I have no idea on how to deal with ND filters. The lens in the camera now is a 50mm equivalent prime lens so that will get used a lot. But a real “jack of all trades” zoom with image stabilization would be the best solution. Again, no rush here as the interviews can be done on a tripod and set up lighting.




In other news:




I have to admit I’m more than a little miffed at it taking Spotify 2 weeks
to add Lucifari’s “I Want to Fly” single to the platform. Tunecore (one of our distributors) says three weeks for a formal release date and this is way. It wasn’t always like this - but whatever…..




Goodnight…..

[Maurice Ali]

Just more of the same…..



I bought a used lens for the Pocket 4K - so that and the lens I got last week should cover me for a while…..



Just more of the same in my life right now. It’s the middle of summer and everyone is on vacation and it’s pretty quiet right now. I’m still very busy but it’s at the business end.



So I’ll just keep learning about the camera and the most “idiot proof”
setting for the interviews and get all that out of the way…..




Later…..

[Maurice Ali]

More administrative stuff.




I have to review now member applications at IAIJ.



Some more CRA tax stuff to prepare for everything going online moving forward.



Movie Stuff Section:



Hopefully the CLR cable comes today.



I switched from Prores LT to BRAW 8.1 and so far so good with the V60 SD card.




My new Blackmagic Pocket 4K with 50mm prime lens!



I have a 25mm f/1.7 (50mm prime) already installed and a 12-35 f/2.8 lens (24-70) ordered and on the way and this really is all I need right now. I’ll also get a variable ND filter and slap it on the new lens and leave it there only taking off when not needed. So I have addressed the two main gripes of no image stabilization and no built in ND filters…..



See how buying the camera is just the start. Things start to add up. That’s why I stayed with the Pocket 4K as it has a rock bottom price for a true cinematic image and the cost allows you ton get accessories without breaking the bank. You just know that 8K is just around the corner so you can jump on that (before I retire) without regret like the 6K people will…..


I should add that making this movie is sort of “loco” as really I should just sit back on my current resume. But I love movie making and even in these poor times for the genre, I will give it another go and also show the current state of the media. We are still officially know as a distributor - so maybe it’s time to dust off that designation and help other filmmakers out! I would
say FOF Entertainment Inc. fits this bill nicely…..




Goodnight…..

[Maurice Ali]

Well - This happened:

[Maurice Ali]

Saturday was a nice day for once…..



That “all purpose lens” was coming in today and I wanted to get a variable ND filter to handle harsh outside light for it, so I drove downtown to this place called Vistek to pick it up. How things have changed. We had a nice store called Merkle Camera only a mile away from where I lived, but today there are like only three main stores chains left and that’s it.



Anyway I get there and they had the filter for like 120.00 and I started looking around for an attachment to hold a good external microphone for the camera. We couldn’t find one but you could do it from a cage! Sure enough they had one on sale for the Pocket 4K retailing at 180.00 but on sale for like 62.00 - so I bought it. Stuff like that means the Pocket 4K is about to be replaced - like my Helix pedalboard, but this is how I roll these days. And trust me on this, when the Pocket 4K is dropped they will announce their new Pocket 8K - and all those who bought the 6K will cry in their cereal. Sure they will still support the remaining 6Ks - but the writing is on the walls. Want proof - the next camera after the Pocket 4K was the Pocket 6K with the same form factor. They stopped making them yet continued to sell the Pocket 4K - those guys really got burned by “the next best thing”…..




Pocket 4K with cage installed!



Anyway the camera now has a cage in it and it looks so cool! There is a shoe milled on the top so the accessories I would have bought to do that get taken off the 62 buck price tag. Plus it has a milled out base for standard video mounts and you can deduct that from the cost as well - such a good deal! I also talked with the staff and told them about the company I started and all that. They actually were enthusiastic about the idea (the woman who sold me the gear has a documentary she has been working on for four years) as it’s impossible to get stuff distributed without contacts - like before the internet - how did that happen? All this just got me pumped and I knew this was the right direction to go.




That thing on top is a mount for a shotgun microphone!



Anyway I also bought a stop for the first lens I got so it could also use that variable ND filter. If I get the more telephoto lens for this camera it has the same screw size as the one I got today so I was happy about that purchase. The last thing I got was a clear lens protector for the new lens.



And yes the expensive 12X35 f/2.8 lens came in all good and I tested the image stabilization and the filter and all seems good for now but I will look at the video later tonight.




I was so stoked about everything I purchased Lottofilmfest.com again and kept that idea of a film festival based on a lottery where we all
watch movies until someone hits a gong and then we vote to keep watching or toss it and move on to the next one. It’s a cool idea…..




Goodnight…..




https://youtu.be/jPKt1jTKmC0?si=_iS23yOBJykKPJfJ

[Maurice Ali]

Well a good weekend so far.


The biggest take is that I finally have something for FOF Entertainment to do! It was like this orphan child that was supposed to be a cheap streaming service - and now a more realistic film distribution company. That was the big takeaway to us weekend.




The camera stuff was just the usual outfitting of a new camera. You get the camera with no lens so you buy the cheapest 50mm prime lens and clear filter as everyone has that and then you can fool around with it. Then a proper SD card that can handle 4K codecs. More batteries and battery charger. Micro XLR cable. Then the real lens and ND filter and clear protection lens. A cage and a step-up adapter to use the ND with the 50mm. All that just to make that camera useful for 4K footage I can do on my iPhone. It is what it is…..




It is fun though! Basically what the Canon 4K camcorder can’t do this camera can. Things like better codecs and 4K 60fps. Interchangeable lenses, rigging and specialized cinematic peripherals. Live Streaming and bluetooth. Best of all is that cinematic footage that can be manipulated way more than the Canon codecs. All told setting the Pocket 4K properly costs double the camera and it’s the same going up the line. Getting the camera is one thing - getting it kitted out to where it’s functional is a whole other thing. Getting a shotgun microphone and mount is another couple of hundred dollars - it all adds up in the end. And I have the tripods and mounts and lights and reflectors already that a newbie would have to get. Anyway you get the idea…..




Goodnight…..

[Maurice Ali]

IAIJ had a ton of visitors this weekend. What - 2160 users there at the same time this morning? That’s a record and normally you would be happy with more traffic - it we are talking about me - and I always assume the interest is negative based because - me…..



Anyway we got a new member there yesterday talking about housing issues in the UK:


https://www.iaij.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=1146



All those people online and nobody reading the latest articles - why are they there? No matter - things are active at IAIJ!




At FOF we are slowly transforming FOF Entertainment into a film distribution company. That index page needs to change and the first thing is to let people know it is a film distribution corporation right then and there. I’ll probably have something up later today.




Pocket 4K with cage installed!



I’m getting to know the Pocket 4K with the new lens and accessories. The image stabilization seems to work more for getting rock stable shot handheld and static. A slow pan is also stable so the ere is that. It usable nike that prime lens I got with no stabilization. That needs a tripod or really stable hands and support!




Pocket 4K with cage installed!



So I got lucky with the camera and accessories. Take for example that variable ND filter I got downtown. I got it in the waze for that new lens and when I checked the website later - no more of those filters in all of Toronto! Tiffin filters are some of the best and perceptive around and this is a movie town! Homes have changed…..




So I’ll nail down the setting and workflow. For the Pocket it’s 24p so the shutter has to be 1/48. The best ISO for this camera is 400. Everything else is variable so I adjust the iris right now. I still have to nail down the codec which seems RAW 8.1 or Prores LT. Anyway I shooting with the camera and not buying more stuff.




I updated the photos of the Pocket 4K with the cage because I found a better microphone mount than that cheap Azen with the rubber bands that hold the microphone all crumbled away. This one (Rhode) can also articulate so it’s better overall. But I didn’t buy it - it was just laying around on a shelf in the studio.




I also cleaned up the studio wiping equipment down and testing the strobes and the rest of then cameras. Then vacuuming the place. We are back in business. I used to shoot so many people there against backdrops 29 years ago. What happened to all that? It was fun - I shot a music video with Dalila as she was a club fashion clothing designer. Some had her doing photo shoots with her showcasing her creations. That was fun!



https://youtu.be/qodx27lwoQA?si=4DNrl2oCuZYBHhJU



Anyway all the corporations now have business plans. That was the biggest takeaway this weekend…..




Goodnight…..





https://youtu.be/3HhQJRlNpCc?si=AjSAv0SWU80T4VId


https://youtu.be/JjJrD-Jp_AM?si=ra5tOupeyfk-WOBn

[Maurice Ali]

I added the indie film distribution moniker to the FOF Entertainment index page websites (.com / .org). This will take years so I’m not going crazy and making claims on the site we can’t keep. But we have direction, we have a goal - and all that is Huge!



In the mean time I have checked out the new zoom lens and everything seems to work. Now it’s just down to the settings and what works for me. I’m shooting in BRAW 8.1 as the V60 SD card seems to be able to handle it so far. Shutter is double the frame rate so 1/48 and the natural ISO for this camera is 400. The lens is a constant f/2.8 throughout the zoom range so I want to keep that. Other lenses with greater zoom suffer with darkening as you zoom farther than my lens and then you have to adjust things. This lens is better for that as it is video. It took a while to make sure the lens optical stabilization was working. I had to zoom all the way out and hold it to defiantly see the difference and it is there so the used lens rocks!



I thought I was done with purchases but B&H Photo had a used handle in my rare finish so I had to buy it close to half price and it matches my cage! The cage is basically complete except for peripherals I’m not into yet and a 400
dollar cage is mine for 150 dollars!




My current Canon 4K camcorder!



I also have to go go over all the setting for the 4K camcorder. I think they are already “baked in” but I want to be sure before I start filming the interviews.



And it hasn’t been lost on me that I’m due for retirement and should also prepare for that even in the middle of all this youthful enthusiasm. But it is nice to have this again…..




Goodnight…..

[Maurice Ali]

I am just concentrating on the final settings for the two 4K cameras we have. The only real change will probably be “wide DR” for the Canon. So nail color on the Canon and match with the Pocket 4K which has way more latitude to match up to the Canon. That is the plan.




Me and Anna taping an update around 2011!



I will edit that black and white shot of me and Anna that Shane shot and format the photo for 4K DCI aspect ratio and use that on the index page for the FOF Entertainment website. The second “read page” needs some serious updating also.




Goodnight…..

[Maurice Ali]

I tried changing stuff in the FOF Entertainment front page but the original page with the YouTube links looks the best for now, so we shall keep that with the small notifier about us being a film distributor.




Yes the Lotto Film Fest is an actual company!



I had thought about having us get another account with Amazon for fiction releases - but - maybe we should try ask for an all-in-one application to see if they will put us on the list. We shall see, but there really is no rush here. I’m just happy for this corporation to actually have a purpose or reason for its existence. FOF Entertainment will be the one running the LOTTO FILM FEST so we have that to flesh out in the mean time. Strangely, the film fest is probably one of the best ways to build a clientele for the distribution company - so the two sort of work together for the success of each. All kinds of stuff to do but no rush right now…..







Other stuff:



I have basically locked in our settings for both cameras. I’ll assign the tripods for each camera and go over all accessories to carry for each. We will probably start off with Shane for testing and that first interview. With Shane I get to see how well the video works out and reshoot if necessary. Then we move on to the others that are harder to set up appointments and so everything has to work by then.



That is the plan…..




Goodnight…..





https://youtu.be/bNRxS2r46Mo?si=WUJP6uDVvmxEnFBd


https://youtu.be/dHCzl3FKRag?si=txLtAs-BqoDWEXMr