[ PIXEL VIKING ]

As I'm listening to the album 'Avellaneda' by Danish electronica trio Skyphone, I felt like sharing it with whoever stops by this blog.

The music is a very good indication of my current taste in music - dreamy, mellow & introvert in a happy and beautiful way. It's a great companion for a slow Sunday afternoon :)

Have a listen at MySpace, visit their website and/or read this informative review (Audiversity).

Happy listening...

Dovnsklint is the name of the moraine clay cliff at Langeland's southern tip. Langeland is one of many smaller islands just south of my home island of Fyn, Denmark.

This was shot on April 13th, 2009. I had borrowed a car from work, so I decided to take advantage of that. The 87km (54 miles) would take me quite a bit of time on my bicycle :)

I spent about 3 and a half hours down there but setting up / moving my gear is a slow process, so I didn't get to film any of the other local sites that I had in mind. Unfortunately, my gear - though heavy - is still a bit wobbely. The heavy slider makes my tiny tripod soft in the knees.

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Canon HG10
Letus35 Mini

Canon EF 24mm f/2.8
Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 macro
Canon EF 200mm f/2.8L
(All lenses set to f/5.0)

indiSLIDERpro (with Velbon fluid head)
Velbon Ultra LuXi L (with Giotto MH 1300 ball head)

Røde SVM for ambient background sound (on 3m extention cord)

Cokin P filters (P121F & P121M ND filters)

Edited with 
Sony Vegas 8 Pro

Color graded with 
custum setting in Magic Bullet Looks

Music by Danish DJ / Musician Anders Trentemøller

Here's a test of how the Røde SVM stereo videomic handles on a 3 meter extention cable. The goal was to avoid the humming from the Letus vibrating motor. 

The humming noise is gone and the difference in sound from the built-in mic to the Røde SVM is now more obvious than ever. You'll see me turn the high pass filter on (removing sound below 80 hertz - in this case not obvious). 

The high pass filter (right switch) is good for removing low frequency noise - which affects the tone slightly (just not audible in this test).

The -10db level cut (left switch) is used in high volume situations (concerts and so on). I don't think I'll be using either switch much in my recordings, though.

The dead kitten windshield is good at removing wind noise - the slightest breeze will affect the sound, so I'll keep the dead kitten on at all times.

The Røde SVM is not ment for long distance pick up. A person should be no more than 2 meters / 6 feet away from the mic - however, in this clip, you'll hear sound from a road more than 100 meters / 300 feet away and even church bells from a church 300-400 meters / 1000+ feet away. In other words, this is a killer mic for ambient sound pick up.

PS: I had to cut the male plug of my extention cable and replace it with an angled male plug to be able to fit it in my HG10's mic socket. There was just not enough space for the original (straight) male plug because of the Letus in front of the HG10 - The HG10's mic socket is located on the front of the camcorder. A collegue from work soldered it for me - works like a charm :) 

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Canon HG10
Letus35 Mini
Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 macro

A custom setting in Magic Bullet Looks was used.

5 HDRs that I took and processed back in the summer of 2006 but never uploaded to my blog. They were shot in the Old Funen Village - an open air museum in Odense, Denmark. I added some Magic Bullet Looks ' Looks Builder' here (more contrast / less color). Apart from that, they look as they did two and a half years ago... :)

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The humming from my Letus's vibrating motor is audible. The extention cord I just ordered will allow me to place the mic further away from the HG10.

I'm trying to find a more subtle film look than my usual high contrast stuff. This was a test of some settings, I threw together in Magic Bullet Looks. 

I really like the look of my Canon EF 200mm f/2.8L II lens here. Focus is crucial but not always easy when using the 2.7" screen on the HG10.

Editing sound will be the next hurdle to overcome. I really need to take my editing to the next level. That (and more) in the near future :)

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Canon HG10
Letus35 Mini
Canon EF 200mm f/2.8L II
Røde SVM (Stereo Videomic)
Magic Bullet Looks