Assembling iPhone Video Kit - Part 1

First thing to do when you have a new camera is to get straight out and take some test footage. I decided to go for a little walk in the local park to get some quick test shots...

I just wanted to get a feel for the iPhone's basic video capabilities using the native camera app. Practise makes perfect so I intend to go out as much as I can to get little examples like this, in this way I can become familiar with the base-line quality of the footage from this smartphone.

To move on and up from here, however, there are a few basic items that I will want to improve my abilities, which are letting the possibilities of this excellent movie camera down. For example, as I found in my test shoot, despite the fact that the iPhone 11 has a quite impressive built-in stabilisation this is somewhat off-set by my incredibly shaky hands! 😵 So, for this and some other reasons, a gimbal - like the DJI OSMO 4 - is at the top of my iPhone movie making wish list.

But, before more advanced gear like a gimbal, there are some basics that I need to get me going based on the lessons I learned from my first outing...

Space, the iPhone Frontier?

When I chose my new phone the iPhone was not my first choice! I was originally going to go for a good camera phone that had the ability to take mini SD cards (like my old Samsung) so I had plenty of space for filming (which I could replace if needs be).

Sadly, when I compared camera features my best choices came down to the Samsung S21 and the iPhone 11 - which are roughly in the same price bracket for my wallet - BUT neither supported memory card expansions! Shazbat! 😟

64gb can seem a little bit tight when you want to
film in 4k quality! What to do?

[Note: Now, obviously the most convenient and fast means of file back-up are direct connection using a Thunderbolt to USB cable to attach your iPhone to your main computer. But out in the field a compact and more mobile option - like external storage - makes more sense.]

With little seeming advantage I plumped for the iPhone, but this left me with the issue of space and how to save and transfer a lot of BIG 4k movie files while on location! 😦 (Worse, I could only go for the 64gb iPhone, which make this a very big issue.)

What easily transportable external storage options do I have for the iPhone I wondered...

While flash drive storage seems - to me - to be the way to go (carrying an additional power bank to power a SSD seems a bit of a faff) they are kinda expensive for a decently sized one. As I already have a good collection of SD memory cards for use with my Fuji XT-2 camera I simply bought an Apple memory card reader to make use of this means of transfer...

I gave it a try and it indeed works OK but is a little slow when transferring a lot of files. How this would compare speed wise next to a flashdrive would be interesting to compare and maybe at some point I will end up buying a flashdrive so I have options and I will compare them. But, for now, this has solved my mobile memory transfer issue.

Camera Stability Basics

Judging by some of the first footage I took with my new iPhone I think the smartphone's built in stabilisation is very good. In fact I would say that it's every bit as good as the stabilised footage I have gotten in the past from my GoPro & Feiyu G4 3-Axis Gimba combo. This little extract shows two examples of the stabilisation and Apple's native camera software's Slo-Mo facility at work...

Now, I mentioned that at some point I will buy myself a gimbal and while I feel they are a very desirable piece of equipment I have to solve my shaky hands and camera grip issues now - until I can afford a gimbal - and also maybe I don't always want to carry around a (relatively) big bit of kit. What's an easy way to give me some extra stability at a low price that doesn't add too much extra weight?

Luckily, I already had some bits in my movie-making stash that solved this...

Before adding other stabilising accessories I had to find a means to mount my phone to them. The above picture shows the JJC Universal Tripod Mount Holder for Smartphones, this mini clamp allows you to insert your phone into it's expanding grip and it has a quarter inch tripod screw mount on the bottom and a cold shoe mount on the top.

Now I have a means to attach some additional kit I had a rake around in my attic and found my old GoPro hand grip...

This is a really comfortable pistol grip style handle which attached to the JCC's screw mount and give me a nicely balanced and fluid range of movement while holding the smartphone while filming. I find the traditional 'holding the phone at either end between the fingers' grip style that is used by most to be not the most steady nor the most comfortable. The pistol grip gives me a one-handed and very smooth range of movement while filming - you feel like you are aiming the phone rather like a pistol. It works for me!

In a way, this pistol grip technique is a bit like a poor man's gimbal, using you arm and elbow joint to smooth out flowing panning shorts. It's not perfect, but it's cheap, versatile, light-weight and doesn't require any batteries! 👍 A very nice back-up even if I do get a gimbal soon.

Finally, there is one piece of stabilisation equipment any serious videographer cannot do without and that is some form of tripod or monopod...

In keeping with the idea that smartphone film making is a minimalist approach to videography, I try to shy away from carrying a heavy tripod. My preference is a light-weight monopod system, one that can be easily strapped to my backpack and not get too much in the way or be a pain to xx about all day.

I already have a nice Koolehaoda Camera Aluminum Monopod with Fluid Head - it's a light weight expanding monopod but has a folding tripod style 'foot' to aid stability. Adding a little extra bulk to the monopod is a very nice fluid video head, the smoothness of the head's movement is worth the extra weight, but even so the Koolehaoda (try saying that fast) only comes in at 2.2 pounds!

Audio Matters

Actually, from the little I have done so far with the iPhone 11 I was quite impressed with the sound recording quality. However, that was just unfocused environmental audio, as many have found recording narration - for vlogging for example - is a little less satisfactory, especially if there is a lot of extenuois noce going on around you.

For me, there is two types of audio recording that require two different approaches with equipment. There is narration recording, which requires more focused microphones to pick up clear voice audio and then there is environmental recording where you need a wider pick up to gather a sense of your location.

These two Rode microphones, which I already have in my inventory , exemplify
the two main types of sound recording you might want to do when filming outside.
On the left is the Stereo VideoMic Pro which is indented for a wide capture of
sounds and is suitable for recording music, and the atmospheric ambience
essential in building a realistic audio scene. On the right is the VideoMic Pro which,
conversely, is a 'shotgun' style of mic designed to focus in on a primary source of 
sound, like a interview commentary, for example.

Some might class these two different types of recording as primarily 'A' roll and 'B' roll situations. But it's not quite that simple, still it's all about what you feel is the most important sound and then you use appropriate equipment to pick up that sound and hopefully minimise others.

As the above picture show, I am lucky in that I already own two very good quality mics intended for video recording - albeit usually on top of a DSLR or camcorder style of camera. These mics might be considered a little on the bulky and weighty side for smartphone filming but I want to give them a try in order to save me forking out on additional equipment. Though I will have to figure out how to mount them!

The highly under-rated Stereo VideoMic Pro is my favourite as I love getting good environmental soundscapes - the sound of the waves on a beach, bird song in the countryside or in woods, or street life recording - so I can see this being my go-to mic on a lot of occasions.

One final type of recording mic I do think is very useful, however, is the lavalier mic. Again, this is a focused pick-up which is ideal for interview or vlogging where you want to get good commentary. BUT, as usual, adding a lav to the iPhone is not quite as straight forward as just 'plug and play' (what is with Apple)! 😆

The Rode Lavalier Mic Kit.

As with the above mentioned Rode VideoMic Pro microphones there is one fly in the ointment regarding their use with a iPhone 11 and that is the removal of the 3.5mm jack input from the phone. Now, any 3.5mm equipped item - like headphones or mics - require a adapter dongle that converts the 3.5 into a Thunderbolt input! Darn it!

The UGREEN 3.5 to Thunderbolt adapter cable.

...BUT on top of that to accommodate Rode's use of TRS 3.5 plus you then have to add a special TRS to TRRS adapter in order for their mics to work with the iPhone! 😖😆

RØDE SC4 iPhone Accessory.

I have a headache now! (And this is even before I discuss the other things I use when recording commentary in doors! But let's not go there for now!) 😆

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And that's it for part 1 of this overview of my iPhone 11 film making kit, in part 2 I will assemble the final bits and pieces and lay them out as a complete ensemble and then take them out for a 'test drive'! 😁

I'm Back in 2021! Hits Reset...

 OK, unexplainable hiatus aside (too long a story) I am pushing the 'reset' button and starting my videoing adventures again, but with a far less ambitious 'hobbyist' approach! Hopefully this new 'relaxed attitude will encourage me to film more and be less uptight about NOT posting unless I'm really happy with the results I was getting - which proved to be a huge obstacle to productivity in my first attempt at this blog.

I'm now thinking of this blog as more of a personal journal or - as the vlogger Simon Horrocks of the 'Mobile Motion' channel terms it - a 'video sketchbook'.  

So what's changed to get me back into this? Well, essentially my upgrading to an iPhone 11. As far as I am concerned, this is the first smartphone I have owned that has the potential that meets my 'vision' for the kind of footage I would like to create.

Check out '9To5Macs' article on the iPhone 11's features.

iPhone 11 Video Spec Overview:

• 4K video recording at 24 fps, 30 fps, or 60 fps.
• 1080p HD video recording at 30 fps or 60 fps.
• 720p HD video recording at 30 fps.
• Extended dynamic range for video up to 60 fps.
• Optical image stabilization for video (Wide)
• 2x optical zoom out; digital zoom up to 3x.
• Audio zoom.
• Brighter True Tone flash.

Here's a nice little movie done using the iPhone 11 by 'MarcusFilms' which will give you a feel for the footage you can get, a taster if you will...

My fits goal with this new camera will be to take a series of shot clips trying out the camera's various technical features - which I will post up here - in order that I can establish my own 'manual' of what I could do.

So, as I have intimated...Here we go again!

Beaty

GoPro POV No gimbal Test

I got a chance to pop out and take some footage with my GoPro mounted directly to my backpack, without the aid of a stabilising gimbal. This gives me some clips that I can directly compare with one-another to see just how effective my FeiyuTech G4 gimbal is.

The GoPro was attached to my backpack strap using the Stuntman Pack Mount. In this configuration the camera is a lot more discreet and less cumbersome than it is when mounted on a gimbal...BUT...Just how shaky will the footage be now, without any stabilisation?

Here's the result of my little test, and note that I also took the opportunity to try out recording the audio on my Tascam DR-10L recorder with a 'dead cat' fluffy windshield attached to the lav mic. This way I can test out two things at the same time...Back to the cliffs (guaranteed breezy gusts from the sea)!

And here's my FeiyuTech G4 gimbal stabilised footage, once again, for comparison...

Well, there you go...The gimbal wins out! No question about there being a noticeable difference.

[Note, in the first movie, how more difficult it was to ensure that the GoPro - directly mounted to the shoulder - was precisely level! I should really have checked using the GoPro's wireless viewing app. Of course, you don't have to worry about that when you use the gimbal as it sorts out levelling.]

On the Audio...
As you can hear, this location is particularly gusty which means lots of buffeting of the GoPro's mic. While the wind noise was also apparent on the Tascam recording, it was less aggressive and didn't have the 'banging' that is displayed in the goPro's audio.

(Note that, neither audio was edited or otherwise corrected - denoised using software - so there's a possibility I could have even improved upon the Tascam recording even further.)

So, I think I will defiantly use the Tascam for my GoPro audio in future.

FeiyuTech & GoPro POV Test

Having, earlier, worked out how to mount my gimbal/GoPro combo onto my backpack - in order to get a Point of View perspective in some of movies - I moved on to filming a little test using the rig.

However, one thing I had not talked about much is the backpack that I have mounted the camera and gimbal to. This is a recent addition to my equipment and is yet another attempt for my to find the 'perfect' camera bag (if such a thing actually exists...I'm on my forth attempt)!

I am trying out the Lowepro Tahoe BP150 Backpack (£50), a compact and lightweight day-pack more conducive to a minimal 'run & gun' equipment load-out. Here's the review that convinced me that this backpack was perhaps the bag I was looking for...

To be honest, I was a bit surprised just how 'compact' (small) the Tahoe was when it arrived. I'm a big bloke and this does kinda make me look like I've borrowed a kids school backpack! Still, I got it because I wanted something small and easy to tote about and the Tahoe certainly fits that bill.

Anyway, here just a reminder of what the GoPro/gimbal look like when attached to the backpack via the Stuntman Pack mount...

I sorted out the gimbal's lean to the left - caused by how the pack's straps naturally sit on your shoulders - by twisting it in it's mount, reseating it's orientation so that the camera now faces directly forward. Now, let's take it for a little walk...

Not silky smooth. But, as this is supposed to be a POV view (seeing what I am seeing) then a little movement motion is natural looking and desirable...I don't want to appear like I am floating around! :)

The Good and the Bad...
Generally I'm pleased, the set-up did what I wanted it to - it gives the viewer a view of the world as if through my eyes. And it's stabilised enough that it's not too jerky but - as I said - still gives a sense of  my walking around without being too distracting.

The backpack mount itself is rock steady and feels trustworthy - by that I mean I do not feel like it will slip or give way at all. I did think, before shooting, that perhaps the constant up and down movement of walking might eventually cause the rig to creep and droop - but it didn't.

The reason I worried about 'droop' was because once I had my GoPro/gimbal/mount rig all together, and I put the backpack on, I became aware of the not insignificant weight of the contraption. And it bothered me that I found it noticeable, because I wanted the setup to be 'invisible' and something I wouldn't be thinking about as I walked around.

Instead, I was kind of aware of the lump of tech on my left shoulder (particularly as I had no counterweight on the right), and it's weight pulled slightly on the backpack's strap and there were a couple of occasions I felt like readjusting the pack's straps. I read somewhere that to help stabilise this sort of mount you should either use a backpack that has an integral chest strap or you can buy a separate strap that can be added to your backpack to aid stability. Hmmm...

The Wisdompro Backpack Chest Strap (£10) can be attached
to any backpack. It adds stability and ensures you don't have
to constantly reseat you pack when it has a full load.

...So 'fixable', but, there was a also a slight noise as something in the setup clicked and squeaked - perhaps I hadn't tightened all of the various screws that hold my cobbled together rig? I shall check that everything is tightly screwed together before I try again. Maybe I was just hypersensitive about possible problems? Anyway...

Pros:
- It worked
- It was stable enough
- It's sturdy 

Cons:
- It's heavy enough that it's noticeable
- It's not exactly compact
- It's not discrete

If I had to give it rating - because, why wouldn't I - I'd give it a 7/10.

Maybe I will get used to the setup, I've only used it the once after all; I'll give it a chance. The other alternative would be to mount the GoPro without the gimbal, lighting the rig but at the expense of stability. I'll try that out just to compare how shakey it would be without the gimbal...

Playing with GoPro's Protunes Settings

Having done a little test movie using the GoPro Hero 4 Black's (what a mouthful) default video settings I now want to try out the little camera's 'advanced' filming features.

My original test was 'OK' and I have to say GoPro made a pretty good job of it's basic output settings for the 'casual' user who doesn't want any more fuss than pressing the record button. And, after all, that is a big part of the attraction and market for the GoPro - not everyone is a budding Spielberg!

A sample screen-grab from my first test movie displaying the slightly saturated colours inherent
of the GoPro's default setting. Acceptable, but a little too warm for me.

But that they have included advanced preferences is great and probably the reason that people like the BBC and other production companies feel happy to use GoPro footage in some of their programmes. For an 'enthusiastic amateur' like me this means I have lots of exciting options to tinker with. :)

My cunning plan was to try and get a fairly 'flat' colour rendering so that I could retain as much detail as I could in the shadow and highlight areas of my footage. This is so I can them experiment with LUT colour profiles and add a 'cinematic' (fanciful) colour look later in post.

Note: It is my opinion that although there is a lot talked about LUTs - and many videographers declare their use a 'science' - this technique of modifying colouration of footage is actually more of an art and is down to the personal taste of the editor. In other words, it's a stylistic 'look' and not any real attempt to recreate a realistic rendition of the original colour scene. NOT that there is anything wrong in that!

So, in my latest sound test of my GoPro I took the opportunity to fiddle with some of the setting - after some research into what they do and how they effect the output - thereby killing two birds with one stone. My modifications of the default settings were as follows:

1. (Most important) PROTUNES turned ON.
2. WHITE BALANCE: Set to 6500 (as it was a little grey and cloudy on the day).
3. COLOUR TUNING: Set to FLAT.
4. ISO Limit: Set to 400.
5. SHARPNESS: Set to MEDIUM.
6. EXPOSURE COMPENSATION: Set to '0'.

A full explanation of these settings and their purpose can be found at these two links:
• Understanding Video in the HERO4
• Advanced Protune Controls Explained

Here's a screenshot taken from this latest test video giving you an idea of how these settings changed the colour and exposure reproduction from those of the GoPro's defaults...

As you can see, the scene looks a little 'washed out', there are no extremes of contrast - so the blacks aren't quite black and the white (highlights) are only pure white in the very brightest areas. In other words, I have retained as much detail as I can across the spectrum (is that the right term?) so that I do not lose any detail once I start fiddling with colour interpretation later in post.

Does that make sense? (I did the same 'flat' profile technique in my experiments with my Fuji XT-2 camera.)

Putting back the Colour in Post
I guess you could say that the whole process - of creating a flat profile - is one of initial deconstruction prior to renovation...?

The point being that, my filming being more impressionistic that documentary I want to say something very personal about 'the day' and how the scene appeared to me. So my film is a tad subjective and may not tally with another person's view of the day, even if they were actually with me!

SO...Now the most interesting part, my interpretation of the day by means of the application of colour and exposure balance adjustments in my video editing software (Cyberlink Power Director 17). And here's the result...

The colour adjustments done in the above video were as follows (corresponding the the scene's number in the top right corner):

Scene 1: Applied PowerDirector 17 'Preset' colour profile - 'Blue Ocean'.

Scene 2: Modified colour adjustment settings in PowerDirector...
- Vibrancy: +18
- Contrast: +6
- Brightness: +3

Scene 3: Applied LUT - 'Contrast', plus the following colour adjustments...
- Vibrancy: +18
- Contrast: +18
- Sharpness: +38

Scene 4: Modified colour adjustment settings in PowerDirector...
- Brightness: +8
- Contrast: + 11
- Saturation: 86
- Vibrancy: +2
- Highlight Healing: 42
- Sharpness: +27

Scene 5: Applied LUT - 'Matte'

Scene 6: Applied PowerDirector 17 'Preset' colour profile - 'Harvest Farm'.

Scene 7: Modified colour adjustment settings in PowerDirector...
- Brightness: +12
- Contrast: +26
- Saturation: 123
- Highlight Healing: 82
- Sharpness: +11

What was my Goal?
Ok, before I talk about which 'profile' I preferred I should begin by outlining just what I was trying to achieve. I actually had a 'plan' before I even started filming and that was; because it was a bit of an overcast and intermittently dull day I wanted to make the end product look a little more summery and 'warm' than it actually was on the day.

Power Director 17 has a nifty split-screen feature so you can see your modification as you do
them. Here you see - on the left - the raw GoPro footage, and - on the right - some colour
adjustments.

Yes, a bit of a cheat - but going back to what I said about 'impressionistic' filming I really just wanted to give the feeling of a day at the seaside during the summer...And not leave the viewer thinking 'well, that was a bit of a rubbish summer's day' (the British have a tendency to notice the weather above all things). That would distract from my intension.

So, project goals: To brighten up the overall exposure and 'warm' up the colours while still retaining a fairly honest rendition of the details (such as the clouds)...

For this reason, I think that I preferred the profile adjustments done to Scene 5 BUT I might have increased the sharpness. That's just my personal preference for this particular project on this occasion. On a different day, and were I in a different mood, I might have felt like applying a different look.

(Scene 1 is probably closer to a 'realistic' rendition of the day but with the blues in the sky intensified.)

A Further Complication...
All this 'arty-farty' messing about is OK, but what if you do want a documentary-style rendition of the day OR want to colour match the GoPro's footage with that taken by another camera...You can't go messing about aimlessly, you do - then - have to apply a bit of 'science'.

Again, though, producing a 'flat' colour profile might be your best option as a base starting point. That way you have more detail to work with as you try to match up colour, exposure, contrast and sharpness with your target footage.

In combination with other production tools - such as a white balance or colour checker card to establish a base line in your footage and the colour-picker and colour-match tools in your software - you should be able to produce something approaching a faithful reproduction of the subject (ish).

(I won't dwell on this differing but related issue at this point as it deserves it's own post.)

Conclusion...
Well, I've droned on long enough about what I feel is a pretty subjective subject anyway. I repeat, it's my opinion that colour correction/grading can be more of an art than a science - unless you are trying to achieve a faithful documentary rendition.

At the end of the day, as long as YOU (or your client) is happy with the colour grading then who's to say that it's not 'right'? :)

Mounting FeiyuTech Gimbal + GoPro to Backpack

One area of video production I have not yet explored is POV filming, where - for example - I attach a GoPro to myself in order to give my audience a simulated 'first person' view of what I am seeing and experiencing (er, that sounds a bit dodgy - but it's not, honest).

The head mount is a cheap and cheerful way to get 'eye level' perspective
footage of what you are seeing. It has it's uses, as long as you don't mind
looking a bit silly (plus it's a bit wobbly)...

The reason I would find this useful is because I have an interest in filming my museum visits or documenting holiday activities from my Point of View. It's a very common filming technique and you can see example all over YouTube and it's all the more common these days because of the popularity of small, wearable action cameras like the GoPro. Helpfully, there are actually a good number of specialised mounts that allow you to attach a GoPro to your body to get POV footage...

LOL... Probably the most niche and extreme POV GoPro mount! The  SP
Gadgets Mouth Mount, for that 'see what I see' footage! Er, no thanks. This
mount was specifically designed with swimmers in mind, where there is no
practical other place to mount a camera!

Basically, I'd like my audience to see what I am seeing so that they get a slightly more immersive experience and feel that they are visiting the places that I visit. This is usually achieved by mounting the camera either close to the head so they get the 'wearer's eye view' or by mounting the camera on the back so that the audience gets an 'over the shoulder' view.

A GoPro 'Over-the-shoulder' mount. This on's a bit over the top...Get it? :)

If you just want to mount your GoPro this is a pretty straight forward process as a large number of mounts are available off-the-shelf to allow you to do this...BUT (there's always a 'but' when I do things)...I would like to negate some of the inherent camera shake that goes with wearing a camera by attaching the camera mounted on my FeiyuTech G4 gimbal! Not so many mounts available for this, in fact I have only found one - the GoPro Karma Mounting Ring (which, as the name implies, isn't actually for the FeiyuTech, but rather the Karma gimbal, but it fits).

...However...This ring mount is over £30 (yeah, for a small plastic ring mount - and that's supposing you can find it) so I did a search round YouTube for a cheaper DIY option and bingo...

Now, the above movie shows the gimbal mount attaching to a chest harness, but I want my gimbal/GoPro combo to attach to a backpack shoulder strap instead (giving that head-view feel). Luckily, there are several specific mounts available to do that; I went for the STUNTMAN Pack Mount - Shoulder Strap Mount for Action Cameras...

So, now I have both the backpack mount AND a way to attach my camera rig to the mount. Sorted.

Making my DIY Gimbal Rig
Following the instructions given in the video I've included above I proceed to modify my GoPro bar mount. These are dead cheap and I think came free with my original GoPro purchase anyway, so no great loss (I've never actually used it before)...

Step One - Modify the GoPro Bar Mount
The GoPro Handlebar Mount does exactly what you might expect, it allows you to attach a GoPro to the handlebar of a bike or any other horizontal bar for that matter. But in this case we want to reverse it's use, we want to use it to hold the gimbal handle and attach the mount to the backpack mount. This raises a little problem related to the GoPro attachment system...

GoPro attachment prongs.

GoPro mounts use little prongs to interlock with each other, these prongs come in two type which I will can 'male' and 'female' for ease of identification. The 'male' attachment point has two prongs and they insert into the 'female' three prong arrangement, you then screw the attachment screws through the hole in all these prongs to tighten the joint. Following so far? :)

Well, if we reverse the use of the bar mount we would be trying to attach a 'female' point to another 'female' point which won't work because of the integrated locking nut. So, we have to remove one of the prongs (the one holding the nut) so that it becomes a 'male' attachment point!

Result...My bar mount with a  sex change! ;)

Step Two - Attach the Gimbal to the Bar Mount
First things first, I had to find a GoPro mount for a backpack shoulder strap, as mentioned above - after a spot of research - I went for the Stuntman Pack Mount. At £30 it's not the cheapest but it was highly recommended and especially rated for it's sturdiness...

The mount attached to my Lowepro Tahoe BP150 backpack strap very easily and I was very please with how secure the mount seemed to be (the velcro fixing straps seem to have a non-slip rubber material which grips the strap nicely). I mounted the pack mount on the left strap as I am right handed so thought this would mean that the camera would not be jostled as much...

There is plenty of articulation so I can adjust how close of far, high or low, the camera and gimbal is on my chest and - of course - I also have the option to mount the GoPro without the gimbal to make the whole thing more compact if I wish.

Having tested the attachment of the bar mount to the pack mount it's time to try fitting the gimbal to my contraption...

It fitted nicely and was tight and secure...I like it when a plan comes together! I guess the only downside is that you have to unscrew the whole thing if you then want to use the gimbal as normal (would have been great to have had some sort of 'quick mount' system which unclipped quickly, but you can't have everything).

So, all that's left is for me to reattach the bar mount and gimbal back on the backpack and put the backpack on to see how comfortable it is to wear with the extra weight on the left hand strap...

...OK, not the best photo, but I'm not used to trying to take a selfie! :)

Right away, I noticed that the gimbal want to try and point slightly to the right, so I will have to turn it slightly to the left in the mount to compensate. The tilt doesn't matter - of course- because the gimbal will self level itself.

I will have to experiment with the best mode to set the gimbal to in this arrangement, whether that be 'fixed forward' looking or 'follow me' tracking, etc. But that will be the next stage in this experiment, a live test.

GoPro (Re)Training, Part 1

Filming with the Default Factory Settings
Well I'm back - after a huge hiatus (life stuff) - so in a way I'm starting from square one again as I've forgotten so much. Today I'm dusting off my GoPro Hero 4 Black - yes, I know, that is so 'old' now!

In 2016 this was cutting edge...

Things move so fast in the work of action cameras, GoPro has advanced to the HERO 7 and you can now even get a 'cheap' GoPro clone as good as my Hero 4 (actually better, really, as you can get in-built stabilisation) for just over £100...And if stabilisation doesn't worry you then you can get a comparable action cam for just £60.

In 2019 this EKEN H9R Ultra does everything my GoPro 4 Hero Black
does, but for the price of just £54! Technology marches on.

But, let's begin with my Hero 4 as it's still a nice wee camera. Today I'm doing some sunny day filming with the camera's default factory settings so I can create some 'control' footage. I'll be using this to compare with subsequent footage using any modified settings.

A Walk in the Park?
We took the dog out to one of the little wildlife reserve parks on the outskirts of our town, a good opportunity for me to capture my base-line footage. It was a particularly sunny day so I was already prepared for some overexposure when filming into the sun and some unpredictable levels of exposure as I went abruptly from bright sunshine to dark shade as we passed though shaded wooded areas.

Aside from this, I didn't really know what to expect, so lets see some of the raw footage...

Lessons Learned...
While it's annoying having to learn all this stuff all over again, I was glad that the few problems I came across were minor 'niggles' and easily fixable. Here's a little list of things that I think need to be 'fixed' in my next test GoPro movie:

• Stability: (Not strictly a GoPro problem, but...) The FeiyuTech G4 gimbal I used needs recalibration in order to get the horizontal axis level. There's about -3.5 degrees tilt on the left, though this can be corrected in post I suppose.
• Audio: There is very obvious wind noise (rumble) throughout this test, I didn't think it was that windy on the day but this just goes to show how sensitive the GoPro's built in mic is. The solution would either be to cobble together a windshield mod to fix over the GoPro's mic OR I could use a better quality external microphone which has a proper windshield ('dead cat').
• Colour Rendition: The GoPro's default colour and exposure settings are acceptable, but the advanced user may wish to experiment with the cameras custom settings, called 'ProTune Controls'. In future, I will be utilising these controls in order to produce 'flat' colour profile footage which I can then colour correct in post.

There are many tutorials on YouTube which suggest alternative settings which can get the best out of the GoPro, so I will try some of these out in my next test.

A 'Quick Fix'...
As a bit of a learning exercise I thought I would do some  minor post-editing to 'fix' at least a couple of the above issues using Power Director 17 (my editing software of choice) before attempting a 'hard' fix with another GoPro test.

First of all, I dealt with the offset horizon issue by rotating my clips -4 degrees to the left. Having rotated the footage, I then had to resize the clips to fill the frames. Luckily - because I shot in 2.7K (2704x1520) - I had some latitude to resize my footage without significantly affecting the final quality of my output, particularly as I eventually downsized my final output to 1080p.

Next, I experimented with colour correction in the software. After tinkering with some manual corrections, I eventually tried out Power Director 17's newly added ability to apply LUTs (colour 'Look Up Table' data files). I downloaded some free LUT profiles (.cube file format) which I imported into Power Director and tried a few different ones before settling on one called 'FG_CineCold'. This profile toned down the hot greens of my raw GoPro footage and gave the final movie an overall more subdued 'cinematic' feel (it's all a matter of personal preference, but I liked the effect).

Here's my 'corrected' movie clip...

Next: I'll try reconfiguring my GoPro with some advanced settings to see whether I can improve the quality of my raw footage.