BTS

How 'Modern Family' used iPhones, iPads, and MacBooks to shoot last nights episode

If you caught last night's episode of Modern Family, you undoubtedly noticed something a little different about the show.  The show took an interesting approach to how modern families stay 'connected' through new technologies.  Ironically, through all of the technology that was being used by all members of the family, it turned out they still had no idea what was really going on with each other.   Sadly that can also be the case in most modern families.

 

What you may not have known is that the entire episode was indeed shot only on Apple devices.  They did have 'cameramen' to assist in holding up the device for the actors, and a ton of post production was needed to bring the footage to broadcast quality, but it was all captured on either iPhone 6's, iPad Air 2's, or MacBooks.  It also simulated Claire clicking through her MacBook applications and internet browsers.  It took my eyes some adjusting to their editing style, but I thought it was very cleaver on their part.

 

You can download the entire Behind-The-Scenes video for free here on iTunes.

 

Share your thoughts on the episode in the comments section.

The Golden Gate Bridge through my lens

Golden Gate Bridge | Photo by Charlie Kaine

The Golden Gate Bridge is one of the most photographed landmarks in the World...so I thought I'd take a stab at it myself.  On this particular day I had all the essentials anyone needs to make a great photo: 1) My camera 2) My tripod 3) Unusually great weather!

My goal for this shoot was to create an amazing panoramic shot of the historic Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.

Here was my simple list of gear:

  1. Canon 5d Mark II
  2. Canon EF 50mm f:1.8 lens
  3. Tripod (cheap plastic one)

Not much else is needed.  

Adobe Bridge

Adobe Bridge

To get this shot I first had to find a good location to shoot from.  A little trial and error is all the time you need to find the "perfect" spot.

Once I found a spot to my liking, I just setup my tripod, adjusted exposure and focus, then took multiple photos covering the span of the bridge and a little extra for good measure.

Above you will see the 10 RAW photos I shot individually.

Photomerge

Photomerge

After doing some basic edits, I merge all of my shots together in Adobe Photomerge.

I just let Photomerge do its job and stitch together my RAW photos and place them in Photoshop.

Adobe Photoshop

Adobe Photoshop

After just a few minutes of waiting, this is the result of the photo stitching.  I could have taken more photos, but I saw no need at the time.  During the editing process, I actually used Photoshop's Content-Aware technology to expand the right side of the photo.

Once I merged the layers and cropped it to my liking, I began to fine tune this image to the final shot you see at the very top.

All images in this blog post belong to Charlie Kaine Photography.

1990's Revolutionary Cinematography Techniques...

...as explained by Jean-Claude Van Damme.  Recently JCVD has come back on the scene with the ever popular Volvo commercial (currently flirting with 70 million views on YouTube).

 But before he was showing off his famous splits, he was shooting awesome promo videos for the LA Times, demonstrating the latest innovations in film-making.  And yes, he is rocking the mullet!

The Evolution of Visual Effects in Motion Picture [VIDEO]

In case you hadn't noticed, special effects in movies has dramatically changed over the years.  With reboots being the latest craze, its fun to go back and watch the original.  Take Robocop, a personal favorite of mine; I rented it on my Apple TV and was shocked to see how silly and cartoonish the special effects back then were for the robots.  But I remember watching it as a kid and being terrified.  

This compilation video was put together by Nelson Carvajal, and features all the Academy Award Winners for "Best Visual Effects". This particular category was created in 1977 where Star Wars took home the first ever award, and has been going strong all the way through last years winner Life of Pi.

LIST OF MOVIES

1977- Star Wars
1978- Superman (Special Achievement Award)
1979- Alien
1980- The Empire Strikes Back (Special Achievement Award)
1981- Raiders of the Lost Ark
1982- E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
1983- Return of the Jedi (Special Achievement Award)
1984- Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
1985- Cocoon
1986- Aliens
1987- Innerspace
1988- Who Framed Roger Rabbit
1989-The Abyss
1990- Total Recall (Special Achievement Award)
1991- Terminator 2: Judgment Day
1992- Death Becomes Her
1993- Jurassic Park
1994- Forrest Gump
1995- Babe
1996- Independence Day
1997- Titanic
1998- What Dreams May Come
1999- The Matrix
2000- Gladiator
2001- The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
2002- The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
2003- The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
2004- Spider-Man 2
2005- King Kong
2006- Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest
2007- The Golden Compass
2008- The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
2009- Avatar
2010- Inception
2011- Hugo
2012- Life of Pi

2013 Nominees -

Gravity
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
Iron Man 3
The Lone Ranger
Star Trek: Into Darkness