A Filmmaker is Born

Tips for Smooth Panning

2009-12-19T15:43:00.021+01:00

hi there,

long time no see?

your very own 'filmaker' is finally out of the darkness :-)

it's been long time since i posted anything. life has become very different during this time and i've been through many things. i finished my phd, stayed jobless for few months, then got a job in a software firm, moved from one place to another to another, etc. etc. anyways, it's a long story and not the topic of today's blog.

remember that i wrote in my last post that i will be making notes on the filmmaking as i learn new things along the road and post them here. though i didn't publish anything since my last entry, but i swear i learnt a lot of new exciting stuff, and my urge to become a filmmaker is growing day by day.

so back to the topic of 'making notes on filmmaking'. i don't know where to start? there are so many things i've been studying these days. but may be i won't be able to name all of them in one post. so for now, i will start with what i am learning right now. i am now reading about the "recommended panning speed".

sometimes you might have noticed the stuttering of images in the videos when panning especially when you pan fast. i've always wondered how to overcome this issue. frame rate and shutter speed/angle are the main issue i guess. ok, but what exactly is needed to avoid the pan 'strobes'? because the panning on the film certainly looks much smoother than it does on 24p video. my objective was to find if there exist some sort of 'rules of thumbs' in cinematography for making panning look smooth.

here is the summary of the guidelines, i found so far. a good read on this topic is this article.

1. prefer shallow depth of field as it smoothes the background and reduces the visible 'strobing'

2. low contrast situations are less vulnerable to 'pan strobes' than high-contrast, high detail situations. reducing the contrast of sharp verticals such as white doors on black walls helps reducing the judder in the panning.

3. panning along a centeral item in the picture, such as an actor, that the eye can lock onto would take the attention away from stuttering.

4. an old rule in the cinematography is, "the subject in the frame should either remain stationary or move slowly". a subject moving across the fame in less than 5-6 seconds will cause strobing.

5. on smaller screen, the judder is more prominent.

6. american cinematographer manual (edition 7, page 310, 311) gives a chart for 35mm camera recommended panning speeds for different framerates and focal lengths. (see below)

i found this chart very interesting. this chart is for 90 degree sweeps. for example a 90 degree sweep on 50mm should take 23 seconds. the time duration is much longer than i originally expected. i remember reading from somewhere that a pan should take about 5 seconds in between when something enters and leaves the frame, but this hint is not very useful because it does not deal with viewing angle. this chart is much more specific. once i get a 35mm camera or HD, i intend to check with these speeds which somehow look very slow to me. let's see later how these rules can be bent/broken :-P there are other issues with the shutter angles in film and HD cameras too, but i'll explore them later.

that's all i've for now. talk to you soon. i promise :-)

A Filmmaker is Born

2009-02-03T02:16:00.021+01:00

it is 2:20a.m when i'm writing this blog. few minutes ago in the middle of writing chapter 5 of my doctoral thesis i decided that i'll pursue my career in filmmaking soon after i am done with my studies and once i've paid all my debts. well, this idea didn't just pop out of nowhere. i've been considering it for quite a while. the roots go back to the days when people used to call me photographer. but now you are here to become a witness for future. a new era has just begun. you can call me a filmmaker :-)

why have i decided to start writing blog again after a long gap? because i tend to forget things. my browser favourite list is full with useful links related to filmmaking articles, books, the equipment, reviews etc. often i need to go back to the stuff to remember what i read before. and i hate to read the same stuff again and again. so better i thought should compile my conclusions somewhere (here?). not to forget i'll be also writing about my two other passions. photography and biking.

so, from now on i shall write my day to day progress on the way to be a filmmaker. i should make a point here that i suck in writing. really. and to be honest i don't enjoy writing either. i am more of a visual person. i like pictures. but perhaps i should let my thoughts flow free without any bothering. after all it is just a place to make random notes for myself. ofcourse others can read it too :-)

for now i dont have much to write except that today i haven't done much today. Read some reviews about steadicams. Merlin was my only choice until today I found Pilot. Nice thing about Pilot steadicam is that it is a complete system with steadicam vest, monitor, Iso-Elastic arm etc. for better control. but extra features does not come without a price difference. merlin vs pilot is 800 USD vs 3500 USD. hmmmm. perhaps i should first buy myself a camera then i can think about steadicam.

To The One Who Knows

2008-09-21T18:08:00.017+02:00

sinking of a star;
a tiny dot of light
and that moon;
in frenzied ocean of secrets,
a kiss
floating on the pure water,
"happy birthday to you".

Late Night Drama

2008-08-12T04:36:00.012+02:00

On a foggy winter night
as he walked out the door
a hand came from behind
and pulled him back,
a curtain blinded the room,
her hot breaths against his skin, she whispered,
"Hurry up!"

No Visa

2008-07-18T16:18:00.006+02:00

full moon at border
a nightbird flutters to west
shot of gun!

first date

2008-07-15T18:03:00.012+02:00

white silk dress
sand in her shoes; no
school that day

one last look at her

2008-07-10T02:37:00.011+02:00

behind the door
wilted lips, shining tears
an unspoken fear

meeting

2008-07-08T03:08:00.006+02:00

old bench at lake
he watches
two moons in the sky!

Late Arrival

2008-07-08T01:20:00.017+02:00

It was a cold dark afternoon. At each breath he paused, each step held his foot, everything caught his attention. Autum leaves jumped from trees and started whirling around. "Who was playing those beats?", he thought. Rain slipped from clouds like the tears from the cheeks. "Whose beloved was crying?". The questions he never confronted before.

She had refused to see him. But he waited and waited, and waited, in her city, between the two towers of beginning and end. He saw many passing shadows of past and future. At two occassions, he ran after a shadow but it slipped first from the wall and then from the eye.

Sun disappeared leaving all the shadows blend together in the darkness. A tiny lamp at the corner of street opened its eye with a blink. Under his feet, he could see his folded shadow which looked tired. An arrow sign on the road asked him to move. He took a long walk back home. He noticed the difference that his shadow was walking ahead of him when he left home, and now it was behind him on the way back.

He kept walking in the dark empty streets. In that way, many months passed. Suddently he stopped and turned. He had heard a bubble burst in the ocean. There was no one behind.

He had escaped the shadow. He could go home now.

Stranger in the Sky

2008-07-06T19:59:00.024+02:00

The boy stood silent in the open window of 11th floor. Birds were making circles in the grand sky. He remembered his own experience of flying. "Could this be a dream?", he wondered as gentle breeze greeted him with a kiss.

He had this problem. He couldn't distinguish between the reality and what he saw during the sleep. He often had a dream where he saw himself flying like a bird. Flying past villages for escaping his enemies or rescuing people from the water-flood. Flying gave him tremendous joy but he was a bit scared too because he couldn't fully control his flight. Sometimes he would fall down and hit trees and buidlings. Sooner he discovered that flying in the dream was harmless. Then he would comfortably pass through the walls and see himself fall on earth without a fear.

Today the boy was puzzled because this moment had an illusion of being real. The day was setting, and his deep urge to fly in the direction of sun was making him restless. He looked down at the cars and people in the street who appeared very tiny from this height. His heart was throbbing fast. He had to choose between reality and dream. Jumping from a high spot was necessary, this is how he went on to start flying everytime in the dream. "Come, ride on me", said the wind. He couldn't resist longer as the wind took his hand out. The birds were amazed to see a stranger in the sky. He was coming down rapidly. With no fear he waited until the last moment for the magic of flying to happen.

The sky smiled at him and the boy became awake for the first time. A bird flew away from a nearby tree.

-- Kamran Ali; short story # 1
Stranger in the sky (song at youtube)

Happy Birthday to You

2006-09-21T16:05:00.002+02:00

Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday,
Happy Birthday to You

8 year have passed since we first celebrated your birthday together. Time has changed, everything has changed, yet all remains the same.
May your dreams come true.

Happy Birthday Kamran

2006-07-21T05:14:00.000+02:00

Here on Quran (page 77), it is hand-written in Urdu (with blue pen) that "Kamran was born on Friday 21st July 1977". Birth dates of my all brothers and sisters (we are 8) were recorded on Quran immediately after our birth.
However, there is a conflict about my birthday. The calendar of year 1977 shows that on 21st July it was Thursday and not Friday (as written above).
http://www.flicklives.com/Timeline/1977_cal.html
That means I was born either on 21st or on 22nd, although my mother insists on 21st July Friday.
Some of my birthday images are here
http://wwwisg.cs.uni-magdeburg.de/~kamran/birthday/birthday.html

Shifting the Sun

2006-06-07T05:36:00.000+02:00

(in the memory of my father Sh. Zafar Ali Pakistani who died on 6th June 1999)

Shifting the Sun

When your father dies, say the Irish,
you lose your umbrella against bad weather.
May his sun be your light, say the Armenians

When your father dies, say the Welsh,
you sink a foot deeper into the earth.
May you inherit his light, say the Armenians.

When your father dies, say the Canadians,
you run out of excuses.
May you inherit his sun, say the Armenians.

When your father dies, say the French,
you become your own father.
May you stand up in his light, say the Armenians.

When you father dies, say the Indians,
he comes back as the thunder.
May you inherit his light, say the Armenians.

When your father dies, say the Russians,
he takes your childhood with him.
May you inherit his light, say the Armenians.

When your father dies, say the English,
you join his club you vowed you wouldn't.
May you inherit his sun, say the Armenians.

When your father dies, say the Armenians,
your sun shifts forever.
And you walk in his light.

written by Diana Der-Hovanessian

Bike Tour to Lahore 2002

2006-06-05T00:31:00.003+02:00

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do" - Mark Twain

Once I was (and still I am) very passionate about biking over long trips. As a school boy I was going alone (and sometime with friends) to cities nearby to Layyah. In 1995 I made my first real bike tour-- to Multan (160 km from Layyah in ~8 hours) and then in 1996 I was biking to Lahore (~400 km) finishing in less than 40 hours.
After that it was break for about 6 years.
In July 2002 I left my job as a lecturer in punjab college Multan. I had plenty of time at hands. I was free of everything and free to do everything. What else except a bike tour and I was heading to Lahore once again but this time starting from Multan. Total Distance to be covered ~380 km.
I left on 12th August 2002 at 6:00 in the morning. The idea was to reach Lahore before 14th Augest in order to celebreate Independence Day with former university friends living there. I hired the bike from one of my former students.

Just before my departure

On the road.

Breakfast. Paratha and as usual my favourite Daal.

It was hot and humid. I was heavily sweating even in the morning.

Sometimes I was wondering, "who am I and what I am doing on these endless roads".

Humidity. Hot roads. Heavy traffic. Cyling all the day along. It was setting to evening when I parked my bike alongside the road and sat along this water channel.
The overnight stay was in Sahiwal (about 180 km from Multan).

Day 2. Arrival to OKARA district.

With some truck drivers + conductors.

about 50 km away from Lahore.

I reached Lahore on the next day (13th august) at about 9pm (right in 39 hours).

At friend's place after reaching Lahore.

Bala has died...

2006-05-08T01:27:00.000+02:00

Our long-time worker at tyre shop has died a couple of days ago. I wrote something in his memory that you can read here. (Only in urdu language)

Aaj Phir Chand Ki...

2006-05-03T21:46:00.000+02:00

Listen to this album

*Picture was taken in Hunza Valley Pakistan in moon-light.

Photographs from Layyah

2006-04-10T23:53:00.000+02:00

All photos taken by me in March/April 2006

Back to Germany

2006-03-27T11:09:00.000+02:00

It was a long break on the blog. I am back to Magdeburg (Germany) on 24th March. There are lots of stories and pictures that I wanted to publish on my blog but simply couldn't do it because of the lack of the time.
Now I am back on work and will try to spare time to publish my thoughts and pictures taken during my trip to Pakistan.
From Pakistan, I brought with me 14 DVDs of photos that make more than 50GB of data (about 5 or 6 thousand pictures).
I guess it will take some effort and time to make photo-selection and post-process them.

Heading towards Northern Areas

2006-03-09T09:23:00.000+01:00

Tonight (09.02.06) we are moving towards the beautiful northern areas. Our plan was to leave yesterday but out of nowhere my brothers and sisters started insisting to accompany us. Simply, I couldn't resist. Now we would be 8 persons and 2 children on this trip. This would include myself and my two brothers, Jens, my 2 younger sisters, mother and 2 elder brother's children. Perhaps, Mushtaq, a very close friend of my mine would also accompany us.

We will catch a train from Layyah to Rawalpindi. It will be about 10-12 hour overnight journey. From Rawalpindi, we will catch the bus to Gilgit (17 hour journey). From Gilgit we will move to our main center of interest, The Hunza Valley. If the weather conditions allow us, we will try to see the Khunjerab Pass near Pakistan-China border. My elder brother would take care of the other family members when me and Jens would be setting for some special locations to photograph.

It would be a five or six day trip. We will be back on 15th or 16th of March. Then Jens and I will have 3 days remaining to prepare for our departure on 21st March from Lahore. But no worries at the moment. All of us are very excited to experience the unmatching beauty of that region.

Update: some pictures from Hunza valley taken by me

Baltit Fort Karimabad

Pictures from Multan

2006-03-09T08:42:00.000+01:00

Women in veil

A begger

Multan and Bahawalpur

2006-03-07T20:43:00.000+01:00

Shah Rukan-e-Alam Shrine

Drawar Fort in Cholistan Desert (about 120 km from Bahawalpur)

Local boy in Drawar

Blogspot Banned in Pakistan

2006-03-04T01:07:00.000+01:00

Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has banned Blogspot.com and therefore it is no longer possible to access blogspot hosted blogs in Pakistan. The decision has been taken in order to prevent the users from accessing the blogs containing the cartoon images of Prophet Muhammad.

Although one cannot read blogs at blogspot.com, one can write new blogs or edit previous blogs as it uses a different website wwww.blogger.com. Funny as it is, now I can write the blog but I can neither view it nor I can read the posted comments.

Thanks for still giving me the freedom of speech.

Life at its abyss

2006-03-04T00:17:00.000+01:00

Poor children living in the huts. Pictures from Layyah

There was a family of blind people living in the huts. Among them was a blind father who had his 4 blind sons with him. There were 15 to 20 blind persons in the hut colony.

A kid was tied to a rope like an animal. The reason mentioned to us was "the kid's mental level is low and that he damages the things".

No source of income except begging. Their huts were standing in the open sky. Animals and people shared the same shelter. Nearby to the huts was a pond of filthy water polluted with garbage. You ask me about the basic human rights, Roti, Kapra aur Makan (Bread, Clothing and Housing)? I tell you it's a JOKE.

Poor Old Photographer

2006-02-25T23:16:00.000+01:00

He runs a small shop, and yes, he is a photographer. In the so-called race of modernization, where everybody is pushing hard to stay in the front row, he lives behind with his past. Technology gives us Nikon, Canon, Sony digital cameras, 8, 12, 16 mega pixels and more with shiny LCDs on the rear sides. Point, shoot and there you go. No, he doesn't need them at all. He has his old friend - A Pentax manual camera. Dusty, Rusty and mounted on a wooden-tripod. So old that it required bandaging with plaster tape to bind compotents. But he trusts on it and is rather content.

"Digital photography has become a joke. I cannot do it! The results now a days are flat. They simply cannot match the quality of old black and white prints. In old days, we were used to work on negatives for days to enhance the pictures. The ease in creating pictures has got the photographers hasty and they have lost their patience. The resulting pictures are no more flattering as they were in our days."

Qazi Rehmat Ullah (53) runs his shop named as Shama Photo Studio. It is located at the intersection of two busy streets Choubara Road and Cinema Road. The shop is very small. Lots of old posters decorate the walls. Some of them were made by the photographer and the rest are either advertistments or film posters. A thick dust-coating could be seen on everything. Two wood benches (one for guests and one for the client model to sit upon) and one chair lay around. A couple of tube lights and white lamps provide the lighting sources. In addition, one old working table that is no longer in use. So simple is his studio.

Once, he was one of the best photographers in Layyah. But no longer, he is.

"I am photographying for 25, 30 odd years. I was very successful in my own time. But now the time has changed. There are more responsibilities on me due to the family. Expenses have increased as chidren grew up. Prices are higher for everything but the people don't want to spend money on pictures. I take 30 Rupees (ca. 45 cents) for making a portrait photo. 20 rupees go for film, negatives, development/printing. With remaining 10 rupees (ca. 15 cents), I pay shop rent and electricty bill. There are hardly 5, or 6 customers in a day. Now calculate how much I may earn in a day?"

By showing a letter envelope, the photographer mentioned that his son was recently dropped out of the college due to his inability to pay the fees.

"Photogoraphy is an effort-taking job where one needs a good sight of vision. I am 53 years old now and am no longer able to do detailed retouching on the negatives. Moreover, I have not saved enough money to make investment in the business. All I can do is just let the time pass."

The photographer was unfamiliar with the new trends in the photography. We showed him our modern digital cameras and explained some of the key features and benifits. He took the cameras in both hands and exhibited great interest in using them. We wished, we could help him more. But perhaps, his time has already gone past him.

Who will fill the colors in his picture?

Kids Campus School Layyah

2006-02-25T20:09:00.000+01:00

All right. Jens is now feeling much better, thanks to banana, yogurt mixed with desi Ispaghol, and green tea. We can go ahead to photography.

Let's meet local kids. There cannot be a better place to start than a school. We selected Kids Campus School located in my colony because my younger sister teaches there. The permission was kindly granted by the Principal Mr. Saeed Sheikh.

Kids campus is a small private school with moderate fees of 200-250 Rs (about 3 or 4 euros) per month. Most of the students in the school come from middle-class families. They were very excited to find a foreigner among them.

The students were well-prepared regaring the questions they asked from Jens. The range of question was quite broad. They discussed about serious issues like religion, education system, cultural and living style differences between the two countries. The typical questions were:

What is your religion?
General questions about Germany (Population, Area etc)
How does the Pakistani culture differ from German?
German family system and living styles, food
Women in Germany?
Experience in Pakistan?
What brought you to a small town like Layyah?

The students also shared some funny jokes with us. Jens was asked to give a short lesson of German language. He taught on blackboards some very important German words like Guten Tag, Hallo, Auf Wiedersehen. Moreover, many students took autographs from Jens.

Our visit in Kids Campus lasted for about 3 hours. During this time, a lot of information was exchanged between students and us. The students were well-mannered and their faces reminded us our own school-time. We came back with golden memories.

Good Morning Layyah

2006-02-23T21:48:00.000+01:00

Sunrise in Layyah 24.2.2006

Jens in Layyah (Pakistan)

2006-02-23T00:53:00.000+01:00

Since our journey from Germany to Pakistan started, Jens and I have had a good time together. Photography, a main objective of this trip, started in the DB train when it left Magdeburg. The cameras kept clicking throughout the journey and afterwards. After a short stay of two days in Lahore, we arrived in my home city Layyah.

In Layyah, our first visit place was mighty Indus river. The objective was to get some landscape shots and most importantly picturise the people living beside to the river. Most of our travelling was along the river bank through local villages. There were no properly-constructed roads and it turned out to be a very bumpy and dusty ride. Anyhow, at the end of the day, we were pretty satisfied by our efforts.

Dust is one of the hallmarks of Layyah. In case of Jens, it was not flying dust but heavy food that created some problem. From the day one, Jens began enjoying Pakistani food. He couldn't simply resist against the deliciousness of NaaN, Aloo/ simple ParaTha, Lahori Chanay, Samosay, GajjRela. Unfortunately, it didn't take too long to know that his body couldn't adapt to the sudden dietary change. He fell sick.

For last two days, Jens is not feeling very well and is suffering from abdominal pain and diarrhea. Headache is also haunting him. He has some weakness and is laying in the bed most of the time. Doctor has prescribed him some medicines. The current status is that the headache is lessened but the diarrhea is still a frequent visitor.

No more heavy food at the moment. Simple rice, yogurt, pastery bread and fruit is all he can eat now. Not to mention the bitter ORS drink to overcome dehyderation.

May Jens get well soon.

Blind Beggar

2006-02-22T07:34:00.000+01:00

There was a blind beggar in front of mosque,

asking for alms,

his prayers were mournful,

his hands were looking in different direction than his eyes.

People were passing by him but could neither see him nor hear his cries.

Amongst many was I.

I saw him, simply took this pictures and left.

My feet were moving away but his cries still reached my ears.

There was a blind, deaf begger in me.

Photo taken in Lahore (17/2/2006)

Lahori Touch

2006-02-20T21:45:00.000+01:00

There is a saying...

He who has not yet seen Lahore, has not been born!

Jens must be happy to know that he is born now. Somehow, I have been through this process many times already :-)

Lahore is a vibrant city and has wide gamut of colors. From old to new, from rich to poor, from odd crowded places to being peaceful, from classical architectural arches to the modern avenues, it in itself has many worlds which are openly laid for you to explore. We spent only two days in Lahore but somehow tried our best to capture the moments that we could. Here are few pictures from the collection.

Badshahi Mosque

Some reaction over the Prophet Muhammad's cartoons

Transportation - Old vs. new (near liberty market)

Local Cinema

Food Street Lahore

2006-02-20T20:10:00.000+01:00

Some pictures taken during our visit to Food Street Lahore.

Food Street in Gawalmandi, Lahore is a centre of traditional Pakistani food. The site is surrounded by centuries old buildings and places like Landa Bazaar, Mayo Hospital and Baansan-wala Bazaar. The food street is open to traffic in the morning but as the sun sets, the street is blocked off. Hungry visitors arrive and stay till very late at night, enjoying some of the best local food available in Lahore. (more on wikipedia)

Welcome to Pakistan

2006-02-16T14:35:00.000+01:00

OK, here we are. After a journey of more than 15 hours Jens and I finally reached Lahore today at 7:30am. The flight from Frankfurt to Muscat was in time but from Muscat to Lahore the flight had a delay of about two and half hours.
The travelling was pleasant except the delay. Meal served during the journey was very tasty. Rice, Chicken Kormah, etc. yummmmmmmmmmmy
Outside the Lahore International Airport, Sohail, a very close friend of mine waited for us on the airport for 2 hours. We found a TAXI and without any problems, we were in the Alpine Hotel where we had booked our room. Same old, noisy Lahore.
I was very excited to watch Pak vs. India 4th ODI cricket match of the series. Luckily, we had a TV in our hotel room with a cable connection. But my excitement turned into disappointment as Pakistan were outclassed by India. Pakistan lost the match by 5 wickets. India clinched the series.........
The sun was setting when Me and Jens came out of the room to have a walk in the city. We found an internet club and thought to have some surfing. So here I am writing the blog. The computers seem to be from the earliest era. Windows 98, 344 MHz, 128MB RAM (I cannot believe that as they are dead slow). Some of the systems units are without casing. Nude xxx. But the internet connection feels OK.
Jens is also trying his luck on the other machine. He must have been having a unique time with such computers.
Welcome to Pakistan.

P.S.
I will keep updating this blog. Jens maintains his own blog.

I shall be that

2006-02-12T18:26:00.000+01:00

source

I died from minerality and became vegetable;
And From vegetativeness I died and became animal.
I died from animality and became man.
Then why fear disappearance through death?
Next time I shall die
Bringing forth wings and feathers like angels;
After that, soaring higher than angels -
What you cannot imagine,
I shall be that

(Jeláluddín Rumí)

The face of time

2006-02-12T04:59:00.000+01:00

Winter in Magdeburg

2006-02-12T02:31:00.000+01:00

I was just browsing through my hard disk when I found this picture. It was taken while I was in my room looking through the window. (December 2005)

Enter Blogging!

2006-02-11T23:19:00.000+01:00

At last, I am pushed to use the Blogging due to various reasons. Now I can publish my thoughts / work regularly from anywhere and with less pain (no longer static webpage development in front page). The ability to access / write blog from everywhere is a huge benifit for me. As I am going to my home country Pakistan in a couple of days for an exclusive photography trip, I will update this blog timely by writing down my experiences and will upload some selected pictures. It should make a good photo diary.

Enter blogging...NOW!!!