Posted by Corne Scheepers on Monday, November 5, 2018,
This is awesome!
GoPro launched their latest model recently (man, am I behind...) and the GoPro 7 series now feature Hypersmooth to take care of all your shaky action cam videos.
Posted by Corne Scheepers on Tuesday, October 9, 2018,
Haven't had GoPro jets on here for a while, and that's just wrong...
To whomever films the French Navy's video footage: well done! Featured in this video on their official YouTube channel are French naval pilots putting Rafale jets through their paces. The footage is absolutely gorgeous. Enjoy.
Posted by Corne Scheepers on Sunday, July 29, 2018,
Above: GoPro 5 Session. And photobombing river bird.
An upgraded GoPro camera has been
on my wish list for a while now. Why? Because I’m a fan boy, of course! But
also because the transition to 4K/UHD production necessitates cameras that can
capture footage at better-than-HD resolutions. I own two: a battered and
bruised Hero2 that survived a mildly serious motorcycle crash and still works hard
on a many of my shoots, and a Hero3+ (that the missus crash-tested on her bike)
that can top 2.7...
Posted by Corne Scheepers on Wednesday, April 5, 2017,
Hi. My name is Corne and I'm a military aviation addict.
And I dig GoPros. I'm also a scale modeler in my free time. There I said it - I like little toy airplanes. I have a room full of them. The month of March has yet again delivered a rich bounty for aviation geeks such as myself. Here's my pick from the aviation blogs:
I just love this clip of a Spanish Harrier, flying off the aircraft carrier Juan Carlos. As the original vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) jet, this iconic British-design...
Posted by Corne Scheepers on Thursday, March 2, 2017,
If the drop zone is near a place called Deadhorse, you pretty much know not to expect much in terms of creature comforts... I picked up on this clip of paratroopers practicing arctic jumps in Alaska a while ago through the aviation blogs and it has some really cool GoPro footage of the jump itself towards the end. Just wish they killed the wind noise on the camera. But it is unique footage non the less.
Posted by Corne Scheepers on Monday, January 2, 2017,
This was indeed as much fun as it looks! The missus and I did a three day kayaking trip on the Orange river from Hopetown to Douglas over December and I took two GoPros along for the ride.
While this was pleasure rather than work, it was a great opportunity to do some GoPro video work and also keep my skills sharp over the lazy season. Just like musicians and athletes I believe you constantly need to practice your technical skills if you do video for a living. Natural talent plays a very lar...
Posted by Corne Scheepers on Monday, November 28, 2016,
What a better way to play out the year than with some gorgeous GoPro aerial footage. Boba Fett impersonators Yves Rossy, Vincent Reffet and Fred Fugen flew their jetpacks in formation with eight Alpha jets of the French Air Force aerobatic display team, the Patrouille de France (Yes I just added that to have fancy French words in this post).
Seriously though, this must require some serious skill and physical effort.
The 4K clarity is gorgeous and I find this both exhilarating and depressing ...
Posted by Corne Scheepers on Friday, August 26, 2016,
As a self-confessed military aviation/all things military science-related nut I'm a regular reader of David Cenciotti's blog The Aviationist and he keeps on posting these really cool GoPro jet movies from YouTube. This one was produced by the Russian Ministry of Defence for Russian Aerospace Force Day. It's really well done and features some great footage of various Russian fast machines. Around 1:14 and 1:48 it even features footage of Russia's answer to the 5th generation F-35 and F-22 figh...
Posted by Corne Scheepers on Saturday, July 30, 2016,
I've seen GoPros fitted in weird places at even weirder angles (and even considered a few of my own) but this is...wow. I guess it got some interesting footage of pit girls getting splashed with bubbly though. And where's the harm in that?
I found this on www.asphaltandrubber.com. There's also a good series of videos on Valentino Rossi if you're into MotoGP racing.
Posted by Corne Scheepers on Tuesday, July 26, 2016,
It has been a fantastic month for GoPro jet videos. I have discovered yet another movie with...an acceptable soundtrack!
Yes folks, no Techno. No Dubstep. No shitty titling. Not even a hint of cliched Hard Rock. Just awesome visuals with a few well-placed GoPro shots. This seems to have been produced by USAF media people so that might explain it. But seriously though, I liked this and it was well put together. Military jets (and most fast machines) and action cameras go well together.
Posted by Corne Scheepers on Sunday, July 17, 2016,
See, this is the way I like my GoPro jets! Just raw cockpit sound. None of that techno rubbish everybody seems to plaster all over this stuff. Seriously though, I love the visuals in this. Had no idea the pilot had such a high workload flying these beasts.
My fascination with action cameras and fast jets continues...stay turned.
Posted by Corne Scheepers on Sunday, March 20, 2016,
I'm in the fortunate position nowadays to be able to say that there are things about my job that I REALLY enjoy and look forward to for the phone to ring to do again. And recording interviews with Optentia subject experts has become one of them. Optentia's international collaborators and academic partners are all recognized experts in their fields and we've developed a short interview format to get their views on various topics in a compact and easy to watch format.
Posted by Corne Scheepers on Sunday, March 22, 2015,
Never stop learning.
I’ve always
held this belief and in the video production business I doubt you’ll survive
long if this isn’t your approach to the tools that you use every day. I also believe
that experimenting and testing is something you don’t do on a paying customer’s
bill, so my holiday movies have become R&D opportunities.
Cameras recording at 2K and 4K resolutions are becoming more common and so too have the ability of post tools to handle
higher-than-HD resolution media. ...
Posted by Corne Scheepers on Sunday, January 25, 2015,
GoPro cameras form an integral part of most of my projects so I'll be following this new 2' monitoring solution closely. Everybody uses their smartphones to line up and control GoPros, but to be honest it's a pain in rear at times, especially when you're pressed for time and you can't get your phone to connect to the camera.
REMOVU connects via wifi and will give you an effective operating range of between 20 to 70 meters between you and the camera. At around R1500 it is perhaps a bit pr...
Posted by Corne Scheepers on Friday, September 12, 2014,
I should probably just call this The GoPro Blog and get it over with...
The world's most popular action camera brand has spawned a huge industry of aftermarket accessories an a few interesting ones have caught my eye the past few weeks. Some make sense and some are just plain weird. Blessthisstuff.com has posted a couple of good ones recently.
Above: Brunton All-day Battery. This is cool and I want one. One of the main complaints from GoPro owners is usually that the battery life sucks, even ...
Posted by Corne Scheepers on Monday, September 1, 2014,
Other than built-in wifi and size, how much difference is there between the older GoPro Hero 2 and the latest Hero 3+ model? It would seem not much, surprisingly. At first glance anyway.
To sort out GoPro post workflows for the coming Solar Challenge I did an unscientific test over the weekend: I set both GoPros to 1080p at 25fps, bumped up both cameras to Protune recording mode, and then recorded the footage you see above from different positions. Other than increased clarity on the Hero 3+ ...
Posted by Corne Scheepers on Monday, August 11, 2014,
One of the first things I did after I got my first GoPro was to fit it to my motorcycle helmet and ride to the next town and back. When I dropped the footage into my editing application and tried to cut a 2 minute time lapse version, I discovered what the video world already knew - shaky footage shot with an action camera on a body mount does not make good time lapse footage.
It seems that the folks at Microsoft Research has now sorted this out for us with Hyperlapse. If you follow the process...
Posted by Corne Scheepers on Monday, July 21, 2014,
When GoPro launched the Hero 3 there was a lot of hype around its ability to shoot 2K and 4K resolutions, most probably the next big thing in video since HD. However I used mine exclusively for HD work so I really didn't pay too much attention to the 4K en 2.7K settings in the menu. I actually remember thinking "What do they expect us to do with this crap?!" when I noticed that 4K was only offered at 15fps.
Then last week Philip Bloom exploded the interweb with a 2.7K masterpiece and I simply ...
Posted by Corne Scheepers on Monday, July 21, 2014,
The world's most popular action camera has become a very important part of my production setup. Along with two GoPro cameras I've now accumulated an unavoidably large number of accessories. And when you show up for a shoot and discover that you've left essential bits of kit behind at home, like a Hero 3 frame case, it's a good indication that you need to start getting everything together in one large box.
With the upcoming Solar Challenge and the amount of GoPro work we'll be doing I've decide...
Posted by Corne Scheepers on Monday, July 21, 2014,
Philip Bloom clearly stood at the very front of the queue the day cinematography talents were handed out. He shot this film while on holiday in Thailand and used a Phantom drone and GoPro Hero 3+. The results are astonishing and most probably the best GoPro drone movie of the year. Respect, sir, you are an artist.
Posted by Corne Scheepers on Tuesday, July 15, 2014,
Above: this image won first prize recently in a National Geographic-sponsored competition exclusively for drones. Read the full story at bbc.co.uk
Above: trekking in the Himalayas. Drone pilot Jon Miller put his drone to good use on a trek to the foot of Everest. Camera drones ("drone" meaning Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, or UAV) have very much revolutionised the way video and pictures are recorded to the same extent that action cameras like GoPro and other brands have made the filming of act...
Posted by Corne Scheepers on Saturday, May 10, 2014,
April 2014 has come and gone and
with it no less than 12 promo projects in a little over 4 weeks. Insane! The upside
of course is that with this much content to produce you’re presented with an
opportunity to really think outside the box to keep things innovative and unique. One of my biggest projects for April was a combined video/interactive project on DVD for the NWU’s School of Music and Conservatory.
Above: main menu page of the interactive development. The project is rolled out on ...
My collection grows yet again. I picked up this link while waiting for a render. Because that's what post-production people do between renders: burn some internet. Or go outside to smoke. Or eat and make phone calls.
I love GoPro cockpit footage. Consume and enjoy as always: mute the shitty music, ignore the cheesy titles and enjoy visuals that most people outside the military will never see. This one features F-15 jets from the USAF's 67th Fighter Squadron.
Posted by Corne Scheepers on Wednesday, April 23, 2014,
I simply had to post this. Because, seriously, apart from the fact that these gentlemen have stones the size of Jupiter, the GoPro footage shot by their wingsuit cameraman is simply astonishing! Keep in mind that the guy was in a terminal velocity freefall, upside down, trying not to hit them or the building all at the same time.
Vince Reffet and Fred Fugen jumped into the Guinness Book of World Records with this BASE jump from the tip of Dubai's Burj Khalifa, currently the tallest building in...
Posted by Corne Scheepers on Tuesday, April 8, 2014,
I came across these clip-on ND filters for GoPro Hero 3 recently and the results are interesting. The world's most popular action camera is also notorious for very high shutter speeds that result in side effects like "jelloing" where the edges of the footage seems to wobble. If you've ever used a GoPro for motorsports you'll know what I'm talking about.
Adding a clip-on ND filter seems to slow down the hyperactive shutter and noticeably smooths out the footage. In addition you've got all the...
Posted by Corne Scheepers on Tuesday, March 25, 2014,
To celebrate our wedding anniversary the missus and I recently packed our backpacks and headed for the central Drakensberg mountains. This was of course not a paid project but still a lot of fun and a good opportunity for some gear testing.
I've been a keen hiker since my teens. For years hiking with a video camera has eluded me, mainly because of weight and budgetary (read "pocket money") restrictions. The action camera age has now changed all that. For our trip into the mountains I took my...
Posted by Corne Scheepers on Tuesday, March 25, 2014,
GoPro is every marketer's dream. Thousands of users are using them every day to record some pretty remarkable stuff and the footage is online ready and ripe for the company's picking. Like this remarkable clip shot by Brad Josephs in Alaska.
It is unclear whether the camera survived after being discovered by the Grizzly at around 0:53...
Posted by Corne Scheepers on Saturday, February 22, 2014,
As a self-confessed motorcycle nut I just had to post this when a friend pointed it out to me today.
Sena is well-known in the biking community for their Bluetooth helmet intercom units. A Sena headset is one of those must-have motorcycle touring items that will allow you to communicate to your buddies via set of helmet speakers and boom mic that you fit to your helmet. Voice communications are then shared between riders via a Bluetooth signal. It will also allow you to connect to smartphone...
Posted by Corne Scheepers on Sunday, February 2, 2014,
I still find this fascinating.
GoPro supplied the Red Bull Stratos team with five Hero 2 cameras for Felix's epic jump and posted this video recently. Apparently the GoPros were set to record at 720p60 (Wide). The footage is remarkable. Watch it in full HD if you can.
Posted by Corne Scheepers on Saturday, January 25, 2014,
I've been delaying the decision to buy a second GoPro for months and when the company announced the launch of the brand new and updated Hero 3+ model towards the end of 2013, I was glad I waited. Smaller, better and badder than any of it predecessors the Hero 3+ absolutely rocks! My GoPro is probably the most versatile piece of equipment in my camera bag. I've used it for everything from filming wide shots for interviews to aerial footage from the wing of a gilder plane and helmet cam footag...
Posted by Corne Scheepers on Saturday, January 25, 2014,
I picked this up recently. GoPole's Grenade Grip for GoPro cameras. The world's most popular action camera has spawned an entire industry around custom mounts that will allow you to mount GoPros on everything from bike handlebars to combat helmets and firearms. GoPole made its name with a very popular pole mount. This rubberized handle is handy for situations where you need to film handheld shots while keeping a good grip on your camera. I haven't really had time to test this properly but ho...
Posted by Corne Scheepers on Saturday, January 25, 2014,
My first post for 2014! It took a while to get this one online, but at least I have a good excuse.
See, on a recent adventure bike trip I came off the bike on a dirt track just outside Rhodes in the Eastern Cape. My injuries include a few unhappy hand ligaments (fortunately nothing broken). And the GoPro suction mount that took a very hard direct hit on the side of the bike? Just a few scratches...it still works! But sorry no crash footage - the batteries had run out by that time.
Posted by Corne Scheepers on Thursday, December 5, 2013,
They're back! One of my favourites. More footage shot from the wings of military jets. This clip was shot by a gentleman named Artur Sarkisyan and shows Russian Air Force MIG-31 Foxhound jets. The stock GoPro vehicle mounts will not stay attached to a Mach 2.83 fighter jet so the videographer used custom mounts.
Cool clip. Enjoy it while it is available. Spasibo ASvideo!
Posted by Corne Scheepers on Tuesday, December 3, 2013,
Yes, I succumbed to more GoPro purchases today. Pictured above is the Chesty. It's for mounting your GoPro on yes, you guessed it, your chest. One of the downsides to mounting the camera on a helmet is excessive amount of movement and shake every time you move your head. A chest mount will still provide a good POV shot with less jerky movement every time I need to check a rear view mirror (hopefully).
RAM Mounts make some awesome grips for your digital devices and I just got one for my Samsung... Continue reading ...
Posted by Corne Scheepers on Tuesday, September 24, 2013,
Above: having loads of fun in Botswana. GoPro running, of course.
You might have noticed that this blog has been quiet for quite a while. And you would be right. The reason for that was an awesome two week adventure through Botswana in August, followed by a ridiculously busy time with back to back projects upon my return in September. And finally some sadness with my mom passing away a few weeks ago. However life goes on and so must this blog.
Filming a 10-day motorcycle adventure through Bo...
Posted by Corne Scheepers on Sunday, July 21, 2013,
MediaTech 2013 has come and gone. The exhibition showcases everything current and new in the broadcasting and AV technology fields from all the top brands and suppliers in South Africa. I used the opportunity to hook up with a few of my suppliers and had a look at the latest Avid Media Composer release. MC 7.0 now supports 4K media and a host of cool new features such as background transcoding and improved audio RTAS functionality from the timeline.
Posted by Corne Scheepers on Monday, July 1, 2013,
There is no such thing as too much GoPro footage. This one is helmet cam footage of a Canadian paratrooper's near miss with a pine tree. Continue reading ...
Posted by Corne Scheepers on Friday, May 31, 2013,
The GoPro revolution continues.
Have a look a this unique Kickstarter project that will enable you to shoot full 360 degree shots with multiple GoPro Hero 3's in a 3D printed camera rig (see how many trendy tech things I used right there in one sentence!)
Posted by Corne Scheepers on Wednesday, May 29, 2013,
Check out the GoPro camera rig on Russian BASE jumper Valery Rozov's helmet. The Russian became the first man to freefall from the top of Everest earlier in May. Awesome footage, especially the reverse shot. We can probably expect to see something on Discovery or Nat Geo soon. Read the original story on gizmodo.com
Wonder how they kept the GoPro casings from fogging up or icing over at those temperatures? I've had issues with lenses fogging up on the bike in Lesotho in summer time. Maybe I sho...
What does this have to do with what I do for a living? Absolutely nothing...I just find the visuals insanely cool :)
Small and compact action cameras have made it possible for ordinary people to experience things that would otherwise have resulted in injury or property damage, or time in prison. And thanks to the internets you can now share your images with the world. Check out this cockpit footage shot by a USAF F-16 squadron over Alaska. As always, enjoy before the air force make them take...
Posted by Corne Scheepers on Friday, March 15, 2013,
This is nothing new, but it is still really cool isn't it? Remote control via the GoPro Wifi back and the official Android app. Close-to-realtime preview at 720p25. I can't wait to get my hands on a Hero3 Black with built-in Wifi though. The extra backs really do add bulk and weight to camera especially when you mount it on a helmet.
Posted by Corne Scheepers on Saturday, March 2, 2013,
Above: Some useful support for the GoPro...Manfrotto Compact tripod
I'm a bit of a snob when it comes to camera support...my primary stand is an uber-expensive imported Miller DS20. Shameful, I know. Having been forced to use dirt cheap Manfrotto tripods during previous employment I...well, hate the brand ("Hierdie f&%#!!n ding is vrot!").
But this little compact model caught my eye today and it is perfect for the GoPro. It folds up small and straps to the side of the camera bag and i...
Posted by Corne Scheepers on Thursday, February 14, 2013,
You can never have too much GoPro...ever :)
I picked up on this one through gizmodo.com. Awesome cockpit footage (although the soundtrack is not really my flavour...sorry). For some reason these clips are often taken down quite quickly from YouTube, so enjoy it while it's up.
Posted by Corne Scheepers on Saturday, February 2, 2013,
Some recent fun in the Lesotho mountains. The riding footage comes from my old GoPro Hero 2 and another rider's Hero 3 Black. I really like the Black, much smaller and lighter than its predecessor and the picture clarity is amazing. I also noticed that the Black's footage seems to be slightly warmer in hue than the Hero 2. Batteries though - not interchangeable. They have to make money off us somewhere...
Posted by Corne Scheepers on Tuesday, January 8, 2013,
Welcome back!
2013 has kicked off to a quick start here with the first projects already in planning. Some interesting things happening this year...watch this space! In the meantime, my fascination with the little camera continues. Here's two GoPro clips worth checking out.
Thanks to Jaco van der Merwe from the NWU's School of Music for sharing the trombone clip. Also check out the angle from the camera mounted on the tailfin of a Mig-29 jet here:
Posted by Corne Scheepers on Wednesday, October 17, 2012,
It simply wouldn't be a video blog if I didn't post this...
According to his website Felix Baumgartner carried two HD cameras mounted on the legs of his suit, as well as a camera below his helmet. GoPro claims he was carrying one of theirs as well. (EDIT: He was definitely carrying a GoPro, look below the helmet in the centre of chest console and you'll see the top of the housing latch and the record button.) Whatever he was using to film this epic freefall, the footage just blows your mi...
Posted by Corne Scheepers on Wednesday, October 17, 2012,
This arrived via the GoPro Facebook feed this morning: "The Wi-Fi enabled HERO3: Black Edition is the most advanced GoPro, ever. No expense was spared during its development, resulting in a GoPro that is 30% smaller, 25% lighter and 2x more powerful than previous models"
I had the opportunity to film the NWU's solar car, nicknamed the Batmobile, over the weekend and I was really glad I did because the NWU team surprised everyone by winning the event. They came into the event as complete underdogs and quickly became media favourites as the Sasol SA Solar Championship toured the country.
Above: Fitting the GoPros. In a hurry. The team was kind enough to allow us to d...
Posted by Corne Scheepers on Friday, September 14, 2012,
My fascination with the little camera continues...
I picked up on this through GoPro's Facebook feed. This little camera survived a 12500ft freefall WITHOUT the casing. The jumper's helmet hooked the aircraft's doorframe on exit snapping open the latch and the camera filmed all the way down.
Just goes to show how incredibly tough GoPro really is!
Posted by Corne Scheepers on Tuesday, August 28, 2012,
The School of Music's concert ad for September is live on YouTube. Check it out. I'm having so much fun producing these clips at the moment. The GoPro went along to the shoot purely for show and tell purposes but I ended up shooting footage with it that actually made it into the final clip! Just goes to show how versatile these little devices really are.
I wonder if GoPro would edit it into their demo reel if I sent it to them. Put it in right after the base jumping dude... :)
Posted by Corne Scheepers on Monday, August 20, 2012,
Above: my first test shoot with the GoPro HD Hero 2. Sadly this YouTube clip does not do the footage any justice; it really is super sharp when viewed in full HD. I'll rather burn this to Blu-ray...
I've wanted one of these for a long time. Whenever you see footage of skydiving, basejumping or any other adrenaline-fueled occupation, chances are it was filmed by someone wearing one of these strapped somewhere to themselves or their gear.There are a number of action cameras available at the m...
