[Double Update] On the Beach of Dreams & Legendary Theme, New 4k Camera, and Preview of Dark World

[EDIT:  Whoops, I made a huge mistake in the original upload, so I just re-edited and re-uploaded the video.  For Patrons who are looking for a link to the raw video, click here!  The link that I sent to your private messages is the original/wrong video, so ignore that one (unless you want to save my error for posterity).]

Hello!  Sorry, I know it’s been a while, but I’ve been working on some new stuff, so hopefully I can start up another few months of consistent uploads.  This is another double update, so I’ve just uploaded “On the Beach of Dreams,” and if you’d like to watch “Legendary Theme” before its official release, here’s a link to the video on my Google Drive:

[Click here because apparently I can't make an image a hyperlink.] 

You’ll notice that both of these videos were shot in 4k, which is a change I’ve written about at length below.  And as always there’s a link to a preview of my next project down at the bottom of the page!

PPF In 4k

Starting with this update, all of my videos will now be shot in 4k!  Thank you to everyone who has contributed to my Patreon campaign thus far, as I really don’t think I would have ever been able to finally upgrade my camera without your support.

One of the reasons that I had never considered upgrading to 4k in the past was that I assumed it would be a very expensive transition since Canon doesn’t make any good 4k DSLRs, which means that if I wanted a 4k setup I would have to invest in all new equipment from a different company (i.e. new camera body, new lenses, new batteries, etc.).  However, after doing a little research, I discovered that a Panasonic G7 can be had for a fairly reasonable price, and Panasonic makes a lens that falls right in between the focal lengths of the two Canon lenses I use for shooting my videos, meaning that I could get away with buying only one medium lens instead of having to buy two distinct lenses for wide shots and close-ups.  After everything was said and done, it ended up costing only a fraction of what I thought it would cost to upgrade my system.  Here’s a comparison of my old Canon 60D and the new Panasonic G7!

The G7 is much less bulky than the 60D, but this is mostly due to the fact that my 60D had a battery grip attached, which allowed for the installation of an additional battery.  Unfortunately no such grip is available for the G7, but so far I’ve shot two projects with this camera, and I haven’t found battery life to be an issue at all.  Additionally, the lighter-weight body actually makes it a lot easier to move the tripod around when I’m setting up new shots.

My biggest concern with switching over to a new brand of camera was that I was going to lose the ability to use the Canon software that allows remote control of the camera from my laptop.  I knew that Panasonic an Android app for remote control functionality, but the reviews in the Play Store were lukewarm, so I was afraid it wouldn’t be fucntional enough for my needs.  However, after shooting two projects with the Panasonic G7, I have found the remote control app to be perfectly functional and very easy to use, even more so than the Canon software I was previously accustomed to.  Here’s a comparison of the two software interfaces:

The biggest difference between the two programs is that one requires a laptop, while the other can be loaded onto my phone.  At first I was worried that the downgrade in screen size would make things more difficult, but I have found that phone screen actually makes things easier to use since the GUI is a lot tighter and more concise, and I since I can just touch the screen to operate the controls instead of fiddling around with a mouse.   Also, the monitoring app is connected to the camera via Wi-Fi, so the absence of wires makes the video monitor a lot more versatile, as I can easily walk around the room with it as I’m making adjustments to the lighting.  And the smaller form factor of the phone makes it a lot easier to hide the monitor from view when I start recording!

And finally, I was curious to see how the G7’s image quality stacked up against that of the 60D, so I went rummaging around through some of my old footage so I could set up a quick comparison.  Here’s a side-by-side of two similar shots from both cameras (straight from the cameras, no processing):

Not a totally fair comparison, since I think I’m using two different lighting systems in these videos, but still a pretty good indication of the difference in color accuracy and sharpness.

The last thing I was concerned about was whether or not my computer would be able to handle 4k video editing, but so far I haven’t really noticed any major differences.

Preview of Dark World (Work In Progress)

Ok, so I decided to change up the way I work on tracks from the Suggestion Box.  Previously I would just pick the very top suggestion and keep working on it until I finished it, but I found myself getting burnt out very easily using this method.  I finally realized that I could be much more productive by picking the top five or so suggestions and working on them interchangeably until one of them ended up getting finished.  This is the way I normally work on things from my own to-do list, so I don’t know why it never occurred to me to use this method for the Suggestion Box.

But anyway, after employing this new method, I ended up finishing Dark World.  This is a work in progress, and right now I’ve recorded all of the audio except for the lead parts, so what you hear in the preview is a temporary placeholder.  I really want a violin and a viola for the leads, and I know those instruments would take me ages to learn how to play properly, so I’ve decided to look around for some help from my friends.  I’ve got a short list of YouTubers I’d like to ask to play the lead parts for me, so hopefully I’ll be able to find someone who’s willing to help me, lol.  Anyway, here’s what I’ve got so far:

https://soundcloud.com/user-789983357/dw-premix/s-Y2Is4

And that’s all for now!  I’m working on a lot of neat stuff right now, and I’ve got at least two more arrangements that might require me to reach out to other musicians for help, so you might see a few more collaborations in the near future.  Thank you so much for your contributions, and thank you for putting up with my laziness, lol.  I’m very pleased with the way the two videos in this update turned out, and there’s absolutely no way I could have ever made these videos look this good without your help.  I’ll see you again soon!  Cheers.