For Zeke Kamm, a week does not go by without a call from someone in the industry looking for production equipment advice. A self-described “gear head” filmmaker with more than 20 years in the industry, he decided to create Gear Dictionary, a free online educational series, to collect his advice on a number of subjects in one spot. Kamm, who serves as CEO of Aviator Camera Gear in Bend, Ore., began posting episodes to www.geardictionary.com in April.
Shot in and around Kamm’s Oregon-based studio, the six-episode first season of Gear Dictionary discusses gimbals, microphones, camera rigs, lens filters, light modifiers, and cine lenses. According to Kamm, it is less of a “how to” site and more of a “why” site, describing the characteristics of particular production tools and explaining their uses. “A lot of people don’t go to film school,” he offered, “and if you’re not coming up as an assistant, there are certain things you’ll never learn.”
The series was shot in 4K using a Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH4 equipped with Zeiss Prime CP.2 lenses. A GoPro HERO4 (shooting at 2.7K) was also used for B-roll and studio wide shot cutaways. Gear Dictionary was edited in 4K using Adobe Premiere Pro and output in 1080p for the Web.
Kamm is a storyteller at heart, and he emphasized the importance of lighting for film and video projects. “Lighting is one of the most powerful ways to tell your story,” said Kamm. “If you’re not thinking about light, you’re missing out on the ability to structure storytelling for your viewers. Lighting gives you options, and that makes it a powerful tool.”
For Gear Dictionary, Kamm used two daylight-balanced Zylight F8-100 LED Fresnels in the studio, one of which was equipped with a Chimera soft box and used as his key light. The second light was used as a background set piece that also provided a spotlight on the set background.
While the F8-100 delivers close to the light output of a traditional 1000-watt Fresnel, it only draws 90 watts and can be powered by a standard 14.4V camera battery or AC adapter. Kamm ran the F8-100 at minimal brightness on battery power – and never swapped the battery throughout the six-episode shoot.
The F8-100’s quantum dot technology provides a more refined and balanced natural light output, delivering a high CRI (Color Rendering Index) and a high TLCI (Television Lighting Consistency Index). A patented focusing system allows spot and flood operations, while its eight-inch SCHOTT glass lens maintains single shadow traditional Fresnel beam shaping. For location shoots, the F8-100 collapses to less than four inches thick for easy transport.
“When I saw the F8, I said, ‘There’s magic in there.’ It’s so small and powerful,” Kamm recalled. “I was really excited by the different cinematic options that these lights gave me. I had very high expectations and it did not let me down.”
