Muse – The Full Film

Posted on January 11, 2009 | Leave a comment

Its finally done! I’ve been working on my first ever short film called “Muse” and its now finished.

Filming took three nights to finish and editing well over a week.
The film was shot on a Canon 5D MkII DSLR using Canon lenses:

EF 16-35mm f2.8L II, EF 35mm f1.4L, TS-E 45mm f2.8, EF 50mm f2.5 Macro, EF 85mm f1.2L II and the EF 135mm f2L.
Editing was done on a Mac Pro using Final Cut Studio (Final Cut Pro, Soundtrack Pro, Compressor and Motion).
I have posted a 720 HD version on Vimeo and a 1080 HD version on SmugMug.
I’ve been testing the 5D MkII for the BJP (British Journal of Photography) and the film was shot as a way of exploring the camera’s video abilities. There will be a full article on my experiences and thoughts, so keep an eye out for the magazine.

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Posted in Camera Equipment, Computers and Software, Video

Canon 5D MkII In Action

Posted on January 5, 2009 | Leave a comment

Following on from the previous posts, a good friend of mine Anthony Upton kindly took a few pictures of me using the 5D MkII as a video camera. The microphone is the Rode VideoMic and has a Rode “dead cat” fitted (to cut down on wind noise).

I’m writing a review of the 5D MkII as a video camera for the British Journal of Photography which will be out later in January.

One interesting observation though is that when things kicked off at the Israeli Embassy and there were clashes with the Police, I didn’t shoot a single piece of video; guess when you’re a photographer, you’re a photographer first and foremost.

Photos: © Anthony Upton
For the perfect bags to cover demos and riots with, have a look at the ThinkTank Photo bags. I’m using the Change Up as a chest bag and a Shape Shifter back pack is being used to carry my MacBook Pro. The bag’s zipped flat in the shots. I used it to carry the equipment on the tube to the job, took out the gear that you can see me using and then zipped it flat – very neat! You can get the bags in the UK from Snapper Stuff.

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Posted in Camera Equipment

Palestinian Gaza Demo Video – Canon 5D MkII

Posted on January 5, 2009 | Leave a comment
To view this video in full 1080 HD click this link to SmugMug
NB – With the latest Mac 10.5.6 OS update, occasionally Safari
will not load the video page on the first attempt. Please either
refresh the page twice, or temporarily use Firefox.

As you’ve seen from the previous posts below, I covered the Palestinian Gaza demo on Saturday from noon ’till 8pm, walked and jogged 4 miles with the demo, got trapped in a tunnel with a mild stampede, luckily didn’t get hit by missiles thrown by protesters or batons wielded by Police and managed to make a few ok pictures.

It was the first time I’d tried to shoot video and take pictures; with hindsight it was brave / stupid (delete as appropriate) thing to do so on a fluid news job!

The entire video was shot on a Canon 5D MkII, a Canon 24-105mm f4L lens and a Rode VideoMic.

The film was edited using Final Cut Pro Studio. The footage and sound are pretty much straight from camera. 

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Posted in Camera Equipment, Video

Yesterday’s Gaza Demo-Police Stupidity?

Posted on January 4, 2009 | Leave a comment


The crowd are herded towards the underpass tunnel

I covered the Palestinian Gaza demo yesterday and was astonished by the route chosen by the Police for the march. After the rally at Trafalgar Square, the march made its way to the Israeli embassy on High Street Kensington. I’ve been covering demos for over 19 years now and have never once seen a march involving many thousands of people taken into a tunnel (the underpass at Hyde Park Corner). As we were herded by the Police into the tunnel I knew it was a seriously bad idea. To make matters worst, nobody was allowed to use another route, so women and children, some in prams, were all pushed through the tunnel.

A distressed woman rushed away from the violence at the front

The problem was that there was a Police line at the front and surely enough when we were in the middle section, it all kicked off. Sadly I was several meters back so didn’t see what happened. The protesters naturally said that for no reason the Police started to strike the floor with their batons and then began to hit people in the front of the march. I would think that there must have been a provocation as I saw wooden sticks being thrown over my head towards Police lines. I heard one fleeing woman shout that stones were being thrown at the Police.Whatever the reason, this resulted in a mild stampede and the crowd in front of me suddenly turned around and began to run. Screaming and panic ensued. Alas, by the time I reached the front all the commotion had stopped.
To cram thousands of people through a tunnel without any escape exits is utter stupidity. I think everyone was fortunate that there weren’t any injuries suffered apart from those hit by batons.
If anyone knows anyone who is placed high in the Metropolitan Police, please be kind enough to pass this post onto them.

The crowd are jubilant as they approach the tunnel’s exit

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Posted in Pictures, viewpoint

Palestinian Gaza Demo, London

Posted on January 4, 2009 | Leave a comment

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Posted in Pictures

Muse – Filmed on a Canon 5D MkII

Posted on December 31, 2008 | Leave a comment

Muse – Short from Edmond Terakopian on Vimeo.
Here’s a short clip from my first ever film which was shot using a Canon 5D MkII and a Canon EF 35mm f1.4L lens. The video and sound are straight from the camera and have not been edited. I’ll be posting the full film in around a week with edited sound.

Here’s a direct link to the clip so you can watch it in 720p HD.
Addendum: The film is now available to view in its entirety:


For the 720 HD version, visit Vimeo.


For the Full 1080 HD version (and other sizes),visit SmugMug.

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Posted in Video