As a budding filmmaker, one of the biggest challenges is always going to be how to use all of the wonderful tools that are available in pretty much any budget. There really aren’t any bad cameras anymore, but we’re always trying to find a way to maximize the return on that investment and push our knowledge and abilities forward. One always has to be learning.
Canon Masterclass provides educational resources for Canon cameras, the art of cinematography, content creation and software prowess with the likes of Davinci Resolve and a lot more.
Today we’re chatting with Rubidium Wu, founder of Canon Masterclass and the popular Crimson Engine YouTube channel.
How did the website come about?
Canon Masterclass was born out of the idea that some of the most important things about using a camera aren’t in the manuals or available in a 5 minute clickbait YouTube like ‘Master Exposure’.
They come from a complete understanding of the camera as a system and building a workflow that works for you.
I had shot with the Canon Cinema Cameras since the original C100 back in 2010. Over that next decade, I had learned a lot of smart ways to work with these cameras, to get a fantastic image with quicker and with less equipment.
When the C200 came out I was one of the first to get hold of it, a like lot of people were disappointed with the 420 codec. I loved the RAW but it was hard to work with and the cards were expensive.
I discovered that I could shoot RAW and then recompress it to QuickTime 422 from that card take advantage of all of the 14-bit workflow in a much smaller file. I made a YouTube video about this and it blew up, getting 60k views in a couple of days.
People asked so many questions about my workflow and the results I was getting that had decided to make a longer form course.
We launched Black Friday 2017 the response was overwhelming.
Hundreds of people signed up in the first couple of days and Canon Masterclass was born. I expanded over the next 5 years whenever new cameras came out, giving people the tried and true techniques I had learned from experience.
We now have over 3500 students from all over the world and are the biggest online school dedicated to the Canon Cinema system.
What do you think beginners get wrong with the camera?
It’s not that beginners get things wrong, it’s that I think they get overwhelmed.
Cameras have got more and more complex as each next generation has added more tools.
We currently have seven or eight ways in the camera to focus, some of which complement each other and some of which contradict each other.
For someone picking up these cameras for the first time, it can be overwhelming and they just sort of set it to auto and give up and then wonder why the image doesn’t look like it should or their image falls far underneath the potential.
By getting the perspective of an experienced operator, you’re able to go straight to the tools that work the best for each particular job. I think it’s similar to sitting down with a friend who has a lot of experience with that camera and having them kickstart your journey.
What have been the biggest response from people who take the course?
The thing that most people tell me after getting familiar with their camera is the same thing I found – it’s a revelation.
Once you can go out and shoot your own films in a professional, visually powerful way, you’re no longer asking for anyone else’s permission which films to make or what stories to tell. You no longer need to hire the cinematographer and the other people.
You’re free of the gatekeepers. It’s incredibly freeing to have no one staying between you and the stories that you want to tell.
Once you’re out there shooting and seeing what you’re shooting, it’s a real feedback loop, you’re able to improve so much more rapidly. My film career has progressed more in the past 5 years since I got serious about cinematography than the 18 years previous.
Understanding the camera and being able to shoot for myself really transformed my career and freed me from the endless cycle of raising money to attach actors and trying to attach actors to attract money.
I was able to make my own films on my own terms which has always been the dream.
Are the course aimed at beginners or more experienced users?
I think a course like this is essential for the new Canon Cinema user because it shortens the learning curve radically and gives them the confidence to get out there shooting, which is the only way you really improve.
But I would say the greatest gains are for the working cinematographer, because if you’re already shooting with these cameras regularly, you’re almost guaranteed to find some detail that is going to accelerate your workflow or give you that little extra boost.
That improvement, compounded over time, is going to make a massive gains in your efficiency and quality long term, and help you stay competitive.
If you think of even high level athletes, even the best in the world have coaches that help them constantly improve.
It might be how you set the camera up, or it might be how you move through post production, but small things become big things as they compound.
I’ve been refining and re-refining my workflow time and time again now, and I really think it has something to offer even for experienced shooters.
We now have that go beyond the cameras themselves, to lighting, color grading, running a business and promoting yourself on social media.
Succeeding as a filmmaker in 2024 is about far more than the camera and I’m excited to share what I’ve learned.
What does the future hold?
I really think the C400 is the most exciting camera we’ve seen in a long time. I’m working on the Masterclass right now.
You’re getting a full frame mirrorless mount with internal NDs, compressed internal raw, a ton of codec options, built-in Wi-Fi monitoring and control all four less than their original C200 launched for just seven years ago.
Actually adjusting for inflation, it’s cheaper. It’s amazing to see the features they’ve added and how the cost has come down. It really isn’t about the technology anymore. It’s far more about a filmmaker’s ability to use the technology. Ongoing learning is no longer an option, but a necessity.
Check out all of the resources available at Canon Masterclass
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