DSLR Video Gale Tattersal Leading a Visual Revolution

In a small, intimate studio in West Los Angeles, Gale Tattersal is helping foster a revolution. It is not an insurgency involving violence and protests, but a movement, which is nevertheless helping to do away with old ways of thinking and working.

Revolving around his work with the video capability of HDSLRs, specifically the Canon EOS 5D Mark II, Tattersal is promoting innovative approaches for capturing motion that is rapidly changing how both still photographers and cinematographers approach image creation.

“I am a real activist for the young filmmakers who have always had the dream of making their own films,” says Tattersal during a break in his three-day, hands-on HDSLR Workshop. “With these cameras and a computer, you have the ability to democratize filmmaking. It’s a real revolution, and we are just at the beginning of it.”

Just a few years ago the desire to produce a professional quality HD short film would have required tens of thousands of dollars. Yet today, a modest investment in a computer, camera lenses and other accessories offers creative filmmakers a modest set of tools with which they can produce pro-level results.

Yet, it’s not merely the technology itself that is helping to spur this dramatic change, he explains. It’s being nurtured and propelled by what people have a desire to do with it.

“Being able to affordably get your hands on these cameras is what it’s all about,” he says. Tattersal believes these cameras provide the young filmmaker the chance to be creative in ways that wouldn’t have been possible just a short time ago.

It’s a desire that is obviously shared by the people who participate in his intensive workshops, which are currently held on three consecutive Sundays in his studio. Often made up of individuals from the motion picture, television and still-photography industry, Tattersal shared his approach.

Recently honored as a Canon Explorer of Light, Tattersal provides his students hands-on experience with not only the Canon system, but also affordable versions of tools such as camera rigs, sliders and Steadicams. This culminates in the production of finished pieces, which have included music videos for up-and-coming musical artists. He does this with the help of an experienced team he depends on in his role as Director of Photography for the hit TV show, House.

It was on this show that he elevated the role of HDSLRs when he filmed last year’s season finale primarily with the 5D Mark II. Though many people were already beginning to use the camera for secondary footage in film and television, Tattersal was the first to make the commitment to film a complete episode with an HDSLR.

The resulting quality of the episode and his continued use of the camera in various ways on the program have helped propel his status among his peers, as well as those interested in using these HDSLRs in their own unique way.

In an approach he often refers to as “ninja style,” Tattersal encourages photographers to consider the new opportunities that the relatively small size of the camera provides. Compared to significantly larger 35mm equivalents, HDSLRs provide opportunities to place cameras and use them in ways that would have otherwise been difficult or impossible. This invites not only new perspectives, but also hopefully new ways of thinking about telling stories visually.

Tattersal reinforces this, not simply by lecturing about the benefits and challenges of working this equipment, but by providing his students the opportunity to get their hands dirty.

“You really can’t expect to learn anything unless you have the opportunity to work with the cameras yourself,” he says, explaining why he has designed the workshop in the way he has. He saw an entire industry being built around the capabilities of these cameras, but without the kind of real-world experience that would really make the difference for people making the leap into a new way of filmmaking. “It’s important to understand the weaknesses and strengths of this approach, and it can only come from actually doing it.”

Those challenges often include achieving accurate focus, white balance, audio quality and precision camera movement. And though he has access to some of the best quality equipment available, he stresses that one doesn’t have to invest in such gear in order to produce exceptional results.

Though he has worked on productions with investments of millions of dollars, Tattersal doesn’t hesitate to gather a volunteer crew to film a low-budget short film in the desert. He’ll improvise lighting using nothing more than a single light source and a reflector for amazing results, born not only from his years of experience but his willingness to experiment and “see what happens.”

The rules that define filmmaking, and which often serve as a prohibitive barrier are what Tattersal and others are helping to tear down and redefine. He doesn’t see the HDSLR as completely replacing traditional filmmaking, but as nurturing both new approaches and new talents.

“It’s taking the power out of the hands of the moguls who have traditionally controlled production and distribution,” Tattersal says. He is a big proponent of the many photographers and filmmakers who are actively producing and sharing their work on sites such as YouTube and Vimeo. “The technology is in its infancy and I can’t wait for it to get even better,” he says.

For more information on Gale Tattersal and his workshop visit his Web site at www.galetattersall.com.

Ibarionex Perello is a writer, photographer and educator. He is the host of the popular interview podcast, The Candid Frame (www.thecandidframe.com). He is also author of the new book, Chasing the Light: Improving Your Photography Using Available Light from Peachpit Press.