Hey Indie Filmmakers

Passing the FAA’s New Drone Pilot Test

Griffin Hammond & Nick Bodmer

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Passing the FAA’s New Drone Pilot Test

Griffin completed the FAA’s new free drone pilot course, and earned 93% on the exam. Turns out, it’s pretty easy to renew your Part 107 certification, through this new online method, introduced in April 2021.

On April 6—following a month-long delay—the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) made it cheaper and easier for drone pilots to renew their 2-year Part 107 certifications. Previously, you'd pay around $160 at an in-person testing center to take the "Small UAS Recurrent" exam. 

Now it's a free online course and exam, available at FAASafety.gov 

The course name is a mouthful—ALC-677: Part 107 Small UAS Recurrent Non-Part 61 Pilots

• "Part 107" — the name of the drone pilot certification

• "Small UAS" = drones (unmanned aircraft system)

• "Recurrent" — as in, only for existing certificate holders seeking renewal.

• "Non-Part 61" — Because ALC-677 is a new test, not to be confused with ALC-515, which is only for airplane pilots (Part 61 certificate holders) to learn drone rules.

And although the FAA's new exam makes renewals easier for existing drone pilots (when their certifications lapse every 2 years) — new pilots must still pay for the "sUAS Initial" exam at an in-person testing center.

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Film Gear Garage Sale—items from $20 to $480

Griffin Hammond & Nick Bodmer

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Film Gear Garage Sale—items from $20 to $480

Griffin is selling his unneeded filmmaking gear. Microphones for sale, a “pancake” lens, a 1700-lumen projector. Plus, your questions about ripping DVDs, and how to make sure clients pay you.

Griffin’s Film Gear Garage Sale:
(Choose items at griffinhammond.com/sale)

• [[SOLD]] $20 Zhiyun-Tech TransMount Mini Monopod

• [[SOLD]] $45 Sennheiser e816S microphone

• [[SOLD]] $90 Apple Watch Series 3 (Cellular + GPS, 38mm Space Gray aluminum)

• [[SOLD]] $110 Lumix 14mm f/2.5 "pancake" lens

• [[SOLD]] $150 Deity V-Mic D3 Pro shotgun microphone

• [[SOLD]] $199 Optoma HD20 1080p projector (only 1,559 bulb hours)

• [[SOLD]] $480 Rode NTG-3 shotgun microphone

Griffin has previously done virtual “garage sales” like this in June 2014 (literally from his garage), February 2018 and November 2018 (as a live broadcast).

In response to audience-submitted questions:

• To rip video files from a DVD, Nick recommends MakeMKV (for Mac, $50) or Handbrake (for Mac/PC/Linux, free). And for transcoding smaller, more efficient versions of Blu-Ray rips, Nick likes Don Melton’s other_video_transcoding.

• Mike Monteiro begins his presentation F*ck You, Pay Me with this question—“Who here has at some time had trouble getting paid by a client, for work they were doing?”

Follow Griffin and Nick on the Clubhouse app to join our next “podcast talkback” conversation.

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YouTube now performs copyright “Checks” during uploads

Griffin Hammond & Nick Bodmer

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YouTube now performs copyright “Checks” during uploads

Now when you upload a video, YouTube checks in real-time for copyright claims and ad suitability issues—before publishing. Griffin and Nick explain this new “Checks” system. Plus, your questions about copyright, documentary storytelling, and the microphones we use.

Good news! After we read aloud all the categories that can make a video unsuitable for ads, and wondered whether that would affect this video’s “Ad suitability”—this video was still deemed “Safe for ads”!

In this episode, we mentioned:

• Dan Harmon’s story circle, from a 2017 episode of this podcast, The Science of Storytelling

• Griffin’s useful neutral density filter tutorial—How to figure out which ND filters you need

• Nick and Griffin each have the faux-4K, 2500-lumen Epson 5040UB projector, which is $1,000 cheaper than the current 5050UB model (even cheaper when you buy it open box!) Griffin will buy this Silver Ticket 128” screen, rather than building a DIY screen, as he did 7 years ago.

Screenshot of Nick’s Voiceover effect settings in Final Cut Pro X. He also recommends this De-esser tutorial—The Simple Trick for Harsh-free Vocals by Michael Wuerth

Follow Griffin and Nick on the Clubhouse app to join our next “podcast talkback” conversation.

Hey Indie Filmmakers is brought to you by Squarespace. Go to squarespace.com/griffin to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain.

You can sell your videos as NFTs. Does it kill the planet?

Griffin Hammond & Nick Bodmer

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You can sell your videos as NFTs. Does it kill the planet?

Video artists are minting their works as NFTs (non-fungible tokens) onto cryptocurrency blockchains. Sometimes selling for thousands of U.S. dollars. But what does it mean to own an NFT? And why is Griffin morally opposed to selling his videos?

Some of the NFT sales mentioned in this episode:

• Stop-motion animator Kevin Parry sold Fruit Slicing Stop-Motion for $5,522 USD. He tweeted about the experience.

• Chris Torres sold his iconic animated GIF, Nyan Cat for roughly $588,000 USD.

• Mike Winkelmann (a.k.a. Beeple) is now one of the top three most valuable living artists, after selling EVERYDAYS: THE FIRST 5000 DAYS for over $69 million.

Memo Akten created cryptoart.wtf to track the environmental impact of NFT markets. But he shut down the site after it became a tool to shame individual artists.

Nick wonders if Griffin should mint Sriracha as an NFT.

Additional items we talked about:

• Check out the impressive FPV drone piloting and sound design in this short film—Right Up Our Alley by jaybyrdfilms.

• Thanks to everyone who joined us for our last “podcast talkback” conversation on Clubhouse. Follow Griffin and Nick on the Clubhouse app to join our next conversation.

Hey Indie Filmmakers is brought to you by Squarespace. Go to squarespace.com/griffin to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain.

The vintage lens known for its “swirly bokeh”

Griffin Hammond & Nick Bodmer

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The vintage lens known for its “swirly bokeh”

Griffin purchased a 40-year-old lens on eBay, the popular Helios 44-2, known for its “swirly bokeh.” As Nick describes the effect, “Very strange. I almost don’t like it!”

These vintage 58mm f/2 M42-mount lenses sell between $30–90 on eBay.

To mount it to a full-frame Lumix S1 camera, Griffin purchased this Fotasy M42 / L Series adapter.

The original Helios 44 (version 1) was manufactured in the Soviet Union, starting in 1958—as a knock-off of the more expensive Zeiss Biotar 2/58. Based on its serial number, Griffin’s Helios 44-2 lens was manufactured in 1981.

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Buying a Boom Arm Instead of a C-Stand

Griffin Hammond & Nick Bodmer

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Buying a Boom Arm Instead of a C-Stand

Griffin doesn’t like C-stands (too heavy) or mic stands (not versatile). So instead, he picked up a 57” Westcott boom arm to position his newest microphone—the Audio-Technica AT4053b.

Product links:

• Westcott Mini Boom Arm & Weight Bag
  available from Amazon \ B&H \ Westcott

• Audio-Technica AT4053b Hypercardioid Condenser Microphone
  available from Amazon \ B&H

Hey Indie Filmmakers is brought to you by Squarespace. Go to squarespace.com/griffin to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain.

Testing USB Podcast Mics Under $150

Griffin Hammond & Nick Bodmer

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Testing USB Podcast Mics Under $150

Griffin tests four USB studio microphones, ranging from $60 to $150.

• Blue Yeti ($130)

• Movo UM800 ($150)

• Elgato Wave:1 ($130)

• FIFINE K678 ($60)

Motivation behind this test:
Two years ago, I reviewed the FIFINE K670 mic for Indy Mogul. I liked its frequency response—but sadly, it suffered from a disqualifying interference hum.
Watch: What’s the Best Studio Mic? $48 to $1100 (Indy Mogul)

So when FIFINE suggested I test their newer, prettier K678 model, I was curious if they’d eliminated that interference issue.

Plus, with popular USB mics like the Blue Yeti often sold-out during the pandemic—because of increased work-from-home demand—I wanted to test if alternative brands were any good.

In response to Brian’s question,

Nick and I each use a Synology DiskStation DS418—a network-attached storage (NAS) to archive our video projects and raw footage. That’s in addition to cloud services like Google Drive and Backblaze. And Brian, before you upgrade your 2013 iMac, check the MacRumors Buyer’s Guide for timing. (Redesigned M1 iMacs are rumored to launch this year.)

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Speed test: M1 MacBook Air vs. Intel iMac Pro

Griffin Hammond & Nick Bodmer

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Speed test: M1 MacBook Air vs. Intel iMac Pro

Three surprisingly close video transcoding tests between the Nick’s new M1 MacBook Air and Griffin’s more expensive Intel-based iMac Pro.

THREE TESTS:

1. A 42-minute timeline render in Final Cut Pro X*
   *while full-screen recording in Quicktime

2. ProRes transcoded into 10mbps H.264 in Adobe Media Encoder

3. H.264 export in Final Cut Pro X

(The app Nick uses to monitor CPU usage/temperature is iStat Menus.)

For additional ports and connectivity,

• Nick uses the TD-300 Thunderbolt 3 dock ($249) with his MacBook Air.

• Griffin uses the USB-C HyperDrive ($100) with his MacBook Pro.

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An Update on Griffin's Smart Lighting Setup

Griffin Hammond & Nick Bodmer

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An Update on Griffin's Smart Lighting Setup

With Nick’s helpful tech advice, Griffin has figured out which smart lights and smart switches to install in his renovated office. Plus, how to fix two camera shots that drift out of sync over time.

Griffin’s Smart Lighting Picks:

• RunLessWire Click is a wireless, battery-less smart switch (powered by kinetic energy) that works with Philips Hue smart lights.

• Philips Hue color smart bulbs are RGB, 800-lumen bulbs controlled by Bluetooth or a Zigbee hub like the Philips Hue Smart Hub.

• I’ll pack three Hue bulbs into each of these “dumb” flush-mount lighting fixtures.

• Hue recessed ceiling lights to replace my current in-ceiling can lights.

• Another Philips Hue product: Cher Semi-Flushmount Light is a bi-color, 3000-lumen lighting fixture. Could work for my office, but it arrived broken—so I may abandon that product.
  

Other products we mentioned:

• Inovelli Z-Wave Switch is a rare hard-wired switch that works with smart lights, but it suffers from a disqualifying 2-second delay.

• Plastic wall switch covers are a cheap way to keep a light switch activated.

• Nick uses LIFX Color 800-lumen smart bulbs.
  

In answering Daniel’s question about syncing two Panasonic cameras, we mentioned the System Frequency setting on the Panasonic GH5.

In our next episode, we’ll run a video transcoding speed test. Nick’s new M1 MacBook Air vs. Griffin’s 2-year-old Intel-powered iMac Pro.

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Smart lighting for my office renovation

Griffin Hammond & Nick Bodmer

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Smart lighting for my office renovation

As Griffin begins renovating his office / recording space, Nick shares his knowledge of smart lighting and home automation technology. Is it possible to install sufficient lighting for filmmaking, movie-watching, and every color temperature in between?

In Nick’s theater room, he uses LIFX Color 800-lumen smart bulbs and Lutron Caseta light switches. He also recommends the subreddit r/homeautomation.

I was considering these smart lighting products:

• TALOYA 15.8-inch dimmable smart light fixture

• Lutron Caseta light switches

• or this cheaper KASA Smart Dimmer Switch

But Nick helped me understand that most (wired) smart switches aren’t intended for use with (wifi-connected) smart lights. Usually it’s one or the other. I did find one wired switch that works with smart lighting fixtures, but it suffers from a 2-second delay, which is disqualifying in my opinion.

After recording this episode, then researching many products—I’ve ultimately decided Philips Hue smart bulbs may be my best bet. They’re no brighter than regular household bulbs, so I’ve purchased several “dumb” 3-bulb lighting fixtures, which I plan to pack full of these full-RGB-color Hue bulbs. For smart control, I’ll replace my traditional wired light switches with these wireless kinetically-powered switches.

Nick started using photo-editing software Luminar AI, and he’s impressed.

Griffin met Adam Rahn in college, while producing student television. Now he’s a guest on Adam’s podcast, #Freelanswers.

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