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I'd like to see what it looks like with a better grade, because a LOT of work can be done with the footage you've shot. Straight out of the camera is never a good look on these Blackmagics. How fast of an SD card are you using? How much raw recording do you get? How long does a single battery hold out for?
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Oct 17, 2013 23:36
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1st AD posted:I'd like to see what it looks like with a better grade, because a LOT of work can be done with the footage you've shot. I'm still learning resolve so I'm sure at some point I'll try a few different legit grades with drastically different looks... I'm shooting on a sandisk extreme (40 mb/s) which is more then enough for prores HQ 422 (they say anything over 25 is fine). Apparently media is finicky, so I'm sticking with sandisk since it's on their approved list. I'm hearing a lot of dropped frame issues with sony cards and transcend cards (gently caress transcend) There is no raw option yet, it'll come next firmware. It's being beta tested now, so at least I know what I'm looking at to shoot it. You'll need a card that is at least 80 mb/s for raw, so you're looking at extreme pro's. It's also about a 50 dollar premium over the normal extremes...about 100 USD for the 40 card, 130-150 for the extreme pro. You get 38 minutes of roll time in pro res on a 64 gig card, 17-18 in raw. The batteries are garbage..1 hour to charge, 20-30 min total use per. On the plus, they are standard nikon batteries so buying more is fairly cheap. It's an active MFT mount, so you figure with the camera powering the mount, recording the high bandwidth, and powering the onboard it makes sense. There's already third party bricks to supply the cam though, but I'm going to wait a little longer to see what turns up. It takes a standard 12v input to power over mains, tolerance to 18v, anything over 18v and youll kill the little guy. I hear people are already splicing things together from battery mounts and such. e: I'm a dp first, so I'm used to setting looks in cam when I shoot c300/fs700/dslrs or having DIT do a quick LUT on alexa things. Being my own colorist is going to be interesting.
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Oct 17, 2013 23:53
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Interesting that they're Nikon batteries, I have a bunch so it's good to know I wouldn't have to buy new poo poo if I went that route. I wonder if the batteries would hold out any better with manual lenses. Shame that raw isn't available yet, I've found it a bit difficult to grade ProRes on the BMCC and can't imagine the Pocket Cam would be any different.
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Oct 18, 2013 00:01
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It holds up pretty well if you're coming down, bumping up isn't as clean. I'm really impressed considering I've never worked with anything from this sensor before. Even introducing noise at higher ISOs has this 16mm grain structure to it that I really really like, especially coming from a foundation shooting 16. The thing is basically a super16 digital bolex and that's kind of all I ever wanted in life. The downsides are numerous and I could list everything that I hate about the system, but the biggest plus is with the pancake lens I'm shooting I haven't had a single person look twice at me shooting. It just looks like a tourist point and shoot. Not everything I do is permit, so as a B cam run and gun this thing is perfect. Battery wise it takes Nikon EL-EN20. It also shares the exact same firmware as the other models, so everything you wish they'd add on the BMCC, same deal here. It sounds like I'm knocking it, but nothing touches it at 1,000 USD. And it kicks the poo poo out of h.264 from a 7d or a 5d obviously.
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Oct 18, 2013 00:12
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If you're new to grading try using captain hook's LUT: http://www.captainhook.co.nz/blackmagic-cinema-camera-lut/ You can't just add saturation - you need to add contrast back in as well via curves. I've had my big BMCC for almost a year and it still surprises me. The footage is just unbelievable sometimes.
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Oct 18, 2013 13:10
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I'll try out his LUT, thanks for the link. I was basically trying to show the cameras curve without changing it for latitude purposes, a lot of my friends were interested in seeing the dynamic range in action. I'd reintroduce contrast in an actual grade, but I actually kind of like the saturated low con look, it's a very pre reflective coated 60s/70s lens on film look. I think if I introduced 15% grain, it'd cut well with some of the earliest stuff I shot on really old zeiss glass and an arri-s. I found out today BMD is selling their own branded batteries at 15 bucks a pop vs the nikons at 50. Nikons have about 300 more mah, but I don't know if that's really worth the price increase. Shipping is of course 2 week lead time on the batteries.... e: I can upload the prores untouched version of this sequence if anyone else wants to practice grading with it. zer0spunk fucked around with this message at 15:41 on Oct 18, 2013 |
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Oct 18, 2013 15:37
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zer0spunk posted:e: I can upload the prores untouched version of this sequence if anyone else wants to practice grading with it. That would be awesome, I want to see if this camera really is comparable to the BMCC. I recently had to rent a 5Dmk3 and do raw on it because the BMCC is not a great choice to be lugging around while you're shooting without a permit. The 5D looks awful compared to the BMCC and I'd love to have another option. BeavisNuke posted:If you're new to grading try using captain hook's LUT: http://www.captainhook.co.nz/blackmagic-cinema-camera-lut/ I don't really like using LUT's for anything except for slapping on a monitor, but I also waste a lot of time doing power windows and qualifiers to really squeeze detail out of the footage and control the look. Though I agree with ze0spunk, I like the low saturated look for a lot of material. Sometimes having super vibrant/saturated colors doesn't work for the material. I do wish I could apply a LUT for viewing on the monitor though - people always get mad at me because log mode looks like poo poo and they can't imagine how great it will look after the grade, a custom LUT would do wonders in alleviating their worries.
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Oct 18, 2013 21:23
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1st AD posted:
I think the new Alexa doc camera is just what you need then! Here's a frame I think came up pretty well in RAW - no grading, just REC 709 applied. 
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Oct 18, 2013 23:12
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Yeah that's pretty much what I need. Now if they can put THAT on a BMCC, that'd rule. That Alexa camera is probably going to be well over $10k.
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Oct 18, 2013 23:20
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The amira is going to be everywhere, mark my words (unless they price it like idiots, but there's the alexa for that) I'll throw up a .mov of the sequence and toss up a link here, most likely tmrw. Isn't there a monitor out there that lets you load in a LUT to the display itself? Seems like an interesting workaround. I feel like I'm just going to have to carry a split screen graded/ungraded clip if a client or producer still doesn't believe me.
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Oct 19, 2013 06:13
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Apparently if I set the recording mode to video instead of log it'll display with something like Rec709, but I can still change it to BMD Film in Resolve after the fact. I don't know why I didn't think of this sooner  (I'm assuming this is a bad idea if I record to ProRes, however).
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Oct 19, 2013 07:07
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The Amira looks perfect for what I do, if it comes in under 30K it'll probably be where we go next camera upgrade.
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Oct 20, 2013 00:24
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Thought you guys might like this. This is my first short film, which we shot last year. It's not perfect, but it did the festival circuit and won an award from the CANADA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL. Somehow we managed to pull out all the stops with an amazingly talented crew, most of them considered the top of their class here in Vancouver, BC. I've posted their names with some of the credits they have to their name. We shot this for $15k, funded by me. It was a 4 day shoot in the winter. We had a Technocrane donated to us for a day, which is where we managed to do our big stunt scene. Managed to get some keen VFX people to do the helicopter and the birds for the technocrane shot. Camera: Panavision Genesis Director of Photography - Peter Wilke (CAMERA/STEADICAM - Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Percy Jackson 2, A-Team, 50/50, This Means War) Gaffer - Stuart Haggerty - Godzilla (2014), A-Team, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, This Means War, 50/50) Key Grip - James Salberg (DOLLY GRIP - Night At the Museum 2, Watchmen, Chronicles of Riddick "The comforts of home are sacred, sweet and beloved. Mark had all of that... a beautiful wife, an angelic daughter, a purpose. His role was simple: To provide and protect. There was just one problem. Mark never learned how to stand up for himself. He lacked self-confidence and avoided confrontation for his entire life. For the most part, his fears went unnoticed and he was able to cloak his nervousness, until the day that everything around him changed. Mark finds himself in the middle of a very dark and terrifying predicament and is left with only one choice. He can stand up and fight, or lay down and die." IF YOU ENJOY THIS FILM, PLEASE HELP US OUT AND UPVOTE ON REDDIT: http://redd.it/1p34d1 PLEASE WATCH IN HD AND FULLSCREEN https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3oYQBivk1o
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Oct 25, 2013 03:49
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1st AD posted:Apparently if I set the recording mode to video instead of log it'll display with something like Rec709, but I can still change it to BMD Film in Resolve after the fact. If you change the dynamic range setting in Display to video from Film it'll show you something roughly like rec709 while still recording something like LogC to prores if you've got that set correctly in the record menu. So: Record -> Dynamic Range-> Film Record -> Recording Fortmat -> ProRes Display -> Dynamic range -> Video Will give you a Rec709 image to stare at/output and not freak the director out with. It's actually my preferred way to shoot if I have to use ProRes, as it it's much closer to what you'll end up with after a grade. One thing I would do though is go over slightly rather than under. As there' much more dynamic range on that sensor than the display shows when set to video and the lack of a histogram means you're actually kind of guessing where all the data is. Take all this with a grain of salt as I've only used the camera a handful of times. That or bring a lightmeter. XTimmy fucked around with this message at 14:07 on Oct 26, 2013 |
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Oct 26, 2013 14:04
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I shot a web ad for this school entirely on the BMCC and go pro. (7d for time lapses only) Feels nice to ditch DSLR video. https://vimeo.com/78191395 The students I worked with aren't exactly voice actors so I think the narration could be better.
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Oct 31, 2013 22:16
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Man these look a lot better than your earlier DSLR stuff. That extra DR definitely works in your favor.
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Oct 31, 2013 22:23
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1st AD posted:Man these look a lot better than your earlier DSLR stuff. That extra DR definitely works in your favor. The florida sun is so goddamn harsh I think it makes mince meat of the DR on DSLRs. Looks like the digital bolex is shipping soon - what's your guys' thoughts on it?
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Nov 1, 2013 13:12
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BeavisNuke posted:The florida sun is so goddamn harsh I think it makes mince meat of the DR on DSLRs. Ugh I lived this for two years. Overhead diffusion for life yo.
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Nov 1, 2013 17:28
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 I'm assisting on a shoot tomorrow and the production didn't rent any extra CF cards. Anyone know where I can get 1000x CF cards in the LA area today?Not familiar with the rental houses
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Nov 17, 2013 18:31
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1st AD posted:
Didn't see this until today but when in doubt http://variety411.com/us/los-angeles/
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Nov 19, 2013 05:39
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No worries, I ended up just giving a buddy $100 to dump cards for a couple hours.
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Nov 19, 2013 05:50
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Sometime in the next few months I may be traveling to South America for a 10 day video project and, since I've never traveled out of country for a shoot, I'm looking for some advice on getting the gear out there safely (and gear in general.) So far for travel shoots I've been able to get away with cameras carryon and having either Lensrentals or local rental houses deliver anything else I need to the location. I don't think that's going to be an option here so I'm wondering what the best way to get everything there would be? Besides the camera, which would ideally be in carryon, I'm going to need a laptop and drives to dump to, a good tripod, monopod, and some location lighting for video diary type interviews along the way. I can't talk to much about the subject yet, but it's going to be heavily run and gun where I'm embedded with a group of people as they travel. We did a pilot shoot with the group last year in the states, but it was much shorter. Conditions ranged from outside during broad daylight to dimly lit bars at night. I own an XF300 and D800, and wound up using the XF300 pretty extensively for its very long lens, built in ND's, viewfinder, audio, etc. Basically the extra stuff you get in a normal camcorder type thing. Since then we did another run and gun heavy project where I tried to stick more with my DSLR kit by using a Juicedlink for audio and variable ND's. I also had access to a GH3 which was extremely helpful in exterior shoots where I had trouble seeing the screen on my D800. We had a Zacuto EVF along but I couldn't use it as it made me nauseous for some reason (?). Overall I'm happy with the results, but I hated the way the Juicedlink attached to the camera as it got in the way and made the camera difficult to hold. For this shoot, I'd really like to avoid bringing the XF300 if I can. Its flexibility would be extremely useful, but it takes up so much space it's hard to bring anything else carryon, and once the shoot starts I basically need a PA with me at all times if I want to switch between DSLR and XF300. And I'd rather have the image from my D800 if I have a choice. To make that a possibility, I need: a significantly better way to mount the Juicedlink, some way to shoot 60p slow motion stuff, and some EVF solution that won't make me feel like I'm going to vomit. Either that or a rent something that'll work better. I want to have as little rig bullshit as possible and, if I rented, it'd be great if whatever I used had a decent zoom with either IS or a shoulder mount. So far I've looked at the Redrock Micro ultra cage and a couple others for the juicedlink. Most stuff looks like it's best used as part of a bulky rig though. For rentals I'm a bit out of my depth as the only thing I've used outside standard DSLR fare is the FS700, which isn't quite what I'm looking for ergonomically. The C300 seemed like it might be a good option since all the menus are identical to my XF300 so it'd be an easy switch. Edit: oh, also, my ME66/K6 combo is waaaay to long to use hotshoe mounted on a DSLR. It's crazy. So I'd like to find something smaller of equivalent quality that isn't too expensive. powderific fucked around with this message at 19:48 on Dec 2, 2013 |
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Dec 2, 2013 19:40
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The Academy nominations are out, and RED is entirely absent from the Cinematography and Best Picture categories. ARRI dominated this year.
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Jan 19, 2014 23:22
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I really can't think of a RED production that looked good this year.
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Jan 19, 2014 23:39
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I can't really think of any that shot on RED this year. Gatsby, Elysium I think?
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Jan 19, 2014 23:43
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Hobbit 2 
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Jan 20, 2014 02:50
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DPed on a RED(Scarlet) for the first time this weekend. Is the jump to the Epic that big of a difference or are the menus/operation essentially the same? Also me and the AD pretty much had to ghost direct the film, as the writer/director is MUCH more of a writer than he is a director. Nothing like carrying a RED on a shoulder mount while blocking actors/telling the director notes he should be giving the actors.
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Jan 20, 2014 16:46
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Ain't nothing like weak directors. I worked on a short film last summer where the director barely said a word during the shoot. She'd just sit next to the monitor, and say "that's good" when she was satisfied with the shot, which made me the king of the hill. Made for an easy shoot, though. We wrapped ahead of schedule on every day. On the last day of shoot we ended up even shooting FX shots without her present. She just looked through the shots after getting back on the set, said "That's good" and on we went.
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Jan 20, 2014 21:42
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"Director," horror stories: I worked on a TV show with 4 producers who directed by committee.
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Jan 21, 2014 00:06
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I was PA on a feature a few summers ago that went like smug sociopath's. She was a main actor as well as director, but barely did the directing bit even when she wasn't on camera. The DP ended up directing most of the movie.
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Jan 21, 2014 02:59
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AccountSupervisor posted:DPed on a RED(Scarlet) for the first time this weekend. Is the jump to the Epic that big of a difference or are the menus/operation essentially the same? It's exactly the same except it's grey colored and half powered; so you can't do 5K pretty much at all, you can only do HDRx at 2k, and every overcrank framerate you could do at their respective resolutions on the Epic is halved on the Scarlet. EDIT:  JUST noticed that the question was the opposite of when I thought so just reverse everything I said. You can do twice as much with the Epic.
SquareDog fucked around with this message at 09:02 on Jan 28, 2014 |
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Jan 21, 2014 08:04
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I once had a producer who had been unreachable for a month show up two days before the movie was supposed to go to the colorist and demand to do a full recut. Looking over my shoulder the whole time. The director stormed off and removed his name from the project, but I had no such blessed flexibility. Killer overtime though.
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Feb 4, 2014 05:39
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Looks like the 4K Blackmagic Camera is finally shipping, and they knocked a grand off the price (now it will run you $2995). Of course this means they are going to introduce a new camera at NAB so they need to get these things sold off. But I guess 4K RAW for $3K ain't bad!
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Feb 11, 2014 02:07
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Except if all you want is 4K capability you can wait for the GH4 to come out at probably half that price. None of it even matters if you don't have the ability to play your poo poo back at that size though, which people buying budget 4K cameras certainly don't.
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Feb 11, 2014 03:26
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I can't edit footage from a Red Epic at full size, it doesn't mean that 4k/5k is worthless though. Just having the oversampling alone is worth it for eliminating problems with sharpness and aliasing. And it's not like it even looks bad at 1/2 or 1/4 resolution anyways. I don't think the Blackmagic 4k is worth it though, I'd rather have the extra stop of dynamic range from my regular BMCC than having that extra resolution and bigger sensor.
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Feb 11, 2014 03:31
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Yeah I don't mean to say it's worthless, but making it a selling point of a camera you can get at Best Buy is pointless. My teenage niece does not need a budget 4K camera. There's no reason to give 4K recording to consumers.
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Feb 11, 2014 03:50
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I guarantee you that the consumer 4k cameras will be severely bitrate constrained, they probably edit very easily on a modest system. Also the GH4's 4k recording requires a breakout box that will be severely overpriced.
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Feb 11, 2014 03:53
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The GH4 doesn't need the breakout box to do 4K. Edit: I suppose I should include more info. The GH4 records 4k internally with h.264 at 100 Mbits/sec. It's 8 bit 4:2:0. The breakout box is for uncompressed 4:2:2 10 bit 4k. Double edit: Slim, I don't think 4k is a best buy selling point for the GH4 or the Black Magic Production Camera. Do you seriously think those two cameras are aimed at your teenage niece? powderific fucked around with this message at 04:33 on Feb 11, 2014 |
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Feb 11, 2014 04:27
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I'm exaggerating obviously, but I have no doubt that's where the consumer market is headed. If you don't think the GH4 will have a big-rear end display in box stores with a huge "4K VIDEO!!!" sign on it, you don't pay attention to consumer tech trend. But do I think it's a far-reaching selling point? Hell yes. Same reason GoPro advertised 4K at 15 worthless FPS. It's a number that your averagely poor-informed consumer will be attracted by, because it's leading-edge tech to them.
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Feb 11, 2014 05:16
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Sure, but you could have said the same thing for HD. Or for still cameras with more than, like, 5 megapixels. There will be cameras that have a big 4k sticker on the box that make lovely images and use it as a selling point anyway. Just like there are crappy cameras that have a lot of megapixels. That doesn't mean that 4k elsewhere isn't going to be useful. The GH4 having 4k is worth talking about because they're early to market and it's an affordable package. It's a headline feature on the camera because of that and it'd be pretty silly for them to not put it in their marketing. Even then, I doubt they'll have big rear end display in many stores cause I don't think Panasonic is going to put that much behind its retail merchandising. I've never seen a GH series camera in a big box store before. GoPro's amazing demo reels and the countless interesting GoPro videos on YouTube are what attract your average consumer. The 4k 15p doesn't seem particularly useful to me, granted, but the little camera's specs actually are pretty leading edge.
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Feb 11, 2014 06:56
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