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Thanks guys! It's been one hell of a ride into something completely out of my comfort zone so I may stumble along the way. So far the feedback I've gotten from hundreds of ops around the world has been amazing and overwhelming and it's already in use on at least three huge productions and several commercials and tv shows so I am really excited! Also incredibly anxious because it's my baby but I am hoping it will be of use to a lot of people 
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Feb 4, 2015 16:51
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While we're talkin about cool stuff, my buddy Kyle made this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIQHwlox3_w
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Feb 8, 2015 02:49
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This is kind of a weird question, but if any of you had to rent a camera body for a 24-hour long shoot in an apartment location, what would you choose? Not 24 hours straight, there would be breaks here and there, but ultimately there would be about 8 hours of footage shot in that 24 hour span of time. Something trustworthy that won't overheat or breakdown, and that will give great image quality. The camera will be on a tripod, so weight or cumbersomeness isn't an issue. This is for a project I'm going to be shooting this year, and I have my choice for what I'd pick, but I don't want to taint your suggestions by stating it ahead of time.
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Feb 23, 2015 12:27
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Are you going to be lighting or is this an available light situation?
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Feb 23, 2015 18:17
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Chitin posted:Are you going to be lighting or is this an available light situation? Some lighting to augment the available light, probably CFL softboxes and the like. codyclarke fucked around with this message at 01:59 on Feb 24, 2015 |
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Feb 23, 2015 20:49
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c100/300 if you can afford the per day would be the way I'd go. e: if you dont have EF glass or access to it, the fs100/700 are also good options with an emount to ___ adapter (nikon, etc etc) You'll need to do sync sound with a a7s/gh4/bmpcc and way more battery changes. if you can really really afford it, the sony fs7 is baller too. same deal- e mount.. so adapt away zer0spunk fucked around with this message at 00:12 on Feb 24, 2015 |
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Feb 24, 2015 00:08
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lets talk about the alexa mini. i'm totally throwing in my deposit asap. hearing 32 grand. modular alexa in the same form factor as an epic without having to deal with RED? yes yes yes. plus I can work out something with a few steadi ops I know to offer it as part of their package. one or two tier 2/3s and I'm golden.
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Feb 24, 2015 00:17
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zer0spunk posted:lets talk about the alexa mini. Sweet can you pick me one up too? 
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Feb 24, 2015 00:56
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If you're in a market where you can rent it out consistently it's not a bad investment. The cheapest rental house in NYC (ughhh) sends out an amira package for 850/day. Sans glass. I could offer per days at 500-600 and happily undercut the hell out of them. I gaff and shoot (got the hell out of ac'ing) but I can still go out as a first or second as well. So my avenues are: my corporate clients (ogilvy, adobe, pepsico, amex) who rent per job..a studio with three stages where I gaff that I could work out an inhouse deal with..600 steadicam ops who could then offer cam + rig at a much cheaper cost making them a better get to producers...this new crop of ronin owners who only fly epics/scarlets...and lastly other non union dps and acs who are looking to subrent. I've got friends who did this with an F5 and then bumped up to an amira in the same way. I've got friends who took out business loans and did it with an epic. It's just about your market..if you can see the thing is going to work even when you're not, why the hell not? plus the pocket I have makes for a decent b cam to that sensor... It's not a terrible approach. I'm also at the point where I'm getting other owners packages onto my gigs often (and its not like I get a cut of that). I'm either going to have to stop shooting and go union, or just go all in on a PL camera as a shooter and go that route. "Tier 0" and 4/0 cable have kind of made the choice for me since I'm not getting any younger.
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Feb 24, 2015 01:13
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zer0spunk posted:c100/300 if you can afford the per day would be the way I'd go. Thanks for the recommendations! I should mention that I'll be using manual Nikon primes, 28mm f/2.8 ai-s, etc., so whatever I use I'd just be using an adapter and won't need auto focus function or anything like that.
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Feb 24, 2015 02:05
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If you buy the kit to rent out, get insurance and get the kind of insurance that will cover people renting it and pass the cost off to them. You probably already are, but just in case, there's no way I would buy something that expensive to rent out of it wasn't fully covered.
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Feb 24, 2015 02:16
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I'll probably end up requiring you to have your own COI like most rental houses on top of the gear itself being insured. Rental agreement and COI is kind of the only way to go unless you want to get screwed.codyclarke posted:Thanks for the recommendations! I should mention that I'll be using manual Nikon primes, 28mm f/2.8 ai-s, etc., so whatever I use I'd just be using an adapter and won't need auto focus function or anything like that. I actually really like the look of nikon glass on the fs100 or 700. Something about that combo with the sony sensor has a really interesting, pretty look to it. A bit soft compared to modern glass (assuming you're using older ai glass), nice bokeh..great focus rings if declicked...Based on your glass I'd stick with a sony fs over the canon c series personally. Don't forget the e mount to nikon adapter. Big thumbs up for speedboosters if you want something a bit better then the super cheap dumb adapters. Have fun!!! zer0spunk fucked around with this message at 02:51 on Feb 24, 2015 |
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Feb 24, 2015 02:49
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zer0spunk posted:I actually really like the look of nikon glass on the fs100 or 700. Something about that combo with the sony sensor has a really interesting, pretty look to it. A bit soft compared to modern glass (assuming you're using older ai glass), nice bokeh..great focus rings if declicked...Based on your glass I'd stick with a sony fs over the canon c series personally. Don't forget the e mount to nikon adapter. Big thumbs up for speedboosters if you want something a bit better then the super cheap dumb adapters. Thanks again man! Will definitely look into those.
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Feb 24, 2015 04:48
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codyclarke posted:Thanks again man! Will definitely look into those. i realized you, or others might not know what a speedbooster does and there are a dozen e/nex mount versions..but this is what you'd want http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1079571-REG/metabones_mb_spnfg_e_bm2_nikon_g_emount_speed_booster.html The advantage with the speedbooster is it gives you one increased stop of light on any adapated lens, and makes the lens 0.71x wider. So a f/4 lens is now a f/2.8 lens. 2.8 now a 2, 2 now a 1.4..and so on it has a declicked ring exposure control on it so if you need to exposure pull for some crazy reason, you can do it properly on the booster without it being janky and impossible on a non declicked ring of the lens and this video would give you an idea of what the difference of an increase of .71 in fov looks like vs 1:1 with a dumb adapter, though its with canon glass, but it doesn't really matter. pay attention to the width of the fov at the same focal lengths and you'll get an idea of what your nikon glass would look like with the speedbooster. i say speedbooster all the way if you can rent or buy and resell or something. makes my lenses faster and wider with no image degrading? 100 times yes. e: also, if you wanna do any awesome slow motion, go with the 700 over the 100..it does 120-240fps..which is super loving awesome zer0spunk fucked around with this message at 10:55 on Feb 25, 2015 |
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Feb 25, 2015 10:49
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the fs700 shoots some ugly footage imo, but for indie stuff it's super versatile. Depending on your needs I'd avoid it.
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Mar 20, 2015 06:59
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Directing a spot next week, preproduction is done, now comes the part where I can't get anything done because I can't stop thinking whether I've forgotten something.
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Mar 20, 2015 23:38
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Chitin posted:Directing a spot next week, preproduction is done, now comes the part where I can't get anything done because I can't stop thinking whether I've forgotten something. You have. Your true test is how you deal with it in-line!
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Mar 21, 2015 04:36
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So basically I've got some friends who have been making some films on a shoestring budget, and tonight I got drafted for camera work (not that I minded, really). The problem came with the dramatic outdoors at night fight scenes. The director/lead character/screenwriter/whatever other hats dude is wearing was happy with it, but I really felt they needed a lot more light to make the action really visible. Unfortunately, I'm not really experienced enough to know how we could have improved the light without it wrecking the whole nighttime look, or what settings to manipulate to make better use of ambient. The camera I was shooting on was a Canon Powershot SX50 HS, and while it worked well in good light, the dark just wrecked its poo poo. Also what showed up in the preview on the LCD would look all right, but as soon as we started recording it was way darker. We're pretty much all amateurs here, except for one of the actors (I still to this day have no idea what made Santiago Cirilo interested in our stuff, but hey, he's pretty cool.) I find myself wanting to know more about pretty much anything and everything technical so that maybe one day we can achieve something looking remotely professional and maybe even end up getting an actual budget. Lighting, camera technique, audio (currently stuck with "camera's onboard mic" and oh god is it terrible). I'd really appreciate any tips, tutorials, links, whatever you might have to help me improve because if I'm gonna get myself involved in something like this, I want to do the best drat job I possibly can with the tools I have.
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Apr 19, 2015 06:33
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The first thing is to not shoot on a Powershot. Affordable, but doesn't stand up to even a DSLR, which is what I think of for shoestring budgets. The small sensor means it doesn't do low-light very well. I'm not sure what makes the recording darker than the preview, though. I'm not really sure how to explain the lighting, and there are a ton of different ways to do it. I'd pick one practical light source (like a street light) and use that as motivation for my key light, then use a little fill to bring out some details and maybe a slight rim light to cut them from the background (as long as it's motivated). Honestly, I think the hardest part of night shooting on a budget is the background ... unless you get some sort of light in there, you can lose all the detail and your characters are just in a big void. Audio-wise, I'm not sure what to tell you if you have no budget. Maybe get some cheap lavs with long cables and run them into the camera or a Zoom? You want the mic as close as to the person's mouth who's speaking as you can.
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Apr 19, 2015 18:08
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If you can't afford to rent a decent mic and don't know anyone to borrow one from a good 'cheap' way to get decent sound is to put a smartphone on the actor. Now those ain't exactly cheap but everyone and their dog has one these days and most of the newer ones can record surprisingly good sound. Sounds created by wind and movement might be a problem but you can probably figure out a way to minimize that with trial and error. If the actor is wearing clothes with a breast pocket just put the phone in that with the mic facing up, if not try to find a way to tape it to the actor between layers of clothing. It won´t exactly give you pro-level sound but it will sound ten times better than any on-camera mic. It does have the added hassle of having to sync the sound in post but that isn't really a major hurdle.
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Apr 19, 2015 18:43
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If you are shooting a documentary solo and most of it will be outdoors in noisy places, how do you get good clear audio of human subjects? Is a camera-mounted Zoom good enough? Putting equipment on the subjects is probably not an option. For the same situation, assuming a budget of around $5,000 (for ALL the gear, not just the camera), what would be the better option - dslr + a couple of appropriate lenses, or a prosumer video camera? It seems like either way there are lots of decent choices under and around $2,000. One thing I worry about with the video cameras is that their zoom lenses may not get wide enough for some situations.
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Apr 21, 2015 10:07
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DNova posted:If you are shooting a documentary solo and most of it will be outdoors in noisy places, how do you get good clear audio of human subjects? Is a camera-mounted Zoom good enough? Putting equipment on the subjects is probably not an option. If you're gonna use a camera-mounted Zoom, get something like this for it: Furryhead Windscreen If you can use a shotgun on a boom instead, get one of these: Rode Dead Cat There's no better option based solely on that information. Either is fine. It really depends on the project. Keep in mind that you can get away with lower video quality on a documentary than you can on a narrative, so scale back on the camera you buy if you want. For instance, you can get a Canon T2i with Kit Lens for less than $250, and that will certainly be wide enough, and the video quality is very acceptable for a documentary.
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Apr 21, 2015 10:48
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codyclarke posted:If you're gonna use a camera-mounted Zoom, get something like this for it: Furryhead Windscreen I will definitely buy a merkin for whatever type of mic I use. Between a camera-mounted shotgun and a Zoom, what do you think would be better? I could get both, probably. I'm glad to hear that either would be sufficient. There's no way I can have a sound guy with a boom mic or anything that luxurious. Man, entry-level DSLRs are incredibly cheap these days. It's something I will keep in mind if the budget has to be substantially lower than my current estimate, but I would like to shoot with something higher end to give the final product a small boost in odds of being sold (or even accepted to a festival). I realize spending more money does not exactly correlate to a better end product, but I think it can help.
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Apr 21, 2015 11:57
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We're shooting a documentary now, or at least the preliminary bits, on a D600 and 5D MkIII. There's a big "event" happening that will be 3-5 weeks longer and we'll break out our Red and about 3 other rented cameras for that, but for all the preliminary logistical stuff we're just using DSLRs. They work fine. We have a boom guy that we take with us whenever we can, but I just plug the Zoom H4N on the DSLRs and frankly it's just done as well in the situations we've been in so far. A lot more leeway of course since it's documentary filmmaking and it's ok to have some wild sounds in there. So far in our shoots the one thing, other than the Zoom, that is nearly necessary in my opinion is an external monitor with focus peaking (or Magic Lantern on Canon's). When you're run and gunning, stuff can look in focus on those tiny DSLR screens but often will be a hair off and can ruin a shot. Also STABLE FAST memory cards. Do. Not. Cheap. Out. I almost lost a bunch of footage the other day because a cheapass Transcend card corrupted on the shoot. Luckily Undelete Plus was able to recover it (none of the free options I tried such as Recuva helped). Um, other than that... good tripod, monopod (if you have lots of shots where you'll be running and following - handheld on DSLR is not good in my opinion - stabilize wherever you can), good lenses of course, a slider is nice if you can afford one... it really adds a little extra something to establishing shots. That's all I can think of for now.
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Apr 21, 2015 15:03
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When I run and gun I prefer to go as light as I can, usually with my D750/D800 on a monopod with either a Rode VideoMic Pro on top or a Juicedlink going to a boom if I've got another person. Probably a good 80% of my shots are on a 35mm or 50mm. How long is your shoot? Maybe you could drop your camera budget down to more like $3k and use the rest to hire an assistant to help run sound and whatnot. You don't have to hire a professional sound guy necessarily.
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Apr 21, 2015 16:14
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DNova posted:I will definitely buy a merkin for whatever type of mic I use. Between a camera-mounted shotgun and a Zoom, what do you think would be better? I could get both, probably. I'm glad to hear that either would be sufficient. There's no way I can have a sound guy with a boom mic or anything that luxurious. With a documentary, where sometimes you'll be shooting things that you can't do reshoots of, you usually should record the audio in multiple ways, so that if there's an audio problem and one craps out, you have the other. So ultimately, try and do that. And you should even maybe shoot from multiple cameras too, for the same reason. As far as 'better', try both, see how it sounds. There's no right/wrong answer, it's just about what you enjoy using, and enjoy the sound of. There are situations the shotgun might sound nicer, and situations the zoom might sound nicer. If the following images look at all beautiful to you, you probably only need a T2i or couple of T2i's. I shot them with the kit lens, available light, and zero color correction, and they are stills of 1080p video. You'd be surprised how professional years-ago DSLR's can look: http://codyclarke.com/rehearsals/
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Apr 21, 2015 19:00
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BonoMan posted:So far in our shoots the one thing, other than the Zoom, that is nearly necessary in my opinion is an external monitor with focus peaking (or Magic Lantern on Canon's). When you're run and gunning, stuff can look in focus on those tiny DSLR screens but often will be a hair off and can ruin a shot. Thanks, focus peaking (or external monitors in general) is something I hadn't seriously considered. As for memory, yeah, I will buy quality cards for sure. I already had some kind of stabilizer in mind because there will be lots of following subjects around, but I've been on the fence about a slider or mini jib crane. Either way if I did get one I would have to watch a lot of examples and practice a lot before I go. I have a feeling those are things that you can use very poorly if you don't know what you are doing. powderific posted:When I run and gun I prefer to go as light as I can, usually with my D750/D800 on a monopod with either a Rode VideoMic Pro on top or a Juicedlink going to a boom if I've got another person. Probably a good 80% of my shots are on a 35mm or 50mm. I think a month would be the absolute minimum, and I would already have to hire a translator/guide and pay off subjects so there is just no room at all to bring on more people unless they want to volunteer. I'm actually figuring 2-6 months but not a packed schedule by any means. codyclarke posted:With a documentary, where sometimes you'll be shooting things that you can't do reshoots of, you usually should record the audio in multiple ways, so that if there's an audio problem and one craps out, you have the other. So ultimately, try and do that. And you should even maybe shoot from multiple cameras too, for the same reason. How do you shoot with two cameras? Two people each with a camera or two cameras mounted together somehow? I don't think I would go that far. I will consider getting a shotgun and a zoom though and using them simultaneously. One of the reasons I am shying away from the idea of cheap DSLRs is that I feel like it would be a good idea to shoot 4k to potentially increase its appeal to people who buy content or let you into shows. Keep in mind I'm still a year+ out from potentially starting this, so things like memory and storage will be even cheaper by then.
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Apr 21, 2015 22:12
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DNova posted:How do you shoot with two cameras? Two people each with a camera or two cameras mounted together somehow? I don't think I would go that far. I will consider getting a shotgun and a zoom though and using them simultaneously. Coverage, I mean. If you're doing a sit-down interview, grabbing two shots from different angles of your subject. That way if for some reason footage is lost on one, you have the other. Sometimes on docs all you have is one shoot with a person, and if you lose that you're screwed. What you're shooting on really depends on what you're making. If a documentary is good, and relevant, people won't care what you shot it on. But, if you're doing let's say a nature documentary, where the whole idea is to see things as beautifully as possible, yeah 4k or higher makes perfect sense. You're probably doing something somewhere in between, and if so, keep in mind though that you can also just rent a 4k camera to shoot certain sequences where image quality is of utmost importance, like B-Roll or whatever, and then use a cheaper DSLR for sit-down interview stuff.
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Apr 22, 2015 00:46
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codyclarke posted:Coverage, I mean. If you're doing a sit-down interview, grabbing two shots from different angles of your subject. That way if for some reason footage is lost on one, you have the other. Sometimes on docs all you have is one shoot with a person, and if you lose that you're screwed. Oh, of course, whoops. There is going to be a lot I will have only one of with no way to re-shoot. Some stuff I plan to have some GoPros or similar cameras on as secondary or subject-worn. You're making me paranoid now though! codyclarke posted:What you're shooting on really depends on what you're making. If a documentary is good, and relevant, people won't care what you shot it on. But, if you're doing let's say a nature documentary, where the whole idea is to see things as beautifully as possible, yeah 4k or higher makes perfect sense. You're probably doing something somewhere in between, and if so, keep in mind though that you can also just rent a 4k camera to shoot certain sequences where image quality is of utmost importance, like B-Roll or whatever, and then use a cheaper DSLR for sit-down interview stuff. I agree with what you are saying, and there is a possibility I will not use 4k when it comes down to it, but I like the idea. Renting isn't an option and from what I've seen where I live, it's really expensive anyways. I think I can buy a camera, use it for half a year, and then resell it for about the cost of a couple weeks of renting. I'd be traveling abroad alone for the film, which comes with a lot of constraints. I've been holding off on posting in here because the project is so far away and not a certainty, but you guys have been great, and talking about it only making me more and more excited, so thanks!
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Apr 22, 2015 01:56
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DNova posted:Oh, of course, whoops. There is going to be a lot I will have only one of with no way to re-shoot. Some stuff I plan to have some GoPros or similar cameras on as secondary or subject-worn. You're making me paranoid now though! Well you wouldn't rent locally. You'd rent online and have it shipped to you. (BorrowLenses.com etc). Also this thread re-sparked interest in the Pocket Cinema Camera now... I'm thinking of trading in my DSLR for one since I rarely ever use the camera function of my D600 except to take photos of my baby.
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Apr 22, 2015 03:00
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The time to buy it was last year when it went on sale for $500, that way you could spring for a Speedbooster. I quite like mine, but it doesn't see much use these days since I don't shoot much anymore. But it is really kind of crippled if you don't have a portable power solution - the regular Nikon J1 batteries do not last very long at all. And adding an external battery kind of takes away from the size and inconspicuousness of the thing. People did double takes whenever I did use it though since I'd have it sit behind a matte box and follow focus. 1st AD fucked around with this message at 03:10 on Apr 22, 2015 |
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Apr 22, 2015 03:08
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1st AD posted:The time to buy it was last year when it went on sale for $500, that way you could spring for a Speedbooster. God maybe they'll do another sale like that this summer. I hate that I missed it.
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Apr 22, 2015 04:01
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Holy hell, 2.5 hours per terabyte for 4k.
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Apr 22, 2015 13:02
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I've had a drat Pocket Cinema Camera in my basket for like the past 2 weeks and just can't pull the trigger for fear that an update is imminent. Is there any sort of clues/hints/leaks that are common with BMD that signify an incoming update? NAB just passed and nothing on that front other than the similar Micro... so I'm guessing if they had something they would've shown it then. And I doubt they do another $500 off sale. Should I just pull the trigger?
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May 7, 2015 00:37
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If you need the camera, yes buy it. If not, don't. I'd highly recommend the speedbooster made for it though, gives you a slightly wider FOV and a bit more sensitivity. Pair it with the Sigma 18-35 and you're good to go.
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May 7, 2015 00:50
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1st AD posted:If you need the camera, yes buy it. If not, don't. I need the camera so I'll buy it... my post was more inquisitive into bmds update schedule. I feel like I'm about to get it just before an update happens. Most likely unfounded though since nab just happened. And def getting the ef to bmpcc speed booster to take advantage of all of our nice Canon glass.
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May 7, 2015 03:25
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BonoMan posted:I've had a drat Pocket Cinema Camera in my basket for like the past 2 weeks and just can't pull the trigger for fear that an update is imminent. If you can wait until July they just released a new camera for the same price with WAY more features and a better form factor than the Pocket Cam. That thing has to tank the sales of the pocketcam when it's released and I bet they cut the price again to get rid of them. Features: -Global Shutter(!!!!!!!!) -Who cares what else, global shutter! https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/blackmagicmicrocinemacamera
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May 7, 2015 06:56
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32MB OF ESRAM posted:If you can wait until July they just released a new camera for the same price with WAY more features and a better form factor than the Pocket Cam. That thing has to tank the sales of the pocketcam when it's released and I bet they cut the price again to get rid of them. Yeah I half-mentioned the Micro. Awesome little camera, but it seems to be geared towards drone flights and action cam use more than everyday "normal" use with the no screen and expansion port, front facing menu buttons and all that jazz. And then you gotta wait for all the 3rd party cages and what not... which who knows how many will come out since it's been marketed as more of an action cam solution. Although the global shutter is a nice draw. Maybe I'll just grab the Video Assist that releases at the same time. I wonder how the sensor depth is and if it'll use the same speedbooster or just the standard EF to MFT. It's all moot anyway since I'd like to purchase in the next week for a documentary. Just doing the standard mental hurdles as I get closer to the "press buy" moment.
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May 7, 2015 13:05
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BMD is announces all their new poo poo at NAB every year. Barring a sudden price drop due to the mini I think you're safe for now.
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May 7, 2015 17:07
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BonoMan posted:Yeah I half-mentioned the Micro. Awesome little camera, but it seems to be geared towards drone flights and action cam use more than everyday "normal" use with the no screen and expansion port, front facing menu buttons and all that jazz. And then you gotta wait for all the 3rd party cages and what not... which who knows how many will come out since it's been marketed as more of an action cam solution. Although the global shutter is a nice draw. Maybe I'll just grab the Video Assist that releases at the same time. Hahaha you're right. I got so excited about the global shutter and better battery option I didn't even realize there's no screen on the thing. For the price RIGHT NOW I don't think you have any other choice except the Pocket Camera unless you can use a camera you already own and plug it into a Hyperdeck Shuttle 2.
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May 7, 2015 17:12
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