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Scruff McGruff posted:You just don't get it, it's so much more ~real~ and ~authentic~ when I refuse to use (re: pay for/learn) any sort of dedicated sound or lighting He's probably a Dogme 95 adherent, which is funny because none of those guys even adhered to that philosophy when they were doing it and they all abandoned it after they discovered how limiting it was. Anyway, as a DP/gaffer/key grip, yea, having someone who has experience is a godsend. I was just on a web pilot and it was mainly just me (gaffer) and the key grip and we largely had scenes lit within 30 minutes with 5-8 minutes between shots for coverage. EDIT: poo poo, new page.
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Feb 2, 2018 19:04
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I also agree with Robert Rodriguez that it's very important for amateur filmmakers to do everything themselves at first. Along with being cheaper than hiring professionals, getting experience doing your own lighting, sound, etc. will make it much easier to work with professionals because you'll actually understand their needs and the realities of their job. Robert Rodriguez's 10 Minute Film School is one of the best resources for anyone just starting film work.
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Feb 2, 2018 20:55
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Hello yes gear experience question, i was going to buy an osmo with my tax return because I'm doing student documentary stuff and I currently have no real run-and-gun b-roll solution, but then my tax return turned out to be larger than I expected and the Osmo Pro caught my eye Has anyone got any experience with it? The kit is basically a zenmuse X5 with a controller grip and a 15mm lens, the increased sensor size and probably better glass quality are extremely intriguing to me but it also costs literally twice as much as the standard osmo. I would like to know if it sucks or not basically, as it seems like an insane deal for the price.
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Feb 6, 2018 06:57
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Babysitter Super Sleuth posted:Hello yes gear experience question, i was going to buy an osmo with my tax return because I'm doing student documentary stuff and I currently have no real run-and-gun b-roll solution, but then my tax return turned out to be larger than I expected and the Osmo Pro caught my eye I've been running my Pixel 2 with Open Camera (so I can set the 4K video bitrate, I set mine to 90Mbps) on the Snoppa M1 and it's some really good stable footage. I had been considering the Osmo but the Snoppa is a fair bit cheaper and works with any phone or even with a GoPro with a cheap adaptor.
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Feb 6, 2018 07:15
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Hahaha ok so the price I saw was actually a one-day sale, nevermind, I could afford 1299 but I really shouldn't shell out 2k at the moment I wouldn't necessarily be opposed to a smartphone gimbal, but my phones a little old (iphone 6s) and after years of loving with increasingly byzantine dslr setups I've come around to the appeal of purpose-designed equipment. How does the osmo+ camera stack up? Id be willing to spend the extra 500 on the full gimbal as opposed to a smartphone gimbal if the camera is more user friendly and comfortable.
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Feb 6, 2018 17:15
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I know a few people with the Osmo who seem to like it ok. I don't think you really missed out that much on the X5; it's better but not amazing or anything. Do you already have a regular camera? Cause some stuff like the Crane v2 are pretty slick for dslr/mirrorless.
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Feb 6, 2018 17:32
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powderific posted:Do you already have a regular camera? Cause some stuff like the Crane v2 are pretty slick for dslr/mirrorless. The Crane definitely seems like a good alternate solution, I'll have to look around and see if I can try one out.
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Feb 6, 2018 17:48
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Zhiyun, who make the Crane 2, make the Smooth Q for phones/gopro. It costs a whopping $140. It’s three axis and only does 360 degrees on the pan axis, but it is really nice for the price.
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Feb 6, 2018 20:07
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Babysitter Super Sleuth posted:Hahaha ok so the price I saw was actually a one-day sale, nevermind, I could afford 1299 but I really shouldn't shell out 2k at the moment
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Feb 6, 2018 21:12
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I got really excited since I saw 7 new posts (which hasn't happened in a while) and got disappointed by phone talk.
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Feb 6, 2018 22:27
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The most terrifying part of asking about permission to film at someone's cabin is the part where you say "Hey, can we replace a window and the door with stunt versions?" The hardest part of throwing a dude through a window is getting permission to do it.
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Feb 8, 2018 18:28
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I put together a review video for the Sony FS5 (which I recently sold for a GH5, but that's a different video completely). It's my first review video ever, so I'd love you video nerds' feedback on it. It also features a low light performance test against the a6500. Spoiler alert: The FS5's low light performance is terrible despite the similar sensor size.chitoryu12 posted:The most terrifying part of asking about permission to film at someone's cabin is the part where you say "Hey, can we replace a window and the door with stunt versions?"  .I was thinking of approaching some local farmers about filming in their empty barns, but I don't even know where to start. "Heyyy your barn looks really dreary and scary! Can we film in there?" melon cat fucked around with this message at 00:41 on Jan 11, 2024 |
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Feb 16, 2018 04:33
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melon cat posted:I know that most people are uptight about that sort of thing, but if it were my property I'd be all like Amazingly, I actually succeeded! There's a ranch that rents out cabins on Airbnb not far from my house, and initially I was ready to write them off because the co-owner I talked to was unsure about it and wanted to charge us the individual person rate on Airbnb for our entire cast and crew and pay to rent out the entire ranch. But then she suddenly got back to me and informed me that she had talked to her husband, and now they're suddenly charging only $150 for a day shoot or $300 for a night and allowing us to do the window jump and door breaking stunts without question. I think the big question for "Can we film here?" comes down to "Are we paying to film here?" If friends or family own the property, you're usually solid to use it free of charge. But few people will be willing to let random strangers mess with their property in exchange for credit on a movie that may or may not get seen. If you approach them already willing to pay for the privilege, even if it's a trifle, they'll be more receptive. For getting locations and vehicles, I've done it by presenting myself as the owner and representative of a production company; while this is only technically true because the company is based out of my house and I'm the only employee, it presents you as more respectable if you have a company name (and especially business cards!) rather than some rando with a camera. I tell them that we're shooting a film and looking for locations/vehicles/props/whatever, and what they have looks to be exactly what we need. I ask them if they would be willing to allow us to rent whatever we're looking for (again, be willing to actually drop some dosh to get what you want from people who don't know you from Adam). If they seem wary, mention that you may be open to paying a security deposit or insurance. If the total they give you is too high, you can feel free to walk away. But unless you've got money coming out your rear end, let them give you a dollar amount first. What I've found is that some people will start negotiating by asking "What's your budget?" If you offer a small amount, they can scoff and turn you down. If you offer a high amount, it might be higher than the lowest they're willing to go and they'll accept it without giving you a chance for negotiating something lower. Instead, put the ball in their court and ask how much they want to charge. You can negotiate downward from that or walk away if there's no way to get it lower.
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Feb 16, 2018 05:09
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Got some footage of my lead actress practicing faking recoil with her shotgun and two different black powder blanks. She fired live ammo beforehand to practice. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9rFDEBU34A
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Feb 16, 2018 16:42
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melon cat posted:I put together a review video for the Sony FS5 (which I recently sold for a GH5, but that's a different video completely). It's my first review video ever, so I'd love you video nerds' feedback on it. It also features a low light performance test against the a6500. Spoiler alert: The FS5's low light performance is terrible despite the similar sensor size. Seems like a solid first review; are you planning on doing one on the GH5 too? This is a small part of the overall thing, but it seemed like you might have some audio issues — I'm really hearing the room echo, seems like there might be a channel imbalance? there are a lot of plosives and bumps to the mic, and it's really loud when you do things to the camera. Do you have a mic you could use overhead? Either that or look at placing the lav a bit differently. Personally I'd prefer less you talking into camera and more sample footage, but there are plenty of very successful reviewers who mostly talk into camera so that might just be me. edit: that's a good looking recoil fake
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Feb 16, 2018 17:14
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chitoryu12 posted:Got some footage of my lead actress practicing faking recoil with her shotgun and two different black powder blanks. She fired live ammo beforehand to practice. dang, that's some good fake recoil
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Feb 16, 2018 18:47
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powderific posted:Seems like a solid first review; are you planning on doing one on the GH5 too?  I tried to use less sample footage for the latter half because I didn't want to show client footage in a segment where I'm pretty much bashing aspects of the camera ("The low light performance is terrible! Check it out in this video that someone paid me to do!"). But maybe I'm over-thinking that part... and yes, I was planning a GH5 video. Especially since I ended up selling my FS5 to purchase a GH5. Are there any particular aspects of the GH5 that you think deserve particular focus? I was thinking of doing an IBIS test, low light test, 4K quality review, and battery life to name a few topics. chitoryu12 posted:Got some footage of my lead actress practicing faking recoil with her shotgun and two different black powder blanks. She fired live ammo beforehand to practice. melon cat fucked around with this message at 21:20 on Feb 16, 2018 |
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Feb 16, 2018 20:00
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melon cat posted:Are there any particular aspects of the GH5 that you deserve particular focus? I am especially curious about the robustness of the auto follow focus feature. Looks like it works great on people but I am planning on buying a GH5 + 100-400mm for wildlife/bird videography, so I'm wondering how it does with non-humans. (Currently I film with a D500 + 200-500mm and there focusing is either the non-continuous autofocus or manual focus)
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Feb 16, 2018 20:09
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Scruff McGruff posted:dang, that's some good fake recoil I'll be sure to tell her! Here's her firing a real magnum load for practice: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pXeYvP9IKc melon cat posted:I also think thought this was really well done! I'm seeing way too many movies where the actors really aren't selling the recoil and it actually ruins parts of the viewing experience. This part of Zombieland, for example, was an egregious offender. Both girls look like they're firing toy shotguns. I see the same thing in The Walking Dead, as well. To be fair, the little girl is firing a .22 rifle and that should logically have little to no recoil. chitoryu12 fucked around with this message at 23:11 on Feb 16, 2018 |
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Feb 16, 2018 23:07
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powderific posted:Seems like a solid first review; are you planning on doing one on the GH5 too? 0:40 - Zhiyun Crane PROS 02:38 - Zhiyun Crane CONS 06:29 - Ronin-M PROS 07:36 - Ronin-M CONS 0:24 - Dumb Streetfighter II reference I shot it in my boring living room since you mentioned about the echo in the graffiti'd basement. But looking back I think I should have filmed in the basement and just propped some mattresses against the walls to reduce the echo. It's just so much more interesting than a dead palm plant and an Instant Pot box. The audo isn't as nice and crisp as I'd like because I recorded it a bit too quiet and had to increase the gain in post.  But yeah, please tell me what I can be doing differently to make these review videos better. You did mention adding more sample footage, but I'm just hesitant to add sample footage (especially client footage) in the parts where I'm bashing the gear. I've been collecting footage for a future GH5 review, by the way!  chitoryu12 posted:To be fair, the little girl is firing a .22 rifle and that should logically have little to no recoil.  melon cat fucked around with this message at 23:53 on Mar 2, 2018 |
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Mar 2, 2018 22:58
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I think this one is better — even thought you have the mentioned audio issue it's way less obtrusive than mic handling noise and the echo. For sample footage, I know this is more work, but if you just went out and ran around with both things for an hour or two to get similar shots I think it'd help with how useful the reviews are. But you wouldn't have to—it's still good info, just would make it better.
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Mar 6, 2018 17:10
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Soooo I finally bought my Ursa Mini Pro. DCI 2K Prores 444  4.6K Raw 4:1 
VoodooXT fucked around with this message at 21:43 on Mar 6, 2018 |
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Mar 6, 2018 21:39
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VoodooXT posted:Soooo I finally bought my Ursa Mini Pro. How are you liking it so far? We love ours so much we've brought them on livestream broadcast gigs. With Blackmagic's live color solution they're a great fit.
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Mar 6, 2018 22:02
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We've had one since last April and have been happy with it. I have some minor annoyances: the EVF cable seems to crap out sometimes, ISO1600 has enough fixed pattern noise to be unusable in many situations, the volume knobs are kindof annoying to use since they don't have hard stops, the LANC cable or grip or something doesn't work quite right and won't trigger record reliably, not being able to flip the LCD all the way around is more annoying than I thought it would be, and you can't choose how to map what channels you're monitoring in your headphones. The timecode clock drifts a ton but that doesn't usually matter for me in practice. On the plus side it's been extremely reliable—haven't had any lockups and it's weathered being out in the wilderness with no issues. I think the image is great and really easy to work with whether in raw or prores. I've had a couple shoots where we rented an Epic-W Helium and I spent half the time wishing we just had the UMP instead. I also bought this LUT pack recently and love it as a display LUT in camera and for quick turnaround where I'm not doing a real color correct: https://www.thecampcomet.com/ The b-side gamma look is my go-to for monitoring. edit: also, if you have the EVF SmallRig finally released a top cheeseplate type thing that works with it.
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Mar 6, 2018 22:28
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I've been testing mine out the past day and I've been finding that I'm probably one of the lucky ones, no FPN (even at 1600), no magenta corners past f/5.6. There's chroma noise but that can be easily taken care of with chroma noise reduction. Still testing it the next couple of days (gotta take it out for some day exterior stuff). The viewfinder is a little green but I usually don't judge color by monitors anyway. I've also replaced the viewing LUT in the camera with a better BMDFilm 4.6k v3 to Arri LogC to Rec709 LUT and the stuff just looks way better. The shoulder of the curve doesn't clip as fast or as dramatically, same with the toe. Also probably going to be buying Kholi's viewing LUTs for the UMP. EDIT: quote:edit: also, if you have the EVF SmallRig finally released a top cheeseplate type thing that works with it. Yeah, I have this. I should post of a pic of my rig sometime. It looks..... huge.
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Mar 7, 2018 01:22
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powderific posted:I think this one is better — even thought you have the mentioned audio issue it's way less obtrusive than mic handling noise and the echo. For sample footage, I know this is more work, but if you just went out and ran around with both things for an hour or two to get similar shots I think it'd help with how useful the reviews are. But you wouldn't have to—it's still good info, just would make it better. melon cat fucked around with this message at 05:47 on Mar 7, 2018 |
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Mar 7, 2018 05:16
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Oh hey just an FYI that B&H has the Teradek Bolt 1000 wireless video set for $3,990 today. That's about $1500-2000 off the actual price. If you do a lot of shoots where you have client monitors or video village setups, Teradeks will change your life. https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1273187-REG/teradek_10_0965_bolt_pro_1000_3g_sdi_hdmi.html
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Mar 12, 2018 17:31
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Crosspost. Taking a stab in the dark here but has anyone worked on a scanned 35mm film to digital remastering project?
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Mar 12, 2018 21:37
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BonoMan posted:Oh hey just an FYI that B&H has the Teradek Bolt 1000 wireless video set for $3,990 today. That's about $1500-2000 off the actual price. Deal's over now but a good cheaper alternative to Teradek and Paralinx is the Cinegears Ghost Eye. I've heard from many people that the reception is way better than either Teradek and Paralinx (they're the same drat company) because the Ghost Eye uses a much better antenna. Shaocaholica posted:Crosspost. Uh, in what way? Actually taking old film, scanning it, then taking it into a workstation to get rid of scratches and tastefully use digital noise reduction to reduce film grain? Then no, I personally have not done that though I've had an interest in it and thought about going into that instead of trying to become a working cinematographer. This question would actually be good to ask Ben Solovey, aka Ben Solo on the forums, since he did the restoration for "Manos: The Hands of Fate".
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Mar 13, 2018 23:47
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VoodooXT posted:Uh, in what way? Actually taking old film, scanning it, then taking it into a workstation to get rid of scratches and tastefully use digital noise reduction to reduce film grain? Then no, I personally have not done that though I've had an interest in it and thought about going into that instead of trying to become a working cinematographer. This question would actually be good to ask Ben Solovey, aka Ben Solo on the forums, since he did the restoration for "Manos: The Hands of Fate". Scanning can be left to vendors and their scanners. I'm already familiar with dust and scratch removal. The tricker parts are stabilizing the scan (translation, rotation and keystone all present  ) which I can do but I'm just not used to working on something as long as a whole feature efficiently. I'm more of a spend hours on a single shot kind of guy which doesn't scale well with a staffing of me. Also grade matching to a known good source. I know already matching a single patch or even 2 with some gamma and gain thrown in isn't going to cut it. I'll track down this Ben Solo. I kinda already have something that works but I just wanted to check with others if I'm way off base as far as working efficiently for something like this.
Shaocaholica fucked around with this message at 02:29 on Mar 14, 2018 |
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Mar 14, 2018 02:26
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So I have a problem I'm hoping you folks can offer some advise on. I'm a railfan (yes, that is a problem, but not the one I'm trying to solve) and I like to take videos of trains. I am also a sperg, so I want those videos to be the best they can possibly be. The problem that I am running into is ground vibration. Trains are heavy, and when they pass they shake the ground. I shoot from a tripod because I want a very stable shot, and I want to be able to do smooth steady pans and high zoom approach shots, often in windy conditions. I recently upgraded from an aluminum Manfrotto tripod that I've had for about 7 years to a Sachtler head and Miller Solo carbon fiber legs due to frustration with the amount of vibration issues I was having. This upgrade was based on a fair amount of online research which indicated that carbon fiber should better at absorbing vibrations than aluminum. It has almost completely eliminated the wind vibrations, however it has had the opposite effect on the ground vibrations, which have gotten quite a bit worse. I suppose this make sense, as a more solid rigid tripod would naturally transmit vibrations to the camera better. So now I'm unsure if I want to keep the carbon fiber legs. I considered wood, as I've heard that's the best material for absorbing vibrations, however a wooden tripod would be about 3x the weight, about 30% longer when folded, and take longer to set up due to the multiple thumb screws and need for a spreader. Speed and collapsed length are more of a concern for me than weight, though it is a factor as well. I am often setting up in a hurry and a slow tripod can mean missing a shot. Additionally, I mount my camera to my tripod then put it across the back-seat footwell of my car when chasing a train to the next shot location, so an excessively long tripod would mean the camera is bumping up against the opposite side of the back seat. Are there any options for reducing camera vibrations which can be put into a tripod assembly, between the head and the legs, or the head and the camera? I've seen rubber disks that can be placed under the feet to absorb vibrations, but that just adds more setup time and I'm often shooting on uneven surfaces in the snow, dirt, and weeds, where I have to stab my tripod legs down through obstructions, so placing disks on the ground would not be feasible. The vibrations in this case are primarily sharp vertical shocks, and as such I don't think a gimbal head would help. My camera's image stabilization also doesn't do much to help, as it doesn't seem to be able to respond quickly enough to dampen the shocks. This may be too unique of a problem for a good solution to exist, and the obvious answer is "shoot further from the tracks" but that's often not possible.
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Mar 21, 2018 04:35
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Have you tried something simple like cutting up a yoga mat and sitting each tripod foot under a layer or two of foam? You could tape that to the feet, so they're not discs you have to set up.
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Mar 21, 2018 04:57
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Are you near your car? Can you put the tripod on that? I think the suspension would soak up some of the vibration. Otherwise there's stuff like this: https://www.stratusproductions.tech/cvi/ or this: http://www.rigwheels.com/product/cloud-mount-camera-vibration-isolator-system/ that people use with car mounts. You could figure a way to rig one between your legs and the head I think. It will probably make other aspects of using the tripod trickier though; they're generally used in conjunction with a stabilized gimbal rather than a tripod head. I think ideally you'd basically want a platform made of those with you and the tripod on top, ha. Or if money was no object you could add an arm like they would for car mounts: https://www.proaim.com/proaim-airwave-vibration-isolator-arm.html Do you need a continuous shot? If you could switch from the super stiff setup to your sproingy vibration damping setup at some point it might be easier too, though that'd mean bringing two tripods and might throw you off speed wise. Anything that's super effective at the bigger shots when the train gets close might introduce its own wobbliness for the long shots.
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Mar 21, 2018 05:08
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Thanks Powderific, those are interesting options which I was not aware of. I may see if I can get Sorbothane buffers I can make into tripod feet first and see if that works, but if it's not effective those wire rope setups will almost certainly be more than adequate. I think if I went with 6 rope sets on a lighter load I'd get enough shock damping without excessive instability for longer shots, and the motion I did get would be slower and easier for the camera's image stabilization to counteract.
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Mar 21, 2018 14:16
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Disgruntled Bovine posted:So I have a problem I'm hoping you folks can offer some advise on. What camera are you using? It might be best to find way to get an actual stabilizer in use.
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Mar 21, 2018 14:44
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BonoMan posted:What camera are you using? It might be best to find way to get an actual stabilizer in use. I'm using a GH5. When you say an actual stabilizer what do you mean?
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Mar 21, 2018 16:49
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i don't know what exact tripod you're using, but when i was doing a lot of field work, i'd always bring a sandbag with me while shooting long lens timelapses. the sachtler sticks i was using (whatever matches the fsb 8 heads) had a hook on the underside of the bowl, and i found that hooking the sandbag to that dampened a decent amount of vibration from people walking nearby. i would suggest careful testing first, though, 'cause i've definitely used tripods that i wouldn't trust hanging that much weight on.
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Mar 21, 2018 16:58
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I'm using miller solo legs which have a capacity of 44lbs, so I could definitely hang a substantial weight from them, but the amplitude of the vibrations from a train passing are pretty drastic. In fact, I'd classify them more as shocks than vibrations, since the biggest issues come from the wheels passing over a joint in the rails, or a flat spot on a wheel. It's a pounding effect and you can feel it through heavy boots. I think adding weight would help with wind, but it would probably increase the impact of the ground shaking.
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Mar 21, 2018 17:13
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You could potentially use something like this: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1315017-REG/ikan_ms_pro_beholder_3_axis_gimbal.html If (and it's likely) that handle has a standard camera mount screw on the bottom of you you can hook it up to a ball-head on a tripod and between the electronic stabilizer and the GH5's internal stabilization it might do the trick pretty well. I haven't done that sort of thing with a DSLR but I've done exactly that with my Pixel 2 and a Snoppa M1 stabilizer.
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Mar 21, 2018 17:18
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I think you'd still need to dampen the shocks. My general feeling is that adding weight to the tripod might help a little but ultimately you need something that isolates the camera from the ground. If you handheld the gimbal your body would do it, but you wouldn't usually use a gimbal for the long shots (and zooming or whatever is gonna add a whole nother level of complexity.) Also, for those wire rope stabilizers I know lots of people DIY them if you're into that kind of thing.
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Mar 21, 2018 17:37
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