killertofu
Member
Yeah I feel like that's the first thing anyone starting motion should check out.
I'm not a beginner...I can fairly say I'm pretty intermediate, I just need something...more. Like to get me to the next level. A Master Class I guess
The GAF Video and Filmmaking Thread
- Thread starter Thraktor
- Start date
Yeah I feel like that's the first thing anyone starting motion should check out.
I'm not a beginner...I can fairly say I'm pretty intermediate, I just need something...more. Like to get me to the next level. A Master Class I guess
VindictiveGnome
Member
So it's been almost a year since I've graduated. I've been doing the freelance thing. I'm ready to get on with a company. I'm interning for a post house right now, but I don't think a job offer will come out of it. I know Premiere Pro and After Effects very well and I'm currently learning Avid.
I found out the other night my neighbor in my apartment complex works for a large corporation doing marketing research and creating videos. I had never thought to look outside Atlanta/production companies. So that's another avenue to pursue.
Any advice from other editors?
I found out the other night my neighbor in my apartment complex works for a large corporation doing marketing research and creating videos. I had never thought to look outside Atlanta/production companies. So that's another avenue to pursue.
Any advice from other editors?
OrangeAtlas
Member
Really glad to see a thread like this exists. I'm working on some short film productions here and there, and I have some questions about my camera:
I currently have a Panasonic G6, which I'm pretty happy with considering the price range. The only problem is the lens it comes with is 14mm. It's a good lens, but kind of limiting. I'm hoping to upgrade to a larger and higher quality lens, but lenses are pretty much just as expensive as the camera itself.
The camera is a micro 4/3rds and from what I've seen you can get an adapter for pretty much any type of lens, so are there any cheaper alternatives (even much older lenses)? Or is my 14mm my best bet right now?
I currently have a Panasonic G6, which I'm pretty happy with considering the price range. The only problem is the lens it comes with is 14mm. It's a good lens, but kind of limiting. I'm hoping to upgrade to a larger and higher quality lens, but lenses are pretty much just as expensive as the camera itself.
The camera is a micro 4/3rds and from what I've seen you can get an adapter for pretty much any type of lens, so are there any cheaper alternatives (even much older lenses)? Or is my 14mm my best bet right now?
Zabby
Member
I've edited 6 assassin's creed videos into one, hoping to attract the attention of a trailer production studio for an internship. My role won't be in editing, i believe, but still I wanted to show that at least I can be flexible and I understand what they do, to a certain degree. Any feedback?
https://www.youtube.com/embed/JOxklgA0sE8
https://www.youtube.com/embed/JOxklgA0sE8
Something to keep in mind with the G6. Because of its sensor it has a 2x crop factor. What this means is that your 14mm pancake lens essentially becomes a 28mm lens.
Fotodiox makes a nice (and cheap) adapter to use nikon dx lenses on mft mount. As a result you can use old cheap but still very good nikon glass. Keep in mind however that the Nikon glass will be full manual, and make sure that if you do go that route that the lens has a manual apeture ring.
Solid work, 2 things that stood out to me. There were 2 periods in the video where you had almost a full second of black, probably for effect but they felt jarring. Also, there was a brief clip on the pirate ship that was intertwined into the battle footage which just felt out of place. But overall solid
My path looks like this:
College->TV Editing/Mograph internship->Freelancing->Ad Agency->TV (commercial producer)->TV (promotions manager)
If it were me giving you advice, I'd say to bone up on your design and animation skills. Not just learning the software...learning the creative process, the principles behind the discipline, etc. You may already have some foundation, but I'd hire a strong creative or designer over an editor any day.
That being said, though, it all really depends on your intended career path. What are you really wanting to do?
BlackBanditSho
Member
I've been editing professionally for over 10 years. If you want to edit - for real - get strong in AVID. The TV world is 99% Avid, and it's not changing anytime soon. Premiere/FCP = all of the non-TV stuff. The pay difference is considerable. Also, your job becomes a lot less specialized when you go towards the low end world. For example, in AVID/TV world, your career path pretty much goes: Assistant Editor/jr.Editor/Editor/Director. It's tough to break into that world, but once you're in, you're in. The pay is wonderful. It becomes a choice of going scripted content, or reality content.
On the low end world, ie, non AVID, you tend to do lots of internet, documentaries, student films, etc. You're often a jack of all trades. You've got to know some effects work, story editing, sometimes even writing. It's all expected. Your pay is shit. You'd think that these skillsets would be transferable to something else, but they're not. You tend to stay here.
I'm a final cut guy, and I'm suffering for it. I wanted to move to ATL years ago when Tyler Perry opened up his studios there, but my lack of AVID knowledge or experience killed that.
Get strong in your AVID. To stay working, take the low end scrap jobs in AE/Premiere just to keep the tools sharp. Always have your own project brewing, or working on a passion project for somebody on the side.
Most of all, expand your networking circle. This is more important than ANY program you could learn. I suck at networking and that hurt in the long run.
You'll be fine.
I guess I'd like a definition for this. Are you talking about filmmaking specifically?
I was a shooter/editor for a golf magazine's website making $45k. After being laid off in 2011 I turned into a full-time freelance shooter/editor and made $55k (2012), and last year I broke $100k.
I know I'm not specific to film, but there are non-scrap jobs that use premiere and provide decent/good livings while you hunt for your dream.
killertofu
Member
I'm looking to get a DSLR for both work and play, and was looking at a Nikon D5500. Costco has this deal going on right now. Would it be a decent investment? I'd mostly use it for video (though this would get me interested in stills, too), and I need something with a mic input. The reviews I've seen of the camera are positive, but I don't know if the extra stuff is worth the money. An extra lens, battery, SD card, and bag couldn't hurt, though.
To find a full-time job I had to leave Atlanta. I'm in my 30s, though, and I wasn't too keen on the idea of freelancing and not having benefits, so my case is probably different from yours. I use Premiere at work, my peers in the promotions department use Final Cut, and our editors use Avid Newscutter, which fucking sucks. It's true, though, a lot of places are tied down to Avid, and the more you know about it, the better. I need to get better with After Effects and Avid, personally, and need to quit being so lazy.
To find a full-time job I had to leave Atlanta. I'm in my 30s, though, and I wasn't too keen on the idea of freelancing and not having benefits, so my case is probably different from yours. I use Premiere at work, my peers in the promotions department use Final Cut, and our editors use Avid Newscutter, which fucking sucks. It's true, though, a lot of places are tied down to Avid, and the more you know about it, the better. I need to get better with After Effects and Avid, personally, and need to quit being so lazy.
Slowmotion is an expensive feature if you want it proper. The Sony FS700 has some pretty good slowmotion but starts to drop the quality from 120fps and upwards. Not to mention it's around 4.000 dollars. The Sony A7S or Panasonic GH4 do respectable slowmotion at 120fps and 96fps at a more "affordable" price. For actual proper slowmotion you should check out the Sony FS7 or a Red camera, but I've got a feeling that's not in your budget range.
VindictiveGnome
Member
I went to an Atlanta Film Festival party over the weekend and was told by a well-known editor to do exactly what you said. He commented on how he keeps losing jobs to young editors who are strong in animation and motion graphics. I'm just diving into C4D so I think you're right, I'll continue learning design and animation. I'll really try to dig into it as you suggested.
As for what I really want to do? I'm not sure. I know post production for sure. I'd say I'm strongest in AE right now, then Premiere. Again, I'm learning Avid at my internship and just dipping into C4D. One of the producers at my internship asked me what I wanted to do. She said I could be a compositor, 3D modeler, designer, editor, and I'm sure there was another one or two roles. All of those intrigue me right now.
Are you still in Georgia, though?
How do you market yourself? I'd love to keep going the freelance route, but the work just isn't frequent enough.
Do y'all critique demo reels? Feel free to message me with critiques if you don't want to clutter of the thread.
Well, budget would be up to 10k.
The question is - how much of the fps has the camera to provide, and how much is possible with tools like Twixtor? I´m still talking about hummingbirds, btw.
Subbing, thank god we have a film making thread! Anyone major in script writing? I'm writing a new one and was wondering if this might be the place to trade reads down the road with like minded individuals
If you didn't already know the thread try posting in Screenwriting |OT|. I'm sure quite a few gaffers will gladly take a look if you post there.
A tool like Twixtor will be all but useless if you want clean footage of hummingbirds, they just move too fast that there simply won't be the visual information frame to frame for Twixtor to give you the results you want.
Yeah, that's what I expected and feared. :-(
BlackBanditSho
Member
Sorry, hadn't checked this thread in a few days.
By low-end/scrap, I mean the general stuff you find on Craigslist or Student gigs. That's really awesome that you were able to hustle as a shooter/editor breaking 100k last year. It all depends on the market (geographical), your network, and your tools.
I've been a shooter, shooter/editor, shooter/editor/producer, shooter/editor/writer/producer...pretty much the whole thing. Just strictly as an editor, I was just saying that the jobs that I tend to see are either AVID = which 99.99 percent of the time = scripted tv or reality tv. That's where the solid 75-100k money is.
Otherwise, everything else is usually premiere, FCP X, FCP 7. Usually internet projects like some youtuber, graduate student, new struggling filmmaker, or, like Maker studios. I'm freelancing at Yahoo, and it's all FCP 7 going into Premiere. This is one of the few studios that pays fantastic rates for work that is pretty much not very demanding. It's all basic internet type stuff.
One other thing I mentioned was taking the low end stuff to stay sharp. The 'good' work is so few and far between. For example, I *love* cutting scripted narrative stuff like one hour dramas or sitcoms. That's my personal dream. That said, professionally, it's looking very unlikely that I'll ever get that chance. However, you have to keep those narrative skill sharp despite the fact that those opportunities don't come up often. Therefore, you have to take promising student projects or promising indie filmmaker gigs at low-to-free rates just to edit the type of stuff that you love so that your sword doesn't get rusty. That's just an example. If you like cutting reality-style stuff or documentaries, you have to take those projects when you can between the cheap big stuff.
Just to stay strong.
Anton Sugar
Member
Daaaaaamn. Blackmagic bringing it at NAB, as usual.
They are getting that form factor down pat. I wonder if there will even be a market for the original BMCC now--I guess it's still solid at the $2000 price point but a grand more gets you a LOT more.
Micro Cinema Camera announced (drone-friendly RAW camera):
They are getting that form factor down pat. I wonder if there will even be a market for the original BMCC now--I guess it's still solid at the $2000 price point but a grand more gets you a LOT more.
Micro Cinema Camera announced (drone-friendly RAW camera):
Anton Sugar
Member
No built-in NDs is a bummer, but not a dealbreaker for me, especially at that price point.
That global shutter business is almost the best feature for me. I don't know why they'd even have the ability to switch from rolling to global, I can't think of a situation where a rolling shutter would be preferred (though now I see the dynamic range is slightly less in global vs. rolling). Now hopefully DSLR's aren't too far behind in getting them as well. With the news that the next firmware updates for GH4 are adding anamorphic support and V-LOG, and that now global shutters are starting to appear in smaller cameras, I'm getting some very high hopes for the GH5.
ricardo_sousa11
Member
I was not aware of this thread, great thing I found it !
As some of you know, im an amateur film-maker, and earlier last year, I wanted to upgrade to the GH4 (from the Canon 600D). Unfortunately for financial reasons at the time, I had to leave this hobby aside for some time, although I still follow closely tech news and what not.
A friend of mine was asking me the other day, what would be the best video camera for around 1500€, I told him I myself would have gotten the GH4, although paired with the metabones it would cost significantly higher, he then asked me what I thought about the NX1...and I was blown away, I didnt know the camera was out, and it does look amazing and considering it does not require the speedbooster, its significantly cheaper.
So, what do you guys think its the best video camera for that price range...Is it the GH4 or the NX1 ?! Or is there another contestant ?
Edit:
Heres my latest shortfilm if you guys would like to see it, critiques are most welcome. Although, as I said, I had to step away from the hobby for a while, but I intend on going back to it, as soon as my financial status improves, or if I can get gear borrowed from friends.
https://vimeo.com/111478234
(its based of this animation I did - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGbfyeRJ4zc )
I have other shortfilms that I can share if you guys are interested.
As some of you know, im an amateur film-maker, and earlier last year, I wanted to upgrade to the GH4 (from the Canon 600D). Unfortunately for financial reasons at the time, I had to leave this hobby aside for some time, although I still follow closely tech news and what not.
A friend of mine was asking me the other day, what would be the best video camera for around 1500€, I told him I myself would have gotten the GH4, although paired with the metabones it would cost significantly higher, he then asked me what I thought about the NX1...and I was blown away, I didnt know the camera was out, and it does look amazing and considering it does not require the speedbooster, its significantly cheaper.
So, what do you guys think its the best video camera for that price range...Is it the GH4 or the NX1 ?! Or is there another contestant ?
Edit:
Heres my latest shortfilm if you guys would like to see it, critiques are most welcome. Although, as I said, I had to step away from the hobby for a while, but I intend on going back to it, as soon as my financial status improves, or if I can get gear borrowed from friends.
https://vimeo.com/111478234
(its based of this animation I did - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGbfyeRJ4zc )
I have other shortfilms that I can share if you guys are interested.
Wow, great work. Love how you used visual effects and other techniques to give the image a certain tone. The camera work was also really great, and the place you shot at was really nice.
However, was the video file you uploaded to Vimeo and the actual video you filmed have different framerates? Because it had the same ghosting effect from when I render a video that is 23.979 fps into a video file that is 24fps. Also, did you use image stabilization software? Because it has that wobbly effect in a lot of scenes, like the ones seen on Youtube videos with image stabilization on.
ricardo_sousa11
Member
Hi, glad you've enjoyed it
I cant recall but I believe the video was rendered at 30fps, and the recording was done at 30fps for sure, but I could be wrong. Yes, with a budget of around 50 (mostly for gas for all the people), there was little money for actual gear. The full shortfilm was filmed with a Canon 600D (T3i) Canon 7D and some shots with a Nikon D600, all of these borrowed from friends, aside from my Canon T3i. So all the stabilization was done via software unfortunately, and since it was shot at 30fps, some shots got the wobbly effect :/
The place is indeed beautifull, and some of those trees (like the one near Death at the end) are thousands of years old, you can look up "Fanal-Madeira" if you'd like to see more about the place, it really is a magical place.
Hi, glad you've enjoyed it
I cant recall but I believe the video was rendered at 30fps, and the recording was done at 30fps for sure, but I could be wrong. Yes, with a budget of around 50€ (mostly for gas for all the people), there was little money for actual gear. The full shortfilm was filmed with a Canon 600D (T3i) Canon 7D and some shots with a Nikon D600, all of these borrowed from friends, aside from my Canon T3i. So all the stabilization was done via software unfortunately, and since it was shot at 30fps, some shots got the wobbly effect :/
The place is indeed beautifull, and some of those trees (like the one near Death at the end) are thousands of years old, you can look up "Fanal-Madeira" if you'd like to see more about the place, it really is a magical place.
Hey, I envy you. I've seen stuff that was much more expensive that ended up looking a heck of a lot cheaper than what you got. Don't stop making stuff, make more and more and more.
ricardo_sousa11
Member
Thank you so much, I will continue, this is one of the only things I really love doing, and im sure soon I will get back at it !
OrangeAtlas
Member
I've got a question for you guys:
I run a film club at school, and I'm going to be having a meeting with administration in the coming week to discuss budget. I could probably get upwards of $1000 realistically, and $1500-$2000 if I make a really good case, but I want advice on what exactly I'd need.
The school does allow us to rent a fair amount of equipment (tripods, boom mics, low/mid-tier DSLRs) so I'm not sure what type of equipment we'd put the money towards (unless there's a suggestion for a really budget friendly camera) but what important things would you guys recommend that people wouldn't normally think of? Locations probably?
I run a film club at school, and I'm going to be having a meeting with administration in the coming week to discuss budget. I could probably get upwards of $1000 realistically, and $1500-$2000 if I make a really good case, but I want advice on what exactly I'd need.
The school does allow us to rent a fair amount of equipment (tripods, boom mics, low/mid-tier DSLRs) so I'm not sure what type of equipment we'd put the money towards (unless there's a suggestion for a really budget friendly camera) but what important things would you guys recommend that people wouldn't normally think of? Locations probably?
ricardo_sousa11
Member
It depends on what you guys have already, but if you have nothing, heres what I would get :
- 1 second hand Canon 600D (or 60D) - those sell each for round 250$ body only
- 1 50mm f1.8 yongnuo lens - 50$
- 1 Samyang/Rokinon (same thing, dif name for dif. regions) 24mm f1.4 - 400$
- 1 DSLR Slide - 50-70$ depending on how long you want
- 1 Fluid head tripod head (Manfrotto MVH500AH or any other cheaper solution) 80$
- 1 Tripod base - 50$
- 1 Rode VideoMic Pro 150$ or a Zoom H1 - 80$
- 1 Sandisk extreme card 32GB - 30$
Total :
1080$
This would be enough IMO to have decent equipment to have good quality work (this is mostly what I've used for the shortfilm I posted above, combo of Canon 600D+Samyang 24mm and Canon 50mm f1.8). If you could push the budget to the 1500$ mark, I would probably get another camera and a shoulder rig.
OrangeAtlas
Member
Appreciate the input. I have a Panasonic G6, so would a Canon 60D really be an upgrade to that? And if not, what could I buy for my G6 to make it look and shoot a bit nicer?
Thanks a lot for the lens suggestions, I really need a new one. I could just get an adapter to fit it onto my G6, right?
I know DSLR audio is really crummy, and we've kind of gotten used to separately recording our audio with a boom mic and a H4N, but is there a better alternative to that?
Also, I watched the short film and really enjoyed it. Beautiful cinematography, I can only hope to make my films look half as good as that. Great job!
AVID has been the standard for the last 20 years.
You would probably be better served by knowing Premiere, After FX and Photoshop. The adobe creative suite is incredibly powerful and has become a viable alternative to Avid. The interface also has a lot in common with FCP so transitioning shouldn't be too painful.
If you need to know Avid for a job, you could get a 30 trial to practice on. Its simplicity for offline editing is why I dig it.
If you need to know Avid for a job, you could get a 30 trial to practice on. Its simplicity for offline editing is why I dig it.
Hey filmmaker GAF, here's a short doc I made for class that I'm real proud of!
Harold & The Backyard
Harold & The Backyard
Yeah, Avid may be the standard for the major film industry, but almost everyone who was working on Final Cut Pro moved to Premiere Pro after FCPX came out. Final Cut to Premiere is a very easy and natural transition, whereas Avid is a bit of a weird jump from either of those two programs. Plus the integration with all the Creative Cloud apps is great.
Anton Sugar
Member
I'm curious how strong Avid's foothold still is. Last I heard, the Coen Bros team was editing on Adobe Premiere.
Are there stats for stuff like this? I'm always fascinated by what the "big guys" are using.
Are there stats for stuff like this? I'm always fascinated by what the "big guys" are using.
It definitely seems like more and more are using Premiere. I know it's what they used for Gone Girl (the article actually says it's the first feature fully edited with Premiere Pro CC, which is interesting since CC goes back to June 2013), but then you look at the list of films that Wikipedia has and it's not many, and several state the actual edit wasn't done but conforming or VFX work. Have no idea how comprehensive that list is. I feel like maybe Avid still is used for the vast majority of film/TV work, but a lot of the smaller production houses/local TV stations may be using Premiere now (for example both the local news station I previously worked at and my current job switched from Final Cut 5/7 to Premiere Pro since FCPX).
sans_pants
avec_pénis
Subbing, thank god we have a film making thread! Anyone major in script writing? I'm writing a new one and was wondering if this might be the place to trade reads down the road with like minded individuals
I work with a writing partner and we mostly write pilots due to time constraints but we have one feature and I wrote two in college.
Our site
http://tncmoviefactory.com/
Saw this today The Seven Arts of Working in Film: A Necessary Guide to On-Set Protocol.
One of the best on-set protocol articles I've read.
I dunno, but Apple really screwed up with FCPX. It's all I ever used to see in TV. Features were typically Avid.
One of the best on-set protocol articles I've read.
I dunno, but Apple really screwed up with FCPX. It's all I ever used to see in TV. Features were typically Avid.
ricardo_sousa11
Member
Thank you very much, Glad you've enjoyed it !
The Panasonic G6 is a M43 camera, meaning the sensor is small, and has a 2x crop factor (which is quite considerable). Since you already have it, I dont think you would need to upgrade to the 60D, but using an adapter would mean all the lenses would be croped 2x (meaning if you have an 50mm it would be as if it was a 100mm). The problem with this is that its extremelly hard to get wide shots. The solution is a SpeedBooster from metabones, but they are very expensive.
What I'd suggest instead would be to get the rokinon/samyang 14mm and the 24mm (meaning you would have a 28mm and a 48mm) they are fully manual lenses (aperture control and no AF) and perfect for cinema use. With this setup you could get a cheap adapter (I think they go for around 20-30$) and you'd be set for around the same budget.
For the audio setup you have there, it seems that you're set in that department. The H4N is a decent audio interface, and depending on what boom you have, you can get pretty good results.
Excellent article.