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[Benjamin_MFF]

The on set protocol is a brutal, but true, article.

Also, if you're getting into editing, go with Premiere, it's a monthly sub, so when you're not working on a project, you don't have to pay for it. Avid is the old standard, all they have been doing is adapting to the digital era. Use them if all you want to do is edit, and then move to where the work is. If it's for fun, Adobe is the ticket.

I thought the bump in this thread was for NAB, glad to see we have weathered the hardware storm.

 

[Sec0nd]

Quick audio question.

I've got a simple Rode Videomic to record audio. Lately I've been using it on a Nikon D800e and I've been experiencing some bad audio hiss with it. Turns out that's an issue with the Nikon D800e preamp or whatever. I've been quite successful getting rid of the hiss using Adobe Audition but it's obviously not optimal.

I've got an interview coming up tomorrow so I'm trying to figure out what the best way is to go about the audio. I can either use the Rode on the D800e, experience the hiss but have level control and can control the audio with earbuds. Or use the Rode on my old Canon 600D but have no control over the audio. Or hook the Rode to my cellphone or macbook... I dunno. I suck with audio.

 

[oatmeal]

Get a lav. Those rode Mics are fine for ambient but not for something like an interview.

 

[MegalonJJ]

Cheers for all the help and comments re Premiere and Avid.

I'll go with Premiere for now.

 

[BlackBanditSho]

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).

there's always some random movie where the filmmakers try to edit on something different. I think the first big movie to get press for being different was Zodiac. Also Fincher.

Pretty much what others have said is about the size of it: Premiere is a good program to learn for ANYTHING else other than the film/tv/hollywood industry. Final Cutters have moved on. For anything Hollywood, specifically scripted stuff, it's all/only AVID.

 

[killertofu]

I've had a very slow day at work and started listing out some websites for filmmaking/editing/motion graphics and thought I'd share. Feel free to add any, I'm always trying to find new resources

Editing:
Every Frame a Painting (https://vimeo.com/channels/everyframeapainting)
Art of the Guillotine (http://www.aotg.com/)
Kogonada (https://vimeo.com/kogonada)
Keyframe (https://www.fandor.com/keyframe/)

Motion Graphics:
Motionographer (http://motionographer.com/)
Art of the Title (http://www.artofthetitle.com/)
Motionworks (www.motionworks.net)
Motion & Design (http://motionanddesign.net/)

Cinematography:
Alex Buono (www.alex-buono.com)
Cinematography Database (http://www.cinematographydb.com/)
Hurlbut (https://www.hurlbutvisuals.com/blog/)

General:
Stillmotion (http://stillmotionblog.com/)
Filmmaker Magazine (http://filmmakermagazine.com/)
No Film School (http://nofilmschool.com/)

 

[Anton Sugar]

I have a ton on my feedly--I'll try to sort through them later.

Roger Deakins' site has a forum where Deakins actually answers questions, on a regular basis, from people. It's awesome.

 

[brerwolfe]

I haven't had to use it in quite some, but CreativeCow.com was a huge resource for me when I was trying to troubleshoot just about anything ever.

And I don't know how you didn't include videocopilot.net on there. So many AE tutorials. Awesome site.

 

[killertofu]

And I don't know how you didn't include videocopilot.net on there. So many AE tutorials. Awesome site.

I figured that was a given

 

[Sec0nd]

I've had a very slow day at work and started listing out some websites for filmmaking/editing/motion graphics and thought I'd share. Feel free to add any, I'm always trying to find new resources

Good stuff. I'd add The Art of Photography. It doesn't really have anything to do with film but he goes in great depth analysing images and incredible photographers which can always be translated back to film.

 

[killertofu]

Good stuff. I'd add The Art of Photography. It doesn't really have anything to do with film but he goes in great depth analysing images and incredible photographers which can always be translated back to film.

Ah yes I love this Youtube Channel. Great analyzation

 

[killertofu]

Does anyone use Da Vinci Resolve? How do you like it?
I've been looking at the next update and it seems like they're pushing really hard to make it your next NLE.
The only problem I've had when messing with it is its lack of user friendly-ness. But the fact that it's free (for the Lite) and how much you get out of it is crazy. I would've been all over this if it came out when I was younger

 

[Anton Sugar]

Does anyone use Da Vinci Resolve? How do you like it?
I've been looking at the next update and it seems like they're pushing really hard to make it your next NLE.
The only problem I've had when messing with it is its lack of user friendly-ness. But the fact that it's free (for the Lite) and how much you get out of it is crazy. I would've been all over this if it came out when I was younger

It's excellent for color-grading, but I still use Premiere as my NLE. It just has a much richer featureset, I know the shortcuts, etc.

The next Creative Cloud update is adding a lot more color correction options/details to Premiere, though. I'd love to have one program for coloring AND editing, but it feels like a "one master" kinda situation.

 

[Sec0nd]

I don't know why I keep trying the film with the Sony FS700 with more than 100 fps. Just came back from a shoot where I did an scene with some hard backlights at 400 fps. Big mistake. It looked so epic on the screen but on my computer... Yuck.

I can probably fix the noise but the weird warping block patterns at her legs and thighs in this shot I dunno. Any way to fix that?

Does anyone use Da Vinci Resolve? How do you like it?
I've been looking at the next update and it seems like they're pushing really hard to make it your next NLE.
The only problem I've had when messing with it is its lack of user friendly-ness. But the fact that it's free (for the Lite) and how much you get out of it is crazy. I would've been all over this if it came out when I was younger

For an amateur colorist like me it's really friggin hard. But it can deliver some great results without having to go really deep. Lots of options compared to the color options in Premiere.

 

[Futureman]

I think I'm gonna make a short.

I've mainly been doing photography and illustration stuff the past few years. At one time I really wanted to make short movies.

I just recently moved to this new area and it has SO many cool spots to film in. I'm getting ideas daily. Can't wait to get started on this...

My idea is to have good cinematography and a distinctive look, but the film is going to be silly. Because those are the two things I look for in a movie: Does it look good and does it make me laugh?

 

[OrangeAtlas]

So I'm trying to create a beam effect in After Effects, but have the beam come towards the camera instead of going to the side of the screen (along the Z axis instead of the X axis).

Does anyone know any way to pull this off? Or is there a separate effects focused thread that I can ask?

 

[Addi]

So, I'm getting sick of my 550d/t2i and I want to upgrade a bit. I'm a bit unsure which new camera I should go for, right now I'm thinking sony a7s.
Is this the best alternative in that price range?

It seems to be better than 5d mk III on the video front and the black magic isn't very appealing to me (small sensor etc.).
I mostly do videographer stuff for musicians, the low light possibilities of the a7s seem godsend to me in that setting. The rolling shutter seem to be really bad though. I often use a shoulder rig, sometimes glidecam, how much would that ruin my shots?

So, yeah, mostly looking for comments on the a7s or alternatives I might not have thought of. Should I wait and see if something awesome is around the corner?

 

[Sec0nd]

So, I'm getting sick of my 550d/t2i and I want to upgrade a bit. I'm a bit unsure which new camera I should go for, right now I'm thinking sony a7s.
Is this the best alternative in that price range?

It seems to be better than 5d mk III on the video front and the black magic isn't very appealing to me (small sensor etc.).
I mostly do videographer stuff for musicians, the low light possibilities of the a7s seem godsend to me in that setting. The rolling shutter seem to be really bad though. I often use a shoulder rig, sometimes glidecam, how much would that ruin my shots?

So, yeah, mostly looking for comments on the a7s or alternatives I might not have thought of. Should I wait and see if something awesome is around the corner?

I haven't used the A7S myself but it's pretty much the best camera for that price. You could also check the GH4 for internal 4k but it has a smaller sensor which I personally don't prefer.

You could also wait for the Black Magic Mini URSA to drop which is about 3k and going by the specs alone should be pretty beast. There is also so hopeful talk about an A7S II with similar in-body stabilisation like the A7II has but that's just a rumour for now.

 

[Addi]

I haven't used the A7S myself but it's pretty much the best camera for that price. You could also check the GH4 for internal 4k but it has a smaller sensor which I personally don't prefer.

You could also wait for the Black Magic Mini URSA to drop which is about 3k and going by the specs alone should be pretty beast. There is also so hopeful talk about an A7S II with similar in-body stabilisation like the A7II has but that's just a rumour for now.

Yeah, I want a big sensor so GH4 doesn't really appeal to me, nor do I need 4k (yet). A7S also has the potential for 4k with an external recorder, so that would be an option if really needed.

That Black Magic does look tempting though! One problem I see is all the extra stuff I would need to buy (more expensive memory cards, expensive viewfinder etc). I think that camera might just be right above what I would buy myself and that I would rather rent it for a specific project.

Thanks for the input! I have been a bit out of the loop regarding camera news, but it seems I didn't miss that much

 

[Fuchsdh]

Just a word of caution on Blackmagic cameras—

my work has been using a lot of the Cinema/Pocket Cinema cameras and have noted issues with frame skips and audio mismatch (possibly related to the former issue) on long-running footage. We've seen this on three different cameras from three different studios aside from our own so it seems very likely its a hardware/software issue. I haven't seen if the Ursas exhibit any similar behavior.

 

[Sec0nd]

Yeah, I want a big sensor so GH4 doesn't really appeal to me, nor do I need 4k (yet). A7S also has the potential for 4k with an external recorder, so that would be an option if really needed.

That Black Magic does look tempting though! One problem I see is all the extra stuff I would need to buy (more expensive memory cards, expensive viewfinder etc). I think that camera might just be right above what I would buy myself and that I would rather rent it for a specific project.

Thanks for the input! I have been a bit out of the loop regarding camera news, but it seems I didn't miss that much

Hmm yes, good point on the Mini Ursa.

I'd love to invest one day in some proper good camera gear. Maybe an A7S with a Ronin-M or a Sony FS7(00). Borrowing and renting proper gear is getting pretty annoying.

 

[Anton Sugar]

Just a word of caution on Blackmagic cameras—

my work has been using a lot of the Cinema/Pocket Cinema cameras and have noted issues with frame skips and audio mismatch (possibly related to the former issue) on long-running footage. We've seen this on three different cameras from three different studios aside from our own so it seems very likely its a hardware/software issue. I haven't seen if the Ursas exhibit any similar behavior.

What do you consider long-running footage? Did you try a variety of different drives?

I've only had one frame skip (that I've noticed) with my 2.5k, but I don't think I've ever shot, continuously, for more than 7-8 minutes.

 

[Flo_Evans]

D810 set for stun:

Now find me something cool to point it at

 

[brerwolfe]

Not exactly filmmaking, but I've finally stumbled across the finish line with my video for Special Olympics Florida. I shot a majority of the video last August at their State Games competition, and shot the surging segment in September. Picked up some B-roll of the soccer back in March and just finished the video last night.

It'll be used to help raise money for Special Olympics in the state of Florida. Had a good time shooting it, but didn't have the greatest of circumstances. Most of the interviews happened spur of the moment with no opportunity for preproduction or site survey. Not ideal.

Not making excuses, just stating the circumstances. I'm mostly pretty happy with the video. Have a look!

https://vimeo.com/126394683

 

[Sec0nd]

Not exactly filmmaking, but I've finally stumbled across the finish line with my video for Special Olympics Florida. I shot a majority of the video last August at their State Games competition, and shot the surging segment in September. Picked up some B-roll of the soccer back in March and just finished the video last night.

It'll be used to help raise money for Special Olympics in the state of Florida. Had a good time shooting it, but didn't have the greatest of circumstances. Most of the interviews happened spur of the moment with no opportunity for preproduction or site survey. Not ideal.

Not making excuses, just stating the circumstances. I'm mostly pretty happy with the video. Have a look!

https://vimeo.com/126394683

Why wouldn't you call that filmmaking? Because I would. Great video mate. Beautifully shot and the interviews were incredibly heartfelt.

 

[Vulcano's assistant]

Does anyone here knows what's the best way to achieve this effect in the eye?

I read that they use contact lenses, but I just can't find where to buy something like it. Other suggestions that are not lenses would be more than welcomed too.

 

[LuuKyK]

Not exactly filmmaking, but I've finally stumbled across the finish line with my video for Special Olympics Florida. I shot a majority of the video last August at their State Games competition, and shot the surging segment in September. Picked up some B-roll of the soccer back in March and just finished the video last night.

It'll be used to help raise money for Special Olympics in the state of Florida. Had a good time shooting it, but didn't have the greatest of circumstances. Most of the interviews happened spur of the moment with no opportunity for preproduction or site survey. Not ideal.

Not making excuses, just stating the circumstances. I'm mostly pretty happy with the video. Have a look!

https://vimeo.com/126394683

That was really touching and well shot. Really nice.

 

[alterno69]

Not exactly filmmaking, but I've finally stumbled across the finish line with my video for Special Olympics Florida. I shot a majority of the video last August at their State Games competition, and shot the surging segment in September. Picked up some B-roll of the soccer back in March and just finished the video last night.

It'll be used to help raise money for Special Olympics in the state of Florida. Had a good time shooting it, but didn't have the greatest of circumstances. Most of the interviews happened spur of the moment with no opportunity for preproduction or site survey. Not ideal.

Not making excuses, just stating the circumstances. I'm mostly pretty happy with the video. Have a look!

https://vimeo.com/126394683

Great work man, really well chosen stories and presented in a very sincere way.

Made me tear up a couple of times.

Kudos man.

D810 set for stun:

Now find me something cool to point it at

Sexy, the D810 is one sexy camera.

 

[ElTopo]

Hey guys I got a quick question and it's a little dumb. I'm using Premiere CS6 and I'm importing YT videos (converted to MP4's) and the video quality is fine. But I have a 4-way letterbox, the video footage looks boxed in. What setting do I have to toggle to have the video footage play in fullscreen?

 

[Sec0nd]

I've finally been able to finish up my latest project! It's a short film about Liam Maher, the design director of the denim brand DENHAM. He tells about his humble beginnings as a window designer and how he managed to get to design director and all his interesting (design) philosophies.

I'm no fashion or denim fan. Not at all. But Liam Maher is seriously one of the most interesting person I've ever had the pleasure of meeting. I hope it comes across in this 3 minute long video. I had to cut so much stuff from our almost hour long interview.

Shot the video with a D800e and it's surprisingly hard to grade that footage. It has no flat profile like the D810 has so I had to fiddle around the the picture profiles and probably ended up shooting with some messed up settings. It was super hard to bring color back into the footage. Anyway, in the end it turned out alright.

https://vimeo.com/126373128

 

[LuuKyK]

I've finally been able to finish up my latest project! It's a short film about Liam Maher, the design director of the denim brand DENHAM. He tells about his humble beginnings as a window designer and how he managed to get to design director and all his interesting (design) philosophies.

I'm no fashion or denim fan. Not at all. But Liam Maher is seriously one of the most interesting person I've ever had the pleasure of meeting. I hope it comes across in this 3 minute long video. I had to cut so much stuff from our almost hour long interview.

Shot the video with a D800e and it's surprisingly hard to grade that footage. It has no flat profile like the D810 has so I had to fiddle around the the picture profiles and probably ended up shooting with some messed up settings. It was super hard to bring color back into the footage. Anyway, in the end it turned out alright.

https://vimeo.com/126373128

Really interesting story. Even if short you could see and feel the dedication and love put into his work. Thanks for sharing and great job with the short, loved the lighting specially. The first shot with the dog walking in was awesome.

 

[Sec0nd]

Really interesting story. Even if short you could see and feel the dedication and love put into his work. Thanks for sharing and great job with the short, loved the lighting specially. The first shot with the dog walking in was awesome.

Cheers LuuKyK!

 

[ZeroX03]

I'm looking for a decent tripod and dolly solution for a DSLR. Something with a strong head and durable. Used film tripods professionally but my $150 one is junk and it can barely get me a level shot. Is there any way I can get out of this without spending $2000+?

I mean if I have to spend more for reliable & quality I will, but I'm not sure if there's anything really good in the $500~ tier.

 

[alterno69]

I've finally been able to finish up my latest project! It's a short film about Liam Maher, the design director of the denim brand DENHAM. He tells about his humble beginnings as a window designer and how he managed to get to design director and all his interesting (design) philosophies.

I'm no fashion or denim fan. Not at all. But Liam Maher is seriously one of the most interesting person I've ever had the pleasure of meeting. I hope it comes across in this 3 minute long video. I had to cut so much stuff from our almost hour long interview.

Shot the video with a D800e and it's surprisingly hard to grade that footage. It has no flat profile like the D810 has so I had to fiddle around the the picture profiles and probably ended up shooting with some messed up settings. It was super hard to bring color back into the footage. Anyway, in the end it turned out alright.

https://vimeo.com/126373128

Looks good to me, interesting man too.

I shoot with a D810 and D750 ,the flat profile is awesome.

 

[killertofu]

I possibly have the most boring assignment at work that deals with a lot of photos. Basically a slide show....

Any ideas to spice it up? I can't really spend the time to do the parallax/2.5D effect. Too many photos and not enough time

 

[Addi]

I finally bought myself an a7s today!! So stoked! The lens I got is a Sigma 24-105mm f.4 for canon and a metabone adapter (not speedbooster, just the adapter without glass):

 

[brerwolfe]

I like to have a pretty rough filming style, so a lot of the "mistakes" are intentional. The video quality is ok enough for the internet, but I try to compensate with tight editing.

It was mostly okay, didn't notice any of the "mistakes" you mentioned unless you were talking about random out-of-focus moments.

My only major issue was that it was too much erratic movement. There are times and places for it, but this didn't seem like the appropriate use. Some of the interview locations seemed out of place, too. Otherwise it wasn't that bad (to me).

 

[Addi]

It was mostly okay, didn't notice any of the "mistakes" you mentioned unless you were talking about random out-of-focus moments.

My only major issue was that it was too much erratic movement. There are times and places for it, but this didn't seem like the appropriate use. Some of the interview locations seemed out of place, too. Otherwise it wasn't that bad (to me).

Thanks for the reply A lot of the interviews were shot on the go when the musicians had five minutes to get away from their tight schedule, so unfortunately I couldn't do much with the choice of locations (some of them are also more contextualised in the full interview vids I'm making). The erratic movements is sort of something they wanted too though, they wanted to be portrayed in a non-classical way. Of course, sometime it works, sometimes it doesn't. Being in a very uncontrolled environment with big limitations, half the time I felt I was doing more damage control than creative work, haha.

 

[oatmeal]

So I'm trying to create a beam effect in After Effects, but have the beam come towards the camera instead of going to the side of the screen (along the Z axis instead of the X axis).

Does anyone know any way to pull this off? Or is there a separate effects focused thread that I can ask?

Click the little cube on the layer and it will change to a 3d element. Hit R and it will bring up the rotation adjustments with the third axis now available.

 

[alterno69]

Has anyone here tried the Phantom 3? I ordered the pro version last week and still no shipping from DJI :/

The wait is killing me.

 

[brerwolfe]

Has anyone here tried the Phantom 3?

I have the Phantom 2 and like it. I'll be upgrading to the Inspire by the end of the year, I think.

A friend of mine has his Phantom 3 delivered last week and thinks it's amazing. He hasn't uploaded any videos or anything yet, and this is his first quadcopter, so it's tough to get an educated opinion from him.

 

[alterno69]

I have the very first phantom, it's a cool gadget but 20+ minute battery and HD monitor is a huge upgrade, of course a 4k camera and RAW pics are a nice plus.

 

[ElTopo]

Hey guys, I haven't been in the filmmaking game in a long while but I thought I'd ask here:

What would be a good (albeit cheap to acquire) camera that can produce film-like visuals with minimal investment (I.E. pick up a 35MM lens and use the right color correction programs in Post and we're good to go)?

I was thinking of the Canon 5D or one of those Blackmagic cameras but I haven't been keeping up with advances in camera technology. I've heard that the auto-focus on the 5D isn't great and the Blackmagic has issues with the video files being a bitch to convert and edit without a monster rig.

 

[ElTopo]

Er, anyone?

 

[brerwolfe]

Can't help you if you're looking for autofocus.

 

[ElTopo]

Autofocus is not a priority...

 

[Melon Husk]

28 Days Later was filmed in ~540i with a Canon XL1, just saying... Isn't this a filmmaking thread? Why does everyone insist on DSLRs? Just curious - You can get a Sony FDR-AX100 for almost half of a D5 + lens kit.

 

[OrangeAtlas]

28 Days Later was filmed in ~540i with a Canon XL1, just saying... Isn't this a filmmaking thread? Why does everyone insist on DSLRs? Just curious - You can get a Sony FDR-AX100 for almost half of a D5 + lens kit.

I think it's the swappable lenses and the large amount of options (as well as doubling as a photo camera) that makes them appealing.

Personally I've been using a Panasonic G6 and have been enjoying it, but it's on the cheaper end and I've been looking to upgrade (~1500-~2000). Should I be leaning towards a DSLR, or are there better options? I want something that won't become (too) irrelevant once new cameras start rolling out, and something I can use for a while.

 

[Benjamin_MFF]

I'm glad we're covering the equipment, it's a bit more cut and dry.

As far as irrelevance, the industry is pushing for 4k, but we've reached 1080p as a standard. This makes it easier when looking for a camera, any interchangeable lens camera will give you the "filmic" look and most dslr systems have adopted video features in their hardware. This combination allows for a low price point and high quality image. I would say the GH4 is hard to beat at the moment, the body is inexpensive, and in camera 4k is a great option.

As far as auto focus goes, that's more of a camcorder/photography area. Filmmakers tend to pride themselves when pulling focus. It's a thing. Most dslr bodies allow one to "grab" auto focus while in film mode, it's a cheat if you need it.

And coloring, that's a job in of itself, most NLEs have color correction and there are enough film "look" plugins to keep one busy for awhile.

 

[BUNTING1243]

Second the GH4 recommendation. It's an absolutely phenomenal camera for video and stills. The low-light performance is a little disappointing, but everything else more than makes up for it. 4K is so useful for the kind of video work I do