The GAF Video and Filmmaking Thread

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Spaghetti

Member
Magic Lantern has sometimes felt like straight up wizardry. Although obviously not officially sanctioned, I bet it's probably helped Canon get a picture of what the prosumer market wants out of an DSLR like the 5D.
 
O

oatmeal

Banned
First feature is almost complete. Wrapping up score and sound mix over the next week.

Poster had leaked and got press on Bloody Disgusting. No idea how they got it, but we ended up releasing it since theirs was a low quality mockup.
SB_keyart-BD_Finished.jpg
Click to expand...

BD coverage: http://bloody-disgusting.com/indie/3430314/give-birth-stillborn-images/

Dread Central followed suit and got more right.
http://www.dreadcentral.com/news/221100/exclusive-stillborn-shots-elicit-parental-fear-grief/
 
C

Chumley

Banned
In my effort to keep avoiding film school, I realized lately I really need to learn up on lighting. On my first real proper short film shoot recently, I had to rely way too much on the gaffer for advice on what lights to use (I'm a D.P.)

Does anyone know of any comprehensive guide or online class of some kind that can take me through a D.P. crash course for lighting? The more information, the better. What they're called, how to put them together, what fills and covers to use, etc.
 
A

Anton Sugar

Member
Just got my Ursa Mini Pro 4.6k yesterday!

I was perfectly happy with my Ursa Mini but, probably as a way to clear out the v1 stock, they bundled the Ursa Mini Pro and Ursa 4K PL v1 together for $6500. That's basically the full cost of the Ursa Mini Pro + $500 for a full Ursa 4K.

So, I'm gonna sell the Ursa 4K PL, plus my used Ursa Mini, and keep the Ursa Mini Pro (after I do some sensor tests, of course). I think I'll actually make some money back, too!
 
S

Spaghetti

Member
Anton Sugar said:
Just got my Ursa Mini Pro 4.6k yesterday!

I was perfectly happy with my Ursa Mini but, probably as a way to clear out the v1 stock, they bundled the Ursa Mini Pro and Ursa 4K PL v1 together for $6500. That's basically the full cost of the Ursa Mini Pro + $500 for a full Ursa 4K.

So, I'm gonna sell the Ursa 4K PL, plus my used Ursa Mini, and keep the Ursa Mini Pro (after I do some sensor tests, of course). I think I'll actually make some money back, too!
Click to expand...
Lucky.

I've been lusting after the Pro since it released. Feels like what the original 4.6K release should have been.

The 4.6K Pro may be my go-to rental camera in the future. Comparable image to an Arri Alexa, reasonable cost, and with an interface I'm familiar with. Can't really argue with that.
 
S

Sec0nd

Member
Anyone know what it's like to direct an episode of a television show? I mean, I guess you don't really have any input on the script since that will be handled by the writing department and is overseen by the showrunner, you can't really do anything crazy with the visuals since there will already be a guideline on how to shoot the show, I'm sure the actors will know their characters a whole lot better than the new director will, etc.

What can a director actually bring to the table directing a TV show? Is he just there to make sure everything runs smoothly lol?
 
A

Anton Sugar

Member
Spaghetti said:
Lucky.

I've been lusting after the Pro since it released. Feels like what the original 4.6K release should have been.

The 4.6K Pro may be my go-to rental camera in the future. Comparable image to an Arri Alexa, reasonable cost, and with an interface I'm familiar with. Can't really argue with that.
Click to expand...

I bought my Ursa Mini 4.6k because it was versatile enough to get me started on a freelance career, but the Pro takes that even further with its ENG-like qualities. And internal NDs?? I'm in love.

KalBalboa said:
Just went live:

Mr. Basement

ZukEpzx.jpg



A7S
Rokinon 14
Rokinon 35 Cine
Sony FE 55 1.8
Click to expand...

Gonna watch this over the weekend! How do you like the A7S?
 
S

sans_pants

avec_pénis
Chumley said:
In my effort to keep avoiding film school, I realized lately I really need to learn up on lighting. On my first real proper short film shoot recently, I had to rely way too much on the gaffer for advice on what lights to use (I'm a D.P.)

Does anyone know of any comprehensive guide or online class of some kind that can take me through a D.P. crash course for lighting? The more information, the better. What they're called, how to put them together, what fills and covers to use, etc.
Click to expand...

http://www.mzed.com/the-illuminatio...erclass-shane-hurlbut-hd-download-bundle.html
 
S

Spaghetti

Member
Anton Sugar said:
I bought my Ursa Mini 4.6k because it was versatile enough to get me started on a freelance career, but the Pro takes that even further with its ENG-like qualities. And internal NDs?? I'm in love.
Click to expand...
The Pro has finally made the 4.6K into the versatile all-rounder everybody wished it would be.

Well, almost. Global shutter is still a white whale, and I think BM still has to address some issues with the sensor in a revision, but they're manageable and more in-line with being "quirks" than outright problems.
 
H

Handsomejan

Member
hey guys, first let me tell you im in awe of all the great stuff posted here. I am in charge of making small hunting and fishing videos. Fishing mostly but the hunting videos will follow soon.

Well, i made a few clips with an old compact camera which i borrowed from a friend who bought it years ago. Still can do 1080p magically but every other setting than automatic is a huge pain in the ass to use, the focus "wheel" is crap and barely moves the focus, other things like shutterspeed and iso are almost impossible to set without crawling through a slow and really bad menu system (thanks to sony for that).

I now want to step up my game, especially for the hunting videos.

long story short, i need a new camera for these purposes. Size and weight is important but nothing beats image quality, except battery life maybe.
I need something i can take out in the open and use it for at least a day, maybe even two. Buying batterys is no problem but i don´t want my backpack filled with them because i have to carry a lot of stuff besides the camera.

The budget is around 2k, a bit more or less is not that important since i saved my money for the last year for this purpose. I watched endless youtube and vimeo videos of the latest cameras but i can´t decide for my life which one to buy. If lense have to be bought that comes on top, the 2k are just for the body or whatever you would recommend using.

Hope you guys can help me.
If anyone want to see my videos send me a pm, i don´t if it is allowed to post the youtube channel the videos are on.
 
S

Seductivpancakes

Member
Vulcano's assistant said:
What was your shutter speed and ISO? You an try lowering the shutter speed, say to 1/30 sec and increase the Gain and see how much that lets you lower the ISO without it becoming too dark.
Click to expand...

Sorry for the incredibly late reply. Yea I have and it's still grainy in wide shots. I spoke to one of the campus techs and he told me that's just the limitation with the cameras. I would need really expensive lighting or a better camera. The school does have C100 cameras, but its reserve for more advance students as there's only three of them on campus.

I'll have just have to change my script up a bit and try to figure out how to work with what I got.
 
K

KalBalboa

Banned
Anton Sugar said:
Gonna watch this over the weekend! How do you like the A7S?
Click to expand...

I'm a big fan, but the color is always in need of correction, as far as I'm concerned. Amazing in low light, like everybody says, and good on battery once you put it in airplane mode.

Wish Sony made a few more lenses that weren't fly-by-wire.
 
A

Anton Sugar

Member
Handsomejan said:
long story short, i need a new camera for these purposes. Size and weight is important but nothing beats image quality, except battery life maybe.
I need something i can take out in the open and use it for at least a day, maybe even two. Buying batterys is no problem but i don´t want my backpack filled with them because i have to carry a lot of stuff besides the camera.

The budget is around 2k, a bit more or less is not that important since i saved my money for the last year for this purpose. I watched endless youtube and vimeo videos of the latest cameras but i can´t decide for my life which one to buy. If lense have to be bought that comes on top, the 2k are just for the body or whatever you would recommend using.
Click to expand...

First I'd ask: what kind of videos are you going to be shooting? Sketches with friends? Music videos? Corporate vids? Etc. That will help determine what your needs are.

For a $2000 camera-only budget, you have a lot of options. You could go the super cheap indie route of getting a DSLR like a T2i (or T6i or whatever the latest model is).

I've worked a lot with Blackmagic cameras and they're fairly common in the low-to-no budget scene (they're only just now getting into high end indie/production acceptance via the Ursa Mini). I used a Blackmagic Cinema Camera for a few years and really enjoyed it, overall, but that's their first gen camera and it shows in some ways. I have used their Pocket Camera ($1000) a bit and like it. Same sensor, just cropped, and a little more of a pain in the ass to work with due to compromises made for the small size.

The great thing about Blackmagic cameras is the sensor. BMD uses some kind of magic to get great skintones and color. However, they are not "low light" cameras, like a lot of DSLRs. They don't look like shit in low light, but they like scenes that are lit or have some kind of lighting. Most of their cameras are rated as 800 ISO, though a number of shooters prefer consider it more in the 400 range, based on their own tests.

Honestly, though--wait until the end of the month, if you can. NAB starts over the next few weeks and there are usually new cameras, deals, etc. announced during that time.
 
H

Handsomejan

Member
Anton Sugar said:
First I'd ask: what kind of videos are you going to be shooting? Sketches with friends? Music videos? Corporate vids? Etc. That will help determine what your needs are.

For a $2000 camera-only budget, you have a lot of options. You could go the super cheap indie route of getting a DSLR like a T2i (or T6i or whatever the latest model is).

I've worked a lot with Blackmagic cameras and they're fairly common in the low-to-no budget scene (they're only just now getting into high end indie/production acceptance via the Ursa Mini). I used a Blackmagic Cinema Camera for a few years and really enjoyed it, overall, but that's their first gen camera and it shows in some ways. I have used their Pocket Camera ($1000) a bit and like it. Same sensor, just cropped, and a little more of a pain in the ass to work with due to compromises made for the small size.

The great thing about Blackmagic cameras is the sensor. BMD uses some kind of magic to get great skintones and color. However, they are not "low light" cameras, like a lot of DSLRs. They don't look like shit in low light, but they like scenes that are lit or have some kind of lighting. Most of their cameras are rated as 800 ISO, though a number of shooters prefer consider it more in the 400 range, based on their own tests.

Honestly, though--wait until the end of the month, if you can. NAB starts over the next few weeks and there are usually new cameras, deals, etc. announced during that time.
Click to expand...

Hey mate! As i wrote in the text, it will be mostly, about 90% outdoor videos where we go hunting and fishing. I looked into blackmagic but the whole workflow, battery life and handling is not what i am looking for. The imagequality is astounding i have to say but i am worried if i have to get the camera set up quickly if an animal is spotted it is too much of a hassle. Don´t know that for sure because i never used one but that is what i took out of the reviews and talk about it. Low light is be important too because hunting won´t stop necessary at dusk. I personally don´t care if it is a classic video camera or dslr, i used the latter a few times i could get a hand on it.

what i had in mind from the infos i gathered from videos was maybe an a7s II or a gh5. But i am not sure.
 
A

Anton Sugar

Member
brerwolfe said:
He mentioned in the first two paragraphs that he does hunting and fishing programs.
Click to expand...

My bad--of course, I skipped over that part once I saw the request for a cam recommendation :p

Well, in that case, you may want something a bit more versatile, but in your price range, the BMD cameras are still good options. I'm not sure if these are one-off hunting/fishing vids or something like a series, which may make a difference (as in, hauling equipment across the wilderness in a pack vs single location shoots). The BMCC (Cinema Camera) is a bit bulky and not very ergonomic, but the BMPCC (Pocket Cam) is nice and light. They have really solid dynamic range, as well, which comes in handy shooting outdoors in bright conditions.

The problem with those two specific cameras is, again, limited ISO range/usefulness. In addition, they only shoot up to 30fps. BMD's URSA line shoots up to 120fps, but the limited fps options is part of the reason why I moved on from the BMCC. Slow-mo is always nice to have in your pocket.

Handsomejan said:
Hey mate! As i wrote in the text, it will be mostly, about 90% outdoor videos where we go hunting and fishing. I looked into blackmagic but the whole workflow, battery life and handling is not what i am looking for. The imagequality is astounding i have to say but i am worried if i have to get the camera set up quickly if an animal is spotted it is too much of a hassle. Don´t know that for sure because i never used one but that is what i took out of the reviews and talk about it. Low light is be important too because hunting won´t stop necessary at dusk. I personally don´t care if it is a classic video camera or dslr, i used the latter a few times i could get a hand on it.

what i had in mind from the infos i gathered from videos was maybe an a7s II or a gh5. But i am not sure.
Click to expand...

I hear ya--yeah, the cheaper BMD cameras can be a pain to manage, at times, mostly because of ergonomics and "young" firmware. They *can* be run-and-gun cams, but aren't necessarily designed for that.

In this case, it does sound like you'd need something more versatile and with better low-light options. GH5 is looking nice, as does the A7S, but I don't know much about them beyond superficialities. Hope someone else here can help you! And again, NAB is right around the corner, so maybe something new will pop up OR a current model will get a price cut.
 
S

sans_pants

avec_pénis
Handsomejan said:
Hey mate! As i wrote in the text, it will be mostly, about 90% outdoor videos where we go hunting and fishing. I looked into blackmagic but the whole workflow, battery life and handling is not what i am looking for. The imagequality is astounding i have to say but i am worried if i have to get the camera set up quickly if an animal is spotted it is too much of a hassle. Don´t know that for sure because i never used one but that is what i took out of the reviews and talk about it. Low light is be important too because hunting won´t stop necessary at dusk. I personally don´t care if it is a classic video camera or dslr, i used the latter a few times i could get a hand on it.

what i had in mind from the infos i gathered from videos was maybe an a7s II or a gh5. But i am not sure.
Click to expand...


I'd go with the a7s just for the low light abilities.
 
K

KalBalboa

Banned
In Mr. Basement you can see us pushing the A7S internal codec. In the darkest shots we were at 12,800 ISO, which actually looked fine even with 50 mbps, but once we decided to channel mix some color from aqua green to a more royal blue it got a smidge noisier than I liked.

Had I broke out my Blackmagic Video Assist 4K we'd have had no issue, but we were running and gunning.
 
H

Handsomejan

Member
KalBalboa said:
In Mr. Basement you can see us pushing the A7S internal codec. In the darkest shots we were at 12,800 ISO, which actually looked fine even with 50 mbps, but once we decided to channel mix some color from aqua green to a more royal blue it got a smidge noisier than I liked.

Had I broke out my Blackmagic Video Assist 4K we'd have had no issue, but we were running and gunning.
Click to expand...

hey mate, just saw Mr. Basement. Really liked it, great stuff. A great picture at that ISO is quite impressive, just saw some videos where they shot a dancing scene just with moonlight.
If i had to buy right now i think i would go the a7s route.
Any lenses you guys can recommend? I heard sony lenses are, well, not the cheapest ones around.
 
S

Strax

Member
Sec0nd said:
Anyone know what it's like to direct an episode of a television show? I mean, I guess you don't really have any input on the script since that will be handled by the writing department and is overseen by the showrunner, you can't really do anything crazy with the visuals since there will already be a guideline on how to shoot the show, I'm sure the actors will know their characters a whole lot better than the new director will, etc.

What can a director actually bring to the table directing a TV show? Is he just there to make sure everything runs smoothly lol?
Click to expand...

Being a director for episodic television is a unique skill of its own, with these artists having to adapt to the constraints of a different series from gig to gig. In this Full Sail University presentation, veteran director Bethany Rooney shares her experiences with the thrills and challenges of helming episodes for shows like Arrow, Drop Dead Diva, 90210, Private Practice, Weeds, and more.

Since her directorial debut in 1985 in an episode of St. Elsewhere, she has directed multiple episodes from a vast number of television series, most notably The Wonder Years, Beverly Hills, 90210, Crossing Jordan, Melrose Place, Melrose Place (2009), Ally McBeal, One Tree Hill, Gilmore Girls and She Spies, whilst other credits include Las Vegas, Desperate Housewives, Inconceivable, Dawson's Creek, Boston Public, Ed, Jack & Jill, Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice, Dream On, Castle, Revenge, Arrow among other series
Click to expand...
 
S

Sec0nd

Member
K

KalBalboa

Banned
Handsomejan said:
hey mate, just saw Mr. Basement. Really liked it, great stuff. A great picture at that ISO is quite impressive, just saw some videos where they shot a dancing scene just with moonlight.
If i had to buy right now i think i would go the a7s route.
Any lenses you guys can recommend? I heard sony lenses are, well, not the cheapest ones around.
Click to expand...

Thanks! The thing to notice is the lens choice and F-Stop people are testing the A7S at in low light: most of our short was around F-4 or so. There's a lot of 35mm usage, some crazy 14mm shots, and a sparing amount of 55mm closeups. We wanted to avoid the generic "my first DSLR" look and only had a few shallow shots.

As for lenses, I'm a big proponent of going with a few Rokinon primes and an E-mount to Canon adapter for zooms. I use Canon Ls for documentary & corporate shooting and the primes for interviews and cinema. The Sony lenses, while great, have perks that only really matter when doing still photography... something the pixel count of the A7S just doesn't agree with for me, personally.

It also depends on what you currently own. If you have another Sony camera body then maybe it'd be worth buying a Sony lens or two, even if it's an APS-C camera like the A6000.
 
H

Handsomejan

Member
KalBalboa said:
Thanks! The thing to notice is the lens choice and F-Stop people are testing the A7S at in low light: most of our short was around F-4 or so. There's a lot of 35mm usage, some crazy 14mm shots, and a sparing amount of 55mm closeups. We wanted to avoid the generic "my first DSLR" look and only had a few shallow shots.

As for lenses, I'm a big proponent of going with a few Rokinon primes and an E-mount to Canon adapter for zooms. I use Canon Ls for documentary & corporate shooting and the primes for interviews and cinema. The Sony lenses, while great, have perks that only really matter when doing still photography... something the pixel count of the A7S just doesn't agree with for me, personally.

It also depends on what you currently own. If you have another Sony camera body then maybe it'd be worth buying a Sony lens or two, even if it's an APS-C camera like the A6000.
Click to expand...

I am still looking through the sheer amout of lenses. It is ridiculous though. Used a compact camera for the past year and there were no options for lenses or well, anything at all.

I want a nice wide angle lens, maybe 24mm and something i can properly zoom with. You can´t always get near an animal in the wild. Especially wild boars can get dangerous if they feel threatend but luckily they prefer to run away. :p

But i am still looking for some lenses. There are just so much of them...
 
S

Sec0nd

Member
Any RX100 V users here? Might be interested in buying one with my gf. She is looking for a small digital camera to use for her blog. Her requirements are that it needs to be small and produce good looking pictures with the option of shallow dept of field. And for me the camera seems rather cool for B-Rollish shots when needed or when you don't want to bring a huge ass camera. And maybe most importantly lol, would love to throw on a waterproof casing and use it in combination with slowmotion for underwater shots. That would be really rad.

People here with some experience to share?
 
S

Sec0nd

Member
I'm just gonna keep on spewing questions here lol; Anyone familiar with shooting VHS and VHS-C? Just bought a second hand VHS-C camera without having any knowledge about it. Are the cassettes universal? It's a JVC camera but as of yet I can only find Philips branded cassettes. What are the odds of them fitting in my JVC camera?

Using universal standards wasn't really the norm at that time lol. Getting working VHS cameras is surprisingly a pain. Cameras plenty but the fucking batteries. Almost each camera uses its own special battery that are all literally dead now because of the battery tech of that time. And since they were batteries designed for the cameras its almost impossible to find new batteries. Its just a hassle.

Getting working Super 8 cameras is in comparison so much easier.


^^ @Warm Machine

Cinematography looks really rad. Good colors. Exciting times!
 
I

Inferno313

Banned
Hey GAF, I'm seeking a little career advice here. I'd like to get more freelance work, specifically in the editing and post-production fields.

I currently work as a full-time in-house videographer/editor for the University I graduated from with a Film/Media Arts degree. I graduated from the film program about 3 1/2 years ago, and have been in this position for just shy of 3 years. It's not been a bad gig, it's been great to have a full time video job to hone my skills at, but the pay isn't great, and while I'm looking for other full time positions, I'm struggling to even get interviews for those.
I think that, for the time being, I need to work harder on getting freelance projects on the side, both for the extra pay, and to diversify my reel. Right now, it primarily consists of the best examples of my old student films, and university promotional videos I've been working on in my day job.

That said, I don't know what exactly I need to be doing to get these jobs. I browse Mandy, but I live in an area (Tampa, FL) that doesn't have the biggest video scene. Is there a site that you all find the most success from, when it comes to finding freelance work? Are their particular tactics that you've found really helped?

The first thing I'm planning to do, is to get a website for myself up. Thus far, I've just been sending a Vimeo link to my reel to prospective employers. I'm looking at possibly creating a Squarespace website, with my reel, a bit of information about myself, and contact information.

Any other thoughts on what else I should be doing?
 
B

brerwolfe

Member
Sec0nd said:
I'm just gonna keep on spewing questions here lol; Anyone familiar with shooting VHS and VHS-C? Just bought a second hand VHS-C camera without having any knowledge about it. Are the cassettes universal? It's a JVC camera but as of yet I can only find Philips branded cassettes. What are the odds of them fitting in my JVC camera?
Click to expand...
I used to have a VHS-c camera. All VHS-c cameras should be able to use any VHS-c tape. You will not be able to use normal VHS tapes, though, completely different size.
 
A

Anton Sugar

Member
I don't know if this is allowed or not, but my eBay sale of my URSA 4k PL ends today (in about 3 hours) and is at $2200 with zero bids. That's a solid 7-800 off retail and the camera is new, unopened in the box.

I'm planning on keeping the auction up, regardless of how it turns out, but if that's in anyone's price range here...I'd rather have a gaffer snipe it up than an eBay rando.
 
S

Sec0nd

Member
Going to be shooting part of a concert with Super 8 and VHS. Super exciting and also terrifying since I have no idea how it'll turn out with media I've never used before.

I'm wondering what framerate will be best to use with the Super 8. I mean, 24 frames is probably the best option. But shooting with 18 frames is just super tempting since that'll mean I'll get more seconds out of the film. But I'm not sure how it'll play with the music and the overal flow of the video. Any Super 8 experience here with shooting both 24 and 18 frames?
 
T

TheWorthyEdge

Member
Hey! If anyone has any ideas regarding movies and want someone to write up a script or something hmu. I want some form of structure rn, and want to practice, so if you have any ideas let me know and I'll be willing to write a script!
 
S

Spaghetti

Member
Seductivpancakes said:
I ended up getting the 80D. I'm really liking it. I need to figure out a way to solve my noise issue when filming at night.
Click to expand...
How bad is it?

A lot of noise issues in my experience are related to exposure and camera limitations. When in doubt, low aperture, native ISO/ASA, and lighting should help you maneuver around the issue. There's denoising software you can employ in post, but it doesn't do a tremendous amount.
 
S

Seductivpancakes

Member
Spaghetti said:
How bad is it?

A lot of noise issues in my experience are related to exposure and camera limitations. When in doubt, low aperture, native ISO/ASA, and lighting should help you maneuver around the issue. There's denoising software you can employ in post, but it doesn't do a tremendous amount.
Click to expand...

I got some footage last night at the locations I plan on shooting at this weekend, and it's mostly lit by streets lights and it's noticeably noisy. I had it on like, 1/30, 4.0, and like 6400 ISO. I'm going to try some more tonight.

I do have some portable light sources I can use, but It could just be the limitations of the camera. I'm starting to wonder if it's best I try to fix it in post.

I'll upload the footage when I get home tonight.
 
S

Seductivpancakes

Member
Vulcano's assistant said:
Is the 80D yours or rented from your college? In either case I would check if they have some prime lenses for you to check out that go to f/1.4, f/1.8, or f/2.8. Or see if you can borrow it from someone, or even buy it if the 80D is yours and you want the addition.
Click to expand...
I bought the camera yesterday. Yeah at the moment I can't afford another lens.
 
S

Seductivpancakes

Member
I uploaded two of the videos I took last night.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sdzn_VtI9bI

This is one of the locations, I want to shoot at. Off screen, to the left, I had some LED lights blasting right other the park lights to see if it helps. Might have been too far or not intense enough to help with the noise.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xz-BGcqcgT0

This actually looks better. I kind of lowered the ISO for this one cause I wanted this shot to be a darker.
 
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