Anton Sugar
Member
Agreed. Let me know what you decide on, the Ursa Mini is definitely going to be my next camera, in either form!
The GAF Video and Filmmaking Thread
- Thread starter Thraktor
- Start date
Agreed. Let me know what you decide on, the Ursa Mini is definitely going to be my next camera, in either form!
it's probably going to be the ursa mini 4k. for as much mulling i've done over the details there are just too many pluses in terms of form factor compared to the cinema camera, 4k production camera, and pocket cinema camera.
plus it's super 35 format so that's already a step up from the cinema camera and pocket cinema camera even if they do have a stop higher dynamic range.
OrangeAtlas
Member
What's the consensus on the Sigma 18-35mm for filmmaking?
That would be my first choice if I were in your position. Does it have IS (image stabilization)? If you can afford both, consider nabbing the prime lens you mentioned before. But if you can only do one, I personally think the money would be better spent on something that gives you a little bit of flexibility until you can get another lens.
Anton Sugar
Member
Fantastic. My go-to lens for a lot of shoots, although I own a nice wide (10mm) and usually rent something longer (50-85mm+, depending on the shoot). BMCC has a cropped lens, though, so everything is a bit "longer" in general.
Post pics once you do
I'm curious what the 4k sensor had done for its v2 version used in the Ursa. I'm sure you won't have much trouble selling it if/when you want the 4.6k.OrangeAtlas
Member
I don't believe it has IS, will that be a problem if I'm doing handbeld shots? I've seen people raving about it online, so I also figure it's my best bet, and it'll hopefully last a while.
It shouldnt be a problem with just a regular Nikon to MFT adapter, right? I've seen recommendations to pair it with a speedbooster, but I just dont have the money for that now.
Anton Sugar
Member
Not having IS is fine unless you're not using a rig (i.e., you're ACTUALLY going handheld). I shot a 14 episode web series last summer, all on a shoulder rig and pretty much all with that lens.
OrangeAtlas
Member
Great to hear, I guess I'll go invest in a shoulder rig too.
Would you care to link to the web series if it's released? I'd love to see it.
Also depends on your hands and the focal length. I've never used a rig for my shoots when going handheld, but I've been blessed with steady hands. That being said, I wouldn't dare attempt handheld with anything longer than a 28mm unless you're looking for some intentional shaky cam footage. But if you have IS, go for it.
Anton Sugar
Member
I can't remember the last time I didn't use a shoulder rig, or at least have handles attached to the camera, but yeah, if it's a longer focal length, it'll definitely be easier to see any micro-shakes and all that. 35mm (re: the Sigma) on my BMCC is basically 56mm, too.
It's a fantastic lens, regardless. Clean as hell, almost to a fault
It's a fantastic lens, regardless. Clean as hell, almost to a fault
I'm going to meeting this week with the biggest production company in my country after I pitched them a TV show yesterday in an e-mail. 15 hours later the head of company sends an e-mail back asking for a meeting. Shortly after that I got an email from a TV channel also asking for a meeting
My head is spinning
So this meeting went really well. I expect to sign a contract sometime in the next two weeks if negotiations go smooth.
Good luck!
Congrats, now hire me 😂
NipplesAndToes23
Member
Oh shit, you like a fat man at an all you can eat buffet right now.
The actual episode explains it...also, the feature script that we wrote 5 years ago had it and it became ingrained. It's not a one-off thing.
Speaking of which, here's the pilot.
https://vimeo.com/140401654
Fancy Clown
Member
Any tips on good ways to get jobs in the camera department on sets? I just graduated from college and sadly didn't get into cinematography until my senior so I only have 3 credits as a DP. I cut together a reel (https://vimeo.com/139076952) that I think is pretty solid, since I assume it's wise to have one even if there's not much material there.
So any feedback on my reel or general advice for getting into professional gigs would be appreciated!
So any feedback on my reel or general advice for getting into professional gigs would be appreciated!
Glendemonium
Member
I also have a question.
If doing voices, what would you recommend as a good microphone. At home I have a Samsung Media Mic (60 bucks) but I still sound somewhat muffled compared to something that's a bit more professional, but expensive as heck. I had someone record my voice recently and it sounded clearer on his machine than on my PC so maybe it's something to do with how my PC records audio?
If doing voices, what would you recommend as a good microphone. At home I have a Samsung Media Mic (60 bucks) but I still sound somewhat muffled compared to something that's a bit more professional, but expensive as heck. I had someone record my voice recently and it sounded clearer on his machine than on my PC so maybe it's something to do with how my PC records audio?
Anton Sugar
Member
So tomorrow I'm shooting my first wedding. Kind of a spur-the-moment kinda deal--they were just gonna set a camera on a tripod to capture the ceremony, but I have worked with the family before on actual productions, so they want to get a bit more than that. Simply recording the ceremony and some of the reception.
Any tips? I don't really have a wedding-ready package. I packed:
Blackmagic Cinema Camera
Benro Monopod
SLR Magic 10mm
Sigma 18-35mm
Sigma 24-70mm (rented this one, don't have any longish lenses right now)
Filters, Rode mic, battery pack, etc.
So it's not a "proper" job or wedding shoot, but something better than what they wanted. Should also mention I'm doing this for little to no pay--family favor
Anyways--I guess I'm wondering if y'all have any tips related to planning for the shoot, types of shots to ALWAYS get, B-roll/coverage, etc.
That's big, man! Congratulations!
Most people I know start as camera PA or camera assistant and work their way up from there.
Any tips? I don't really have a wedding-ready package. I packed:
Blackmagic Cinema Camera
Benro Monopod
SLR Magic 10mm
Sigma 18-35mm
Sigma 24-70mm (rented this one, don't have any longish lenses right now)
Filters, Rode mic, battery pack, etc.
So it's not a "proper" job or wedding shoot, but something better than what they wanted. Should also mention I'm doing this for little to no pay--family favor
Anyways--I guess I'm wondering if y'all have any tips related to planning for the shoot, types of shots to ALWAYS get, B-roll/coverage, etc.
That's big, man! Congratulations!
Most people I know start as camera PA or camera assistant and work their way up from there.
Fancy Clown
Member
Any good resources for finding those jobs? I checked out Mandy.com and that seems pretty legit
At least in the studio I've been much more impressed by the 4K the FS7 puts out compared to the normal 4K studio cameras we have (Blackmagic). Waaaaayy cleaner picture, and gave me a really solid key without any futzing.
Obviously the question remains whether you actually *need* all that resolution for most projects still.
MediaBistro and ProductionHub are some of the ones we check out.
pretty obvious but clear line of sight to the couple. i did a wedding four years ago where i had my spot all sorted, and as the family and friends started coming into the registry office, this woman with the hugest most ridiculous hat sat pretty much right in the middle of my shot and i had to quickly move everything and reframe before the ceremony started.So tomorrow I'm shooting my first wedding. Kind of a spur-the-moment kinda deal--they were just gonna set a camera on a tripod to capture the ceremony, but I have worked with the family before on actual productions, so they want to get a bit more than that. Simply recording the ceremony and some of the reception.
Any tips? I don't really have a wedding-ready package. I packed:
Blackmagic Cinema Camera
Benro Monopod
SLR Magic 10mm
Sigma 18-35mm
Sigma 24-70mm (rented this one, don't have any longish lenses right now)
Filters, Rode mic, battery pack, etc.
So it's not a "proper" job or wedding shoot, but something better than what they wanted. Should also mention I'm doing this for little to no pay--family favor
Anyways--I guess I'm wondering if y'all have any tips related to planning for the shoot, types of shots to ALWAYS get, B-roll/coverage, etc.
That's big, man! Congratulations!
Most people I know start as camera PA or camera assistant and work their way up from there.
besides that, as long as you're clear on what they want from the video (i.e something more like wedding cinema as opposed to somebody standing by with a camera to record literally the whole thing), you seem like you'll be fine. good choice for the camera too, BMCC is great for weddings because the dynamic range really helps in capturing the details on white clothing and prevent clipping (such as a wedding dress).
jongkookie
Member
This may not be the right thread but what laptop would y'all recommend for semi-hardcore Premiere Pro CC and After Effects CC work?
I just spent 2 hours at Best Buy and the conclusion I came to is basically this: the decent laptops for video work are super fncking expensive and what I really want is a desktop lol.
The thing is, I already have that... I'm typing on it right now actually but obviously I can't shuffle it to work everyday so I need a laptop instead. And if I really need to do hardcore work, I'm sure I can just transfer it over to my desktop and get it done.
These are the only laptops that I'm kinda considering: Toshiba, ASUS, and a Lenovo Thinkpad.
My default choice is probably gonna be a MacBook Pro with the i5, 8GB RAM and 128GB SSD... they've got it for $1100 right now, add in my student discount it'll drop to $1050. I know it's more expensive, but if I'm gonna splurge $900 for a laptop, might as well get what I really want.
So what do y'all think? Could a lower end MBP run After Effects easily? Or am I better off sticking with those Windows laptops I'm considering?
I just spent 2 hours at Best Buy and the conclusion I came to is basically this: the decent laptops for video work are super fncking expensive and what I really want is a desktop lol.
The thing is, I already have that... I'm typing on it right now actually but obviously I can't shuffle it to work everyday so I need a laptop instead. And if I really need to do hardcore work, I'm sure I can just transfer it over to my desktop and get it done.
These are the only laptops that I'm kinda considering: Toshiba, ASUS, and a Lenovo Thinkpad.
My default choice is probably gonna be a MacBook Pro with the i5, 8GB RAM and 128GB SSD... they've got it for $1100 right now, add in my student discount it'll drop to $1050. I know it's more expensive, but if I'm gonna splurge $900 for a laptop, might as well get what I really want.
So what do y'all think? Could a lower end MBP run After Effects easily? Or am I better off sticking with those Windows laptops I'm considering?
I've got an early 2011 MacBook pro with a 2,7GHz i7, 8GB RAM and just a regular HDD. Editing has been absolutely fine. Both Premiere and After Effects. I've even been editing 4k in Premiere this week (a bit slow, but way beter than expected).
Anton Sugar
Member
Thanks man, good stuff. Did a walkthrough this morning and got my plan sorted out. Nice and overcast, too!
John Blade
Member
I guess it come down to what are you going to use the laptop for in your production area. Is it at location shoot and you want to do some basic editing and rendering or rough draft of how the shot will look? Or are you literally want to do your entire editing work on this laptop basically everything and not using your laptop for it? For MBP, they're fine for basic to medium editing work and render. Don't see any issue with them but I guess it might be a bit slow when you going hardcore editing on it. If you're going to get MBP, go Apple MacBook Pro with retina display.
For other laptop in the market, I guess the laptop name for each brand you should look into. I don't know if they sell on Best Buy but do look into it if you can.
Asus - ASUS ROG GL551JW-DS71
Dell - Dell XPS 13 Touchscreen
Lenovo - Lenovo Y50 UHD Laptop
Benjamin_MFF
Member
Hate to say it, yet the best jobs come from who you meet and who you know. Mandy will get you on student shoots and no pay gigs (it did for me). It was only from those gigs did I get paid work, and even then, it wasn't consistent. Craigslist is a good option under "Crew" but make sure you get paid (cash in hand, check at the end,etc). Good luck.
jongkookie
Member
Thanks for the suggestions but I ended up going with this Toshiba.
It was a tough choice tbh, I really really wanted the MBP for the look and smoothness of it all, but what I really wanted was the top of the line MBP and there's no chance in hell I'll spend 3 grand for a laptop lol.
The Toshiba on the other hand has all that I wanted and need... it looks good for one thing. That 4K screen is gorgeous, and more importantly the RAM and HDD are upgradeable so I'll be sticking with this laptop until 16GB becomes the minimum RAM required to run Adobe CC. Plus I also got the student discount, so all told I paid less than a grand for it so I'm happy.
The only thing that sucks is the bloatware and the stupid UEFI BS that basically renders your laptop useless when you remove the bloatware... thankfully, I know what the hell I'm doing and it was as easy as disabling "secure boot" from the BIOS to get it back to a somewhat stock Windows 10 experience.
It was a tough choice tbh, I really really wanted the MBP for the look and smoothness of it all, but what I really wanted was the top of the line MBP and there's no chance in hell I'll spend 3 grand for a laptop lol.
The Toshiba on the other hand has all that I wanted and need... it looks good for one thing. That 4K screen is gorgeous, and more importantly the RAM and HDD are upgradeable so I'll be sticking with this laptop until 16GB becomes the minimum RAM required to run Adobe CC. Plus I also got the student discount, so all told I paid less than a grand for it so I'm happy.
The only thing that sucks is the bloatware and the stupid UEFI BS that basically renders your laptop useless when you remove the bloatware... thankfully, I know what the hell I'm doing and it was as easy as disabling "secure boot" from the BIOS to get it back to a somewhat stock Windows 10 experience.
Fancy Clown
Member
Thank you!
I enjoyed your demo, thought it had some good shots/lighting/moods. I think it could also be shorter considering it's comprised of shots from the same 2 (3?) shorts. Overall, it's much better than most student reels I've seen.
The best way to get jobs is to continue doing what you do. If you have some friends that are into shooting short films, keep shooting with them. You'll meet new people on the next project, they'll like the way you work and talk, they'll remember you when someone else has a project.
So many of my gigs have been word of mouth referrals from something else I was working on. I now work in television sports as a camera guy, but even when I'm home for a couple days I have different people contacting me to help "shoot this" or "produce that." My latest (small) gigs have been shooting/editing aerial footage and photos of properties for realtors around my area until I'm back on the road for my real job. I got started by showing my realtor a couple shots I did of our property after construction had begun back in March. I've now shot a dozen properties, the latest one being last week with the daughter of my home builder.
It's not necessarily what I want to be doing, or what you're looking for. The point is to continue doing things you find enjoyment in, and continue talking to people. It's slow at the beginning, but it'll get going. Keep working.
Thug Waffle
Member
Sorry if I missed it, but where are you located?
Any film grain users here? I love using a bit of film grain on my projects to give the footage a bit more texture. It looks great when I'm previewing the footage in Premiere. When I render it out, not so much. The compression smudges the grain, and in turn the footages, up a lot. Any way to solve this? Rendering in way higher bit rates?
This is a 4k image rendered in a 1080p YouTube preset with Premiere.
This is the raw 4k image inside of Premiere.
This is a 4k image rendered in a 1080p YouTube preset with Premiere.
This is the raw 4k image inside of Premiere.
Fancy Clown
Member
Thanks for the comprehensive response man, I really appreciate it. Yeah the stuff is only from 3 shorts, since I didnt really do any camera stuff until senior year, which I very much regret now considering how much I enjoy it. But yeah I certainly won't be choosy with jobs, and it sounds like you have a pretty solid situation going on if people are frequently contacting you about gigs. Thanks again for the post.
DC area currently, but I'm in the process of deciding between LA and NYC for a move.
Try to make sure the file you upload to Youtube has a high bitrate, it has a higher chance of surviving Youtube's ruthless compression process. Otherwise, that's just the reality of streaming.
seeing how we're now in october without a peep from blackmagic, i guess the wait continues for the ursa mini.
considering the cinema camera as an alternative. not super excited about the super 16 style crop factor on the sensor but whatever. has anybody who's used it here got a decent solution to the battery life problem? i've done a brief google on the issue but i thought i'd ask here too.
also, is it possible to ever get any fairly cheap used/vintage PL glass? a quick browse around google isn't filling me with confidence.
considering the cinema camera as an alternative. not super excited about the super 16 style crop factor on the sensor but whatever. has anybody who's used it here got a decent solution to the battery life problem? i've done a brief google on the issue but i thought i'd ask here too.
also, is it possible to ever get any fairly cheap used/vintage PL glass? a quick browse around google isn't filling me with confidence.
Anton Sugar
Member
Ugh, in kind of a weird situation. The wedding shoot went well, but I was initially told we'd be dumping the media onto a Mac, so I formatted my SSD as HFS+ instead of exFAT. However, that apparently fell through, so now I'm the one who is going to dump the footage onto my machine, which is a PC.
What's the easiest way to get footage from an SSD formatted for a Mac, onto my PC? I really haven't done much, if any, media management on Apple machines, so I'm kinda lost.
Actually, yeah, I remember reading something about this on BMCUser.com. When you render, what's your bitrate?
I went with V mount. Internal battery is crud. I found a good source for cheap-ish 130wH v-mount batteries, too.
What's the easiest way to get footage from an SSD formatted for a Mac, onto my PC? I really haven't done much, if any, media management on Apple machines, so I'm kinda lost.
Actually, yeah, I remember reading something about this on BMCUser.com. When you render, what's your bitrate?
I went with V mount. Internal battery is crud. I found a good source for cheap-ish 130wH v-mount batteries, too.
i'll look into that then.
another question: for those of us using those samyang/rokinon cine lenses, which ND filter is preferable, the tiffen variable, or the hoya pro nd 1000?
I'm not following the problem.. Why can't you use an external hard drive and just drag and drop? My main client uses Mac for everything, and at the end of a job I'll bring in a drive and dump all my stuff to it. Never been a problem that I can remember.
Anton Sugar
Member
Windows machines, by default, don't recognize HFS+ drives. But, now that I think of it (I have several externals), I haven't tried plugging those into the MacBook to see if I can transfer the files.
Thanks
Another quick question to people working with 4k footage. I've shot a project in 4k that I'm probably just going to deliver in 1080p. What's the best way to go about this? Should I work in a 4k sequence and render it out as 1080p, or scale all the footage accordingly in a 1080p sequence? Does it make a difference?
Probably around 16, the standard YouTube 1080p preset. I could put the number higher and get a way bigger file. But if that makes a difference when I end up putting it on a online streaming service such as Vimeo or YouTube.
Probably around 16, the standard YouTube 1080p preset. I could put the number higher and get a way bigger file. But if that makes a difference when I end up putting it on a online streaming service such as Vimeo or YouTube.
Anton Sugar
Member
Lemme find it, but I'm pretty sure that, to preserve grain, the recommendation is to set low bitrate to 23mb/s and high to 25mb/s.
If you've already determined you'll be outputting in 1080, then I'd edit on a 1080 sequence and crop/zoom/pan as you see fit. That'll give you the most flexibility in the edit without losing resolution or degrading the footage.
Cheers!
want to elaborate? seems a fairly decent camera (especially if i can get it at this sub-£3000 price). no 4k i can live with, 8 bit colour is a bit of a disappointment, but those ISO options are really attractive as is the built in ND filter. plus i don't have to fork out a bunch for new storage media.
just want to get a more considered picture of what i'm in for if i decide to buy it. the camera has apparently like 500 hours of usage (which isn't weird, that camera is like three years old at this point) and comes with a bunch of spare batteries and a dual charging station. it's an attractive price but buying off ebay is a bit risky.
C300 for 3000 pounds is a spectacular price. But that's only because the C300 is insanely overpriced in my opinion. I've never used the camera so take my opinion with a grain of salt of course. The specs combined with the test footage I've seen is really underwhelming for the price point. I does have a certain Canon look that is pleasing but that's pretty much it for me.
I myself am a big fan of the Sony cameras. Not sure what your budget is but I assume it's somewhere in the 3000 pounds area considering you are looking at the Ursa Mini. The newly announced A7sII seems like it will be a killer camera for its price point. The FS700 is also a great camera but it's showing it's age against all the other Sony cameras, though it performs great compared to other brand cameras. And if you've got a bit more to shell out, the newly announced FS5 seems like a great camera.
I really like the image that comes out of these cameras, they are really crisp yet cinematic. Also love what you can do with SLog2 and 3. Not to forget all the great high framerate options.
But than again, I don't really have experience with high end camera from other brands so there's that. I will try and rent the C300mk2 for a future project purely because I'm curious and I love to try out different cameras.
what i've seen out of the sony options has impressed me, and it would be something i'd be heavily interested in looking at if i wasn't already grandfathered in to the canon ecosystem with my EF glass, and if i had a higher budget. even the fs700 is still around £5000 new. i can get a used one for £2500-£3000 but i'd still need to get myself either a decent adapter or a whole new set of lenses, which might be possible, but stretching things a little.
god, videography is bloody expensive habit.
Get a Metabones adapter or a Metabones speedbooster and you can use your Canon glass! Works flawlessly. I personally prefer the regular adapter because I prefer the Super 35mm look and it's cheaper. You obviously can't autofocus and whatnot but that's not super important for film anyway. Don't go for Sony glass. Most of them are focus by wire which is death for film.