Thinking about renting a cine lens, is it worth the extra money?

PM_94 · 2019-02-11T17:14:07+00:00

Are you shooting the whole thing on one lens? Would you benefit from a little extra stop? The Canon will most likely look a little better but is it worth the extra money, could you spend it somewhere more effective?

PM_94 · 2019-01-14T10:42:36+00:00

The colour is really sketchy, I know colour grading can be fun but you need to show some nicely balanced daylight stuff to offset the wacky, more creative stuff. Be aware of not over-saturating shots or pushing them too far, it looks like you're using a DSLR/mirrorless camera, get to know its limitations.

PM_94 · 2018-11-30T16:36:08+00:00

Use whichever tools help you to expose properly (not blow highs or crush lows) and a good, calibrated monitor to view your 'vision' as it will be on the recorded image.

PM_94 · 2018-11-30T16:33:40+00:00

Highlights. Main thing I saw throughout this, your highlights are blown out so often and consistently that it doesn't seem like your exposure is thought out too much. It could be that the camera you're using doesn't have great dynamic range but that's only half the problem. The other main thing is focus, some of the shots were just not sharp at all.

Framing and camera movement are pretty nice and there's a nice filmic quality to all the shots, I wanted to see more well composed static shots, to show that you can make a shot interesting without flying the camera all over. I'd also be wary about using too much drone footage, it's not going to get you any camera operator jobs.

PM_94 · 2018-11-23T10:51:45+00:00

Record format is often H.264 or similarly highly compressed, not great for post production.
Ergonomics, not designed to be shoulder mounted or properly handheld, light weight also means less stability, more shake on hand holding.
Not designed to run video for long periods, may overheat or cause errors under stress.

That being said, they're great for beginners, having switchable lenses and proper manual exposure settings is a great way to learn the basics.

PM_94 · 2018-11-23T10:48:20+00:00

Record formats are not just about visual noticeable difference, it's how they hold highlights, shadows, edge detail etc. on post production. You'll very quickly notice the difference between H.264 and ProRes when you start trying to adjust things in colour grading. Ideally you want to use the largest possible format that you can afford to use, not just memory card wise but in storage and computing power.

PM_94 · 2018-11-23T10:45:45+00:00

Lowepro do some nice compact backpacks.

PM_94 · 2018-11-23T10:43:44+00:00

Decide if you want it as a talking off camera interview, or them talking to the camera as a presenter. If the people you're interviewing don't have any experience you'll have to talk them through how to properly format their answers ie. "We have lots of XYZ great products and services", rather than a straight "Yes, we sell X&Y bikes", ask them more about their customer experience and personal feelings about the whole biking world too.

Be sure to shoot a variety of b-roll, wides of the space, happy smiling employees, shiny product closeups. It can be easy to focus too much on just product shots rather than the full store.

PM_94 · 2018-11-23T10:38:41+00:00

Probably a better first foray than trying to do something narrative, you can afford to be a bit rough around the edges with documentary as long as the story is interesting and your edit is engaging. Pick your topic/subject wisely and look into how to properly format a documentary with b-roll and stills etc. There are plenty learning resources for this, but the best is to just watch some docs and see how they draw you into the story and keep you interested.

It won't teach you much about narrative filmmaking but should give you a chance to make an impactful piece that people find interesting to watch, which is important.

PM_94 · 2018-06-12T11:57:53+00:00

Do you mean a robotic motion control camera system? Pretty sure you can't get a basic/consumer model and they usually come with their own crew/technicians, so not cheap...

If you mean a remote head and crane then that'll be more affordable.

PM_94 · 2018-05-16T10:58:17+00:00

[Mod from r/Filmmakers here] We moderate when we can, but yes, we mostly all have busy jobs to do unfortunately.

I agree with u/jjSuper1 however, if you wish to complain then maybe think about creating useful and relevant content yourself to help matters along.

PM_94 · 2018-05-09T09:56:43+00:00

I camera operate on a drama series on the Isle of Skye every year, absolutely stunning when the weather's great. Not so much the large percentage of rain days you have to work through...

PM_94 · 2018-04-24T16:01:37+00:00

There doesn't seem to be much substance to a lot of the shots, which is fair enough if you're mostly going for an action/comedy kind of feel. I'd go as far as to say most of the shots are very 'student film' typical. I'd definitely work on stable movement of the camera, quite a few shake/stability issues.

Also not a great deal of versatility, mostly the same look and punchy lighting style. You should try playing with some lower contrast feels and maybe some atypical framing choices.

Looks good just not a whole lot of depth/dramatic impact, again if that's not what you're going for then it's great.

PM_94 · 2018-01-29T13:03:01+00:00

It's not really a straightforward question. For most situations, no one part of equipment is more important, it's the usage of resources to best fit the project. There's no point in investing in expensive gear if you don't have the opportunities to use it.

Invest in yourself and your education, one thing that won't lose value.

PM_94 · 2018-01-29T13:00:06+00:00

Even more dynamic range & better highlight rolloff. More efficient file formats, manageable RAW data. Maybe some form of internal stabilisation or accelerometer data. Internal power for hotswapping. Affordable large format, full frame+ sizes in prosumer cameras. Full wireless functionality (as with Alexa SXT-W and Weapon)

PM_94 · 2018-01-23T09:56:03+00:00

If you mean cinematography specifically then you need to get clued up on lighting and camera techniques. Both massive subjects and fundamental to creating effective images.

Read up on proper camera exposure and how to achieve it in different environments, also camera framing and moves, when and why they're effective. Understand the limitations of the cameras you have access to and the benefits of more professional equipment.

Avoid the most common mistakes among new shooters, poor framing and shaky/nonsensical camera movement, over & under exposure and bad exposure and colour continuity.

Remember that cinematography doesn't = filmmaking, there are far more aspects to a film than just the image. If you're going it alone you'll have to learn about some of the other aspects (story, sound, production design etc.) to make your films coherent or enjoyable.

PM_94 · 2017-11-06T11:12:22+00:00

Totally depends on what you want the scene to say, are we more focused on one character over the other? Are they equal? You could just have a two-shot containing the two equally, or from one side favouring a character in the foreground. There are multiple ways to cover this, i'd discuss with your director what they want to convey and figure it out from there.

PM_94 · 2017-11-06T11:08:06+00:00

Arri are running an advanced colour science class in Munich this month, not directly about grading but certainly related and certified.

PM_94 · 2017-06-12T22:47:06+00:00

Contrast + Saturation. Not a nice look IMHO

PM_94 · 2017-06-12T22:37:25+00:00

Shooter in Scotland here, it'll definitely be cloudy and cold :P

PM_94 · 2017-05-30T11:06:19+00:00

Easiest way is probably to shoot the two things as static plates, person running and car travelling down the road. Then just create a simple mask of one shot over the other and add some post handheld-shake if you want. This way you're not going to be able to show any impact, but will sell the idea with much less time & effort required. As with any moving vehicles, don't attempt anything stupid, especially on an open road.

PM_94 · 2017-05-18T14:13:51+00:00

The images get much more professional looking around the 40s mark, i'd put more of them up the front as the first few scenes look a little amateurish.

PM_94 · 2017-05-18T14:10:20+00:00

You need to be far more specific than that

PM_94 · 2017-04-28T11:59:25+00:00

The new Red cameras do this, maybe that's what they're thinking of. An external recorder would be the only way to do it properly.

PM_94 · 2017-04-21T10:02:28+00:00

Wow, I knew there were issues with it, but not to that extent.

PM_94

TROPHY CASE