fuzzynormal

I made my first films built around short 1 to 5 minute comedy sketch ideas. My friends and I would air that junk on the local public access station. It was stupid and ultimately embarrassing stuff, but it got the ball rolling. Most of us have to do it wrong to learn how to do it right. Point is, you can't do anything if you're not doing something.

Sure, you can have a environment where the players are all human and just let things happen. That's fine and fun, but it's not really storytelling. It's like playing with virtual action figures. Whatever narrative that arises could be exhilarating, but it's organic not artistically authored. Controlled fiction is an incredible art form.

I'm enamored with the idea of story telling in a virtual world. Eventually, somehow, story designers will need to find a way to incorporate effective AI that steers the narrative in the direction they want while maintaining the illusion of free will in whatever sandbox environment they've created. It's a difficult problem of math, as any random decision needs to motivate a seemingly random reaction and those threads of possibility reach levels near infinite pretty quickly. Manufacturing chance to lead into a predetermined outcome is some existential stuff.

Passive narrative will always have a place. Reading hasn't gone away yet --nor should traditional cinema be doomed, regardless of what future entertainment technology offers.

The culmination of good craft. The variables to get there are infinite.

The detail of "rRoma" is almost too dense for me as a home viewed film. I feel I really should have watched it in a theatre. The small living room screen couldn't hold the info. One of the better, IMHO, B&W films from the past few years is "Ida." That was a masterclass in composition and static beauty.... done by a young dude too.

I wish they'd just embrace their cinema snobbishness and be wonky about the craft/industry, but whatever. It's a friggin' awards show. Even when I go to "Oscar Parties" I tune it out and just chat with friends. It's total shit show from top to bottom regardless. As Andrew says, it's there to drive revenue. Anyone that hasn't caught on to that reality yet and thinks it's some sort of artistic endeavor, god bless your sweet soul you beautiful butterfly. Yes, it's virtue signaling. And, yes, it's been that way forever. Anyone even remotely know about most of the "best" Academy films from the 40's or 50's? Nah, 'kuz they're mostly preachy Hollywood treatments of social themes. Decent movies, some, but mostly just industry fodder. So, same complaint, new generation. In the meantime, people like my colleagues out here in the SoCal desert are doing our part by trying to make our film festival a destination for cinematographers. Point is, there's always legitimate platforms for the nerdier side of filmmaking. If you're really into it, just go look for it. Expecting a Hollywood glamour show to be something it's not is odd. It's like complaining about watching a baseball game...or, I guess, cricket. You should really know what you're getting into and accept it or reject it for what it is.

FWIW, one of the favorite docs I shot was with a GM1 handheld. There's a lot of things to worry about with making movies. Sure, camera mass is one of them, but, to me, pretty inconsequential on the priority list.

Oh, and get as good as possible with audio. If you want to separate yourself professionally from what other people are doing, work hard to get the most pristine audio you can.

1) Shoot static shots exclusively for a few years with two prime lenses. It's a hard discipline to adopt, but if you can do it, you'll quickly develop into a better shooter than your peers. 2) Edit your own footage often and learn what "coverage" really means. 3) Take twice as many batteries as what you think you need.

My, that's quite a professional way of doing a shoot.

Standard response: proxy editing.

Hey, if we're going to hijack a disposable discussion thread with doggos, I've got something for y'all: https://www.path88productions.com/latest-news/2019/2/6/flying-fur-trailer

We go to the Tatras and like to hike at those modest altitudes. Warm, hot, cool. All of the above. But yeah, hanging around Krakow for a few weeks got to be pretty steamy. My wife's side of the family is all rural Polish...so...

Yeah, not sure why this misconception still floats (pardon the pun) around the internets. That's not what IBIS does.

As a previous owner of the EM5II, all I know is that their IBIS has some serious voodoo that I find useful. Their IBIS just works better than others. The things I would do handheld with Oly I wouldn't necessarily attempt with the GH5 for example. As a doc shooter, I'm anxiously watching what Olympus does as I'd like to be shooting an Oly cam with their paired stabilized lenses on a project later in the year. Might rent this camera, don't know yet. For me, other features are way more important than the "best" IQ. And, honestly, I think the Oly color is pleasing, the IQ is fine, and the operating ergos agree with me, so that's a plus. Really, just wondering when the EM5III will be released and will it have 60p4K? In the meantime, my other cameras are more than fine.

I'd be happy if a well attended platform was willing and able to give indy filmmakers the fair % of any sales, but I don't see a channel out there on the market anywhere, really. I've used, and plan on using Vimeo, for my VOD, but it's ultimately just too niche. It's an option, but not a great one. You're not going to get any "window-shopping" sales on that platform.

I like to do lock off shots mostly. Pans and tilts maybe 10% of the time. What do pans and tilts really show you that you can't say with a well composed shot and/or edited montage, honestly? When shooting with a tripod I enjoy framing, hitting the red button, and taking my hands away from the camera. If anyone else uses this style too, consider Manf. sticks with a "leveling center" included. From there, you can get whatever head you prefer. I got cheap 701 HDV's, which are very gnarly for moves, but they're small and work well enough for me. This sort of set up gives you the option of quick bowl-type-leveling and compact breakdown. It's a "video" tripod that'll rise to 6' that disassembles and breaks down into enough compactness that I've been able to do carry-on with ALL my gear. It's not the most smooth video shooting system --which you COULD easily purchase elsewhere, but the functionality and break-down for excursions are more important to me. I've traveled to over 50 countries with equipment and this is what I ultimately settled on, and was, more or less, content with. (It doesn't have enough mass for stable long lens shots during windy days) If you want to avoid sending gear through checked baggage, it's a solution. https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/272854-REG/Manfrotto_555B_555B_Leveling_Center_Column.html/?ap=y&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI7OaQ2qKg4AIViMVkCh026QRzEAQYAyABEgIQmfD_BwE&lsft=BI%3A514&smp=Y

"What tech advancements do you think will eventually come to prosumer video?" All of them. In 15 years the IQ tech will be so good, mundane, and readily available that the camera will just be a minor thought when it comes to production.

That's one reason we go. Eastern Europe is still cheap and not as crowded as other places during the summer. Not a huge fan of popular Poland politics, but neither am I in the USA, so no big deal.

The goal my wife and I are striving for is winter in SoCal, spring anywhere shooting a film, summer in Poland, and Japan during autumn.

I'm still using their generic "De-noise" from RX5. That's a must-have plugin as far as I'm concerned.

I have the Voits. They're nice, but wide open expect spherochromatism a bit. A FF with a sharp lens @f1.8 still can't be beat. That's physics. Still, I shoot interviews all the time with M43 'cause that's what I got. When I feel I really need FF on a shoot, I just go and get FF. DSLR rental is cheap.

Yeah. For me, it really is the ideal format. Small, nimble, and perfect for doc work. Aside from having a FF cam to allow extreme shallow DOF in tricky interview/talking-head settings, I really don't want for much else.