matthewcelia

Tested this today (despite the bickering here) and found that I got 29m - hit record again, got 10 minutes more before the recording just stopped and the camera shut down. No data lost. But for live gigs that would like to shoot at 4k... this is a deal breaker. Really bummed out.

Hey baxterquinn - saw your post and it hit a nerve with me, mostly because I think everybody has gone through that depressions at some point or another. The idea that you "just make it" is film school bullshit fed to us in order to jack up tuition (although we do actually learn some stuff).  Here's my short advice.
1. Keep making stuff. Something. Anything. Shoot it with your iPhone. But make it a story or a documentary. Challenge yourself to make a short 1 minute film every month about whatever. And then put it up on Facebook/youtube/etc whatever. Submit it to short film festivals with no entry fee if you are proud of it. This forces you to stay creative and unblock yourself. Don't worry if you only have 1 story to say, many creative people only have 1 story and they tell it over and over again (Christopher Nolan=Puzzle Movies, Michael Crighton=Science destroys man, etc). But think about who has an interesting story and capture it. For me, documentaries are easier since I don't have to write it out ahead of time. I can find the story after. It helps me then unblock myself for narrative projects. Anyway, keep creating stuff because everybody only wants one thing: to work with people who make content and make a lot of it. Not everything has to be awesome, but you'll get better with each project.
2. Find your braintrust. Who are your allies? You mention your girlfriend, which is awesome. My wife is my biggest supporter and I couldn't do anything without her, but I also have others that I send stuff to for constructive feedback. Your braintrust are people you get a long with, who aren't afraid to tell you the truth about your work, but also with a mutual understanding that harsh critiques aren't personal. My braintrust also includes some DP's, sound guys, actors, writers and directors that I can also make stuff with, because there is nothing better than working with friends.
3. Don't equate success with happiness, but also don't be dumb when it comes to filmmaking. If you want to have a career making commercial movies, then you need to think about your audience and you need to balance writing what you want to express with something audiences will tune in for. There is a lot of competition out there. If you just want a place to express your art, then that's ok too, but you'll need to have a day job for a while. So get one that has flexible hours and access to interesting people so you have access to interesting stories. Drive an Uber car, work at a nightclub. Do you have a technical skill? Use it for a high paying job that gives you flexibility to create your small projects so you can grow as a filmmaker and storyteller.
Mostly, the advice of other people on this board is pretty good. Don't give up. Most directors didn't find their stride until later in life. I'm 30 and no further along than you. Made 1 feature, trying to find what that next thing is, frustrated I can't seem to "break in". Patience and determination will get you there. Good luck.

Hey baxterquinn - saw your post and it hit a nerve with me, mostly because I think everybody has gone through that depressions at some point or another. The idea that you "just make it" is film school bullshit fed to us in order to jack up tuition (although we do actually learn some stuff).  Here's my short advice.
1. Keep making stuff. Something. Anything. Shoot it with your iPhone. But make it a story or a documentary. Challenge yourself to make a short 1 minute film every month about whatever. And then put it up on Facebook/youtube/etc whatever. Submit it to short film festivals with no entry fee if you are proud of it. This forces you to stay creative and unblock yourself. Don't worry if you only have 1 story to say, many creative people only have 1 story and they tell it over and over again (Christopher Nolan=Puzzle Movies, Michael Crighton=Science destroys man, etc). But think about who has an interesting story and capture it. For me, documentaries are easier since I don't have to write it out ahead of time. I can find the story after. It helps me then unblock myself for narrative projects. Anyway, keep creating stuff because everybody only wants one thing: to work with people who make content and make a lot of it. Not everything has to be awesome, but you'll get better with each project.
2. Find your braintrust. Who are your allies? You mention your girlfriend, which is awesome. My wife is my biggest supporter and I couldn't do anything without her, but I also have others that I send stuff to for constructive feedback. Your braintrust are people you get a long with, who aren't afraid to tell you the truth about your work, but also with a mutual understanding that harsh critiques aren't personal. My braintrust also includes some DP's, sound guys, actors, writers and directors that I can also make stuff with, because there is nothing better than working with friends.
3. Don't equate success with happiness, but also don't be dumb when it comes to filmmaking. If you want to have a career making commercial movies, then you need to think about your audience and you need to balance writing what you want to express with something audiences will tune in for. There is a lot of competition out there. If you just want a place to express your art, then that's ok too, but you'll need to have a day job for a while. So get one that has flexible hours and access to interesting people so you have access to interesting stories. Drive an Uber car, work at a nightclub. Do you have a technical skill? Use it for a high paying job that gives you flexibility to create your small projects so you can grow as a filmmaker and storyteller.
Mostly, the advice of other people on this board is pretty good. Don't give up. Most directors didn't find their stride until later in life. I'm 30 and no further along than you. Made 1 feature, trying to find what that next thing is, frustrated I can't seem to "break in". Patience and determination will get you there. Good luck.

Distribution has 0% to do with what kind of camera you shoot on. It's all about the story, target audience, cast, etc. Look at Tangerine: picked up for distribution by Magnolia pictures, shot completely on the iPhone 5s. You could shoot on the best camera in the world, with the best lighting, but if your story doesn't connect with an audience, you won't find distribution.
Now, getting hired to film on the other hand, that's a different question. Producers always want to shoot the best quality they can afford that still works with the story, so being a DP with a 4k camera is probably a good idea.

Distribution has 0% to do with what kind of camera you shoot on. It's all about the story, target audience, cast, etc. Look at Tangerine: picked up for distribution by Magnolia pictures, shot completely on the iPhone 5s. You could shoot on the best camera in the world, with the best lighting, but if your story doesn't connect with an audience, you won't find distribution.
Now, getting hired to film on the other hand, that's a different question. Producers always want to shoot the best quality they can afford that still works with the story, so being a DP with a 4k camera is probably a good idea.

Lenses hands down. Even getting a couple of Rokinon primes VASTLY improved the picture I got out of my T3i. Pretty incredible really. For picture profiles, I also used Vision Color with their LUTS and found the result to be very cinematic.

Agree with Andrew. I have had no problems with skin tones on the A7s. In fact, I'm finding the footage incredibly beautiful and easy to work with.  WAY better than my T3i was
I think people just don't understand how to grade. Here is a hint: in FCPX there is a line in the vectorscope - this is your skin tone line. If you crop the image so only a piece of skin is showing, and move the highlight/midtone puck until the vectorscope is right on the line, then remove the crop and you've got a good starting point for your grade.
Proper white balance, proper exposure help too.

Agree with Andrew. I have had no problems with skin tones on the A7s. In fact, I'm finding the footage incredibly beautiful and easy to work with.  WAY better than my T3i was
I think people just don't understand how to grade. Here is a hint: in FCPX there is a line in the vectorscope - this is your skin tone line. If you crop the image so only a piece of skin is showing, and move the highlight/midtone puck until the vectorscope is right on the line, then remove the crop and you've got a good starting point for your grade.
Proper white balance, proper exposure help too.

Agree with Andrew. I have had no problems with skin tones on the A7s. In fact, I'm finding the footage incredibly beautiful and easy to work with.  WAY better than my T3i was
I think people just don't understand how to grade. Here is a hint: in FCPX there is a line in the vectorscope - this is your skin tone line. If you crop the image so only a piece of skin is showing, and move the highlight/midtone puck until the vectorscope is right on the line, then remove the crop and you've got a good starting point for your grade.
Proper white balance, proper exposure help too.

Appreciate all the help I've gotten from this forum. Did some tests today on my day off with S-Log and really liked how I could grade it. If you have any questions let me know.
 

Appreciate all the help I've gotten from this forum. Did some tests today on my day off with S-Log and really liked how I could grade it. If you have any questions let me know.