Liam

Don`t worry, it was just a ad for a very expensive training course!!!

I know some people like messing around with footage from other cameras, so I figured I'd post a couple ungraded/graded clips from the D5500 in case anyone wants to mess around with the flat profile.


Here are two more...
 

You would really like my brother. He collects guitars, dozens and dozens of them. But he likes to show me the cheapest ass guitar every made with the cheapest ass guitar amp ever made, and the sound that comes out of them is well, it is pretty awesome!  Grungy as hell, punk rockish crap you just have to love. It sucks balls but it is great!
You need to start collecting cheap band equipment. It is meant for you!!

Ha, I have none. Not sure how to take that
But you're right that if I was married it would only last a few days.

I've always loved and believed in the idea that we can do amazing things with nothing. This is probably a little bit of a tangent, but I've been so depressed lately at how few people around you will see things the same way...
The filmmaker will say "I love filmmaking, and this film will only cost me $500 out of pocket!! I'm in heaven."
My friend is a composer and keeps posting about how terrible it is that people want him to work for free. There are also very few composition competitions that charge a fee for submissions, which is apparently completely evil... Every film festival charges a fee.
I look forward to meeting actors and collaborators at my next film festival, but I dread hearing what they cost.
Out of frustration of it all, I played two parts in my last film, and I'm slowly and painfully learning to draw and animate so that I can be all the actors in anything bigger down the road. My own time is worth nothing, or less... I do it because I want to.
I mean, I probably hate money more than the average person, but where the hell is the passion? Where's the fun?

So, two years ago I bought a Samsung NX1. Then I sold it, so I could have some money in the bank when I moved in with my girlfriend. I still owned the GH1 I bought four years earlier. I convinced myself that I could get equally cinematic imagery out of either camera with good lighting and cinematography. Then I bought a GX7 months later, since it as cheap, we were doing okay financially, and it had microscopically better image quality. Then I sold both cameras and got a BMPCC. Last year we needed some extra cash to get us through a financial rough spot. I convinced myself that I could get just good imagery out of the T2i I bought. Then I get a Nikon D5200 because it had better low light performance and didn't seem to have the moire problems. Then I got the BMPCC camera again because the DSLRs just weren't good enough. I needed the dynamic range, Prores, 4:2:2 color space, etc.
Then I watched a video by a filmmaker explaining why he hasn't, and still won't "upgrade" from his T3i. And his argument had little to do with his particular camera at all. It was the same old mantra of "story over equipment". Instead of spending $3K on an A7S, he could use that money into paying good actors, paying for a production designer, etc. And this is the first time, I think, that I've finally started to believe what I told myself repeatedly about gear not mattering. The idea that the color space and dynamic range of the BMPCC will give me a more cinematic image is the same foolish idea that "shallow depth of field = cinematic" when shallow DOF is just one effect you can use in a shot. But what about the framing, composition, lighting, movement (or lack of), color, focal lenght, production design, costume design? These are still the most superficial aspects of what makes something cinematic. The story, and more specific moments, the acting, direction, music, plus the cinematography, and actual EVOCATIVE IMAGERY itself, the kind that really sticks with you. Like this:





I started thinking "If I sell my BMPCC kit, and my Nebula 4000, and bought a used GH1 or GH2, I would have at least a little money leftover for a short film I've been trying to get done for a while now. It requires a special costume that needs to be fabricated. And that costume is practically the whole movie. I haven't had the extra money to pay someone for their time and materials. And I'd probably still have money leftover after that for the rest of the film. The idea that I can only shoot great images with the BMPCC or a Red is as ridiculous as thinking shooting on film will allow you to create great images. The format/capture medium is at the bottom of the list of what makes a great image. It's hardly even relevant. I've seen terrible indie movies shot on Super 16, and what made them even worse was knowing the director and/or DP who made that choice probably thought they were a fucking artist for shooting on film, even though they couldn't create a single memorable image in their film.
I have recently been hired to direct and DP an episode (and possibly more) or a web series. This is not the first time I have been asked to be a director and direct someone else's script, it's not the first time I've DP'd for someone else, but this is the first time I'm about to be paid actual money to do what I love. Previous episodes were directed and shot by another filmmaker with the BMCC and BMPC4K, so I was considering keeping my BMPCC to at least somewhat match. But...it doesn't really matter. The producer/writer doesn't give a shit what I shoot with, as long as it records moving images. He wouldn't even know the difference between the cameras--he's not technical, which is why he hires other people to direct and shoot. Now I'm kind of getting excited by the challenge of matching a GH2 to BM cameras. I want to put the specs and camera aside and focus on the direction, lighting, and imagery. I've always believed what I'm saying, but now I'm finally taking the truly important filmmaking shit to heart. And I'm not trying to convince everyone here to sell their stuff in favor of older, cheaper stuff. I'm just trying to explore what makes an image unforgettable, or "cinematic". 
Here's the video that actually explained this philosophy in both artistic and practical ways and inspired this wall of text:
 
I've really come to love this youtube channel. His older videos are more about tips and gear, but his more recent stuff is all much more about creativity. It's inspiring me. Maye I just needed to hear all this in a British accent for me to take it seriously.
TLDR: I'm selling my bmpcc and getting a GH2.

My schedule is full. I enjoy my subjects. My bank accounts are healthy. My wife is happy. 

Usually I'd define it myself first, but I really want to leave it open to whatever anyone has to say. Maybe mainly I'm just seeing myself less and less interested in someday getting an Oscar. What makes, or would make, you feel accomplished and creatively satisfied?

Creating something that I'll enjoy watching in 10 or 20 years time and be glad I took the time and effort to make. The story will resonate internally from the outset, and the end product will get to the heart of a matter that feels important. Reaching a wider audience would be a bonus.

Artistic and/or craft contentment from the work; hopefully allowing one to make a simple living from it.
I get what you mean, but (to get pedantic) this is inherently impossible.  The best one can do is to try and be fair in service of a truth.  The craft and art are always at contradiction to objectivity.  Almost everything about filmmaking is subjective.  I suppose you could screen footage from a security camera as a doc and call it extremely objective, but even then someone had to decide what the best angle of that camera would be.
And that's not even considering the craft of structuring story and editing.
If anything, docs are more, in a weird way, subjectively manipulative than narrative work.

Finishing the film. Only way to move on to the next one. Speaking of which.. I need to get editing :P

A film that a) I'm eager to show family and friends and b) is appreciated by the aforesaid family and friends.
I suspect it would be very different if this is how I put bread on the table however. 

A feature film that I'm proud of.

To me success in filmmaking is when I actually finish it and get my expression out. My skill will continue to grow over time but success shouldn't be measured by an award. I believe it's a personal thing really. In 20 years YouTubers will be recognized by the Academy though. The Emmys will be first. 

The Oscars are rubbish. These days, anyway.

I believe filmmaking is the most powerful art-form. It has the power to influence hearts and minds, and allow people to feel things - truly feel things.

I really believe filmmakng can make the world a better place by means of subjective immersion, empathetic response, and telling the story of the human-condition.

Hence, I think success is if your film allows viewers to feel raw emotion via empathy (even with the most questionable of characters), and allow viewers to learn/experience something new from their subjective interpretation of your film.

I say this in regards to narrative fiction filmmaking.
With documentary filmmaking, I have the same beliefs, but the responsibility of remaining objective on the filmmakers behalf is very important.

With documentaries, I believe filmmakers have an obligation to remain objective - to strictly document - like a James Nachtwey photo - for the sake of the truth. However, even then, no matter how objective a documentary maker remains, the viewer will ultimately determine their own truth by means of their own subjective interpretation/research - well, I hope they do, anyway.
 

Personally, I can't stand OS X. I've never understood why most creatives seem to prefer it as an operating system. Why?! Granted, I grew up using Windows and worked in IT for a couple years, so I'd venture to guess I'm probably more of a power-user than the average, everyday person, but still, just in things like ease-of-use, customization, more advanced program management and multi-tasking, I'd take windows every time, hands down. In fact, the only reason I can possibly think of using an apple computer or their OS -- ever -- is if you're a fcpx user, since hackintosh is such a pain to get reliably running. 
Maybe there is some special secret to loving OS X, but if there is, I certainly haven't discovered it yet. 
 

bmcc raw

bmcc raw

Oh yeah, if you're cool with hacks, the best option IQ wise, imo
5d mkiii RAW 10bit 60p 
Wedding example

Well if THAT doesn't come and wash away the rain, I don't know what will.

Well if THAT doesn't come and wash away the rain, I don't know what will.

I hate to be "the NX1 guy" in this thread ha (I'm actually suprised none of the usual suspects have piped up yet)... But it might be worth looking into the NX1, or the even cheaper NX500 for that matter, both produce lovely, sharp 60p (and gorgeous 120p as well!) with minimal moire/aliasing, crazy low rolling shutter, and decent enough lowlight performance with a fast lens, which you're obviously interested in, i.e. shallow dof, or you wouldn't care so much about sensor size. I have no idea what they'd go for down under, but there are lots of gently used ones around for pennies. Our very own forum member Lucabutera is selling some awesome NX-L speedboosters that he has crafted as well, I have one, which gives the camera about a 1.1x crop. 
Seems like it'd fit your parameters pretty spectacularly. Best of luck! 

That's quite a provocative question, but I like the way you think! Theoretically, it should be possible to get the GH4 to more closely match the Alexa. This is what I would do.
1. Shoot in 10bit V-Log to an external recorder
2. Use LutCalc to generate a VLog to Alexa LUT, to get the Panasonic gamma and gamut into the Alexa range
3. Shoot a colour chart with a GH4 and Alexa (this is the hard part) with the same exposure. Then bring both into Resolve. Apply the VLog to Alexa LUT to the GH4 shot and adjust the hue and saturation curves so that each square on the aligns with those in the Alexa shot, as seen on the vectorscope.
Using this kind of method I've got my XC10 to match my 5D3 MLRAW almost perfectly, both shooting a colour calibrated version of C-Log. That's not entirely dissimilar from what you're talking about. OK, they're both Canons but actually the colours coming from each of them were actually quite different.
Maybe you can find a shot of a chart shot on an Alexa somewhere and exactly replicate the exposure and lighting on your GH4. Good luck and don't forget to post your results when you succeed!

Apple released a software bundle for education:
http://www.apple.com/us-hed/shop/product/BMGE2Z/A/pro-apps-bundle-for-education
"The total cost of Final Cut Pro X ($299.99), Logic Pro X ($199.99), Motion 5 ($49.99), Compressor 4 ($49.99), and MainStage 3 ($29.99) is usually $629.95, so the bundle offers educational customers over $400 in savings."
PS I have been running FCPX on a Macbook 12" to edit small 4K projects and I am very very happy with the performance with such a low powered machine, so I was eyeing FCPX for quite some time. 

Plus people HAVE confused the dicussion and made it about how iphone video really is better than say.. a d750. It also gets weird when it's the newest iphone with 4k etc, trying to be fancy. Someone might use it to "simplify" and still say no one should ever shoot video on an iphone 6 -_-
Regardless, being able to change focal length makes absolutely everything more appealing to me than a phone