HelsinkiZim

I see a few techniques but imo I would call the general look low-key lighting https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Low-key_lighting

I often find commercials fall into either high key beauty or this. it’s a look camera peoples tend to shoot on Reds, but I guess every cinema camera with good dynamic range can do it. however, Kendy Ty does it with a T2i?

I would look for those keywords + resolve tutorial etc on the inter webs. At least that’s where I would start, but I am certain the is more to it than a grade. silhouette, noir lighting etc

I would call this a kind of commercialized Verite style. but I would go back to the source, something like Vertovs Man With a Movie Camera. it may give you a bit of context for your attempt as if it doesn’t work, at least you can back up your decision with theory... it will help you sleep at night if it goes tits up. My advice would be to shoot on tripod only. Shoot full frame 4K so you can add all the shake, mist filters and refocuses you desire with Red Giant Universe or similar. You can also add the leaks etc. I would bet you just keep It simple in the edit after you see what nonsense this style is when used for the wrong reasons. 

In amongst all of the Masterclasses for Mastering the Majestic Arts, I thought I would add my own personal experience learning cameras for the first time...

password: oldschool

Can't remember the lecturer's name or much else she said, I reinforced my knowledge on eoshd 3 years later...

But it may give a glimpse into another dude/dudettes growth and demystify things. (I especially noticed how excited she was about HD - like we are now for 4K etc lol(at us and our industry!))

How did you learn about filmmaking for the first time?

edit: I did my Masters in South Africa - hence the accents... don't know the lens!!!! but would love to....

I have been using the Ursa Mini 4.6K for the last 2 months for client work.

It is a great camera and I love the images it produces. But I have 2 qualms:

It does not do low light - as in, it is not even an option. Period.

It doesn't 'wow' naturally.

Let me explain the last point:

The canon C500 would supply all the 4k benefits, but you would be a bit weak on the codec side. But, and its a big butt, Canon will look like 'wow'. 

I am still figuring out why, but my feelings are irrelevant. My clients like Canon. 

Do them a favor and go Canon. The spec differences only smooth our experience, but not the image. The Blackmagic image is a specific look or stock that we as a community love, but is subjective. 

General folk see Canon footage and photos and appreciate that stock.

They dont care about 444 or DR. They want to look good.

Canon does that with their voodoo. Get the best Canon 4k image you can get get... and get a Ursa for yourself.

Just my 2c.

Oh, and low light does not mean night. Actually, with one light, the ursa is fantastic for night shoots.

I mean, for example, you want to fo for a beauty or group studio look. LEDS cannot supply enough power, let alone if you want to expose in tandem with the window view etc. 

Your options become a bit limited once you want to get creative with light. Unless you buck up for more powerful lights etc. 

Which is where I would advise to hire.

But bigger crew...

Slippery slope...

The excuse has always been that people understand photos but not video. Thia is not the case anymore. W9th 8K video on Red, there is no difference.

We need to get arrogant and throw away the overbearing humility that we are fringe.

We are not, no matter your flavor of current camera.

Call this a manifesto - if you will.

Play this before reading

DO NOT EVER FEEL APOLOGETIC ABOUT THE VALUE OF VIDEO.

Its killing us.

We are in a race to the bottom based on the insecurities we have on the value of the moving image.

Hollywood shackled it and bid it out to he highest bidder (red and alexa). But in the 80s and early 90s the trend was bucked - we just never appreciated or acknowledged it.

Welcome the vhs dads filming events, and the eventually - In film, it was Rodrigues, and eventually Tarantino to embrace the lowering cost if cameras and gear- respectively to cost vs risk of today.

- but in video, it was (eg) Vito Acconci, Sadie Benning and Bruce Nauman. Their importance is not defined by influence. But by how their work resonates in everything on Youtube. Do yourself a favor and watch the Ze Frank archives. He defined the "pause cut" and even the "random cutaway" loved by former Viners - see phillip defranco, logam paul etc

Our history is documented i the School of the Art Intitute Chicago video library. It is here, I saw it them as an undergrad - but they feel like forgotten memories - the gypsy doc, the"women of verge of breakdown down", "the Israeli tenements films or (?) Moroccan revolutionary doc" /I made my short film dissertation about him in 2004).

I digress.

I want to talk about how we shy away from being proud of video. Like it is the distant cousin of photography.

That is what photographers want you to think, but, today, they are wrong.

If they dont agree -fuck em.

Price accordingly. Give value. Be creative-

Lets fight for our respect and eventual move towards being considered artist and designers instead of technicians-

My video looks better and does more than any website/photo I have seen (from the empowered photogogs standing next ti me on shoots). Why am I paid less?

Peace.

There is dicussion and the general conclusion was shoot 1-2 stops over or use eoshd pro color. Most seem to be gravitating to the later in 2017, judging by.Brandon Lee and the likes of. Just my 2 cents...

9 minutes ago, tweak said:

Yes. Quite a bit.

Yeah, I just matrixed the info. Its never simple these days is it?

Edit: ound the guide, thanks andrew!

Im going to be getting a 5D for raw next week. Is there any benefit getting the mark 3 over mark 2 when shooting with ML? 

Im going to be getting a 5D for raw next week. Is there any benefit getting the mark 3 over mark 2 when shooting with ML? 

To concur - yes. I like to think of it as a 'frigidity' scale. DSLR has advanced enough where the 'frigidity' scale is comparable. There is no such thing as a 'point and shoot' when someone is paying cash dollars. It may exist in 5 years, but it don't now. Period.

On 02/06/2017 at 4:06 PM, markr041 said:

Rush hour slowed down, in Sony EOSHD Pro color of course.

 

Loved this. Critique:

Explore this idea more. My most enjoyable (among many) moment was the men walking like apes across the pedestrian crossing - when movements and music synced.

That slow mo marching thing can be effective if planned. All in all, the music choice (nice!) lends to a shorter piece - but your music choice to image instinct is spot on.

Play around in your city and deliver a knockout next time!

I might beat you to it....

I hae always been a fan of youtubers like Casey Neistat and our own stock of reviewers, from Bloom, Antos, MrrCheesyCam to Kai. I have seen this particular market become more niche, as reviewers now tend to specialist in one brand or product.

This is all enjoyable, but not inspiring (unless your goal is to do the same).

But - I have been inspired b the new crop of vloggers who have migrated from the now shuttered Vine. Why?

Because Vine was a medium with extreme limitations - it raised a very eccentric type of filmmaker that were be insanely creative within. A few have taken Youtube by storm and they are impressive, if only for sheer energy.

Viners mastered timing, sound editing and effective motion graphics. Even though I HATE the hyperactive nature of the work - I am in awe of the creativity.

take for example this video - 

I laughed my ass off. I didn't want to - but I had that experience like when I heard Howard Stern for the first time in 2002 - exhilarated (the Get John's Job series!!! - spoiler: Sal and Richard won.).

9 minutes ago, Justin Bacle said:

Here in france you have to give around 25% (depends on your type of activity and if you had a job before or not) of your revenue (not benefits, revenue) as tax when starting your own small business. Then you have to pay land value tax (even if you don't rent a place for you work). But at least you don't have to give money right away. You don't get any chance to grab some "start-up money", it just doesn't exists :D 

Not sure what is the best country to start your own small business, but I'd like to find it out  

God - the US was so easy. You fill a one page form called p90 or something (the Uber type contract) if you are employed and pay self tax, or you go to Legalzoom or similar and set up a LLC for 100 bucks (last time I checked) and you are set. You pay tax as you earn - at the end of the tax year.

America is 'great' for a reason...

edit: in case I get negged as a foreigner, I was actually born in Oneonta, New York and worked in Chicago and NYC in my 20s. Crazy times... now... and then.

In Finland it is quite difficult to start a business regulation-wise. They require a lot of upfront payments tax-wise, and you get cut off from any social benefits whatsoever. I find this worrisome when I am looking for staff as they usually prefer to not work, rather than work for random gigs. Another discussion for another forum...

However, I used to just borrow or rent cams in the UK and US on weekends and save up for gear from the net profits from weddings and events.

Here in Finland, I went through a government funded process the lasted 2 years, where you take daily classes in Finnish and attend business advisory meetings. If you are successful in applying for business support (i.e. have a good business plan, education and experience in the industry) they give you a grant of around 10 000 which they pay you every month in installments over a 6 month period. Its called 'starttiraha' for Finnish folk interested. Literally translates to 'start-up money'.

I took out a loan based on this fixed future income, and will break even sometime this summer based on equipment and living expenses. However, I would have preferred to have had a more fluid entry as it would have allowed me to test camera systems. But I needed a quick start, and have sold off most of my purchases that were surplus (silly) and have reinvested in one system.

Regardless of the grant, I still would have taken an unsecured loan - but only because I have done this business for over 10 years and am comfortable with sales, IM and SEO. I also do not know how to do anything else. If your quote is too high, I am the asshole around the corner with a better deal. Not fancy, but I don't have time for pleasantries - and I deliver (for corporate and events) because I have nothing to lose.

Fingers crossed things keep rolling along...

Edit: and the last time I spent more than 30 euros on myself for anything other than camera gear and support was sometime last year. I buy second hand clothes and rock a Huwei P9. I bought that phone only because it has a classy camera for instagram BTS - otherwise I would still be flip-phone. 30 euros was for small bottle of Paco Rabanne cologne. Even that I felt guilty about. Go figure. All net profit nowadays goes to wifey and the bambinos!

Don't forget about in-body+lens stabilisation - this can even help with masking smaller bumps and jitters. G85 would be good, and if thinking about that camera then consider the a6500 for super35 wide angle nice-ness.

On 6/13/2017 at 5:43 AM, Liam said:

If going the festival route, should I pretend I made them a year apart? That would be kind of relieving, like I'm already accomplished into the future a little. But it kinda killed me waiting for a year last time, especially since I mostly got rejections, and this is obviously.. twice that.

Is it weird or ill advised to go around with two films at the same time?

I like the Vimeo only route more than I expected, but I still have a feeling maybe really good luck at a festival - networking etc - is better than really good luck online.

Just kind of a weird problem, wanted some opinions.

I would love to give you some advice on this, as you have given me plenty in the past. But im a churn and burn corporate guy, so wish I you luck!

Pixel Film ProShake. Can add some slight handheld shake or focus racks lickity split. Helps because I can therefore shoot most stuff on a tripod and know I can jazz it up later...

On 6/6/2017 at 6:46 PM, majoraxis said:

I know what I want for Christmas -  iMac-Pro. The Apple product page mention 10bit color monitor and a brighter screen. I love my 2014 iMac with the GPU graphic card - it runs Resolve 14 well enough, but the magic for me (besides the screen) is I can carry it around from work to home and back in the original box and treat it like a laptop so to speak.  Anyways, having that much power in semi-portable system is fantastic... am I the only one who carts their iMac around (daily)?

And there you have your first kickstarter! A portable soft carry case for an imac;)

20 hours ago, BTM_Pix said:

The iLugger with wheels is pretty good for transporting iMacs 

The Lavolta is about a third of the price but is a bit less discrete....

 

Doh! Lol

Should learn to read entire thread before posting:/

This is my Twin Peaks moment.

Basically we are waiting for a AF101 with a 4K 35mm sensor.

Oh my god are we fools...

On 25/04/2017 at 5:07 PM, AaronChicago said:

The SmallHD 702 Bright is 1000 nits and it's plenty bright enough for outdoors. 800 is pretty good for that price.

I was thinking that this could possibly replace the Ursa Mini (expensive) EVF if you get this and the SmallHD Sidefinder... as an Ursa owner, what are your thoughts?

17 minutes ago, hyalinejim said:

I've started making my own. I'm so into it that I dream about colour patches...

Nice! Don't sell yourself short - make a 'casual' 'plug n play' promo vid and Sellfy your ass off!

IMO monitor+recorders were circumventing the internal codec-crippling that camera manufacturers were/ are doing to preserve product lines. Instead of 4.2.0, you got 4.2.2, or 4K... or RAW.

But that was sooo 2016!

I think monitor recorder hybrids will be obsolete soon, as Panasonic is kinda forcing everyones hand to bolster their internal codecs.

Everything (in our age) trends to free...(or at least cheaper...)...

This is a smart move by SmallHD and I imagine other folks (nudge, nudge Aputure) come out blazing with a 5 inch with better specs.

The monitor should be a welcome addition, and not the star of the show...

The camera should do a better job than the apparatus you plug into it.

I often hear the mantra that 'luts should only be used as a starting point' for a grade.

I kinda follow this rule but usually find I abandon the lut as I often prefer my own balancing in the end. But I do slap one on every now and then at the end and bring down the opacity to give a 'hint' of a look.

I just wanted to ask what your workflow is with luts.

Do you use them and how?

Thanks!

19 hours ago, fuzzynormal said:

Media100?

Sony Vegas?