Matthew Hartman

4 hours ago, Beritar said:

I will probably go to Sony with the A7III but i can't see a lens similar to the 16-50S or as good as the 50-150mm in the Sony system, the lack of good and affordable zoom is my main concern.

Sigma just released an entire Art series for the e-mount. I find the Art line comparable to Samsung's S line in many regards. 

7 hours ago, dbp said:

We do! My wife and I take roadtrips down there when we can. She's applying to a job at the University of Washington as well, so we might even be moving there.

How cool. UW is a legit institution. What does she teach? What specific areas you looking at?

As you may already know, housing here has skyrocketed to nearly Bay area levels. It's getting insane. 

9 hours ago, dbp said:

As always, I think the experiences are largely going to  be dependent on your market. I'm based in Vancouver right now. Definitely plenty of folks making money solely with photography and video. I'm far from rich but I've managed to pay my bills doing nothing but freelance video work for 5 years now.

It's funny because there's more competition than ever thanks to increased desire and the low cost of equipment. But there's also more video/photo media than ever. It's possible to find your way, but it certainly won't be easy. 

I can also only speak on the industry in the last 8 years or so, since I'm in my mid thirties. I have noticed on a pattern on forums like these, where the older folks in their 50s and 60s have a different view on the current market. Seems it was easier to make a solid living then, where-as now it seems like there's the high end and a tooooooooooooooon of work at the low, barely scraping by end. 

In Seattle. Ever come south? 

4 hours ago, IronFilm said:

This. 

Too many of the old guard have failed to adapt with the times and thus wonder why their incomes have fallen off a cliff. 

I'm 44 now. You must always be on your toes to stay market relevant, especially if you live in a country with little to no social safety nets, like the United States. Fortune has little to do with anything. If your local state economy is shit, what exactly do you hope to gain from it? You have to be where the money is. Simple math. 

5 hours ago, IronFilm said:

Yup, don't follow trust kiddies "business plans" path to success if you want to achieve financial stability yourself!

This is why I work a day job and do film on the side. If I had to rely on my passion doubling as my main income stream it would add a layer of stress that I just don't want to associate with my artistic endeavours.

True, no doubt I have less extra time to pursue my passion, but the time I do get is better spent knowing the rent is covered and I'm not on anyone's else's agenda but my own. 

3 hours ago, buggz said:

And then there is this...

https://tilta.com/shop/armor-man-arm-t01/

Check out the video.

My setup is not too much different than this, although I have one arm that connects to the front of the vest. I have my tension slightly pushing upward so I use a little weight to push the gimbal down for a bit of constant contact and shock absorption. It still requires some technique, (most do) but it definitely helps with not having a sore back and arms.  

I'm dreading the Ursa's weight and size when I get it. I'm not sure what direction I'm going with for stabilization. I might have to stick with good ole ENG over he shoulder for awhile. (For tracking scenes) Not opposed to fitting my vest with a glidecam either. Thank god I'm not into heavy action films.  

3 hours ago, kidzrevil said:

@Matthew Hartman I wish I still had my nx1 ?

ACES & RCM work with other camera profiles too. There is a generic rec709 conversion option but it doesnt work as well as I hoped. ACES has profiles for BMDfilm,alexa log c, all the slog’s and clog as well and its all done in 32bit precision. I still grade in lumetri I just use resolve ACES too color correct in a big color space without worrying about color channel clipping

I might be persuaded to sell my NX1, (with nx-ks hack installed) 5 batteries, 5 native nx lens', 2 Rokinons and 3 vintage glass with adapters, plus my Crane V1 and remote/and handle bars for the right offer.  

1 hour ago, BTM_Pix said:

Unless its 10 bit money of course

Priceless.

36 minutes ago, Mark Romero 2 said:

And Sony money sometimes has a magenta tint to it, sometimes yellow...

Can't money be fixed in post?

41 minutes ago, Mark Romero 2 said:

Is there any way you could post a video / photo of this in use???

One thing I have done which SEEMS to help is inclining the gimbal forward about 25-degrees or so (certainly less than 45). This seems to help mitigate the up-and-down motion that is not otherwise controlled with a 3-axis gimbal.

I'll try to rig it up and send photos and an example video this weekend. 

1 minute ago, M Carter said:

Seeing how this thread is populated by many NX users... what's next when the gear begins to fail, gets damaged, etc?

For me: 4k for 1080 delivery is a massive editing gamechanger for corporate interviews; the NX1 4K works fantastically for this use. Footage is very clean, and I've grabbed B-roll in factories and offices up to 2000iso; sometimes needs NR that high, sometimes is fine - 4k to 1080 often solves many noise issues.

APS-C looks fantastic with my Nikkors and even antique 1960's Canon FL primes. Really dislike going smaller sensor.

AF with the kit lens is pretty amazing on gimbals and steadicams. Another huge game changer, my Kessler/monitor setup is getting dusty. I can knock out ten b-roll shots where I used to get one out with the crane.

Fantastic stills camera for well-lit shoots; the EVF just kills for fast-moving action stills or changing light.

Fantastic camera with studio strobes using the EVF and Nikkors, screen set to "framing mode" - when there's enough focusing light. In dimmer situations with packs and heads, Nikkors are a no-go if I'm shooting 5.6 or slower. Don't have one of the fast native zooms, but plenty of Nikon bodies for those situations. Still on the fence about finding the 50-150, it's still a pricey-ish lens, but would make the NX more useful with still gigs. But I do mainly video. But then when I do stills, I get hired for really tough gigs, lighting big factories, 5 packs and a dozen heads, stuff like that, so the more tech, the better.

The main things for me are APS-C, that crisp 4K, 60p and 120p available, great for nonprofit/hospital kids/drama - and truly functional AF on a gimbal. The biggest issue for me is I'd love some Sony-level low light capability, that stuff is gorgeous. Wouldn't mind 4K at 60p, too. I could consider full frame, not excited about 4/3. Maybe I should be.

So if my NX gets stolen tomorrow, what would make me a happy camper? Used NX? Sony-something? GH5S?? (My next camera may be the BMC 4K studio and a 4K recorder, for higher-end gigs and keying - but that's another shooting scenario, I'd still use the NX1 often).

My conclusion is to graduate into a proper cinema cam which is why I think BMD and Kinefnity are great logical steps in that evolution. Plus, that Blackmagic image. Lovely. 

That being said, I'm not going to sell my NX1. I'm keeping it until it literally has a stroke. Not the perfect camera, but plenty good enough. 

29 minutes ago, Dan Wake said:

is it possible to develop a fourth axis thas is electronic? that have an electronic brain as the other 3 axis of the gimbals do?  because they may easly put the fourth axis in the handle of the gimbals if so..... and I do not understand why they stopped at 3 axis.... is it a techincal reason or just people do not ask for a butter smooter movements?

Wouldn't a fourth axis/contact point not allow 360° rotation? 

What could be done is have the Y shock absorbed with fluid or a internal sping in the grip. I think? 

Don't be afraid of dolly cart/track systems either. They're still well utilized in the industry. You can build a DIY system for cheaper than a lot of these gimbal systems and get much more reliable results. Of course you sacrifice mobility. 

Or mount your gimbal on the back of an electric golf cart. Get inventive. The only thing that matters at the end of th day is the shot. There's NOTHING wrong with hacks. 

I recently did a facing tracking shot sitting on the back of my hybrid car holding my gimbal. Smooth as buttah'.

@Kisaha @mkabi

Great thoughts and expression guys. I'm impressed.

Mkabi, love the tiered packages. I think something like that is highly marketable. 

8 minutes ago, kidzrevil said:

Lmao ! Basically if one can you should master your footage in resolve color management or aces using davinci resolve. Grading like this you can get an accurate conversion of 8 bit LOG (slog2 etc.) to our displays color space without needing 10 bit to avoid banding etc

Yes, I've been transitioning/learning Resolve for color grading just for the advanced tool set over Lumentri. Color separations and qualifiers are very powerful tools.

I have an NX1, and soon I'm picking up the Ursa Mini pro 4.6k possibly even this weekend. So are you saying the advantages you're referring to only apply to Sony slog2 in Resolve? I assume shooting with the Ursa will put me in the advantage of the 10/12 bit space and put me where the future is headed? 

I sure wish this conversation could be a little more laymen.

9 hours ago, Timotheus said:

As a Dutchman, living in a country with strong social security for everyone (and without guns), things happening now in the (very wealthy) US are so bewildering to me.

Trust me, it's bewildering to many Americans as well. I won't get into political conversations here, so if anyone has a retort you will not get a follow up from me.

But we definitely need a good overall of our public policies in my country. Webrunner's story is not unlike many, many Americans. Statistics show that many Americans are roughly a paycheck away from total poverty and many go bankrupt with medical bills, even with having insurance.

I recently had a talk with my 13-year old son about what to do if some crazed individual comes to his school with a weapon. Not a conversation I ever imaged I'd have to have with my children. It's surreal. 

9 minutes ago, Dan Wake said:

the problem is that gimbals only stabilise 3 axis, this is not enough cause there is another axis they should stabilise but they don't. that's what a professional steadycam do with the extra arm that came from the chest vest.

 

now ok there are some exceptions such as the Osmo accessory, and some enormous rig to mount to gimbals as the movi or the ronin, but the true is they should add something new, built in the gimbal itself, to solve this problem imho.

I attach my Z Crane v1 gimbal to a shock-absorbed boom arm mounted to a vest. Two things happen here. The fourth axis is shock-absorbed, where these 3-axis gimbals totally fall apart the most, and I'm also not wearing out my arms holding up a metal pistol grip all day. Spent muscles are shaky muscles. 

2 hours ago, Kisaha said:

@Matthew Hartman haha! no it's not, it's all about 20 stops of dynamic range, 9 axis IBIS and millions of ISO!

By the way, a simple ND filter on a window, it costs a few dozen dollars (re-usable of course), and saves you a few thousands dollars of lighting equipment. When I was really young, and starting in the business I covered hundreds of windows with ND filters (and black curtains)!

Of,course I do not expect @Mark Romero 2 to spend 20 hours to cover everything with ND filter, and if you have 20 and 30 minutes, don't worry about the dynamic range, just go there with your gimbal and shoot everything you can! But the difference sometimes, is not the cameras or the equipment, nor the budget, but time.

If you can't take the time (or talk your customers to give you the time), then maybe you can't do it. Certainly not in 30 minutes. But do not worry, if they do not give you the time, then they do not care!

I can't speculate on real estate, but I will always air on the side of properly setting up a shot in narrative work, even as a one man band. Take the time and effort. When you're sitting in the editor's chair you won't be kicking yourself constantly and this is where coverage and proper set up matters greatly.

Of course a lot of clients are laymen and they have the misconception that filming is a pointed camera and some lights, they don't have any spacial awareness of what makes up a good shot/scene, and why would they? All they ever see is the finished product.

I'm constantly pushing back on those misconceptions. It comes down to approach. You have to be willing to educate people about the craft and justify your position in a respectful/tactful way. It's not an easy thing, almost everyone is going to come at it skeptically, because time is money, but you have to have a good pitch and explain value, or what they're getting for their buck. You have to read the language of each client.

There will always be some adversarial clients that are not worth that battle. If they insist on shit, just give them the shit they asked for. Yeah, your standards are challenged, but money is one shade of green at the end of the day.

3 hours ago, Don Kotlos said:

You might not like it but as a cinematographer you should open your mind and be able to use tools to their full extent. 

Oh trust me my friend, I'm usually the guy that gets all the sideways looks and glances in the room. I was joking about the seizure just in case that wasn't clear.

2 hours ago, scotchtape said:

There are so many tracking shots with telephoto lenses in films, I don't understand why you think they are seizure inducing... Common shots are cityscapes and Aerials as well as tracking characters. Not to mention smaller frame = lower costs (set design)

Gimbal makes both of these accessible to those of us with no budget where we couldn't do this before (including interesting parallax in urban landscapes).

Also the movement can be subtle (as it often is in 24p to avoid judder) so I'm not sure why you think we are swinging the camera wildly around.

 

You would think the emoji would have made it abundantly clear my comment was in jest.

Work with me people!

?

17 hours ago, kye said:

Did you watch his other videos?  He's obviously a pro, and his attitude in the Linny LUT video is hilarious - giving the LUT creators crap while casually explaining advanced colour concepts like they're something that is taught in primary school is a very entertaining mix.  I can't wait for more.  

What stood out especially in the Log grading video above is that part about grading in Arri LogC and how you should use the Offset, Contrast and Pivot controls instead of Lift Gamma and Gain - I can almost feel how much I'm going to learn when he explains that!

Watched them all. Mesmerized. ? subb'd. 

I also figured out where mojo comes from. From your all's Moms. ?

6 hours ago, Don Kotlos said:

I assume 135mm is the actual length of the lens .

But I guess with a moving 135mm focal length you can get some very interesting perspective effects .

Yeah, if that effect is an induced seizure. ?

To be successful in this area you really have to know what kind of content is trending and what advertisers are looking for. You have to be very methodical and discriminate, and put your bias or preferences aside. The cheesy shit in a can sells like hotcakes, unless you're a in-house hired gun to capture antiquity. If you're abstract I wish you luck.

9 minutes ago, vaga said:

Isn't it possible to go put a filter on the outside of the windows to make the light coming in through the windows darker and more equivalent to the indoor lighting?

You'll never see the filter because it's mounted outside.

Yep. It's a well known trick. 

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/90629-REG/Rosco_102302104825_E_Colour_210_6_Neutral.html

5 hours ago, Kisaha said:

In the old days, we were using lights for indoor shots, and put ND filters in most critically positioned windows! And there was a crew, also. 

There's no old days about it. It's called real filmmaking. ?

11 hours ago, Inazuma said:

Yeh like I said earlier, Panasonic colour these days is very life-like (particularly for scenery). My only complaint is that skin sometimes goes Trump-orange. 

Not sure if you've ever shot with Fuji's but I feel like you kind of have to have been there at the scene to appreciate what it's doing with colour. It's not always obvious with comparison videos. Like when I shot this NX1 vs XT2 video, plenty of people said they preferred the NX1, but when I was actually shooting it, it was clear that the XT2 was rendering things much closer to how the scene looked and felt. 

I stopped comparing the footage once I got to the part where a grown man plays in the water fountain. OMG. My sides are aching. ?

2 minutes ago, jonpais said:

 

The wide shots almost look like gimbal work. 

Also, the form factor of the FF dial on the latest crane isn't exactly, ergonomic. In fact, I would say it's short of acceptable.

Before you get a nasty case of buyer's remorse, do your research and make sure whatever tool you get honestly fits your needs. If you're not going to use this tool for at least 50% you don't "need" it. 

3 minutes ago, Dan Wake said:

thanks guys I'm really grateful for yours help! really a lot! Is it true that models have a built in follow focus? which models do have this -awesome- feature? and how does it work? I mean this seems to be a killer application isn't it a game changers for gimbals? thx!

Some do have FF, but only work with select cameras. (And very few of them at that)