BTM_Pix

This post is available on my blog a little more nicely formatted: Link
Trailer for the film
The making of RE:ACTING
Two weeks ago I wrote a post talking about how we shot our micro-budget short film. I talked about how we planned and shot one scene in the film.
I got some questions about where exactly the $3000 budget went, so I'm going to start this post by breaking down our costs.
Food & snacks for about 10-15 people per day (cooked in the evenings after the shoot) - $500
Camera equipment was mostly lent to us for free, but in order to move quickly we also had to rent two zoom lenses for seven days - $450
Props & costumes - $400
Location costs (parking, location rent etc..) - $400
Post-production - $1250
Keeping the budget this low was only possible because we were able to borrow a lot of gear, being smart about planning and making deals with other companies.
For example, we planned the shoot in June because that’s the month most Swedes are on vacation and we managed to get sponsored by a production company that did not have anything scheduled during the shoot, they would let us borrow most of the camera and lighting equipment for the whole production.
Additionally, we managed to save costs on props by negotiating a deal with a company that rents out police gear for film, including cars. Usually this would cost a lot as police gear is highly regulated, but we were able to get what we needed for one day of shooting in exchange for doing a short production for the company.
Another place where we had to get creative with costs was locations. As we wanted to shoot a total of 26 scenes in 13 different locations, we had to choose and plan our locations and scenes carefully. Not only did they have to come for free or at least very cheaply, we also had to get to three locations per day with a small crew.
In the last post I talked about scene 3 in the film and how we shot it in about two hours from arriving at the location. After Scene 3 we drove about 20 minutes to the next location to shoot Scene 22 where we transformed an inconspicuous location into something that would work for the production in more ways than one.

Schedule for day 4 of the shoot
Scene #22
Scene 22 is a police interrogation with the main character Karl, where he finally gets the courage to act well and completes his character arc.
The good thing about interrogation rooms is that when you really look at them and how they appear in films, they're just rooms with neutral-coloured walls and often a one-way mirror.
We realised that all we needed for this location was a white wall and enough space to fit a table and chairs. I figured the common room in the basement of my apartment building would fit our needs, and we could rent it for just $30 a day.

The corner where the bed is standing is where we shot this whole scene.
Doesn’t look like much when you look at it like this, but just dress it up right and light it with intent and you can make anything work.

Dressed up and lit.
When I scouted this room there were several things that made me feel like this was going to make a good location:
Few, small windows, making it easy to block out sunlight
Big space, fitting the whole crew without problem
Access to a bathroom and a kitchen so we could break for lunch here. (which we did)
Bottom floor, so we could get our equipment in and out of the room quickly.
We shot during the daytime, so we had to block out the light from the windows and ended up using just an Astera tube with grid for lighting as well as a floppy for some negative fill.

Floor plan & lighting schematic I made ahead of the shoot
For this scene we chose to shoot from a 90-degree angle to emphasise the movement when Karl leans forward and takes control of the situation.
In contrast to the rest of the film which is shot around 28-35mm, we chose to use a tighter lens to make Karl appear more cramped up and put on the spot.

Acting tough

Being out-witted
These are the two shots that run for most of this scene, and the third shot is of Karl's friend and dim-witted drug dealer Josef who is (poorly) trying to talk his way out of the situation.

Josef, the drug dealer
This shot we chose to do from head-on with the police in silhouette instead. This is both because Josef is acting as comedic relief in the middle of a tense scene and comedy genereally plays better in a wider shot, and also because we wanted to sell the feeling of it being an actual interrogation room more.
Rounding up
This interrogation room scene is a simple scene but I still think that many good principles were applied in its planning. We kept the lighting simple, we got a location that was close to the other two locations of the day, we didn’t have to do a lot of rigging, and in the end we shot it in a way that made it a lot more interesting than you’d expect when you saw the room for the first time.
So, the next time you’re faced with a scene that you don’t have the budget for. Take a step back and consider what the essential parts of the scene are. Then try to be creative with lighting and blocking to enhance your location. If you do this you can often get away with shooting a scene that you thought was out of your budget.
In the third part of this series I’ll give another example of how we got away with shooting a scene that on the surface seems impossible at this budget - an interior scene in a moving car during night time.

Josef, shocked that we pulled it off.
Again, feel free to reach out to me if you have any specific questions.

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Yes, if you keep it at the constant f5.6 at both ends you can zoom in at the long end and it will be in focus at the short end.
Not sure if it is genuinely parfocal (though with native Lumix cameras it will likely be corrected to be so) but more an accidental by-product of the narrow aperture giving it enough depth of field to get away with it.
 

The Fuji film X-T4 is a great camera, but the Nikon Z6 is a more versatile option that offers better performance and features. The Nikon Z6 has a full-frame sensor, which makes it ideal for low-light photography and provides more depth-of-field control. The Z6 also has a better autofocus system, with more focus points and better tracking capabilities than the X-T4. Additionally, the Nikon Z6 has a longer battery life and dual card slots, which is a plus for professional photographers. In conclusion, while the Fuji film X-T4 is a great camera and has its own strengths, the Nikon Z6 offers more advanced features and capabilities, making it a better option for those who want a versatile camera that can be used for both still photography and video.
 
** If someone is going to generate a post using ChatGPT then its only fair that we use ChatGPT to generate a reply to it. **

Trailer for the film
I'm the producer and cinematographer for the short film RE:ACTING, a film that is right now being submitted to festivals around the world. We shot this film last summer and I think we ended up with a very high-end result despite our low budget.
I figured that some of you other filmmakers who are either starting out or are looking for inspiration for how to shoot a film with a limited budget would be interested in some of the things I learned along the way so I'm making a series of blog posts where I will break down how we shot the scenes, why we shot them in this way and also give a producer's perspective on how we secured locations and managed logistics.
Part 1 in this series of posts breaks down this scene and talks about why we shot it like we did and why we ended up shooting it this way.
Read more about it in this blog post and comment if you have any follow-up questions!

You should take up any inaccuracies about the number of card slots with the actual author of the post.

The Panasonic S5 and Nikon Z6 are both versatile cameras that can be used for both still photography and video. Both cameras have full-frame sensors and offer good image quality, but they have some differences that may make one a better fit for you than the other.The Fuji film X-T4, is a mirror less camera that offers advanced auto focus, high-resolution still images, and smooth, high-quality video with high-resolution. The camera also has high resolution electronic viewfinder and advanced auto focus compared to the S5. It also has higher resolution and better AF performance than the Z6. It also has film simulation feature that you might like. If you are looking for high-resolution stills and advanced video features, the X-T4 may be a good choice for you.

hey, i am doing the same type of shoots with my a7IV and have never had a problem with overheating. I think you will be just fine with this camera. Sincerely, the only down size of a74 vs fx30 is the rolling shutter which sometimes can be annoying for panning and camera moves. Other than that, there is no real difference in the work you'll be doing. And with the a74 you'll get full frame and the photo side.
Again, had no problem with overheating and was doing shots in Africa in December last year. Check out my film and if the quality suits you, go for this camera. My film here:
 

GH5 has a 1.4x mode as extele option, giving S16 sensor gate in 4k. It also offers a 2x Digi zoom giving a 2.5K wide image with the image circle of 2/3 inch broadcast. This is some nifty flexibility.
S1 offers S35 gate in 4K as we know, but also 3.1x crop in HD, giving us the gate size of approx 16mm film. I adapted an Angie 75mm c-mount lens in S35 mode. For S16 lenses it' 3.1x crop in Hd only. It's a start but would be nice to have much more flexibility with that beautiful sensor. I have a 35mm c-mount lens which covers S35 perfectly. I need to give it more exposure for sure! Also minimizes the rolling shutter to 15ms.

There are plenty of cheap $10-ish c to L adapters like this one.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/264634742093
Specific crop modes such as the BM camera have is another matter though.

There are plenty of cheap $10-ish c to L adapters like this one.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/264634742093
Specific crop modes such as the BM camera have is another matter though.

Yes, if you keep it at the constant f5.6 at both ends you can zoom in at the long end and it will be in focus at the short end.
Not sure if it is genuinely parfocal (though with native Lumix cameras it will likely be corrected to be so) but more an accidental by-product of the narrow aperture giving it enough depth of field to get away with it.
 

I've been meaning to comment on this... I think these look great. I've always read that this sensor needs a ton of light, but I've always liked the look of slower native lenses on the OG cams.
As you may remember, this is a lens I've wanted for the BMMCC for awhile. Stick it to f/5.6 and it seems to be a nice little set up with OIS. Since this is a power zoom, does it work like a camcorder lens... can you zoom all the way in, grab your focus and then zoom out?

Since I'm here... I may as well post a couple shots from my newest copy of the Nikkor 35mm 1.4 lens on the FP. I've owned a few of these over the years and always make the mistake of selling it. With the uptick in prices, I thought it would be out of reach... well patience pays off and I was able to find one for a reasonable price.

Another potential contender for all round compact lens for the OG Pocket is this Lumix G X Vario PZ 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6.
It has two levers (one for zoom and one for focus) but in terms of smoothness I think the focus works better than the zoom but its still easy to overshoot. Like a manual version of DFD really.
The OIS is reasonable and is obviously a big advantage with the OG Pocket.
I only got this lens under sufferance to check remote zoom functionality for my controllers as it is a powered zoom and thankfully I got it really cheap because after using it in semi-anger for the first time a few days ago I am not particularly fond of it at all.
In use, I found it tricky to get focus with but the combination of it having lowish contrast so not firing the less than ideal focus peaking of the OG Pocket and monitoring on the the less than ideal OG Pocket screen and the failing eyesight of the less than ideal OG Me might well explain that so I'll have to give it another go under different circumstances.
Anyway, here are some rough, soft, low res grabs from the ProRes 422 video file and I suppose I could maybe recommend this combo if you are after less a Super 16 and more a Super 8 feel 🙂

Some frames from the Panasonic 12-32mm F3.5-5.6 on the OG BMPCC.
This lens is a good size appropriate option for the OG BMPCC as a general all rounder and has the additional benefit of IS.
It is pretty slow though but this has the advantage of you not really needing ND when you are in what passes for broad daylight in Copenhagen.
The big downside is that there is no manual focus so you have to rely on the one shot AF on the camera to pre-focus. 
Again, though, the small aperture is an advantage here as you generally have enough DOF to get away with the AF getting you in the ballpark.

Here's a gift from and to EOSHD.  It's been a journey these past 10 years.  Me and mine have bopped in and out of here over the years.
We would like to share our old-fashioned American Christmas film.  It takes place on Christmas Eve, so I guess today's an appropriate time to share it!  This film wouldn't have been made without EOSHD and everyone's wisdom helping us grow technically, especially with advice regarding M43 cams.
If you like classic Hollywood movies, let us know what you think about our attempt at making a 1930's style film.
Happy Christmas!
 

Merry Christmas to the whole EOSHD Forum crew!
i shot this little christmas film on the blackmagic pocket 6K pro with the Sigma 16-35 and the laowa probe. As it borrowed all the Lego models, the camera (thanks to Impossiple Filmproduction in Hamburg) the probe it was a whole lot of production time. Also it took quite long to set the whole thing up. Of course i wanted to tell little stories with the lego figures, but time became tooooo tight and it took me several attempts to find a lighting situation that would work. Of course the scene would have also been much greater if i had more of the practical lamps.I looked for small lights around the house and now there is a variety of lamps inside the houses.  You can fiddle around with the lighting for ages! i definitelely had the feeling i had to stop when i was just getting started. This might also be a fun thing to just shoot on an iphone.. Hopefully next year...
And of  course i would be happy if you would show the film to your children, share it and like and comment and follow my channel on youtube...
 
And to show the improvement i am also putting in the first LIL chilltrain Christmas movie from two years ago.
 

When this system was announced, there was a discussion over the internal rechargeable battery not only in terms of run times but also over longevity and if it failed would that be game over for the units.
At the time, I speculated that based on the power spec quoted by Sennheiser and the shape of the units then it was likely that it was going to be a standard off the shelf battery (a 3.7V/850mAh  14500) so not only should it be possible to replace a dead battery, it shouldn't be that much of a challenge to make it swappable if you needed really long run times in the field.
So.....now that I actually have one, I thought I'd have a look.

And, yes indeed, it is a standard 3.7V/850mAh 14500 battery.
You can pick these up for less than £1 each and a charger will set you back about £5-7.
The connector to the board is also just a standard connector so if you really need the longer run times and swap out capability its pretty straightforward to fashion this yourself and have all day run times for both receiver and transmitter for under £20.
Now, where did I put that warranty form....

When this system was announced, there was a discussion over the internal rechargeable battery not only in terms of run times but also over longevity and if it failed would that be game over for the units.
At the time, I speculated that based on the power spec quoted by Sennheiser and the shape of the units then it was likely that it was going to be a standard off the shelf battery (a 3.7V/850mAh  14500) so not only should it be possible to replace a dead battery, it shouldn't be that much of a challenge to make it swappable if you needed really long run times in the field.
So.....now that I actually have one, I thought I'd have a look.

And, yes indeed, it is a standard 3.7V/850mAh 14500 battery.
You can pick these up for less than £1 each and a charger will set you back about £5-7.
The connector to the board is also just a standard connector so if you really need the longer run times and swap out capability its pretty straightforward to fashion this yourself and have all day run times for both receiver and transmitter for under £20.
Now, where did I put that warranty form....

Another potential contender for all round compact lens for the OG Pocket is this Lumix G X Vario PZ 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6.
It has two levers (one for zoom and one for focus) but in terms of smoothness I think the focus works better than the zoom but its still easy to overshoot. Like a manual version of DFD really.
The OIS is reasonable and is obviously a big advantage with the OG Pocket.
I only got this lens under sufferance to check remote zoom functionality for my controllers as it is a powered zoom and thankfully I got it really cheap because after using it in semi-anger for the first time a few days ago I am not particularly fond of it at all.
In use, I found it tricky to get focus with but the combination of it having lowish contrast so not firing the less than ideal focus peaking of the OG Pocket and monitoring on the the less than ideal OG Pocket screen and the failing eyesight of the less than ideal OG Me might well explain that so I'll have to give it another go under different circumstances.
Anyway, here are some rough, soft, low res grabs from the ProRes 422 video file and I suppose I could maybe recommend this combo if you are after less a Super 16 and more a Super 8 feel 🙂

Another year, I return with my traditional police Christmas video. This year a short film of a thief who climbs the walls dressed as Santa Claus, to camouflage himself as the popular Christmas decoration. Remember that it is a video that we make in which each roll is interpreted by policemen, not actors, and that the technical section this time is made up of some more members of the squad, where only 2 of us have audiovisual knowledge.
I hope it makes you laugh at least a small part of what we have laughed shooting it.
 
A greeting to all, and especially to Andrew.
 

Some frames from the Panasonic 12-32mm F3.5-5.6 on the OG BMPCC.
This lens is a good size appropriate option for the OG BMPCC as a general all rounder and has the additional benefit of IS.
It is pretty slow though but this has the advantage of you not really needing ND when you are in what passes for broad daylight in Copenhagen.
The big downside is that there is no manual focus so you have to rely on the one shot AF on the camera to pre-focus. 
Again, though, the small aperture is an advantage here as you generally have enough DOF to get away with the AF getting you in the ballpark.

Some frames from the Panasonic 12-32mm F3.5-5.6 on the OG BMPCC.
This lens is a good size appropriate option for the OG BMPCC as a general all rounder and has the additional benefit of IS.
It is pretty slow though but this has the advantage of you not really needing ND when you are in what passes for broad daylight in Copenhagen.
The big downside is that there is no manual focus so you have to rely on the one shot AF on the camera to pre-focus. 
Again, though, the small aperture is an advantage here as you generally have enough DOF to get away with the AF getting you in the ballpark.

Some frames from the Panasonic 12-32mm F3.5-5.6 on the OG BMPCC.
This lens is a good size appropriate option for the OG BMPCC as a general all rounder and has the additional benefit of IS.
It is pretty slow though but this has the advantage of you not really needing ND when you are in what passes for broad daylight in Copenhagen.
The big downside is that there is no manual focus so you have to rely on the one shot AF on the camera to pre-focus. 
Again, though, the small aperture is an advantage here as you generally have enough DOF to get away with the AF getting you in the ballpark.