salim

Glad to hear that! :-) And you're welcome ?

People need to always keep in mind what are they wanting to get out of a short film? The "return" (not a financial return! Ha. No, but rather some kind of "non-financial" return) will almost certainly be near on exactly the same if it is a 4 minute or a 20 minute short film. Yet the cost (in time/money/effort/missed opportunity cost / etc) will be far far higher!

 
Odds of a short film being sold:
0.0000000001%
 

when I said I was gonna make a youtube miniseries and asked for advice, a bunch of people on here said Uhhh... maybe you should start with something shorter...
and ***they were RIGHT***
i ended up making a 4 min film – WAY WAY SMARTER IN EVERY WAY. glad i did. just throwing it out there
that being said, the more commercial your project is, the more you need to worry about shit like this. my short is, at best,  proof of concept that i can make films – im not trying to directly profit from it in any way financially. of course i have releases, but what are you going to sue me for, 30% of $0? good luck with that
my point @salim is that IF YOU MIGHT EVER SELL THIS FILM FOR MONEY, TO ANYONE, ANYTIME, ANYWHERE, YOU NEED RELEASES ON EVERYTHING. that is the professional answer
the fear of course being that some a-hole sues you in the future, after your project becomes profitable. if thats a non-issue, then who cares. but you have to make that determination
finally, there is the concept in all of this that people should understand the release theyre signing. if they dont its actually worthless in court – not that that comes up, but its like a cop reading you your miranda rights, You have the right to remain silent, etc, and then asking, DO YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT IVE TOLD YOU?
a conversation like that means a lot more to me than a piece of paper. when it comes to hardcore IP issues, have a talk with ppl, and get them to sign something. if its an actor or location release for an indie short, dont trip too hard, but at least make the actors sign a standard release

Yeah just an actor/model release. If you're being anal about it, then location releases too. 

But many ultra micro budget short films don't even do this. 

However with it being a 20 minute long short, that is an overly long time investment for a short film (not something I'd recommend!), so I'd suggest you cover your ass with a bit of paperwork. 

Crossing my finger, going to shoot my first short narrative in 2 weeks. It's about a 20-25 minutes long.
The project has two main actresses and 2-3 additional voice parts (but they're off the camera). I'll have an assistant who will do the sound and slate. So  this is very low budget. 

The actresses are both professional but will perform for no fee. 
 
My question is, what types of legal paperwork should I have the crew sign. Is it just a basic model release work? 

I must also add I'll be shooting this in Russia. So not sure, if I should get something that is legally binding in Russia or in US, where I hope to enter a few different festivals maybe. 
 
I wrote the script myself, but I had a friend translate it into Russian, do I need to get some kind of a release from the translator? 

Thanks in advance for your thoughtful and first-hand experiences. 

So is that a Model release on steroids??

Written permission and usage from everyone in the acting AND voice cast to use their image/voice.

A feature film I just finished. Many shots in the trailer up to ISO6400. Everything shot on the GH5 (two shots on the DJi Phantom 4 Pro and one shot on the GoPro 6)
Still wouldn't want to continue shooting on the GH5, since the Blackmagic Pocket 4k and Fuji X-T3 look way better while the new Nikons look a few steps back.


This was shot on the X-T3 with the standard sharpening setting which actually looks great.
So if you do sharpening, do it right. ?

Being too close to the colour standards on a chart is what got Sony into colour problems in the first place. It was a 100% science based approach when actually colour is also an art.

Someone needs to do a tear-down and see if the X-T3 is indeed a Samsung sensor. Are we looking at an NX2?
Sony don't seem to have anything matching the 26MP chip, as far as I can see.

Exactly. What is Pani came out with a FF camera? Would the colors be any better. Would the AF still be pure crap?!?!?
You bet your bipy the AF would suck.
I got my X-T3 yesterday--and the AF and eye AF are fantastic---no smoke and mirrors here. This camera and the technology are the Real Deal Lucile. 
The problem with the FF version (if it actually happens)is the problem with the MFT version: weird color--inferior to the Fuji---and AF that sucks to high heaven.
I just got my X-T3 yesterday and will be publishing a video in a few minutes that uses the X-T3 in a studio setting, and the eye AF and general AF is fantastic. And those Fuji colors. I really think they're better than Canon---better by a LOT!
This video is shot with the X-H1, but there is about three minutes of intro shot on the X-T3, which I just received yesterday. (I've got friends in high places).
The audio recording in the talking part was also recorded internally in the X-T3, using XLR microphones with an adapter---pretty damned clean audio if you ask me.
The zoo shots were done with the X-H1 using standard and speed booster adapters with Canon FD lenses. All zoo video is hand held.

I am certainly not bigger than a camera company, or more important than Blackmagic and I think people may have seen the hysterics as a bit silly.
I accept that yes, possibly I have shot myself in the foot.
Having said that, EOSHD is bigger than me as well and is a real community. I was standing up for the community and not just for myself.
This was a perfect storm for me. A combination of several factors which caused me to get upset enough to write that article...
First the Canon EOS R launch and the new levels of invasive of PR offensive we are seeing from the camera companies to quell dissent and turn even Caleb Pike into a "it's not perfect but WOW what a great camera" kind of guy. Rather than the person he should be, a "1.8x crop sucks" kind of reviewer.
Secondly the overwhelming feeling of shithead sycophants climbing above my site, in the VIP lane, completely undeservedly.
Thirdly the geographical positioning of the Blackmagic event, it being on my doorstep.
Next the fact Cinema5D were paid to fly in. I could have walked in.
Finally, the John Brawley factor on here and the lack of support from most of my own readers, honestly all this is enough to give someone a nervous breakdown.
It's hard to really get across how I feel, because it is a weird situation and I think the internet is a bit weird as well. In real life, people don't say the things I say or say the things to me that I have had to put up with. People need to calm down, myself included.
It's only a camera.
But I do feel the future of camera and tech journalism is at stake. In fact it may already be absolutely dead. And the most depressing thing of all is that the reader is fine, unawares, and on the most part notices no issue.
No, that wasn't my intention.
Yes I have dug myself into a very silly hole.
I'll be the first to admit that.
Yes Johnnie at Cinema5D is laughing his business head off as we speak.

Andrew, this community you've founded became huge and a vivid home for many of your readers to feel it like ours : ) The proof is the alive 24/7 camera forum (compare with others) we've found here with you and actually, a good sign of the strength of your reasoning for the subject matter (E : -)

@Andrew Reid 
I've said this in the past. If I was the head of the marketing or  PR for a camera company the risk/reward of inviting you and giving you access would not be justifiable. With this post you just made it even a more clear example. 

There is no upside for them to invite someone like you. I think some camera companies do really want honest feedback so they can improve something, but they also want it in a way that does not embarrass them. You come across as a bit of a "loose cannon". Many of these guys, PR and marketing is their job. It's what pays their rent, pays their kids college tuition, medical bills, vacations, etc.  Why should they risk all that so that you and your blog just get more credibility? 
Yes, @John Brawley was a bit curt to you. But I'm not sure how that should impact your purchasing decision. As a professional DP, at the end of the day, you'll pick the best tool for the job that you your budget allows.

I do agree with you, the new Fuji X-T3 is a game changer and at such similar price range, it has advantages, given improved AF (that might actually be useful now), larger sensor and color science. We know X-H2 will probably arrive in another 9-12 months or so, taking X-T3 and adding IBIS on it, making it more useful for some people.

But at the end of the day, pros will look at the entire system and if they're shooting something for netflix, etc. BM might be the obvious system to use given their budget and the hobbyist like myself will choose Nikon, Sony or the new Fuji.
 
I think BM could have done a better job perhaps to be more inclusive, but as someone who supports your product and likes your community and wants to help you, my suggestion is that you could have handled it a lot better. It's probably too late now, you probably burned a lot of bridges and scared off more future marketing people.

IMHO, at this point, maybe your next option is to brand yourself as the ultimate critical reviewer. Basically the place people come to be warned and  see everything they should know about before buying a product. The kind of critical review they do not get on youtube affiliate-marketing driven review business or elsewhere. So market the reason you are not invited is because your reviews are too honest, "too honest to be invited". 

Hope this is constructive. 
 
 

I must admit I was kind of shocked to read Andrew’s latest blog entry and it’s conclusion.. especially only days after decrying said press junkets and praising JB. But I understand this must have hit too close from home and to add insult to injury I’m sure BMD (a smaller word of mouth company) has sold a shit ton of cameras thanks to this site and could have made the effort to reach out. JB's reply visibly felt like a stab in the back. I think both parties are blowing this out of proportion.
I do find it disheartening to see such feud amongst a host and one of it’s most popular contributors and sincerely hope they can work things out.
In any case, I value this site and I’m sure right now is a tense time to manage and review gear ahead of what is announcing itself like an explosive photokina edition and hence would like to show my support to Mr.Reid, even if I don't always share his views. This is his planet.
The guy has done a pretty amazing job with this site imo and deserves to be cut a little slack, wether you agree or not with his latest article and/or handling of the situation.
We're all human beings and have our good/bad days. Let's not jump to any hurtful conslusions.
I do feel an overall tense vibe here and beyond lately. Surely the recent announcements by all the big players has had a dramatic & divisive effect on the photo/video community.
We should all relax a bit over the current state of gear announcements, our excitement/ disappointments, frustrations,  etc.. in the end we all share a common passion and this is all beneficial to us as consumers. So many options out there and at unprecedented price levels. What a time to be alive!  

The intro screen mentions 3D Lut, but doesn't specify a model. 
I000+ nits and lut support at say under 300 USD would be really nice imo.
the biggest thing with all of these cheap monitor company is they have horrible customer support. it always shocks me how hard it is to get something as simple as a PDF copy of the manual.

It could be said that mirrorless cameras don't actually cannibalize pro video camera sales. Sony don't seem to think so. Neither do Panasonic. Canon clearly has a different opinion. But if you look at their Cinema EOS cameras at the moment, they're not even that hot either. I think Canon is behaving tired, almost. Depressed, even. They need new top-management. The current bunch are just too elderly and too risk averse to truly allow creative freedom across each product line.

Nikon Z7 has it for breakfast.
About the only improvement over the 5D Mark IV seems to be substituting MJPEG for H.264. Not that it was overdue or anything!
https://www.eoshd.com/2018/09/here-are-the-official-video-specs-of-the-canon-eos-r-full-frame-mirrorless/
About only thing I can hope for is that the 4K is somehow full frame and not a crop but I honestly just think it is a 5D Mark IV in a mirrorless body, looking at the specs sheet, rather than anything really new.

Actually with the fairly recent Apple's Metal framework for programming GPUs that apple provides (I'm not sure if BM is using that) over what's available one Windows. I'm not sure they will reach parity. But they might. Who knows. 

Max just did a comparisons and on Resolve the Mac is killing it. 
 
 

Maybe instead of making marketing posts on my forum, DJI can give me a drone?!

Some nice close-up pictures here at ePhotoZine. There is already a cage
https://www.ephotozine.com/article/nikon-z6-z7-hands-on-preview-32618

At $1999 i find the Z6 extremely compelling.. however at $3400 i find they could have added at the very least an extra card slot to the Z7. Something tells me an Z8/9 will probably be the 'pro' models in a year or two time.
As annoying as it is, they've clearly left some parts out like mode dial, AF switch, lock image, dual card slots etc to segment their DSLRs from MILCs. 
Nikon may not have a cine cam line to protect but they do have a DSLR one..
As to comparison with Sony A7 line.. well the weather sealing, LCD/EVF resolution, top OLED display, 2 front function buttons, dedicated iso button, grip, touchscreen menus, right-hand menu button etc.. do set it apart ergonomically and build wise. Add to that 10-bit 4:2:2 out, Nikon color science & potentially superior IBIS and it's a slam-dunk to me.
Canon are going to have to go all out if they plan on taking lead now..

If it's a digital zoom, then what's the point?  All drone footage can be manipulated to do this in post.

Tony Northrup mentioned the dolly-zoom effect on the new Parrot drone, which does a zoom (digitally I think?).
 

So looks like at least one DJI product (Maybe Mavic pro II or maybe another model) will have a Dolly Zoom function! 

I hope this automatic. The zoom changes in proportion to the movement of the drone. Check out the video teaser where they should this: