C500 selected for Need for Speed?

[FilmMan]

Shane Hurlbut using these cameras for Need for Speed movie.  Grabbed some twitter conversation.  Information for those who care. 

 

C500 ACam, Arri Alexa Plus ACam, arri M BCam 1DC as CCam and GoPro Hero 3 as ZZCam

 

Shane Hurlbut, ASC ‏@hurlbutvisuals

@pizzafilms yes it is. This camera is going to shake shit up. Big time. #needforspeed A cam is the @canoncinemaeos C500 picked out of 9 cams

 

Shane Hurlbut, ASC ‏@hurlbutvisuals

Vilmos loved @canoncinemaeos C500's color space and sensors sensitivity.

@troyej personal choice by the director and the camera won out because it will be the best tool to tell our story. Which is SPEED baby!!!

Hurlbut, ASC ‏@hurlbutvisuals @pizzafilms copy that.The camera is off the CHAIN.The dark horse. Everyone can shoot there Alexa. I am shooting Digital film & that is Canon

 

 

 

[HurtinMinorKey]

and it still doesn't record RAW internally, same internal codec as the c300.

[Andrew Reid]

Surely a better choice than either the Alexa OR C500 on this shoot would be the F55 because it has a global shutter readout. If you are shooting a ton of action sequences like in Need For Speed, you are going to see jello even on the Alexa. Shane's thinking might be that the C500 is better in low light, and that the Alexa can be used for the wider dynamic range shots - I am not sure if low light is an Alexa weak point but it seems strange to have the C500 on the set at all when you have access to an Alexa. Will the C500 be recording 4K? Unlikely since the film is being shot at 2K on the Alexa!

 

Interesting use of the GoPro though. I'm going to have fun spotting those shots in the movie.

 

Good luck to Shane with the shoot.

[HurtinMinorKey]

Maybe they don't want to go near the F55 because of the pending litigation with RED.  

[Andrew Reid]

This decision was made before that.

 

More likely is that the F55 isn't in Hurlbut's hands yet and he has an agreement with Canon already. He's an Explorer of Light (like LaForet).

[ScreensPro]

Above all else... I think Shane just loves Canon's colour.

[FilmMan]

He likes Canon, does tours for them, etc.  He seems to be biased or he could just like the Canon cameras look?  I was skeptical but Canon colours do have a certain mystique.  The C500 will have huge files.  That in my opinion is a negative.   After working with the 1DC (and I'm far from a professional), the image ranks with the big cameras - Alexa, Epic and actual film - just an opinion.  The 1DC has its own unique look to it.  The 1DC doesn't have all the bells and whistles as the Epic or Alexa.  I'm strictly talking about image.   The one thing that pisses me off about the 1DC is the banding which can show its face at the wrong time.  I think a 10 bit vs 8 bit would clear the issue for most cases?   I don't mind the 1DC compression as bigger file sizes can lead to more headaches than satisfaction.  Knowing proper settings, and how to shoot is so important, as it is with all cameras.  How much is enough?  How much horsepower does one truly need?  People want more and more and more and more.   I'm ranting, and probably not making sense, so I'll stop.  Cheers all.

[Bruno]

Despite all the indie community complains, and camera features aside, Canon images do look better than most of their competition, but they didn't have a high end cinema camera until now. The C500 might not be an Alexa or a RED but it's as close as Canon have been from a high end digital cinema camera, and apparently good enough for large productions to take the plunge.

 

Up until now, we/they didn't have much options regarding high end digital cinema cameras, now there's a bunch of contenders, but it's not like we must pick a winner, like he says, it's like different film stocks. The director preferred the C500 for his film, so that's what they're using.

 

If he had picked a 5D, then it might have had serious drawbacks, but the C500 is a perfectly capable camera, and I'm sure they won't lack in ways to stabilize them to avoid rolling shutter issues. The RED cameras have rolling shutter issues, and they used to be even worse, and it didn't stop them. (I think rolling shutter affects us indie shooters way more than large productions, since we tend to shoot handheld or in less than ideal conditions)

[FilmMan]

@Bruno,  agree.    The camera is a tool.   The top of the food chain cameras will deliver astonishing images whether it be the Alexa, Epic, Sony F65/55, etc.  Boils down to what the director envisions for his feature.

Knowing the strengths/weaknesses with a camera and knowing how to work with it, leads to success.  Cheers.

[ScreensPro]

What is the favoured workflow for C500 4K/raw? Out the back to a Gemini?

 

If it could have been 4K raw in camera.... I think they'd hit a home run, the form fact is great imho

[markm]

Canon lenses and colours are perfect for a colourful glossy look. Undoubtably why he's gone for them. Maybe thinking along the lines of Top Gun.

 

I imagine he has a workaround for the rolling shutter like fast shutter speeds or maybe shoot in slow motion and speed up or slow down as required. Always a way round but then that's Shane's trademark.

[FilmMan]

c500 footage

https://vimeo.com/60408522

[tomekk]

wow, should look like that with 80-90k USD spent on their 2 zoom cine lenses (30-300 14.5-60). Would be pretty pissed if they didn't deliver.

[Andrew Reid]

Why does that guy shoot so many shots at crazy shutter speeds like 1/700, 1/2000, etc. It looks trashy. The footage looks very clean though considering the ISOs, and there is some gold in there.

[ScreensPro]

Hi is likely testing the ability to pull stills off the video........ You can pause that video at most parts and you see a beautiful still image. 1/48th would be covered in motion blur.

[chauffeurdevan]

Personnaly I find the result grading awful (hope this is graded - not source). Too much contrast, saturation all the way up.

 

 

Why does that guy shoot so many shots at crazy shutter speeds like 1/700, 1/2000, etc. It looks trashy. The footage looks very clean though considering the ISOs, and there is some gold in there.

 

The hair of the the girl dancing, is the best thing in this video. Shot at 1/2000. I like the resulting details and you feel more the action.

 

Personnaly I find that shooting only at 180deg is overrated. I much prefer to adapt the speed to the actual content/action/subject.

[ScreensPro]

The most amazing thing is the you CAN shoot these crazy shutter speeds now, because the ISO goes so high and is so clean.

 

Shooting at 1/2000 requires a hell of alot of light (or gain)

[Julian]

Personnaly I find the result grading awful (hope this is graded - not source). Too much contrast, saturation all the way up.

 

Camcorder colors in a cinema camera :) I think they used a fancy picture profile with a lot of contrast/saturation. Nothing wrong with having the possibility, but they should at least make a video completely opposite to this look just to show how cinematic it can be.

[FilmMan]

Why does that guy shoot so many shots at crazy shutter speeds like 1/700, 1/2000, etc. It looks trashy. The footage looks very clean though considering the ISOs, and there is some gold in there.

I was thinking the same thing about the shutter speeds.  Probably to show what the camera can do?   Is it really necessary? 

[ScreensPro]

Is it really necessary? 

 

In this day and age.... If you think solely through the mind of a film maker, you might be in for a rough ride. Who knows why they purchased/rented a C500 and used "weird" shutter speeds?.... I'm sure there was a good reason

 

We are now in a world where video, film making and stills are merging and the way people capture one or the other may be seen as non traditional (for now) but can be completely relevant to that person's need.

 

They might have the following needs.... They mainly want stills and need higher than the 12fps of the 1-DX, they love the Canon look, the client wants video too, but doesn't really care about the 1/48th "film look", they need a small camera with a long battery life. If the client is happy to pay the rental.... Then what better camera?

 

Times are changing.