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What was your big 2014 moment?


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Bought a $10 1970's Pentax lens.  It created a pretty great motion picture image for my GM1; used it on a short film and had a lot of fun.  (the film was kinda lame, but that happens)

Also learned a few standard symbolism techniques for narrative cinematography and used them somewhat effectively in a production.

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Good cheap speedboosters where my revolution of 2014

 

mitakon lens turbo and RJ speedboosers have been used on every shoot I have done this year transforming Panasonic micro 4/3  cameras into serious Super35 film making machines. Combined with Nikon 28-70mm and 80-200mm lenses they produce  F2 images just about as good as it gets

 

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Seeing shadows cast by the moon in this A7s video will I reckon stick in my mind for a while to come:

The shots where you can see stars in the background/sky are wonderful and impressive

 

One interesting thing to me, regarding most of the shots in that tech-film, is the fact that a lot of the footage looks exactly like "day-for-night." 

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For me it has to be upgrading my cameras. I got a BMPCC for £366 in the summer sale and a GH4 for £899 on black friday weekend. Together that's the same amount of money I paid for my D5300 and G6 a year ago. But I've moved from two excellent enthusiast hybrid cameras to two professional video cameras. It really has been a big and worthwhile leap for me - not least because I'm done buying and researching cameras for at least a couple of years now. I'm going to focus completely on making actual films for people other than fellow camera boffins. That's the big moment for me. 

Merry christmas and a happy new year everyone! I hope 2015 brings good filmmaking to you all!

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Biggest part of the year for me is not getting sidetracked by the latest technology, and just shooting most of my stuff with what I've got - a GH3 and loads of FD & M42 lenses (and an SLR Magic). Not a single complaint by any client. ideas made this successful, plus hard work and preparation. 

Next year will see a few major upgrades technologically, but again, strong ideas and creativity is the No.1 focus. Always. 

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I keep wanting my "photo" cameras to suffice as video cameras (Nikon D600, Sony a7, etc.) but I'm with fuzzynormal and Oliver--The Panasonic GH3/GX7/GM1 cameras make shooting video easy and fun (I have the GM1).  If everyone could afford it, I'm pretty sure the GM1 would be in every videographer's bag.  I didn't think much of it as a sills camera until I acquired a Olympus 17mm/1.8.  The way you can easily go from auto to manual focus with the Oly lens is brilliant.  I wanted to move away from MFT in 2014, but it didn't happen.  I gravitate more and more to the GM1 and I bought a BMPCC again.

Here's a video I did in between taking photos with various still cameras around my neck.  The GM1s are around $500 now.  If you have money to burn, you will not be disappointed.  The GM5 has stabilization I think.  So if you have even more money to burn :)  

I've also enjoyed EOSHD even more this year.  So thank you Andrew!!!!

This video is the worst that the GM1 will do!  Every shot was an afterthought to stills.  I have an a6000, and as nice as it is, it is bigger and less video-friendly.  Even though Panasonic didn't fix the mechanical shutter on my GM1, I can't get away from that camera!

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My biggest moment was this summer when I got my first job as a DP on a childrens feature. It is the second biggest cinema opening of an Icelandic film in Iceland ever hehe(the kids love these guys and this was their 4th movie)

Shot with C300 and C100 with Atomos Shogun and Ninja. Canon Cine Primes.

Shot this summer, premiered 31. october ;)

 

Sorry, no english subtitles.

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My biggest moment was bringing my A7s to Germany to visit my father in law. He had been stricken by Lassa fever in Sierra Leone eight years ago, rushed to Germany, was in a coma for 6 months, and ended up in a wheel chair for eight years. But then my wife and I got word he started walking in September. So we rushed out from Brooklyn to visit him in Germany. I took my A7s to shoot photos and film this amazing development. But I had to be mindful as he's a proud man (a physician and African Chief). I needed something that would be discrete and unobtrusive. With the silent shutter, ability to shoot from the hip and with no lights or flash, the A7s caught some of the most beautiful moments that I couldn't with another camera. Then when I showed him the technology and what it could do he was completely blown away - and of course got up and walked for the camera. 

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My biggest moment was bringing my A7s to Germany to visit my father in law. He had been stricken by Lassa fever in Sierra Leone eight years ago, rushed to Germany, was in a coma for 6 months, and ended up in a wheel chair for eight years. But then my wife and I got word he started walking in September. So we rushed out from Brooklyn to visit him in Germany. I took my A7s to shoot photos and film this amazing development. But I had to be mindful as he's a proud man (a physician and African Chief). I needed something that would be discrete and unobtrusive. With the silent shutter, ability to shoot from the hip and with no lights or flash, the A7s caught some of the most beautiful moments that I couldn't with another camera. Then when I showed him the technology and what it could do he was completely blown away - and of course got up and walked for the camera. 

​I think this is my favourite post of the year :)

For me this is what these cameras are all about. I'm "confined" to using them because I can't afford anything "better." But for what I do my GH4 and BMPCC are perfect anyway. I wouldn't swap them if I could afford to. Even a 5D is too big and intimidating for my liking. I'm sticking with my old, small, 52mm-thread Nikkor primes as well. It's massively important to me. People can be funny when you point a camera at them. 

Did you use any sort of rig or brace when shooting the video Tim? What about a mic? These things can also change how people behave, but I find them necessary.

Is your father in law happy for the footage to be publicly online? Do you feel comfortable with that? I'm planning a long-running documentary project shooting the people I grew up around and these questions are massively important to me. I'm not going to use release forms at all - I want these people to trust me completely and releases would ruin that. I trust them enough to do that so why bring that element in?

Anyway, amazing story about your wife's dad. I hope he is relishing life.

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Uh-oh, it's still 2014 and I have another big moment :)  I saw a GH4 going down in price on CL and eventually bought it.  Didn't expect to like it, but a lot of people I respect think it a great camera.   The owner is putting all his money into an F7 for his documentary work (to simplify/improve audio).  Anyway, FINALLY, a freaking video camera that shoots a flatter more pleasing image to me.  I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE CineD.  It isn't RAW, but it's close to what I grade to anyway.  Also, the 4K is great for photography.  I take a frame grab in VLC and process normally in PS.  99% of all the photos people see of mine are on Flickr and for that, 4K is enough.  

Here's a photo of my daughter to give you an idea.  GH4 / Olympus 17mm, I think was as 5.6, at 200 ISO.  Cine-D.

I now need to go back and learn more from Andrew's GH4 guide :)

 

vlcsnap-2014-12-25-15h47m39s243_Alice.jpg

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