“Bottle” movie – GH4 or A7S?

[Rick Wise]

Disagreeing respectfully has zero to do with “kowtowing.” I’m sorry you keep looking for a fight. This forum is not the place for it.

Rick Wise
Cinematographer
MFA/BFA Lighting and Camera Instructor Academy of Art University
San Francisco Bay Area
https://www.RickWiseDP.com

[Gary Huff]

[Rick Wise] “This forum is not the place for it.”

And yet you decided to take a swipe directly at me with your comment right as this branch went on topic, so your own actions belie what your words put forth. You could’ve just left well enough alone, but you were unable to do that.

So you have yourself basically doing what you claim you don’t want to see, and Todd Terry showing how much of an adult he is by resorting to name-calling. Wonderful.

[Todd Terry]

Gary…

I loathe this kind of discussion in public, but you are forcing my hand. Plain and simply, you are behaving like a child.

Perhaps you are having a bad day, and if so, we are sorry. Maybe you got up late, or your dog is sick, or you accidently spilled milk. Or maybe it is just your usual MO of highjacking a thread with snarky and condescending comments (I don’t know you or recognize your name but a five-second search of past threads leads me to believe that is the case).

You make very valid points, but they are cloaked in such a cloud of derision and condescension that it is hard to give them any merit.

It’s a bit like Bob Zelin but without the humor or personality.

As an moderator in this usually very friendly and very helpful forum for the better part of a decade, it’s very clear that whatever you are doing is not appropriate.

This is not the time or place for your behavior.

T2

__________________________________
Todd Terry
Creative Director
Fantastic Plastic Entertainment, Inc.
fantasticplastic.com

[Gary Huff]

[Todd Terry] “Plain and simply, you are behaving like a child.”

Name calling.

[Todd Terry] “Perhaps you hare having a bad day, and if so, we are sorry. Maybe you got up late, or your dog is sick, or you accidently spilled milk. Or maybe it is just your usual MO of highjacking a thread with snarky and condescending comments.

Patronizing.

[Todd Terry] (I don’t know you or recognize your name but a five-second search of past threads leads me to believe that is the case).”

You have one other posting that’s like this out of all the others and think you’re on to something?

[Todd Terry] “You make very valid points, but they are cloaked in such a cloud of derision and condescension that it is hard to give them any merit.”

Coming from someone who said:

[Todd Terry] “Children… please…. quit sniping like a bunch of six year olds. This is not a Real Housewives audition… lets stop it before someone gets a drink thrown in their face.”

Really? You can say that to me with a straight face after that?

[Todd Terry] “It’s a bit like Bob Zelin but without the humor or personality.”

Personal insult (lame one too).

[Todd Terry] “As an moderator in this usually very friendly and very helpful forum for the better part of a decade, it’s very clear that whatever you are doing is not appropriate.”

But your response above is completely appropriate? How does that follow? Frankly, I am astounded at your utter lack of self-awareness here.

[Mark Suszko]

[Jason Roberts]

Well, I promised to report back on my experience with the cameras if I got to play with them. I got to play. My student has decided to go with the Sony, and I agree. He is considering the A7sII for the OIS and greater flexibility. We both shoot footage and looked at it on a good-sized plasma, and I have to say, I liked the finished Sony footage better – a slightly softer look, felt good in the hands, and the low light blew my mind. Here’s the impressions I came away with when I took the time to play:

1. The Slog2 feature is . . . . I will say damn. I was able to grading like I’ve never done before. I managed to get the closest I’ve ever come to a Kodachrome look (I know, odd for filmmaking, but I’ve always wanted to try it). Couldn’t get close with the GH4 like I did with the Sony. Used Premiere Pro for manual grading.
2. The menu system for both drives me insane – but that’s because I’m so embedded in Canon’s way of thinking.
3. The GH4 – I will admit, the ability to shoot 4:3 4K externally is … enticing. To get a hold of 2x anamorphic lenses and shoot ultra-widescreen. I would love to try that. Not Lomos – much as I love the look, I’m not nearly a skilled enough cinematographer to get the most out of Lomos. I wonder if the SLR Magic 2x lenses will be worth a damn. And I know one can do a 1.3x on 16:9, I would just love to do something super widescreen, and not through a matte box in post. I have such fond memories of seeing Ben Hur in the local arthouse theatre when I was a teenager. Super widescreen cinematography astounds me.
4. All that being said about the GH4 – I’m not going to lie, the body felt a little cheap. I felt like I might break it if I had to do something risky or rough and tumble with it – I wouldn’t want it within six feet of a fight scene for fear of it getting knocked over and shattering. Of course the Sony would probably shatter as well in that situation.
5. At the end of the day, it comes down to image quality, and shooting to a Shogun (10bit Pro Res), a little grading, and then export – the Sony did better with dark areas, shadows, blacks, etc, even when not in Slog 2 mode. I give them a lot of credit for that camera.

So that’s my two cents on it, and I feel my former student is making the right choice on camera. I think he’ll stick with the Canon lenses as well. So at this point, my work is done. Thank you for all your help (even when we got off topic – but hey, tangents can be fun and educational)

[Rick Wise]

Can you post any brief samples, or better yet, post to Vimeo and post the links here?

Rick Wise
Cinematographer
MFA/BFA Lighting and Camera Instructor Academy of Art University
San Francisco Bay Area
https://www.RickWiseDP.com