Help getting the best Cine-look with the Panasonic AG-DVX100

[Noah Kadner]

F5 with good lighting is a good start. Some folks buy this camera assuming it’s automatically going to produce Hollywood quality stuff. It can- but great cinematography is format plus makeup, lighting, production design, etc. I’d suggest grabbing a copy of American Cinematographer to get some hints on that. Here’s some links on good lighting:

https://www.exposure.co.uk/eejit/light/

https://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?s=&threadid=4830

Noah

[Jameslhart]

Thanks for the tips on lighting, the thing is round here, you cannot rent a thing. Everything I get has to be bought and paid for, so I’m really looking at ways to get that more cine-feel, without costing an arm and a leg. Another thing with lighting, is the space I have, in most shots the space is cramped at best, with out 3/4 ft to move each way. Another thing is outside shots, if its the middle of the day, and the sun is out and bright, there is no need for the lighting, so how do you get the cine-look then?

[Noah Kadner]

Well again I would highly recommend doing some research along the lines of what I’ve recommended. The only kinds of movies shot outside without lights are nature documentaries. Every shot you see in Hollywood films is the product of very careful and precise lighting. You cannot expect pro results without some insight into how the pros do it. If you’re asking for a switch or setting on the camera that will make shots look magically great you are in for a letdown.

Noah

[Noah Kadner]

Perhaps you could describe what you see in a movie that you don’t see in your DVX100 footage. Saying it doesn’t have that film look is kind of like saying it’s the wrong color. What do you expect that you’re not getting? Better focus? More contrast? Different shutter effects? More color? etc…

[Jameslhart]

Any essential books you could recommend? I’ve ordered ‘Digital Film Making 101’ and I’m waiting for that to arrive.

[Jameslhart]

To be honest I don’t know, like I said I’m a total newbie. The stuff I record kinda looks like home video, I really don’t know!

[Noah Kadner]

Sure-

Cinematography : Third Edition by Kris Malkiewicz

Practical Cinematography, Second Edition by Paul Wheeler

A subscription to American Cinematographer magazine or at least pick up the current copy- available at just about any newsstand.

Also the DVD Visions of Light shows a lot of famous cinematographers and how they achieved their images.

Hope that helps.

Noah

[Anders H]

One of the big things makes DV look like DV and not film is the depth of field. Back the camera up and zoom in to the actors face. You will see a big difference in the look. Also push the contrast up when you are editing

[Rick Amundson]

I just finished shooting a feature with the DVX 100A and it looks great! I agree that it takes knowledge and experience in cinematography to achieve a “film look” with a dv camera. Some things that will help are:

-getting a shallower depth of field (there are several techniques to achieve this)
-use softer light sources
-I used the recommended settings from the Shooting Digital book from DVFilm (dvfilm.com)
-put the camera on a tripod or somekind of support (handheld on a dv camera is a dead give away that its dv)
-study other dv films

You can see some of my images at http://www.indeliblemovie.com

Unfortunatley there is no magic switch on the camera to get great results immediately.

Rick