[Blaise Douros]

Make sure you’ve figured out the size of your character in relation to the jar. When shooting your greenscreen footage, give your actor an on-set marking to make sure they are not stepping outside the jar’s space. That keeps things consistent for you when you go to composite.

I would also recommend doing some sort of practical effect for any close-ups of the actor, to help simulate the distortion of the glass. If it were me, I might try to shoot those closeups with a thick glass partition, so you don’t have to add that effect in post. If I were doing this on a scrappy budget, I might go someplace with big revolving doors, and use the curved glass panel as a stand-in for the jar, with a portable greenscreen in the background.

Pay really close attention to perspective and depth of field, and if possible, shoot your background plates first so you can refer to them in your studio setup, where you have more control. A lighting diagram of your background set will help you match the lighting in-studio.

[Blaise Douros]

I posted this same reply in the Basics forum, but I’ll copypaste it here, too:

Let’s say you’ve identified all the shots that look like sample 1, and those that look like sample 2. Let’s also say that it’s easier to get sample 1 to match sample 2.

Pick the first instance of sample 1 in your timeline. Apply the transformations necessary to get it to match sample 2. Highlight it, and hit “Copy.”

Now, highlight every other instance of sample 1 in your timeline. Right-click on them, and select “Paste Attributes.” A menu will come up. Select the attributes you want to apply to the rest of your sample 1 shots. Hit OK. This will apply the same transformation to all your highlighted sample 1 shots in your timeline.

Now, here’s my other two cents: unless you are jump-cutting between these two setups, nobody is going to notice the difference but you. I had to really pay attention to see the difference in the samples you posted above. You’ll have to ask yourself if the slight reduction in resolution that will result from the scaling and rotation is worse than the almost-unnoticeable difference between the two frames.

[Blaise Douros]

Let’s say you’ve identified all the shots that look like sample 1, and those that look like sample 2. Let’s also say that it’s easier to get sample 1 to match sample 2.

Pick the first instance of sample 1 in your timeline. Apply the transformations necessary to get it to match sample 2. Highlight it, and hit “Copy.”

Now, highlight every other instance of sample 1 in your timeline. Right-click on them, and select “Paste Attributes.” A menu will come up. Select the attributes you want to apply to the rest of your sample 1 shots) Hit OK. This will apply the same transformation to all your sample 1 shots in your timeline.

Now, here’s my other two cents: unless you are jump-cutting between these two setups, nobody is going to notice the difference but you. I had to really pay attention to see the difference in the samples you posted above. You’ll have to ask yourself if the slight reduction in resolution that will result from the scaling and rotation is worse than the almost-unnoticeable difference between the two frames.

[Blaise Douros]

Just drag the master folder into your bins. Premiere will ignore anything that isn’t footage. At least, it does for the ridiculous MTS file structures of h.264 footage.

[Blaise Douros]

It is likely adjusting for lighting conditions. If the lighting in your foreground is significantly different than your background, then that would usually cause such an adjustment in auto-exposure.

As a side note, I’d recommend never using auto exposure. Most cameras aren’t smart enough to do more than just sort of make a guess at which part of the image you want correctly exposed.

[Edit] I see that Todd beat me to the punch with a more detailed explanation. What he said ^^

[Blaise Douros]

In that case, just use the “Faithful” picture style. It will be pretty true to color, without adding too much in the way of over-sharpening or saturation. You just have to make sure to get a good white balance.

[Blaise Douros]

If you’re really concerned about being able to fix the colors in post, hack the camera with Magic Lantern and shoot in RAW. You increase your file size, but retain a lot more color detail.

[Blaise Douros]

Forget the toys. Ain’t enough budget here for that.

You also don’t have enough here for two cameras, which is probably a good idea to have.

For web, I wouldn’t worry about 4K. 1080 is more than sufficient.

So here goes, numbers mostly by memory:

Sony X70 camera: $2000
Tripod: $500
Sennheiser G3 wireless lav: $600
Some kind of shotgun mike (I have an Audio Technica I like): $300. Maybe a boompole.
Backdrops/seamless paper: $200
Use the remaining $1600 to buy as many lights as possible. Don’t forget c-stands and reflectors.

[Blaise Douros]

I would still say stick with the camera you’ve got for learning purposes. The t3 will only do 29.97 fps, and not 23.98, but that’s the only sticking point, to my mind. I still think investing in some lenses and/or support gear will be better investments in the long run, especially if you want to stick to Canon and eventually go to something like the C100.

Mike, I agree with you that the GH cameras are more capable, especially than the t3, but if Kylie only has $700 to spend, investing in a GH2 and kit lens is going to burn that whole budget, leaving her nothing for other lenses, support gear, and audio.

So if I were you, I would look at gear that might be transferable to another kit–like a shoulder mount rig with follow focus, or a good tripod, or a solid audio kit. Once you have made some money with that gear, then you can apply it to your next camera. I can’t say the same for a new camera–if you don’t already own support gear, then you’re right where you started, with a newer camera.

Best of luck–it is REALLY hard to resist the temptation to buy all the things! But if you can make good money with the gear you’ve got, your wallet will thank you later…when you can buy what you want!

[Blaise Douros]

Use the t3i. It really is no less capable than any of the other DSLRs you have mentioned here (in fact, it’s way better than the 7D mk I). The 6D is a bit better, but all things considered, the t5i is pretty much the same camera, and is not better enough to warrant the money you’ll spend on an upgrade. I own the t3i and 6D, and am happy to shoot with both–I can mix footage fro them with no problem.

If you have that kind of money to spend, consider some good lenses, tripods, an audio recorder, and a good shotgun mike. Maybe a camera slider. Don’t waste it chasing new camera bodies–lenses and camera support gear will last you for many, many years.