[Jason Newstedt]

Thanks for the input. I think I’ll put in for the Panasonic since I’ve heard decent things about it and have seen some great examples of footage others have shot in different lighting situations. Plus, the learning curve on the newer one is relatively low compared to the other prosumers video cameras out there.

I will say, I’ve been reading up on the GH3 Bill mentioned and I’m considering getting that for personal use. 🙂 For what it can do, that’s a great price.

[Jason Newstedt]

That’s quite an endevour. The first thing I’d do is determine what style of video you want. The two above are different in that the Nawaab video is mostly b-footage with a voice-over and music mixed in. The second is more of an interview style with b-footage and some music mixed in. I think the easier of the two would be the Nawaab style. Another question to consider: what type of restaurant is it? If it’s a family-style restaurant that’s noisy and crowded, consider recording the sound of the restaurant and incorporate that into the soundtrack. If it’s fine dining for couples, a more quite approach would be better with soft music and a pleasant voice-over artist.

Lenses all depend on what style you want. It’s all about what looks good to you. However, be consistent with your choices so there is continuity in your finished video.

If you don’t have any lights I would make sure there is plenty of natural light in the restaurant, so shoot during the day. The kitchen will most likely have better lighting than the dinning room, so that shouldn’t be as much of a problem if you wanted footage of the cooks at work. Again, aim to make the footage look similar so it flows evenly to the eye.

Both videos are pretty run-of-the-mill commercials – even though they’re a bit lengthy. If you’re really unsure about how to go about all this, I would try using the one you like best as a template for your project. Sit down with a pen and paper and write down every shot and do the same thing for your restaurant. You can make changes as you see fit to make it your own.

[Jason Newstedt]

You’re right, your two examples are a lot less crisp than the typical DSLR cameras out there. I’ll need to shoot videos at different locations, so think I should be alright if I can get the videos to look consistent. That might be why I’m now leaning towards a proper video camera.

Has anyone heard anything good about the Panasonic AG-AC90? It’s seems to have been getting good marks for its ability to shoot in low light.

Addendum: There’s a successor to the Panasonic here. (For some reason it isn’t that much more expensive than the one that came out two years earlier.)

[Jason Newstedt]

Thanks for that, Bill.
The event clip you have will be nearly the exact same thing I’ll be shooting. Now that I see it on a camera like the GH3, I’m wondering if it wouldn’t be be overkill.

Was the seminar footage shot with the same camera as the Antigua clip? Because it’s like night and day between the two. (BTW the Antigua video was fantastic stuff.)

I’m starting to rethink the DSLR route based off of what I’ve read since as well as what Blaise suggested. I looked into the Canon XA10 and found mixed reviews for such an expensive video camera, so I’m not sure about that one.

[Jason Newstedt]

Thanks, Steve. The budget was for the camera alone. And I have just about everything else covered like field recorder, lav mics, etc. (some of it we already own). I just insisted we update our camera for better quality footage.

I’m wondering what Blaise was saying about getting a straight video camera instead of a DSLR, as he mentioned only recording in 30-minute increments. Is that true for all DSLRs? I wasn’t aware. I’m also torn since a lot of them have only one lens and auto-features like focus/zoom, which I’d rather have control over.

Thoughts?