Stephen Smith
2
After Effects Coins
7
COW Coins
6
DaVinci Coins
Forum Replies Created
-
Ryan,
Two things:
1. Your replies are getting too hard to follow. If you look at the entire thread you typically have three separate replies to me instead of just one. Poke around the cow and you will see that people structure their replies like this:
[Name of person quoting]
Whatever they said goes here.Then you say what you want. You repeat this process for every quote you want to reply to. Just look at my many replies to your for reference.
2. This conversation is getting really old. Let me make this as simple as I can. You said you want to do a specific shot but can’t make it work with the tools you have and can’t afford to get the proper tools to do the job. You have received advice on how to make the shot work and you still feel none of those ideas will work. If that isn’t the case then why the heck are we still talking? Which is why I said:
If your tools can’t do it and you can’t afford better tools then this is where you think outside the box. There are tons of amazing films that don’t use any gimbal shots whatsoever. Are you really telling me that this story is so revolutionary that you could not have told this story cinematically 10 years ago when no one had motorized gimbals? Motorized gimbals are still very new to the industry and not having them didn’t stop people from telling stories. It feels like you are dead set on the camera move and not the story. I know you find this reply frustrating but seriously, think of alternative ways to show the same message. Best of luck.
At which point you prove my point that you are unwilling to think outside the box. You are so stuck on this idea that you can’t think of anything else. This way of thinking will only slow you down in life. I can’t understand why you can’t think of any other scenario for your actors other than for them to walk and talk for 3 minutes. I have not heard any real answers from you on why you can’t just change the scene to make the shot work with the gear you have. As I said in a past conversation with you already:
I would like to bring up an example where budget restraints created a better solution. Doug Liman did not have the budget he wanted for Mr. and Mrs. Smith. The neighborhood scene where Mr. Smith trips on the fence and accidentally almost shoots his wife is a great one and added a lot to the movie. It was originally supposed to be this big budget car chase scene that the studio would not pay for. Instead, we ended up with this very simple scene that brought so much more to the movie. Limitations can help you find better solutions.
Best of luck Ryan.
Stephen Smith
Check out my Vimeo page
-
Here is the commercial with the bike I was talking about. There are 2 shots where you can tell I’m in a car in front of the guy on the bike. The 1DX mark ii kept him in focus with the tracking feature. We drove for about 10 minutes and I had to keep him in focus for most of the time which was a challenge since he was constantly closer or further away from the camera. I think the end result was cool:
Bike Ride Down Canyon: TJ Eisenhart
Stephen Smith
Check out my Vimeo page
-
[Ryan Elder]
Like let’s say I have a seen of two people walking down the street and talking for like say… three minutes.Why do the actors HAVE to walk down the street?
Stephen Smith
Check out my Vimeo page
-
[Ryan Elder]
As for the recommendation to keep people the same distance from the camera all the time, I can’t do that in every type of scene shoot though.
Of course. I don’t think anyone here is saying otherwise.[Ryan Elder]
Some shots actually call for an actor to change distance, and it would actually complicate some shots more, if I were to keep them at the same distance the whole time.If your tools can’t do it and you can’t afford better tools then this is where you think outside the box. There are tons of amazing films that don’t use any gimbal shots whatsoever. Are you really telling me that this story is so revolutionary that you could not have told this story cinematically 10 years ago when no one had motorized gimbals? Motorized gimbals are still very new to the industry and not having them didn’t stop people from telling stories. It feels like you are dead set on the camera move and not the story. I know you find this reply frustrating but seriously, think of alternative ways to show the same message. Best of luck.
Stephen Smith
Check out my Vimeo page
-
I just downloaded the clip and watched it. I have to ask the same question Blaise Douros did.
Stephen Smith
Check out my Vimeo page
-
-
[Mark Suszko]
Realistically how often would the camera in such situations need to be zoomed or have the focus changed in the first place, from being fully wide and focused at infinity?For me, I HATE seeing everything in focus for infinity for most situations. I think most things look more cinematic if your layers of depth get blurrier the further things get from your subject. I just had a situation last week. I wanted to film a guy riding his bike our the back of the car. The distance from the camera to the bike rider changed every second. If I had the depth of field that I liked and filmed with the guy on the bike would constantly go in and out of focus without the ability to change the focus.
In this situation. If you could keep the talent the same distance from the camera during the whole move they would stay in focus. Which to me would be the easiest solution.
[Ryan Elder]
Okay thanks, but why not use a gimbal for some shots, what’s the big deal?I think the point Gary is making is if your gear can’t do the move you want then don’t do it. As a storyteller, if you feel there is only one way to do something and a long gimbal shot is the only way to tell your story then you lack a lot out the box thinking. How many amazing movies have been created the can tell a story without a gimbal. It is crazy to think this is the only way to film this scene.
[Ryan Elder]
So for the price of the follow focus, is it actually worth betting compared to the electronic focus of the crane?I haven’t used either so don’t take my word for it. But from what I remember the electronic focus isn’t smooth at all. It looks like the focus changes in clicks. Whereas the attachment seems to be as smooth as you would think a controller on a handle could do.
As for price, if you purchase it on B&H the follow focus is free: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1359107-REG/zhiyun_tech_crane_2_3_axis_handheld_stabilizer.html
Stephen Smith
Check out my Vimeo page
-
I have not used the zhiyun crane 2 follow focus even though it came with my setup. Here is a video that can show you what you can expect to see when using the follow focus feature:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjcMXRiFdYY[ryan elder]
Or is the autofocus actually that good on some camera, that you can actually program which actor you want to be in focus, and when?Yes, the autofocus on a 1DX Mark ii is pretty close to that good. You have different autofocus options. One will track the actor you want to when the move left or right, forward or backward they stay in focus. Keep in mind anytime it is “auto” it can make mistakes. I just filmed a person riding a bike on a road out the back of a car. The tracking focus did a great job and I can’t wait to share the project.
[ryan elder]
But I don’t want to have to choose my DPs based on how good their autofocus is. Isn’t there a better way, but still be able to use a gimbal or something like that?I hear you dude. Sometimes you have to work with the limitations of your gear. The “better way”, in my opinion, is to have an additional person to pull focus and let the camera operator “focus” on composing the shot. The bad news is this requires more gear. The person pulling focus needs to be able to do that without touching the lens. You need a wireless focus pulling device such as the DJU Focus https://www.dji.com/focus. To make matters more expensive they also need to see what the camera operator is filming so you would typically want a monitor for them to see as well.
[ryan elder]
So the camera is not smart enough to know what to have in focus, and what not to have in focus. The DP was using the Sony A7s I believe.Not all cameras are equal. And others are better at certain things than others. I feel the 1DX Mark ii has the best autofocus functionality and that is why videographers will pay the crazy high price tag for it. Keep in mind you can purchase a really expensive RED camera and not have any autofocus ability. That doesn’t make it a crapy camera. It all depends on what you want/need.
Best of luck.
Stephen Smith
Check out my Vimeo page
Some contents or functionalities here are not available due to your cookie preferences!This happens because the functionality/content marked as “Google Youtube” uses cookies that you choosed to keep disabled. In order to view this content or use this functionality, please enable cookies: click here to open your cookie preferences.
-
I have a Zhiyn Crane 2 and a Canon 1DX Mark ii. I have been using the cameras built-in autofocus with incredible results. Here is a tutorial on the autofocus:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqOKm3Z9zX0
I think it is in this video where you can see what it looks like when the focus wheel is in use. To me, as crazy as it sounds, the autofocus on cameras like the 1DX is more reliable than the focus wheel:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOj6G29OTCo
Stephen Smith
Check out my Vimeo page
Some contents or functionalities here are not available due to your cookie preferences!This happens because the functionality/content marked as “Google Youtube” uses cookies that you choosed to keep disabled. In order to view this content or use this functionality, please enable cookies: click here to open your cookie preferences.
-
I agree with Eric. I like libraries like Videocopilots Action Essentials https://www.videocopilot.net/products/action2/. I used this technique to add smoke to the tires of the car slamming on its breaks in this Best Call Lawyer Commercial.
Stephen Smith
Check out my Vimeo page
Some contents or functionalities here are not available due to your cookie preferences!This happens because the functionality/content marked as “Google Youtube” uses cookies that you choosed to keep disabled. In order to view this content or use this functionality, please enable cookies: click here to open your cookie preferences.