Steve Crow
Forum Replies Created
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No, not a lot, but I do know there are many die-hard fans on this and other forums.
The company has definitely been a positive force in the industry by pushing the major manufacturers – I believe the big deal with them is 4K, the ability to shoot RAW or to ProRes and an increased dynamic range. My understanding that the tradeoffs include a smaller sensor (somewhat smaller than an APS-C sensor), an odd shape that is not necessarily ready for handheld out of the box and some odd software issues which I believe they are addressing. There has also been a major issue with their delivery schedule meaning you may have to wait weeks or months to actually get one but I understand that’s improving somewhat too.
Shooting RAW seems like a no-brainer meaning something you would very much want to do if given the opportunity but the increase in file sizes is going to impact your whole workflow and wallet. My Macbook Pro is a “senior citizen” and could not handle it, not to mention the number of new hard drives I would have to buy in order to hold, edit and archive the RAW footage.
With the MagicLatern firmware hack, a variety of HD DSLRs can also now shoot RAW in a limited fashion, even older Canons that couldn’t even shoot video officially can now be unofficially “upgraded” to RAW capability with this add on software. I BELIEVE the Mark III was just recently added to the list of supported cameras that you can download MagicLantern firmware for (for free)
If you do buy a blackmagic camera you will join an enthusiastic community and it will be quite an adventure for you. It’s not for me (yet, I’m always open to changing my mind as new things develop) and although I now shoot Canon it’s counterproductive to be too much of a fanboy (or fangirl or fanwhatever) of any brand since a camera is just a tool and you owe it to yourself to get the best tool FOR YOU regardless of any brand loyalty.
A pretty famous still photographer, Trey Ratcliff, just switched from Nikon full frame cameras to Sony micro 4/3rds leaving some with their mouths hanging but he had his reasons
Steve Crow
Crow Digital Media
http://www.CrowDigitalMedia.com -
The fact that you’ve included a traditional style videocamera suggests to me you aren’t 100% sure of going the DSLR route which is fine. Both cameras are more than capable of filming any project you might have in mind -go with what you are most comfortable with. I would personally go with the MIII because I am willing to deal with the extra challenges it presents in exchange for “the look” and the many online resources available specifically geared to that camera body
Steve Crow
Crow Digital Media
http://www.CrowDigitalMedia.com -
Yes like everyone else has said, cutting down the light with a Vari ND filter is a great way to go and is what I also do. Don’t use the shutter speed for this unless you are trying for a very specific look, on a static shot (no movement) it might matter less but I simply consider my shutter speed to be permanently welded to 1/50 except for when I am filming 60fps slow motion stuff.
Of course you can also adjust the aperture but if you are going for the shallow depth of field look then you are limited there too.
Steve Crow
Crow Digital Media
http://www.CrowDigitalMedia.com -
Your filming skills are actually quite good and so I have little to suggest for you in that area.
The one area I would think you could improve on is the “story” used in the music video. It’s basically one long dance party scene, nothing very different happens, one girl dances, then another and so on – I only scanned through the last 2/3rds so I might have missed something.
I don’t understand the lyrics for the song however I would look for ways to broaden the story and to make it as interesting as the music and the beautiful women…what are they singing about – could that suggest some scenes to film? What happened to the principal characters just BEFORE coming to the dance party and AFTER? Think of it more like a movie with a beginning, middle and end instead of just one scene.
Do the singers also play their own instruments or are they just vocalists? We could have seen some of that.
Even drama DURING the dance party could of have been added? Is one girl jealous of another or is someone dancing with someone they shouldn’t? Is everybody great friends there or maybe did someone come to the party that wasn’t invited – someone who made trouble or left with someone’s elses date? Is someone a show-off dancer making everyone else feel uncomfortable?
Particularly with the techno beat style of music – the lyrics may not be all that interesting so I would suggest creating a story of your own if one isn’t already there…other than that you are doing very good work and you should be proud of your filming schools.
Also your English is quite good – my written German is simply bad and I’m half German myself! (Born in Nurnburg, Father was in the Army) Gruß zu Deutschland!
Steve Crow
Crow Digital Media
http://www.CrowDigitalMedia.com -
Well I downloaded the 5D MIII manual and on page 221 I found part of the answer and it says that you CAN use the TV mode and set the shutter speed manually for movies and have the camera set the aperture and ISO for you (page 221) and then on the next page it says you can also select the AV aperture priority mode and have the ISO and shutter speed set for you automatically.
That’s very cool to know and an option that is not available on my much older Canon T2i and, as we learned earlier, not on the 6D either.Â
Unfortunately, it’s typical for camera manufacturers to hold back capabilities just so that you buy the more expensive “pro” model – a very frustrating business practice for the consumer, particularly when it is a pure marketing decision meaning the technology is already there for better performance but is somehow disabled (reminds me of the whole camera RAW business where we learned only a firmware change was needed to allow even very old Canon DSLRs to shoot RAW video)
Then we also have the phenomena of camera manufactures releasing new models with hardly any differences with the older model – just to have something new to market, one assumes.
Steve Crow
Crow Digital Media
http://www.CrowDigitalMedia.com -
I always recommend filming in full manual. I have not investigated how this works on a 5D M2 or 3 – are you saying the shutter and aperture priority modes work when shooting video?
Steve Crow
Crow Digital Media
http://www.CrowDigitalMedia.com -
According to the manual, if you want full control over the exposure of your camera you have to set the mode dial to M.
Here’s the thing though: if you are in movie mode and have NOT set it to M – the manual says (at least how I read it) the camera will operate as though in P mode which means IT is setting the shutter speed and aperture depending upon the brightness in the scene. See the blue area of page 205 where it says:
“In the TV, AV or B shooting modes, the settings will be the same as in the P mode”Read about P mode on page 142
Steve Crow
Crow Digital Media
http://www.CrowDigitalMedia.com -
Frankly, to me this just looks like noise caused by a very underexposed image and also maybe some focus issues. (I think the focus plane is somewhere around the brass door knob on the left but I can’t be sure. What was your aperture, ISO and shutter speed for this shot?)
The wall on the left you mentioned basically, to my eye anyways, looks just about the same as the door on the far right – I see the same blue gray “streaks/noise”.
Another issue may be the fluorescent lighting in the ceiling, if that’s what this room had. Typically what you see are rolling, orange or brown bars on walls and things when fluorescent lighting is messing with your camera but from a still image it’s hard to tell.
You say you don’t have any problems with brighter lighting and I’m not surprised.
Bottom line, from this image I really don’t think (besides the dead pixel issue which isn’t uncommon unfortunately) there’s anything especially wrong with the mechanics of your camera. That’s good news right?
Steve Crow
Crow Digital Media
http://www.CrowDigitalMedia.com -
I made a similar decision and never looked back, however there are now certain jobs that simply are not very practical for me to do – mainly those that require long continuous filming times – but for me such assignments don’t tend to be the interesting jobs anyways.
I wouldn’t be shy about using a Canon 7D or the full frame 60D as my second camera – there’s so much other gear that you will need to outfit your second camera that I’d save money where I could. I doubt very much your clients will ever notice the difference between these cameras and a 5D M II or III.
Steve Crow
Crow Digital Media
http://www.CrowDigitalMedia.com -
For great “shallow depth of field” shots at a relatively low cost, check out the Canon 50mm 1.4 – sells for between $300 and $400. Rent it first or try it out at the store. Make sure your camera is in full manual mode, open up that iris all the way “up” to 1.4, attach a ND filter to your lens to cut down on the light (unless you are already in a low light situation) and I think you will be very happy.
I just calculated with a depth of field calculator hat if you are 2 feet away from your subject with a 50mm 1.4 and your aperture is also set to 1.4 then your depth of field would .3 inches – that’s pretty damn shallow if you ask me.
I shot with a T2i and get great results this way.
Steve Crow
Crow Digital Media
http://www.CrowDigitalMedia.com