Above: the DCView team discuss HDSLRs
Last week I was asked to do a video interview with Taiwan’s biggest camera website www.dcview.com.tw about HDSLR video technology.
In Asia of all places! Countries like Japan and Taiwan aren’t short of technology – they make most of it!
But although cameras like the 5D Mark II are amongst the most popular cameras in Taiwan, hardly anybody has used the video mode and the Panasonic GH1 isn’t even on the market here, instead imported on the grey market from Japan.
Filmmaking and photography is still in a relative infancy in Asia – even 30 years ago Taiwan and China used to be mostly agriculturally based, and have only recently become economic tigers. Even Taiwan’s most famous filmmaker – Ang Lee (Brokeback Mountain) – had to build a lot of his career in America before returning to Asia to make Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. Not for long will this be the case though, because there are many talented shooters ready to hit the big time with HDSLR technology.
I went along to DCView’s studio and was greeted by the editor of Taiwan’s film website Katrine Yang. Previously I’d joined DCView for a photography trip and team members Ivan and Benson viewed my stuff on Vimeo. Her enthusiasm having been shown some shorts on Vimeo from the GH1 was really cool. She had no idea how good video would be from a consumer point and shoot stills camera and she was really quite amazed at how it looked. I also took along a Zacuto Z-Finder, which isn’t common in Asia. She loved it!
The video interview was in 5 sections. Firstly I was asked what the basic operation was for video on the GH1. Basic operation is easy for photographers, it’s just a case of setting things manually like an SLR and pressing record. Next up I was asked to do a summary presentation for the GH1’s advantages over small chip camcorders and broadcast cameras. I mentioned simply the large sensor, which means shallow depth of field and low noise, but that you need fast lenses to maximise both aspects.
Thirdly I was asked to give some tips and speak about the skill in recording video as opposed to stills. It was very flattering. I kinda found this most difficult to answer because a lot of it is instinctual and down to people’s taste, their eye for aesthetics and what they’re trying to say as a filmmaker. So I said that each film had to have a language of it’s own and to express an opinion or emotion, and that an artist builds his style and voice over time. Above all it has to be original.
In part 4 they asked me how I came up with the idea to shoot Tapei’s Longshan Temple on the GH1. I said I stopped by the temple and based the idea on my emotions. I have a Taiwanese girlfriend, and Taiwan is constantly under threat by mainland China who claim it as their own. I then had to delve deep and began to explain that “it’s about religion, hopes and dreams”. When Westerners come to Asia they have a different view to the usual on these things – and it’s a great opportunity for guys in Europe and America to come to Asia and shoot stuff in different ways or express something new.
Lastly they asked what lenses and accessories I used for the GH1. This depends on what you shoot but I said it was important to have a zoom for quick shooting so you don’t miss unscripted moments, and that the GH1 had an advantage in usability over the 5D Mark II. They wanted to know why I shot in black and white (partly because the colour saturation is a bit rubbish at ISO 1600!!) and why I used prime lenses – the reason there is of course that they’re brighter, sharper and each has a unique character.
I think photographers and cinematographers have a lot in common, and these kind of short art films shot at real locations, showing real life, are only possible to do justice to on a HDSLR. It’s a new genre, as first pioneered by Philip Bloom, and it’s spreading.
What the HDSLRs offer is a way for photographers to try their hand at cinema, which is an amazing thing – never before has a stills camera shot cinema quality footage. It’ll open doors to many talented photographers who have a cinematic voice, maybe launching a thousand new artists.
I hope all countries, wherever they are in the world – has an equal share of successful new filmmakers. Hollywood may still be the epicentre of a lot that is cutting edge in cinema, but there are millions of people around the world who want to speak up and be heard.
HDSLRs allow them to do that.