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I suppose the easy answer is simply to start directing. You mentioned that within your local community there is no passion for filmmaking. So identify what are the local passions and exploit those by making a film relevant to local interests and concerns. Find a local business with an Instagram account and offer to do a film for them (limit of 60 seconds so it’ll focus the mind). And do it again. Reputation grows slowly - your experience and skill set more rapidly. The people skills will develop too as you relate to those you work with/for. Set up your own Instagram account and shamelessly show off your work. Progress to Vimeo or YouTube but don’t expect huge viewing figures. Be realistic. Remain optimistic. With a hint of idealism thrown into the mix. Possibly the most important thing (others will know a lot more about this than me) is to do something - anything - to get you started... And have fun along the way.

After you have delivered the Sock Puppet short to Kye’s desk... I want a three minute short called “My Town” posted here by next weekend. You don’t need a set or actors or a planned story - it’s all happening out there. Be a director and tell us your story about your town. You decide how to edit and cut - fast paced or slow. Day or night? Handheld or tripod? Get music from Eric’s site soundimage.org. Improvise. Create. Direct. Think of this not as some stupid suggestion on an Internet forum (which it obviously is) but as a commission - your first - so try to show off your talent. Who knows if you do it, someone might take notice and the first career building brick might slip into place.

Welcome to the free peer-to-peer colour grading course! ??? The idea is that we all have things to learn from each other, so we all grade the same clip and then you explain what you did if someone is interested in your grade. These are the rules: No criticism. NO CRITICISM!! Seriously. If someone asks for constructive feedback then sure, give a few helpful pointers (and not an essay), but this thread is about learning from each others strengths, not pointing out each others weaknesses. We are here because we are not professional colourists, and some of us only do this for fun and aren't pros, so give us a break. If we criticise then no one will grade, and... If no-one grades, no-one learns anything. You don't have to grade to participate, but please do if you are able to. You can post multiple grades if you want. Try different looks, see what works and what other people might like. Grading is subjective. Anyone is free to post a clip/still to grade, BUT, You must post two grades of other clips before you post your clip for grading. Otherwise we'll have a thread full of clips and no grades. See rule #2. If you post a clip, please include what colour/gamma profile it was shot in. This helps to transform the colour space. Please post the file SOOC if possible (if it's not too large a file size) or at least a completely ungraded unprocessed clip from that file. Be sure to maintain bit-depth and resolution. Please post relatively nice clips, not ones that are impossible. Try to remember that we're trying to learn colour grading, not show off our troubleshooting skills. Don't be an asshole. Seriously, just play nice and get along I am serious about Rule #1. Posting your creative work is an act of courage - criticising others is an act of cowardice. If you are an asshole I will call you out, and I will not be polite about it. All that said, here's clip number one. Have at it! https://www.sugarsync.com/pf/D8480669_08693060_6029821 Clip shot with GH5 in 150Mbps 4K HLG, shot with sharpening turned all the way down. I have reason to believe that the HLG on the GH5 is neither rec.2100 nor rec.2020, but rec2100 is probably good enough to get a decent grade. I shoot auto-WB so it probably needs adjusting, and there's a bit of noise too, but it's not too far gone - I shoot in way worse conditions than this. The clip is from a tour of a traditional village temple in Nha Trang Vietnam.

Lol wait.. you're the one that brought up NASA uses Nikon for still photography.. in a Canon thread.. on a video-centric forum.. and I'm the one turning things into a pissing contest?!! Cmon man, you went there. All i did was post a relevant link to an article which btw you thanked me for finding interesting. Why now the hissy fit?? Woke up wrong side of bed? This place is like a ticking time-bomb, always with the drama.. especially if you dare say anything remotely positive about Canon, then all hell breaks loose, SMH. FYI i started out with Nikon, shot on them for decades. Still own much of their glass & an FM2. Why would I feel remotely threatened by astronauts shooting stills? So please mate.. take a deep breath and ask yourself..

My first movies were Lego stopmotion, I say go for it. I'll voice act if you need more characters.

So get to it. I want a finished edit on my desk by Monday morning!!

It wasn't us. Two of our winners have been dogs. So, Britain has decided that its dogs have more talent than its people. Twice. Whether thats a testament to the talent of our canines or a sad indictment of the talent of our humans is open to debate. Of course it wouldn't be the last time the will of the people ended up causing an outcome that could be best described as a complete dog.

Well I will say this thread is pretty awesome: a budget full frame camera, undertakers, professional sport photography, cinematic mojo, academy award winners and even astronauts. The only thing that beats a good old canon back and forth is a Leica one.

as Turboguard said I'm still struggled with colour a whole video correctly. Before this camera my workflow is pretty much slap on a decent lut => tweaked a few thing and deliver. My goal this year is to try to up my colour skill. This is a video that I did while strolling the street of Melbourne. The sound is actually the on board mic since I din't expect such a performance

I think what he’s saying is that you can answer your own question by going out and making films. And if you’re desperate enough to make them, you could always set your camera on a tripod and film yourself as an actor. I’m sure your local church or library has some kind of bulletin board where you can post a casting notice. Build your films around what you have... for instance... don’t write an urban film if you live in a rural community. Make One Minute films that you can put up on Instagram. To sound a little cliche... if there’s a will, there’s a way. However, it’s up to you and nobody on this site can help you build people skills. But if you are unabashedly yourself, then what more do you need? Zach, I know how much you want to make films. I remember you posting similar threads 4 or 5 years ago. And I know about priorities in life. And I know making films is insanely difficult. But ask yourself... what can you do this week or today with a half hour of time that will prepare you to make that movie during your spring break? I’m glad to hear you’re still using your t2i and FD lenses. I ended up buying a modified FD 50mm 1.4 that I adore on my 5D3. So with that being said, go back and look at what Kendy Ty did with his t2i and a single lens and a single character.

Do it Zach!!! Take the Snowfun Challenge™️

He'll need to get in line if he does

Looks good! I had a similar goal, since I also prefer the organic, filmic feel to the image. Before: After: (My God, these stills weigh almost 24MB each..) And a quick look at my node tree: Almost all of the 'effects' are the result of ongoing discussions / experiences shared in other threads. It may seem like a time-consuming grade, but the whole node structure is saved as a still, which I just apply on every clip and then tweak a little depending on the footage. It doesn't take more than 5 minutes to grade each clip.

There is also a Sony a7S II on the ISS, so this automatically means that Sony's cams are the best in the universe. Now we just need to compile a list of cameras that are not used in the ISS so we can avoid these non-worthy brands. See what I did there with your moronic discussion? https://petapixel.com/2017/07/27/theres-sony-a7s-ii-outside-iss-capturing-earth-4k/

I totally agree - just make stuff. I am only aware of two ways to really succeed. Get absolutely great at it or get to know a bunch of people and be great to work with. Considering you're not physically around other people the second one is more challenging, but can still be done (youtibers collab all the time without meeting each other). In terms of the first one, getting great, you have to find your inner voice. The shortcut to doing this is to make lots and lots and lots of films. I know that's not a shortcut (ha ha) but the real shortcut is that they don't have to be long, they only have to be long enough. The person who makes a one minute film every week will learn truck-loads more than the person that makes a 52 minute film each year. I'm assuming you're young (because of college and no car) so assuming that's the case you'll also still be trying to figure out who you are. I'm over 40 and I figured out who I thought I was, but am now trying to get rid of some of those ideas, so I'm still at it. Finding yourself and your voice just takes work, but the upside is that it only takes work. If you make 100 short films then it's almost impossible not to learn a lot about yourself. Another shortcut is to try things that make you uncomfortable and you've never tried. Film yourself, make a musical, make a historical reenactment, make a documentary, make a mockumentary, make a fake news report, make a stop-go animation, make a film with planning and no editing, make a film with no planning and only editing, make a silent film, make a film with no music, make a film with only music, make a B&W film, make a film in hyper colour, make a film about a colour, make a film about someone you know, make a film about someone you don't know, make a film about you trying to make a film and failing, make a film about you making a film and succeeding, make a tutorial, make an abstract film about a lost sock, make a film about what it's like to be you, make a film about who you would have been if you had been someone else, make films for other people, make a film that you will never show to anyone else and have a premier with only you and then delete it afterwards, make a film for money, make a film about the people you care about and give it to them as a gift........... Learning is accidentally doing things that are great often enough to work out how to do them on purpose.

If you enjoyed my Yellowstone film, you might like this. I filmed this over 1 day in the Grand Tetons National Park.

I'm excited to share my new travel film I shot over 4 days in Yellowstone in August. This was my first video on GH5. I learned allot on this shoot. I hope you sit back and watch on a decent screen with some good sound and enjoy some CinemaScope nature bliss. Cheers. Filmed on the Panasonic GH5. Filmed in HLG and Cine D profiles. Colored with Film Convert. Anamorphic lens used were the Baby Hypergonar 1.75x, Bolex 8/19 1.5x and 16/32 1.5x Anamorphot. The Rectilux 3FF-s variable diopter and closeup lens. Taking lens used Pentax 300mm DA f4, MeVis 35mm f1.6, Carl Zeiss 100mm f2.8 and Pen F 38mm f1.8 with wide angle attachment in front.

ZACH ^^^^^^^^^ (emphasis mine, sorry @mercer)

At first I totally disregarded the E-M1X... now I feel it fills a VERY VERY special niche for video. YouTubers who can afford it. Did a quick collab with Sara Dietschy comparing it to the GH5. Check it out!

I disagree with this on many levels. If you need to make money right now, then yeah, do something that people will pay for, whether its a computer programming job or making coffee for other filmmakers. But if filmmaking is something you enjoy, then do it. You aren't born with talent, you develop it with hard work and experience. Which is exactly what Zach is asking for: how to get experience without access to like-minded people. That is a fantastic reason to make films. When automation and AI make human labor obsolete, people whose sense of self-worth is tied to fulfilling an economic need will find their life has no meaning. (getting off on a tangent, but the point is you should pursue things that you enjoy, regardless of their relevance to other people).

@heart0less and @Bioskop.Inc that is a great resource. I have a set of Rollei QBM Carl Zeiss lenses and that site informed me that the 50mm 1.8 can hit the mirror... so I am reticent about not having the lens at infinity when I turn on or off the camera and I haven’t had any issues. Btw, those lenses are incredible for forgotten lenses. I’ve even purchased a Leitax adapter to test out. If it works well, I’ll definitely modify the rest. Here’s a wide open sample with a B+W Vario ND from the 50mm...

I'll second the Yashica ML lenses - here's a good resource: https://cargocollective.com/yashica/About-Yashica-ML-Prime-Lenses Here's a list of M42 that hit or don't hit a 5D - Takumar 50mm f1.4 or the 55mm f1.8 (beware both have razor thin DoF wide open, but are sharp) https://www.panoramaplanet.de/comp/

Didn't know that, big thanks! That's a shame. Regarding hitting the mirror, I really recommend this site: https://www.panoramaplanet.de/comp/ Quite difficult to get by in Poland, not sure why.

Minolta 58mm 1.4 can be modified for EF by Leitax. Also don’t forget the Canon FD 50mm 1.4 which can also be modified for EF by EdMika. The cost is a little more for a mod but I actually feel the Canon FD is worth it. If you’re diiligent, you can find one that has been modified to Nikon mount. The Takumar 50mm 1.4 is a beautiful lens but that may hit your glass as well since there are issues with it hitting the mirror or Canon FF cameras. The obvious choice would be an ai-s Nikkor. They can be found used for a good price and the same lens, with the same design, can still be bought new today. But yes, the Contax Zeiss 50mm 1.4 is a nice lens... even though some people prefer the 50mm 1.7. For a cheaper option, Yashica ML lenses are rumored to have the same Zeiss glass and designs as the Contax Zeiss variant. Another option would be the newer Zeiss Classic ZF or ZF.2 50mm 1.4. Well you can have more than one node with the free version, so it should work?

The notion of talent and relating it to final result resonates with your narcissism but has nothing to do with reality. Why do you consider yourself as relevant to film making? Do you have something to offer? Having a camera is not relevant today because everybody has a camera, and if you want to become a director because of your need for admiration and recognition you will fail, not only as a director but as a person because you have a mental illness that needs to be adressed. If right now your only skill relevant to film making is making coffe you might try to make coffe for people who make films. If you consider yourself as more relevant you could try and show us why you consider this, I'm not seeing anything.

I still use legos to plan out scenes and storyboard. As for showing it, that was a long time ago, maybe if i find some of them and decide i want to put 10 year old me's work online....

It was America's "Got Talent": Although he has performed in Britain as well: He is a kiwi btw! His real name is not TapeFace but "Sam Willis"

If you're living somewhere that is big enough to have a college, then I'm sure there is a local film scene. Perhaps not a busy professional film scene, but at least a local indie/hobbyist film scene you could hook up with. What about the art department at your college, any film students there? Volunteer to help with them.

Wait for a Nikon Z DX camera before leaping in, that would be even more affordable than a Z5

pretty much what snowfun said... rome wasn't built in a day. its going to take time, persistence, a large dollop of self belief and if you post anything online, a very thick skin as there's a lot of criticism out there, not much of it is constructive. its nice to be young and exuberant but that exuberance needs to be seasoned with experience, like any job anywhere in the world. not sure if a film school teaches directing as a part of the course. not even sure of the normal path one would take to become a director even if you lived in hollywood to be honest. some talented people get sponsored to attend schools to learn stuff but you would need a portfolio of work to do that. Casey Neistat is a pretty popular blogger, while blogging isn't exactly the same as directing, being a popular blogger has certainly opened some doors for him, so i think the principal still applies do something well and people will notice. i think your holding yourself back by thinking that you only have a 2011 Canon T2i for film making. i rather you develop the mindset that while you only have a canon t2i its going to be the best damn footage anyone has ever seen from that camera. can you put magic lantern on a t2i that might allow you to shoot raw, even if you could only shoot ten seconds of raw thats like a long time in a music video or a rodeo ride on a bucking bull. i think you need to become like the towns goto man when comes to video it will be hard work and feel like working three jobs for not a lot of reward at times but if your any good and persist you might just live out your dreams perhaps. just a my 2 cents worth edit : definitely have fun. having a job that is enjoyable is like a double bonus no matter what you do (well....exempting serial killers of course)

I have at one point imagined making sock puppet films.

I don't know, I just would like to make some story with the camera. Right now I'm just messing with a camera. College has kept me very busy, and emotional. Right now I am writing and am playing around with my camera to find some funny or innovative youtube video. I really want to have full creative control like directors like David Lynch, John Carpenter, Robert Rodriguez, and Quentin Tarantino had, but that's the same as wanting to be lead vocalist, guitarist, and band manager in a #1 gold record band (not realistic). I would like to have a chance to be a production assistant or an extra in a film or video production, but unfortunately there isn't any available for me nearby. Working for a church sounds like fun too. I have yet to ask any wedding videographers or photographers if I could intern for them. I am trying to make white collar work not seem so daunting to work with as well. I lied to a few people that working with computers is what I want to do for my life, so that I could get a chance to work with computers. I am afraid of unemployment and living with a frustrated family in adulthood.

Zach, what is it exactly that you’re trying to do right this moment — write, direct...? What else? what exactly is at the core of your creative talent that you want to share with people?

The Fuji will eat the GH5 for breakfast in stills. Not to say that you can't get decent stills out of the GH5 but it's not its biggest strength. For video I still have to give the heads up to the GH5 though, especially for event shooting. Fuji is getting really close though. I think I'm the most excited to see where they're going out of every other company, though I'm very interested to see what Panasonic has in store with the GH6. Fuji though is in the same advantageous position that Nikon is in where they don't have to worry about protecting a cinema line, so they're pretty much free to do whatever they can.

great points @kye i think that saying one can use any and all software options would get the most ppl involved! and all i care about is the finished product after all! if you get killer results out of FCPX, resolve, or whatever, who cares ???

You may do things that are great just because you're not seeing them in the same way. It's not a critiquing session where we talk about what doesn't work, it's about gathering the bits that do Resolve is wonderful, and I'm probably much more guilty than the next guy of making fun of the other platforms for not having as extensive a toolset, however the secret is that a great colourist will be able to make very good colour grades with only a few tools. Think about photo editing when photoshop only had the basic adjustment tools like curves - magazines were still full of stunning images. A good grade should be useful to everyone as a reference. Knowing that the person applied a conversion LUT, then custom contrast curves, then desaturated the shadows, etc etc should be useful information to everyone. Sure, if someone goes nuts in Resolve it might be difficult to replicate in PP/FCPX but I don't think that killer grades rely on these fancy tools very often. The point is to replicate the grade and figure out how it works so you understand it. Otherwise it just becomes another preset and you may as well have just bought a LUT pack. In terms of who participates, it's whoever has time and energy

Fantastic video! great example of the P4k and Helios.

True. But it's not allowed to discuss a Canon camera in a normal matter on this forum. So we all have to do our part to keep the psychotic drama going.

what tweak said. More like a Sankor 16-D, since the Kowa 16-D is tiny.

Like I said. If you don't know how to properly expose in those situations without resorting to bracketing or flash then I'm sorry, a new camera isn't going to help you. You need to practice instead of buying stuff.

Shot this video using GHaV3 Lut on GH5s. Followed the guides in the documentations, just drop the LUT in the timeline and tweak the mid-tones, shadow and highlights as suggested. I'm loving the colors!

Still from a short I am working on. This isn't going to make it into the cut, but it was too cool not to share.

And absolutely punching the air level of good news for us Leica SL owners, especially the EF adapter. For Novoflex, possibly not such good news.

f0 or it's trash mate.

I dunno if buying a secondhand 7-year-old FS700 + used shogun is really worth it... just to get 4K 10 bit 422.. in 2019.. At that point might as well get a Z6 + Ninja V and get access to 4K 10bit + ProRes Raw.. and enjoy a compact FF camera with IBIS, strong AF etc..

Not at all true! Just add on the Atomos Shogun, which is always going to be cheaper to buy secondhand than the FS700 itself is. What is complicated about it? Nothing. It needs no more add ons than an a7S / a6500 / GH5 / etc would need at a minimum (i.e. just the normal stuff all cameras needs: media, lenses, and power).

Hey Andrew, just want to say that I so much enjoy this forum and community, even I'm not so actively commenting usually. Also I sooo appreciate your dedication and hard work in maintaining the EOSHD site and community. I have the impression that you and the site are very highly appreciated in photography and especially videography communities and among professionals. That said, I'm also a bit worried about you getting frustrated with industry politics, clickbait journalism and social media etc. I remember another incident in the past (even though not the details of it), and now this with Tony etc. I'm sure they are real problems, but I hope you'd just leave these things unnoticed and kept up the great and highly appreciated work you are doing. I personally want to see the EOSHD site up and running and the community prospering. I hope these red herrings (frustration with clickbait etc) don't get you unnecessarily (even though totally understandably) demotivated and unfocused. Thanks to all of these years and I hope to see many more decades of EOSHD to come. Cheers!

To be honest, I am holding fire on a decision until I see the new firmware. Sony have stepped up their AF on the A6400/A9 and I am guessing there will be a video oriented release taking on the z6 (A7SIII, A7IV?) which will have to be competitively priced. Can Nikon improve their already good AF to keep up with a firmware update? Particularly in the field of action stills, the Z6 is not really a sports camera, the DSLRs still have the edge for stills. The ideal hybrid video/stills action solution is still not there; the A9 is perhaps the closest, but still expensive and lacking key video features like profiles.

Yes, Nikon is one of the top choices for video (arguably the #1 choice), yet their perception is not even "mid back" but "last" (ignored alongside with Pentax etc). Nikon has a serious marketing problem, and giving us raw video from a $2K full frame mirrorless exactly what they need to do to make heads turn and finally pay attention.