fuzzynormal

Hi All, Heading to Berlin tomorrow. Would like to get a few more GH5 batteries and maybe even another X-Pro2 bat. Can anyone recommended store where I can pop in quickly and definitely find 'em? Thanks in advance.

Yeah, f'da internet these days. Not happy at how it's been callously appropriated by wanton algorithmic enterprise. I understand it and why it's happening, but certainly don't appreciate the results, even though I'm guilty as everyone else of being manipulated by it...and manipulating it to my own advantage, if I'm being honest. The world is currently in a mode where rewarding BS is status quo. (maybe that's our default mode anyway) And until things change somehow, the whole thing is devolving. Minimizing individualism is, in my mind, minimizing humanity in general. Perhaps that's our path, but I'm old, so it's my right to think everything's going to hell. At the end of the day, aggregation is theft and the only way to attempt to curb it is probably to regulate. That absolutely wouldn't be possible nor effective anyway.

Good idea. Go out there and make something. Also, there's nothing wrong with shooting non-stabilized handheld footage. I love IBIS, but I don't always want to use it. Sometimes you just need that organic energy of handheld. I'm partial to longer focal lengths regardless. Must be my personality. Close but keeping my distance, y'know?

It got shot. Judging by how long it's taken this far that means post will be done in 2020.

I like what you're doing here. Looks good. There's an alternative method to creating the same technique that I've employed in the past (used it on a low budget CBS promo I made a decade ago) Basically I wanted to create the look of sequential time-lapse but shooting with a video camera. (all I had at the time) So, I shot scenes wherein I had the subject(s) stand still in the middle of San Fransisco and I would then slowly walk toward them, around them, behind them, etc. People would swirl around 'em and sometimes I'd shoot through traffic, etc. At the end of a single shot I would have about 30 seconds of video. I took that 30 seconds, sped it up in post so it lasted 3 seconds...and *this is the important part* applied a 6 frame strobe effect to the clip. Viola': it looked like image sequence time-lapse. Which, when you think about it, is exactly what it is anyway. *note: to really heighten the look, I shot with a very slow shutter. 1/3, I think. Anyway, that adds a lot of cool motion blur, enhancing the "looks like a photo" effect. So, with any footage you can adjust the speed, (ramping up footage makes it look more like time lapse) add a strobe effect filter to hold frames on screen for however long you prefer, and there you go. Play around with it. It's easy and it works. No need to torture your stills camera. Just shoot and then build it easily in post. BTW, the CBS promo spot was pretty lame to be honest, but figuring out a new process to emulate time lapse was fun.

Yup. It's a fun technique: http://www.icompositions.com/music/song.php?sid=162950

Trying to make a "filmmaker" living as the industry is getting turned upside down is a challenge. I feel for the young grunts paying their dues in this way. Doesn't seem like a lot of fun. You can't run a website long term with constant 20-something turnover, and exploitation of those folks. The quality will just be too marginal to be compelling. People appreciate and comprehend quality, whatever form it takes. If no one at NFS is mature or talented enough to offer some sort of insight worth considering, why read it? Superficial stuff might get you instant numbers, but if nothing is worth sticking around for then those numbers (people) will drift after a different shining thing. And the internet has quickly become mostly superficial shiny things. I mean, I'm guilty of filling my head with online nonsense for no other reason than I have time to kill. "Hey, I better see what's new and pooping out of the outrage machine! It's been 30 minutes since I last looked!" Bad reason. In contrast, EOSHD is a simple yet legitimate site. The pace here is organic and justifiably so. The site could also easily last as long as the owner wants it to.

I haven't felt the need to even consider getting a battery grip accessory for the GH5. Feels decent to me out of the box. Whereas the battery grip for the Oly EM5II made that camera damn near ergo (and functionally) perfect for me.

Grist for the insatiable on-line content machine. Not a worthy model to pursue, IMHO. Can be lucrative though.

I'd use the word bizarre, but he already beat me to it. Based on clues I've read in his initial posts and now all this strange aggression, his chances to create a compelling documentary is very questionable. That's got nothing to do at all with equipment. But what do I know? As he told me, I'm just a guy with minimal intelligence wasting another guy's time. I'll bail on this thread, but really and honestly, by wishing the OP luck on his project. Attempting to make a legitimately watchable documentary will, hopefully, be a learning and maturing experience for him.

While you covalence, I do suggest you watch that jonpais video post closely and watch the decisions Brandon Li makes while creating his "challenge" shoot. Try not to dismiss it. There's good stuff there. Notice how he quickly affects mood with modifying or removing the basic lighting he had work with. Consider how he decides to move his camera. Check out the effective rapport he has with his "actress." His decisions are based on his well-earned pragmatic wisdom of shooting in the field. Now, one can certainly practice these elements in an isolated situation. "Play the scales" as you say. Which is a good metaphor. Let's run with it: I think most musicians will tell you practice is necessary, but nothing hones the skill and focus like an actual performance. A youtube challenge is like a recital. Again, find your own way, but the recommendation to "just do it" with challenges like Brandon's is, I think, an effective one. There are just things you can't learn by yourself. You must be effective and make worthwhile decisions in the environment of a fluid setting. Above all, in my limited experience as a documentarian filmmaker, knowing how to work the space you're in, and work with the people you're with, is far far far more worthwhile and rewarding than what gear you own and what camera operation skills you have. Camera skills are important, and you must know them, but they are not what elevates something into the realm of "good." At best, they can make something "competent." "Competent" is not a compliment. It's just the basic expectation. I've unfortunately DP'ed with producer/directors that don't appreciate the reality of what it takes to succeed making docs, they concentrated on the wrong things --and together we've ended up making steaming piles of shit films because of it. My camera skills can't fix boring. It can't fix useless interview questions or b-roll requests that annoy the subject and cause them to withdraw. It can't make someone look elated for an emotional moment when the reality is they were just tired, bored, and frustrated. The best thing good camera skills can do in that situation is mask the reality. I didn't learn that in my office playing with lens choices, I learned that in the field the hard way. My experience says that, as a documentary film maker, all the camera skills (and especially the camera) can't fix a bad situation. It would be like asking an accomplished musician on a Fazioli grand piano to make an incredible performance out of an atonal worthless melody. They could play around with it, re-arrange it, add flourish and musical interest, but at its core, if it's bad, it's just bad. Anyways, I sense you got a plan that you feel is going to work for you. I'm not here to discourage you from that. I will offer advice that worked for me. Grains of salt, 2 cents, etc.

Like I said. Find your mojo path and what does it for you.

You gotta do you, man --and make it work however it works in your mind's eye. If that involves loads of theory or putting things into reckless practice, that's your call. You're self-assured as to what kind of process is good for you. FWIW, guys like me would (and probably could) not work in a very structured sense. I like reckless and organic, for example. The creative process is subjective, so there's no way to assert a singular answer on how to do it. These are suggestions. Not answers... but Brandon Li... yeah, you can trust that guy.

This is going to sound counter intuitive to someone new to the process of making docs, but I would advise that you consider shooting your entire production with one 25mm prime lens. A singular lens choice will limit your bad judgment regarding grabbing variable focal range shots (rookie mistake) and keep everything looking cohesive. Again, maybe it sounds like a bad idea, but really consider it. That simple choice can do wonders for the style and look of your film. Also, someone posted a "cliff-notes" kind of video yesterday about all the fundamentals needed to make shots look cinematic... here it is: https://youtu.be/rk6Cpe3KG8M The info is brief, but it really is kinda all there.

Olympus 5-axis stabilization is a lot better than Panasonic. The GH5's is nice, but it doesn't compete with what I was used to on my EM5II. Having great IS, while cool, is not something I really look for when making certain documentaries. It's not a bad thing for the camera to have some kinetic energy going for it. I like Cinéma-vérité. If a filmmaker appreciates that sort of movement, then superior IS isn't a big consideration. However, an Olympus IS camera paired with an Olympus OS lens it's sort of crazy at how it can smooth stuff out. Depends on the look you're going for. Since the OP is already an Oly guy, he should just stick with it. Not only is it an awesome stills camera, but the EM1MII is 4k and has great colors. If you want a nice lens to shoot interviews, the Voigtlander f0.95 will offer shallow DOF on m43. I prefer the 42.5mm for interviews, but the 25mm is good too. It'll give you plenty of exposure to work with in low-light too. It's not perfect wide open, but the image is still good and useable, IMHO. Unless you're wanting to shoot in absolute darkness as cleanly as possible, then I guess consider the Sony's. Lighting wise, at since you can shoot low-light these days with any camera, look at two really small battery op LED's and something like this guy: https://photographyandcinema.com/products/d-fuse-softbox With two LED's and ambient light, putting together a nice 3-point-lit interview shot is simple and easy. To keep audio compact and easy I'd recommend the Sennheiser ew100 wireless lab straight into the camera. I'm not a fan of shotgun mics mounted to the camera, but if you NEED that ambient room audio it can be helpful. Personally, I'd rather isolate my subject's audio as a priority...but that's only if you're focusing on a single subject. Other needs require different solutions.

Give Germain Lalot a GH5 and a compelling subject and he'd make another film just as good, no question. One things for sure, his footage of Vanuatu is ridiculously better than the SD footage I shot while I was there in 1999!

Does it need it? The OP is kind of a hypothetical question to begin with. Maybe the conversation should be meandering.

I've traveled to over 60 countries. There are rual neighborhoods in my home state of Michigan that easily match the shit-hole-ness of the third world.

I don't disagree, but for a neophyte why not get out there and be creative first, let the solutions follow the ideas? I did my time to learn the craft tech stuff back in the day. Loved doing so. But also had visual ideas, wondered what was the best way to do 'em, analyzed other stuff that was similar, then did the same. BTW, these suggestions are all for folks that are doing it for themselves, not being paid. You best have a clue if someone is giving you a check. That's just being polite and a decent human being. If you suck at something, don't take someone's money. On the other hand, they're really not THAT more expensive than impressive old glass and boosters...especially in the 25mm range -- They're smaller, and they do look really good stopped down @f2. As you know, good glass is good glass. You pay for it.

They're okay. I have the 25mm and the 45mm specifically for shooting a doc I'm working on. Those are the two focal lengths I'm using for the whole film. Basically I got 'em for the low-light capacity and shallow DOF during interviews. Yes, they're better than an old f1.2 Canon and a speedbooster...but not by much. In fact, I find the flaws of boosted old glass rather awesome, tbh.

Sure, you can do that. If you want to be awesome at making cat videos. (Street scenes are hardly ever awesome) If that's what you want, no problem. It's fine. If you really want to make films and movies however, TRUST ME: Do. Not. Wait. Just go do it and try your hardest. Don't let ignorance about technical details slow you down. To hell with ignorance. A little naïveté can be a blessing! Never think you can't accomplish a scene or shot simply because you don't have the best "x" on the market. Compelling stuff can be made with the "y" stuff you already have. The simple ambition to go out and make real stuff will leap frog you over everyone else on the planet playing with their cameras rather than being filmmakers with their cameras. I don't know. Maybe you just want to experiment with gear. Most here are the same, including me. All I can tell ya is that in filmmaking solutions follow creativity and not as often visa versa. All that said, start with a cheap LUMIX M43 cam, a cheap Chinese speed-booster, and three cheap f2.8 manual prime lenses. 24mm, 50mm, 85mm. --Outboard audio recorder with a decent boom mic (and operator), and a modest collection of Aputure LED lights. That's more than enough and more powerful imaging equipment than most of the masters of cinema from the mid-20th century had at their disposal.

Find a scene in a movie that you really like... and that is generally regarded as a legitimate cinematic achievement. I'd suggest a talkie scene from an earlier Kurosawa film. When you really see how subtlety in angles, camera motion, and blocking work, it's a revelation. Break it down shot by shot. (Or maybe it's single shot!) Analyze the light, the motion, the focal lengths, the acting, the blocking... ...and recreate it with a small crew and cast. I think emulation is a great way to quickly learn the techniques and craft. All this nonsense about the technical nuances of modern hybrid cameras is not going to matter until you grasp the fundamentals. hot tip: and when you master the fundementals, the camera and/or specific lens choice matters even less than "normal." --and it's very minimal to begin with. Youre not going to be solid out of the gate, but failure is learning. Also, once you start filming your scene, get off the Internet completely and concentrate on what you're trying to do.

I don't doubt your results. Panny's IS ain't perfect and frustratingly unpredictable at times, (I've found their dual IS disappointing) but wanting it to work flawkessly on a gimball is a false expectation, I think. IS is designed to handle shake as the camera remains stationary. If you move the camera around the acceleration/deceleration momentum can cause dramatic shifts as the IS makes over corrections. This is typical with Olympus IS as well, which is generally considered the best available.

This thread is insane.

I run it hot, actually. However, on my next interview with the ew100 receiver, I dialed the output db down -3 more and did like that audio better. The internal GH5 input is set at -12. I've had trouble in the past with hybrid-camera pre-amps being noisy/hissy if the signal is too thin. FWIW, if the audio clips a little bit (emphasis on little) in places I tend to correct that in post with iZotope's audio Rx. Granted, this is far from an ideal solution, but I've decided running slightly hot on the input is preferable to the alternative, which is too much noise on voices that can go quiet during emotional moments. Anyway, this is a similar issue I've delt with across brands/cameras. When I'm doing mission critical work I use an external recorder anyway...or hire a sound guy. moral of the story: just use better stuff when you need a better result. Right now I'm dabbling in a no-budget personal project, so it's not demanding.