fuzzynormal

I'm also a big fan of getting subjects as far away from any walls as possible. Depends on what you're doing, but that's a neat subtlety. I've had clients ask me as I move them to the opposite end of the room (so there's a ton of depth behind 'em, while I'm scrunched in a corner with my camera), "What are we doing over here"? "The light is really nice here and you're looking awesome" Yeah... I'm always always always looking for depth. I really don't like it when a videographer makes an already small room look smaller.

Yes. Study how photons do their thing. Even look at renaissance art. Seeing light, which you're starting to do, is the only way to get a handle on it. I just hired a shooter to do a gig and talked to him about everything required on the shoot, including turning off the practical lights and utilizing natural light entering through the windows and controlling the subject's location to maximize the look to his advantage. In one ear and out the other. He left the florescents on. Footage looks like shit. Actually, keeping light "small" is important to me. I like filming and lighting with maximum dimness, or at least having the light go through room in an interesting way. I also like taking the camera sensor and lens f-stops to the edge of their capabilities so the room can be darker. All this allows for more interesting light falloff and controls the ambient if you're running anfd gunning.

Some of the best footage I ever shot was with a 1" CCD, so these little camcorders can certainly do the trick.

Astute. However, at least in our festival the selection committee and the judges aren't the same folks. So we have a smidge of integrity there. But yeah, a lot of them still definitely judge on thematics, not craft.

You're absolutely correct. I'd add you're definitely better positioned as a specialist to maintain a successful career than I am as a one-man-band-guy.

Said this here before but... As someone that's on a film-festival selection committee with a bunch of joe-lunchbox-folks, it becomes very obvious what floats their boat. Horribly or lazily crafted films with a theme they like get the thumbs up while beautiful films with challenging material gets ignored. They can watch stories that look incredibly lame but if they dig the film's message they'll be totally into it and forgive so much. So, so, so much. You all would probably get upset seeing how tolerant they are of bad craft. So as it was, so shall it always be. That's not to say us low-budget video folks shouldn't strive for a higher level of craft, but these minutiae levels of refinement shouldn't necessarily go before the bigger design, y'know? I mean, 3 extra stops of DR is nice, but if you're shooting a shitty script or boring documentary ...what's that DR really doing for ya aside from self-edification (which is okay, btw, if that's all you want).

There’s a theory that says conflict to attain creativity is something that actually enhances creativity. Limitations get the creative juices flowing. If you want to dive into the whole evolutionary benefit of this phenomenon, you can mull that over too.

Since movies are supposed to be a magical representation of our reality, there's always going to be a place for B&W. The lack of chroma makes it inherently unique and other-worldly. Because there's not as much visual data as with color, the frame focuses the viewer's attention to other aspects of the image. If you like cinema, it's really hard not to like what B&W gives you. I'm biased, I guess, because I've always been a fan of old movies and my dad let me use his darkroom when I was a kid. Developing cheap B&W film was quick and easy. Shooting a roll a day with a high-schooler's part-time-work wages was doable -- and a ton of fun.

Yeah, that’s what I did. Was a small player in a silly bar band as a hobby outside of the gigs. It was nice. I knew punching a clock 9-5 wasn’t going to be a future I’d be comfortable with, so I walked away from that in my twenties and went freelance. Feast or famine ain’t for everybody with employment, but as a single guy with always a little bit of savings it wasn’t too hard to manage. Also, I had some exciting clients that really enriched my life… the places on this planet I’ve been is kind of bananas. No regrets in that regard. At this point I’m an old dog and the new tricks of modern media creation are simply mediocre expectations rather than the “gee-wiz that’s cool” impressions that I could deliver in the past. Sure is interesting to see an entire profession move beyond one’s capabilities.

Damn. I’m in trouble!

My favorite doc I’ve ever made was on handheld LUMIX cams without stabilization.

Man, I’ve gone so far as to hire a separate crew to shoot “a” cam with all the video-village gak —while I run around looking all unassuming, just doing my thing and getting 90% of the video used in the edit.

Same here. Run-and-gun doc and corporate vids. Often at f1.8'ish. If it passes the eyeball test, then I'm good. Variable ND is a blessing and a curse though. VND causes it's own issues...but it's a worthwhile tradeoff.

Oh, I don’t know. They mention in the article they were getting their “look” 90% in camera and their colorist/grader was creating the last 10% in post. 90% ain’t bad. Their earlier film “Let Me In” was visually impressive on a modest production scale. Talented and tenacious young film makers are doing amazing work with modest gear. Source: help run a film fest, seeing a handful of micro budget films making high end visuals happen.

For me it would feel out of sorts to put footage examples in part of the forums not made for it. However, if doing so offered a better opportunity for feedback, why not? The problem would be, wanting feedback of technique rather than sensor choice... Also, my footage is B&W, so color grading discussion would be out cutting down significantly on the amount of people that would engage. That's the dilemma in general, which is what I was on about regarding forum shift. Interest would nose dive in this website once talking about gear is secondary to the process. People want to talk gear, not ideas.

Stories, man. They just circulate and we all ingest 'em and spit them out again. You mention the themes of "Taxi Driver," but certainly, for me, there's a lot of "Network" in what you're going for. Regarding your potential production: as someone that's just put myself through the wringer on a short, definitely don't bother wearing too many hats. Protect your writing by being nuanced with the performances and directing the actors. My wife and I missed a ton of subtleties in real time that missed the proper tone on set --those overlooked moments were glaring in the edit. This is very limited wisdom, but it's what I got. Additionally, when you get past a few drafts I'd certainly recommend doing a proof-of-concept scene or two to help you shake things out, reset, and re-strategize before you really get into it. Also, I appreciate your idea to change your online presence from gear review to movie review. I'm sure you know that means your online space will decrease traffic in multitudes, (look at how anemic the "footage" section of EOSHD has always been) but I'm guessing you look at that being a blessing rather than a curse!

The paranormal thing is amusing to me. A decade back or so in my hometown there was a rapper/filmmaker that would go around to different regional neighborhoods and make docs about places that were "haunted". Some rural and some urban. Didn't matter. He'd just make these haunted films. All were horribly crafted. In the middle of it all one of his co-producers approached me for advice. They wanted to make the films technically better. After explaining what they'd have to spend in time and money to do that, they (rightfully) said, "The hell with that" and kept making the films their way. He'd then hype the hell out of whatever film he had just made. He's instinctually good and marketing --and there's always and endless supply of people desperate to believe in the afterlife. Thousands upon thousands of of people would go to his screenings. He'd sell out 1,700 seat old-school movie houses. They'd buy his DVD's and his other merch. He did this year end and year out, eventually parlaying the shtick into a producing gig with a major studio. The dude was ahead of his time, but maybe the time eventually just came around to him? Or maybe our culture is what it is. Worked for Barnum too. Don't know...whatever hustle mojo the rapper guy made work for him is remarkable. God bless him, he made a career out of it! All that's just to say that American filmmaking is ultimately a commercial endeavor, quality be damned -- even though some art does comes out of it occasionally. Eh. I'm rambling.

In 2021 My 5 year old nephew made almost the same money doing videos on YouTube than I made doing videos for clients. That's true. So, there ya go. I've thought very hard about whether or not I should try and do some sort of production for YT monetization. I've decided I'd rather not. I'm just not interested in chasing that stuff. I don't have any passion for it.

Glad you found your angle. I tied weddings years ago and just couldn't jibe with it. So I went corporate video. And I found my level in it over the years. My level and space is diminished now-a-days with the development of tech. Clients that I'd make nice, simple, and polished vids for in the past have moved onto DIY. Can't blame them. If it accomplishes the same, why not?

Yup. Which is why, at my age, I feel as if I need to bow out of this career. (low level corporatey one-man-band sort of thing) In that space it doesn’t make sense to compete with the young’uns are willing and able to navigate it. What it was, for me, isn’t what it can be…so yeah… not sure what’s next for folks in a similar situation.

That's cool. Experiment with other cameras. (or lenses) I do. We should play around with stuff like the OG's did with film stock. The new tech is awesome, let's enjoy it. The OP frets about making a mistake buying a certain cam. If any of us feel up against it, by all means change gear. I've just become content with what I got; doesn't mean anyone else needs to or should. BTW, I enjoy the particular shot you're showing us. The irony is that it would turn out okay on any camera with a good lens --from the 5dII to a Samsung NX, to an Olympus EM10III. They'd all have different strengths and weaknesses, but the shot would pretty much be the shot, right? I mean, if you're not gonna move yourself or light it, what can you do? However, let's say you had an Alexa Mini with you. Our digital gold-standard, right? The IQ would be better, but, you know, not exactly wildly better either... I'm old enough to remember the indy film debates about 16mm vs. 35mm. Everyone knows which format is superior, but sometimes it really didn't matter enough to spend for 35. Folks kind of had their median when it came to balancing budget with IQ. And super 16 always had it's own mojo anyway, so you'd just embrace what it offered.

Nah. Not at all. But that’s not always what cinematography is about, right? It’s also about knowing how to shoot when the light is right. Or adjusting to use the available light in a smart way. —or just Being there to take advantage in creative ways with what the situation allows. Pointing the camera in the right direction. knowing what to avoid as much as knowing what to get. I just think all those things go farther than worrying about which Canon camera you’re using or which Panasonic camera you’re using; concentrating on an extra 1 stop of DR with gear without knowing how to get the most out of the 10 you already have… etc, etc. the same old debate we’ve all had hundreds of times. All that said, having an awesome camera that can cover your ass and recover a bad ill-advised shot is fun too…

Yeah, Shooting with good cinematography will always be the best solution. Wish more people took that tack. It's a hard skill to learn. Certainly easier to buy a new camera!

Haha. Sold my GH5 and bought an Olympus EM10iii. That's definitely a "Downgrade" to a $300 cam. I went the opposite direction.

I like "The Conversation," but wouldn't feel the need to see it on the big screen. But, "M"? Man, that's just...to see it on a proper screen with a full room? The tension and vibe for something like that would be a real movie-going experience.