fuzzynormal

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.

I’d definitely do that.

That's beautiful.

One of the funnest, coolest, and most useful tools we found for getting our lenses and camera ready was using the free app of BLENDER for pre-visualization. Honestly, we tried a bunch of "pro" solutions to create pre-viz and storyboards, but nothing was as effective (and obviously as affordable) as BLENDER. Here's an example of one of our master shots compared to the final result. Audio was taken from our initial video conference call/table read: Special thanks to Jacob Zirkle for the tutorial allowing us to be much more practical with this simple and creative solution.

Yeah, the ExProd's background is in set building, so he really loved helping on that part of it. But, truth be told, we cut a ton of corners when it came to authenticity. Made do with a lot of compromises.

Aww, thanks for giving out such a nice compliment. Appreciate it!

Yeah, I think they just got lost in the shuffle of on-line PR. The dark horse. I always liked 'em and wondered why videographers seemed to ignore the brand. My guess is a mix of slightly not the latest-greatest specs and lackluster marketing.

So I'm wondering, is it a brand issue? Oly never really gets any love from the video folks. Is it simply because their specs are always behind the curve...or...what? Samsung made a splash with the NX1, but Oly never really got much attention. Why have you stayed away from their cameras? Not judging, just really curious why there never had more support in the video market. Goofy company business? Not impressed with their offerings?

I just need the bucket.

I gotta believe a sub culture dedicated to minimizing this reality has got to pop up sooner rather than later. I ain't talking about creating some hippy utopia nonsense, but just a collective of people willing and able to dedicate their precious time to things that are actually that, precious... rather than the trivialities we currently allow to dominate. I'm as guilty of it as anyone, but at least I'm TRYING to regulate my exposure to it. I don't know we've always been awash with banal possibilities, but the sheer volume we're expected to endure; doesn't feel healthy both mentally and physically.

If that's where he was with things (including getting the insults to his kids), then, yeah, it's definitely a good thing to step back in general. I mean, all of it is just ridiculous and if anyone on either side loses healthy perspective, you might as well just throw it in the bin and walk away.