HelsinkiZim

I am working in a month long project where I am helping young offenders learn about the basics of digital filmmaking. The end result is a music video they are making themselves. I have been using the gh4 as my documentary cam, and it has been superb. We even did some exercises with the micro Cinema Camera, BUT... ... every example of an underground music video they love has something predominantly in common - beautiful colours (saturated), full frame and razor thin DOF We know this as the Canon look. They know it as high quality. So I am going to give the people what they want and rent a Canon for the shoot. Which would you recommend for this purpose, on a budget. I have the sigma 18 35, tokina 11 16 and Samyang 35. Should I get a lens too or should I rent a 70d and skip the full frame? Is Mark II better than III? C100? Raw on a rental? Anyways, appreciate any advice...

Hey, has anyone here actually flown to another country to get a camera and take a free vacation? Some of the US/ EU price differences are the price of a transatlantic flight...

thanks again for your input. But I have to disagree that storytelling in the film universe is subjective. There are clearly defined rules when writing for the screen. These rules need to be mastered before they are broken. Finding out that there are actually rules is more important than knowing the rules themselves. Most people only feel liberated once they feel confined. Once they know what chains need to be broken then they can get to work. I feel that unfortunately filmmaking still lends itself to mystification unlike for example painting whereby it was demystified centuries ago. A painter has no illusions that they must master formal technique before they can experiment. Edit: yes you could point to the British movement led by Damien hirst or similar, but they were all formally trained in theory at the least. Most filmmakers with great ideas never pick up a camera because they feel that's some divine inspiration is what makes a film connect with an audience. However it seems this conversation gearing towards who has a right to tell someone what and how. With that argument i refer back to hertzog. If you feel you have something creative you want to share with someone else and something unique to say, you do not need permission to do so. The act of falling on your ass will teach you more about where your knowledge is lacking. Sitting at home and waiting until you feel you are a master of The Craft before you go out and communicate your knowledge will Ensure that you never actually leave your bedroom. Even Tom antos started somewhere...

Jealousy is a green 2-headed beast. I know this cause he just walked in after I saw the pics...

Yeah, its not a new idea - but I was more inspired by Born into Brothels and I cant give the details of the project in genereral but it is a month long project more similar to what Zana did with the homeless children... Yep, we covered sound. Genereally what I was summising is that - theory indoors, tech in the field...

oook, so everything went... well, ok. Maybe I am being hard on myself, which I sometimes am, but there are things I would do different and it may be useful for any of you that want to try and package something like this for your own businesses. Firstly, I took the advice of many of you and focused on storytelling to begin with. We had a generel discussion about the different types of story structures and then watched trailers from their favorite films and discussed what kind of structure(s) the films were trying to follow. I found that some films mix a couple of structures, and it was a very useful excersise for me too. That was fun! However (secondly), eyes will glaze over if you get to specific about the technical aspects. If I could do it again I would just hand them one piece of paper with a list of maybe 10 golden rules, that they could research in their own time if the wanted to... maybe with some youtube links to related tutorials etc. That list would include my top-tip of doing a 'fast' check before pressing record (focus, aperture, shutter speed, temperature). Maybe even a few Herzog quotes and tips on headroom, law of 3rds, etc. But I wouldn't talk about it at the table (I even had a doll set up and did excersises)... I would just get outside as soon as possible and let them shoot. (edit: ...again, many of you said this too and I can confirm you were spot on) I realised this and shifted gear to getting them to write a simple story based on the story structures we discussed, and I was so suprised at how creative everyone was once I gave up my feeling of wanting to control everything. We went out and I worked camera and they told me what to shoot, and they played different roles. Everyone got into this exercise and it should have been at the forefront of the workshop, not at the end. What I found is that when out and about, you can relay all the tech information with context and its great to see how they see their mistakes during the edit, and it then sinks in. I was super proud when one client actually said 'hmm, I think the iso was too high for that shot' as he pointed to the grain. So, I would advise - have a storytelling basics workshop and then get everyone out to film something and give extra details to those who want to know more. Keep it simple. I think I am going to explore this further as I am sensing a lot of interest in this sort of approach, and feel it could be good for corporate team building exercises and schools/ organisations. My plan is to invest in some phones like the Xperia M5 where you can control settings, and make the seminar about how to make your own films with your phone. Thinking, thinking, thinking... Anyways, thanks for all your advice folks and please ask more questions if you need more info! Here is a screenshot of my story notes, we didnt get to the rest (tech and lighting) and you all know the stuff anyways...

Maybe check these out first before paying as Liam is suggesting its opinion based, and these youtube videos are full of those...

Solid topics here and confirmed what I was thinking about keeping it simple. Thanks for the advice! Okay, still working on my notes but so far here are the topics I am going to cover... tonight I am gathering reference material and diagrams. Any suggestions would be grand, I will share the finished document with you all in case it may help some of you do something similar in future. I will also give my thoughts on what worked and what didn't later in the week. The kids will have access to my company equipment for the exercises - GH4, Micro Cinema Camera, Shark slider, iFootage Mini Jib, Zhiyun Crane and other stuff. Camera What do you know about cameras? Resolution HD and 4K What makes a camera a good camera? - dynamic range, moire, resolution, noise colour, control, Different cameras for different jobs Links to cheap and good cameras i.F.A.S.T. (iso, focus, aperture, shutter speed and temperature) Doll Exercises, Private Ryan opener viewing, relationships - aperture, iso and shutter diagrams Light Importance of light Colour temperatures (daylight and tungsten and compensation) 3 point lighting (screenshots of build up - excersice on doll) Controlling light (working with natural light i.e. the sun, reflector and diffusion excersise) Composition LS, MS, CU, XCU illustrations Law of 3rds illustration Headroom illustration Zero Horizon illustration Depth of Field illustration Breaking the rules (dutch angle, low angle power shot) illustrations, google interesting shot compositions Exercises in above Movement and support Tripod Rig Slider Steadicam/ Gimbal Jib Exercises and shot examples from youtube i.e. screenrant, andyax, etc Never shoot handheld (show rolling shutter jello, jitters) Cheap phone solutions (links to selfy stick jib, cage, mini slider)

Hi, last xmas I watched all of Werner Herzogs youtube content (having been watching his films for the last 10 years), so I know his methodology pretty well. I love how he suggests that you should get a job as a bouncer at a strip-club rather than go to film school and how you don't need to ask permission to film anything these days - I am going to quote him of both of these comments... Thanks! I think I am going to take that course, and Aaron Sorkins - have you taken that one Liam?

I am giving a workshop (yikes!) to a couple of teenagers about inexpensive filmmaking and I wanted to ask you all what topics you would talk about if you were to cover the very basics of teaching someone to go out and shoot for the first time with their phones or DSLRs on zero budget. What kind of advice would you give a first time shooter (above and beyond story)? I have my some takes on the matter, but would appreciate some fresh views that fill in the gaps in my knowledge.

Got it, thanks! Not assholly at all. Perfect argument: Bullet point... benefit... close. How it should be always:-) Edit: if you worked for Tiffen you would have just made a sale!

Have you tried their plugin diffusers? Is there a major difference when using them on the lens? Would love to know... However, looking at their plugin prices it might be cheaper going physical. But as far as end results go?

Lens regain. Period. Wireless aputure and focus control. Keep the dongle around your neck, in your pocket or clamp it as a handle on your rig or tripod handle (clamp included). 10 hours of continuos batterry life. I have been using it for 3 months on gh4 and micro cinema camera. Oh, and its a speedbooster to. Gh4 + regain and transmitter work on zhiyun crane or similar with tokina 11 16 or native 12 35 or similar. I never intend on looking back. Just looking forward to upgrading to the newest version with a remote controlled nd filter. I am surprised it is not in every mft kit bag, but maybe it has some drawbacks I havent seen yet that would make it unsuitable for certain jobs where ectra crew need something to do. I dunno... Edit: however, do not buy a huwei p8 lite, I cant control the beast when typing. Maybe its me... less gear, new phone. Next months plan.

Sybillll...

Selling my steadycam system after deciding to settle on the Zhiyun Crane. It is great for a fully rigged out dslr or even much heavier cameras like a Red One. With the arm and vest you feel no weight and your steps are dampened. Everything in perfect working order, used only a couple of times. Asking for 110€ for the HD-5000 (w. transport bag and table clamp for balancing) New: https://www.amazon.de/Movofilms-HD-5000-Stabilizer-Release-MF-HD5-QT/dp/B016Q2QNV0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1476555483&sr=8-1&keywords=hd5000+steadicam and 200€ for the Arm (w. transport bag) and Vest. New: https://www.amazon.de/Flycam-Comfort-Vest-5000-Flycam3000/dp/B00D3GT2Y8/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1476555577&sr=8-2&keywords=flycam+steadycam+arm+and+vest So if you want them both - 300€. Will ship to EU and postage will be added. I would estimate postage to be around 30€ from experience, but if you are interested I will find out exactly. PM please as I dont check here as often as I would like! Then I will get an email so I can respond sharpish. Here is good ol' Antos on the subject Sorry, wrong thread by mistake, can it be moved or should (can) I delete it?

Yes. I have a Tarion viewfinder that I keep in my pocket that helps a lot with magnifying. But I find that my Tokina, which I bought second hand, is soft when set to infinity when the aputure is wide. It is very sharp around F8, and at that point 11mm or even 16mm everything is in focus, so you find that you dont need to pull focus much.

I just finished a days shoot with the Zhiyun Crane, and it is impressive. I ha the Came Mini 2 before, an swore to never use gimbals again because it was so cumbursome and finicky that you end up leaving it at home. But I bit the bullet and got the crane because the price was right and I simply need a steady/shot system for some parts of my work. So in summary... The batteries lasted for 4 hours pretty much being constantly on. I would say you are safely within 3 hours of continuous use. Then you pop in the spares and good to go. It is solid and sturdy, and when it goes nuts due to doing something silly, just switch off an on and its like nothng ever happened. Not like the Mini which punishes your horizons for being rough with it. Yes, it can take a Tokina 11 to 16 WITH a speedbooster... in this instance it I used a Aputure LensRegain, so it is a speedbooster with a transmiter where I can control focus and aputure with a grip, and I had a lanc going into the GH4 so the rip can also stop and start recording. You basically never need to touch the camera unless you want to zoom or twst the Vari ND. So tokina with metabones is likely to work as this was a heavy set up. I tried to add a Rode videomic pro Rycote and that tip it over the edge and it started getting jiggy with it. All shots were steady as anyone elses on youtube, but it helps if you have experience balancing more finicky gimbals as you know which axis you will need the most for you shot and you make sure that one has the least resistance, as it never properly balances when switched off. You gotta have faith and switch it on and viola. Anyways, I would recommend... Sorry for the bad grammer but my laptop keyboard is speaking another language and microsoft just shrugs when I ask it for help.

*I meant Serenity not Serendipity, which was a millennial Cusack vehicle when he was the quick-talking leading man to many a beautiful bevy. The original Jesse Eisenburg, without the creepy factor. Actually, I liked the flick. I like John Cusack, actually..

Cinema just got Uber'd. But seriously, you said what is in my mind and heart in such a well thought out response. I think it surmises everything succinctly. Nolan, Tarantino, Innaritu, Cuaron have pushed for an 'independent spectacle'. They promise an experience that transcends the technology, but their movies are still essentially super hero movies. I often ask myself how many people would still rate Gravity, or The Revenant, or even Hateful 8 among their top ten films. They would make the top ten of each year they were released, but like popcorn, I feel they are mostly air. Maybe all this disruption in filmmaking technology is going to lead to a collective of young kids (or old pros) who redefine cinema?

These kinds of films don't get greenlit in the US anymore. Once in a while you get an exception. It used to be that you could expect a Miramax decent production once a year, but those days are gone. Now the Europeans are leading the way in good cinema, but they cannot get global exposure. For every good european movie on the international radar or that gets remade (Levitian, Blue is the Warmest Colour, Let the right one in etc) - there are many that pass under the radar that everyone here watches. But they have stricter piracy laws and more affluent citizens, so I think Hollywood will be looking to them/ us for box office revenue more and more in the future. Hence the demise of simplistic formulaic films.

*True Detective No, you simplified my convoluted hypothesis! Yes... the question is - do you still enjoy films more than binge watching a series of good TV? Should have said that in the first place. But I have issues. Thanks Liam for getting my head outta my butt.

When do we stop saying 'entry level' and start calling it standard? What is 'pro' exactly? Metal casing... works with a Red or Arri... ? Cannot this do such?

Cool beans, just checking

Ages. That's my mental association with anything Rode service related. Expect it. You will be tired and older when your issue is finally resolved. EDIT: EU customer.

That sounds ruder than I meant!