fuzzynormal Posted September 2, 2014 Share Posted September 2, 2014 Which one is it? A7s? GH4? Nikon? Canon? Canikon? What? Oh, you mean it's not the gear that makes compelling motion pictures, it's artistic skill...? Oh well, I guess I'll just go look at some DxO sensor charts then instead of looking at this: So, yeah, I'm being snarky, but the point is this: just about everyone has access to viable imaging capabilities now. The 13 year old girl with a new smartphone has more impressive technology in her hand than most pros did 10 years ago. The more we worry about specs, the less relevant we become as actual filmmakers. I mean, I kind of wish my profession was a bit more insulated from everyone as a competitor, but the other hand, dang, affordable technology sure is fun! Anyway, my rant stems from standing behind a so-called-pro at the airport yesterday. He was claiming to a colleague that anything done on a camera lesser than a RED Epic was "amateur hour." Seems like a ridiculous philosophy to me, but what do I know? I'm not doing high-end stuff, just making a living on the fringes. Maybe he's right? Ratguity and SleepyWill 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SleepyWill Posted September 2, 2014 Share Posted September 2, 2014 amateur - from French amateur "lover of," from Latin amatorem (nominative amator) "lover," agent noun from amatus, past participle of amare "to love" Give me an hour talking to an amateur any day over a professional who uses the word as an insult. Couldn't agree more with your point! Ratguity 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inazuma Posted September 2, 2014 Share Posted September 2, 2014 Good to hear this every once in a while :) A sensor that's excellent in DR and noise is no substitute for good lighting, composition and content. Though it can help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cantsin Posted September 2, 2014 Share Posted September 2, 2014 The footage was shot with a steady hand and a good eye for composition and movement, there's clever use of 120p to avoid camera shake _and_ to be closer to a 180 degree shutter in bright daylight, scenes/environments with which the iPhone wouldn't cope well (such as low light) were avoided, editing and color grading are pro-grade. All that amounts to a visually pleasing film, and can be done with almost any camera that shoots half-decent HD footage. If you look close, with a trained eye, you will still see limitations of the camera - for example in color depth/gradation/skin tones/noise. Nevertheless, the decent quality of today's smartphone video is an entirely good thing. Not only because it gives more, and more accessible, shooting options. But also because it's a wakeup call for video camera manufacturers to up their game. I don't get how companies can still sell video cameras for several hundred or even several thousand dollars with 8bit/4:2:0 color sampling and codecs that are no better than that of the iPhone. (Even today's hottest 'innovation' of 50 Mbit/s-codecs like XAVC-S is something that the iPhone had for years with the Filmic Pro app.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Andrew Reid Posted September 2, 2014 Administrators Share Posted September 2, 2014 Great video, great eye at play, but the interpretation of it is a bit wonky, think of the great shots the iPhone can't do as well as what it can. Camera technology in phones has come a long way and that's great, 120fps is lovely. I take a lot of my stills on the iPhone because I have it with me and it's quick. A great shot getter, a capturer of moments. There's no denying the difference is look though the difference in application, between a phone and a camera like the GH4 or A7S. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fuzzynormal Posted September 3, 2014 Author Share Posted September 3, 2014 Of course nice cameras make superior pictures. The thing I'm considering is this: everyone has access to decent camera tech and it's only getting better and cheaper. The more I worry about gear the less time I'm trying to make my skills as an actual filmmaker improve. More and more talented people have access to filmmaking that would have been limited in the past.. Out spending or out buying them when it comes to the gear isn't much of an advantage. Being able to realize creative filmmaking ideas and solutions seems like a better focus of effort... and I used to love being the techy guy, but I really feel like it's time to let all that go. Wulf 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dahlfors Posted September 3, 2014 Share Posted September 3, 2014 I'm with you: 1) Smaller & more portable can be a great feature. I was just up hiking in the mountains in Sweden. I brought with me my phone, my NEX-5R and the Nikon D800. Due to size, the D800 was most of the time in the backpack. The NEX-5R and my phone was easy enough to constantly keep around the neck and in my pocket - giving me the opportunity to get the shots that would have been a pain to get with the D800 (either by having extra weight on neck or by having to constantly stop the hiking to get the shots I wanted). 2) Whatever filmmaker / photographer (or even painter) that has ever been out there, they have always had some kind of limitations by the tools they've used. What's important to learn - is how far you can push your tools before unwanted side effects happen. When you know that, you know the boundaries you have to work within, and can try to be as creative as possible within those boundaries. A RED Epic or Arri Alexa will have more possibilities with both capture and post work than a little mirrorless camera. But those cameras have boundaries too - there are sure situations where I'd rather keep along a lightly equipped GH4 than a big setup - maybe capturing street scenes without people minding, carrying the camera to tough locations for documentaries etc. So, different projects, different people will have different needs and boundaries. I see myself as a far bigger limitation than the boundaries my cameras give me. I just need to keep on pushing, learning the tools and the storytelling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Andrew Reid Posted September 3, 2014 Administrators Share Posted September 3, 2014 Being able to realize creative filmmaking ideas and solutions seems like a better focus of effort... and I used to love being the techy guy, but I really feel like it's time to let all that go. Why does it have to be such a binary decision "letting all that go"? You need both kinds of understanding to make a film. And without 120fps this video wouldn't have worked at all. So you can go on all you like about 'gear not mattering' fact is it does! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts