Coming Back to It.

[DanielVranic]

Hello everyone!

I am returning some focus back to videography (and this forum) and I need some guidance.

From 2013 to 2020 I worked as a freelance camera operator and colorist. I often shot on Canon and Sony systems, but would work and color essentially anything thrown at me, shot on whatever, but BMD stuff was common because of the budgets of my locale.

Frankly, I got extremely burned out with the projects and clientele in my area and with this no longer being my 9-5 i decided to end it.

Since this time, I have become an Astrophotographer with a focus on high resolution deep-sky studies and spectroscopy and have really enjoyed it. Beyond being able to share and get many reactions and engagements, I've been lucky enough to travel to different sites to do my studies and imaging. I have been fairly successful (NASA has reposted my work twice!)

Something to add, I do not monetize any of my astronomy work, it's just for the fun of sharing space.

 

Here comes the point. I really want to start documenting what I do. I've been out of the game for a while and frankly run and gun shooting was never something I ever considered, or had any experience in.

I currently own an XT4 with the Tamron 17-70 2.8, a Tiffen VND and Rode VideoMic Pro that has been my main photo camera rig and I love the quality of the image it puts out.

What should I be considering? Should I stick with AF? What do you for "good enough" audio? Is handheld the move? Should i consider a faster lens at the expense of zoom? Would you get an external monitor? How would you "rig" a small mirrorless beyond a cage? What would you put in your bag?

I will be a pure solo shooter and this rig needs to fit entirely in a laptop bag. My telescopes, mounts and astronomy cameras take up most of the Subaru as it is and this is more of side quest. I have never been a solo shooter, so I am excited but also CLUELESS.

I'm looking for a bit of guidance from someone who's done more run and gun work, as for what I should be avoiding, what I should be really looking at, all of the above.

[kye]

3 hours ago, DanielVranic said:

Hello everyone!

I am returning some focus back to videography (and this forum) and I need some guidance.

From 2013 to 2020 I worked as a freelance camera operator and colorist. I often shot on Canon and Sony systems, but would work and color essentially anything thrown at me, shot on whatever, but BMD stuff was common because of the budgets of my locale.

Frankly, I got extremely burned out with the projects and clientele in my area and with this no longer being my 9-5 i decided to end it.

Since this time, I have become an Astrophotographer with a focus on high resolution deep-sky studies and spectroscopy and have really enjoyed it. Beyond being able to share and get many reactions and engagements, I've been lucky enough to travel to different sites to do my studies and imaging. I have been fairly successful (NASA has reposted my work twice!)

Something to add, I do not monetize any of my astronomy work, it's just for the fun of sharing space.

 

Here comes the point. I really want to start documenting what I do. I've been out of the game for a while and frankly run and gun shooting was never something I ever considered, or had any experience in.

I currently own an XT4 with the Tamron 17-70 2.8, a Tiffen VND and Rode VideoMic Pro that has been my main photo camera rig and I love the quality of the image it puts out.

What should I be considering? Should I stick with AF? What do you for "good enough" audio? Is handheld the move? Should i consider a faster lens at the expense of zoom? Would you get an external monitor? How would you "rig" a small mirrorless beyond a cage? What would you put in your bag?

I will be a pure solo shooter and this rig needs to fit entirely in a laptop bag. My telescopes, mounts and astronomy cameras take up most of the Subaru as it is and this is more of side quest. I have never been a solo shooter, so I am excited but also CLUELESS.

I'm looking for a bit of guidance from someone who's done more run and gun work, as for what I should be avoiding, what I should be really looking at, all of the above.

NASA!!  Wow!  Great stuff!

In terms of documenting what you do, could you perhaps give us some more detail about what you're hoping to do (if you have something specific in mind)?

From a technical point of view the thing that immediately comes to mind is about low-light performance - how much will you be shooting after sunset with lights, and how much would you shoot in the dark?

From a process point of view, I'd suggest the following:

1. If you know what you want the work to look like, then doing some analysis would help.  Make list of the types of shots and setups you'd need, then work out what equipment you'd need for each
2. Just try shooting videos.  
   Don't expect to post the first one, or even the first few - they're just test shoots designed for you to just figure out what equipment is missing, what shots work, what shots don't work, how to edit, what to say, etc etc.  Essentially, just keep trying to make a video and making mistakes until you manage to get things sorted enough to actually finish the video.
3. Post it.  It will probably be rather clumsy but if you go back to the first videos that anyone posts online they always are.  We learn by doing, so just keep making them and keep experimenting and learning and posting 🙂 

[Emanuel]

Man, if NASA is paramount (no complaints, how could I? ; )) then, let me show off a little bit now LOL as well disclose only a fraction my NDA : ) and let you all know I have some exclusive NASA's original footage to work in the next months to come! :- )

[sanveer]

Sir you have very Gaddafi, er I mean Saadawi vibes 😉

[DanielVranic]

19 hours ago, kye said:

NASA!!  Wow!  Great stuff!

In terms of documenting what you do, could you perhaps give us some more detail about what you're hoping to do (if you have something specific in mind)?

From a technical point of view the thing that immediately comes to mind is about low-light performance - how much will you be shooting after sunset with lights, and how much would you shoot in the dark?

From a process point of view, I'd suggest the following:

1. If you know what you want the work to look like, then doing some analysis would help.  Make list of the types of shots and setups you'd need, then work out what equipment you'd need for each
2. Just try shooting videos.  
   Don't expect to post the first one, or even the first few - they're just test shoots designed for you to just figure out what equipment is missing, what shots work, what shots don't work, how to edit, what to say, etc etc.  Essentially, just keep trying to make a video and making mistakes until you manage to get things sorted enough to actually finish the video.
3. Post it.  It will probably be rather clumsy but if you go back to the first videos that anyone posts online they always are.  We learn by doing, so just keep making them and keep experimenting and learning and posting 🙂 

Thanks for the support!

I did one single test run last night, of trying to get the B roll but also filmed aspect of everything I do in a single nights astrometry planning.

Big notes.

1. Need a smaller tripod. Found a giant tandem leg tripod w a Manfrotto head on it in a closet and it's way too massive for this project. By a factor of like 3. For my budget, Im thinking the iFootage Gazelle to replace the legs and use the fluid head I found.

2. Low light lens. This one is obvious, but also the most difficult. The 17-70 2.8 is great, but a 24-105 F4 equivalent isn't gunna cut it when I'm filming with zero artificial light, often out in fields or at night in the observatory. Also, I believe I have also dashed my own hopes of using a manual focus cinema lens for this. I just can't see myself having a good time doing that. And im doing all of this... for fun.

3. Audio. In running these tests, the Rode Video Mic Pro R set to +20 and the XT4 set to -20dB was extremely clean, and useable for nearly every shot I threw at it. The only time I felt limited was when we had some kids riding down the road at full volume, which it picked up quite clearly as well! May consider a WirelessGOII for more personal VO things and such. Worries have calmed on the audio side.

4. Video Monitor. Here's my major wrestling point! I love the idea and concept of using a monitor. But my main concerns are bulk, balance, and batteries. Is that worth it? I dont think I can answer that yet. My Tamron NAILED focus during the test runs, but framing was a big concern because there were shots that I genuinely couldn't see the screen to ensure good framing. Where I used to work, we used large bright Atomos monitors, and that sadly isn't in the budget. Shinobi sounds fun, but if something is cheaper I will look at it.

 

Any thoughts are welcome!

 

 

 

 

[fuzzynormal]

I like a single prime around the "portrait" focal length.  For me, that's a fast MANUAL 50mm on a 4/3rds sensor. 

I'm near-sighted so using the cam's display is very easy for me.

That's about as simple as it gets. Camera. One lens.  You want a wide shot, move away from things.  Want  tight, move in.  The longer focal length almost always makes people look flattering and cinematic.

I also like footage where focus can drift and the shooter pulls it back into focus.  Feels real and organic to me.  I don't want perfect, I want something that's a deeper truth than that.  "Quiet" handheld is a technique I've practiced for years.

Finally, another technique I use is to "dirty the frame" to add to the aesthetic.

Overall that's kind of my jam anyway.  I'd suggest trying it; you might like it.  Less techy, more human.  It's a loosey-goosey way to shoot and, personally, I do find it low stress because gear is minimal, I don't fret about anything but the shot, and it's just fun.

[kye]

4 hours ago, DanielVranic said:

Thanks for the support!

I did one single test run last night, of trying to get the B roll but also filmed aspect of everything I do in a single nights astrometry planning.

Big notes.

1. Need a smaller tripod. Found a giant tandem leg tripod w a Manfrotto head on it in a closet and it's way too massive for this project. By a factor of like 3. For my budget, Im thinking the iFootage Gazelle to replace the legs and use the fluid head I found.

2. Low light lens. This one is obvious, but also the most difficult. The 17-70 2.8 is great, but a 24-105 F4 equivalent isn't gunna cut it when I'm filming with zero artificial light, often out in fields or at night in the observatory. Also, I believe I have also dashed my own hopes of using a manual focus cinema lens for this. I just can't see myself having a good time doing that. And im doing all of this... for fun.

3. Audio. In running these tests, the Rode Video Mic Pro R set to +20 and the XT4 set to -20dB was extremely clean, and useable for nearly every shot I threw at it. The only time I felt limited was when we had some kids riding down the road at full volume, which it picked up quite clearly as well! May consider a WirelessGOII for more personal VO things and such. Worries have calmed on the audio side.

4. Video Monitor. Here's my major wrestling point! I love the idea and concept of using a monitor. But my main concerns are bulk, balance, and batteries. Is that worth it? I dont think I can answer that yet. My Tamron NAILED focus during the test runs, but framing was a big concern because there were shots that I genuinely couldn't see the screen to ensure good framing. Where I used to work, we used large bright Atomos monitors, and that sadly isn't in the budget. Shinobi sounds fun, but if something is cheaper I will look at it.

Any thoughts are welcome!

Great stuff, this is exactly what I meant and the kind of learnings you'll get from actually trying things.  Sadly, many online will use endless excuses to avoid actually trying things.

One thing you might struggle with is how much effort you put into the video-making side of things.  It's well known that if you're going to video yourself doing something then it takes twice as long, or more(!), and I hear people regularly saying "Sorry, I didn't film the assembly process because I had a deadline, but here's some finished shots", so it's definitely a compromise.

I'd suggest you crank up the ISO and try to make and edit a test video, as this will show you what kind of light levels you need.  You might find you need an F2 lens at ISO 3200, or you might find you need an F1.4 lens at ISO 25,000.  You might also find that a certain level of noise in the footage is ok.  All of that will require testing, and obviously will inform your equipment choices if you end up having to buy something.  

Also, you might try to make a video without buying new camera/lens and see how that would work.  Maybe you just omit the shots where you're in full darkness?  Maybe you can film shots of you setting things up with a small light on, and then the parts of the video that are in darkness are just a slideshow of your photos with a VoiceOver?  It's worth trying different formats.  What do other people making the same type of video show in their videos?

Ben Horne is a large format stills photographer who makes great YT videos (and spectacular images) and vlogs his trips which often involve him filming bits of the vlog in darkness.  From memory the shots are often: him getting stuff ready from the boot of his car (which is lit by a small light), him walking to the location which is filmed hand-held and lit with a head-lamp, etc.  He's been making those trip vlog videos for many years now so it might be worth watching a few to see how he does it:

https://www.youtube.com/@BenHorne/videos

I think it's really just a matter of trying things and learning and adapting.  The trick is to arrive at a workable setup without having to have gone down too many dead-ends that required huge equipment purchases first.  I've done that - to get to where I am now I have probably spent 10k on things I tried but no longer use or need.  

[Emanuel]

10 hours ago, sanveer said:

Sir you have very Gaddafi, er I mean Saadawi vibes 😉

No need to be nervous to read my name and NASA (or cite those two) in the same line, this time you've earned someone to comment anything posted by your Dvarapalaka... LOL ; ) Just be patient for the next round! : D

[DanielVranic]

On 9/28/2023 at 8:05 PM, kye said:

Great stuff, this is exactly what I meant and the kind of learnings you'll get from actually trying things.  Sadly, many online will use endless excuses to avoid actually trying things.

One thing you might struggle with is how much effort you put into the video-making side of things.  It's well known that if you're going to video yourself doing something then it takes twice as long, or more(!), and I hear people regularly saying "Sorry, I didn't film the assembly process because I had a deadline, but here's some finished shots", so it's definitely a compromise.

I'd suggest you crank up the ISO and try to make and edit a test video, as this will show you what kind of light levels you need.  You might find you need an F2 lens at ISO 3200, or you might find you need an F1.4 lens at ISO 25,000.  You might also find that a certain level of noise in the footage is ok.  All of that will require testing, and obviously will inform your equipment choices if you end up having to buy something.  

Also, you might try to make a video without buying new camera/lens and see how that would work.  Maybe you just omit the shots where you're in full darkness?  Maybe you can film shots of you setting things up with a small light on, and then the parts of the video that are in darkness are just a slideshow of your photos with a VoiceOver?  It's worth trying different formats.  What do other people making the same type of video show in their videos?

Ben Horne is a large format stills photographer who makes great YT videos (and spectacular images) and vlogs his trips which often involve him filming bits of the vlog in darkness.  From memory the shots are often: him getting stuff ready from the boot of his car (which is lit by a small light), him walking to the location which is filmed hand-held and lit with a head-lamp, etc.  He's been making those trip vlog videos for many years now so it might be worth watching a few to see how he does it:

https://www.youtube.com/@BenHorne/videos

I think it's really just a matter of trying things and learning and adapting.  The trick is to arrive at a workable setup without having to have gone down too many dead-ends that required huge equipment purchases first.  I've done that - to get to where I am now I have probably spent 10k on things I tried but no longer use or need.  

I am really appreciating these replies!

Something I have noticed in most of the videos being made about this same subject is they are done in very much a vlog or handheld talking format and are often shot on their phones. My aim is to do more of a serious "looking" doc-style shoot. I really like how in some BBC Space documentaries they have an expert or scientist doing a talking head about their entire process and then it intercuts with the actual "doing" of the project.

 

I am not a fan of this guys personality, but this is almost the exact presentation im trying to emulate.

 

 

 

[kye]

1 hour ago, DanielVranic said:

I am really appreciating these replies!

Something I have noticed in most of the videos being made about this same subject is they are done in very much a vlog or handheld talking format and are often shot on their phones. My aim is to do more of a serious "looking" doc-style shoot. I really like how in some BBC Space documentaries they have an expert or scientist doing a talking head about their entire process and then it intercuts with the actual "doing" of the project.

 

I am not a fan of this guys personality, but this is almost the exact presentation im trying to emulate.

 

 

 

The format of this video is a pretty common one I think.  My understanding of this style is this:

1. Go out and do something, film what you can
2. Review the footage and "find the story"
3. Write and record a "piece to camera" (PTC) shot (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piece_to_camera)
4. Edit the PTC into a coherent story, focusing on the audio
5. Put the shots you recorded from (1) over the top of the PTC to hide your cuts
6. If there are still gaps in the edit or it still doesn't work, record another PTC in-front of the editing desk that explain or clarify, put that into the edit

I see these videos often, including the snippets from the person in the edit.  Sometimes they have recorded a PTC so many times that the whole video is just a patchwork of clips from different times and locations that you're not even sure how it was shot anymore.  Casey Neistat used to film his videos where each sentence or even every few words were recorded in a different location, so during the course of a sentence or two he'd have left his office, gone shopping, and returned home.

Here's a video I saw recently that has this find-it-in-the-edit format:

The above is an example of where the video was very challenging to make, which is why it required such a chaotic process, but it shows that if you are skilled enough in the edit you can pull almost anything together.  

Also, go subscribe to her channel - she's usually much more collected than the above video! 🙂 

Wedding videos often follow a similar pattern in the edit:

1. Find one or two nice things that got recorded (this is normally a speech from the reception, and perhaps if the bride and groom wrote each other letters and they opened their letters from their partner and read them out loud)
2. Edit these into a coherent audio-edit (you literally just ignore the visuals and edit for audio only)
3. Put a montage of great shots from the day over the top, showing just enough footage from the audio so you know who is speaking
4. Put music in the background and in any gaps
5. Done!

I'd also suggest that when you say most other people film vlog style with a phone and you want to take it up a notch, try and do that just by filming with your camera on a tripod, but otherwise try and copy their format at first.

Innovation is an interactive process, and the way they shoot and edit their videos likely has a number of hidden reasons why things are done that way.  Start by replicating their process (with a real camera on a tripod) and see how that goes and what you can improve after you've made a few of them and gotten a feel for it.

The priority is the content and actually uploading, right?  So focus on getting the videos out and then improve them once you get going.  It's always tempting to think you can look in from the sidelines and improve things, but until you've actually done something you don't understand it.  Real innovation comes from having a deep understanding of the process and solving problems, or approaching it in a different way.

[Emanuel]

Learning to not give a damn... LOL Nice pick! @kye ;- )

[MrSMW]

3 hours ago, kye said:

Wedding videos often follow a similar pattern in the edit:

1. Find one or two nice things that got recorded (this is normally a speech from the reception, and perhaps if the bride and groom wrote each other letters and they opened their letters from their partner and read them out loud)
2. Edit these into a coherent audio-edit (you literally just ignore the visuals and edit for audio only)
3. Put a montage of great shots from the day over the top, showing just enough footage from the audio so you know who is speaking
4. Put music in the background and in any gaps
5. Done!

Stop giving the world our secrets huh?!

But that’s kind of the sum of it actually…

[kye]

2 hours ago, MrSMW said:

Stop giving the world our secrets huh?!

But that’s kind of the sum of it actually…

LOL

I've watched dozens of hours of "how to edit a wedding video" tutorials.  They're very similar to my work in many ways, where footage is likely to be patchy with random technical and practical issues to solve and the target vibe is the same - happy fond memories.  

BUT...  I've never shot a wedding video, so I haven't taken the oaths to keep all your secrets!!

[MrSMW]

1 hour ago, kye said:

BUT...  I've never shot a wedding video, so I haven't taken the oaths to keep all your secrets!!

Clearly. There is a special handshake and everything and a solemn promise that what happens on YouTube, stays on YouTube.

They give it all up to get their $2 ad revenue return…

Just 10 years ago, the common folks paid these rawk stars a small fortune to go on one of their secret revealing workshops.

They have since mostly become charities for the short remaining time they have in the industry.

 

[DanielVranic]

On 9/29/2023 at 10:24 PM, kye said:

The format of this video is a pretty common one I think.  My understanding of this style is this:

1. Go out and do something, film what you can
2. Review the footage and "find the story"
3. Write and record a "piece to camera" (PTC) shot (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piece_to_camera)
4. Edit the PTC into a coherent story, focusing on the audio
5. Put the shots you recorded from (1) over the top of the PTC to hide your cuts
6. If there are still gaps in the edit or it still doesn't work, record another PTC in-front of the editing desk that explain or clarify, put that into the edit

I see these videos often, including the snippets from the person in the edit.  Sometimes they have recorded a PTC so many times that the whole video is just a patchwork of clips from different times and locations that you're not even sure how it was shot anymore.  Casey Neistat used to film his videos where each sentence or even every few words were recorded in a different location, so during the course of a sentence or two he'd have left his office, gone shopping, and returned home.

Here's a video I saw recently that has this find-it-in-the-edit format:

The above is an example of where the video was very challenging to make, which is why it required such a chaotic process, but it shows that if you are skilled enough in the edit you can pull almost anything together.  

Also, go subscribe to her channel - she's usually much more collected than the above video! 🙂 

Wedding videos often follow a similar pattern in the edit:

1. Find one or two nice things that got recorded (this is normally a speech from the reception, and perhaps if the bride and groom wrote each other letters and they opened their letters from their partner and read them out loud)
2. Edit these into a coherent audio-edit (you literally just ignore the visuals and edit for audio only)
3. Put a montage of great shots from the day over the top, showing just enough footage from the audio so you know who is speaking
4. Put music in the background and in any gaps
5. Done!

I'd also suggest that when you say most other people film vlog style with a phone and you want to take it up a notch, try and do that just by filming with your camera on a tripod, but otherwise try and copy their format at first.

Innovation is an interactive process, and the way they shoot and edit their videos likely has a number of hidden reasons why things are done that way.  Start by replicating their process (with a real camera on a tripod) and see how that goes and what you can improve after you've made a few of them and gotten a feel for it.

The priority is the content and actually uploading, right?  So focus on getting the videos out and then improve them once you get going.  It's always tempting to think you can look in from the sidelines and improve things, but until you've actually done something you don't understand it.  Real innovation comes from having a deep understanding of the process and solving problems, or approaching it in a different way.

Intensely helpful. Cant thank you enough for this guidance.

Had a free night last week while my girlfriend was out of town to test everything, plus it was a clear night! So I was able to be much more realistic in running through settings and talking. It takes a few runs, but actually talking to the camera as if it was a colleague interested in my hobbies. I need to work on diluting some of the more scientific terms down to a more digestible format. Explaining what a "calibration dataset" is is easy for me to explain to a fellow geek, but explaining it to a larger diverse audience will be a disaster. I'll lose them right there, no doubt. Hell, sometimes explaining it to myself I get twisted. 

Second. In doing this dry run (dry as in I have no real astronomical data to collect currently so I pretended ) 

1. I walk around, ALOT when doing the scope work. The shotgun mic was good, but clearly had some drawbacks with me moving around. Something like a Wireless ME from Rode might be good just to clip it on and walk around the area without worrying on audio coverage. Cheap too, my work sells them so I can get a major break on cost.

2. I tripped on my giant ass tripod 54 times. I almost threw it to the Sun!! Something I noticed during load-in, the camera tripod was the same size as my tracking mount tripod... which carries a 100lb sub-arc second accurate device... I dont need something equally large for a 4lb Fuji rig. I LOVED my monopod, but didnt trust it on its own un-attended. Travel video tripod here I come.

3. Low Light. This is major issue #1. I tossed about half of the footage because it was beyond what I would be comfortable releasing. Too dark, and when I pushed it, it was a bit gross looking. Something T1.2 or 1.4 I believe is needed here, along with a small LED battery powered fill light. Good music buddy has a couple PavoTubes and I borrowed one from him today for a test tonight. It can't just be the lens, I need more light too.

4. Major Issue #2. With the audio plug and USB power inserted, the floppy screen on the XT4 is useless. My vision isn't perfect either. The 1/8th and USB plug directly covers the audio meter, AF settings, and nearly half the frame. I owned, and sold, a Shinobi a couple years ago and I really am remembering why I bought it in the first place!! Thankfully, this time around I need something much less fancy. I need to confirm framing, audio level and a DC pass through would be super neat. Daytime performance isn't super critical, as I will be using this at night.

5. Power. It would be super neat to power both my monitor and camera off of the same battery on the monitor. Is that a wise idea? I see a ton of monitors with DC outs, and they do make W235 Dummy batteries.. might be a convenient solution

 

 

[DanielVranic]

Oh! Another thing I wanted to say.

When I quit this end of my career, I QUIT. I sold lots of stuff, but alot of it was simply mothballed and thrown in my basement or studio closet. So when I bring up "oh I found" it's because I am still randomly finding stuff tucked away. Lots of lighting stuff, but it's large and thus unwieldy for a solo-shooter run and gun situation. for my talking head stuff, it'll be perfect, but its bigger than my entire camera kit.

I also found a DJI Ronin RSC2 in this pile! One of my late-stage purchases that never got used. Dilemma is to sell it and profit (buy lenses) or find a use for it. Its very small and can fly my XT4 w cage and zoom lens without issue.

Wish id find some low-light lenses or camera monitors in this pile!!

[kye]

6 hours ago, DanielVranic said:

Intensely helpful. Cant thank you enough for this guidance.

Had a free night last week while my girlfriend was out of town to test everything, plus it was a clear night! So I was able to be much more realistic in running through settings and talking. It takes a few runs, but actually talking to the camera as if it was a colleague interested in my hobbies. I need to work on diluting some of the more scientific terms down to a more digestible format. Explaining what a "calibration dataset" is is easy for me to explain to a fellow geek, but explaining it to a larger diverse audience will be a disaster. I'll lose them right there, no doubt. Hell, sometimes explaining it to myself I get twisted. 

Second. In doing this dry run (dry as in I have no real astronomical data to collect currently so I pretended ) 

1. I walk around, ALOT when doing the scope work. The shotgun mic was good, but clearly had some drawbacks with me moving around. Something like a Wireless ME from Rode might be good just to clip it on and walk around the area without worrying on audio coverage. Cheap too, my work sells them so I can get a major break on cost.

2. I tripped on my giant ass tripod 54 times. I almost threw it to the Sun!! Something I noticed during load-in, the camera tripod was the same size as my tracking mount tripod... which carries a 100lb sub-arc second accurate device... I dont need something equally large for a 4lb Fuji rig. I LOVED my monopod, but didnt trust it on its own un-attended. Travel video tripod here I come.

3. Low Light. This is major issue #1. I tossed about half of the footage because it was beyond what I would be comfortable releasing. Too dark, and when I pushed it, it was a bit gross looking. Something T1.2 or 1.4 I believe is needed here, along with a small LED battery powered fill light. Good music buddy has a couple PavoTubes and I borrowed one from him today for a test tonight. It can't just be the lens, I need more light too.

4. Major Issue #2. With the audio plug and USB power inserted, the floppy screen on the XT4 is useless. My vision isn't perfect either. The 1/8th and USB plug directly covers the audio meter, AF settings, and nearly half the frame. I owned, and sold, a Shinobi a couple years ago and I really am remembering why I bought it in the first place!! Thankfully, this time around I need something much less fancy. I need to confirm framing, audio level and a DC pass through would be super neat. Daytime performance isn't super critical, as I will be using this at night.

5. Power. It would be super neat to power both my monitor and camera off of the same battery on the monitor. Is that a wise idea? I see a ton of monitors with DC outs, and they do make W235 Dummy batteries.. might be a convenient solution

It might be worth trying to come up with an "identity" for your audience, so you can hit the right level of info.  For example, if you imagined you were talking to your partner, or next door neighbour, or grandmother, you would say things in different ways.  You could even imagine there are two or even three audience members with different levels of knowledge.  

I get the impression that once you get going and start getting lots of comments on videos then you'll get a sense of who is out there watching.  YouTubers often talk to their followers in ways that make me think they have a good sense of what their expertise is and what they like and don't like etc.  But, to get you started you might have to make up your audience.

A wireless mic sounds like the best solution.  Even if it fails occasionally, a VoiceOver in post is a good fall-back option and far from ruining the video.

Lights is a sensible solution, especially because large aperture lenses have shallow focus planes, and I'm not sure if it's worse to have a noisy image or one where you're out of focus half the time.

For monitors, is it practical to have a wireless monitor?  If you had a wireless monitor, a wireless mic, and a wireless trigger then you could put the camera wherever you like and still be able to control it and check focus etc.  Most solo shooters only record from close to the camera with wide lenses, and that's one aesthetic, but there are other aesthetics too, and using a longer focal length from further away gives a much more professional look.

Martijn Doolaard is a self-shooter and films from far away as well as close/wide, which gives a higher production value I think.  Here's a video linked to an example:

https://youtu.be/Ybgr8OUskcM?t=563

The alternative solution to using a monitor with power-out is just using a battery plate.  These seem to be really useful as thy just take a battery and often have many different power outputs.  One of these might make your setup more flexible in future if you decide to add more accessories or change the monitor etc.

[DanielVranic]

Once again, thanks so much for the insight here. I appreciate it.

I have done alot of work on watching my friends videos, watching travel YT channels and I think I have a good idea of how to frame and shoot this. Outlining of a script has started, and funny enough.. I need to actual still do some REAL astronomy during filming too so I can't forget to actually do a good job with this. 

Me and my partner set up my light and did a short fun walkthrough of my kit with the Rode ME system outside last night. Footage looks OK, but at ISO4000 at 2.8 it was still quite dark. Reviewing the footage, I really dont think Im happy with just how mushy/noisy it is - even on the well exposed areas. 

However... I set the camera to MF for a bit and you entirely right.... Whats worse? Underexposed and noisy, or out of focus? 

Well, out of focus is the worse answer. My partner attempting to follow me, and then me setting it manually and walking around - I was out of focus 80% of the time. Much more un-usable than noise.

[DanielVranic]

Little update!

Thank goodness for Notion! I was able to import all my "interview" questions and responses into a few columns and then organize the shots and B-roll around each "block". It made my ideas and thoughts so organized that I am so excited to start rolling!

My partner leaves for vacation tonight, and she is my interviewer, and camera op for the shots at the observatory and coffee shop so I will hold off most filming until then.

 

[kye]

9 hours ago, DanielVranic said:

Little update!

Thank goodness for Notion! I was able to import all my "interview" questions and responses into a few columns and then organize the shots and B-roll around each "block". It made my ideas and thoughts so organized that I am so excited to start rolling!

My partner leaves for vacation tonight, and she is my interviewer, and camera op for the shots at the observatory and coffee shop so I will hold off most filming until then.

Great stuff!

The single biggest predictor in the quality of YT video is the planning (or lack thereof) beforehand.  So many YouTubers ramble incoherently in every video, but are then concise in their Q&A videos, which tells me they normally hit record without thinking, or having a plan.

Finding a tool that works for you is great.  I've heard it's common for people editing documentaries to use index cards stuck to a wall to organise the story arc and which beats to hit in each section, etc.