Messages

46

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: 5DMKIII - User mistake results in photo brilliance!

« on: April 29, 2012, 12:18:02 PM »

I use Auto ISO in Av mode all the time.  I think a lot of photographers and videographers are snotty and think that auto anything is somehow a mistake, and that it marginalizes their skills.  The fact is the camera gets it right more often than a lot of photographers do.  I do take a note of where the ISO is before I take the photo or start the video - if the auto is making it higher than I know will work noise wise I try to find a better lighting situation.  But auto iso works very well and is a very helpful tool.  With the 5DIII it is probably even more useful since the noise issues are less than other cameras.

47

Street & City / Re: what is it with the brits and DSLR cameras?

« on: April 24, 2012, 06:50:12 PM »

It happens in the US too.  I was shooting a documentary in Louisiana one time, just 2 people crew using DSLRs and got stopped 5 times a day for a week by police, sheriffs, private security, random rednecks with guns.  Always shooting in public places, and always shooting fairly boring things - buildings, streets, rivers, wildlife etc - never even shooting people.  We weren't scruffy or ethnic or anything.  Always talked our way out of it by explaining the whole project but we got threatened many times.  My favorite was the private security guy who came roaring out because we were shooting up a river, from a bridge, and there happened to be some sort of fuel storage somewhere along the river in a line where we were shooting from.  Said he was calling the sheriff and to "not move a muscle" with his hand on a gun the whole time.  I gave him the card of the sheriff, who had just given us a river tour on a police boat and just said "here's his number - I'm sure he'll remember us as we just left his office an hour ago."

Honestly don't have too good of an impression of the South. 

48

EOS Bodies - For Video / Re: CANON 1DC SAMPLE VIDEO (THE TICKET) IS ONLINE!!!!

« on: April 20, 2012, 12:32:33 PM »

Hmmm, I dunno, I was strangely unimpressed.  Partly that he even mentioned that the story was somehow amazing (oh geez!  He was only dreaming!  She's actually dead!) which was pretty trite derivative and been done a million times.  But color balance seemed messed up in a few scenes from the various lighting sources, and most of the production value came from the $100k steadicam rig and experienced operator and the other equipment.  The overall image I thought wasn't much different from what comes out of a properly operated and post processed 5d/7d. 

49

EOS Bodies / Re: New Extensive Firmware for the Canon EOS 7D? [CR1]

« on: April 20, 2012, 12:29:27 PM »

Just manual audio levels would make a lot of people (including me) very happy.  Increasing the record time would be amazing. 

50

EOS Bodies - For Video / Re: Is the EOSHD guy crazy?

« on: April 19, 2012, 04:15:48 PM »

Andrew's a little weird. 

But he's got some good points in this article.   There's a lot of frustrations in the lower end video segment that a lot of manufacturers seem to be intent on only aggravating, here comes a maker who's actually trying to address a market segment and only with the features they want, not protecting their other products.   

51

EOS Bodies - For Video / Re: Entry-level video production

« on: April 19, 2012, 04:13:04 PM »

I've formed many corporations.  The only benefit to the S corp structure if you don't have employees is the owner draw benefit you mention, although that falls away after $106,000 of income anyway.   The rest can be utilized by LLC's and sole proprietors just fine.  If you have employees the S corp is helpful because you'll be doing payroll anyway. 

I'm just saying it's pointless for people that this juncture to do this - it sounds like they don't have a clue.  There's only 2 rules in partnerships: 1)all partnerships end 2)see rule one.  I wouldn't get legally entangled with a bunch of people, especially very young people, in a corporation before they even started working.  80% chance after the first year some of the people don't want to be involved anymore with each other, 90% chance that after a year of doing video production some of them never want to touch a camera again. 

52

EOS Bodies - For Video / Re: Entry-level video production

« on: April 17, 2012, 11:45:16 PM »

Looking over my post I think it's a little scattered and more positive than I meant it to be. 

I have a niche.  If they want to succeed in video production they must find a niche.  Very few people who don't have established relationships in niche markets will go anywhere.  There's just too many people with a camera and a semblance of understanding how to use it, which is 1% of success.  With due respect to still photographers (which is a rough and tumble business for sure) videography is an entirely different animal - it just happens that we use cameras too, but otherwise there's not a terrible lot that is in common between the two.  Too many still photographers don't understand that, and seek to flesh out their business by joining the video biz. 

"What do you mean I don't get it?  I've got a (insert camera here) which is the best you can get (in still photo budgets).  I've got all these lenses which cost me a fortune.  I learned how to frame and focus perfectly.  I know color, I know angles, I know exactly how to capture a subject in a great moment.  I even upgraded my little POS tripod that I rarely use to one o' them fancy heavy ones that you video guys use."

When it comes to having an effective video CAREER all of those things, including the learning the hard way all of the skills (framing, color, space, DOF) that go into still photography are basically equivalent of wanting to become a writer and having 1) a pencil 2) a piece of paper 3) being able to read and write.  You've got the tools, now you need to learn a whole lot more, some people will never effectively master the "whole lot more."  You have to learn story, editing (and by that, I mean not just cutting something together, but how to turn 2 hours of people talking about a subject into 30 seconds that are effective) how to move the camera through space, how to move your subjects through space, music (and how it works with images) audio editing, recording, fixing, etc etc etc.  It's a complex biz, just learning and keeping track of the basics.

I tell my clients this: if you were starting a car magazine, who would you hire as Editor in Chief?  Somebody who really knew how to write well, or somebody who knew cars inside and out and was passionate about them?  It's the same with video - you can't just want to start a general video production business, or you're just another slob with a camera.  You must have an area, an area that you are expert in or at least passionate about, or all you'll ever be doing is making pretty moving pictures. 

53

EOS Bodies - For Video / Re: Entry-level video production

« on: April 17, 2012, 10:49:59 PM »

I'm quite sick right now so don't have the stamina for a real reply. 

I will say that I did basically what they've been looking to do - started a video production company out of nothing, really (well, I had one client) and that supports me today. 

People have chimed in on the gear.  It both matters and doesn't - at the end of the day it's about the ideas and story telling; the quality of the gear needs to be sufficient to not get in the way of that.  You can go way beyond that but ultimately your clients will judge you on how engaging the storytelling is.  The more experience I get the more I realize this is true - nobody worth working for gives a crap what you're shooting on - they care if their ideas are being expressed correctly and if you have good ideas of your own.  I second the audio remarks - a crappy shot will be forgiven - a poorly recorded interview will not. 

Other advice - somebody on the team that has a very good grasp with after-effects or other similar software is invaluable.  Editorial skills are invaluable, and required to do *any* work.  Shooting is the easy part.  Making meaning out of what you've shot is far harder.   

Expect to get screwed on a few jobs.  Don't take on clients you don't trust.  This is true in any business. 

Ultimately your own experience as a free lance writer should be informative about video production, because we're really talking the same language.  Somebody with a fancy typewriter and a good grasp of sentence structure will get some jobs, but only some, and only for a while.  It comes down to creativity, ability to work hard, and ability to interpret the desires of clients, and maintain relationships. 

I have no idea why they incorporated.  Pointless at this juncture.  A lot of people are more in love with the idea of starting a business than actually doing the work associated with the business.

Margins can be good in video, but it depends on the area you're working in.  I've been in the fortunate situation of having every single check get bigger over the years, even as I hire more and more subs, but at some point I'll plateau out, and I stress about every penny.  I try to do 2 or 3 big jobs per year.

54

EOS Bodies - For Video / Re: Here it is ladies and gentlemen, that nose under the tent isn't a camel's...

« on: April 17, 2012, 08:23:23 PM »

It only uses a portion of the sensor for video so it's smaller than even 4/3rds - you're getting into 2/3" camcorder territory there.

As to the fruit of large sensors - there is no "must" in any of what you've said  - it just is how some manufacturers are choosing to deliver their product and at what price.  DSLRs as video devices have compromises - some required by technology and price points, some to protect other products and their price points. 

This camera is interesting, especially as a first step from somebody who's never made a camera before, but there's still a reason that people chose to shoot with DSLRs - large sensors previously not available at these price points. 

55

Software & Accessories / Re: NAB 2012: Singular Software PluralEyes

« on: April 17, 2012, 04:02:12 PM »

Everybody doesn't use it because often the software simply doesn't work.  I've been using dual eyes since it came out and have abandoned it - half the time it doesn't create the new files (just extracts the audio) and in the last time I used it it introduced a weird drift in just some of the files.  It basically takes me 5 times as long to try to massage the software into working (and sometimes with no success) as it does to just synch it myself manually.   I went through one tortuous project where the client saw drift in all my videos and repeatedly suggested I use plural-eyes, but it turned out that was the issue to begin with - I was already using it.  I finally had to redo everything manually and then it was fine.

56

EOS Bodies - For Video / Re: 30p and shutter speed- 1/30 or 1/60 and why?

« on: April 05, 2012, 12:39:01 AM »

Ah.  Suddenly it's all clear. 

57

EOS Bodies - For Video / Re: 30p and shutter speed- 1/30 or 1/60 and why?

« on: April 04, 2012, 08:22:57 PM »

I would suggest picking up your camera, going outside, and shooting some footage with a bunch of movement in it, and see which of these various settings, including Mr. Hurlbut's, looks the best to you. 

All I can say is I've worked on a feature with Shane and he does talk a lot!

58

EOS Bodies - For Video / Re: Need some Video Advice for the 7D

« on: April 03, 2012, 08:48:12 PM »

I think handheld is totally fine for personal stuff or more intimate (more emotional content) work.  I just can't get away with it for my clients.  When I shoot music videos I use some handheld.

I use miller solo legs with a cartoni focus head.  Cost more than my camera.  And I'm beginning to feel like it's overkill for travel. 

59

EOS Bodies - For Video / Re: Need some Video Advice for the 7D

« on: April 03, 2012, 05:30:48 PM »

It depends on what you're doing.  I shoot documentaries and corporate pieces professionally (and have for years) and never shoot without a tripod with a fluid head.  I'm a steadicam operator too (not one of those little handheld things) and I use that occasionally but it's a special effect for what I do.  But never hand held except for the occasional shot when it's braced against something else.  You just can't with a large sensor CMOS camera - it looks like hell. 

I typically shoot interviews at f 1.4 or 2.8 depending on the light and the subject/background if using a 7D, f 4 or so if using FF.   You need to light though usually, and up the f a little as really I'm usually gambling (and have lost, sometimes) when shooting at those shallow of DOF, slight movement will pull the subject out of focus, and if I'm conducting the interview at the same time, I can't adjust every little time they move.   I use a Vari-ND outside often to allow the lens to remain open (if a subject or close up b roll) or just stop down for vistas, as you would with a still camera. 

60

Lenses / Re: advice re lenses for travel photography

« on: April 02, 2012, 02:20:04 PM »

How did you get into the gig?  My wife occasionally works on Crystal and I've always wanted to get into the video side for a line like them.