Video & Filmmaking ERA |OT| Lights, Camera, ERA!

[Sec0nd]

Not sure if I shared my latest project. Pretty fun, extremely low budget commercial. Went on a road trip to France and did my first underwater shooting.

https://vimeo.com/254630449

Last couple of projects I've been shooting with the RED Scarlet-W which felt like an extreme upgrade over all the cameras I've been using before. Many Sony's like the FS7. The current project I'm working on is shot with the Arri Amira and the Arri Mini. The images that come of that beast are literarily insane. Yet another crazy jump up from the RED Scarlet-W. No matter what you shoot, it's cinematic as fuck. It's almost cheating. We've also been using the Zeiss Standard Primes T2.1's which produce some unique images. Really bizar lens flares and interesting bokeh.

 

[SOLDIER]

Maybe this thread is the best place to ask. I assume a few here know a thing or two about Adobe Premiere Pro, so perhaps you could answer a video editing question.

I'm a big fan of Toonami's AMVs, where they include quoted dialog from the respective shows during their video:

https://youtu.be/AJkGa3CEa1c

I want to do something similar, but I would like to know how to best edit the audio itself so that the voices come through while any background noise/music accompanying them is lowered as much as possible. Obviously it's impossible to isolate them entirely, as evident by the above video, but if I could at least get it to around that quality I would be satisfied.

 

[tjac]

edit

 

[modoversus]

Are the GoPro cameras versatile enough to be used for small video production? I have a youtube channel and normally I only shot indoors, but also requiere frequently to shoot close-ups of small objects (mostly nerd stuff, like say game consoles, action figures, etc.) and the highter frame rate could help me makes smooth turntable movement.

 

[KalBalboa]

A friend wanted to stand out on his internship application to Barstool Sports, so we spent a few hours with my Ronin and put this together in an afternoon:

 

[Anton Sugar]

Anyone following NAB? Some big announcements. Resolve 15 has some fantastic additions. Prores RAW sounds interesting/flexible, Blackmagic has an amazing new Pocket cam (not out until September unfortunately), Aputure improves its already affordable LED line and accessories.

 

[KalBalboa]

Anyone following NAB? Some big announcements. Resolve 15 has some fantastic additions. Prores RAW sounds interesting/flexible, Blackmagic has an amazing new Pocket cam (not out until September unfortunately), Aputure improves its already affordable LED line and accessories.

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The new Pocket Cam is a nice improvement, even if the body looks a little gross.

 

[Anton Sugar]

Yeah, it's pretty damned ugly.

 

[Chained Prometheus]

Anyone following NAB? Some big announcements. Resolve 15 has some fantastic additions. Prores RAW sounds interesting/flexible, Blackmagic has an amazing new Pocket cam (not out until September unfortunately), Aputure improves its already affordable LED line and accessories.

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Yeah, I actually downloaded Resolve 14 last week and am debating about making the upgrade to the beta version of 15 yet. The additions all look stunning and could be really freaking useful- especially adding Fusion. Really love the idea of an all-in-one editing/sound design/special effects program. The new Pocket Cam looks wonky, but man if Blackmagic stick the landing with that camera and deliver on all the specs and quality of the camera, that thing is going to sell like hot cakes.

I can't wait for Aputure to finish their work on that new RGB LED light they're working on right now. Love the idea of having a little device I can put in my pocket and point at various light sources to record their light color and pattern and copy it onto the Aputure light.

 

[grounded_dreams]

Completed my short documentary on a family friend who is an amateur woodworker, for my university degree.
Enjoy:

 

[KalBalboa]

So, thanks to my tax returns, I'm looking to upgrade one of my camera bodies. I own an A7S Mark I and an A6000.

I'm either going to buy a A6500 and have three bodies (seeing as how the A6000's resale value is, what, $250-400?) or sell my A7S Mark I and buy an A7S Mark II.

Anyone have any thoughts on the matter? I'm sort of stuck in the middle on this one.

 

[grounded_dreams]

After completing the final cut of my short documentary for my degree course I have been using the Freeway site to submit it to Film Festivals and just found out it has been selected to be shown at its first festival.
Means all the hard work and graft has paid off :)

https://youtu.be/TkDxR1wNxSk

 

[KalBalboa]

After completing the final cut of my short documentary for my degree course I have been using the Freeway site to submit it to Film Festivals and just found out it has been selected to be shown at its first festival.
Means all the hard work and graft has paid off :)

https://youtu.be/TkDxR1wNxSk

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It's a good feeling, isn't it?

 

[grounded_dreams]

It's a good feeling, isn't it?

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Indeed, it sure does.
Also, someone on another Film Festival submission board saw my film and got in contact as she wants to work with me on her next feature film this summer :)

 

[Professor Beef]

Congrats everyone, you're the next community spotlight!

 

[KalBalboa]

Oh god- pressure's on now.

Uh- here's a video I made on my A7S in 2016!

 

[Strax]

Music video I directed earlier this year

Oh god- pressure's on now.

Uh- here's a video I made on my A7S in 2016!

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This made me smile.

 

[Deception]

Well thank you to ERA for making this the community spotlight, will be checking and posting in here from now on.

 

[CelestialAtom]

Oh god- pressure's on now.

Uh- here's a video I made on my A7S in 2016!

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That was incredible.

 

[Chained Prometheus]

Here's a short film I directed in 45-90 minutes with a randomized crew as part of an in-class assignment back in 2015.

Oh god- pressure's on now.

Uh- here's a video I made on my A7S in 2016!

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Great work! Seeing you, Ryan and Neil put out this sort of work is always a blast!

 

[SigmasonicX]

Oh hey, Chained Prometheus, didn't expect to see you here.

 

[WJD]

Ahh, you guys are great. Didn't even realise there was a community on Era...

Here's a side project I just got finished up, shooting on my newish Ursa Mini Pro: https://vimeo.com/268771153

I work full time creating corporate videos and ads for a smallish marketing agency, but I'm always trying to fill my weekends with freebie side projects where I can. This one was shot over a couple of days. It's one part a profile on my dad and his business, and one part camera test for the Ursa.

I was trying to chase quite a specific aesthetic so would appreciate any thoughts anyone had!

 

[Just That Simple]

I've wanted to make some short films recently but I'm having trouble with concepts and thinking of ideas. What's a good way of getting inspiration for ideas? Preferably stuff that's visual as opposed to dialogue heavy.

 

[KalBalboa]

I've wanted to make some short films recently but I'm having trouble with concepts and thinking of ideas. What's a good way of getting inspiration for ideas? Preferably stuff that's visual as opposed to dialogue heavy.

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Watch a lot of down to Earth movies. Lower budget stuff, creative but not large in scale.

It also feels to introduce a limitation or restriction to bounce ideas off.

"Ok, the entire film takes place in one day."
"This script should have two locations. Why would characters need to go to ___?"

 

[HardTimesFamilyPride]

Awesome to see this thread! Filmmaking is my original and still #1 passion. Don't have a lot of direct experience with the entire process of it, but been focusing a lot of cinematography and composition to effectively portray the imagery that's always filling my mind. I've made one music video so far and have done some live one-camera clips of bands in my area. Tons and tons and tons and tons of b-roll.

ugh I ordered a steadicam when my tax return came in this year, and it arrived two days after my 60D broke. Hopefully this poor boi will be able to save some cash and replace it before the year is over.

 

[Chumley]

Bought a GH5s + metabones + sigma 18-35mm. This thing produces a gorgeous image at v-log l, massive step up over my tried and true 5d mark 3

Also, anyone know if there's a way to use a lens hood while also using a 72mm - 77mm step up ring (i use this so I can use my 77mm nd filter)?

 

[Addi]

I've wanted to make some short films recently but I'm having trouble with concepts and thinking of ideas. What's a good way of getting inspiration for ideas? Preferably stuff that's visual as opposed to dialogue heavy.

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You can try creating moodboards, Pinterest is great for that. Create an album and save random pictures that trigger you.
Try not to think too much and just follow your inspiration, you can remove pictures that "don't fit in" later on.

 

[T'Challa Shakur]

Im thinking of converting my Production Company into a Rental Equipment Company. But I don't know where to start.

 

[oatmeal]

Im thinking of converting my Production Company into a Rental Equipment Company. But I don't know where to start.

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Getting gear to rent out would be a start.

Cater to a specific audience (indie filmmaking for example). Get gear that is useful and practical for most shoots, don't blow your budget on Skypanels and specialty/expensive gear that won't rent that much.

Lenses are a good investment, don't depreciate.

 

[T'Challa Shakur]

Getting gear to rent out would be a start.

Cater to a specific audience (indie filmmaking for example). Get gear that is useful and practical for most shoots, don't blow your budget on Skypanels and specialty/expensive gear that won't rent that much.

Lenses are a good investment, don't depreciate.

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Excellent advice, thank you

 

[Masquerade Overture]

Anybody know any digital cameras that can achieve a old film-stock look? I heard Black Magics have a setting on them that does that.

 

[Chained Prometheus]

Anybody know any digital cameras that can achieve a old film-stock look? I heard Black Magics have a setting on them that does that.

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Personally speaking, I believe that depends a lot on several factors. For starters, IMO the color science of the camera plays into that a bit. For instance, Fujifilm has been putting out a few cameras lately that have a really great filmic look (i.e. The 'Eterna' setting on their new X-H1 is a simulation of their now out-of-print Hollywood film stock) and I've heard some folks say great things about Blackmagic too.

Another option is using vintage lenses on your camera. They're more optically 'imperfect' than standardized modern lenses, giving them more visual character. They're also often not quite as laser sharp too, so that helps smooth out the sharpness of modern digital camera sensors and gives it a bit more of a filmic look too. Plus you can find a lot of different great vintage lenses on eBay for pretty cheap prices, such as the Helios 44-2 58mm f/2 (a vintage Soviet knockoff of a Pre-WW2 Carl Zeiss lens that gives swirly bokeh under the right circumstances and can produce lens flares really easily). I bought mine for about $50 last year. There's also a ton of options from the old Canon FD lineup of the 70's and 80's.

And lastly, if you want to also have actual film stock grain in your footage, there are numerous places online that sell actual digital footage of various types of film stock that you can add into your footage in post-production. Noam Kroll, for instance, has a ton of options on that department.

 

[Addi]

Anybody know any digital cameras that can achieve a old film-stock look? I heard Black Magics have a setting on them that does that.

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Personally I wouldn't shoot with an in-camera preset, just shoot as flat and clean as possible and work with it in post, and I would certainly not base a camera purchase solely on it's "filmatic look".

As Chained Prometheus mentions, there are a lot of factors involved. While digital will never look the same as film, I think a look "inspired by film" can be great. Trying to replicate it 100% can look a bit tacky and over the top. Learn how to grade, get DaVinci Resolve (it's free) and download some film print LUTs to get you started. Good luck!

 

[Sec0nd]

Indeed no camera really mimics film stock. Closest I've been is shooting Arri Amira and Arri Mini. But even then...

I suggest using the plugin FilmConvert to get something close to film really quickly.

 

[Masquerade Overture]

Hmm...because I'm trying to achieve a Blue Velvet / S1 & 2 Twin Peaks look. Would pro-mist filters help?

 

[Addi]

Hmm...because I'm trying to achieve a Blue Velvet / S1 & 2 Twin Peaks look. Would pro-mist filters help?

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Oh yeah, that's a very specific look and I think that type of filters could definitely help if you don't go over the top with it. Softness is generally trickier to add in post than sharpening.
Regarding the Black Magics, they do have pretty high bit depth compared cameras like the Sony A7s II or Canon DSLRs, so more colours to play with.
Also, don't forget that a lot also depends on your lighting and set design/colours.

 

[Chained Prometheus]

Hmm...because I'm trying to achieve a Blue Velvet / S1 & 2 Twin Peaks look. Would pro-mist filters help?

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Oh yeah, that's a very specific look and I think that type of filters could definitely help if you don't go over the top with it. Softness is generally trickier to add in post than sharpening.
Regarding the Black Magics, they do have pretty high bit depth compared cameras like the Sony A7s II or Canon DSLRs, so more colours to play with.
Also, don't forget that a lot also depends on your lighting and set design/colours.

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Yeah, Blackmagic is definitely an option. I'd also suggest checking out the Fuji X-H1 or X-T2 too, if you're okay with some of the drawbacks or holdups that those cameras have compared to the Sony A7sII, Panasonic GH5/GH5s or Canon DSLRs, as the Fuji color science might very well be a good fit for what you're looking for.

 

[SOLDIER]

Apologies if this isn't the best place to ask this, but I figured some people here would have the knowledge to answer this.

I've been working on a video project with Premiere Pro, learning new tricks and techniques by the day. It's a long process but still enjoyable.

I was wondering what I could do with those kinds of skills on a career basis. I always chalked up Premiere and Photoshop knowledge to the Graphic Design side of jobs, which from what I've seen are less stable and more of a freelance basis. But I am coming across more solid job postings such as Digital Media Specialist and so on.

My question for you is what are some non-freelance entry level positions I should be punching into search terms? My next question involves cameras: in many of the job postings I've seen it lists camera equipment knowledge as a job requirement. What's the best way to get that experience outside of buying $500 worth of camera equipment (which I'm not doing)?

Between this field and IT support, I'm more interested in the former since it allows me to be more creative. But if it's more of a starving artist kind of field, then I would rather focus on the more stable job market.

 

[Anton Sugar]

Blackmagics don't have any special filter or setting to achieve that look, but they have a "color science" that a lot of people love that is apparently fairly close to what comes out of digital Alexa cams. On the BMC User forum, a number of colorists and shooters say that they often mix in BMD cams as B-cam footage with Arri footage.

There are a ton of LUTs and plugins (like FilmConvert) that approximate a film-ish look, some better than others. There is actually a new thread on BMCUser about a group working on creating an authentic Kodak film LUT--they seem like they may have something special, though I haven't tried it myself: http://bmcuser.com/showthread.php?21872-NEW-Authentic-Kodak-LUT-for-BMCC-amp-URSA

One of the trickier things to emulate with digital vs film is color, tonal, and other shifts depending on exposure. Many films have unique shifts if under or over-exposed. So, slapping a "Film LUT" onto your footage (which, unless you're lucky, likely has a mix of under and overexposed stuff, even if just slightly) and calling it a day isn't really enough to emulate film. On the other hand, I tend to believe that most people think of "film look" as something like "milky blacks, cool shadows, warm highlights, and grain" so emulating that tends to be pretty easy, even if it's not accurate. Receipts: most "How to achieve Film Look" videos on Youtube :P Some people also like to desaturate shadows, which I tend to like in general. There are LUTs for specific film stocks, too.

 

[KalBalboa]

Shot this in ~2 hours with my A6500 + 16-70 Zeiss.

 

[Anton Sugar]

Does anyone here have experience when it comes to music usage/fair use? I am creating a promotional video for an indie wrestler and he wants to use a Prince track (I know, right?)--Computer Blue. He wants to use a 1:20 minute segment of it. This video won't be used to sell anything--he'll basically have it on his website, share it, etc.

From what I understand, this basically isn't possible legally, but I am not studied by any means when it comes to copyright. Anyone have thoughts or can point me in a good direction?

Shot this in ~2 hours with my A6500 + 16-70 Zeiss.

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Haha, nice. Did you have the locations planned or did you spend the day walking and finding spots?

 

[SOLDIER]

Is this a good place to ask for tips on using After Effects?

I've got a job offer with a local company that wants me to create greeting cards/ads with After Effects. I've never used the program before, so I've been trying to scour YouTube and Google to achieve what I want.

Where I'm stuck at right now is learning how to create an animation where the grass in a photo is moving, as if by wind. There doesn't seem to be an included preset for this, so it seems I have to make my own.

If anyone's got experience with the program, and would perhaps consider helping me in realtime via Discord, I'd really appreciate the help.

 

[grounded_dreams]

Is this a good place to ask for tips on using After Effects?

I've got a job offer with a local company that wants me to create greeting cards/ads with After Effects. I've never used the program before, so I've been trying to scour YouTube and Google to achieve what I want.

Where I'm stuck at right now is learning how to create an animation where the grass in a photo is moving, as if by wind. There doesn't seem to be an included preset for this, so it seems I have to make my own.

If anyone's got experience with the program, and would perhaps consider helping me in realtime via Discord, I'd really appreciate the help.

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I'm no expert of AE, but these two YouTube tutorials seem informative for what you are looking for:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2P3ajhE9pTI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFB5XqmX5DU

Sure you can use them as a template for working out the fundamentals and then using the technique in the required way that you need for the job.

HTH

 

[SOLDIER]

I'm no expert of AE, but these two YouTube tutorials seem informative for what you are looking for:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2P3ajhE9pTI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFB5XqmX5DU

Sure you can use them as a template for working out the fundamentals and then using the technique in the required way that you need for the job.

HTH

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Not sure that second video helps me since he's manually drawing in the grass. I'm just trying to manipulate this photo to have the grass move: https://abload.de/img/swingtpp55.jpg

The thing I can't figure out is whether I can select the areas in the photo to apply the effect to, or if I have to cut the grass out in Photoshop and save it under its own layer (which I did with the swings).

 

[grounded_dreams]

Not sure that second video helps me since he's manually drawing in the grass. I'm just trying to manipulate this photo to have the grass move: https://abload.de/img/swingtpp55.jpg

The thing I can't figure out is whether I can select the areas in the photo to apply the effect to, or if I have to cut the grass out in Photoshop and save it under its own layer (which I did with the swings).

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You could use the wiggle effect in AE, it's around the five minute mark in this video, which he shows how to do it with grass, on a photo:
https://youtu.be/m90MabRjBCY

 

[SOLDIER]

You could use the wiggle effect in AE, it's around the five minute mark in this video, which he shows how to do it with grass, on a photo:
https://youtu.be/m90MabRjBCY

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This one was a lot more helpful, though I've yet to achieve the result I'm looking for.

So I'll duplicate the background picture, and rename the duplicate "grass". I'll then use the clone stamp to remove the swing set, so that I can then apply the slant effect on the grass without it effecting the swings.

Problem is when I try to preview the results, the grass won't move. Do I also have to remove the grass and the swing set from the original background picture in order to have it display properly?

My PC also may not be able to handle AE when these effects are applied, as the program really chugs when trying to load a preview, even when the resolution is set to half.

 

[Anton Sugar]

Y'all got any royalty free music source recommendations? Been looking at Triune and I like some of their packs, but don't really know what else is out there.

 

[Chumley]

Just chiming in that upgrading from a 5dm3 to a GH5s + metabones has been pretty awesome. Vastly better image quality and dynamic range.

 

[tjac]

Ive been meaning to get a GH4 recently.

EDIT

 

[TheMink]

This thread is a little calm, but I ordered the new Sigma Art 105mm and an A7III to upgrade from my A7sII.
I'm filming some promotion run and gunning the Strongman Nationals at the end of the month and wanted to have a more reliable setup but I'm not sure it will come in time.

A couple of the contestants will be promoting these protien shake drinkers, and the marketing team wanted some real world lifting. Not just like a Nike ad, because the target demographic are the upper echelon of professional fitness.

I was wondering if any of you had experience filming this sort of thing, by that I mean something akin to press credentials or something like that so no one gives me a hard time. I'll be using the Crane 2 so it's not like I'll be the most subtle thing in the world.