Ah,the experts say that the Red Camera is the only way to go for good cinematography.But if you do not have $50,000.00 what do you do? How do you make film without being thought of as an amature or going broke on the latest and greatest.I prefer the DV cameras with adjustable lenses for depth of field and long shot or wide shot composition.Canon xl2.I shot two films on a JVC DV film camera,no bigger than a canon rebel camera.Editing with fire wire and my imagination was easy.Shot 2 documentaries with it.What is the best way to get the best composition and clarity without going broke? What is your answer.
Cinematography : Best Composition and cameras for good cinema. by Edward Mangan
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While it's tempting to hope that the "right" camera will result in good cinematography the reality is it's the talent and skill of the people much more than the choice of camera.
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Rik is correct. Far more depends on good lighting than on the choice of camera. That said, I loved the look we got with the Sony F3 on our recent movie. We actually only shot 8-bit to the SxS cards (rather than 10-bit and S-Log), but it still looked fantastic and with the 800 native ISO, we got away with very little investment in lighting. For example, we lit a 300-seat auditorium scene with a couple of 4x4 Kinos and a couple of 2k's as the primary lighting (a few accent lights here and there as well for the background). It looked great. Renting the F3 and some Zeiss CP2 lenses, you can shoot a movie for potentially as little as $5,000, and get a ton more dynamic range than you will get out of the DSLRs or other lower cost options. As far as being thought of as amateur--let your results speak for themselves. Our film was ultra low budget, but is currently in WalMart's, Blockbusters, and a bunch of other chains all across North America. I don't think you will have a tough time getting actors and crew if your story is great and you are using a platform like the F3, Blackmagic, or something on that level.
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I shpt a 22 min drama short on a Sony Handycam with an added mic and wonder of wonders,,,,I won at 2 of three fests
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It isn't the camera....Ot is what you can do with what you have
Edward, Visit the following sites http://www.hurlbutvisuals.com/ http://blog.vincentlaforet.com http://philipbloom.net and read widely. You don't need a bloody Red.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3d2qdV8McY
Great light! you can shoot on an iPhone if its lit like DAYS OF HEAVEN. That said my Nikon the imagery from my NIkon D800 with 1.4 24mm and 1.4 85mm nano coated Nikon prime lenses is so achingly beautiful its surreal for the price. Make something from the heart that is true, poetic, makes people cry, laugh and ultimately is just pain compelling and like i said light it well and nothing else really matters all that much.
It depends on your budget. If you do have 50k for the body, you may want to spend a little more and opt for the worlds greatest camera: Sony PMW-F65, 8k resolution, no issues with green and yellow, no overheating issues and of course no rolling shutter, or with the F55 you have all of that at a 4k capture. DSLR, has a plethora of issues, but the best option is clearly the Nikon D800. Really, the most important issue is the story and the production. Every thing else is secondary. Look at Beasts of the Southern Wild; it was shot on 16mm film... 50+million dollars later, well you can guess the result. I am sure others have different opinions.
Check out the Canon 5D mark iii it's got full sensor and works amazing in low light situations
The new cheap way to go is DSLR like others already mentioned. Canon or Nikon. They have a very good quality and cinematic wide lenses fit on them. You can make the movie look even more cinematic in post-pro. There is an amazing short action movie done with the t3i somewhere but I can´t find it anymore. This one convinced to save up for DSLR for a future movie.
"what is the best way to get the best composition and clarity without going broke." 1. Composition is dependent upon the artist. Hire an awesome DP. He or she can produce a great composition through any camera frame. 2. Clarity - This depends on your finish, glass, lighting, sensor and finally recording codec. A 4k finish has greater clarity than a 2k finish. Since that's your question, there are only a few ways to get real 4k. 35mm film, RED, Sony, etc. The next way to get a clearer image is to use higher quality glass. Don't have 20,000 to spend on a lens? Rent it, or higher an owner/operator. Say now you have a good DP with a decent camera and glass who has lit and composed the scene well. Except the camera is a stock DSLR camera recording in h264 with a 13-18mbps codec completely destroying your image and making color grading very inflexible. This isn't a good solution either. Find a good owner/operator DP with a good reel and a quality camera that can handle a high bitrate, has a sensor with great latitude, and nice glass. Then record and finish at a high resolution and bitrate. However if you are finishing for the web or DVD only, you don't need "the best way to get the best clarity"; any DSLR with sub 1k glass will be sufficient. I have done two 4k projects (a short and a feature), with the camera, lots of accessories, and a full set of beautiful glass. Neither one cost me $50k.
do all cameras have the slow-motion option? i would love to have fun with that :P
@Leon No. Only cameras that have the ability to shoot higher than the framerate you are finishing in. For instance if you are finishing at 24fps, shooting at 29.97 or 59.97 or 120fps or higher all produce varying degrees of slowmotion. Though 30->24fps is hardly slower.
that's good to know, thanks cory