7M3 and NerVer

Ernest Worthing

Ernest Worthing

I was hired two months ago to film these bands but was not allowed to mention it. The concert took place last night and I can discuss it freely now.

We had 4 cameras running with 1 safety. The rest were allowed to get creative without breaking the line so it could all be coherent on their official site posting, youtube and DVD etc.

Personally, I'm not a big fan of either of the bands but I know they have a significant following. This is my business side of things so I can get money funneled into my film making.

However, irrelevant of the band, shooting a concert is always interesting since it is a different environment every time. Adjusting to different lighting situations, which can be various in a concert, trying to control your exposure and maintaining your focus keeps you occupied enough to make the time fly by. Shooting events successfully only comes with experience... yet you learn something new with each one.

I haven't been posting a lot on IT lately since I've been busy but wanted to share, in an attempt to contribute, what I could of my experience in case it helps others.

EDIT: Just realized the post doesn't help a lot. Feel free to ask, PM, email and questions about filming a live concert.
 
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What kind of camera's and how was the lighting? Also was the safety a relatively stable/non-moving cam? Thanks and I hope it was worth the effort, paid training is a bonus in my book.
 
icba pictures said:
What kind of camera's and how was the lighting? Also was the safety a relatively stable/non-moving cam? Thanks and I hope it was worth the effort, paid training is a bonus in my book.
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I've shot other types of live events with DSLR's but not a concert. However, that was what the project director wanted.

We have four 7D's running and yes the safety was a on a tripod recording the whole event head on. It was something the editor could always cut to whenever wanting an establishing, wide shot or not having any other usable footage. An assistant was there to keep the camera recording every time it hit it's record limit.

Another 7D was also on tripod but capturing a medium close up instead and a cameraman was panning around, capturing different players at different moments.

The last two cam's were free roaming, getting mediums, CU's and other unique angles. I was running one of those and it was definitely a challenge, keeping focus and maintaining exposure. Actually, even though it is never easy at a live event with variable lighting conditions, this one was not too bad. Still, I was shooting most of the time at an ISO of 800-1000 with my aperture around 1.8-2.8. Shutter was 1/60, shooting at 30fps.
 
richy said:
Sounds great, Ernest. Is there a way for us to see it?
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The project director gave us memory cards, which he took after we were done filming. He was from out of state and hires local talent when he has to travel with the band.

He did say he would send me a copy of the edit when he was done. Not sure when that is going to be but I'll share it with you guys when I get a DVD, online link or something.
 
So are you going to be editing it? It will be rather 'fun' for the editor matching all the videos up because of the 12min limit. This is one of the main reasons I would be hesitant about filming a live concert or event on DLSRs.

Also did you guys have communication between each other? I was mixing live a Christmas play a few days ago where we had three cameras. Unfortunately I had no communication with my camera operators and there was at least two times where they all had the exact same shot (and I needed somebody else on the stage). It also didnt help that our system was too primitive to have previews for each camera so I had to assume that the operators didnt have a messy shot (they all knew this so they knew to keep all shots reasonably safe)
 
No, my job was to film the footage and hand the footage over. The editor will have fun but these guys have been doing this since the 90's. Using DSLR's is fairly new for them but they must have post work flow solutions in mind to be using them again.

I would've liked communication but no, there was none. What happened to you is a big risk all the time when doing live events. Even though I would'e preferred more direction before it began, we were given some instructions as to the types of shots we would be shooting. Assigning different ones to different cam ops made sure all of the footage doesn't look the same. At least, it shouldn't...
 
Very cool! Paying work and new experiences are always good. Where was the show?

I'm so out of touch that it took me a while to figure out who 7M3 were, and then a bit longer to figure out that NerVer is the name, not a similar abbreviation ;)
 
JoshL said:
Very cool! Paying work and new experiences are always good. Where was the show?

I'm so out of touch that it took me a while to figure out who 7M3 were, and then a bit longer to figure out that NerVer is the name, not a similar abbreviation ;)
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:lol:

I completely understand. I wasn't too familiar with either band when I got the job but then some friends started telling me they were big fans etc. Still not a huge fan but...

It was in Covington, KY.
 
icba pictures said:
Went straight to Googleland to see if the video was done... Can't wait to see the camera work and the editing.
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Thanks. Like I mentioned, my part is done. Up to them now. Don't know if they're going to edit right away or do all their filming of different shows before getting into post... but whenever it's done, I'll post an update in this thread.

Thanks for your interest, I appreciate it.
 
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