Documentary filmmaker and cinematographer

W

WithoutCharity

Hey everyone,

My name is Paul and I am a grad student at DePaul University working on my thesis film.
I've ben doing short docs for a few years, and my thesis is my first attempt at a feature.

I started out as an editor, and worked with Avid, Adobe, and Final Cut. I even cut on Sony linear editors for a few years.
I am certified in Final Cut, have won multiple national awards, and am always open to chat about filmmaking.

I'm stoked to own the Blackmagic camera, and will attempt to purchase one in late fall.
Any questions-- fire away.
 
WithoutCharity said:
stoked to own the Blackmagic camera, and will attempt to purchase one in late fall. Any questions-- fire away.
Click to expand...

1) What other cameras do you have hands-on experience with? What are you using now?

2) What (in your opinion) makes the Blackmagic a better selection than all of the other options?

3) What will you do if your "attempt to purchase one in late fall" fails? Is this some kind of Thunderdome event?

Hello :)
 
Zensteve said:
1) What other cameras do you have hands-on experience with? What are you using now?

2) What (in your opinion) makes the Blackmagic a better selection than all of the other options?

3) What will you do if your "attempt to purchase one in late fall" fails? Is this some kind of Thunderdome event?

Hello :)
Click to expand...

1. I started using SVHS back in the day, graduated to DV (XL1, XL1s, XL2), HDV (XH-A1), HD (JVC 700u series), DSLR (5D/7D), and have done some minimal shooting on the RED. My current documentary is a mixture of HD, HDV, and DSLR footage mixed with archival.

2. Unless I plan on spending 25K+, the answer to a "better camera" usually is in the hands of the cinematographer and the camera op. The price is the selling point, and I can overlook many of the smaller flaws with the Blackmagic camera (smaller sensor, internal battery, not ergonomic without a cam package).

3. As far as the purchase falling through, my future production is not hanging on whether or not I succeed in purchasing the BM. It's a camera I am interested in getting my hands on, and there needs to be more test footage available-- and I'd like to work with it more. I got my hands on one at NAB, but even the Blackmagic staff were a bit unschooled with it.
 
Welcome to indietalk, Paul! I, too, am looking forward to see the
Blackmagic in action. I was disappointed that the folks at NAB
seemed to know almost nothing about the camera beyond the
printed specs.

WithoutCharity said:
Any questions-- fire away.
Click to expand...
What does it take to become certified in Final Cut? Does it help
when getting work? I've never been certified (obviously, I don't
even know what it means) and I've been working as a paid editor
for years - independently. Do post houses require a certification?
What about with FCPX?
 
directorik said:
Welcome to indietalk, Paul! I, too, am looking forward to see the
Blackmagic in action. I was disappointed that the folks at NAB
seemed to know almost nothing about the camera beyond the
printed specs.


What does it take to become certified in Final Cut? Does it help
when getting work? I've never been certified (obviously, I don't
even know what it means) and I've been working as a paid editor
for years - independently. Do post houses require a certification?
What about with FCPX?
Click to expand...

Thank you.
My work paid for a three day class, so I got certified in FCP6. FCP7 wasn't that big of a leap forward, so I chose to not certify.
There are different levels of certification. I believe it's just a level 1 and 2 now. I did the level 1 certification, and at the end of day three you take the test (I believe you can just take the test for $150 without the class). It basically covers the Apple Training Series books to a T. Our instructor was a very knowledgeable and friendly person, but omitted the part on multicam editing (which I don't do much of). Those 3 questions on the exam were the ones I missed, plus one other.
Did the course help? Yes. It more or less taught me how to utilize my time as an editor more efficiently.
I have backed off the role of editing lately, but it helps that I have the experience when talking to an editor about a project that they're working on for me.

I have 4 seats of Final Cut X, yet I hardly ever use it. I keep resorting to FCP7 or Premiere CS 5/5.5. I don't get into battles when it comes to NLEs, I feel you use the one that suits your strong points. FCPX has some great features, yet I wish they could mix what I like in 7 into a hybrid FCP8 (I'm dreaming).

Most post houses don't require a certification (at least here in Chicago), but it's always nice on a resume. It's really quality mixed with quantity. I self taught myself Avid, Premiere, and FCP. Some people have a knack at cutting--you can immediately tell when you see it. When I chose the editor for my documentary, it was based on her previous work on how she handled her documentary filmmaking. Post houses also look at how you work with a client. They're paying by the hour, so the last thing they want is to see you fumbling through the application looking for the shortcut you should have known.

Always have eyes on the projects that you cut. Ask questions of your viewers on how the flow is. How is the pacing? If non-film people aren't noticing your flaws, you're doing your job (you probably already know this, so forgive me if I sound preachy).
 
As I said, I forgive you.

Do I take it that getting certified is taking a class and a test (or
paying for a test only)? And that having a certification looks
good on a resume but doesn't really mean anything when
getting an editing job?
 
directorik said:
As I said, I forgive you.

Do I take it that getting certified is taking a class and a test (or
paying for a test only)? And that having a certification looks
good on a resume but doesn't really mean anything when
getting an editing job?
Click to expand...

It is what you make of it honestly.
The certification classes helped me be a more efficient editor.
Does it look good to potential employers/clients? That's in the eye of the beholder. I've had some people go "Wow, you're certified," while others never bothered to notice.
I feel your reel will probably get a bigger response than a certification, but I'm not regretting going through the process.
 
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