I'm about 6 weeks out from production on my next film, a short, about 12 to 15 minutes in length. The entire film is set inside a dimly lit fallout/bomb shelter, so we'll be using candles and dim light bulbs (practicals) as most of the lighting with some key light thrown on the talent. Our original plan had been to shoot on a Red, but both my producer and cinematographer have either experienced personally or heard the horror stories about the workflow. The difficulty in finding an editor who can handle the files, problems with conversion codecs, etc... So they are both strongly discouraging me from shooting on it. Option #2 would be one of the varicam models, maybe the HPX2700. The upside is the known workflow (DVCHD Pro to P2), the downside is they are harder to find for rental and in some cases are more expensive to rent than a Red. Option #3 would be shooting on the same HVX200A we shot on last time. The upside, it's free saving me over $500 in budget, known workflow (DVCHD Pro to P2). The downside, with the redrock it's probably really going to struggle in those low light situations. Anybody know a good option #4?
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Some advice as we prepare to make the camera decision
- Thread starter Gonzo_Entertainment
- Start date
In the past I've been shooting with 35mm adapters & the Red. Now I shifted to the Canon 7D. It blows both the 35mm adapter (Letus) and even the Red out of the water with low light capabilities. The post production workflow can be done easily using MPEG Streamclip (free software).
The other benefits of it are - it fits into small spaces easily, there are plenty of Canon lenses around, & it's light so you can use small jib arms, dollies etc.
And there are cheap to buy.......and I'm sure cheap to rent.
Hope that helps.
forgive my lack of knowledge, but that looks like a camera you just take photos with, not an actual movie camera.
while I clearly see that it has the capability of a movie camera, I am amazed at the picture quality.
Looks like it would be great for such use as a short film.
while I clearly see that it has the capability of a movie camera, I am amazed at the picture quality.
Looks like it would be great for such use as a short film.
Well check this video (behind the scenes on TV show 24) - leading cinematographers are very excited about the Canon range of DSLR cameras....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIWGKowjuIo
DP actually mentioned it (DSLR). Production meeting on Wednesday where I'm going to try and sell him on shooting on the HVX200A again, and being creative with the lighting to get the effect we want while working with the limited low light ability of the HVX with the redrock. If we don't rent the camera at $500 a weekend, then I can afford to get him lots of other goodies (jib, dolly, etc...) to play with.
hey, i have an idea.. don't film in the dark! Sorry, couldn't resists.. 
Take some time and go sit in a dark small space with a few candles.. after your eyes adjust you will realize it doesn't seem all that dark.... Its not about light level, its light quality. The intamacy of gathering near the light.. even in a wide open space, we humans gather around the light source. The high contrast and deep shadows, the flickering movement, the dilated pupils.. thats what communicates being in a dim space... You can create all that with typical light exposure levels.. except the dilated pupils bit.. Iv wondered if actors don't get some of those dilating eye drops from there doctor to make there pupils large.??