Are EX-1 Shooters a Dime a Dozen ?

[androbot2084]

I was looking to upgrade my video equipment so I called some wedding video production companies to see if there was still a market for EX-1 shooters. I thought that the EX-1 would be the perfect choice for weddings because the half inch chips have excellent low light performance which is mandatory for dark churches and reception halls. However the production companies sneered at me and are telling me that work is slow and that while the EX-1 is a good camera unfortunately these shooters are a dime a dozen. They told me that get hoardes of solicitations from owners of high end equipment who can't find work.

[dcarstens]

The camera is common- creative talent is not.

[Chadfish]

Owning a camera does not make one a competent camera operator.

One needs to be able to be an artist, technician, and audio engineer to even start to do work that you can live off of. Well, maybe not always. Some of the local TV spots I see are quite cringe worthy. A big part of getting work is hustling, and often the hacks are better at hustling than the pros. Get your name, and your demo reel out there to all the possible places that may hire you. The economy is slow, and one can't always get away with only shooting one type of video. One revenue stream not often thought of is doing video depositions. You need to hear what is being said by all in the room mainly for that. Get 6 wired lavs and a little mixer, and get out there. Wedding season is almost over.

[Bassman2003]

Androbot,

What is the point of your post?

If you use an EX camera people will not hire you because there are too many EXs being used?

Most folks want to use the most common camera so the interface is standard with the shooters and the editors.

These things are only tools. You get hired because you have capable tools but more importantly you know how to use them well.

Your only option to one-up the Ex series is to get out your wallet!

[jacotte]

Otherwise just as the client what camera he wants and rent it if that's the only issue.

[Luis Caffesse]

the production companies sneered at me and are telling me that work is slow and that while the EX-1 is a good camera unfortunately these shooters are a dime a dozen.

As far as I can see the lesson here is that bottom feeder production companies are a dime a dozen as well.

As others have mentioned, the gear does not make the cameraman.

Reminds me of a story someone once posted here of a plumber who goes into a flooding house - he looks around, sees a pipe in the basement causing the problem, hits it with his hammer once and the leak stops. He hands the man an invoice for $100 and the homeowner freaks out, demanding an itemized invoice.

The plumber takes it and writes...
"$5 - Hammer"
"$95 - knowing how to fix the leak"

There will always be those who value the gear more than the talent, experience and knowledge behind it.
The key is to sell yourself not on your gear, but on your knowledge and talent.
Someone else will always have better tech than you at some point... but no one else will have your exact set of skills and experience.

Find those clients and companies who value your skill set - and forge relationships with them, based not on technology but on communication and the talent to get them the work they need without doubt. This has as much to do with them as it does with how you present and sell yourself to prospective clients. Sell yourself...not the gear.

The 'lowest bidder' jobs will inevitably lead you down a road that is hard to come back from - and for the most part those clients will drop you the moment they can save ten cents elsewhere.

Sell yourself and a decade later you'll find you have a decent career going with a good set of contacts based on real relationships. Meanwhile, those companies who constantly seek out the lowest bidder will still be doing the exact same thing they're doing today...

Just my 2 cents.

[Bassman2003]

Wise words

[androbot2084]

Yes I think that the problem is not so much the doom and gloom of the recession although the recession is a big problem but rather that because wedding season is almost over it might as well be the great depression as far as wedding work goes.

I think it is true that it is not the camera but rather the cameraman however the camera must at least meet the minimum requirements. My present camera shoots high definition at 30p and standard definition at 60p but most gigs today want high definition with 24p and 60p capability.

[Chadfish]

most gigs today want high definition with 24p and 60p capability.


Are you sure about 60P?

[androbot2084]

Actually the National Footbal League NFL shoots with 16mm film at 120 frames per second. 60p is good for overcranked slow motion played back at 24p or if you want a live look rather than a film look. During the 1980's music videos were filmed at 30 frames per second.

[basspig]

The last two jobs that I got were BECAUSE I was shooting EX. These were quality-aware clients, not your average penny pinchers.

That said, I haven't booked a wedding in two years. Clients inquire frequently, but after they see the price list, I never hear back from them. Just as well. Weddings are a stressful kind of video to shoot well, and the clients can be annoyingly nitpicky about people that were edited out of the video, or not central to the focus, and I'm not talking about the B&G.

[Carl Marxx]

It's the same old story: the chicken or the egg? Is it the camera, or the man (or lady) behind the camera with the experience that comes first. Also, clients are like chicken farmers, some make a lot of eggs for the lowest price, while others want the better and biggest eggs, that looks and tastes great, and is the best product. I guess it's just a matter of taste that the farmer (client) has! -- the fourth Marx brother, Carl

[androbot2084]

Yes but showing up at a gig with a single chip HDV camcorder simply means that you will not be taken seriously as a professianal. Now don't get me wrong, in the hands of a very talented individual I am sure beautiful images can be obtained with very humble tools however there will come a time that the limitations of the camcorder cannot be overcome such as low light shooting situations which require the EX-1.

And remember this is all relative. I am sure that many shooters will claim that you are not a real professional unless you own a Red One. However common sense tells you that as seasoned professional armed with an EX1 will produce better footage than an inexperienced Red One user that can't pull focus and can't get the exposure right. Although Red One is the Rolls Royce of cameras it is far cry from a truly automatic camera that can shoot footage right out of the box but rather requires a lot of practice and experience to get it right.

[Chadfish]

Actually the National Footbal League NFL shoots with 16mm film at 120 frames per second. 60p is good for overcranked slow motion played back at 24p or if you want a live look rather than a film look. During the 1980's music videos were filmed at 30 frames per second.

Hi

I'm aware that the nfl likes 60p. But you said "most" gigs want 24p and 60p. I do TV and DVD projects, and have never been asked for 60p. I do overcrank when I want slow motion, but that's an effect. 60p is the norm in maybe sports, but nothing else I'm aware of. And though it's true that 80's videos popularized 30fps, aren't music videos also 30fps in the 90's and today? Isn't 30p / 60i more the norm still at this moment?

Wikipedia
60i (actually 59.94, or 60 x 1000/1001 to be more precise; 60 interlaced fields = 29.97 frames) is the standard video field rate per second that has been used for NTSC television since 1941, whether from a broadcast signal, rented DVD, or home camcorder. (When NTSC color was introduced, the older rate of 60 fields per second was reduced by a factor of 1000/1001 to avoid interference between the chroma subcarrier and the broadcast sound carrier.)

* 30p, or 30-frame progressive, is a noninterlaced format and produces video at 30 frames per second. Progressive (noninterlaced) scanning mimics a film camera's frame-by-frame image capture and gives clarity for high speed subjects and a cinematic-like appearance. Shooting in 30p mode offers video with no interlace artifacts. The widescreen film process Todd-AO used this frame rate in 1954–1956. For video, this frame rate originated in the 1940s for recording current events or recording shows that were not shot in 24p film as well as TV commercials. However, this frame rate became popular in the 1980s, with the popularity of music videos.

* The 24p frame rate is also a noninterlaced format, and is now widely adopted by those planning on transferring a video signal to film. But film- and video-makers turn to 24p for the "cine"-look even if their productions are not going to be transferred to film, simply because of the "look" of the frame rate. When transferred to NTSC television, the rate is effectively slowed to 23.976 frame/s, and when transferred to PAL or SECAM it is sped up to 25 frame/s. 35 mm movie cameras use a standard exposure rate of 24 frames per second, though many cameras offer rates of 23.976 frame/s for NTSC television and 25 frame/s for PAL/SECAM. The 24 frame/s rate became the de facto standard for sound motion pictures in the mid-1920s.[1]

[Robert Ruffo]

People with a copy of Word are also a dime a dozen, less than a penny, even, but yet as a great screenwriter you can still make top dollar.

[basspig]

It should be reminded that Red is also a single-chip camera. ;)

What things really boil down to is what to say in marketing that will weed out the bottom-feeders from responding, yet interest those with the budget and the desire for quality production work.

Any magic words to suggest?

[Robert Ruffo]

No magic words. Just a certain attitude, a certain expectation. Don't be too personal, too "familiar", that's what Youtube is, that's what all really low-budget guys are. I'm blunt and standoffish, and I get work despite no website at all (haven't updated it in 6 years).

[basspig]

When cold-calling, and when calling in person, how do you get past the front desk?

[Dingos8mybaby]

...He hands the man an invoice for $500 and the homeowner freaks out, demanding an itemized invoice.

The plumber takes it and writes...
"$5 - Hammer"
"$95 - knowing how to fix the leak"


I think your math's a little fuzzy there, Luis. :)


People with a copy of Word are also a dime a dozen, less than a penny, even, but yet as a great screenwriter you can still make top dollar.

I'd rather write a script out by hand than try to format it in Word or Pages.

I knew the R1 would come into this discussion eventually, (especially when there are literally dozens of productions, on CLToronto alone, claiming to be using the "super hd red camera"), but honestly, it's just another tool (albeit an awesome one) in the box. Unless you know how to use it, and use it well, it's allure will only take you as far as sh*tty footy sticks out in "super hd".

[DavidChia]

You pay peanuts you get monkeys... Simple as that.

We got a stringer to shoot an interview about 150km away from where we are base, because the client didn't have the budget. Well, the stringer (based there) had a JVC HD201, sennheiser wireless kit. Charges $100 for the 10min interview. So one would think that a person with 15 years of production experience with so so gears would know what to do. Yes he owns a bottom feeding production company.

However, the footage that we got back was so bad that I had to send more time in post to fix it. Can you imagine, he didn't lock the camera when he is on a tight shot. There was wobble here and there during the the interview, didn't even set the desk or location to look better.

So the client didn't want the look of the Lapel sticking out of his collar and ask if he could use another mic instead. Instead of try to hiding the lapel under his tie or his shirt, He took a shotgun mic instead. That was fine, but when you see the shotgun mic in the left side of the frame, that is bad. The echo was bad, because the room was bear. Find a better location or position the mic in a better position like can you at least place the mic above the client's head and the mic pointing down wards and not straight at him from the left.

So the point is , So what if you have a red camera? You gonna get more jobs if you can show your skills as a cameraman with a showreel and not a picture of the camera and gears you got.

BTW, There are lots of so called cinematographer out there that doesn't know what Film is. Ask them of the type of exposure for different types of film grade, or ask them to measure the focus distance and they will give you a blank look, . If you have at least 10 years of film making and a few (films not video movies) under your belt. Then call yourself that , otherwise , please be humble and call yourself a camera assistant or camera operator or videographer.

[Luis Caffesse]

I think your math's a little fuzzy there, Luis. :)

Hm, not sure what you mean... looking at my original post, it seems fine.
You must have quoted it wrong.
:)


:thumbsup:

[Robert Ruffo]

$100? For $100 anyone who is any good doesn't get out of bed, let aone set-up an interview.

[Robert Ruffo]

Getting past reception is an art. I suggest taking sales seminars. Sales are 60% of why anyone gets work, or high-paid work, although the other 40% (talent) is of course crucial.

[Chadfish]

Getting past reception is an art. I suggest taking sales seminars. Sales are 60% of why anyone gets work, or high-paid work, although the other 40% (talent) is of course crucial.


I have to agree with you there. It seems like all the hacks in the Eureka area of Northern California have their names out there getting them jobs. I read on the Humboldt Film comission page for sound people, and there were some of the worst soundmen.... no, not sound men at all. They were video guys who do sound atrociously on their own work. But I bet they get jobs because most people the hire for video can't tell the difference between good, so-so, and bad audio. I have just started hustling up my own jobs doing TV spots locally. I got cut to half time because my boss, hey, doesn't have a sales person to get us video work still after 5 years. So I'm seeing who the competition is for contract videographers at the local stations, and I know many to be hacks, yet they get that job boy.

So yes sales seminars for videographers would be an awesome idea. In the mean time - I'm available to do interviews! I did these: http://www.youtube.com/FreshTissue1

[Dingos8mybaby]

Hm, not sure what you mean... looking at my original post, it seems fine.
You must have quoted it wrong.
:)


:thumbsup:

hehe You had me thinking I was losing it for a second there. :grin:

FWIW, I know a person who shoots corporate vids with her/his EX1 (as a side job) - nothing fancy, just product demos/training vids. S/He doesn't care too much about the technical side of shooting, but does okay stuff (I've seen a couple of her/his finished projects). S/He shoots using auto-everything mode, cuts the project in FCP, adds some basic mojo (boosts SAT, lower thirds, speed changes, transitions), has a buddy do some slick'n'quick AE graphics (titles/cards), then shows the finished project to the client(s) on a 46" plasma. They love it everytime (so s/he says). The thing is, not only does the EX1 produce some really crisp and vibrant footy on an HDTV, the person knows how to talk - I mean, it's uncanny how comfortable s/he is dealing with 'Suits', who sometimes aren't the easiest people to work with, let alone work for.

So in this case, I'd say that the person does 90% of the job (10% for the AE guy) but the camera does 100% of the work (i.e. the person does the talkin', the camera does the walkin').

[male_man]

I have to agree with you there. It seems like all the hacks in the Eureka area of Northern California have their names out there getting them jobs. I read on the Humboldt Film comission page for sound people, and there were some of the worst soundmen.... no, not sound men at all. They were video guys who do sound atrociously on their own work. But I bet they get jobs because most people the hire for video can't tell the difference between good, so-so, and bad audio. I have just started hustling up my own jobs doing TV spots locally. I got cut to half time because my boss, hey, doesn't have a sales person to get us video work still after 5 years. So I'm seeing who the competition is for contract videographers at the local stations, and I know many to be hacks, yet they get that job boy.

So yes sales seminars for videographers would be an awesome idea. In the mean time - I'm available to do interviews! I did these: http://www.youtube.com/FreshTissue1

Chad I see you are multi-talented. I liked that music video you did on youtube.

[FrankC]

Don't mean to start a Flame War, but most event videographers are not held in the highest esteem outside of their niche industry. Perhaps 10% are very capable, creative people, but the focus of an event videographer is to have someone else produce the show and they simply turn on the piece of equipment they happen to have. The professional side of the video industry requires talent, scriptwriting, concept, composition, not to mention sales and marketing. Don't see many Event Videographers writing scrips and concepts. Yes, equipment is important, but as has been said here very well, the most important element is talent and craftsmanship.
Consider the insanity of using the Red camera to do a wedding??!!! Absolutely wrong tool for that job. That's looking at the biz play the game "My camera is bigger than your camera" regardless of the talent of the operator.

[Chadfish]

Chad I see you are multi-talented. I liked that music video you did on youtube.

Hey maleman. Are you talking about the Ebow vid with lots of motion graphics?

[Chadfish]

Don't mean to start a Flame War, but most event videographers are not held in the highest esteem outside of their niche industry. Perhaps 10% are very capable, creative people, but the focus of an event videographer is to have someone else produce the show and they simply turn on the piece of equipment they happen to have. The professional side of the video industry requires talent, scriptwriting, concept, composition, not to mention sales and marketing. Don't see many Event Videographers writing scrips and concepts. Yes, equipment is important, but as has been said here very well, the most important element is talent and craftsmanship.
Consider the insanity of using the Red camera to do a wedding??!!! Absolutely wrong tool for that job. That's looking at the biz play the game "My camera is bigger than your camera" regardless of the talent of the operator.

Hi FrankC

I think there is creativity in event videography. I wouldn't categorize myself as one thing such as "An Event Videographer" or "Indi Film Maker", or "Musician" because those are hats I wear when I do those jobs. But having done one-camera shoots of plays, musicals, or live bands - I have to say that it takes a lot of skill to capture something that is happening even if you didn't write it or direct the talent. First there is audio to consider - mic placement and getting a good sound that doesn't distort etc. (That's audio engineering, and it's a creative field) Then there is the shooting. Single camera shooting a stage full of people - and you don't know the play! For me personally - that is the Zen moment. You must be in the now, and have all your senses open so you can flow between the people on stage, capturing closeups, framing groups of people and keeping a smooth flow throughout the whole production. I find it stimulating and creative for what it is. Then there is editing - which is mostly color correcting and audio mixing (for event stuff), and even something like mastering your final mix can be a task loaded with possible choices to make - and is fun to do.

Not to avoid giving props for organizing a shoot where you control everything. Those can be arduous - but incredibly rewarding.

YES there are hacks that point the old camera at the stage, check out the babes in the audience as the camera sits untouched, use the old on-board mic, capture - add chapter markers - then burn a DVD. And those people should not be allowed to own an EX1. They should be given a Canon HV20 and a Rode VideoMic and patted on the head and told to go play.

My point is that any job one does is creative, and deserves respect. It is the people that do the job who either make it art or phone it in.

[Bassman2003]

Don't mean to start a Flame War, but most event videographers are not held in the highest esteem outside of their niche industry. Perhaps 10% are very capable, creative people, but the focus of an event videographer is to have someone else produce the show and they simply turn on the piece of equipment they happen to have. The professional side of the video industry requires talent, scriptwriting, concept, composition, not to mention sales and marketing. Don't see many Event Videographers writing scrips and concepts. Yes, equipment is important, but as has been said here very well, the most important element is talent and craftsmanship.
Consider the insanity of using the Red camera to do a wedding??!!! Absolutely wrong tool for that job. That's looking at the biz play the game "My camera is bigger than your camera" regardless of the talent of the operator.

Wow, I read this a couple of times and I disagree as well think you are off base here.

You start by comparing an event videographer to an entire cast of people, script writers, producers, composers etc...

Well at the professional level as you state it, do you see many DPs or camera operators writing th script either?

Sounds like a cine-snob sort of paragraph to me. I have hired cinema folks for some event work and they were a bit out of water as to doing a great job. Every job has its merits along with good and bad people along the way.

I am weary when the term "professional" gets used to single out a certain class or type of worker. Like they are doing the real work.

You could have left his sentence out and retained a level of respect:

"but the focus of an event videographer is to have someone else produce the show and they simply turn on the piece of equipment they happen to have..."

But you didn't.

[male_man]

Hey maleman. Are you talking about the Ebow vid with lots of motion graphics?

Yes, that Ebow vid on youtube. I also was diggin your music on your other website too.

[Chadfish]

Yes, that Ebow vid on youtube. I also was diggin your music on your other website too.


Cool! Glad you dug it.

[Robert Ruffo]

Wow, I read this a couple of times and I disagree as well think you are off base here.

You start by comparing an event videographer to an entire cast of people, script writers, producers, composers etc...

Well at the professional level as you state it, do you see many DPs or camera operators writing th script either?

Sounds like a cine-snob sort of paragraph to me. I have hired cinema folks for some event work and they were a bit out of water as to doing a great job. Every job has its merits along with good and bad people along the way.

I am weary when the term "professional" gets used to single out a certain class or type of worker. Like they are doing the real work.

You could have left his sentence out and retained a level of respect:

"but the focus of an event videographer is to have someone else produce the show and they simply turn on the piece of equipment they happen to have..."

But you didn't.

I agree here. I am a writer/director, but I am only as good as all the people who work with me. A great camera operator (that job should really be called "camera movement artist" to reflect the creativity and good taste doing it well requires) is the eyes that see all I throw onto the set or location. Without the best eyes to see it, it doesn't matter what I did, and good eyes can hide my mistakes and emphasise what went well.

That said, I have no respect for people who do not value their team. If you are the kind of director/boss who thinks that anyone lower on the cerdits list is interchangeable, then you are on your way down soon, and no one will feel sorry for you. No one on my sets is interchangeable.

[Cranky]

most event videographers are not held in the highest esteem outside of their niche industry. Perhaps 10% are very capable, creative people, but the focus of an event videographer is to have someone else produce the show and they simply turn on the piece of equipment they happen to have.
If this were true then everyone with a camera in their hands could make good videos. Well, at least watchable, non-revolting videos. This does not happen. I have three camcorders... no, I have sold one, so I have two camcorders now. So far, I have not shot anything remarkable. I wish I could turn on the piece of equipment and magically produced something that looked like StillMotion wedding video. These bastards clearly do nothing special, they just press a button and move the cam around. How hard can it be?

[david_p]

hi androbot2084,

getting back to a few of your comments on the first page of this thread....

since you asked about cameras and the quality factor of an EX1 for instance, i'll throw in my two cents here.

i agree with much of what has been written in this thread that basically its the person behind the camera more than the camera....but...the camera at least has to meet some basic requirments for the event scenarios. good low light capabilities is one of them and probably the biggest IMO. many cameras fall short of an EX1 but not all. as far as cameras go i have an EX1 and a HMC150. persoanlly i like the 150 a little better in low light.

as far as framerate? i personally dont think it matters much. pick one and go. i shoot quite a bit in 60fps since i like to always have an option of creamy slomo. besides that it doesnt matter much at all to me. i dont think any one over another will make or break you in the least.

you had mentioned in one of your posts about a single chip HDV camera not being taken seriously. even though it shouldnt technically make a difference as to the look of your camera...i ABSOLUTELY do believe "it does", at least in many situations where you are still in a "selling and impressing yourself mode" to a client. i think if you do repeated work with a client and now the client trusts you and what you can do with your art...then the flashiness of the more robust gear becomes less important (at times) and they know you will make it happen for them no matter what you are using.

what i would suggest to do if you want to shoot weddings is...

find a couple that is very attractive and more than anything...DYNAMIC...."the model couple". offer to shoot them ***for free*** (yes i did say for free) under the condition that they have ***absolutely*** no final say so as to what you do. since they are getting it for free they have no room to compromise what YOU need to get here. i would still be open and listen if they have ideas but you focus on what will be good for **you** and what you need to get out of it.

now, i would go ***hard at it*** with a vengeance. plan in advance and prepare yourself to get the absolute ***most*** out of this situation. DETAILS! you have to shoot for EXCEPTIONAL! if you dont currently have adequate gear to pull it off then "RENT" what you need to "do it right". if the video is great then...you greatly increase your chances to get work in the future assuming pricing is somewhat logically lined up with your final product and assuming you arent a weird freak socially.

some might say that you shouldnt give yourself away for free. well, if you dont have cliental and you want to *break* a new market then i think it can be the easiest way to do it and....it doesnt undermind your payscale anywhere near than if you gave someone a *greatly discounted price*!

if you think your worth $3,000 for a job but you dip down to $1,500 do *get the job* then guess what....in the eyes of the buyer....you are worth $1,500. your also looking **hungry*. this is never *NEVER* good!

if you go in for FREE with a client that by the way... ***you will never work for again***...then, you dont have to re-sell yourself again to them. lets just call them your guinea pigs for what you need to get. THEY WIN AND YOU WIN.

you make them understand that you have a **one time motive** here. a freak of nature and you WON"T be doing this again (and dont do it again in their circle!!!) i have done this about a half dozen times in my long career as and audio/mastering-photography & video guy. all but one was very fruitful and launched a very good stream of work in each of my target niches. im 55 by the way. "paving the way is a good way to look at it."

some here might say "how to you go up from free?"

THIS IS HOW i have always looked at it...
if you put a *half price or quarter price value* on yourself...then yes, that is the value people will think about you and is very hard to go back up from. on the other hand...if you go for FREE under your absolute conditions...it becomes obvious that you are doing it ***for yourself*** to creatively explore. a "one off" so to speak... that one lucky client will benefit from but NO others. i didnt even have a problem with these individuals saying i did it for free to others that might ask and if price would have come up. and by the way...i was never hurt by this. i did it so infrequently so it was never expected.

if your product is jammin people with grab on to what you do...for them. i would never make to big of a deal when i went into do this sort of thing. usually my approach was...i need to test out some new gear or take a peek or a stab at something a little different. or, this *might* be something that i would want to do in the future so i need to *just try one* .very very casual in my approach. no need to hype them that they are getting for free either. keep your mouth shut and just do it to its fullest.

a great product (especially in relation to whats around you) will turn heads. so so work will not. if you dont have enough experience to turn an exceptional project then this probably wouldnt work out so well. it might be nothing more than a small climbing the ladder of experience to refine your craft. it would still have value but you cant keep doing them for free (haha) without people catching on. youd be dead then for any future.

everyone has to pay dues...one way or another.

this post is a little scattered (sorry). just wanted to share an idea in hopes that you can stimulate your market.

here is a website of videographers that i have recently run across. they have a different approach that i cant say i have seen much before. a music video style for some of the wedding couples. might look a little corny to a few but put yourself in the place of the wedding couple and their family. i think this company is "gold". they wont be hurting for work thats for sure. LINK...
www.switzerfilm.com/

thanks
david
www.davidprobst.com

[Chadfish]

David those wedding video guys made some sweet looking stuff! I think I could make out an EX1 with a letus in one of the shots. Very cool. I wonder how they license music for wedding videos.

Also I like your idea of giving away a little in order to get the word out on your skills. I had a serendipitous moment with something like that. I was carrying my camera down the street one day and ran into a couple of musicians I kew from years ago who had moved. They rather bluntly asked me to shoot their show that night and I just sort of rolled with it and said, "OK, but just one set". So I showed up and treated it like a real job and made them a nice DVD to sell or give away - whatever they wanted. A few days later they were playing the DVD in a studio they were recording in and the engineer asked who did that for them. They dropped my name and number and I got a paying gig that night shooting the engineer's band. Then the engineer started mentioning me to whomever mentioned video around him. Subsequently I have made thousands of dollars off of that one nice, FREE, gesture. In fact one of my best clients is from one of those recommendations, and through that revenue I purchased my EX1.

What goes around comes around. I say don't phone it in even if you are doing someone a favor. Always do your best work and it will pay off.

Chad

[david_p]

hi chad,

your situation is a great example of "getting things going"!

by the way i took a look at some of your 3D stuff everyone was talking about and i have to say that i was very impressed. very cool and clever stuff. sweet eye candy!! im sure the clients loved it.

thanks
david
www.davidprobst.com

[Chadfish]

Hi David. Thanks. I dig your photos too. Do you do video as well?

With the 3D motion graphics - that was usually something I threw in for the same reason again. I am new at motion graphics, so I just did it for free to build up my portfolio. The client liked it and now I have something to show. I find it much easier to use (with permission) a client's job to try out new stuff, rather than make up something from scratch.

[david_p]

Hi David. Thanks. I dig your photos too. Do you do video as well?

With the 3D motion graphics - that was usually something I threw in for the same reason again. I am new at motion graphics, so I just did it for free to build up my portfolio. The client liked it and now I have something to show. I find it much easier to use (with permission) a client's job to try out new stuff, rather than make up something from scratch.

hi chad,

keep up the efforts of the 3D stuff! i think youll have good success with that.

i consider myself a bit more of a photographer than video guy. i have more of a push going on with video lately though. trying to build it a bit more. i go in phases with things from time to time. many potential clients for video know me from the photo world so its a pretty easy transition.

here is a link to a few recent videos...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fjehb82yFlQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SvhNBKHkgMY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdmCrzrRbCI

audio was live. chirping birds and swooshing trees are real not an effect (many people think are)

thanks
david
www.davidprobst.com

[Chadfish]

David I really like those vids! I assume it's EX1 footage? In thing - the strobing. Is that intentional? That gets distracting pretty quickly. If it's a film effect plugin, I don't think it's necessary. You have a nice diffusion thing going on with the light and the color is cool.

Also What audio setup do you have there> It looks a bit like a Zoom H4, but you have a cable going down the mic stand. It that a stereo mic pointing at the harp? What model?

[david_p]

David I really like those vids! I assume it's EX1 footage? In thing - the strobing. Is that intentional? That gets distracting pretty quickly. If it's a film effect plugin, I don't think it's necessary. You have a nice diffusion thing going on with the light and the color is cool.

Also What audio setup do you have there> It looks a bit like a Zoom H4, but you have a cable going down the mic stand. It that a stereo mic pointing at the harp? What model?

hi chad,

EX1 & 5DmkII with a 200L 1.8. your the first one to mention about the strobing/flicker. i could have been happy to have backed off of it a little bit but am ok with where its at well. i appreciate your take on it though and good to hear honest feedback so thank you.

the 5DmkII for the playing part in the field was about 100' away with the 200mm 1.8. the EX1 was at the angle (closer view) about 50-60' away and zoomed in enough to somewhat match the shallow DOF of the 5D.

audio was the zoom H4n...only, nothing else. in the gazeebo shots i did have a lav up inside the harp box (lectrosonics) but it couldnt handle the explosion of sound with the limiters on the units. pure trash so it didnt get used.

a few of the shots i used an 85mm 1.2L on the 5DmkII as well.

we had a very bad wind problem. the little foam cover for the H4n didnt cut it very good. over 50% of the audio had distorted wind issues....trash can bound. i also had a Sennheiser shotgun in a "blimp" with the deadcat but opted out of using it since it looked horrible in the shots. the lady was having a fit when she saw it...i couldnt blame her and agreed. i still used it on the grass shots but it was out of the shot and too far away to be of any use. much of the time the strings just took off ringing since we were getting serious gusts. considering all of the negative elements with the audio i was still happy with what we got. not perfect but its real and honest and i can live with that plus it showed her in a real performance.

thanks
david
www.davidprobst.com

[Chadfish]

An H4n - cool. You got a nice sound out of it. I saw the XLR cable coming out the back and got confused. I thought it may have been a mic. You may want to check this small furry out. It's at B&H, but they don't have the right photo so here's another link with a shot of it: http://www.dv247.com/microphones/rycote-055320-mini-windjammer-for-the-rode-nt4-microphone--28583

Here's the B&H page: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/277952-REG/Rycote_055320_Mini_Windjammer.html

It's designed for the Rode NT4 stereo mic, but I bet it would fit the H4n. It's no blimp, but that on top of the foam may save you some earaches.

That 5DmkII is turning out to be a nice complement to the EX1 as far as 2nd cameras go. They blended well.

I guess we should stop hijacking this thread! Sorry... Nice to meet you David. Keep up the good work. You play down your skills IMO - because your video stuff looks great. No doubt your still photography skill funded your video quality.

Cheers

[cjwolff]

$100? For $100 anyone who is any good doesn't get out of bed, let aone set-up an interview.

Hell, when someone asks me for spare change, I tell them I only carry $100's.

[Carl Marxx]

There should be laws against people getting expensive cameras and thinking that they can shoot like a DP. DP in this case should be renamed "displaced person," someone from the ghetto trying to make some extra money by selling his services to anyone with his stolen camera. Anyway, in the professional world, there's "talent" on both sides of the lense -- some have it, and some don't. *** the talentless fourth Marxx brother -- Carl

[androbot2084]

When I bought my high definition camera 5 years ago I shot at 30 frames per second and later delivered the footage on Blu-Ray and instantly achieved the coveted Todd AO look which was a famous film format of the 1950's. Now how many of todays so called Directors of Photography would have the guts to shoot a feature length film using the Todd AO format knowing the footage would look great on Blu-Ray but choppy when projected using film?

[Chadfish]

Why would Todd AO look choppy projected but not on blueray?

BluueRay does not do 30fps (Like Todd AO). I think if you are doing a true Todd AO you would have a 70mm film projector running at 30fps. If not, aren't you just projecting digital video at 30fps with an aspect of 2.20:1?

[androbot2084]

For theatrical release in most theatres Todd AO shot at 30 frames per second would have to be converted to 24 frames per second which would produce motion artifacts. For Blu-Ray release the 720p format supports 30 frames per second natively however there is no 1080p format support for 30fps so the footage would have to use progressively segmented frames over 1080i.

Of course most DP's would balk at the concept of trying to recreate the Todd AO look and would say that this is not practical. This is simply not true and for Blu-Ray release the results would look fantastic. The fact of the matter is that most DP's would rather not be bothered with any work flow that does not conform exactly to the prevailing industry standards yet these same DP's slam their more creative competition as being incompetent simply because they are not members of the American Society of Cinematographers.

[Chadfish]

So bluray does 30fps at 720p? I thought it was a strictly 24P medium. Cool.

[basspig]

Blu-ray also supports 720P/60, in addition to 1080i/60 and 1080P/24.

[Chadfish]

Blu-ray also supports 720P/60, in addition to 1080i/60 and 1080P/24.

I wonder why they left out 1080P/30. It's my favorite to shoot.

[basspig]

Me too. HD DVD supported 30P, and it's unfortunate that BD does not. I'd like 30P even better if I shot to an uncompressed, or even NanoFlash type device. I shoot 24P because of BD compatibility mostly, but also observed visibly better image quality, less compression artifacts.

[Cranky]

BD does not support 30p natively. Two options:

1) Distribute within 720p60 with 2-2 frame repeat.
2) Distribute within 1080i60 as PsF and pray that a player/TV is smart enough to reconstruct 30p back. Better players with HQV or DVDO chips can do that. AFAIK, newer players with less fancy chips can do that too, but you will never be 100% sure.

[basspig]

60i is a disappointing option.. with 4:2:0 material, the color loses about half the resolution. Objects with high saturation, red sports cars, fire engines, etc., get all blocky around the edges. I'd rather look at temporal framerate mismatch than jaggies in the color channels. I encoded some 30P footage as 60i and put it on a BD and was shocked at how much worse it looked because of the loss of color subsampling. Went with 30->24P instead.