stills from short (HDX900)

A

acoreasc

Well-known member
hey guys - have been away for a while. Just finished this short on the HDX900. So I wanted to post...no other camera section for this...and since it is probably most closely related to the HVX...here goes. It is called "running in place", and is written and directed by Michael Field. Shot 720P, 24P 16x9. Thanks guys! Oh - it was standard ENG Fujinon glass, as I got the package for free. Please note - the first still is from a shakespeare exercise a friend wanted to shoot so we did it....

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These stills are from running in place. The story is about a guy who thinks his life is moving farther and farther away from his dreams....he meets a delusional old man in a parking lot and has a cup of coffee with him.
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Really, really, really good work. These images are top notch. Can you discuss lighting used? How was the first one light?
Jgastelb
 
Gotta love that 2/3"

The Grabs for me were

Hit and miss - the 1st, 4th, and 6th are my favorites.

How did you come by it for free, were you just run and gunning or did somebody show you the basics on the camera?

I've been thinking about renting one for a weekend - so any pitfalls or issues you had?
 
1st still was lit from a simple hanging clear glass bulb (100 watts) that was positioned as a swinging source....as it is an interrogation of sorts....

the piece as a whole is pretty dark and the coffee shop (the warm stills) are all about a higher key and a relief from the contrast of the other scenes....

If I had to say it - rent cine glass, pulling focus (most of the film is dolly work - only four still shots in the piece) on the ENG lens was a pain. I love the camera, but I found that it did very well with cooler colors as the blues and greens popped, while reds and oranges were always a little underwhelming in my opinion, but the camera shoots very clean, with outstanding responsiveness in lower lighting. The coffee shop is all the christmas lights - just three strategically hidden china balls - the director and I spent a night hanging 26 strands of those lights.....a lot of work but I think it pays off.

All of the other lighting was done with mirrors, bounce cards and two 1.2 HMIS.

I used this camera to shoot a pilot for Good Housekeeping (cooking show) and really liked it....it was a personal project so I was able to wrangle it free for a weekend. If you have used an SDX900 - it is basically the same camera just a HD one at that. I had used the SDX quite a bit so the learning curve was not bad at all. I start shooting a feature in Mid-April with it....but cine glass instead of the ENG stuff.
 
The images look great but at that price is it better than the Silicon Imaging camera?
 
to put it simply MrG - no I don't think the HDX900 can deliver what the SI camera can, but it was either this camera for free for a weekend or shoot on the DVX, and as much as I love the DVX...I need more HD for my reel, and most of the film is played in wider shots...so the 2/3" chip would definitely help in that regard...so the HDX it is! It really is a very good camera, but not one I would invest in right now...that is why my eggs are in the Red basket.
 
what's up with the white balance in stills 3 and 5. It looks as if you were balanced for 56oo under 32oo lighting.

The first and second last stills are beauties.
 
janusz said:
what's up with the white balance in stills 3 and 5. It looks as if you were balanced for 56oo under 32oo lighting.
Click to expand...


acoreasc said:
the piece as a whole is pretty dark and the coffee shop (the warm stills) are all about a higher key and a relief from the contrast of the other scenes....
Click to expand...

I love the 2nd and 6th grabs. To me they look like some "Without a Trace" show type grabs (which is a compliment).
 
actually that is exactly what happened Janusz, the camera is balanced for 5600 under 3200 conditions...but it was an effect we wanted. Also, the warm side of the camera does not shoot nearly as warm as it would on a DVX or even an HVX...for some reason warmer colors (oranges most notably) are not nearly as saturated....so when I put on the 5600 as a lark I was actually pleased! The effect will most likely be toned down or softened as we go to final coloring.
 
I understand and I totally agree, I was just asking 'cos I'm researching cameras for a project.
I've never seen HDX900 footage before and these grabs look better than most of the SI footage I've seen.
 
well thanks then! I love the panasonic cameras, and the Hyrda optimization for HVX looks very promising....I shot a couple of specs with the HVX and 35mm adatpers, but the biggest selling point is the fact that the HDX is 2/3" chips....big difference for me, although I still don't like the thought of having to use an adapter for 35mm cine lenses....that is one of the major reasons I put the deposit on the Red. I can use my K35 lenses on it and not worry. All in all the HDX is a very nice camera, but I would definitely opt for cine glass if it is in the budget...whether a B4 zoom or adapter and cine primes...I think the difference is subtle but worth the cost.
 
Yeah that first grab was FREAKING amazing! You might want to consider shooting horror movies! Cause man you nailed it with that one.
 
to me, for my own personal taste, the white balance is a little much (mostly because of the skin tone), but that is my own opinion.

the christmas lights look gorgeous.
 
no, agreed janusz - the hue almost calls attention to itself - the final effect will be much more subtle....will repost when we do final touches....thanks for the feedback guys!
 
I know you said that the first grab had a only a 100 watt clear bulb but could you specify how close and at what angle was the ligth coming from? It looks like the actor's left side and slightly below. I tried to get a similar look with a clear bulb and the clean highlights on the nose, under the eyes, and above the eyebrows weren't there the same way. Sorry if this sound anal but I really love that grab a lot.
Jgastelb
 
Man that first still is the hotness.

In regards to the remainder-- You probably explained this but I'm about to go to lunch, no read for me. It looks like that look was done in camera processing (the really warm tones) instead of light gels. Do you think that this method provided a better image than actually warming your light sources?
 
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