C100: A Seton Home Story, shot on C100

[Eric Coughlin]

This is a promotional video I did for a Catholic homeschooling curriculum, Seton Home Study, showing one family's experience with it. It was shot in Wide DR, except a couple outdoor shots I tried C-log on. I think I'm going to start using Wide PF (a profile someone on here came up with) on projects as the color is closer to the final look I typically want.

I posted some behind-the-scenes pictures below, and several more can be seen here: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.451674124939189.1073741834.238103079629629&type=1

Equipment used was:
Canon C100
Sigma 18-35 f/1.8, Canon 24-105 f/4L, Tokina 11-16 f/2.8, Nikon 80-200 f/2.8 (all interviews)
Glidecam HD4000
Kessler Pocket Jib Traveler, 5ft CobraCrane
Kessler Stealth
Sanken COS-11D, Audio Technica AT-875 Shotgun, Sony PCM-M10 w/Countryman B6, Rode Videomic Pro + Rycote Windjammer
Manfrotto tripod and monopod
Arri 650 Fresnal, Dedolight DLH4 150W, Lowel Tota, 2x Lowel Pro-Lights
6-in-1 reflector kit, 5-in-1 reflector
Zacuto Z-finder 2.5x
Samsung SyncMaster 2333HD – 23″

Comments and constructive criticism welcome.

 

[Danny1280]

really interesting seeing the whole setup in the bts stills.
I thought you did a really nice job of everything: Lighting, sound, editing, telling the story and selling the product.
One curious question: How did you find it was using the Nikon 80-200 on the c100?
I ask because I have a Nikon D800 and a c100, and would love to get a nice lens that would work on both.

 

[Eric Coughlin]

Thanks. I really like the Nikon 80-200, on the C100, Canon DSRLs, and Panasonic GH cams; in other words, since it's manual aperture, any camera. I tested it compared to a Canon 70-200 f/2.8 I (not the newer II IS version) and it was way sharper than the Canon. You can see the comparison here; in the video it goes from the Canon, cuts to the Nikon which has a cheap filter which degrades the sharpness (though even with that it's sharper than the Canon), and then to the Nikon without the cheap filter, which when I cut directly back and forth, the Nikon's improvement over the Canon in sharpness is even more apparent; it also holds up well in sharpness to the Canon primes in the video.

I haven't compared it to the newer Canon 70-200 v. II IS, but I suspect it would be as sharp or sharper than that too. The Nikon 80-200 I use is a 1988 version I got used for $350. I'll probably buy a second one before long since I do multi-cam shoots. Other lenses I've considered for interviews are the Zeiss 100mm f/2.0, Zeiss 135mm f/2.0, and the rumored Sigma 135 f/1.8 IS. The Nikon 80-200 has been serving me satisfactorily as an interview lens, so I feel for now my money is better spent on other things than upgrading my primary interview lens.

 

[rjbrown7]

Nice Job! Would be interested in your thoughts about the Kessler Jib? Enjoy using it? Easy to use in the small areas?

Roy

 

[BrownCowVideo]

Superlative work! Nice lighting, mix of shots, and cinematic camera moves. And the IQ of the C100 (and your lens package) is incredible. Well done. And I always totally appreciate the BTS shots... very helpful to us all.

On the edit, I noticed when Dad comes in the first time, at around 0:44 he says "... work together..." but his mouth didn't move. My guess is that you took out an "umm," or "uhh," or pregnant pause and hid it with an edit... but it's not quite hidden. Also, the music seemed a little too hot in places, esp. when mom and the youngest kiddo are talking. So you might consider bringing it down in a few places. But otherwise, a solid edit and a nice cohesive piece with a good arc and flow. I'm sure your client was thrilled.

Best,
Brian

 

[slidemaster]

I love the mix of shots and indoor color. Lots of movement, LOTS. I would probably suggest a little less as I noticed that constent and your telling the story of this home schooling. That being said nice smooth movements and there was one shot I was really impressed with that looked very steady cam like. Very nice and like someone else mentioned here thanks for showing the set up. For us thats the best part!

 

[Eric Coughlin]

rjbrown7: I like the Pocket Jib Traveler. As you can see in the behind-the-scenes pics, I was using a cheap 5 ft CobraCrane someone recently gave to me for free. It actually worked pretty decently as far as results are concerned, but was a pain to transport (I drive a car, so had to awkwardly fit it angled in the back seat), required a lot more counter weights (20 lbs vs 5 lbs on the pocket jib traveler) since the back part doesn't extend as far as the Pocket Jib, which then made it more difficult move around, etc. So half way through the shoot, I decided to purchase the Pocket Jib Traveler.

I can setup the Pocket Jib Traveler in a couple minutes, and in tight places, and pick it up and move it around without needing to disassemble it. I was worried that the C100 would be too much weight for it to balance well, especially since I wanted a 701 Head and two quick release plates on the end of it, which comes out to around seven or eight pounds. The solution was simply to not extend it to it's full extension length, and it feels pretty sturdy. I haven't tried it out yet fully extended with the eight pounds attached, but it'd probably work okayish; the fact is, most of the jib shots I do are meant to add subtle movement, and aren't grand and large establishing shots, so not having it fully extended isn't a problem I thought it might be before getting it. I also like how it's light enough to use on the Kessler Stealth simultaneously, enabling me to get more dimension to my movement. The shots of the older boy studying with his dad were mostly done with that setup.

BrownCowVideo: I see what you're saying. I did take out an "uhm". When he says "work together," it has already cut to the b-roll, so it isn't really out of sync; however, just before he says "work together" his lips are positioned to say something else, such that when it cuts to b-roll, it doesn't feel natural that he immediately says "work together" since his lips weren't positioned to say that. I'll simply adjust the b-roll back a few frames and that should solve the issue. Thanks for pointing it out.

slidemaster: Yeah, I like movement. I tend to dislike static shots unless someone is speaking (such as interviews, speeches, wedding vows, etc.). I wasn't too thrilled with the Glidecam shots here; I actually didn't use the Glidecam as much as I typically do since there wasn't as many shots of people moving around (generally they were seated here). I thought the Glidecam shots were much better in this video I did; it's interesting how in that video I didn't use a slider or jib at all, and in this one the slider and jib accounted for around 80% of the b-roll. It really just depends on what I'm shooting.

It's interesting that you say you like the indoor color. I feel I've been struggling to get good colors outside on the C100. I know I've been overexposing some outdoor footage, which certainly doesn't help with good colors, but even on properly exposed shots, I'm not quite satisfied. Maybe more experimentation with picture profiles will help that issue. I read one person mention to use different profile settings for 3200k vs 5600k, perhaps something to look into.