Color Question

[337 am]

I want to start out by saying i am a true newb to dslr's. I have had no training on video/editing/photography etc. Everything i know has come from online videos and articles.

I shoot mainly paintball run and gun style videos. The main lens that i use is a panny 45-200mm. I have been using my Panasonic GH2 (unhacked) for about 6 months now. I really love this camera. I edit and color grade in After Effects cs5, and render out in Premiere cs5.

I was wondering why i seem to have such a problem getting the same video quality as other people doing the same style videos as I.

Here is my latest video. I used magic bullet mojo for the color grading.

and here is a video of a guy using a canon 50d.

I'm not sure exactly what lens he is using. I heard a kit lens, I'm not sure if i believe that. we both shoot in 720p 60, and use the same software (except for he is apple and i am pc).
His colors, slow mo, and detail just seem to be better than mine. Is this done in post, is it the cameras, is it the lens? Others using canon 7d's, that i am friends with, are getting the same quality stuff as I. But this one guy just does it so much better. I know this is probably a stupid question, but i am having the worst time finding the quality that others seem to have.
If you could give me any advise I will love you forever! I just spent 9 hours trying to get the right color i was looking, but still come up short. I'm even open to taking some kind of online classes, but i have no clue on which are good.

thanks, lee

 

[William_Robinette]

This isn't a color or render or lens issue. Study how the person in the example you posted shoots. What shots they get, the camera movement, composition. Then look at the editing and how it is constructed as a whole, the beats, the tempo. There is a story there, a feeling as opposed to a more documentary "this is what I saw" vibe I get from your piece. Not to say your's is bad, but I think the style is really where the departure is here, not the tools.

 

[mmka1985]

This isn't a color or render or lens issue. Study how the person in the example you posted shoots. What shots they get, the camera movement, composition. Then look at the editing and how it is constructed as a whole, the beats, the tempo. There is a story there, a feeling as opposed to a more documentary "this is what I saw" vibe I get from your piece. Not to say your's is bad, but I think the style is really where the departure is here, not the tools.

Agreed. 337 am, you shouldn't focus so much on the color grading. Focus more on the piece itself as whole. A lot ppl starting out in filmmaking want to focus on all the flash and that will please a few ppl and clients here and there but if you want to please both your clients and fellow filmmaking peers you are going to have to combine the flash(color grading, vfx, and such) with something that has substance. Trust me when I say this, people remember how the story was more than what effects and grading you used. Like William_Robinette said above, you need to figure out your style, study how the guy editing the piece as a whole and keep learning from there

 

[337 am]

Thanks guys. The other guy does have a "music video" style, and mine was one game. It's just so frustrating to me that i can't figure out to get the color that i want. I have another video i am editing now, that is more of short clips. I have more over the shoulder shots, and people getting shot. A lot more interesting angles. I have a dolly that goes down the side of the field, which really looks cool. I'm having troubles getting my colors out with out getting too "vibrant". I'm not sure of the correct terms. lol

 

[j1clark@ucsd.edu]

Thanks guys. The other guy does have a "music video" style, and mine was one game. It's just so frustrating to me that i can't figure out to get the color that i want. I have another video i am editing now, that is more of short clips. I have more over the shoulder shots, and people getting shot. A lot more interesting angles. I have a dolly that goes down the side of the field, which really looks cool. I'm having troubles getting my colors out with out getting too "vibrant". I'm not sure of the correct terms. lol

If you are referring to the 'redishness' of the Canon... that has been talked about in various places... I personally prefer the GH-1/2 colors vs. the Canon...

Other than that, the major difference between your shots and the example shots is a matter of camera technique, handling, and editing... which is part of a learned skill... which takes time...

As for the 'Canon' Color... there's a lot of to do about Technicolor's involvement in some elements of processing Canon xD video... personally I think the colors are too saturated, and tend to look 'wyrd' in some cases... like some of the people shots and the people have a distinct 'redish', or almost 'violet' cast...

Technicolor (so what if the french electronics company Thompson bought the name and then made that the corporate identity...) to my tastes is far too saturated... at least how it is implemented in Canon video output...

 

[337 am]

As for the 'Canon' Color... there's a lot of to do about Technicolor's involvement in some elements of processing Canon xD video... personally I think the colors are too saturated, and tend to look 'wyrd' in some cases... like some of the people shots and the people have a distinct 'redish', or almost 'violet' cast...

Technicolor (so what if the french electronics company Thompson bought the name and then made that the corporate identity...) to my tastes is far too saturated... at least how it is implemented in Canon video output...

I read a little about technicolor, and where people are trying to make presets to duplicate it. I thought maybe that was the difference. I have almost come to the same opinion as you, it does look a little too vibrant. Maybe i need to come up with my own "color" or technique instead of trying to copy someone else's. It still bugs me that i can't achieve any color i want though. I probably need to seek out some good training. any advice on that?