Does producer need to get the same camera all the time when traveling?

L

LennyLevy

Veteran
I've been shooting interviews for a doc on an FX9 (s-cinetone not log) that is very low budget but i like the subject and the producer so I'm giving her a very good deal. She has to travel and pick up some interviews on the road and has asked me how important it is that she get someone with the same camera. My gut feeling is no, that the skill and style of the DP will trump the camera as long as it can shoot UHD at 23.98p and is a good modern camera and that the shooter has the fast lenses needed to get very low DOF which is what she wants. I think 2 people shooting with an FX9 could look completely different and I would probably get similar results no matter what camera I use. I like the FX9 because its gets me where I want to go more easily and reliably.
She will provide sample shots to give him an idea of what we've been doing.
However I've never compared the results of different shooters in different towns shooting with different cameras. Am I giving her good advice? Should she insist on an FX9 shooting full frame ? She needs to find someone inexpensive and not everyone has an FX9 with a Sigma 105mm AF lens. Moreover depending on the room I might not shoot with that lens next time anyway.
 
I think the short answer is that many would agree that matching cameras is best, but if your communication process is excellent and extremely thorough then using another camera is OKAY.

Meaning...

If you're shooting with a FX9 in cinetone with a very shallow DOF with the 105mm, you can definitely find a professional who knows what he/she's doing to match your look and FOV with an a7SIII.

You just need to talk to both humans & get on the same page, which sounds like you have started to since she would at least be looking for a camera with fast lenses and not, say, a 1" camcorder from Panasonic or Canon with a f/2.8 maximum aperture, which may make matching more difficult (although doable).

Plus the other person will see samples.

And the editor should be given a heads up as well.
 
Yes certainly a 1" camera and 2.8 lens would matter , but in a fairly large room I could get pretty damn low DOF with a speed booster and 70-200 f2.8. Even with the same FX9 at s-cinetone if they used a different lens and a different LED key ( all notoriously different ) wouldn't that change the colorimetry? I guess I just don't have any idea how much .
 
Her specifications also need to cover white balancing and exposure settings and levels. Even if you're all shooting S-Cinetone there is still a wide range of creative choices to be made, and those things are baked-in, so they better be pretty close to the same at the time of shooting.
 
LennyLevy said:
Yes certainly a 1" camera and 2.8 lens would matter , but in a fairly large room I could get pretty damn low DOF with a speed booster and 70-200 f2.8. Even with the same FX9 at s-cinetone if they used a different lens and a different LED key ( all notoriously different ) wouldn't that change the colorimetry? I guess I just don't have any idea how much .
Click to expand...

Lights can and do affect the colorimetry but we're in modern times where people mix a lot of different lights. As long as they aren't terribly green or magenta and you can't visually see the difference on a monitor, most editors can remedy any minor differences. (But again, just like with cameras, matching lights would be more helpful and the safer route.)

Major crews usually work the same projects for consistency, but since you can't be there, maybe you can get a livestream going to monitor the shoot (as much as you can that way).

One time in my life, I was hired to do something similar for someone and they requested I film 30 seconds of someone sitting in the set up and upload them the clip to Vimeo. This was discussed beforehand so I had my laptop and I had a connection and I did it and they looked and texted me to remove a plant from the background and then I texted them back a pic and they confirmed and approved and that was that.

Others might be more specific and have more thoughts.

Not sure if doable in your case, but maybe something to consider if you're concerned.

The integrity of that suggestion to your producer might also make you look better.
 
I hire freelancers in other states sometimes to get shots for me for projects I'm working on and I personally like for the cameras to be similar. They don't have to be the exact camera and the exact lens, but if I'm working with my FX6 for example, then I would look for someone who's got either an FX3, FX6, FX9, A7SIII or A1 as all of those cameras have at least a similar color science.

Now is that the most important factor? No. Others here have already shared many of the elements that could change the look compared to what you've shot. That being said, I would still look for something like an FX3/FX6/FX9/ASIII/A1 as any of those cameras will get you in the ballpark as long as the lighting, framing, white balance, exposure, etc. are similar. Another reason I would go that route is because you're shooting in S-Cinetone which is a baked-in look which means you'll have less room to match cameras in post, so as Doug said you are best off trying to get as many elements to match as possible during the shoot so that post isn't a nightmare.
 
I think she's talking to someone who has a 6K S35 Ursa camera (Does that make sense?) . I'm not very familiar with them but hear they take good pictures.
 
There's a 6K Pocket and a 6K Pocket Pro (both S35-ish almost), which both shoot 6K...but no 6K URSA yet besides actually the new URSA Broadcast G2 but I would be surprised if it's that one as it's barely shipping (and it's not S35 so it's moot - but I noted it because BM cameras cause a lot of confusion for people).

If the person knows what he or she is doing and has a great lighting kit, the cameras could create pictures that could make your FX9 look like the lesser camera, but I think you're good as the FX9 can also look great from what I've seen online.
 
P.S. I only mentioned that IQ part because as videographers we have to watch out for ourselves and our work as we are extremely disposable today.

At least IMO.

So I don't know what kind of quality you've been providing your producer as you made a quick comment before about getting similar results with any camera you use which really shouldn't be the case - so just FYI in case you're providing her subpar cinetone UHD or even HD from your FX9 and then all of a sudden she gets this pretty 6K Blackmagic RAW from the Pocket and is wondering why the other footage looks nicer.

But if she loves your work, it's all good. :thumbsup:
 
Haha - Not worried - at least as far as the small world of "talking heads" go I'll put my work up against anyone. She won't want raw though - good reminder to make sure he knows that . I was unsure about which black magic so emailed recently. Is the little pocket camera that good?
 
Yeah, it's one of the world's most popular cinema camera (mainly for the price), but a very specific group uses them, usually people who use RED and ARRI cameras and aren't interested in Japanese cameras because they are more concerned with pure cinema IQ versus AF or IBIS or anything else.

But to be clear, it's the 6K Pocket/Pro, not the 4K Pocket, the original Pocket Cinema Camera (1st one, HD-only), or the Micro Cinema Camera, which is the smallest one and usually considered the "little" one (also HD-only).
 
A couple of other thoughts.
Make sure that you have conversations with the other shooters so they understand your priorities. Trying to communicate a lighting style with reference pictures is fine, but doesn't cover all the options... such as whether you backlight hard or soft, how to deal with bald heads, approach to dealing with reflective glasses, height and angle of key, etc. These are things that the producer may not be able to answer when they ask. Ten minutes on the phone/zoom/skype can save you a lot of grief later.
My experience has been that if you're using top quality cameras and have a good colorist, you should be fine because each subject, location and background is different. Ideally you want to try to have the gammas and DR of the cameras fairly close. I've DP'd docs where it's not practical to take long plane trips for a single interview, and if the cameraperson on the other end is good and we can communicate, the footage works and cuts in fine.
You need to be the judge of whether the DOF change is going to be an issue between FF and S35.
The lens matching may be tough -- I know a lot of camerapeople locally, and don't think I know anyone with a 105/1.4 lens. Plenty of 70-200's, 85/1.4's and 50-100's (for S35 sensors).
But given certain parameters, I'd rather have someone shooting who's using their own camera and knows it, rather than being a long distance client for 'this will be a good chance to try out' rental camera.
 
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