Extremely Frustrated, I'm tired of clients saying T2i does not look professional

I see what you are saying..... but 99% or so of clients will simply not know the difference between a zacuto rail system and two well painted pvc pipes (assuming they look decent) when I showed my rails to a friend of mine when I first got them his eyes simple glassed over. It's two rods what does he care, but I was super excited. I think you need to keep perspective that 99.9% of the world is not impressed by how great your rails look, they dont even 'really' care about matteboxes and follow focus and monitors etc etc, they only care about the final product.

They do have a built in image from movies and whatnot to expect a "video camera" and not a stills camera, that's really what you are fighting, because again 99.9% of the population doesn't get that if I hand a REDone to a professional and one to a housewife and tell them to both film their sons soccer game the footage will be drastically different.
 
I think all you really need to do is show them a piece of your best work, to reassure the picture quality. I've seen a lot of people who don't understand the technology, but the second they see some clips and samples they are blown away. Also you can just take 2 minutes to explain that, this IS your real camera, and technology is funny like that, everything gets smaller. It's like comparing an iphone to a computer from 1998. The iphone is 5% of the size, and 100x more powerful.
 
Where I work in L.A. people are pretty hip to the 5dD7D. I worked on the major NBC rebrand (huge project, large budget and on T.V. a hundred times a day) and it was shot entirely with the 5D. NBC didn't seem to have any problems with it. In fact, they really digging the footage and what we were able to do with that little camera in conjunction with some good post work.

In fact, it seems like every studio I work at is super amped on the 5d/7d and what the future holds. It might not be the end all at the moment, but people here are definitely aware that it is revolutionary and a path to the future.

The RED still dominates because what I do usually involves VFX and the 4K image is nice for that; but a number of the smaller budget projects I've been on has just used the 7D

So I think the perception is changing fast.
 
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When it's brought up most of my clients are blown away that I'm shooting video with a 7D and are really interested in the new technology. In fact I think it's actually made a few of them more excited cause they think they're getting a video made with the newest/latest/greatest equipment.

That being said most of my clients never notice the camera/gear, it's usually more of the smaller clients and random people around me when I'm shooting that have questions about the camera.
 
gene_can_sing said:
Where I work in L.A. people are pretty hip to the 5dD7D. I worked on the major NBC rebrand (huge project, large budget and on T.V. a hundred times a day) and it was shot entirely with the 5D. NBC didn't seem to have any problems with it. In fact, they really digging the footage and what we were able to do with that little camera in conjunction with some good post work.

In fact, it seems like every studio I work at is super amped on the 5d/7d and what the future holds. It might not be the end all at the moment, but people here are definitely aware that it is revolutionary and a path to the future.

So I think the perception is changing fast.
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The Pros and creative executives get it, because they know a camera is just ONE tool for getting the job done.
But for small one-man-army teams, "looking pro" often is crucial.
I don´t know how often I´ve heard sth like "wow, those pro-cameras got small, ha?!" when showing up with a tricked out HVX, because many people have seen news teams with shouldermount cams.
I always light shots, even outside I try to use reflectors and that´s maybe the part, where people think the project gets "pro".
Wireless mics are another thing people are just not used to and most likely will impress a client.
I honestly believe that with the advent of HD video, quality of consumer video improved that much, that you need to work a little more on your "looks".
Some will say now, it´s the skills and the final product that counts will be right in some cases, but not in all.
But we´re talking firsttime gigs with new clients here.

I mean if you go to a medical check up and the doc just looks at your tongue and says your OK, what do you think? If he does extensive screenings with bloodtests, ultrasounds and the like and says you´re OK, you will most likely believe him.
But once you trust that doc, just looking at your tongue may be enough, cause he´s earned your trust...
 
If you get a chance try to rent some of the accessories discussed to see if you really want them. After testing a 50mm 1.4 prime, it's very difficult to focus at 1.4. For that reason, an external monitor or a Z-Finder might be a great addition anyway, and would have the added benefit of making you look more pro.

And anyone who says that perception doesn't matter is living in a dream world. Not everything is about talent. How you interact with your clients, and how they feel about you is almost as important as your final work. You certainly don't want your client going into a screening with a bunch of presuppositions and prejudices based on what they saw during a shoot. That could colour their opinion of the final product, especially if they go in looking for flaws.
 
I've made a living as a commercial still shooter for 15 years, doing more & more video. I can not fathom doing a DSLR shoot (sep. if it includes outdoor shots) without the following:

A good tripod/fluid head;
Rails & FF, and gears for my main glass;
A loupe-type viewfinder with a good mounting setup;
Something to move the camera - dolly & track, sled, indislider, or a really smooth handheld rig (which still can't replace something wheeled);
Plenty of ND & Polarizers, step up rings, whatever to get control of your exposure;
Effective & versatile lens shading.

That's really where a Matte box comes in, for those last two. If you're using 2 or 3 lenses of differing front threads, filter costs go through the roof, time to setup shots get longer, and you'll eventually replace them with a matte box. And on-camera hoods - especially for zooms - are often useless outdoors, and thus someone's standing there with a black card, watching your lens.


You REALLY want to impress clients and get real "money" shots, get even the shortest Kessler crane.
 
This is not a new issue. There was discussion around here a couple of years ago, before HD really started taking a decent foot hold and before the DSLR was even known, about folks shooting with the DVX not being taken seriously by clients and observers.

Again, the answer was to beef up the rig to look a little more high-end. That included mattebox, rails, and FF. But there were even folks talking about keeping older BetaCams on hand just so the prospective client, on first visit, saw a professional shoulder-mount camera. I think that most people have accepted cameras the size of the DVX (HVX, HPX, HMC) in more professional environments at this point. DSLR cameras are now in that fight.

Perception can be reality, unfortunately. Several replies have addressed it already, but to add another vote, just adding a small support rig - even if you have no filters for the matte box - can go a long way.
 
Not once have a client commented in a negative way about me using DLSRs instead of a bigger camera. But the other day I did an interview with our oldish HVX200 and I got a comment on how small it was!

But on the other hand I always have a rail system attached to the camera. Most people seams intriqued by the use of a DSLR to shoot video in a positive way.
 
I get the same thing all the time, and my stock response is to always bring up the fact that the House finale and certain shots in "Up in The Air" were shot on DSLR, that generally shuts people up.
 
I agree with the people saying it's best to educate your clients. I've been on numerous shoots recently where the client has panicked because we're using a stills camera to shoot, but after some explanation of the camera, how good the video generally is from them and from seeing some playback, they calm down instantly. One client was so impressed they went out and bought a 550D within a week of seeing my edit.

The next challenge is explaining to a client why video stills from a 7D aren't 5184 x 3456 pixels...
 
Cieloent said:
Do I need to get a crazy rig with follow focus , small monitor, external mic, etc?
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You need more self confidence. And no, I'm not being an ass.

But to spend money on these things for the "look"" they give to your rig makes about as much sense as lighting said money on fire.

Your clients hire you for your talent not your equipment. Don't forget that.
 
chris f said:
When it's brought up most of my clients are blown away that I'm shooting video with a 7D and are really interested in the new technology. In fact I think it's actually made a few of them more excited cause they think they're getting a video made with the newest/latest/greatest equipment.
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This has been my experience as well. I did a music video for a band from Texas and they asked about my tiny camera before we started the first day and I just said something along the lines of, "Yup, these things have basically revolutionized filmmaking." And they were quiet for a moment before one said, "Man, technology these days..."

They had also already seen another music video I had shot for another band and were totally blown away. All they really cared about was that I was using the same camera on them that I had used for the other video!

I've actually had a few people say that just my camera with the 17-50 2.8 and my DIY viewfinder is the "Sickest camera I've ever seen!" That probably comes from the fact that a DSLR + viewfinder doesn't look like anything most people have seen before, so they assume it's something totally new and awesome.

Granted, I don't do many high-profile clients. I'm a senior in high school who's headed off to college in two months so I take what I can get as far as paying video jobs. I consider myself lucky when anyone wants to pay me for making videos.
 
I don't know if Jackson Pollock ran into any resistance to the fact that he wasn't using professional brushes, but only throwing the paint on the canvas. People were buying his vision. How he applied his vision to the canvas was none of the clients damn business.

When I was a professional still photographer, I showed the client my portfolio to get work not my camera, and they paid more than double going elsewhere to get my vision. My gear never came up. Who are they to question my tools? What would a heart surgeon have to say about my opinion on his choice of scalpel or type of rib spreader? He'd tell me to go screw myself and rightfully so. He's the pro, and he knows his tools.

When I get good enough with video production, I expect to show my reel, and that will be the end of the discussion. I'm certainly not going to get into a discussion about my tools. You either like my vision or you don't. How I get there is irrelevant.
 
Really? (about original post) My clients are usually very interested once they see what the little 7d can do. They see instant savings too on rental packages.
 
Cieloent said:
I have shot several shoots and every time I go to a new gig with my T2i I always get the comments, "You shoot with that little thing", "Where is your real camera" etc. No one denies my quality and what I do but it is truly making me feel uncomfortable and I am asking the community for some help.

Do I need to get a crazy rig with follow focus , small monitor, external mic, etc?


Help me out

thanks
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I'd get a smaller camera, a french accent and yell louder... You might feel better about yourself after!

I find the french very annoying but this technique has worked wonders for many Hollywood directors.
 
Even if half the clients would be positively surprised by the small size of the camera their project is shot on, I just can´t imagen someone saying: "Uh, your camera is kinda big and sluggish, don´t you have sth smaller, e.g. like my sons t2i...?"
So with a bigger cam you´re probably always on the save side.
That being said, on a low profile job probably the opposite applies...
 
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