F5: F5 gets the boot from NetFlix… or do they?

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A "camera requirements" chart from NetFlix is floating around online and making quite a bit of chatter and fuss amongst DSLR shooters, and even some Sony CineAlta owners… the chart lists the FS7, F55 and F65 but oddly not the F5.

The obvious reason I can think of is because the stock specs of the F5 do not include 4K internal recording (requires paid upgrade) but others suggest it's because the FS7II offers rec2020 color space as well as the F55 as of v7.01 - but not the F5.

Personally I don't think this is a colorspace issue, and likely the chart was put together only using base stock specs. I don't think there is actually anything to really worry about :beer:



Here's the link to the full requirements by NetFlix for both production and post-production requirements which is worth a read if you plan to embark on any projects that may eventually be sold directly to NetFlix…

https://backlothelp.netflix.com/hc/...duction-and-Post-Production-Requirements-v2-1
 
lol reminds me of a story. Guy shot two docs on a old Canon XL1. Showed one of them to the Discovery Channel for example. The person at the network said we only take stuff on Sony HD. So a couple months later he shows the second doc to him off a Sony HD tape. The doc was purchased, but he never told them he shot it on the same camera.

By opinion they have their specs... but you think they're really going to turn something away if they think they're going to make real money off of it.

lol just my humble .02 opinion for this morning.
 
GaryinCalifornia said:
lol reminds me of a story. Guy shot two docs on a old Canon XL1. Showed one of them to the Discovery Channel for example. The person at the network said we only take stuff on Sony HD. So a couple months later he shows the second doc to him off a Sony HD tape. The doc was purchased, but he never told them he shot it on the same camera.

By opinion they have their specs... but you think they're really going to turn something away if they think they're going to make real money off of it.

lol just my humble .02 opinion for this morning.
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Haha, got em.



Everything I read about episodic being shot for netflix seems to lean towards the Varicam being the new "it girl" camera with it's dual native ISO. Master of none just used it for season 2, leaning on the 5000 ISO for night shots, great read in American Cinematographer.

I guess this post is aimed more at selling something you've already shot to netflix though? A doc for example. In that regard, while not listed, if the f5 shot in 4k XAVC - who's to know the difference? Many of the differences in fs7 and f5 are found in operating the camera, not necessarily the end product they give.
 
Ive shot for Netflix with my F5 a few times .. had to be full 17-9 4K.. not UHD.. for their corp videos.. if they accept the Fs7 they will take F5.. exact same files.. I think the OP is correct .. they got an intern to pull up a list based on full 4K rez..
 
Yeah of course the F5 is fine even though not on the list.

But for the paranoid, do remember there is a $14k upgrade to convert an F5 to the F55… :)
 
I find it comical that they will accept footage from BlackMagic cameras, but you're not allowed to shoot on the Alexa which is considered the gold standard for IQ of the industry and is used to shoot the vast majority of features, commercials and TV shows in Hollywood.
 
URSA 4.6K doesn't exist, so can't take the validity of the list too seriously, ha.

(The big URSAs are EOL.)
 
Ya, that's an old chart. And this is for Netflix Originals...doesn't apply to acquisitions (so I'm told). Also, while I haven't worked on any Netflix Original shows, some friends have...they say that while they are persnickety, they're also flexible...if a newer camera exceeds what Netflix perceives as its base needs, they're cool with it.
 
Most of what's seen on Netflix is shot on the Alexa...if they Produce the film/series, the criteria tightens up considerably.
 
fboonzaier said:
Most of what's seen on Netflix is shot on the Alexa...if they Produce the film/series, the criteria tightens up considerably.
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This camera list is for jobs produced by or for Netflix. I can assure you that most of these are not Alexa. I'm not sure if we've officially hit a majority, but certainly a great plurality of them are shot on VariCam. Master of None, The OA, 13 Reasons Why, and many others. All shot on VariCam.
 
Harry Lime said:
I find it comical that they will accept footage from BlackMagic cameras, but you're not allowed to shoot on the Alexa which is considered the gold standard for IQ of the industry and is used to shoot the vast majority of features, commercials and TV shows in Hollywood.
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It's a little daft, but they want standardisation and a back-catalog that's compatible with whatever they're doing well into the future. So that just is what it is. Given that the native 3.2k mode on the Alexa is 77% of the native DCI 4k offered by most of these cameras, I hardly think the difference in resolution counts for much (especially when you consider overall image quality).

But Netflix say 4k is the future. And Netflix IS the future. So that's what we're working with. Having seen how utterly exquisite The Queen came up on the F55, how gorgeous House of Cards looks on the Red, and I'm seeing some lovely stuff on the Varicam too now - I don't think we're lacking for acceptable choices.

That said, I think it's interesting that Amazon seem to have come around in terms of now accepting the Alexa for some of their own in-house productions.
 
Grug said:
It's a little daft, but they want standardisation and a back-catalog that's compatible with whatever they're doing well into the future. So that just is what it is. Given that the native 3.2k mode on the Alexa is 77% of the native DCI 4k offered by most of these cameras, I hardly think the difference in resolution counts for much (especially when you consider overall image quality).

But Netflix say 4k is the future. And Netflix IS the future. So that's what we're working with. Having seen how utterly exquisite The Queen came up on the F55, how gorgeous House of Cards looks on the Red, and I'm seeing some lovely stuff on the Varicam too now - I don't think we're lacking for acceptable choices.

That said, I think it's interesting that Amazon seem to have come around in terms of now accepting the Alexa for some of their own in-house productions.
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I get it, but it's silly. If an Alexa is good enough to shoot a $200 million dollar blockbuster that's projected on a giant movie screen, it's good enough to handle anything from an iPhone to a 70 inch TV. It just sounds like something that was cooked up by some middle manager who knows a lot of buzzwords and little about actually making images.

Besides, there's probably not a lot left of that +4k after they compress the living daylights out of it to squeeze it across our archaic internet here in the US.
 
yoclay said:
https://www.netflix.com/title/80037676

Tangerine.
Available on Netflix.
Shot entirely on 3 iphones.

True but they did alot of post work on this film.. and I agree its a pretty good film but i think it would have been better visually shot on something better that an iPhone.. I know they couldn't afford an Alexa .. but even something like a C100 would have given them more shot choices .. but maybe a clever marketing tool.. the film is better known as being shot on an iPhone than the story really..
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Donny 123 said:
yoclay said:
https://www.netflix.com/title/80037676

Tangerine.
Available on Netflix.
Shot entirely on 3 iphones.

True but they did alot of post work on this film.. and I agree its a pretty good film but i think it would have been better visually shot on something better that an iPhone.. I know they couldn't afford an Alexa .. but even something like a C100 would have given them more shot choices .. but maybe a clever marketing tool.. the film is better known as being shot on an iPhone than the story really..
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No the film is better known for the story. Only people on DVXuser care that it was shot on an iphone.
I personally don't think it would be better shot on a C100. The look of the film and even the artifacts are far more unique than if a conventional camera was used.
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yoclay said:
Donny 123 said:
No the film is better known for the story. Only people on DVXuser care that it was shot on an iphone.
I personally don't think it would be better shot on a C100. The look of the film and even the artifacts are far more unique than if a conventional camera was used.
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Film is better known than the story.. yes thats what I mean.. and the film is known because it was shot on an iPhone .. the only PR I saw/read about this film ,the main point was that was shot on an iPhone.. that was the big deal.. same as the Bentley video..(although there was an Apple tie up there.) and they did have to do alot of post work on it.. the film makers have written abut this themselves .. to get rid of the artifacts you like :)..of course just my personal feelings.. but there is no denying that shooting on an iPhone has its restrictions .. and they didnt need it for under the radar reasons..
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yoclay said:
https://www.netflix.com/title/80037676

Tangerine.
Available on Netflix.
Shot entirely on 3 iphones.

So. When the content is good, no one gives a crap about what it was shot on.
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So many misunderstand this. The rules are for productions made by or for Netflix, not for productions acquired by or shown on Netflix. This is about ownership for longtime library use. It's not a question of whether it is usable now, it is how it will appear in 10 or 20 years.
 
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