First footage from my new HMC-150

H

hareton1

New member
I just received my 150 and, like the other people singing its praises, cannot be more impressed. I had my first shoot with the camera 3 days ago and was blown away by the combination of size, form-factor, image quality, and versatility. Here's a cut of the spot for Jameson Whiskey, shot at 720p 24fps with the stock Cine V scene file:

http://vimeo.com/3661410?pg=embed&sec=&hd=1

I needed a camera that would be portable and light... for this shoot, I used the HMC-150 with a Micro LP on-board camera light and that's it. The PR company where we shot had some 60w track lighting that I pointed at the set but no "movie lights" were used. Could have used some ND on the window but the location was changed at the last second and I didn't have a chance to pre-light or even see the location beforehand. I gave the footage a tiny bump in post using the "Basic" look in Magic Bullet Looks with a tiny bit less diffusion. Audio was recorded to camera through a Rode NTG-2 and the whole rig (camera/tripod/mic/light) was carried in a backpack and carried to the shoot on the NY Subway.

I love this camera.

Chad Mumm
chadmumm@gmail.com
 
Well done, what're you using when you go handheld? Just the camera or do you have some kind of shoulder mount system?

Cute girl, she had something of a Kirsten Dunst thing going on.
 
Gymnut808: The handheld shots were done just holding the camera... no shoulder rig or anything. The nice thing about the 150 compared to an HVX200 or even a DVX is that it's incredibly lightweight (but not cheap feeling). I would never consider handholding an HVX like that unless I really wanted a run-and-gun feel, but I had so much confidence in being able to keep the camera steady, I decided to throw a handheld take in there to try to add a little more 'organics' to the static master shot. Plus, the wide lens on the 150 gives you some interesting perspectives if you really 'get up in there' with your subject... particularly one as attractive as mine for this shoot.

You know what, I told the PR guy that she looked like Kirsten Dunst and he thought she looked more like Naomi Watts. I knew I was right! Anyone else feeling the K. Dunst vibe?
 
What can I say? Great minds think alike.

If you don't mind me asking, how did you go about shooting this? Reason I ask, I'm an Editing major, and I was wondering how you went about transitioning in and out of the close ups of her A.) the C/U of the bottle pour of Jameson B.) The transition out of the C/U of simple syrup back to the establishing shot. You did these clever cuts to close ups or wide shots on motion on several occasion.

I guess what I'm getting at is did you first record her from start to finish with the camera locked down on a tripod, then had her repeat the various addition of ingredients but this time in close up/handheld?

I can see getting some of these shots the first time around is possible with two or more cameras, but if it was just you, you obviously had to go about and had her repeat several instances. Just curious of your workflow because I'm not entirely sure I would go about articulating what I would need from the person I'm shooting if I were ever in a situation like that.
 
Gymnut808: With only one camera it comes down to planning, really. Although I didn't have a chance to see the location, I knew the type of coverage that I wanted beforehand and planned accordingly. It's common to cover a scene with a master shot for the duration of an entire take and then do subsequent takes from different/tighter shots. My exact workflow was how you predicted: 1. wide shot locked-down on a tripod 2. Tighter medium close-up on the tripod but following her instead of staying locked down 3. Even tighter extreme close-ups still on the tripod 4. and lastly a handheld take.

I also took time to shoot critical actions a few times from some alternate angles, like her drinking the cocktail, her shaking the cocktail, and the pour. In between each take while they reset the drinks, I shot B-roll.

Especially with a camera like the HMC-150, I try to keep repeating the mantra "always be shooting." If you have cheap media (SDHC cards don't get any cheaper), the only hassle has always been sorting through it when you finally go to ingest.. with digital files already broken up, it takes half of the pain out of logging/capturing that I used to have when shooting to tape.
 
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