How to achieve this look

I don't see anything that screams 'specialty' here. I think you can do this with a 7D, honestly.

In fact, it may have been shot with a 5D/7D from what I can tell. It doesn't hold highlights terribly well, the gradual steps in the highlights is stairstepped, and the lens selection looks very SLR-photography, based on the distortions and flare characteristics. Some of the latitude issues may be a youtube upload thing, however.

Either way, this video looks like almost every other performance video from indie peoples in LA. They might be the 1,000,000th band-video to do a performance video in the desert or joshua tree. And maybe the 10,000th to make it post apocalyptic themed. The only other location I can think of used just as much in Mvideos would be a city rooftop.

I think you certainly can do this with a 7D... and quite possibly 90% all in camera if you have the experience and know-how. Most of the complicated 'tricks' in this video were just editing effects where the image double exposes. That only happens a couple of times.
 
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Just seems like the colors are pushed out more than usual. Could also be because her hair is so vibrant and colorful. It really stands out. Maybe just some blacks being crushed a bit also ?
 
Looks to me like they pushed Saturation and Contrast up, crushed blacks, and used a vignette in some shots
 
looks like they used filters in post. some grads in there, skylight, crushed blacks as said before. nothing special.
 
The only thing they have an advantage over a low budget production is probably a few 20K Arri's so you can have the sun behind them and still get latitude.
 
Bigdaddy B. said:
Could this be achieved with the 7d ? I'm sure alot is done in post but there has to be some in camera settings going on.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ei8hPkyJ0bU&feature=channel

Thanks in advance.
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Your biggest problems to match this sort of thing are:

1) Location... looks like some portion was done on a dry lake, and as such most likely on either state or federal property, and the usual hassles of getting insurance and permits etc. and possibly cleanup fees.
2) big van (or vans ) for prpops. The last window frame prop I bought over 20 years ago, was a salvage item, but still cost $200...
3) big lights to shoot against the sun with sufficient light on the set and talent, coming from the camera side...
 
There is nothing there that could not be done with a 7D, and the right post CC. As noted above the biggest cost item they seem to use was some powerful supplemental lights to get the portraiture exposed properly against the harsh back light. They might have also thrown a polarizing filter on for a few shots I saw. The sky and cloud detail looked like something that a polarizing filter would do.
 
Thanks people for the replies. I think the big thing about the look that I was referring to actually has to do with the supplemental lights as mentioned. It gives it an indoor look, outside. It is definatley a more vivid look. That's the look I was referring to. Probably a couple 2k Hmi's ? What lights would you figure for this shoot ? I'd like to experiment when the funds allow. Cheers !
 
Why are you guys talking about lights for?! Sure they could have been used, but this is achievable on the cheap, and HMI's wouldn't even be the way I'd do it even with a budget!

They are probably using 12x12 frames of grifflon for bounce, or bounce mirror boards shooting into frames of diffusion. I would take three or four 4x4 mirrors or similar, and bounce sunlight into either 8x8 silks or 4x4 empty frames filled with grid cloth or 216. You don't need generators, HMI's, or big expensive units for in order to fill a back-lit subject. Especially in the desert, when so much ambient/bounce light is coming from the sky and the reflective ground. If you want to mess with color temperature, you can gel the silks or diffused frames.

All that grip and bounce equipment would be under $200 to rent.

:)
 
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Ryan Patrick O'Hara said:
Why are you guys talking about lights for?! Sure they could have been used, but this is achievable on the cheap, and HMI's wouldn't even be the way I'd do it even with a budget!

:)
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I did think of bounce and mirrors, but for some of the shots, to me, the lighting on the faces was 'too hot' for the sun position, even in the desert.

But I did find a 'behind the scenes' video of the shoot... on the 'banner' shot there's definite indication of lights... big lights... The video seems to be the usual pump piece for the 'talent', rather than the details of the shoot... but some of the shots include the camping 'gear'... vans, RV's... etc... then there's the film equipment...
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I AGREE
 
j1clark@ucsd.edu said:
I did think of bounce and mirrors, but for some of the shots, to me, the lighting on the faces was 'too hot' for the sun position, even in the desert.

But I did find a 'behind the scenes' video of the shoot... on the 'banner' shot there's definite indication of lights... big lights... The video seems to be the usual pump piece for the 'talent', rather than the details of the shoot... but some of the shots include the camping 'gear'... vans, RV's... etc... then there's the film equipment...
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I AGREE
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Yes correct but Ryan's point is it can be done cheaper with reflectors like this:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/33444-REG/Matthews_B119069_Reflector_24x24.html

and yes absolutely, then you have limitations if you dont use lights but if its a shoestring budget, no crew, no gear, 7D with a few reflectors and friends.....you could get fairly close.
 
Yeah, I see those lights now...

Sad that this was a professional video. Holds zero creative weight, for reasons I mentioned before. This would be a good video for someone just starting out with no budget. "Hey let's go to the desert and shoot!"

Plus they shot this on 35mm film?! Now we are all watching it on youtube with horrible compression, stair stepping highlights, and etc. This looks more like a 7d than film! That's for sure. I swear there was an Arri 435 in that video. For people complaining that music videos have zero budgets these days, it's sad to see those who get the decent money, simply end up doing the same old. Give me a film camera, a good lighting budget and a popular band, and you can expect I'll do something more than a 'desert performance video'. ugh! I miss the era during the 90's where music videos were very creative and groundbreaking. Where are the bands like Radiohead, AphexTwin, Bjork, and others now? :(

So you are right, they used big lights... but for all you 7d shooters out there, I totally know you can do this with reflectors. Don't underestimate re-directing the sun. Four 4x4 mirror reflectors is like having four lighting units as powerful as the sun. That's a cheap way of getting lighting sources. Beats paying for Arri 18ks.

I've done it many times. Almost to the point where I'd prefer it over the HMIizzles.
 
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Well, there are a lot of creative videos being produced. I also don't think that this is necessarily one of them though. Yeah The BTS was pretty interesting. So why shoot 35mm film, and then only post it to YouTube as a 480 SD video? I'd take Ryan's advice and experiment the 7D and mirrors.
 
David G. Smith said:
Well, there are a lot of creative videos being produced. I also don't think that this is necessarily one of them though. Yeah The BTS was pretty interesting. So why shoot 35mm film, and then only post it to YouTube as a 480 SD video? I'd take Ryan's advice and experiment the 7D and mirrors.
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Well, for me it would be the GH-1... but yeah, strings and mirrors is my budget...

I informed the Wife that I'm going to have to have time for the next DVX fest to actually shoot something... we'll see if I actually get the time...

Then there's the day job...
 
j1clark@ucsd.edu said:
Well, for me it would be the GH-1... but yeah, strings and mirrors is my budget...

I informed the Wife that I'm going to have to have time for the next DVX fest to actually shoot something... we'll see if I actually get the time...

Then there's the day job...
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Yeah, I know that story. We have all seen great footage out of the GH1 (hacked), so I am sure that you will come up with some great looking stuff.

I was looking at this video again and doing some mental math on getting the exposure right and got to scratching my head. I have a T2i, which is my reference. So shooting in bright desert sun, I think that I would probably set the ISO to the lowest setting, 100 and throw on a ND2 filter so I could get the ISO down to ISO 50. At that sensitivity, with mirrors lighting the portraitures, I figure I could get the face of the red head to meter at F8, open up to F5.6 (move her face to Zone VI) and still be able to hold the sky detail at F16 or maybe F22. I noted that there is almost no detail in the band members black clothing, in most shots, so they would have been moved to Zone II, maybe?

Am I on the right track or do I have my head up my butt? (It's been a long week, already). Would that way of thinking about exposure be correct in the desert? Would the video DSLRs hold up doing what I figured? (ISO 50, 1/50th/sec shutter speed, portraiture metered to F8 (Zone V) opened up to F5.6?
 
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Hey guys, I'm new but felt like chiming in.
I'll stick to the post production side,

looks like they colored this the same way alot of the "summer blockbuster" movies have been colored lately. They pushed the reds in the highlights and pushed the blues in the mids and shadows, then crushed the blacks and slightly desaturated the whole thing.
 
fauxtographi said:
Hey guys, I'm new but felt like chiming in.
I'll stick to the post production side,

looks like they colored this the same way alot of the "summer blockbuster" movies have been colored lately. They pushed the reds in the highlights and pushed the blues in the mids and shadows, then crushed the blacks and slightly desaturated the whole thing.
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Yeah they did play around with it in post that is for sure, but I'll give them some props for not taking it way too far. There is a lot of stuff out that is just CC'ed to death.
 
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