I actuall want SHAKY cam footage...

[fanatic_about_film]

Hopefully I will be buying a Canon 5D very soon, and there is one particular project where I want it to be very shaky. Think something like Saving Private Ryan and 28 Days Later. That sort of insanely fast, shaky movement. Lots of whip pans and fast vertical movements. The camera man running with the camera on, etc, etc. For some shots I was even thinking of 'somehow' attaching a power drill onto the side of the shoudler rig to really shake things up with intense vibrations.

Is this all possible on a Canon 5D?

I ask because I figure there may be some trouble with the rolling shutter? I don't know. Or maybe the rolling shutter 'problem' would be beneficial to this style of shooting. Any info anyone could provide would be appreciated.

Also on another point, Saving Private Ryan/28 Days Later, I believe, adjusted the shutter speed, or was it shutter angle, or something? Can the Canon 5D also do this?

 

[mrmoe]

The films you mentioned were shot on film. IMHO. "Shaking" a DSLR may leave your footage with a lot of Jello, banding and other issues. But maybe your ok with that. You should try some field test @ different shutters speeds.

 

[Ben_B]

The films you mentioned were shot on film. IMHO. "Shaking" a DSLR may leave your footage with a lot of Jello, banding and other issues. But maybe your ok with that. You should try some field test @ different shutters speeds.

Ummm....28 Days Later was shot on the Canon XL1 in DV.

To reduce rolling shutter you'll be best off with a wide angle lens close to the subject.

Check out this movie my friend shot on the 5D, I think with the 16-35mm, gets pretty shakey, POV long take for a film class. The soft edges are added in post the lens is quite good.

 

[El Director]

Keep the pivot point of the camera behind the sensor. Also, try to make the camera bigger, even if it means putting it on a tripod and using it as a handheld rig. If you want more shake than you're able to comfortable get in camera, you can use After Effects to motion track more shake from other footage in post.

 

[Alpha Beta Omega]

For fast action, shoot 720p and shutter at 1/60 for reduced jello.

 

[J Davis]

If you are using Final Cut / Motion there is a really cool feature called smoothcam.
Now the reason I am mentioning it is NOT because I am suggesting you smooth out your footage!
Its because when you smooth out some other footage it creates a file recording the data of the shaking.
In Motion that data can be applied to stable footage to shake it up.

This will result in shaky cam footage from a DSLR with zero jello but you will have to crop.

 

[G.P.]

to answer your question shortly... No it is not possible. You will have horrible skew issues unless great care is taken to move camera properly for every shot, and use super wide lenses. This is the restriction of rolling shutter. You will have skew in hand held shots that move greatly like the movies you said.

If you build rigs that add mass to the camera then its a different story... but camera alone will be horrible.

 

[mrmoe]

Ummm....28 Days Later was shot on the Canon XL1 in DV.

To reduce rolling shutter you'll be best off with a wide angle lens close to the subject.

"Portions of the film were shot on a Canon XL1 digital video camera" ~ The rest is film.

 

[fanatic_about_film]

"Portions of the film were shot on a Canon XL1 digital video camera" ~ The rest is film.

Actually 97% was shot on the Canon XL1.

Only the last 3 minutes was shot on film.

But thanks for all the answers, everyone.

I actually am building both a shoulder rig, and I may buy a glidecam too. Not sure yet.

How do you think adding the vibration of a power drill (to the shoulder rig) would effect the camera (apart from the obvious vibrations it will receive). Will it damage the camera? Jello effect from it? ect etc.

 

[Lee Wilson]

Hopefully I will be buying a Canon 5D very soon, and there is one particular project where I want it to be very shaky. Think something like Saving Private Ryan and 28 Days Later. That sort of insanely fast, shaky movement. Lots of whip pans and fast vertical movements. The camera man running with the camera on, etc, etc. For some shots I was even thinking of 'somehow' attaching a power drill onto the side of the shoudler rig to really shake things up with intense vibrations.

Is this all possible on a Canon 5D?

I ask because I figure there may be some trouble with the rolling shutter? I don't know. Or maybe the rolling shutter 'problem' would be beneficial to this style of shooting. Any info anyone could provide would be appreciated.

Also on another point, Saving Private Ryan/28 Days Later, I believe, adjusted the shutter speed, or was it shutter angle, or something? Can the Canon 5D also do this?

Don't listen to any of these sugestions (especially the: "For fast action, shoot 720p and shutter at 1/60 for reduced jello." one).

:zombie_smiley:

These people are mentally unbalanced (ok, I didn't read all the responses :cheesy

That look, the manic fevered tension is a higher shutter speed.

That's pretty much it.

Loosing motion blur (through a high shutter speed) adds a tangible sense of tension to 'action' shots.

When you get your camera, play around with it for a couple of day to get a feel for what the three major exposure controls do (ISO - shutter speed - aperture).

Is this all possible on a Canon 5D?

Yes, brilliantly so.

 

[HHL]

Cool stuff Ben! Thanks for sharing!

 

[J.R. Hudson]

Actually 97% was shot on the Canon XL1.

Only the last 3 minutes was shot on film.

But thanks for all the answers, everyone.

I actually am building both a shoulder rig, and I may buy a glidecam too. Not sure yet.

How do you think adding the vibration of a power drill (to the shoulder rig) would effect the camera (apart from the obvious vibrations it will receive). Will it damage the camera? Jello effect from it? ect etc.

Correct on the 28 Days Later call.

Saving Private Ryan used the drill effect mentioned.

 

[mrmoe]

Actually 97% was shot on the Canon XL1.

Only the last 3 minutes was shot on film.

But thanks for all the answers, everyone.

I actually am building both a shoulder rig, and I may buy a glidecam too. Not sure yet.

How do you think adding the vibration of a power drill (to the shoulder rig) would effect the camera (apart from the obvious vibrations it will receive). Will it damage the camera? Jello effect from it? ect etc.

Ahh. so its the other way around. Wiki needs an update. Thanks for enlightening me. However, i do think old cams w/ ccd chips may be more stable for shaking and vibrations.

Thanks.

 

[maarek]

Don't listen to any of these sugestions (especially the: "For fast action, shoot 720p and shutter at 1/60 for reduced jello." one).

:zombie_smiley:

These people are mentally unbalanced (ok, I didn't read all the responses :cheesy

That look, the manic fevered tension is a higher shutter speed.

That's pretty much it.

...

That's response is just so wrong I don't know where to begin. The jello on the 7d/5d is pretty obvious when using high shutter speeds. We had to revert to the XHA1 to shoot our Saving Private Ryan-styled high shutter speed scene. A 7d shooting 720p was a lot better rolling shutter wise than 1080p but you have to open the lens to get rid of the huge aliasings.

It is possible, but it is not that easy. The XHA1 and it's global shutter reminded me how handheld action shots SHOULD look. You won't get that even in 720p mode on the 7d. 1080p...forget it. No matter how wide you go. Power drills and jello? Won't work and it will look very bad.

 

[Lee Wilson]

...

That's response is just so wrong I don't know where to begin.

No, really a lot of it is poor advice.

The OP clearly says "I will be buying a Canon 5D" Note those words, Canon 5D.


So when someone - for example - advises 'shoot 720p and shutter at 1/60 for reduced jello' - they are making a few mistakes and an assumption.

Firstly the 5D does not shoot 720p - at all. And putting aside the engrained assumption on the part of Americans that everyone in the word lives in America and thus they readily give, without checking, the erroneous advice that a 1/60th shutter speed is best (a cursory check would tell you the OP is from the UK) - even here the advice to use 1/60th (or more correctly 1/50th) because it reduces 'jello' is nonsense. The scan rate for the sensor does not go up and down with the the shutter.


And so on . . . like I say, some poor advice on this thread.