Local Political Ad/TVC - in production

Jason R. Johnston

Jason R. Johnston

Well-known member
I don't control all of my work so i can't always post stuff about what i do. However, I control this project so I'm sharing. I shot this yesterday and while in post today I thought I'd give you guys a sneak peak. All vanilla v1.72 DVX200. Interview is DCI 4K, everything else is FHD @VFR60/29.97. Vlog-L, Scene 4 still like. LUT: Vlog to V709 for V35. Gimme your questions.

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That's his skin tone. Dude's a welder in the Texas sun and of hispanic decent. He's red lol

edit: i see what you're saying tho. Too red. Yeah easily fixable lol
 
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It's hard to comment on someone else's style, it's too subjective, But since you asked, and this might be nit-picking, I would like to see the welding shot a little more contrasted, but that's me. I agree with Diegoservo, on the first shots face color, Skin-tones can be a ***** to get. Look at his hands, they don't match his face. But, his colors are what they are, I'm sure. Also, this is really nit-picking, those tree branches to the right bug me a bit. But, I love framing, If I could get the rest of my shot parameters set up as good as I like to frame, I might be a good Videographer some day. Lol!
 
I did wind up making those welding shots more contrasty. Well, made the shadows darker, actually. And I did work on his face a bit (just desaturated the red channel a bit where his head is). Such chintzy little quibbles in the end. DVX200 is a wonderful little camera with a big heart. I haven't been this impressed with a sensor in this prive range since the Blackmagic Cinema Camera in 2013. No, this isn't raw, nor is it full on Vlog. But, what you're getting is so so good. This is run and gun footage except for the speech which had a handheld reflector. Crew of 1. Shot in under an hour on location in very bright evening sunlight (look how crazy the natural bounce is on the welding shots. I was facing the sun. Great little camera. I will have more stuff to follow.
 
I agree, I love my DVX200, It's the first serious camera I have owned. It sure is a challenge to learning all the ins and outs of it. I can't even think about Vlog right now. I have just been using Scene-5, with no edits or changes to it. I figured I had to start some where.
I'm going to pick a real good day and subject and shoot and take notes, of all the different scene files. I'm interested in the GH4 Scene file, I think? I'm new to the color grading, and Log modes. Some day I will get there.
 
It's easy. Just like studying and learning anything else. Just go one step at a time. The difficult part is topping yourself each new project. Being more artistic and fresh yet still pleasing the clients. Doing that consistently and not settling into mediocrity. The camera is friggin easy.
 
I like the welding shot the best, especially with a bit more contrast. I have been wondering how I can eek out some bokeh with this cam in a run and gun situation. Setting the lens wide open and using full ND doesn't do it unless there is a good deal of distance from the subject to the background. I am wondering how that first shot would have looked if you had tried to get the maximum bokeh out of it.
 
greytail said:
I like the welding shot the best, especially with a bit more contrast.
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Thanks very much!

greytail said:
I have been wondering how I can eek out some bokeh with this cam in a run and gun situation. Setting the lens wide open and using full ND doesn't do it unless there is a good deal of distance from the subject to the background.
Click to expand...

Hold on; "bokeh" is meant to describe the quality of out-of-focus highlights (a product of the mechanical nature of the aperture as well as the quality of the lens elements and its coatings), not the amount or presence of distance blur due to narrow depth of field. I believe what you mean to say is, you wish the background was more out of focus, or that the subject was the only thing in focus. The actual bokeh of the DVX200's lens is actually quite pleasing. Those distant trees in that welding shot, for example: creamy...and zero breathing when racking! Just a beautiful camera, as you know.

greytail said:
I am wondering how that first shot would have looked if you had tried to get the maximum [out of focus background] out of it.
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It would have looked crazy gorgeous – like a medium format portrait. I would have achieved it by backing away from the talent, zooming in to achieve the same angle and composition, but everything would have been compressed and the area around the subject would not have looked as spacious. But, it would have given me a large out of focus background very similar to the welding image. But, I didn't shoot it that way...and for a few reasons, which I will get to.

If I wanted to do a very thin depth of field and really throw the background out of focus, even a close background like the truck and that tractor, I would have most likely used my Canon 6D and at least a 50mm with a fast aperture and some ND. If using the DVX200, I would have maybe zoomed in to compress the field of view and push the background out of focus that way. But, being that this was a documentary-style interview shoot and very run-and-gun, I didn't want a thin field of view as that meant the chance the talent would sway in and out of focus was much greater as I did not have complete control over the set. At best at wide angle, with the aperture wide open and ND at full, on a wide shot with the subject about 6' from the lens, that image represents about as narrow a depth of field as you can get. If the subject were a child, I could have gotten them closer to the camera and maybe used the macro setting to focus inside that 3' area and blown the background out of focus. But, the sensor isn't big enough to do what a 135 format sensor can do. It is, however, similar to what I get on a Super 35 sensor at relative focal lengths at about T4...which is where I prefer to shoot, again because of the wider depth of field, I don't have to worry about the subject dipping in and out of focus. I want the whole face in focus, not just one eye. If I wanted that look, i would have zoomed in slightly and increased the ISO to 500 to compensate.

But, the main reason I wanted it all to not be a blurry mess around him on the VOC shot was because the area around him is part of his story, part of the subject. it's important to see the world he lives in: his property. I'm not just trying to get pretty images. The images help tell the story. That tractor is as much him as his face. I want you to notice it. So, let it be not super-duper out of focus. It's okay. Everything doesn't have to look like 135 format. DVX200 is closer to Super 35-ish...and I'm plenty happy about it. I just wish it would stay constant f/2.8 throughout the zoom factor!
 
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