Lousy Camerawork

taubkin

taubkin

Veteran
that's what you get when people start spending 3000 dolars on cameras because they thing moviemaking is their dream and star using them for freelance jobs without experience or education. Man, I just started editing this piece the other day and it is Tilt/Stravaganza. What happened to static locked shots? The final piece I edited makes the viewer think he is going up in an elevator. And auto iris? Honestly. Nobody seems to have time to expose nowadays. The perils of getting used to auto still cameras.

What are your cameraperson turnouts? What do you hate to see?

Cheers!
 
Re: Lousy Camerawork

Seems like a local world gym commercial sorry you had to go through that. I also dislike extensive use of pan/tilt/zoom especially the whip pan even in the now playing films. I do support the right equipment for the job theory but i do pay a big part towards the composition. According to my school's tv announcements zooming in 10x handheld into a tv screen will get you hits. Disagree... i think Conrad Hall is one of the greatest cinematographers out there, simple and beautiful.
Auto iris should only be applied in uncontrolled documentaries in my opinion (well and home movies). Though i do not see why people don't take the time to fix it manually on the shoot isn't that what we do in cinematography? Let me know...
 
Re: Lousy Camerawork

I remember in filmschool they wouldn't allow the director (me) to use the camera, they said that's not how it's done in the industry so they passed it on to some one else in the class, conclusion a piece of work that I think wouldve made a good short sitting in raw footage cause the camera work is crap. I don't care, Maybe it'll be different when it's $million dollar pictures, but for now I only trust two people to touch my camera, and then I still see there framing on an external monitor. But for the most part I shoot what I know and there's no suprises.
 
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Yeah... I don't really care to get footage shot by other people. I just hate that people without any background gets a camera and start doing paid gigs as they were professionals, so the tape falls on my hands for editing and my final work looks like crap. Fortunately no one else seems to think it looks like crap, but it does. If those people only made the effort of reading some of the posts on this forum, it would already have helped.

Ah, I guess I'm just in a bad "editing weekend" mood...
 
Re: Lousy Camerawork

[quote author=taubkin link=board=news;num=1090025811;start=0#3 date=07/18/04 at 07:27:08]
Ah, I guess I'm just in a bad "editing weekend" mood...[/quote]

I had one of those last weekend too. How is it that 3 computers in one house can all break down in the same day?
 
Re: Lousy Camerawork

I was talking with the nice folks at the rental house this week and they have gotten rid of all but one of thier Arri geared heads because no one knows how to use them anymore. Sad that everyone thinks that handheld is so cool. Same thing for doorway and crab dollies.

A Mitchell BNCR and an Elemack Dolly - Now that's shootin' a movie! Ok - a Panavison for the Mitchell.
 
Re: Lousy Camerawork

Well I have been working in TV News and Entertainment for the last 10 years and I have had to edit stuff shot by other camera ops. Some of the stuff I hate is people that pan for no reason or zoom in or zoom out for no reason! You ONLY zoom out to REVEAL something. You ONLY zoom in to take the viewer to something you want to highlight in the scene. Another thing I hate is the person that keeps the camera rolling when your done getting your shot and your walking around. Thats just extra footage that I have to scroll through and wastes a lot of time. I have no problems editing work from a photographer that has a good eye for shooting. I love editing just as much as I like to shoot.

I was shooting an event a few weeks ago with my DVX100 and there was a kid there with a XL1 and another with a GL2 and I don't know what the heck they were doing! I could just look at them and tell they didn't know what they were doing.

A lot of times the editor is the unsung hero. I have been able to take some horribly shot footage and make it look half way decent. But like someone said, I hate working with other people's footage especially if they don't know what they are doing with the camera.
 
Re: Lousy Camerawork

[quote author=TC link=board=news;num=1090025811;start=0#4 date=07/18/04 at 15:20:59]

I had one of those last weekend too. How is it that 3 computers in one house can all break down in the same day?[/quote]

Well, didn't you know? They are organized :D

And don't tell me about handheld. In Brazil everybody gets crazy with handheld and if you complain they just throw that Glauber Rocha crap in your face. "Jesus, man, you are NOT the next Glauber Rocha!"

And it's funny about pans, because people with no money use it to give a dull image a little depht or "spice", just like some ad shots use cranes. Man, Pans are very dull. Frame your shots right and they will become interesting... Ya' know?
 
Re: Lousy Camerawork

[quote author=Bill_Bolton link=board=news;num=1090025811;start=0#5 date=07/18/04 at 17:50:55]I was talking with the nice folks at the rental house this week and they have gotten rid of all but one of thier Arri geared heads because no one knows how to use them anymore. [/quote]

ha ha.. luckily I can still rent one :

setup.jpg
 
Re: Lousy Camerawork

Jarred, the question is: Can you use one? Can you write your name on a wall with one? I'm of the opinion that if we had a DVX sized geared head, more folks would use them and that would generate improved shots. Fluid heads are nice, but for rock-solid nodal moves, nothing beats a geared head.

BTW - I sent you a PM a couple of days ago about the filter tests - did you get it? Thanks Bill
 
Re: Lousy Camerawork

[quote author=Jarred Land link=board=news;num=1090025811;start=0#8 date=07/18/04 at 22:02:52]

ha ha.. luckily I can still rent one :

setup.jpg
[/quote]

You work at Clairmount Cameras Jarred?

God I love geared heads... I wish I had some to practice with.
 
Re: Lousy Camerawork

[quote author=DVX100Shooter link=board=news;num=1090025811;start=0#11 date=07/18/04 at 22:57:06]Jarred, that set up is a BEAST! LOL! [/quote]

Jarred, that picture of yours will never stop impressing us, hehehe
 
Re: Lousy Camerawork

Whoaw is that the cavision mattebox? What is the follow focus unit? Do we have a thread where you can showcase your equipment? Sort of like classic cars? I thought those heads were only in books how portable are they heh?
 
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