mass amount of questions

[Guest]

Pardon my lack of knowledge on this subject as I am pretty new. I have purchased a dvx100ae about a month ago for typical shoots. My setup is as standard as they come. Just the dvx and a tripod. Now onto my questions

I was just wondering if anybody has purchased the cinetactics matte blox. I'm assuming I'll need it to rid the sun flare on some shoots I've been attempting to do. Also, the optional filter holders, would the dvx's standard filters fit into these filter holders correctly?

Now onto filtering; what sort of filters would I require for outdoor shoots in a daytime situation and any other filters or optional accessories to change the feel or look of my dvx100's picture. I'm assuming a polarizer filter, but correct me if I'm wrong.

I shoot at 25p (my dvx is a pal version) to try escape from the documentary feel, but I've seen some shots with the dvx that look way better than what mine has produced. They come across as more film like. (This has also been with 25p shoots). I have also decreased the detail level whilst shooting at 25p which I felt gave me more of the feel I was looking for but it's still in some way, not right. It's real hard to explain what's wrong with my picture when I lack knowledge on the subject, so once again, you'll have to forgive my ignorance.

I hope this hasn't come across as a cluttered post.

thanks
Steven

 

[disjecta]

Re: mass amount of questions

This is just my 2 cents here.... I think that we are all guilty of trying to become experienced cinematographers in a day. It's just not as simple as that, unfortunately.

Filmmaking is as subjective as looking at a piece of art. What appeals to one person will not necessarily appeal to the other. It's hard to recommend filters to you generically. What's most important is what are you going to be shooting. Are you shooting dramatic shots outdoors with lots of close-ups of actors' faces or are you shooting nature vistas for a documentary, etc., etc?

Your choice of footage, shooting style, and asthetics all play into what will work for you regarding filtration.

I would recommend you shoot as much as possible without filters, play with all the menu settings in the camera, see where the limitations lie for you and then decide what it is you want to "fix".

In the meantime, do some research on what different kinds of filters do (www.tiffen.com or any photographic Web site). Buy a book on filters, there's lots around. You might get excited about one you read about....

It's all about education. The more you know, the more you know what you want. Experimenting at the beginning can get quite costly and, if money is precious to you, hold off until you feel confident that you are spending your money on exactly what you need.

Make sure you get the right tools for the right job, as it were.

 

[toddburch]

Re: mass amount of questions

Steven,

I second Disjecta's comments.

As has been said before, there are alot of things that lend to the film look. Try not to get TOO caught up with the camera's settings. While camera settings can help, what's far more important to achieving the look is what's happening OUTSIDE the camera.

Arguably, the most important aspect to contributing to the polished, professional film look is lighting. You will hear often as you learn about cinematography that the pros can take a $600 camera and achieve a much more filmic look than a newbie can with an $80,000 camera.

So while the camera can obviously help, it's not the essential end-all solution.

Get some books on cinematography and lighting for digital video, and experiment--and explore these forums: they're a great resource for information.

Achieving the film look doesn't come overnight, and you won't get it as a newbie with even the best of cameras. It takes experience, practice, and knowledge (and sometimes a bit of luck!)

To answer your filter question, I agree with what disjecta said.

But to put in my two cents (for what it's worth), here are two filters that I'd start out with:

1) Polarizing lens (to cut down glare, increase color saturation, and reduce reflections) for outdoor shots.

2) A neutral density grad filter (Like an ND Grad 0.6). Ever notice when you're shooting outside on sunny days how the sky is almost always overexposed, and if you try to close down the iris to compensate your subject becomes too dark? This filter will bring down the exposure of your sky without affecting the lower portion of your picture--to reduce the overall contrast of the image (essential for good video). There are other ways to fix this (such as lighting your subject using reflectors/lights), but this is usually the simplest.

Keep in mind these are just opinions, and your filter requirements can differ from others depending on your shooting conditions.

Definitely surf some filter websites to see their effects, and keep asking questions.

Good luck,
Todd