My first HVX project

C

Concept89

Active member
Hey guys

I'm a 1st year student film major at pratt institute and I was finally able to use an HVX for my video final (through luck too, because only seniors are allowed to use the only HVX that the campus has).

So, the film was unfortunately shot in late afternoon and it was apparent the colors became more washed out and darker over the course of the film because of the lack of daylight. initial production was haulted in the early afternoon because of certain "rules". (yes, I got in trouble for doing my homework).

So yea. here's the link and tell me what you guys think! This is my FIRST project using the HVX, so I appreciate all criticisms.

http://vimeo.com/952221
 
Well the pacing seems ok, there are a lot of areas that seem really dark try using a reflector or something to help give light ot your subjects.

The plot seems ok though. How long did all this take you?
For a 1st time this is good.
 
The most important thing is you did it. Now you have to see what your mistakes were and start working on getting it better the next time. It is difficult to do anything in a short time, especially if you are running out of light outside.
I thought it was strong but dark and maybe too much Magic Bullet, but then again you young guys are the future and you have plenty of time to keep learning. Good luck and work hard on your craft.
 
Dante, actual shooting took about.... 3 hours tops. We prepared this for 2 weeks and it was initially supposed to be filmed on a rooftop, but authorities halted production so we needed to find another place to film.

thanks, I mean, I definitely feel it could be much better, if everything was done the way I had planned, but that's run and gun I guess.
 
John, thanks for the encouraging words. I really had this planned to be more of an action sequence rather than an emotional conflict (that's how most viewers interpreted it as). I definitely see many mistakes and I'm gonna make sure when I actually own an HVX sometime this year or next, I'll do things the way it is supposed to be.
 
I actually AM looking at Scarlet. I was all over that during NAB and I'm totally psyched. However, I'm looking for a camera I can use to make some money over the course of 4 months as I'm going to be freelancing...

Should I wait or just go for an HVX200A? I think both are for different markets as well, so we'll see.
 
If you can make money now get a camera now. You could pay for the HVX several times over before the Scarlet comes out.
 
That's what I was thinking... I would make the investment to get the camera and then pay off and earn some profit.

Is it a good choice to go for an HVX200A for things ranging from weddings to parties and such? I've done videography for such on a GL2, but those were not mine and I'm planning on making a purchase for such a cam.
 
For wedding and events consider its low light abilities. Since the A is a bit more sensitive than the original it will at least be better, but I would look into it and see what you find out. I dont do much live event work so I'm not one to advise on that front. I can say that you probably should look at what other equipment you will need - on cam light, wireless lavs, tripod, shotgun mic, etc. It all adds up fast.
 
I have the HVX 200 and it is wonderful and the 200A is supposed to be much better. I use the tape option a lot for events like weddings and stuff. The image quality is still nice on SD. Especially shooting 16:9.
Using HD for events would be more complicated because the P2 space limitations. Some people use the Firestore but that means another costly investment.
You are thinking smart. There is money to be made on events. Get your investment back and get more equipment while you get ready to shoot more shorts, features and such.
 
I really want a good lav kit, hmm, I have no idea what that even costs or basically what I would need to get a good production sound setup. My dilemma is that it makes little sense for us to buy a bunch of production sound stuff when usually we'd just hire someone who has the tools when we have the budget. The reason I own the HVX200s is because that's the workflow we like from start to finish, and I don't want to be limited to hiring DPs just because they happen to have the HVX200, no thanks to that. But with production sound it's more standardized, I mean it's not the same as how there are 100 different types of cameras all with different strengths, weaknesses, features, functions, etc. With sound if it's good, it's good.

But at the same time we might need the lav kit sometimes like this road trip we're doing, none of us are production sound experts, and we don't need production sound except for a few of the days, so I guess we're stuck using the boom mic we have connected via XLR cable to the HVX. I just hope that's good enough quality for our needs...
 
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