GH2 MYTHS & HYMNS: GH2 + Canon FD 50mm f/1.4

Jaime Valles

Jaime Valles

Veteran
Hello, all. Here's a promo video I shot for the new musical Myths & Hymns (which looks to be a really cool show).


Camera: GH2 (non hacked) 24p, 1/50, ISO 160
Lens: Canon FD 50mm f/1.4 (mostly used at f/2 or f/2.4)
Sound: Rode VideoMic Pro recording directly into the camera
Lighting: All available light only, mostly horrid overhead fluorescents. I aimed a desk lamp with incandescent bulbs at the side of their faces to give it some more punch.
Tripod: Cheap-ass Sony VCT-870RM
Editing: Adobe Premiere Pro CS5

No filters used in front of the lens. Very minor color correction. Focused by hand without using any external monitor (only the flip-out LCD).

Oh, and all the photos used were also taken with the same camera & lens.

Let me know what you think. :Drogar-Happy(DBG):
 
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Very nice for such minimal gear. A simple LED light could have help even out the lighting for the talking head moments. I just got done modding the 160 light (on Amazon for $40), love it!
 
Thanks for posting. It's nice to see that you can make a quality video without expensive accessories.
 
Looks great, I agree the interviews could have used a little more light on the subject. LED, desk lamp, anything to help separate them from the background. Nice shots though.

I love that lens too, I have the FD 1.4 as well, it's a pleasure to work with. Manual aperature control, very sharp, great depth of field. Pretty much a must have for micro-four thirds users.
 
Thanks for all the feedback. I'm continually impressed by the quality of the GH2, even with the original stock firmware. And the FD 50mm f/1.4 is a perfect match for this camera. Cheap, fast & good (turns out you really can have all three!)

My next purchases will definitely have to include an LED light with a dimmer, as well as a Lav Mic setup. I'm not entirely sure how much better the audio recording could have been given I was using the Rode VMP mounted on top of the camera. If I had had someone to serve as a boom op, then it certainly would've helped. But for a mic that was 5 feet away from the interviewees, I don't think it sounds half bad. A Lav setup would also help a ton. Any suggestions for a quality/inexpensive wired Lav?

Oh, and here's the artwork I made for the show's poster:

http://www.jaimevallesdesign.com/13708/371901/portfolio/myths-hymns

Thanks again!
 
I have the VMP and a Rode Lav. Love the Lav, though there are some cheaper ones out there. The Rode Lav doesn't plug into the GH2 well, it's too hot. I used it with a H1, which works great for having on the talent since it is so small. Here is a simple video I shot last night using the Rode Lav. It was POURING outside, and the roof was metal. I had the VMP on as well, and the difference is incredible: http://vimeo.com/35413651
 
peripatew said:
I have the VMP and a Rode Lav. Love the Lav, though there are some cheaper ones out there. The Rode Lav doesn't plug into the GH2 well, it's too hot. I used it with a H1, which works great for having on the talent since it is so small. Here is a simple video I shot last night using the Rode Lav. It was POURING outside, and the roof was metal. I had the VMP on as well, and the difference is incredible: http://vimeo.com/35413651
Click to expand...
That sounded great! I definitely need to get myself a Lav mic ASAP.
 
peripatew said:
I have the VMP and a Rode Lav. Love the Lav, though there are some cheaper ones out there. The Rode Lav doesn't plug into the GH2 well, it's too hot. I used it with a H1, which works great for having on the talent since it is so small. Here is a simple video I shot last night using the Rode Lav. It was POURING outside, and the roof was metal. I had the VMP on as well, and the difference is incredible: http://vimeo.com/35413651
Click to expand...

Which Lav do you use? Can you plug it directly into your H1 (H4N)? Or do you need some extra gear?
 
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