ectobuilder
Veteran
Re: Panasonic GX85 // Another Wedding Video!!!
Here's another Wedding I shot using the Panasonic GX85 handheld! There was only one shot that we used a locked off tripod (for Bride/Groom speech reactions only), everything else was 100% old fashioned handholding.
YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5-dERVTm_g
Enjoy!
Here's my write-up:
Director, DP, Editor: Nicholas Lam
Assistant: Nick Li
I've said it before and I'll say it again, the future of documentary storytelling lies in the technology of IN-BODY STABILIZATION (IBIS). Above dynamic range, iso performance, global shutter, raw, high bitrate, and motorized gimbals. The importance of keeping the storyteller light, nimble and ninja-like trumps any other feature a filmmaking manufacture could create.
Every shot was 100% handheld (the ONLY ONE exception is the Bride/Groom reactions to the speeches, this was a locked off shot on a tripod). If you look at the results, what we get by using IBIS is simply incredible. Not just the shots itself but the type of story we get to tell. Look at how natural and genuine the people are. By staying small and ninja-like with just a Micro 4/3 camera in-hand, none of the subjects were distracted by our presence. Truly amazing.
As wedding storytellers, we try our best to make the most of what is put in front of us. We can't always get what we want (the speech that ended up driving Amanda + Brandon's story the most wasn't even given to me during pre-production). We lost tremendous progress because the Groom's morning hike got cancelled due to the rain, lost compositions because the outdoor ceremony now by necessity needed to be indoors and dealing with a green photographer who decided (intentionally or unintentionally) to allow the Hawethorne Effect to bleed into critical moments were some of a few challenges we faced once the day started. However, IBIS in all of its glory allowed us to gain back lost ground and therefore allowed us to become productive storytellers again.
Given our initial trajectory (at the very least 4 important items integral to our story got cancelled due to unforeseen rain) IBIS allowed us to quickly formulate and execute a once non-existent "Plan C" and therefore allowed us to quickly regain lost ground. In short, we were able to improvise more quickly than if we had a traditional rigged setup (monopod, slider, dolly).
Now believe it or not, I initially was going to use a Red Raven to film this wedding. Looking back, the story wouldn't be as rich if I did. The amount of additional support needed to run a Red Raven for a full day wedding would have slowed everything down and not to mention the overall cumbersome of the Raven body as well (try transporting a 10 lbs fully rigged Raven through the pouring rain in mountainous terrain).
I'm sincerely looking forward to the newer cameras coming out with IBIS, namely the Panasonic GH5, Panasonic G80/G85, Olympus OMD-EM1-II, Sony A6500, Canon M5 and whatever else the future holds. One feature I am looking forward to is finally having a mic input and a built-in bigger grip.
With the GX85 I've had to rig it with a Zoom H1 + Sennheiser MKE400 to get more decent audio as well as rigging it with an extra 15mm rod running parallel by the grip in order to a better handle on the camera while not interfering with the micro-hdmi out. And btw ebay sells a very nice vertical right-angle micro-hdmi male to full-size hdmi female cable which works extremely well with the GX80/GX85 and is super tough and has yet to break on me!
GEAR:
2 x Panasonic GX85
- 4K @ 23.976 or 29.97 (delivered in 1080p @ 23.976)
- Standard Picture Profile with custom in-camera curve applied, not graded in post just straight out of the camera.
- IBIS setting: 5-axis + Electronic with Panasonic 12-35 F2.8 OIS, 3-axis + Electronic with Voigtlander lenses.
- Note that 4K + IBIS + Electronic Stabilization gives a 2.4x crop factor.
1 x Voigtlander 42.5 F0.95
1 x Voigtlander 25 F0.95
1 x Voigtlander 10.5 F0.95
1 x Panasonic 12-35 F2.8 OIS
1 x Manfrotto 755XB Tripod with 701 Head (for Bride/Groom reaction to speeches only, every other shot handheld with IBIS).
1 x Zoom H4N plugged into house system via 1/4" to XLR cable for ceremony.
1 x Countryman B6 W5 into Olympus DM-420
1 x Matchstick Lapel into Olympus VN702-PC
1 x Zoom H1N (auto gain) with Sennheiser MKE400 (used with the main GX85 camera, we ran "A" and "B" cam, majority of the shots were from the "A" Cam. All candid audio were from this setup).
1 x SmallHD 501
Here's another Wedding I shot using the Panasonic GX85 handheld! There was only one shot that we used a locked off tripod (for Bride/Groom speech reactions only), everything else was 100% old fashioned handholding.
YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5-dERVTm_g
Enjoy!
Here's my write-up:
Director, DP, Editor: Nicholas Lam
Assistant: Nick Li
I've said it before and I'll say it again, the future of documentary storytelling lies in the technology of IN-BODY STABILIZATION (IBIS). Above dynamic range, iso performance, global shutter, raw, high bitrate, and motorized gimbals. The importance of keeping the storyteller light, nimble and ninja-like trumps any other feature a filmmaking manufacture could create.
Every shot was 100% handheld (the ONLY ONE exception is the Bride/Groom reactions to the speeches, this was a locked off shot on a tripod). If you look at the results, what we get by using IBIS is simply incredible. Not just the shots itself but the type of story we get to tell. Look at how natural and genuine the people are. By staying small and ninja-like with just a Micro 4/3 camera in-hand, none of the subjects were distracted by our presence. Truly amazing.
As wedding storytellers, we try our best to make the most of what is put in front of us. We can't always get what we want (the speech that ended up driving Amanda + Brandon's story the most wasn't even given to me during pre-production). We lost tremendous progress because the Groom's morning hike got cancelled due to the rain, lost compositions because the outdoor ceremony now by necessity needed to be indoors and dealing with a green photographer who decided (intentionally or unintentionally) to allow the Hawethorne Effect to bleed into critical moments were some of a few challenges we faced once the day started. However, IBIS in all of its glory allowed us to gain back lost ground and therefore allowed us to become productive storytellers again.
Given our initial trajectory (at the very least 4 important items integral to our story got cancelled due to unforeseen rain) IBIS allowed us to quickly formulate and execute a once non-existent "Plan C" and therefore allowed us to quickly regain lost ground. In short, we were able to improvise more quickly than if we had a traditional rigged setup (monopod, slider, dolly).
Now believe it or not, I initially was going to use a Red Raven to film this wedding. Looking back, the story wouldn't be as rich if I did. The amount of additional support needed to run a Red Raven for a full day wedding would have slowed everything down and not to mention the overall cumbersome of the Raven body as well (try transporting a 10 lbs fully rigged Raven through the pouring rain in mountainous terrain).
I'm sincerely looking forward to the newer cameras coming out with IBIS, namely the Panasonic GH5, Panasonic G80/G85, Olympus OMD-EM1-II, Sony A6500, Canon M5 and whatever else the future holds. One feature I am looking forward to is finally having a mic input and a built-in bigger grip.
With the GX85 I've had to rig it with a Zoom H1 + Sennheiser MKE400 to get more decent audio as well as rigging it with an extra 15mm rod running parallel by the grip in order to a better handle on the camera while not interfering with the micro-hdmi out. And btw ebay sells a very nice vertical right-angle micro-hdmi male to full-size hdmi female cable which works extremely well with the GX80/GX85 and is super tough and has yet to break on me!
GEAR:
2 x Panasonic GX85
- 4K @ 23.976 or 29.97 (delivered in 1080p @ 23.976)
- Standard Picture Profile with custom in-camera curve applied, not graded in post just straight out of the camera.
- IBIS setting: 5-axis + Electronic with Panasonic 12-35 F2.8 OIS, 3-axis + Electronic with Voigtlander lenses.
- Note that 4K + IBIS + Electronic Stabilization gives a 2.4x crop factor.
1 x Voigtlander 42.5 F0.95
1 x Voigtlander 25 F0.95
1 x Voigtlander 10.5 F0.95
1 x Panasonic 12-35 F2.8 OIS
1 x Manfrotto 755XB Tripod with 701 Head (for Bride/Groom reaction to speeches only, every other shot handheld with IBIS).
1 x Zoom H4N plugged into house system via 1/4" to XLR cable for ceremony.
1 x Countryman B6 W5 into Olympus DM-420
1 x Matchstick Lapel into Olympus VN702-PC
1 x Zoom H1N (auto gain) with Sennheiser MKE400 (used with the main GX85 camera, we ran "A" and "B" cam, majority of the shots were from the "A" Cam. All candid audio were from this setup).
1 x SmallHD 501
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