shooting indy feature

B

bosindy

Veteran
I have a feature length project I am considering shooting on either the dvx100 or hvx200 (when it is released in sept). I have a cursory understanding of how this technology works. (very cursory, especially in contrast to the tech savvy sages on this site) I have never shot video or edited anything. Basically I have the script and vision of what I want, but very little of the tech how to as to video. I was at a festival recently where most features were shot on 24p, most of note "Lonesome Jim" The budget for this was 250K. mine would be 1/10 of that. (not including the hope of financing for a 35mm blow up)

What should I look for in a DP when shooting on video? What should I consider during principle shooting in anticipation of a 35mm blow up later on?
 
Obviously, you want a dp with a strong visual sense and who has proved they can exercise it. If you have a sense of 'vision' for the project, you want someone who you can communicate with and who will help you move towards it, rather than shoot it their way to build a reel. they should have some experience with video, how the medium handles contrast and whatnot.

If you are tight on money, you could call local universities to find talented students (some have screenigns of student work you could attend) and post on your local film office hotline if they have one. Try your chamber of commerce if you are having problems. In philly, our film office is great for this.
 
One approach to making a movie is finding a producing partner who can handle administrative duties related to production. From experience working on several independent films in various capacities and various formats, I find directors very stressed out due to the demands of managing the production boat, wrangling crew and talent, financing, understanding technology, finding a shooter, a sound man, etc. These are typically responsibilities of production staff on larger shoots.. Certainly there is division of labor for various parts of administrative, but the idea is to get away from things like this. I think your project stands a better chance of survival if you look for a producing partner before looking for a shooter. My .02
 
good advice. Thanks for the response. I have a producing partner and we are investigating additional financing (llp etc.) I have done production coordinating on a 35 mm project and fortunatley i have the business acumen part down. I also swung some boom in my day. ( a sentence I never thought I would say aloud)

I guess, at the end of the day, technology is a little intimidating for some (ie. me) and on a low budget, I sense that my lack of this knowledge is going to cost dollars. At this point, I am obviously not expecting to have a traditional crew with all the fixins. (1st AD, grips, asst cam and so on) I know i will need a dp who understands light. I understand you need to light more when shooting with a anamorphic lense for instance.

I guess I need to hit the film schools looking for talent.
 
I think the generalisation is that a lens with a smaller maximum aperture would require more light if fully open compared to a prime lens.. That category, of course, includes zooms, anamorphics, tilt/shift, and many other types of non-spherical or specialty lenses.

I'm really curious to find out the answer, too. Paging Mr. Barry Green....
 
Cinema anamorphics aren't usually as fast as spherical primes. A set of spherical UltraSpeeds might have an average max. f-stop of f/1.2 or so, as compared to the Elite anamorphics, which are pretty much f/2.1. Panavision C-series anamorphics are mostly T2.8, and their E-series are around T2. Even the super-high-speed Panavision anamorphics are 1.4, 1.6, and 1.8.

Also, cinema anamorphics have such a very wide field of view that you typically use longer focal lengths, as compared to non-anamorphics, to achieve a usable field of view. Longer focal lengths = shallower depth of field. To achieve a usable depth of field, you usually stop down some. Stopping down requires more light.
 
So--anamorphics would technically need more light if you were looking for a low light 35mm look
where your lenses are wide open and not stopped down at all... Makes sense.
 
For blow up to 35, the best thing to do is work backwards: find a lab that is good at that sort of thing, then ask them a ton of questions BEFORE you shoot a frame. If you've never shot a feature, you should really invest in Per Holmes "Hollywood Camera work" and do some short films before you jump in feet first into a feature. Compared to the technical issues, the creative ones can eat you alive! I've notice your concern is mostly around the visual--don't forget about sound! A good production mixer can not only save you a ton of money in post, but give you the quality audiences have come to expect.

dan
www.DVcameraRigs.com
 
thanks danslak, in this case the final video may never get blown up. i am sure that during the festivals (if I am fortunate enough to get accepted) it will be put on a digital projector. I would not blow it up to 35mm unless there was disty willing to pay for it. but your suggestion is good in the sense of picking an experts brain so i don't do something that will hinder the blow up if it should come to that. If anyone knows of any good lab let me know.

I may be naive, but creatively I am far less concerned. i will have a strong storyboard, the shot ratio will be high given it will be shot on digital. I am Meisner trained so i think i can work well with the actors. I'll check out the book you mentioned. I wish I was in a position to work on some short films and practice. Unfortunately, filmmaking is a passion, but has no correlation with what I do in the real world as compared to some of you who work in the medium to pay the bills. For this reason I have this 1 opp to dive in in the fall. Call in a bunch of favors. steal shots ect. Sink or swim I am going for it even though I will never be the smartest guy in the room on the tech side.

Couldn't agree more about the sound coment. Do you think I should go with a dat recorder? Is hooking right into the camera even an option.
 
Get Jay Rose's book "Producing Great Sound for Digital Video". It's a great place to start. Going straight into the camera is an easier and cheaper option, and as long as you don't mount the mic on the camera you'll get good quality on the DV tape itself. I mention the creative side because I was an feature/tv editor for years, working mostly uncredited, having the reputation of someone that could "fix" a film (I'd come in after the film was considered locked and re-edit and direct additional scenes to make the film more watchable). So I've seen all of the mistakes! The reason I mention doing shorter stuff as practice, is that I taught a composition/camera movement seminar at NAB this year and heard this comment more than a few times "I went to four years of film school, and we didn't learn any of this stuff!" The high coverage is the absolute best thing you can do. Films are often "found" in the editing room, and being able to go to the shelf and get that shot you thought you'd never use is worth its weight in gold. If you have an editor, I'd also suggest staying out of the editing room for a month and let him/her do the first cut on their own. It will help you come back into the project with fresh eyes. Before the days of Avid, this was common. Now the director is there from day 1 after principle is finished, and they just can't be objective enough coming fresh from the shoot. I have to say you are way ahead of 90% of the directors out there, having had acting experience. That is priceless. After all, you can't direct an actor unless you know how they think!

I've worked with every major lab in Los Angeles, and my favorite is Fotokem in Burbank. We did some tests years ago using an XL1, and their transfer to film was amazing. I'm sure they are even better at it now. Plus, unlike other labs, if you come in as a small film they don't treat you like a 2nd class citizen.

The very best of luck! I hope you'll keep all of us at DVXUSER updated.

Dan
www.DVcameraRigs.com
 
Dan,

Thanks for taking the time to share your knowledge. I'll def check out the literature you mentioned (as well as Mr.Green's dvd and book on the dvx100a.) Thankfully I know a few editors, I realize that this is probably going to be 50% of my budget because favors only go so far. I aspire to not be parochial and let an editor ... do magic really. we'll see.

I think I realize my limitations as to this process and have no ego about learning. Fortunately, I am giving myself plenty of time for preproduction to nail at least the questions I need to ask a dp or editor down. Thanks again.

Jim

ps. thanks for the lab info
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top