Short Doc I did for school
- Thread starter Josiah Cooper
- Start date
NoNoob
Carbonite Member
Vancouver sure has a diverse population. Accents from all over the World.
It seemed a little green- or is that just me (my monitor)? (just checked it again, on three monitors- it's green. On purpose?)
Music is great.
How'd you pull off the timelapse with a 100? Or, is it an HVX?
The pan timing in the TL is most excellent- very, very smooth (hard to do).
The outtro is very nice.
It's a fine piece, you should be proud of it. VFS is known for top flight work you know.
You fit right in.
But I have a somewhat rhetorical question for you- please allow:
Do you feel the little cam moves lend some kind of energy to the piece?
I've never liked 'shaky cam' footage- it's annoying.
While these tiny moves of yours, and the little into and out of focus bits, aren't as bothersome, they still distract me from what's being presented.
What is it about you behind the camera that makes you want to become part of the action being depicted.
Like, it's as though you want your moves to place you in the frame somehow.
I don't understand.
But then, I'm old school and think the process is about what is being depicted, and how you -the fiilmmaker- interpret that (with the tools at hand).
Thereby, through reduction, it would seem the framing and focus changes are about you not being ready to capture the scene. Or, leading the viewer to other points of interest.
I have noticed (when I'm making changes to the camera, zooms, framing, focus) the subject sees it too- and it distracts them somewhat.
It's bad enough that most average joes on the street are shy and unassuming, while being definitely out of place with a big lens stuck in their face--- trying to make them feel comfortable and at ease is really important.
It's a great question you're asking and they all seemed to take it seriously, reaching into their world to expose something heartfelt.
Well, a couple of them were being ridiculous (and grabbing the mic!), but that's in the human nature. It was funny- must admit!
The piece moves viewers to think about their answers and therefore, it is very effective.
Nice work- sorry I hammer the minutia of the technique, not being critical (or am I?)- just thought it would have been STELLAR without the distraction.
Don't tell me you did it all in post!
If so, can you go back and normalize the affectation? If true, just take another fly at it, then post so we can make comparisons.
I'd be interested to know if it works better without the 'touches' you put in there.
Thanks for sharing and keep up the excellent work!
It seemed a little green- or is that just me (my monitor)? (just checked it again, on three monitors- it's green. On purpose?)
Music is great.
How'd you pull off the timelapse with a 100? Or, is it an HVX?
The pan timing in the TL is most excellent- very, very smooth (hard to do).
The outtro is very nice.
It's a fine piece, you should be proud of it. VFS is known for top flight work you know.
You fit right in.
But I have a somewhat rhetorical question for you- please allow:
Do you feel the little cam moves lend some kind of energy to the piece?
I've never liked 'shaky cam' footage- it's annoying.
While these tiny moves of yours, and the little into and out of focus bits, aren't as bothersome, they still distract me from what's being presented.
What is it about you behind the camera that makes you want to become part of the action being depicted.
Like, it's as though you want your moves to place you in the frame somehow.
I don't understand.
But then, I'm old school and think the process is about what is being depicted, and how you -the fiilmmaker- interpret that (with the tools at hand).
Thereby, through reduction, it would seem the framing and focus changes are about you not being ready to capture the scene. Or, leading the viewer to other points of interest.
I have noticed (when I'm making changes to the camera, zooms, framing, focus) the subject sees it too- and it distracts them somewhat.
It's bad enough that most average joes on the street are shy and unassuming, while being definitely out of place with a big lens stuck in their face--- trying to make them feel comfortable and at ease is really important.
It's a great question you're asking and they all seemed to take it seriously, reaching into their world to expose something heartfelt.
Well, a couple of them were being ridiculous (and grabbing the mic!), but that's in the human nature. It was funny- must admit!
The piece moves viewers to think about their answers and therefore, it is very effective.
Nice work- sorry I hammer the minutia of the technique, not being critical (or am I?)- just thought it would have been STELLAR without the distraction.
Don't tell me you did it all in post!
If so, can you go back and normalize the affectation? If true, just take another fly at it, then post so we can make comparisons.
I'd be interested to know if it works better without the 'touches' you put in there.
Thanks for sharing and keep up the excellent work!
Josiah Cooper
Member
i appreciate your feedback, so I'll start from the top.
As for the colour, i did correction in Post, yes. as for the green tint, it was meant to be, i liked the look that it brought out in the building and the glass. This was my first major project, and though i have done minor colour grading before, this is my first full application, so there i have much to learn still.
The Timelapse was with the DVX100, as was all of the footage, and the pan timing was done in Post,
. i just took a wide shot, and panned through it. A trick i took from the Planet Earth Series.
As for the "shaky cam" feel, it was all done live. i wanted to depict a sort of disconnection from the audience. I am a big fan of movement, as you may have been able to tell. I rarely used a static shot. i felt that for this peice it needed to be moving. Again, being my first project, it was a bit, to shaky at times, but i think overall i achived the effect i wanted.
As for the qustion and the answers, i couldn't have been more thrilled with the varried responces. I loved how some took it very serious, and others not.
My intension was to discover people. why some people have walls around them, while others are rather transparent.
Thank you very much for your time and your critique!
As for the colour, i did correction in Post, yes. as for the green tint, it was meant to be, i liked the look that it brought out in the building and the glass. This was my first major project, and though i have done minor colour grading before, this is my first full application, so there i have much to learn still.
The Timelapse was with the DVX100, as was all of the footage, and the pan timing was done in Post,
. i just took a wide shot, and panned through it. A trick i took from the Planet Earth Series.As for the "shaky cam" feel, it was all done live. i wanted to depict a sort of disconnection from the audience. I am a big fan of movement, as you may have been able to tell. I rarely used a static shot. i felt that for this peice it needed to be moving. Again, being my first project, it was a bit, to shaky at times, but i think overall i achived the effect i wanted.
As for the qustion and the answers, i couldn't have been more thrilled with the varried responces. I loved how some took it very serious, and others not.
My intension was to discover people. why some people have walls around them, while others are rather transparent.
Thank you very much for your time and your critique!
NoNoob
Carbonite Member
Josiah, Thanks for the reply.
Like I said, movement of the camera and focus adjustment doesn't lend itself to a talking head video.
*I had to fire a hot shot CA shooter from a gig I was directing because he just wouldn't stop doing the shaky cam thing. Not only was it distracting to the group being recorded, it was useless footage in the end. We ended up not using any of the 10 hours of crap he shot.
Producers asked me why I fired him. I showed them the only piece we halfway considered keeping in the title roll (and didn't), it looked like a drunk with tazer attached was handling the friggin' camera.
**Happiest day of the shoot (for ALL of us) was when we put that jerk on the plane a week into the six week project! We had a party in his dishonor that night. (I hope he reads this!)
in the final analysis- 99.9% of the film and video seen by Joe Average User is pretty steady and smooth. Just switch on the toob and it's there. That's what you're competing with.
There's a reason for that, proven by millions of hours of testing - by filmmakers the World 'round.
Why try to buck that?
I still don't get it.
You say, 'i wanted to depict a sort of disconnection from the audience'; to what end?
Why shoot the thing in the first place?
Why not just hold up a card, 'don't look' printed in marker on it, move it around in front of a stationary camera- and have the audio track run as normal underneath?
[go ahead, feel free to use the concept in your next project at VFS.]
Honestly, I think it's a lame excuse for not being able to do a smooth handheld shot.
And anyway- your whole piece was shot from a tripod, which makes it even more distracting and annoying.
If you're so into the 'movement movement', take it off the tripod (it'd be much more effective, and less of an issue with distraction).
You see, there's an understandable expectation of movement when hand held, and NONE with a fixed position.
OKAY OKAY- I'm preaching. Don't listen to me. Just an old fart is all.
BUT- call me a jerk if you want, answer me this (please):
How'd you pull of the TL with the 100?
(I get the part about the pan- and it really worked well)
If it weren't such a nice piece in the first place I wouldn't say much.
Add to that- your first try at CC, dang. You got the eye for that, even with the slight tint. (Remember, I had to look three times to be sure!)
Hey, how'd you score on this, your first project? (do they give grades there at VFS?)
Like I said, movement of the camera and focus adjustment doesn't lend itself to a talking head video.
*I had to fire a hot shot CA shooter from a gig I was directing because he just wouldn't stop doing the shaky cam thing. Not only was it distracting to the group being recorded, it was useless footage in the end. We ended up not using any of the 10 hours of crap he shot.
Producers asked me why I fired him. I showed them the only piece we halfway considered keeping in the title roll (and didn't), it looked like a drunk with tazer attached was handling the friggin' camera.
**Happiest day of the shoot (for ALL of us) was when we put that jerk on the plane a week into the six week project! We had a party in his dishonor that night. (I hope he reads this!)
in the final analysis- 99.9% of the film and video seen by Joe Average User is pretty steady and smooth. Just switch on the toob and it's there. That's what you're competing with.
There's a reason for that, proven by millions of hours of testing - by filmmakers the World 'round.
Why try to buck that?
I still don't get it.
You say, 'i wanted to depict a sort of disconnection from the audience'; to what end?
Why shoot the thing in the first place?
Why not just hold up a card, 'don't look' printed in marker on it, move it around in front of a stationary camera- and have the audio track run as normal underneath?
[go ahead, feel free to use the concept in your next project at VFS.]
Honestly, I think it's a lame excuse for not being able to do a smooth handheld shot.
And anyway- your whole piece was shot from a tripod, which makes it even more distracting and annoying.
If you're so into the 'movement movement', take it off the tripod (it'd be much more effective, and less of an issue with distraction).
You see, there's an understandable expectation of movement when hand held, and NONE with a fixed position.
OKAY OKAY- I'm preaching. Don't listen to me. Just an old fart is all.
BUT- call me a jerk if you want, answer me this (please):
How'd you pull of the TL with the 100?
(I get the part about the pan- and it really worked well)
If it weren't such a nice piece in the first place I wouldn't say much.
Add to that- your first try at CC, dang. You got the eye for that, even with the slight tint. (Remember, I had to look three times to be sure!)
Hey, how'd you score on this, your first project? (do they give grades there at VFS?)
I'm in agreement with NoNoob about the jerky shots...Very distracting and the out of focusing is also distracting. When shooting an MOS setting, vary your subjects and change the backgrounds and this will add a little variety and no look so static even though it is. By moving the camera over to the left or right a little and changing the bkgnd it gives the perception that you put some effort into your shooting and just not having your subjects just walk up to the camera even though you never really change locations
Josiah Cooper
Member
The time lapse was pretty simple, I shot around 10 minutes of footage, at 24p. Then in Premiere, sped it up about 3000x. Then the ol' Pan and Scan. Is it usually hard to do this with a DVX?
Oh and thanks for the interest, it means a lot, it is nice to have critique.
And, i haven't got the mark back yet. I should get it within a week or two though.
Oh and thanks for the interest, it means a lot, it is nice to have critique.
And, i haven't got the mark back yet. I should get it within a week or two though.
NoNoob
Carbonite Member
Well, time lapse is all about shooting sequential frames over a period of time- to compress time.
Your way (as described) is perfectly fine, of course.
The HVX has a built-in 'intervalometer' which lets you define the sequence (like 2 frames per second).
The DVX has no such luxury (and lots of reasons why not- mainly tape sitting in pause for too long is bad for business- head wear for instance).
Most you can pull out of it is 5S intervals, and that's 5S for each button push- you choose the differential (the camera merely waits for the button push).
There's a program called iStopMotion (http://www.boinx.com/istopmotion/overview/) which is pretty powerful (two versions, a lowly and inexpensive ordinary version at lo-res $49, and the lofty 'high definition and beyond' version for $499 --- but wait, could that be a TYPO? no, not just an extra nine in the line, it's Four Hundred and FIFTY more bucks!
In the basic version it only gives you a 720x480 NTSC simple SD frame.
Okay fine, but not the best. Shooting with the DVX makes the most out of that though.
I ain't taking anything from them- the high-res version is kick butt quality.
Just seems like a big jump for merely expanding the dimensions.
I mention this because I've got a long term TL project going presently (into it's 800th day already!)
Should wrap in another 180 to 200 days.
That, and I like the special effects of squeezing and stretching time.
Your bit was smooth and effective.
FIRST TIME OUT?! bless your little heart!
You keep this up and you'll be famous!
notshittingyaeither.
Your way (as described) is perfectly fine, of course.
The HVX has a built-in 'intervalometer' which lets you define the sequence (like 2 frames per second).
The DVX has no such luxury (and lots of reasons why not- mainly tape sitting in pause for too long is bad for business- head wear for instance).
Most you can pull out of it is 5S intervals, and that's 5S for each button push- you choose the differential (the camera merely waits for the button push).
There's a program called iStopMotion (http://www.boinx.com/istopmotion/overview/) which is pretty powerful (two versions, a lowly and inexpensive ordinary version at lo-res $49, and the lofty 'high definition and beyond' version for $499 --- but wait, could that be a TYPO? no, not just an extra nine in the line, it's Four Hundred and FIFTY more bucks!
In the basic version it only gives you a 720x480 NTSC simple SD frame.
Okay fine, but not the best. Shooting with the DVX makes the most out of that though.
I ain't taking anything from them- the high-res version is kick butt quality.
Just seems like a big jump for merely expanding the dimensions.
I mention this because I've got a long term TL project going presently (into it's 800th day already!)
Should wrap in another 180 to 200 days.
That, and I like the special effects of squeezing and stretching time.
Your bit was smooth and effective.
FIRST TIME OUT?! bless your little heart!
You keep this up and you'll be famous!
notshittingyaeither.
Josiah Cooper
Member
Thank for your support, i'm looking forward to seeing your time lapse. How have you been doing it for so long? is it like a couple frames a day or what?
NoNoob
Carbonite Member
Construction project.
From a protected overlook we've set up a viewing location that produces three distinct POV's of the progress below.
Just place the tripod in the provided anchors, position the camera in one of three angles, pull off a couple frames (2 per POV), move to the next angle, rinse and repeat.
I don't have to be there for every day, but the frames are taken every day work is going on.
Hired a couple of people to share the load.
We pass the camera back and forth. (a Sony TRV series, plain ol' SD)
It's an hour each way, and I would have given it up after the first month if it weren't for being able to share the task with others.
Works out okay that way.
It's a government build. I don't know the particulars of costs, but it has to be a bunch.
My contract is with the main construction company. They found me, not the other way 'round.
I answer directly to the electrical contractor (for some strange reason).
I'm not sure if I'll be able to share it.
Right now the frame store is locked up in their office after each 'exposure' sequence.
*We only go in five days a week- no weekends.
Must admit, there have been a few missed days, and weather has been a problem too.
I'd like to get a look at it myself. The frame store has no provision for playback (in our set up).
It starts with bare naked Earth and goes from there!
In fact, our little 'lookout' station was the first thing built on the site.
They're talking about getting some glamour shots from an aerial view- which I like to do.
However, no budget has been discussed. Might be just them dreaming; "Wouldn't it be cool if we had a helicopter shot of the finished building?"
Then nothing happens from there.
Oh well.
From a protected overlook we've set up a viewing location that produces three distinct POV's of the progress below.
Just place the tripod in the provided anchors, position the camera in one of three angles, pull off a couple frames (2 per POV), move to the next angle, rinse and repeat.
I don't have to be there for every day, but the frames are taken every day work is going on.
Hired a couple of people to share the load.
We pass the camera back and forth. (a Sony TRV series, plain ol' SD)
It's an hour each way, and I would have given it up after the first month if it weren't for being able to share the task with others.
Works out okay that way.
It's a government build. I don't know the particulars of costs, but it has to be a bunch.
My contract is with the main construction company. They found me, not the other way 'round.
I answer directly to the electrical contractor (for some strange reason).
I'm not sure if I'll be able to share it.
Right now the frame store is locked up in their office after each 'exposure' sequence.
*We only go in five days a week- no weekends.
Must admit, there have been a few missed days, and weather has been a problem too.
I'd like to get a look at it myself. The frame store has no provision for playback (in our set up).
It starts with bare naked Earth and goes from there!
In fact, our little 'lookout' station was the first thing built on the site.
They're talking about getting some glamour shots from an aerial view- which I like to do.
However, no budget has been discussed. Might be just them dreaming; "Wouldn't it be cool if we had a helicopter shot of the finished building?"
Then nothing happens from there.
Oh well.
NoNoob
Carbonite Member
I did not know- I only have the B.
Shortest duration I can get is 5S- and that won't work.
Anybody else know about the 100/A having TL??