...um or you could just drop $70 on a Spiderbrace... it's light and it works fine.
www.spiderbrace.com
www.spiderbrace.com
shoulder mount
- Thread starter Angrius
- Start date
darwinandpaine
Well-known member
vidled said:
Hysterical! You are a genius among men, Vidled!
dustino
Well-known member
l33t_specialist said:
I'm not sure if I'm reading you correctly, but it looks like you have about $2000 to spend on accessories? Is that US currency? If so, you could probably get a decent model of each item for that (though I would probably buy at least 2 mics to begin with.) As far as order of importance, i rate them just as you listed them:
1. sound + wind protection & shockmount
2. tripod
3. stabilizer/shoulder support
l33t_specialist
Member
So a tripod is more important that a shoulder stabilizer? I did get a microphone for cheap at a thift store for about $5, yes US currency. Can't I hook a broomstick to it and use it for a homemade boompole?
VenezuelanD
Well-known member
Remember with film and video you get what you pay for.
do you really want to have a $5 dollar microphone be your audio?
it will be TERRIBLE.
Being a cinematographer this is a mistake I am often guilty of doing: DO NOT ever compromise audio. Good audio quality is what most people use to tell how good your production quality is. Most young film makers underestimate the importance of audio.
The Visual aspect of your film is only 50% of the total package (though I like to think is the more important 50% :thumbsup: ) but audio is the rest. If you deliver good clean audio your audience will love you for it.
You need to use that money to buy yourself a good Condenser Shotgun Microphone, and I would highly recommend getting a small 2 channel mixer or a pre amp so that your sound guy can monitor/ride levels without having to bother the camera operator
Shoulder stabilization VS Tripod:
I agree, a good tripod is more important than a shoulder stabilizer. These systems are mostly used for people who will be handholding their HVXs for extended periods of time (15minutes+ minimum without rest). You need to look at your script and figure out what aesthetic the visuals in your movie call for; will it be mostly handheld, or mostly locked down scenes? do they need to be handheld? What kind of energy are you trying to infuse into the scene by moving the frame? Do you need it to be silky smooth, or does adding that "handheld" look add the kind of kenetic energy that will help you tell the story better?
Answer those questions and you can figure out if a tripod is more important to you than a shoulder rig.
do you really want to have a $5 dollar microphone be your audio?
it will be TERRIBLE.
Being a cinematographer this is a mistake I am often guilty of doing: DO NOT ever compromise audio. Good audio quality is what most people use to tell how good your production quality is. Most young film makers underestimate the importance of audio.
The Visual aspect of your film is only 50% of the total package (though I like to think is the more important 50% :thumbsup: ) but audio is the rest. If you deliver good clean audio your audience will love you for it.
You need to use that money to buy yourself a good Condenser Shotgun Microphone, and I would highly recommend getting a small 2 channel mixer or a pre amp so that your sound guy can monitor/ride levels without having to bother the camera operator
Shoulder stabilization VS Tripod:
I agree, a good tripod is more important than a shoulder stabilizer. These systems are mostly used for people who will be handholding their HVXs for extended periods of time (15minutes+ minimum without rest). You need to look at your script and figure out what aesthetic the visuals in your movie call for; will it be mostly handheld, or mostly locked down scenes? do they need to be handheld? What kind of energy are you trying to infuse into the scene by moving the frame? Do you need it to be silky smooth, or does adding that "handheld" look add the kind of kenetic energy that will help you tell the story better?
Answer those questions and you can figure out if a tripod is more important to you than a shoulder rig.
l33t_specialist
Member
What should I get then as a tripod? I have up to $2000 to work with let's say. It can be less than $2000 but I want a upper level professional tripod and am willing to get the best. I probably will be doing a few action shots here and there, but it will also have to be good to take on location.
I'm just kind of confused in one way also because I know lighting is an issue, but that's another topic. My video still doesn't look too filmic unless I really tweak out camera settings and go someplace exotic. It doesn't look as crisp and clean without good lighting because my camera is very sensitive to light and so if I pan over on some shots you see a really noticeable light change, but maybe it's because my iris is open too wide. As a cinemetographer for someone's project right now, I'm just trying to show that I can sell them the best product and wow them with my footage so maybe they'll use me for more projects later.
Shuo Chen
I'm just kind of confused in one way also because I know lighting is an issue, but that's another topic. My video still doesn't look too filmic unless I really tweak out camera settings and go someplace exotic. It doesn't look as crisp and clean without good lighting because my camera is very sensitive to light and so if I pan over on some shots you see a really noticeable light change, but maybe it's because my iris is open too wide. As a cinemetographer for someone's project right now, I'm just trying to show that I can sell them the best product and wow them with my footage so maybe they'll use me for more projects later.
Shuo Chen
Brian Petersen
Well-known member
Get the Cartoni Focus system for your Tripod choice. Great tripod for the price.
Brian Petersen
Well-known member
Speaking of having good audio. I have a bunch of good audio gear, but I'd say I'm a real novice when it comes to audio recording. I have a Sennheiser ME66 shotgun mic with Zeplin and shockmount. 2 Sennheiser Evolution wireless lavs. And i'm about to get a 3 channel mixer so the boom guy can mix everything before the two channels head into the HVX.
But that's about all I know about audio. Is there any books or sites that really give a good crash course in audio recording. I will doing a shoot where i basically will have to train a guy to hold boom and mix the 3 channels with the mixer around the waist. It'd be nice if i had a little bit more knowledge. Especially since a mixer like the Sound Device 302 can probably do more that I would know what do with. Can you guys point me to any books or websites and can help out with this stuff?
I guess this is better in the Audio forum. I'll go post it there to.
But that's about all I know about audio. Is there any books or sites that really give a good crash course in audio recording. I will doing a shoot where i basically will have to train a guy to hold boom and mix the 3 channels with the mixer around the waist. It'd be nice if i had a little bit more knowledge. Especially since a mixer like the Sound Device 302 can probably do more that I would know what do with. Can you guys point me to any books or websites and can help out with this stuff?
I guess this is better in the Audio forum. I'll go post it there to.
VenezuelanD
Well-known member
L33t,
You're correct in that lighting is a critical part of cinematography. You mention your camera as being really sensitive to light and thus your pans having noticeable differences in quality, that tells me you are probably not lighting enough.
When you light a scene you like for the whole shot. I am not sure what kind of shooting you are doing (commercial, location, or fiction) but if you are having to rely on available light so much I would have to ask what kind of lighting package are you using?
In my personal opinion I'd rather have a good lighting package with a mediocre tripod and truly paint a beautiful frame than having a great tripod shooting available lighting.
perhaps you can convince your producer to spring for the rental of a lighting kit and buy your tripod, I agree the cartoni focus is an amazing tripod, but check over this thread on tripods
It has some great info on some other alternatives to the Focus.
You seem interested in gettting a filmic look out of your video camera, have you considered filtration? some subtle FX or Blackpromist filters can lower some of that video harshness and add some diffusion to give your video a more filmic quality. You have to be careful about over doing it, or making it look cheesy though.
You're correct in that lighting is a critical part of cinematography. You mention your camera as being really sensitive to light and thus your pans having noticeable differences in quality, that tells me you are probably not lighting enough.
When you light a scene you like for the whole shot. I am not sure what kind of shooting you are doing (commercial, location, or fiction) but if you are having to rely on available light so much I would have to ask what kind of lighting package are you using?
In my personal opinion I'd rather have a good lighting package with a mediocre tripod and truly paint a beautiful frame than having a great tripod shooting available lighting.
perhaps you can convince your producer to spring for the rental of a lighting kit and buy your tripod, I agree the cartoni focus is an amazing tripod, but check over this thread on tripods
It has some great info on some other alternatives to the Focus.
You seem interested in gettting a filmic look out of your video camera, have you considered filtration? some subtle FX or Blackpromist filters can lower some of that video harshness and add some diffusion to give your video a more filmic quality. You have to be careful about over doing it, or making it look cheesy though.
Terence Lehane
Active member
About the DVRig. I've used it for 4 or 5 concert gigs close up on stage and it's great. I've been able to stand for 1.5 to 2 hours providing a steady shot with close-ups and the ability to move about with hardly any fatigue.
It's not a steadicam so moving with it will not get you a great shot but at least you can move from one location to another which is something you cannot do with a tripod, and you have a steady shot and you don't have the fatigue.
It's a great low cost solution for that kind of problem. I suppose ideally you would need 4 or 5 different devices to solve every shooting situation that can arise.
It's not a steadicam so moving with it will not get you a great shot but at least you can move from one location to another which is something you cannot do with a tripod, and you have a steady shot and you don't have the fatigue.
It's a great low cost solution for that kind of problem. I suppose ideally you would need 4 or 5 different devices to solve every shooting situation that can arise.
dregenthal
Veteran
Brian Petersen said:
Producing Great Sound for Digital Video by Jay Rose.
(you can get it on Amazon).
l33t_specialist
Member
I know lighting is very important because I want to avoid that video look.
Well right now I am on a project as a cinematographer/D.P. and I don't have my own lighting kit or anything fancy, just my camera, so I think it will be hard to get some really great shots unless I really tweak my video settings a lot. There is someone on the set with a whole lighting kit, but I don't really want to mess with their equipment because I am a camera person, sort of not a full lighting guy yet. But I really want to impress the guy I'm working with so I can get do some more work with them and get experience. The DVX100B allows a lot of nice manual controls to do just that. I was under the gun to shoot a scene a few days ago and the lighting was just mucked up because of trying to shoot outdoor stuff from indoors or vice versa, but luckily I knew a little of white balancing to save my back, and my shots.
I suppose the person knew what they were getting when they let a first time D.P. on the short film without any equipment other than his camera etc., but I'm sure I can get the best shots with a little more lighting here and there. Some of the shots probably have to be thrown away because there was some much glare too from panning from a dim office over to a glass door.
So if I have some cash I probably should still go with the tripod right? Steady shots and then worry about lighting. Concentrate on being good at one thing at a time? While I'm at it I'll probably pick up some Promist filters also... but won't that mean I'll need to get a mattebox? So many things!
Well right now I am on a project as a cinematographer/D.P. and I don't have my own lighting kit or anything fancy, just my camera, so I think it will be hard to get some really great shots unless I really tweak my video settings a lot. There is someone on the set with a whole lighting kit, but I don't really want to mess with their equipment because I am a camera person, sort of not a full lighting guy yet. But I really want to impress the guy I'm working with so I can get do some more work with them and get experience. The DVX100B allows a lot of nice manual controls to do just that. I was under the gun to shoot a scene a few days ago and the lighting was just mucked up because of trying to shoot outdoor stuff from indoors or vice versa, but luckily I knew a little of white balancing to save my back, and my shots.
I suppose the person knew what they were getting when they let a first time D.P. on the short film without any equipment other than his camera etc., but I'm sure I can get the best shots with a little more lighting here and there. Some of the shots probably have to be thrown away because there was some much glare too from panning from a dim office over to a glass door.
So if I have some cash I probably should still go with the tripod right? Steady shots and then worry about lighting. Concentrate on being good at one thing at a time? While I'm at it I'll probably pick up some Promist filters also... but won't that mean I'll need to get a mattebox? So many things!
Brian Petersen
Well-known member
Thanks dreg. Just ordered it.