What percentage of people actually know how to use their own gear?

lambert said:
What's your point? We all tell stories differently. I've written a feature to be shot on a go pro hd. This story would not work with a red or an ex1 or a host of other cameras. I have no desire to be a great dp just to tell effective stories with the tools I have available. Anything wrong with that?
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My point is that she could've achieved similar results with a $100 P&S camera, but she paid $800 because she thought it would make her more professional. She doesn't know how to use it and has no interest in learning. Aiming a camera and pushing a button doesn't make you a photographer.
 
lambert said:
I've written a feature to be shot on a go pro hd. This story would not work with a red or an ex1 or a host of other cameras. I have no desire to be a great dp just to tell effective stories with the tools I have available. Anything wrong with that?
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Yes, because a lot of people cannot watch movies that are shot with 100% wearable cameras, and because you want to do so it sounds more like your story is a "gimmick" rip-off Cloverfield type, though probably not even nearly as effective,
 
I think it's generally good policy to withold that kind of judgment until one sees the finished product.

Generally speaking most everybody - everybody - is on an endless learning curve with their tools, on the crews with which I work. The exceptions are the people who expect to retire shortly, and the people whom the rest of us expect to be working in some other field of endeavor, shortly.
 
I find learning new tools and skills to be one of the most rewarding and enjoyable parts of this whole deal. My T2i is the first "real" still camera I have owned and I made it a point of doing EVERYTHING manual from the very beginning to force me to learn why things do and don't work, to think through everything I shoot, whether video or stills. Hell, I made a space movie just so I could try building sets and try green screen/motion graphics integration, to better learn what works well on screen and what doesn't.
 
chriscurl said:
I find learning new tools and skills to be one of the most rewarding and enjoyable parts of this whole deal. My T2i is the first "real" still camera I have owned and I made it a point of doing EVERYTHING manual from the very beginning to force me to learn why things do and don't work, to think through everything I shoot, whether video or stills. Hell, I made a space movie just so I could try building sets and try green screen/motion graphics integration, to better learn what works well on screen and what doesn't.
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And from this, and my past interactions with you, I think you are going to be a FINE film maker.
 
"Yes, because a lot of people cannot watch movies that are shot with 100% wearable cameras, and because you want to do so it sounds more like your story is a "gimmick" rip-off Cloverfield type, though probably not even nearly as effective, " Nothing to do with that in any way shape or form. Give me a little more credit please.
 
You're going to do a buddy comedy, drama, or some other genre that is shot like Cloverfield? On paper that sounds like an even worse idea.

Unless you are the under the impression that wearable cameras can pull a steady shot.
 
Sad Max said:
I think it's generally good policy to withold that kind of judgment until one sees the finished product............

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I agree. Let's not slam the idea without seeing it first. I think it's going to take a lot to pull off the idea, but who knows, what he envisions could be something new or fits the concept perfectly.

It's like filmed sunsets. I have seen a million of them, but every once in a while, I still see one done in a way that takes my breath away. Had it been done before? Yes. Did that stop the film-maker from doing it and trying something different? No. That's the beauty of film-making.

Positive constructive criticism, people.
 
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MattinSTL said:
This is what I'm talking about. NOT "do you get the MOST out of your gear"...

There are a ton of people that have decent gear... that don't have even a basic grasp of how to get a consistently good shot... because they don't know how to use their camera, even at the base level.

I'm not talking higher-education stuff... I am talking about stuff like the post above featuring another "know everything" type... that may very well know a lot... or may know NOTHING... and you won't find out until the edit, but they'll have some good excuses ready, don't you worry.

I'm tired of dealing with arrogant types like this... and then when you see the quality of their work... all you can say is "you gotta' be kidding me".
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Oh I've seen this before. Not often enough (though I have a feeling I'll be seeing more), but it really does frustrate me. I hardly have any money and rarely get to work with nice cameras. When I do I try and learn as much as I can. But I see people buying fancy cameras and just not knowing how to use them.

One project I was a part of, the team was really ignorant about anything. They had an okay story, but they weren't even sure if they needed lighting, that's how new they were. They were friends so I agreed to help. They were getting their hands on an HVX100, at the time is was still new. They got it through a known prod company here through the boyfriend of a mother. Needless to say when they went to get a quick run down on it, the guy at the prod office was rolling his eyes every two minutes. I had to go along because I knew how to use it somewhat, and the second meeting went much better when I mentioned 'I've worked with the DVX several times'. Needless to say I was not the DP, but had to sit alongside the DP to CONSTANTLY give her tips on how to use the camera (white balance, zoom focus, zebra stripes, etc.) and aesthetically (golden section, spit room, etc.)

Needless to say they were using a canon when they should have been using a bb gun. They knew nothing about shooting digital, and this girl was from my film class, yet she didn't remember enough about f-stops and shutter speeds. It was was frustrating.

And why did they insist on using the HVX? They wanted it to look professional. They just didn't know there was so much to know. They prob thought it was point and shoot. I almost didn't work on the production, and I'm certain it would have fallen apart if I weren't there.
 
I will admit that when I'm tapped to 'help out' on a project I don't spend time trying to train the DP, if someone else is playing the position.
 
I had never shot anything on full auto until I was already well-versed in manual operation and needed it for a specific purpose. And even then I think I've only done it on two occasions over the last 10 years.

I started shooting on some crummy handycam, then a VX2000, then the PD-150s and DSR-250s in college, out to a DVX, then finally to my HPX/550D. In between I've shot on a variety of cameras and even knew more about models I didn't own than the guy bringing it with him.
 
First thing I usually try to learn about an unfamiliar camera is how to turn off as many automatic features as possible...
 
Sad Max said:
First thing I usually try to learn about an unfamiliar camera is how to turn off as many automatic features as possible...
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Funny! First thing I did when I got the 550D was go through the menu, disable all the auto stuff, then take out the battery and charge it while I went through the manual.

Too funny!
 
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