yikes, newbee terrified, advice

G

glenurse

Active member
so i have posted here about some shows i am filming in europe at end of september, well tomorrow is finally the day i buy my dvx, ton of cash but i look at it as an investment.
anyway instead of having a couple of weeks to get to grips with it, i have been asked to film another friends band tomorrow night !
gulp
any and i mean any advice you can give
club is likely to be kinda dark with a few mixed colored spotlights and stage likely to be kinda cramped.
again im super nervous to do something as quickly after buying camera but i guess its in at the deep end an all that
 
if it is really dark, just gain up. no more than "mid" or it will look like crap. if it looks like crap, well, MOve. or get a light or tell them to light up.

if you are shooting in 30p or 24p or 24pa, don't pan quickly. you willl get some aweful strobing.

my first dvx arrived the day before my first paying gig. which was someone's wedding, not even a friend's wedding. yes, can't miss, don't f-up or they'll kill you, situation. i have some decent live- shooting experience-adding up to years.., but was never more nervous than that. i was sweating through my clothes and I don't normally sweat ( ladies perspire:)...anyways it turned out FINE. good luck

oh, yes, always make sure you see those little red letters: REC.
 
When the house lights are still on (long before the band goes on) white balance and then leave it and follow Pooh's advice.
 
thanks for the advice, it actually didnt go too bad, i mean the footage was faaaar from great but as i was shooting i realised i could see the potential of what the camera could do.
i get to film the same band again next friday so at least by then my knowledge will improve and that should help matters.
im at work now so when i get a chance i ll be reading barrys book (awesome by the way).
the main prob i had was the footage seems pretty dark and lots of red, i also realised that shooting front the very front pointing up isnt exactly the most flattering angle.
also i think one of those manfrotto monopods is gonna be on my list to get as after 45 mins my arm started to ache (im a wimp i guess), although i was so surprised how light the camera is, it feels cool, really nicely balanced but you all know that.
anyway lessons learned and all that.
also thanks to josh at EVS for hooking me up (rush had day off) i have a feeling i ll be visiting that little oasis in glendale a lot :thumbsup:
no doubt i ll be asking all sorts of (dumb) questions soon, but bottom line is i love my camera and cant wait to get home and play with it again.
 
Hi Glen, I want to thank you for coming to EVS and getting your camera. :thumbsup: Josh is no longer with EVS, so next time I or randy or tommy will help you.
 
for shooting bands...

* as stated before, don't gain beyond mid.
* get a wide angle lens (my pref) especially if you can shoot a little during soundcheck. get as much whip-panning, lip-on-micing, marshall-amp-knob-twidling closeups as you can before showtime.
* i know several people who like to set the shutter speed to 24.
* you're going to start playing around with low shutter speeds - it's only natural. it looks cool and often "feels" more like what's going on. BUT beware of shoting too much of it. it's amazing how fast viewers tire of it.
* shoot the crowd OFTEN. it's what the band wants to see anyway - once they're satisfied they don't look un-cool.
* the DVX kicks butt (as most digitals do) with great back light. use your iris and find the money shot. get to know the lighting guy. play off eachother. the lighting guy is going to want a copy of the show as much as the band.
* if you're trying to get something useful for the band. PICK A SONG. hit that song's vocals during soundcheck. get at least one track where you've got some elbow room to edit. that's the clip that's gong to end up on the web selling the band for the eons to come...
 
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