Top Secrets You Should Know Before Hiring A Filmmaker
18 July 2019|POST-PRODUCTION, EQUIPMENT, PRE-PRODUCTION, EVENT FILMING, VIDEO PRODUCTION
By Ramsey Pietro Nasser in London, United Kingdom
The filmmaking business is continually changing and so are filmmakers
Filmmakers come in all shapes and sizes — especially since the advent of online inbound B2B marketing. Let me explain
This new frontier, made possible by broadband and now more dynamically accessed with smartphone technology, is about to be taken to the next level with 5G
How? It’s simple: footage that now needs to be sent by courier to editing desks will soon be sent to the right people without a courier, in seconds. That is an astonishing thought — but it’ll have implications on my industry
Broadband and 4G have undoubtedly changed my profession for the better. These new means of communication have led growths in new industries and exciting new companies; and in turn, this ushered in many more so-called: “hipster,” and “millennial,” filmmakers into the trade
I’d like to be more specific about the history of what happened. Broadband and 4G made it possible for anyone to easily communicate with video. No longer were video production companies needed nor were television studios necessary to create engaging content
Given the untapped possibilities for new filmmakers to enter and compete in the marketplace, the race was on for conglomerates to create cameras that weren’t just for the consumer but also had the capability not to look like home videos of the 1990s
In 2008, Canon Corp won hands-down when it released the 5D Mark II camera with the DIGIC 4 processor. The 5D Mark II was capable of shooting in High Definition raster and to create H.264 files effortlessly. Importantly, it was a full chip camera with a 35mm CMOS sensor, and the lens mount was able to exploit the full heritage of Canon glass
Suddenly, it was possible to shoot quasi-cinematic footage with a camera that could fit in the palm of your hand, and with only a few thousand pounds. This was a gift and a bargain, compared to what was available before
The legendary 5D Mark II was, of course, not a dedicated video camera. It was a very good photographers’ camera with video function added, so there were problems associated back then, and ones that persist today, even with its latest version of the Mark IV
The DIGIC II processor as an integrated circuit could not crunch down the full signalling needed for the 35mm sensor plane, without getting too hot. It managed to preserve the look created from the beam of light bent into shape by the lens onto the CMOS focal plane, but the light on the sensor was scaled down internally from 3.3 million possible pixels to only 207,3600 to create High Definition. In a nutshell, the algorithm threw out truckloads of pixels meant for RAW and JPEG to create a High Definition H.264 end video. This in-turn created problems with the final image, like aliasing, and the infamous moiré effect. Some cameras even had a cropped sensor to allow more frames per second, as with the 7D
There were other problems associated with DSLRs. Not only did they overheat and shut down to cool after 20 minutes, it also had limited options for sound. Sound often needed to be recorded separately and synced in post. It wasn’t a good idea to film an all-day conference with a DSLR, though people tried to do it with multiple cameras
The other huge issue with this camera was its lack of dynamic range. In short, if exposure value was set for shadows, highlights would often be overexposed and washed out; the same applied when exposing for highlights, with unwanted crushed blacks
Whilst fast f1.2, f1.4 and f2.8 open-aperture Canon lenses were great for CMOS exposure, overall camera sensitivity wasn’t as good as it should be in low light environments. Typically, the noise would become visible after 500 ISO. Similarly, the 5D Mark II couldn’t be used on a sunny day with the desired shutter speed of 1/60 of a second without using an ND filter
Buying lights didn’t necessarily solve the problem of low signal sensitivity either, since the lack of dynamic range meant there was no comfortable margin for error in exposure. Shadows would sit heavy where they shouldn’t, losing you nuanced detail, and highlights would be lost due to overexposure, despite a razor-sharp light metering
Certainly, DSLRs were not acceptable for broadcast, with a less than 50 megabytes per second data rate. The executive producers at the BBC and other networks wouldn’t accept it
Yet, the release of the 5D Mark II was recognised as a seminal moment for both filmmaking and online marketing, and it became a craze. It proved a point that the market was changing, and it made all those bedroom-made videos look good
Just about anyone could suddenly create content that approached the cinematic look. Here entered the prosumer market in videography. I was part of this scene in 2011 with a 7D, except I went out in the streets to make quirky videos
I loved how small the 7D was vis- à-vis the quality of the footage I was getting, but too many times I wanted to achieve more than what my little 7D was capable of. This was why I upgraded to the Canon C300 back in 2012: it was a monster of a camera, dedicated to video
Jonathan Yi’s film made a splash amongst the community back in November 2011. It explains the advantages of a dedicated video camera
So, why did I spent time telling you about this? Well, it’s important to consider when thinking about your project. In some cases, a DSLR might do the job, despite the visual artefacts it creates. In other cases, it would be unwise to hire someone to film your all-day conference if their camera needs to shut down to cool every twenty minutes. Unfortunately, it can be the wild west out there, with people desperate enough to promise you they could do it. It really isn’t a good idea
Here’s the key difference between a dedicated video camera that has high sensitivity and one that doesn’t: more depth of field. What’s depth of field? Depth of field is the amount of space that falls into focus in front of and behind the exact point of focus of a lens. Shooting at f1.2 or f1.4 lets in lots of light and is great at maintaining low noise; and these stops are also known for creating an attractive blur (Japanese 暈け or ボケ, transliteration bokeh), in the background; but shooting with open aperture is in fact a hindrance, as the exact point of focus has to be pin sharp all of the time. Focusing on a subject that’s moving at f1.2 or even 2.8 is very hard work and can look laboured in the final image. It’s worth noting that focus in video is mostly done by hand
Given the low sensitivity of DSLRs, they need to shoot at low f stops to avoid noise. Closing the aperture to a safe f5.6 to achieve a greater depth of field would result in grainy footage
The biggest breakthrough of the Canon C300 series as documented by Yi is that it made shooting at f5.6 or higher much more accessible than before. Larry Thorpe, the pioneer of High Definition, explained that this was thanks to the double green signal. There’s, in fact, an extra wire delivering the signal from the CMOS sensor to the brain
Well, why not hire then somebody with the most expensive camera? This can be a mistake. “Why not?” I hear you ask. The answer is, you also have to think of the workflow. For example, an Arri Alexa wouldn’t be appropriate for covering a fast turnaround event that would benefit best from a run-and-gun camera with a T4.4 18–80mm servo zoom lens. Moreover, do you really want to handle 500GBs of data? Do you even have the storage space for that?
Another problem with the Arri Alexa, as well as its little sibling above, is that there’s no XLR socket. This means you also have to either do your own sound or hire a sound recordist and do your own clapper work. This, along with the 500GB data to process, will cost more than you’ve bargained for
The point is every camera has its application, its dedicated equipment list, and its customised workflows. A key consideration for a camera operator, for example, is the payload they have to deal with. This isn’t a question of their skeletal health, though that’s important; it’s also a question of ergonomics and functionality. For instance, a Sachtler Ace tripod would struggle to accommodate a medium-sized camera like the Canon C300 or the Alexa Mini, but is perfect for a DSLR. After I upgraded my camera from a DSLR back in 2012, I also upgraded my tripod to the Sachtler FSB6. This was because my Sachtler Ace fell apart after from payload pressure. With the FSB6, not only could I do ultra-smooth pans and tilts, there was also enough support to do very professional looking slider shots with my Edelkrone SliderPlusPRO — with the help of a Manfrotto half ball short adapter
The point is every camera has its application, its dedicated equipment list, and its customised workflows. A key consideration for a camera operator, for example, is the payload they have to deal with. This isn’t a question of their skeletal health, though that’s important; it’s also a question of ergonomics and functionality. For instance, a Sachtler Ace tripod would struggle to accommodate a medium-sized camera like the Canon C300 or the Alexa Mini, but is perfect for a DSLR. After I upgraded my camera from a DSLR back in 2012, I also upgraded my tripod to the Sachtler FSB6. This was because my Sachtler Ace fell apart after from payload pressure. With the FSB6, not only could I do ultra-smooth pans and tilts, there was also enough support to do very professional looking slider shots with my Edelkrone SliderPlusPRO — with the help of a Manfrotto half ball short adapter
Martin Scorcese wishes he used the camera I own back in the 1970s, calling the Canon C300 a “game changer”
Another key consideration is light. In a Canon promotional for my camera, the C300, Martin Scorcese reminisced how in the early days his problem was always: “the lenses weren’t fast enough.” This was the problem I had before I invested in the Canon C300. If the aperture wouldn’t open further to let in more light, I had to introduce a light
But, lighting isn’t just about exposure or compensating for slow lenses. Its second quality is that it can create mood. Unfortunately, using a halogen from the hardware shop isn’t a good idea because the flicker rate interferes with the progressive scan of the sensor. So, one has to invest in dedicated video lighting kit
At the same time, though, pointing a bright light at your subject isn’t a good idea, because an exposed hard light creates harsh shadows. Those run-and-gun easy-solution, bolt-on lights that fit on top of cameras are in my judgement also too harsh
There’s a reason for that. They’re convenient, but the light source comes from a small surface area. Unless you’re looking for harshness, this violates a rule: since, the bigger the surface area, the softer the shadows. It’s the same in photography. Weegee, the famous photojournalist working in New York City’s Lower East Side in the 1930s and 40s, used a headlight flash with an exposed bulb. But then, he was photographing crime scenes: so, the harsh flash added to the mood. Most of us, though are looking for the opposite effect, most of the time. This is why a flashgun can tilt and swivel: it’s both in order to avoid the direct headlight effect, and also to bounce light off large surface areas, like walls. In video, we use a soft box — but because of it’s diffused and because of the square inverse law, the bulb inside is very bright indeed
So, before you hire a videographer: make sure they have a customised workflow, and this includes a solid workstation. Not everyone is the best negotiator, but are they experienced in pre-production, managing productions, as well as post? There’s a whole host of components and skillsets that need to work together to create a successful workflow
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