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Shooting DSLR Video
What do you hope to get out of this workshop?
What video do you want to shoot and edit?
Relax . . .All these slides are online for you.
Key concepts repeated throughout
morning.
Extensive list of tutorials, articles, forums, gear at:
ChuckLandrey.com > Resources
With Chuck Landrey, 860-227-2474
www.chucklandrey.com
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What We’ll Be CoveringWhat’s Great, and Not So Great, About shooting DSLR
Video
Camera Settings to Get the Best Possible Image
(Demonstration of Focus, White Balance, Exposure)
Recording Good Audio. Soooooooo Important.
Tripods, Monopods, Sliders, Rigs
Editing Software, (Final Cut Pro, Premiere Pro, iMovie)
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2009, The Film World Changes:
Vincent LaForet’s “Reverie”Shoots a Video with a $4000
(then) Cannon 5D mark ii as
beautiful as anything shot with a
$20,000+ Professional Video
Camera.
Viewed more than 2 million times
in first week of release
(Link to Video on Our Resources
Page)
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Good enough for Hollywood . . .
Several Episodes
of “House”
shot only with DSLRs
The DSLR is the weapon
of choice for today’s
Independent filmmaker.
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DSLR Revolution: The
Sensor
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DLSR Revolution:
Shallow Depth of Field
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DSLR Revolution:
Interchangeable (Used!)
Lenses
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Amazing low-light capability
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“Film Look,” at 24 frames per
second
“Film is truth, 24 times a second”
-Jean-Luc
Godard
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So, what’s the catch?
Stops
recording
after 12 minutes
No built-in
Neutral
Density
Filter
No
Neutral
Density
Filter
No audio
monitoring
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Because the camera’s
mirror is flipped up
when recording video,
you cannot use the
eyepiece.
Zacuto Z-finder, gives 3rd contact
point.
Rear Viewfinder display is brightened and
saturated
and not a true representation of what is
recording.
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You may need faster memory
cards
A 16GB card holds
45 minutes of footage.
You want at
least 60MB/s
Check your camera
manual for
recommendations.
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Batteries / Power Drain
Video is shooting continuous images,
+You have to use the Rear LCD Viewfinder,
+Stabilizer is on continuously when shooting video
= Rapid Battery Drain,
if you’re not paying attention.
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Rolling Shutter / Jello-cam
“Don’t expect to
do any whip-pans,
and
don’t expect to
shoot ‘Blair
Witch’-Style”
Ryan Koo
The DSLR
Cinematography Guide
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Patterns can trigger Aliasing
(Moire)Best way to
reduce
aliasing
is to reduce
Sharpness
in your
Picture Style
Houndstooth
Pattern Shirt
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But even with these drawbacks, DSLRs
RocK!
YOUR CAMERA HAS:
•Shallow depth of field!,
•Great low-light performance!,
•Interchangeable (used)
lenses!,
•Shoots 24 frames per sec!
Features you won’t find
in Pro-Video Cameras
under $15,000! “OK! So how do I shoot great DSLR Video?”
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Keep this number in mind . . . Your HD TV
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Movie Recording Size
24fps (last 80 years)
for that “Dreamy Film Look”,
Music Videos,
Commercials,
30fpsDocumentaries, News,
Reality TV, Soap Operas
60fpsImpractical unless shooting
sports or for slow-mo.
24 = 24 frames per second
30 = 30 frames per second
60 = 60 frames per
second
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Set Recording Size/Shutter
Speed
24fps x 2 = 48 shutter speed
(Canon rounds to 50)
30fps x 2 = 60 shutter speed
60fps x 2 = 120 shutter speed
(Canon rounds to 125)
RECORDING SIZESHUTTER SPEED
(frames per second x 2)
You Are NOT Using Shutter Speed to
Adjust Exposure
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There’s no shame in auto
settingBut,formaximumfuncontrol,you want . . . .
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Picture Styles (The discussion that starts
fights)You can get greater dynamic range in
your video, and capture maximum data,
by creating a custom “flattened”
NEUTRAL picture style with reduced
contrast, sharpness, and saturation. You
then color-grade your video afterwards
when editing.
BUT color-grading is a learned skill.
Start out with Standard,
and see if you like what you get.
See Resources page for more
info.Color-grading
(color-correction) in
Apple’s Final Cut Pro
X
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Most Important Slide
in Workshop
is Next!
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White Balance (Video is not RAW, so not as
flexible)
IF you know you will be shooting
in the same light for a long period,
it really pays to create a
custom white balance,
and it takes only a minute.
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Depth of Field: Where do you
want your audience’s eyes to
go?
REMEMBER: You subject(s) may be
moving forward and backward while you
you are filming, and so may be going in
and out of focus if too-shallow a depth-of-
field.
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Depth of Field determined by f-
stopThe higher the
f-stop, the more
of the subject
that is in focus.
The higher the
f-stop, the less
light reaches
the sensor, so
we need to
adjust for that
with . . .
.ISO
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Set Exposure using f-stop and
ISO1) f-stop Many videographers like
to
start with f-stop (aperture)
in order to create just the right
depth of field.
2) ISO After you have set f-
stop,
dial in ISO until you have your
desired exposure.
3) You may need to “negotiate”
Between f-stop and ISO to get
the
Exposure that you want.
Don’t fear high
ISO’s. Today’s cameras and
editing software dramatically
reduce “noise.”
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Set Exposure using f-stop and
ISO1) f-stop Many videographers like
to
start with f-stop (aperture)
in order to create just the right
depth of field.
2) ISO After you have set f-
stop,
dial in ISO until you have your
desired exposure.
AUTO ISO is OK,
IF lighting conditions are
constant!
3) You may need to “negotiate”
Between f-stop and ISO to get
the
Exposure that you want.Don’t fear high
ISO’s. Today’s cameras and
editing software dramatically
reduce “noise.”
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Higher ISO = increased
exposure
Higher ISO = more “noise”
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Preferably stick to ISO’s that
are multiples of 160 for less
“noise”160
320
640
800
1600
3200
6400“Noise” is less and less a problem as sensors
and editing software improves.
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www.Lynda.com
Ben Long’s
Foundations of Photography:
Exposure > Histogram
That Scary Histogram
Thingy
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We will
NOT be going
here . . .
Gear
Acquisition
Syndrome
“Suddenly, a cottage industry of
‘shit-to-bolt-onto-your-camera’
popped up.” – Zack Arias
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Your Most
Important
Piece of
Equipment
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Sekonic
L-308
DC
$200
A Light Meter can be extremely useful in Controlled
Situations such as sit-down interviews.
Just enter frame rate and
shutter speed, and the meter
provides every combination of
ISO and f-stop
for good exposure.
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Focus
Use the magnification
feature to confirm focus.
AUTO focus is GREAT,
but . . .
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The Focus Challenge:How to “rack focus” while shooting without noticeable camera
shake
Follow-Focus: Serious Money Jar-Opener: Serious
Fun
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Neutral Density FilterBecause you don’t have the option of increasing shutter speed to reduce
exposure, so you may at times want to use a Variable Neutral Density
(ND) filter,
if you want to have a wide open aperture for shallow depth of field.
Lock in your shutter speed and
aperture.
If scene is still overexposed even
at lowest ISO, use ND filter to
bring
down exposure to correct level.
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Tether camera to laptop with camera’s software Use any HDMI monitor or TV
Attach a mini monitor onto camera Explore smart phone software
Beware of
your mic
picking up
noise of
computer
fan or
monitor
hum.
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The Future is Now! Wi-Fi Camera
Control
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This is the slide to remind
Chuck to let people stand up
and mess around with
the camera.
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Your Camera’s Built-in
Microphone:*Usually not stereo
*Picks up camera noise
(including stabilizer)
*May not have manual
control over audio levels
*May not have
headphone jack.
*Sound quality: not
great.
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“No One Notices Audio, Until It’s Not There . . .”
“You can tell
whether a video is
professional or not
without even
watching it . . .
Just close your
eyes and listen.”The addition of even the most
inexpensive external
microphone may be the best
investment you can make
to improve the production
values of your video.
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Great Start:
External Microphone plugged into
camera
Shotgun
microphone
If your camera has the capability, set
your Sound Recording to Manual for
situations such as Interviews, around
-12dB.
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Your
(Second)
Most
Important
Piece of
Equipment
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Beware of Lens Stabilizer
OFF if shooting with the
in-camera microphone
OFF if using a Tripod
OFF if battery supply low
Note that your video
editing software will
likely offer a form of
image stabilization.
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Best Scenario: Dual System
Sound:
External microphone + audio recorder
Zoom H4N Recorder,
$270
Check out DSLR Audio Tutorials
in the Resources Page.
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OMG This is
Confusing!
How Do I Get the
Sound from the
Audio Recorder to
Match the Sound in
My Video?
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Syncing Sound
is a Cinch !!
DSLR
Slate for iPad
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Tripods, Monopods, Z-Finder
Quality Fluid Head Tripods are
crazy expensive.
Start out with the tripod you
have.
Manfrotto 561BHDV Monopod
with fluid head. I love it. $300
Z-finder
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Slider, (overused!)
for dolly (tracking) shots
“Pocket Pod”
Camera
Bean Bag
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Handheld & DSLR Rigs
You can’t keep camera solid
with these methods, so
deliberately give a small
“figure-8” movement.
Watch cooking shows for
examples of deliberate !#%^!!
camera drift.
$$$$$
The Versatile Gorilla
Pod!
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Editing Software &
UploadingMicrosoft Movie Maker(Windows)
•Free
•Easy
•For “movies in a hurry”
Adobe Premiere Elements(Windows, Mac)
•$65.00
•More than you will likely ever need.
•Plays with other Abobe Products
Apple’s iMovie(Mac)
•Free
•More than you will likely ever need.
•Very intuitive
Apple’s Final Cut Pro X (Mac)
•$300
•Professional Editing. Overkill?
•Very intuitive
Adobe Premiere Pro CC(Windows, Mac)
•$20 per month subscription
•Professional Editing. Overkill?
•Integrates with other Abobe Products
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Learning ResourcesYou’ll find a bunch of resources under . . . Resources, at
www.ChuckLandrey.com, but these are the best of the best.
www.Lynda.com.
Video tutorials on everything. Watch everything by Ben Long.
www.dslrvideoshooter.com
Great free tutorials. Just don’t get sucked into the gear reviews . . .
www.vimeo.com
Their online video school is superb.
www.rippletraining.com
Excellent tutorials on editing, focusing on Apple’s Final Cut Pro
www.LarryJordan.biz
Excellent editing tutorials in a very friendly up-beat manner.
www.dedpxl.com
This is one of several websites by Zach Arias, one of my heros. Read, and
learn.
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Learn While DOING!
MAKE Something!
See you in a month?
www.chucklandrey.com
860-227-2474