Mark Evans

Thanks guys - yeap I'll do some homework on rental - the reason I was looking to purchase was I wanted to learn a camera inside out to squeeze the most out of the quality it offers. I run a small vfx facility and often shoot elements and felt it could contribute. - the usra I've been keeping my eye on but it looks like I can borrow a red after all. Seems the usra will have similar rolling shutter issues to dslrs which is a bit of a deal breaker.

greetings, This question has probably been asked a hundred times but the goal posts keep changing so here I am. Basically I want to shoot a short film. I'm willing to spend up to 15k for a camera kit and want to make sure I'm getting the best bang for buck I can. The idea takes place in the Australian desert and I'll be looking for hot sweaty actors and landscape glorious colour. There won't be much call for low light conditions. I'm a visual effects artist so I will be adding in various effects such as heat haze and so on and there will be green screen work later in the film. I'd like colour depth to play with and as much resolution as I can afford. I'm not looking for a hand held effect but there will be action shots with possibly a whip pan or two. I'll need several shots close to ground and tracking across the landscape. I was looking at the black magic but got told to stay away and go for a canon eos with nice lenses. So many choices - its like picking tiles for the house! any advise people may have and I'm all ears cheers mark

2d tracking - just make sure you shoot wider than you need

I recently worked on a 3d feature and will be really slow to do so again. Total nightmare - the footage came back like it went through Dr Frankensteins lab. If I were to do a 3d film I would take the storyboards and previs the @#%$@ out of it before standing over the cameraman with a big stick. Convergence and interoccular distances as well as good planning before it goes to animation and comp are essential. Its nice to shoot footage to speculate but if ever there was a time to show restraint this is it. Artistically I think people will get more out of 48fps than 3d. What I think is a shame is we're coming off a trend of quick cuts and handheld frantic footage - 3d works so much better if the audience has time to explore an environment with slow camera moves and long frame ranges so while I totally agree with the Kings Speech comment, a film with that pace would really make the technology sing. Unfortunately its is treated like a hoola hoop and will be lost in comic book remakes. Something like What Dreams may Come might have been good 3d

the question is somewhat an academic one - not my film, just a cog here - but I'm really interested in why you would identify that as a style a film would need. As for a pov and long - if you have a say a spy watching a suspect a long lens, binoculars or not, will provide a sense of voyeurism to the shot. I can think of several of examples - great tool. going to have to re-watch some Ridley Scott and look for the long lenses more (any excuse will do). Long lens and shallow dof - just trying to picture it. - cheers m

I think that your letting technicalities get in the way of what you want to achieve - if its a dream sequence / flashback a different aspect may help - use a different colour space - warp the image, have some fun. I'm thinking 'The Crow' - great effect. Hell your talking academy chuck a audio strip on the left... not everyone will get it but it delivers the idea that this is broken away from direct lines of time and dialogue.

greetings - I'm a sometime reader and interested party to the site so forgive the ignorance of personalities etc . However I am an active participant in film and have always thought of the long lens as an interesting technique for pov shots and more arty texture based representation and human interest style work. I've always considered it something that deserves a conscious mind and forward planning - even moreso than a wide lens. Today I was watching Cinderella Man and found another use - privacy - Renee's character exits out of the hovel when she realizes she cannot feed/care for the kids there's a couple of so so edits but then it goes to a magnificent long lens of her crying in the alley way - works really well. OK - so what I'm leading up to is the film I'm working on atm has a multitude of long lenses, even establishing shots. The director, a good director, has made a decision that this will be a style that will vibrate through the movie. Can you identify a reason that you would make such a decision? What would you hope to achieve by doing so? I find it an interesting decision you could come to make. I'd love to hear your thoughts - m