David Peterson
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Posts posted by David Peterson
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Good grief. I feel personally that's a bit abuse of the process....
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On 5/14/2019 at 10:54 AM, Phil Connolly said:
I once went to a business seminar with the MD's of Framestore (Oscar winning VFX firm). Although they turn over 10's of million a year. They work on a very tight profit margin of about 5%.
Yikes, no wonder so many Oscar winning VFX firms go bust!
https://filmanddigitalmedia.wordpress.com/2017/11/01/why-vfx-companies-are-going-broke/
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Definitely SD is over and done. Gone.
8K is pointless 99% of the time. (and 16K pointless 99.99% of the time!)
Remember that the vast majority of the top class premium films are being done with an ARRI ALEXA with a sensor which is a bit less than 4K. So the lack of 4K isn't a total deal breaker, but if you can get it, why not??
On 4/16/2019 at 1:48 PM, Shawn Convey said:using a Super-16 lens (Canon 8-64) in a windowed 2.5k cropped sensor (from a 4k BMP4k)
I wouldn't use a BMPC4K for filming a doco with!
First you are limited to only ISO 400 (am assuming here you mean the BMPC4K like you said, and not the BMPCC4K which is a totally different camera from BMD)
Second of all it is an awkward form factor, and bulk.
Third, handling audio with it by yourself will kinda suck.
Why not get the Sony X70 instead? They go for cheap cheap on eBay. They're 4K (with the upgrade key), with a 12x optical zoom (much greater range than the Canon!), is basically as fast as your Canon lens with f2.8 (slows down a bit at the long end though), has optical stabilization, has built in NDs, XLR inputs, solid battery life, is very small and compact, etc
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On 4/15/2020 at 4:20 AM, AJ Young said:
I'm meaning a Mini, Weapon, etc. It's wild.
Yikes. That is indeed wild.
On 4/15/2020 at 4:20 AM, AJ Young said:There are a few misconceptions of having an agent, the biggest is that they have a mountain of work available for DP's. Most of my friends who have agents tell me that their agent can get a DP at most 20% of their yearly work, the other 80% is up to the DP.
Ouch. And do they still have to pay their agent a percentage cut from the other 80% they're not even sourcing for their DoP??
On 4/15/2020 at 4:20 AM, AJ Young said:Yup! That's exactly what I do. The birthday section of Facebook helps a lot too. ?
Yessss.... a good excuse to message everyone at least once a year!
On 4/15/2020 at 4:20 AM, AJ Young said:Pro tip I heard from podcast: When trying to stay in contact with people, it's best to congratulate them on something they've recently done like a film release, production wrap, etc. You're not asking for anything in return and they'll appreciate that you've noticed something about them.
This probably can't be repeated too many times as a reminder. Cheers
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13 hours ago, AJ Young said:
- Look up unknown filmmakers via small film festivals, watch their work, and find their contact info.
That's a good tip, how would your first message to them usually go?
Who are you messaging, just the director? The DoP? The producer? Others? -
I found this entire recent thread over here to be on the same general topic and very enlightening, such as this post by @AJ Young:
On 4/12/2020 at 5:13 PM, Bradley Credit said:An advantage of film school obviously, education aside, is being surrounded by other filmmakers who truly take the craft seriously that you can frequently collaborate with.
Arguably that's one of the few "benefits" of film school, but remember you're surrounded by people who have almost no experience and no clout, and this remains the same for years after they've graduated as they too try to build up their careers.
When you compare those benefits vs just leaping into the job market straight away, you'd have a 4 year head start on them by the time they graduate!
So don't feel like you're missing out on "much".
On 4/13/2020 at 6:12 AM, Mike Maliwanag said:Lastly, Phedon also talks about it in the interview, keep your overhead low. Find the paid work and then find the projects that gives you creative freedom.
So true! Keep your overheads low.
That way your build up your buffer of savings for lean times.
And anything left over you can reinvest into your business, buy that extra lens to flesh out your set, buy that extra monitor for client viewing, upgrade your car to a transit van, etc
On 4/15/2020 at 7:10 AM, Tyler Purcell said:Now I do believe in going to college, specifically for a business degree. Freelancers don't understand how valuable it is to have those business skills and many people get screwed out of money because they don't protect themselves. If I had it all to do again, I would have majored in business and minored in film. I just wasn't interested in business and in the 90's, the internet wasn't as populated with professional freelancers lol ?
Agreed, if you go to university then study something else!
Such as Business, or even say for instance an Engineering Degree would be more useful than a film degree! As it would help you have deeper technical chops than almost anybody else on set with the same years of experience, and it gives you a great career to full back on. (also Engineers do quite a lot of professional development papers, related to business / project management which are useful transferable skills)
You can always possible do a Minor in Film Studies, or your elective papers. Plus you can sign up to the local Film Club at the university, make contacts that way, and work on their student shoots on evenings / weekends.On 4/15/2020 at 7:10 AM, Tyler Purcell said:I mean if you're shooting student films, then you are basically doing what every student is doing anyway. More on this later.
Exactly. Especially with the rise of social media, it is so easy to get onto student film sets.
However honestly once you've got a few years under your belt then you'll likely want to stop volunteering for free on student projects. As they're just not worth doing any more! (with a few rare exceptions, such as if you're getting a key HoD credit such as DoP and you really believe in their project)
On 4/15/2020 at 7:10 AM, Tyler Purcell said:- Diversifying your skills is important as well. Maybe working part time at a rental house, learning the top cameras inside and out and then trying to be a 2nd assistant camera first and then move up the ladder from there? That's what a lot of people do and it can work if you're patient and willing to work up the ranks. It's all about set experience and watching what others do, then experimenting yourself.
Working in a rental house has panned out really well for a few people I know who were recent film school graduates. (even if just being volunteer interns!)
As not only did it give them hands on experience with a wide range of gear they didn't get during film school, it also put them in contact with a large number of working professionals whenever they came into to pick up rentals.
This helped them get the next step up and get their foot in the door to work as a Grip / Lighting / Camera Trainee, then move up after a couple of shows from a Trainee to the next level.
On 4/15/2020 at 8:05 AM, Michael LaVoie said:That's only a problem for people trying to break into the business. For those connected, this is not an issue at all.
That's why you have so many people working in the industry who their father, or aunt, or cousin or whoever was working in the industry already beforehand. There is no better connection than a family connection.No such luck for me!
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41 minutes ago, Tyler Purcell said:
There are so many people with experience out there it's insane, but it's hard to find them for some reason.
Sure. there is a lot of people out there with experience. (btw, I live in Auckland, which is the biggest city in my country. So we have a decent sized film industry, but nothing like LA or NYC!!)
But many people who are from the peak film era would have retired, and those who remain, they might be too busy working, or not be willing to work on a short film / low budget music video at a reduced rate below their normal day rates.
27 minutes ago, Toto D Guerra said:Kodak will continue to exist as a company for a while. Will they abandon their film division? Maybe. Like someone pointed out it's poorly managed, they stopped caring about smaller projects making a lot of filmmakers feel like poop when reaching out because they're no Chris Nolan or Tarantino.
That's very short term thinking if you're nothing thinking about the next generation!28 minutes ago, Toto D Guerra said:Kodak is so slow to adapt that it's probable they'll have plenty of film for you to purchase and no lab that's close enough or affordable enough for you to take the film you shot using their product to the finish line. A lot of small LA based shoots still ship to a lab in Mass. because it's cheaper than some L.A. labs including transportation and associated risks.
That's the case here in New Zealand, you have to ship your S35 film overseas to be developed and scanned!
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6 hours ago, Max Field said:
if you're commissioning NSFW things, which is literally all you've linked in this thread.
A good point to highlight.
Although not EVERYTHING, it definitely seems to be the vast majority.
Plus not just in this thread, but lots of other threads on this forum, he might link to blog post yet tags the blog post with "NSFW". Which is fair enough, but it seems like why did the blog post have to be "NSFW"?? Seems a tad bit gratuitous -
3 hours ago, Tim Neale said:
It was indeed the old sensor and no, I didn't get a refund as it would have meant going to court. I did get legal advice but the expense and the time it would have required meant I took the hit unfortunately.
Not everything has to go to court.
Sometimes just a politely worded message asking for some compensation? And they might do so out of the goodness of their heart.
Or use the ebay disputes resolution process, if that is how you purchased it. (anyway, too late now) -
On 1/5/2020 at 4:45 PM, Samuel Berger said:
I feel being paralysed by the fear of not buying the right camera.
Don't be paralysed.
If you can't make up your mind between two cameras, the the differences between them is probably smaller than you think,so just buy the cheapest one of the two and go for it!!
On 1/5/2020 at 4:45 PM, Samuel Berger said:In other words, I end up not doing anything because I can't make a decision on which camera to buy. I've been in this position for three years now and it's not fun. The Canon C200 still hasn't gone down in price.
Wow. 3yrs years of wasted time is a loooong while.... what have you been doing during that?
The likes of an URSA Mini 4.6K, ARRI ALEXA Classic, Sony FS7, Sony PMW-F5 have all dropped in price on eBay by a LOT over those 3 years! Just go for any one of them instead.
On 1/5/2020 at 4:45 PM, Samuel Berger said:If I could shoot my project on my Canon EOS R I would do it.
Why couldn't you use an EOS R??
(although I personally would go for a Nikon Z6 / Panasonic S1H / Fujifilm X-T4 / etc over an EOS R!)On 1/7/2020 at 2:57 PM, David Mullen ASC said:Confidence doesn't increase with time, partly because if you are any sort of career trajectory at all, there are new challenges in everything you shoot.
Also because the more you learn, the more you realize how little you truly know! ha, the irony.
On 2/1/2020 at 6:41 AM, David Mullen ASC said:“Honeyland” racked up all these award nominations and won the ASC award for documentary cinematography, and it was shot on Nikon DSLRs. Meaning there are a number of affordable cameras that are good enough, ultimately it matters more what you shoot than what camera you shoot it on.
Not even the best Nikons for shooting with!
The Nikon Z6 is streets ahead of what they used, a much better camera to film with ? I'd like to get a Z6 myself one day soon.
Or even back then when they were filming, with what was available, the likes of a Nikon D750 (which was already out) has a nicer 1080 image than the D800/D810 that they used. Guess they just used what they had at hand. -
On 1/4/2020 at 5:52 PM, Robin R Probyn said:
2 Having to borrow money from a sound recordist ..
LOL!
On 1/5/2020 at 11:45 AM, Daniel D. Teoli Jr. said:I would have thought that there is no time better to be in that biz. With all the media, series, Netflix, channels, films and all. What you say sounds very similar to still photography.
It is indeed very much like the still photography world. The film/video industry is just lagging behind by 10yrs or so, as it takes longer for technology to catch up.
The early DSLRs cut the market costs down lower for a lot of film photographers and made it more competitive. Used to be simply knowing the black art of how to get well exposed photos from a film DSLR could get you some jobs. Just like before, simply owning an expensive video camera and knowing the basics for how to work it got your jobs.
Then as DSLRs became better and better, cheaper and cheaper, and more widespread then photographers either had to slash their rates to remain competition or up their game and become more high skilled beyond what the casual hobbyist "professionals" could do.
Now the photography world is flooded with "photographers", and the low end is completely disappeared with people with just using their own cellphones or the likes of a Canon Rebel DSLR
To survive as a full time professional photographer you have to be very very good. Of course the high end will always exist, and people will always be happy to pay for "the best". But it will be harder and harder to hold onto that position of being "the best".
The same is true in the video world. The low end has largely disappeared, or done by kids with DSLRs undercutting, the middle end is under attack, eventually only the high end will remain.
On 1/5/2020 at 1:26 PM, Max Field said:I'm not saying this to come off as brash towards you (just to contribute to discussion), but I am sick of people saying that Netflix and Amazon Prime are just handing out distribution deals left and right. It's still an extremely connection based industry, like it's always been.
If the floodgates were really that open I would've been producing my own show on Netflix years ago.That's right. Plus the standards / gatekeeping of what Netflix will accept gets tougher and tougher every year.
Not as easy to get your film purchased by Netflix today in 2020 as it was ten years ago. -
20 hours ago, Robin R Probyn said:
Surprised he couldn't match an f5 and an fs7..same sensor .. processing different , but I imagine they used the same color filters .. ND maybe a little different .. but there must be many tens of thousands of productions that have mixed f5 and fs7 in REC709 and Slog.. Ive worked on many shoots with my f5,that had other segments shot with fx7.. hundreds I would think over 7 years I had the f5..almost all requests were for fs7 but they were fine with f5.. maybe he needs to have a few sessions with a colorist to get some pointers ..
It wasn't that he couldn't match it, but it that it took him time to do so. And of course "any" amount of time is unacceptable when you've got a tight budget and trying to get it to come in on time.
20 hours ago, Robin R Probyn said:Just wish I had work for my new fx9 beast !!
I wish I had work for my new Sound Devices 833 beast!
My last job was working on Main Unit for the government's COVID-19 television campaign, just a few days before lockdown. And everything for the future has been delayed or outright cancelled. -
On 1/4/2020 at 3:10 AM, Daniel D. Teoli Jr. said:
2) Losing digital files. About 15% of my archive is digital. And the majority of my modern work after the film era is digital. 'M' discs are very permanent, actually more archival than film. So that is some comfort. Still, poop happens.
One back up is no back up at all.
Have multiple back ups!
One in your house. Another in the cloud. And yet another back up (disconnected from the internet) at a third location. (such as at your in-laws, or at your best mate's house, etc)
On 1/4/2020 at 3:10 AM, Daniel D. Teoli Jr. said:3) Having a escalation from a street photography challenge that leads to a death.
It is weird how this worry has got worse over the years, not better.
These days if you walked the length of the main street in my city you'd be filmed by literally hundreds and hundreds and HUNDREDS of security cameras. What's the issue with me pulling out yet one more camera??
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Let's face it, the moment Sony released the F35 and ARRI their ALEXA, then the entire movie film industry (as in the actual analogue film part of the film industry, be that 8mm or Super 35mm) was living on borrowed time. And the arrival of HDSLRs, Blackmagic, and RED only sped that up.
Of course I don't expect to see film die in 2020, perhaps it won't happen 5yrs from now, or even in 20yrs, but I expect to see the death of motion film on a commercial basis happening within my lifetime.
On 4/6/2020 at 7:55 AM, Tyler Purcell said:Think of it a different way. Consumers don't really effect Kodak's bottom line. The guy who buys 2 rolls of 16mm film for their music video, isn't "helping" Kodak. However, when that filmmaker has bigger budgets and works on bigger projects, they will buy more film and they will buy new because they want the freshest stuff.
There is already a somewhat healthy recan business, so people can get film for a discount, just not enough to make a feature or something like that. If Kodak were to sell their over 6 month old stock to recan companies at half price, they would be doing 2 things. One, they wouldn't be destroying OCN, which I think it's a real shame. Two, they'd be diluting the recan's because let's face it, once a roll of film has been opened, all bets are off. So a fresh infusion of new stock that is maybe a year old, but SEALED, would be huge because it would be cheaper than NEW for those people who need 2 rolls for their music video AND Kodak would be making money off film they literally destroy and get .5 cents a foot for.
One more thing to note, Kodak doesn't have A LOT of throw away stock. It's not like there is enough for a studio to swoop down and by half a million feet. We're talking about an infusion of maybe 100 rolls total of various stocks and formats. It's all very random stuff, that Kodak sends for destruction. If they could recoup even HALF of the discounted selling price, they should do it. Not directly, but through a 3rd party.
That's a really good idea to sell off discounted expired film.
Like you said, there isn't enough of it for someone to go make a major motion picture with it, and they wouldn't want to risk a major multi million dollar production on expired film anyway! That's just madness. They'd always be buying the latest freshest film, that's just smart business sense for them rather than risking the farm on expired film.
But for people who want to do a music video or a short film, which are shot on the smell of an oily rag, anything which helps cut costs is immensely good news for them! And if they cut their teeth on that then the aspiring directors who are moving up the ranks are more likely to shoot their feature film on new fresh stock. Helping keep alive film for another generation, extending film's lifespan as viable option for a few more years.
Last year I was the Production Sound Mixer for a short film shot with Super 35mm, never having worked with film beforehand I had to put quite a bit of research into that beforehand to figure out and make sure I had the right approach to the shoot.
Was even worse for the Camera Department, as they tried really really hard to find camera crew with experience working with film, even putting off the shoot dates once so they could keep on looking.
In the end they had to go with a camera crew that had no experience with film (aside from the DoP, who wanted to shoot on film, plus the steadicam op who was an old school guy who had a bit of experience and kinda acted as a technical advisor of sorts, giving advice from the sidelines to our camera assistants).
At least this was "just" a short film and everything seemed to go through ok in the end. But imagine if they wanted to do this on a grander scale, and shoot an entire indie feature film on S35?? It just quite possibly wouldn't have been doable, due to the lack of available skilled talent available. Those with experience, either having retired, or being too busy with work, or too expensive.
There needs to be some support for a certain volume of shorts and music videos every year to keep on being made, otherwise there won't be any new crew expertise coming up to replace the existing folks.
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On 3/28/2020 at 9:08 AM, Tyler Purcell said:
So you shouldn't be dead-set on whatever lenses you're after, if budget is in the equation. You should be focused on getting a camera that can use as many lens selections as possible, so you have a wide range of options, which is why the M43rds mount is so great. The moment you restrict yourself to the exact lens you want to use, you also restrict the type of camera you can buy.
"have a wide range of options, which is why the M43rds mount is so great"
THIS! Is why Micro Four Thirds is so great as one of the very best lens mounts there is, it opens you up to one of the widest range of possible lenses you can use.
On 3/29/2020 at 11:08 AM, AJ Young said:Max, given your budget, a used GH5 will do you wonders!
Here's a feature I shot it on: http://www.ajyoungdp.com/mandao
And a short I shot it on: http://www.ajyoungdp.com/aftermath
It's also incredibly affordable! I recommend making sure you get one that has vLog enabled so you can start to mess around with shooting in logarithmic profiles.
Absolutely! A Panasonic GH5 is still today an amazingly solid workhorse, and selling for great prices on eBay.
The Panasonic G9 got a 10bit upgrade and offers a lot of what the GH5 does, but at a bit lower cost.
The Panasonic G85 loses 10bit and slow motion (aside from basic 1080 60fps), but still gives you the same 8bit quality as a GH5, the same IBIS, all at a much much much lower price if your budget is really tight. -
Personally I think Blackmagic design rushed the BMPC4K out the door too fast. As they wanted to quickly get to market both a 4K camera and a "S35" camera, which the the BMPC4K did both!
However in the process they reused the old original BMCC EF form factor, which isn't a great design, and also they used a sensor which was very flawed as it was their only option they could get off the shelf at a low enough cost.
The BMPC4K ("BlackMagic Production Camera 4K") can basically be only used at 400 ISO (otherwise you get FPN issues and other problems). And even then the dynamic range isn't too great.
Personally I do not recommend buying the Production 4K camera, I reckon for most people getting a newer mirrorless camera for cheap (X-T3/GH5/G9 are all 10bit and sub $1K on eBay), a different older cinema camera (F3/FS700/C300mk1), the newer URSA Mini 4K (which doesn't cost that much more, but at least pairs a much better body with the older flawed 4K sensor), or even an older Blackmagic camera (such as yes the OG BMCC MFT, OG BMPCC, or Micro Cinema Camera) would be a better pick for them.
On 3/27/2020 at 6:44 PM, Max Moosbrugger said:Im able to purchase a production 4K rig for under 400$. The following items it includes are...
15mm rod baseplate with Arri rosettes
Dovetail plate
Top handle with cold shoe
HOWEVER... that price is really really good!
But for most people getting their first camera, that $400 would still be better off being put to buying a Panasonic G85 or an OG Pocket / Micro Cinema Camera. (which each cost around about the same price with a little hunting)
On 3/27/2020 at 6:44 PM, Max Moosbrugger said:I understand that this is an older model that black magic doesn’t support repairs to.
Even if it was a newer model, the repair costs likely wouldn't make a camera worth fixing if it broke and wasn't still under warranty. So don't worry about its age, but just like any other BMD camera model with a questionable QC history do try to seriously test it before buying it secondhand.
On 3/27/2020 at 6:44 PM, Max Moosbrugger said:My biggest issue is cost, I am willing to spend 2000$ on my initial setup and would like to use the extra money for lending.
Lending? I hope you mean lenses.
And yes, it is smart to have half or more of your budget set aside for lenses and accessories your camera will need.
If your total budget is US$2K, then you could consider stretching up to consider buying any of a Panasonic GH5, G9, or Fujifilm X-T3. All of which are excellent hybrid cameras, and have an internal 10bit codec. They're all sub US$1K on eBay secondhand.
On 3/27/2020 at 6:44 PM, Max Moosbrugger said:Most new cameras at this resolution I’ve found are micro 4 thirds sensor which I feel just won’t give me enough option for the types of shots I’m wanting to achieve. Is there anything I need to know about this camera and in your opinions is it a good idea to buy it. I feel like a super 35 sensor would give me the most flexibility in shot choice and style, but again I’m a beginner and don’t know as much as you proffesionals
Ignore people who try to scaremonger you from buying a Micro Four Thirds camera. As MFT simply offers the biggest bang for buck there is for a starting filmmaker, and it is a very well rounded ecosystem with well polished cameras.
Plus the difference in sensor size between a MFT camera and a S35 camera isn't really that massive at all, and Super 35 has been the industry standard for many decades.
The Blackmagic Production Camera 4K has a so called "crop factor" (vs FF) of 1.7x
While Micro Four Thirds cameras such as the Panasonic GH2 / GH5S / Blackmagic Pocket 4K / Z Cam E2 / etc have a "crop factor" of 1.8x
Honestly, nothing at all that should be a deal breaker for you!!
On 3/27/2020 at 6:49 PM, Max Field said:If the price tag is $400 which seems pretty below market, I'd just buy it and flip it on eBay for more cash to open up your options.
The cheapest Production 4K to sell on ebay recently are a little over US$600, so yes, $400 is a steal! Although with the current economic crisis a $400 Production 4K before the end of this year wouldn't surprise me. Especially as in person trades off eBay can often be found for cheaper than usual eBay prices.
On 3/27/2020 at 11:09 PM, Phil Connolly said:The older black magic 2.5K produced much nicer images and it probably about the same price on the second hand market.
If you can afford it the Pocket 4K is orders of magnitude better - its an incredible camera for the money and worth saving for. I work at a Uni and we have both in our kit room, the Pocket 4K's are always booked out and no-one touches the old 4K's these days.
The difference in sensor size between super35 and M4/3 is pretty minimal and not something that would affect the images shot. I find on the Pocket 4K if you have a lens in the 14-16mm range thats wide enough for most things. I can't imagine there is a shot you can achieve on super 35 that can't be done on M4/3.
The old 2.5k or 1080p pocket BM's are a bit more tricky on sensor size/lensing - but M4/3 is not a challenge and its easier to get adapters for cheap lenses in the format
I agree with all points here.
(the point about the old BMCC 2.5K is why you should only ever buy it in MFT mount and *NOT* EF mount! I'd only take a BMCC EF if it was offered to me for an insanely cheap price, such as say just a couple of hundred bucks then I'd use it as a B Cam to my existing OG BMPCC)
On 3/28/2020 at 5:37 AM, Max Moosbrugger said:I don’t really have an issue with micro 4/3 specifically, it’s more that the lenses I’m planning on buying come in a small set and the widest focal length 35mm.
What lenses specifically???
Even for S35, then a 35mm lens is not wide at all. You'll need better than that! -
15 hours ago, Phil Connolly said:
I'm a big fan of the Sound Devices Mix Pre 6 - its affodible, sounds good and has great analogue limiters. The Mix Pre 3 is also great if budget is a bit tighter
I was very critical of the MixPre series when first released, because the Zoom F series was so far ahead. (I purchased the Zoom F4 and F8n after all because I believed in them, they've been excellent!)
But since then Sound Devices has been pushing out many more firmware updates, and even releasing a whole new MixPre 2nd Generation of hardware.
These days I'd totally put the Sound Devices MixPre10 Gen2 on par and equal with a Zoom F8n.
While the MixPre3/6 Gen2 remain the better choice for any solo videographers.
(but I'd still push the aspiring student production sound mixer to get a Zoom F4/F8 instead)
15 hours ago, Phil Connolly said:The other nice thing about the modern Sound devices is the "Wing Man" app for Android and IOS. You can remotely control the recorder, monitor levels and label and annotate your recordings. It saves so much time labeling the tracks as you go.
The Zoom F series app is even better, you can for instance control gain too remotely.
15 hours ago, Vital Butinar said:Oh that's true.
Organization is one of the most important things and if you can do it in the device it makes post much easier.
On the last few projects that we had sound and video I had a PA take notes on an app on a tablet where she noted the scene, take and both file names for the video and audio as well as any other additional notes. Since I was doing the post it really helped because I just checked the documentation and synced up the audio.
Yup, that one of the many features which made the Zoom F series so revolutionary for their extremely low price point (and why Sound Devices had to respond with their own MixPre series), you've got metadata entry. You can even use a full size PC keyboard for quick entry!
And this is something which no Tascam can do.
(except for the Tascam HS-P82, but that was priced much much much higher and targeted at professionals as a "cheaper" 788T)
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16 hours ago, Vital Butinar said:
You know I was actually working on a shoot a couple of months ago where the sound guy used SD 788T. I didn't know what it was at first but then had a look and it's funny how this thing really looked like it was from another century. I didn't have anything to do with post production there but everyone knows I'm the kind of person who likes to know a lot of stuff so I hang around everywhere a lot and I did go to check how post was going and there was no problems with sound. So I concluded that the sound guy with the SD788T was well experienced and had the right gear.
The 788T is indeed quite an old recorder, especially compared to a Sound Devices 6 series or almost any Zaxcom recorder it might look a bit like it is "from another century".
But in its heyday the Sound Devices 788T was very very expensive, and used on many of the biggest blockbust films there are. The Sound Devices 788T (& Aaton Cantar X2 / Zaxcom Deva IV) would be the oldest recorders still in usage on mid budget feature films / TV series. (and still used as backup cart recorders by big budget production sound mixers)
However the Sound Devices 8 series and Aanton Cantar X3 has helped convert many of the last hold outs still using the 788T / X2 in a professional environment.
Thus why we see the insanely cheap prices now on eBay of 788T recorders selling for as little as only a grand and a half.
For most people though I'd just suggest getting a Zoom F8n / Sound Devices MixPre10 Gen2 instead of a secodhand 788T.
16 hours ago, Vital Butinar said:Anyway thank you again for the information. I appreciate it and definitely the next thing I'll be upgrading is the shotgun mic. Thankfully I have one lined up from a guy who's got a sound studio and is changing some of his gear and might part with something good for a good price. Then we'll see what's next.
Which mic specifically is this?
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On 4/8/2020 at 4:14 AM, Daniel D. Teoli Jr. said:
Looks like American artists don't want to work for low $$. Most of my jobs pay $25 for a single panel
You nailed on the head the reason why.
If you want professionalism, then you need to pay professional rates. (which you're nowhere anywhere near)
Otherwise, you get amateurs, which means they have amateurish traits... such as being flaky.On 4/8/2020 at 10:20 AM, Phil Rhodes said:Actors.
I have been told that one of the reasons actors get driven to set is that part of the job of the driver is to go and drag the actor out of the hotel room if they can't get out of bed.
I have worked with wonderful actors who arrived fifteen minutes early and did a great job. I have - frankly more commonly - also had people turn up an hour and a half late without apology and ask if there was time for coffee.
Some of the people who excluded themselves from future employability in that way were actually very capable. I wonder if a completely scatterbrained approach to life correlates with acting ability somehow.
Even so, I've not had any reason to return to the less reliable types.
Interesting point about drivers, hadn't thought about that before, but I think you're right.
Although, I reckon the major reason is because actors can often be out of town, thus won't have a car and need to be picked up from their hotel anyway.
On 4/8/2020 at 10:03 PM, Phil Connolly said:Also on low budget work you have to understand people might need to drop out of your job to take a better paid opportunity as they have to live. At the low budget end you have to be flexible if you want good talent and have a back up plan in place if someone becomes unavailable. For instance no sane actor is going to fully commit to your indie short and potentially lose a HBO series to do it. I have managed to get very good people to work on my projects at a fraction of their normal fee, either because they liked the script, it offered an opportunity to do something different and it landed in a gap in their schedule. Luck is in involved.
Yes, if you get someone (be it crew, or talent, or whoever) to work for below normal market rates (especially if waaay below market rates) then you should be give them in return at least some flexibility, and be accepting and have no hard feelings if they have to drop this project to take another one which can pay their bills.
On 4/9/2020 at 3:31 AM, Phil Connolly said:"flake" is the wrong word in the freelance business. I've had to drop out from helping on friends projects countless times due to paid gigs coming in. Sometimes you just have to prioritise the better paid work to survive.
Same with agreeing to do too much, you bid/pitch on way more jobs then you get - so to stay in work you have to say yes to a lot of stuff. At times your end up being in the fortunate/unfortunate position of having too many jobs on the table and you have to drop out. Thats not being flaky, just surviving. As long as your up front and honest, while giving enough time for them to find replacements - I think thats fine. Also productions and schedules slip, causing clashes that you didn't foresee or projects taking much much longer for all manner of reasons.
Agreed.
Except: you should always do your absolute best effort possible to avoid conflicts.
And if you do get a scheduling clash, then tell them asap but first find a replacement who you trust that you can recommend to the production. Thus, at least you're saving them the trouble of finding someone to replace you as you've already done that. -
On 2/26/2020 at 5:14 AM, AJ Young said:
I shot a feature on the FS7 and it did great! The director and executive producer was happy and the film is making a profit. ? It's a parody film called Jesus, Bro!, shot in fall 2016.
I wouldn't discredit the FS7 as an honest choice for a professional narrative production if the budget can't afford anything higher than that. The FX9 has slight improvements on the FS7 and would be a perfect choice.
"I shot the film on the Sony FS7 with the Extension Unit. The entire project was recorded directly to ProRes 422 and finished in 2K. I used my personal Nikkor cinema primes for the entire feature with an assortment of Russian lenses (Helios 44-2, Mir 24M, and Jupiter 9) for other-worldly scenes or moments."
http://www.ajyoungdp.com/jesus-bro
Guessing you must have shot it in 2K if you were recording directly to ProRes? (as no mention of an external recorder there)
What made you decide on 2K over 4K DCI, a lack of budget for the increased storage needs?
On 2/26/2020 at 12:52 PM, Michael LaVoie said:Curious about that viewfinder connection on both the FS7 and the FX9. What is that connection? I've asked Sony in Jersey if they could make an extension to that cable and they said no. But I mean, does anyone know what the connection is and if there's a 3rd party adaptor or extension possible. Sometimes the cable is just like 2 or 3 inches too short and I hate the idea that if it breaks, I'm screwed without a monitor.
Maybe ask some local sound guys? Their cable guys can make you anything.
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On 1/23/2020 at 5:13 AM, Max Field said:
Thanks guys, oh one last thing. When it shoots in 2k does the sensor get cropped? Or does it capture the whole thing and downscale?
You've got both options. Although I think if you want the top end 2K high speed options, you'll need to crop it?
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On 1/21/2020 at 2:47 AM, Max Field said:
5. Is it good at around $6000 or will the camera go lower?
The FS7 has been such a successful camera, and for most shoots performance so close / identical to a F5 (in fact some people will prefer / request a FS7 over an F5!) that this has forced secondhand prices of a F5 to go way way down.
An F5 will sell for only a little more than a FS7, or just sometimes sometimes, if you're really lucky, the same as an FS7!
There are however less F5 cameras for sale than FS7, simply because the FS7 is a far far more popular camera, so prices of an F5 vs FS7 might lag a little until we see more F5 sales data pop up.
But we're seeing FS7 cameras already selling for sub US$3K, and I'm sure they'll hit $2.5K before this coronavirus economic crisis is over.
Which makes me predict that we'll see this year an F5 sell for approximately half of that "around $6K" figure you were thinking of. In the general $3K ish region. -
On 6/22/2017 at 3:43 AM, David Mullen ASC said:
With the Sony F900, you're limited to 1440 x 1080 8-bit 3:1:1 in HDCAM with more compression and no log gamma.
Can't the Sony F900R do 16:9 FHD?? -
19 hours ago, Robin R Probyn said:
The massive success of the Fs7 gave the XAVC codec a massive boost ..in the early f5/55 days, many productions and post didn't know about XAVC and weren't setup for it .. the c300 had ruled for so long in that market .. f5 was always a better camera to work with that the fs7 Mk1.. and as long production realized the codec , sensor and color science was the same , they didn't care it was an f5.. which many had not even heard of .. more of a problem was the release of the fs5.. I then had many young production staff thinking my f5 was an fs5. and not good enough for their shoot .. that was happening alot and was a nuisance ..
Ah yes, your point about XAVC makes sense!
And yes, I agree, was unfortunate/dumb of Sony to name the FS5 what it did! Why not "FS3" or "FS1"??? Or perhaps "FS70"?? (keeping with a general trend across many companies for the more digits a body has, the lower end it is to be. For instance D5 vs D500 vs D7500, or 6D vs 60D vs 600D, or a7 vs a600)
I've often heard the F5 and FS7 color science / sensor is the same, but recently I had a cameraman friend looking for a 2nd shooter with a FS7 and I recommended a mate with an F5, but he got turned down because he had shot with F5 cameras before and struggled to match them exactly with his own FS7????
19 hours ago, Robin R Probyn said:But yes the fs7 saved the f5 market .. plus the hack that forced Sony to sell a $1K electronic key to unlock internal 4K in the f5.. which Sony had always said was impossible due to hard ware limitations .. large Japanese company telling lies about their product .. who would have thought ?
I remember that! I actually started (never finished, because the Director broke up with his fiance so this got put on hold) shooting a feature film with a hacked F5
Because we had "sourced" an F5 to be loaned to us, yet shockingly it had never been upgraded it!! Soooo.... I went through the process of hacking it for myself (no point paying for the upgrade, as we'd just be returning it, and we had almost no budget).
Needing to use my Atmos recorder for checking playback was mildly annoying, but at least it automatically triggered over SDI
Low budget sound equipment
in Sound
Posted · Edited by David Peterson
Do you have both a DR680 and a DR60D? I'd say sell both and get a Zoom F4!
There are two variants of the DR680, just like there are two of the DR60D (mk1 and mk2). So would help if I know which DR680 you mean?
Personally I had the original DR60Dmk1, and I didn't use it for very long before I got the Sound Devices 552, then I sold it once I had the DR680mk1.
This was also quite a long time ago, so my memory is a little fuzzy. And I can't really speak of the mk2 versions of them. But I believe the mk2 had a modest performance improvements, and came with some firmware improvements (which some you could get for the mk1 anyway. Like the DR60Dmk1 had a serious problem when initially shipped out that if you powered it over by USB and it lost the connection then it would shut down. But the firmware update means it would seamlessly switch between external USB to AA internal powering if the connection was lost. While the DR60Dmk2 had this feature from Day 1).
To give a camera analogy, I'd say it is like this:
DR60 mk1 vs mk2 is like debating getting a Nikon D5200 or Nikon D5300. Yeah, one is better than the other, but you're broadly talking about more or less the same machine. If you've got one, don't bother getting the other one!
Likewise a DR680 mk1 vs mk2 is like a Nikon D7100 vs D7200. Same points I made just above apply here too.
Likewise don't bother "upgrading" from a D5200 to a D7100, or a D5300 to a D7200. Yes, they're "better", but is it really worthwhile for a non-professional photographer to do this upgrade if they're on a tight budget? Nah. As they're definitely improvements, but fundamentally they're still pretty damn similar at their core. Same general level of tech/processing, same imaging sensor, but just the D7x00 series is dressed up in a semi-pro camera body.
However a D5200 to the latest Nikon D7500? (I'm not even sure what a "D7500" is in the sound field recorder world... ?? Maybe a Tascam DR680mk3? That doesn't exist! It is high time Tascam updates their entire range of field recorders. They haven't had a new recorder since 2015!!! No wait, I do know what the "D7500" is, that is the Tascam DR701D. That fits my analogy really well)
Maaaaybe go for the D7500. But really you should stick with your D5200 until you can do a bigger leap to a D500/D750/D810/etc (which is what I'd say a Zoom F8n/F6/F4/etc are like, they're the "D500/D750/D810" of this analogy). As that is the kind of improvement you can easily appreciate as a massive leap forward.