• Hey Guest. Check out your NeoGAF Wrapped 2025 results here!

The GAF Video and Filmmaking Thread

BlackGoku03 said:
I just installed magic lantern on my t3i. Amazing stuff. I can now select more values of ISO and have real time audio monitoring.

There's a lot of customization an it brings more life to the camera. I also love that I can change the ISP real time and get rid of that sill magnifying box.
Click to expand...

Gah, thanks for reminding me, need to do this to my T2i.
 
Cheesy Cam (good site for all things filmmaking) just posted that these 2, 4, and 6 bank CFL lights are back on sale (not on SALE, but for sale). I'm in the market for lights, so might pick up one (and only one--little pricier than the kits I was looking at) but I really like the look from the sample vid.

EDIT: Sorry for DP.

Secret_Riddle said:
How wide is wide? My 60D is cropped as well...the widest focal length I'm currently capable of is 17mm on my Tamron, but it works out to 24 mm or something after the crop. Here's a sample of that angle from one of my shorts:

short.jpg


If that's wide enough for you, then I'd recommend this Tamron lens: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000EXR0SI/?tag=neogaf0e-20

It covers 17-50 at f/2.8 meaning you've got a wide range to work with at a shallow DOF (if you so desire).

If you want to stick with one of the prime lens' you mentioned, I'd go with the 16. Cropped, the 35 mm won't look wide, and neither will the 25.
Click to expand...

Ooop didn't see this earlier. Great, thanks for the pic--I'm thinking the same thing, that 35mm is gonna be too cropped. I like the look of your 17-50, and I'm not huge on "omg bokeh dof" but I like the option. I may pick that one up, thanks again.
 
Anton Sugar said:
Gah, thanks for reminding me, need to do this to my T2i.
Click to expand...

I typed that on my iPhone and it corrected all sorts of shit.

So now I have all this:
T3i with 70-300, Nikkor 35mm, 18-55mm
Two tripods (one ball head and one shitty fluid head) I need a better one.
Rode videomic
Dslr Cage (idisquare)
Wheeles for tripod
Sony Vegas editing software (bought legit, it's also the only software that doesn't stutter on my pc)
3 16gb Sandisk extreme class 10 sdhc
Cheap glide cam wannabe

I'm now in the market for lighting. I've got enough to get started. I'm recording a soul/Christian group this weekend so I'll put my equip to full use.

Only problem is finding fellow enthusiasts here or actors for that matter. So far nobody I know wants to do film. I'll have to travel an hour to Columbia SC to find people.
 
Another Our Weekends? Say it aint so!

Just click the pic!

(Vimeo Link)

This one was . . interesting to make. We spent two days is nasty southern cali (like, by the border and whatnot) and even stayed in the worst town of all time; Brawly, California. It was a lot of fun and Salvation Mountain is certainly a sight to behold. Especially coming off of the wasteland that is the Sultan Sea.

Anyway, hope you guys enjoy. All critiques are welcome as always.
 
backflip10019 said:
Some of you have probably seen this before, but I created and wrote a web series called "Chasing the Ghost." Here is the pilot episode. We currently have two episodes out with another releasing this week.

If any of you have any feedback on either of the two episodes, I'd really like to hear it. Thanks!
Click to expand...

i say this to everyone but i also believe it: if you want to grab hold of an internet audience, make it shorter
 
CaptainMintMan said:
Mind explaining how to do it? I'd like to know for future reference.
Click to expand...

Well, if you're using Final Cut Pro 7, you basically put one clip on top of the other and in your Canvas, you simply move them so they're side by side. Then go into each clip and feather them however you like. I'd do a video example but my computer is rendering something out right now.
 
Alfarif said:
Well, if you're using Final Cut Pro 7, you basically put one clip on top of the other and in your Canvas, you simply move them so they're side by side. Then go into each clip and feather them however you like. I'd do a video example but my computer is rendering something out right now.
Click to expand...

I'll figure it out. Thanks for the information! :3
 
not necessarily film making, but, i shot a wedding for a friend's sister and just recently put an edit together for it. it was difficult only because i only had one camera to use for the day. typically i'd use 2 cameras for the ceremony at the very least, that way i can cut back and forth if i need to.

it wasn't the easiest wedding i've covered, but i think the video came out well enough.

http://vimeo.com/35172455

comments, critiques or questions?
 
Alright GAF, I'm gonna be filming a short with some friends in about two weeks. It's sort of a parody of spaghetti westerns, so we'll be driving out to west Texas to get a good location and the only thing I'm concerned about is lighting. I've never shot at "high noon" and really don't want a blown out/contrasty image. We're a small crew so our options are limited, but I DO want that hot, noon look to the scene, so I don't want to go for a "golden hour" shot.

I'm gonna be playing with LED/CFL to use as fill (depends on whether or not we'll have a power source nearby, which I don't think we will), as well as bouncing light back at the actors to eliminate the shadows. I was thinking about using a gold foil bounce but don't want it to look TOO orange--this is something I'm gonna have to play with.

As it will be noonish, gonna use a polarizer to keep the sky from getting blown out as well. Any other tips or guidelines for neutralizing BRIGHT outdoor daylight in video?
 
Anton Sugar said:
Alright GAF, I'm gonna be filming a short with some friends in about two weeks. It's sort of a parody of spaghetti westerns, so we'll be driving out to west Texas to get a good location and the only thing I'm concerned about is lighting. I've never shot at "high noon" and really don't want a blown out/contrasty image. We're a small crew so our options are limited, but I DO want that hot, noon look to the scene, so I don't want to go for a "golden hour" shot.

I'm gonna be playing with LED/CFL to use as fill (depends on whether or not we'll have a power source nearby, which I don't think we will), as well as bouncing light back at the actors to eliminate the shadows. I was thinking about using a gold foil bounce but don't want it to look TOO orange--this is something I'm gonna have to play with.

As it will be noonish, gonna use a polarizer to keep the sky from getting blown out as well. Any other tips or guidelines for neutralizing BRIGHT outdoor daylight in video?
Click to expand...

If you're shooting at noon, led's aren't going to do much at all. You need something to beat the sun like a 1k light. And for that, you'll need a generator.
 
bluerei said:
If you're shooting at noon, led's aren't going to do much at all. You need something to beat the sun like a 1k light. And for that, you'll need a generator.
Click to expand...

Crud. Not even for close shots? I don't really need to beat the sun, I just need to give some fill to shadows. If none of those work, I'll have to make do with diffusion/bounce, eh?
 
1. Use Neutral Density filters (ideally a variable one so you don't have to stack a lot) if you want to shoot at anything more open than like f/16 or f/22. Polarizers are nice, but they only keep out 1-2 stops of light.

2. Use bounce boards for fill light. Take advantage of the sun, don't try to fight it with powered lights. Some cheap styrofoam presentation boards you can get at Staples or Office Depot should work fine.
 
Anton Sugar said:
Crud. Not even for close shots? I don't really need to beat the sun, I just need to give some fill to shadows. If none of those work, I'll have to make do with diffusion/bounce, eh?
Click to expand...

Just use bounces. It'll work fine. Don't use gold, though. Stick with silver or white unless your actors have darker skin.
 
Here's the short film I've been AD-ing on. It premiered Friday night to about 150 people along with the short films I've posted in here earlier, it's called Hide and Seek.

Click the thumbnail to watch! :D

 
aperman said:
Hey guys!

So I have a really big shoot coming up this weekend that I'm directing for my PSA & Commercial WKSHP class at Art Center College of Design.

I'll post some pictures of the set and the shoot after the weekend, including details about camera & lenses (i'm super psyched about this one) and misc.

For now, here's a teaser. ;)

pellegrino.jpg
Click to expand...

So, I went a little dark. But I'm back for an update.

To elaborate, I directed a spec commercial for San Pellegrino. The premise is a fashion show.
Currently cutting the footage, it's looking pretty awesomely stupid. Just as I planned.

Here are a few stills.

Camera: Arri Alexa
Glass: Lomo Anamorphic Lenses (24mm, 50mm, 100mm)

Yes, we shot anamorphic on Alexa - and it was just as ridiculous as you would expect. Feast your eyes. & let me know what you think of the stills!

0.jpg


thisone.jpg


4.jpg


ap
ps. sorry if they're huge. tried resizing. :(
 
aperman said:
So, I went a little dark. But I'm back for an update.

To elaborate, I directed a spec commercial for San Pellegrino. The premise is a fashion show.
Currently cutting the footage, it's looking pretty awesomely stupid. Just as I planned.

Here are a few stills.

Camera: Arri Alexa
Glass: Lomo Anamorphic Lenses (24mm, 50mm, 100mm)

Yes, we shot anamorphic on Alexa - and it was just as ridiculous as you would expect. Feast your eyes. & let me know what you think of the stills!

0.jpg


thisone.jpg


4.jpg


ap
ps. sorry if they're huge. tried resizing. :(
Click to expand...

Looks good!

And just quote them, like I am right now.
 
Alfarif said:
Well deserved, my man! You have talent and it shows!



I used to think it was cumbersome until I started really learning it from the Apple certification books. Now it's pretty easy and second nature.



In my production company (3 people), we use both. I use Motion while my wife and our other employee uses AE. I like Motion because of the roundtripping via FC7. It makes doing edits and refining complicated text layouts nice. It also is great for compositing work. The other nice feature is that I don't have to precomp anything and can save effects, groups, anything with a drag and drop. I've created templates in a couple minutes and have them as the base for a slew of projects we've done. These templates are also available in Final Cut. (I'm sure Premiere and AE do this, too)

After Effects is probably the industry standard for Visual FX work, though. Because it ties in so nicely with Photoshop, you'll do a lot of roundtripping between the two as you do your edits. It's also more widely supported in the plug-in space, which is pretty huge. I'm not even sure if programs like Boujou have a Motion option built-in (Boujou is a godsend for complicated motion tracking). I'll have to check when I get home.

Do yourself a favor and get the certification books, whichever path you decide. They basically walk you through using all of the features of both products while giving you the basic workflows for a slew of different project types. After that, you can hit up tutorials like Andrew Kramer (who assumes you already know what you're doing in AE) and get deep into the nitty gritty of doing some of the sophisticated, impressive visual FX you see out there.
Click to expand...



I've seen what people can do with Motion and it's very impressive.

I'm pretty ignorant of Adobe's video apps but I'm good at Photoshop so hmmm...

I want to work graphics into my work more, especially typography ala the Ford-F150 commercials. I really like that style of combining textured background with video, etc.
 
This is also a thread I should follow.

So. I made a film four years ago. We shot it completely, but in post, it just fell apart. It's now on two separate hard drives.
 
Been a while since I posted here.

So over Summer there was this ship crash in the Bay of Plenty. Shipping containers all over the beaches. I was up there and decided on making this fake sort of trailer for a movie surrounding that. The idea kinda fell away so I made a short trailer, but still have a lot of footage. Reckon I should try go for it? Link to it after the jump.

bEqGf.png


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gnNckAiDqU&list=UU_ToSfB71Mrw8DRC2QnudJQ&index=2&feature=plcp
 
aperman said:
So, I went a little dark. But I'm back for an update.

To elaborate, I directed a spec commercial for San Pellegrino. The premise is a fashion show.
Currently cutting the footage, it's looking pretty awesomely stupid. Just as I planned.

Here are a few stills.

Camera: Arri Alexa
Glass: Lomo Anamorphic Lenses (24mm, 50mm, 100mm)

Yes, we shot anamorphic on Alexa - and it was just as ridiculous as you would expect. Feast your eyes. & let me know what you think of the stills!

0.jpg


thisone.jpg


4.jpg


ap
ps. sorry if they're huge. tried resizing. :(
Click to expand...

Dude, those look niiice! I wish I could get my hands on an Arri... :(

Anyway, I can't believe I'm going to post this in a thread with so much raw cinematic talent, but what the hell. Some friends and I decided to go a little Tim & Eric and create a commercial for my friend's [totally fake] album.

Slaughtered by Love

We actually did put it onto VHS to give it the VHS feel. Originally it was shot on the Canon t2i and Panasonic AG-HPX170, all done in front of green screen for extra cheese. Enjoy... :P
 
Anyone knows some good books focused on directing actors? I'm aware that this topic is mostly something you learn by directing, but I'd like to know some basics on the subject.
 
i don't know of any books, but i think a couple basics would be to expand your vocabulary so you have different ways to express the same thing. you never know which word will click with the actor.

i think another aspect that could help is to take an acting class so you have an idea on the process an actor might have to go through to reach a certain level of performance.
 
bernardobri said:
Anyone knows some good books focused on directing actors? I'm aware that this topic is mostly something you learn by directing, but I'd like to know some basics on the subject.
Click to expand...

On Directing Film by David Mamet
A Sense of Direction by William Ball (for theater, but focuses on actors)
 
Thread officially bookmarked. Looks like I'm going to be diving in head first into filmmaking (sort of). Finally have my own Camera (T3i). Plan on knocking out a few simple scenes from a short screenplay I've written.
 
not filmmaking, but video-- my dreamjob is to work in a major sports market covering pro and college baseball/football/basketball/hockey/whatever. i just finished editing my camera demo, the first one i've done since 2006. take a look, and please tell me what you think!

http://vimeo.com/36003488
 
brerwolfe said:
not filmmaking, but video-- my dreamjob is to work in a major sports market covering pro and college baseball/football/basketball/hockey/whatever. i just finished editing my camera demo, the first one i've done since 2006. take a look, and please tell me what you think!

http://vimeo.com/36003488
Click to expand...

Wow. Excellent work! Looks like you've had a chance to cover the gamut. Thanks for sharing!
 
kai3345 said:
Here's the short film I've been AD-ing on. It premiered Friday night to about 150 people along with the short films I've posted in here earlier, it's called Hide and Seek.

Click the thumbnail to watch! :D

Click to expand...

Not to be that guy, but no one commented on the film I posted and I'd really appreciate some feedback, especially from some of GAF's more professional filmmakers.
 
HP_Wuvcraft said:
This is also a thread I should follow.

So. I made a film four years ago. We shot it completely, but in post, it just fell apart. It's now on two separate hard drives.
Click to expand...
That sucks. On another note, I know of a budding film director novice (mostly home made stuff) who wants to work on projects. Let me know if anyone needs him.
 
Any recommendations for some reasonably priced light stands? What are the chances of me getting a decent c-stand for ~$100? I've seen a few for $170, which isn't horrible, but just wondering if anyone had found one.
 
gatisimo said:
Wow. Excellent work! Looks like you've had a chance to cover the gamut. Thanks for sharing!
Click to expand...

thanks for the nice words. it's an incredibly stressful and overwhelming process putting something like this together. i would much rather create a 30 minute "show" of my work (that no one would watch), that way i don't have to leave any footage out. when looking at a shot, i remember the day, i remember the circumstances and everything that was happening in that instance-- it's a very personal experience going through each clip because i have all these memories around them. not unlike filmmaking, it becomes difficult having to choose one shot over another-- and then you hope like hell that it somehow connects with the viewer.

maybe i put too much weight into the process. then again, maybe that's what makes it good (assuming people other than me think it's good!).
 
How does everyone go about editing? I have tons of footage from my trip to China and I'm still trying to condense it but there are so many ways to go about it. Do you guys map out the shots first, color correct and then add music? Or what?
 
killertofu said:
How does everyone go about editing? I have tons of footage from my trip to China and I'm still trying to condense it but there are so many ways to go about it. Do you guys map out the shots first, color correct and then add music? Or what?
Click to expand...

Organise footage in folders according to scenes. Transcode footage (using compressor or adobe media encoder), place transcoded folders in movie editor, place footage in timeline, color correction, add transitions, motion grahics/compositing/vfx, color grading, music and finally export as h.264 Video.

All about dat workflow. :)
 
are there any advantages to transcoding on adobe? i edit on cs5.5, but even cs4 could take footage from my 7D with no problems. is there something i'm missing? just sounds like an unnecessary step.
 
brerwolfe said:
are there any advantages to transcoding on adobe? i edit on cs5.5, but even cs4 could take footage from my 7D with no problems. is there something i'm missing? just sounds like an unnecessary step.
Click to expand...

if your computer is fast enough (especially if it supports the Mercury Playback Engine) then there's no need to transcode. I have a 2011 iMac and I'm pretty sure it doesn't even fully support all the features of the MPE but I never have to transcode. 5DII here.

I'm so glad I went with Creative Suite Production over Final Cut + Motion. Just seems so much more versatile. Maybe it's different with FCX, but when I was researching between Premiere Pro and Final Cut, it was pretty much necessary from what I remember to use Compressor on DSLR files before editing.

Though if your final output is 720p and you shot in 1080p and your shots will be effects heavy, it might make sense to transcode to 720p first.

I'm sure some of the more "pro" users here could give some more advice.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Roblox employee's 'day in the life' video goes viral
2
61
825
Boss Mog replied
Unhinged Bios Official Thread
10
135
SJRB replied
[VIDEO] Tech Noir 1 and 2
12
583
Dr.Morris79 replied
2025 | The yearly positive thread
3
336
DKehoe replied
  • Poll
Who's the better filmmaker: Christopher Nolan or Martin Scorsese?
2
90
2K
Sonik replied
Top Bottom