A while back I picked up a Tweet mentioning someone had hacked the Panasonic GH1 HD-SLR firmware to allow the camera to record at a higher bitrate, capture 4:2:2 color sampling, and a host of other enhancements. This camera was retailing (with a lens) for $1100, and EBAYing without a lens for $650! I managed to get ahold of two of these little cams (body only) a few months ago, and quickly installed the hack.
First impression - meh! The camera is a dinky little body with nothing special about it, even in the market it was intended for (que soccer mom). It has a 4/3rds sensor, but a Sloooow one, because this thing CANNOT be used off of a tripod without exhibiting some MAJOR rolling shutter wobble. My setup is a little funky as well. I am using an adapter (made in China) that allows my cheap but good Canon FD glass to mount to it. This effectvely nullifies ALL automatic control (which is a good thing). It's all manual everything, however... the viewfinder (even in Camera shooting mode) will auto gain/exposure until you hit record, then it locks... so it's a little difficult to lock in an exposure before you hit record. Solution is to get into position, set exposure, and do not move until you hit record.
I set my cams up identically with a low contrast, slightly desat, -2 sharpening, +2 noise reduction custom film profile. The hack is set to max out at 60Mbits/sec , avg 45MBit/sec. The 4:2:2 ONLY works on MPEG, not AVCHD mode. Here is the issue! I have to abandon the 4:2:2 because the MPEG 24fps hack literally discards every 4th frame, resulting in Saving private Ryan skippy as hell (with Motion Blur) footage. SO, I am back to leaving the cam in AVCHD 24p (23.98) wrapped in 60i, just like the HV20. This is not such a big deal, because Cineform can do all that reconverting to real 24p (23.98) on the fly when ingesting, and it does a great job of it, even resizing back to 720P in one click.
So, what does this bitrate enhancement get me? I am not really sure. I never tried the cam without it. The footage looks pretty nice @ ISO 100 in decent lighting. Low light and you get some really ugly "striping" noise, which looks like film scratches, but more "video" looking. This noise is not really that noticeable when displaying on a 42" flat panel TV, yet you can really see it on my 30" HP Desktop monitor. But the bitrate enhance does produce footage that does not have "mud" in the high detail/high contrast areas (like bushes and trees and grass), which is very cool.
My goal in getting these cameras was to be able to shoot at my leisure to produce backdrops or scenes for my CG projects (game cinematics), as well as get behind the cam and start getting "muscle memory" working for a real shoot that may come my way. There are so many things that work or don't work, depending on the situation, and the ONLY way to get good at working behind the camera is to go out and shoot in public. For now, my setup represents the bare minimum required to actually shoot and produce a professional result, even if I am cutting some major corners. I have put money into things that directly impact the image - tripod, mounts, lens, sensor,codec - but did it at the lowest cost possible. The idea is that producing professional looking material will lead to paid work, which funds equipment upgrades, which - step-by-step - starts to smooth out those corners I am cutting.
My Equip so far:
(2) Early model Panasonic GH1's - After April 2010/hack does not work!
Manfrotto 501HDV fluid head (mounted on Slider)
Manfrotto tripod - with older Manfrotto fluid head (lightweight)
Igus Slider (1000mm), mounted on two $40 tripods
IndiRails mount - mounted on my own CinéRods (14.5" 15mm rods)
H4n Recorder
Sony wireless Lav kit
Canon FD 135mm/f2.8 , 50mm/f1.4, & 28mm/f2.8 - $400 for all 3!
(2) Lightcraft Fader ND Variable Neutral Density filters- MUST HAVE!
Various accessories/reflectors/bags
Cineform Neo 4k - Ingest to perfect 24p, 16bit Color Correction in Metadata anywhere in the pipeline!
Singular Software DualEyes - OMG! Dual system sync in one click - MUST HAVE
Edit in Edius - realtime everything, great understanding/interpreting to proper online formats.
Sound mastering in Vegas - its just easier there and I can write 5.1 surround deliverables.
Want:
Next generation HD-SLR w/minimum rolling shutter artifacts
Leica Glass
LED lighting kit
Another wireless lav
Boom Mic and pole
Friday, October 8, 2010
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Filmmaking is embarassing.
Getting out there, just do it, trying is better than discussing... these are inherent truths. In the arena of "potential filmmaking" there is a lot of apprehension. I cannot stress enough how important it is to just get out there and start capturing footage, testing your methods, getting your feet wet, honing skills. One of the first things I have noticed when out doing "guerilla" shooting, is how quick things move. You really do not have time to sit around setting gear up, breaking down, and getting the perfect shot. Add to that all camera checks and settings before you hit record, and it can quickly become mind boggling... chances are very high that you will forget to turn on something or set something that is required to get the properly exposed shot. To remedy this confusion, you really have to get out there as much as possible, and develop muscle memory for the camera settings and methods that suit your style of shooting. This is hugely important! You have to devlop a routine, much like a professional golfer. The pros have a very detailed regimen they use for EVERY shot, and they follow the same pattern to the letter, for EVERY shot. This breeds consistency, and fewer mistakes are the result.
There are a lot of distractions. For one thing, this kind of unscripted, run and gun filmmaking, is kind of embarrassing. People passing by, if they acknowledge you at all, give you a puzzled " What are you doing?" look. The "Potential filmmaker" by nature, is not a professional (ie. not getting paid to be on location), which means your gear probably looks a little strange, like a cobbled together jumble of parts that, at a glance, look like a professional rig, but with a second or two to process the situation, quickly reveal the oddity into which you are gazing. "Is that an HV20?" - "What are you doing?"
But here is the trick - keep going, be relentless. Behave as though you have done this thousands of times, like you know EXACTLY what you are doing. Believe in your rig, after all, this is the NEW way of filmmaking. The footage is bound for a 800pixel wide online audience.. so your rig is actually overkill and definitely "good enough". The goal is for you to get good enough to create well composed shots amongst the confusion of run and gun shooting. B-Roll can be an art. There are some shots that can unexpectedly MAKE a short film or concept, so take every shot seriously, and try anything and everything. Don't let a little embarassment get in the way. :)
4.8hrs from Matt Moses on Vimeo.
There are a lot of distractions. For one thing, this kind of unscripted, run and gun filmmaking, is kind of embarrassing. People passing by, if they acknowledge you at all, give you a puzzled " What are you doing?" look. The "Potential filmmaker" by nature, is not a professional (ie. not getting paid to be on location), which means your gear probably looks a little strange, like a cobbled together jumble of parts that, at a glance, look like a professional rig, but with a second or two to process the situation, quickly reveal the oddity into which you are gazing. "Is that an HV20?" - "What are you doing?"
But here is the trick - keep going, be relentless. Behave as though you have done this thousands of times, like you know EXACTLY what you are doing. Believe in your rig, after all, this is the NEW way of filmmaking. The footage is bound for a 800pixel wide online audience.. so your rig is actually overkill and definitely "good enough". The goal is for you to get good enough to create well composed shots amongst the confusion of run and gun shooting. B-Roll can be an art. There are some shots that can unexpectedly MAKE a short film or concept, so take every shot seriously, and try anything and everything. Don't let a little embarassment get in the way. :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
