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There are instances where it’s justified to walk away if you’re working for free but it’s impossible to give advice from a distance.
Your safest bet is to give the best you can right n0w – simply because that way you will feel much better once it’s all over. But very hard to give advise without knowing the exact circumstances.
None of the cameras you mentioned has a better sensor and/or will give you better image quality than the S5.
I think it’s a bit harder to get V-Log footage to a good grade compared to REDraw or Braw, but once you found a way, the S-line sensors provide great dynamic range and color.
As already mentioned, a BMD VideoAssist or Atomos Ninja V will let you externally record Braw/Prores Raw for even better image quality.
It looks like all the talents’ skin and hair were brightened with makeup/powder. So set design, costume and make-up combined make for this “chalk-ish” look in the bright scenes.
I’d like to disagree (except about large HMI units won’t be replaced for many years to come).
LEDs are getting better and cheaper at a lightning speed. Even affordable LED film lights already have good color, heck even the newest dirt-cheap Chinese (non) brands get the accuracy pretty good by now. At this point, output punch is pretty much the only thing HMI still has the upper hand and I think large HMI units are the one’s that will stay around the longest.
Btw, I won’t miss the consistent color discrepancies from rented HMI, and needing to swap units or bulbs so often, at all.
The less you have, the more important the quality of the story.
If you have extra money, put it in talented people, proper catering and solid sound. A worthwhile film can be done without any film lights or cinema camera if you’ve got the minds for creative solutions.
Limitation propels creativity.
If you start at zero, there’ll be limitations every minute of your way, so you want the right people on your side to make maximum use of these limitations. Good catering because bodies and minds must be fueled. Good sound because that’s the only thing the audience will not forgive if it’s bad.
I’d also say it depends. On the scale of the production and the ‘culture’. I’ve had colorists crank up my exposure to ‘see more’ despite killing all of the – clearly intended – mood. I don’t even know who’s decision it was because in many productions I am out of the process once shooting is done.
Roger said in this forum that he sits with the colorist through every single shot and overviews the decisions (very minor tweaks in general).
I’ve heard almost every episode and learned so much in each one. There’s a fascination for me to hear from people who are actually great at what they’re doing, so thank you Grant and the Deakins’ for sharing with us. It really feels like a hidden treasure island.
I agree location is important and grey tiles explain the falloff at the back. If you find a fitting location, one of your panels should be enough to recreate this but you’ll need to test.
Your approach was totally normal. Sounds like a guy to stay away from in a collaborative environment like filmmaking. Even if he was right (which he apparently was not), the way he handled the situation is an immediate red flag. In my experience, these people are not only a toxic factor to an already stressful process, but often actually lack skills and try to mask it with such behavior.
“an opengate mode on the Panasonic s1h I can use as an a cam”. I was hoping for that too and tried to contact Lumix about it but I guess they don’t care at this point. My hope is they reserve it for a S1H successor. Open Gate with external Braw recording for use with anamorphic lenses would be a great high quality budget solution.
That’s one of his trademarks, right – make it look so natural that you think it was. Few people can imo.
Roger, I will direct my first feature next year and this advice is great for me as well. Thank you and James very much for sharing your knowledge so patiently with us here.
