First DSLR Shoot - Need Advice

MichaelPaul

MichaelPaul

I'm about to embark on my first project shot on an DSLR.

I previously shot a feature on miniDV using a Panasonic DVX100A, 24p, Anamorphic. I mic'ed the project with a simple boom plugged into one of the camera's XLR inputs.

In hopes of learning enough to attempt a second feature, we're shooting a short this October (less than a month away) on a Canon 5DmkII. I've done a lot of small things with the camera, but never in the chaos and the pressure of set and full cast.

In addition to the 5D, I have two canon lenses.
28-300mm f/3.5-5.6
50mm f/1.4

and a CowboyStudio Shoulder support.

I do not yet have my audio solution and lighting figured out. Not having a dedicated audio or lighting guy I'm kinda flying blind there. I have been looking at the Beachtek adapters but would love to hear from someone who has used them.

Most all of the photography will be indoors, but with a fair amount of movement. No tripod shots.

I'm looking for advice, pitfalls to watch out for and general suggestions from people who have successfully shot DSLR before.
 
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Just completed a 5d short myself.

Your main issue is going to be focus. Indoors, using a lot of handheld, you are going to be pulling your hair out trying to keep focus. From a stationary camera, with a follow focus, if you can get the talent to hit marks consistently and you have somebody pretty good pulling focus it's not that bad. The thought of trying to do it mostly handheld makes my ulcer bleed just thinking about it. You can minimize this somewhat by using a LOT of light, allowing you to do most of your shooting in the f4 and above range.

"Not having a dedicated audio or lighting guy".
The second (lighting) will make your job exponentially harder. The first (not having a dedicated audio guy) virtually assures you will be ADRing the entire film.
 
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data wrangling becomes very important.

managing your cards, and since is 5d its CF cards, so Its unlikely you have enough cards and spares to shoot your entire features, so downloading and backup becomes important.

Indoor is good, presuming you have electricity so having a laptop with an attached external drive and card reader should be doable.

http://www.hurlbutvisuals.com/blog/2009/12/16/a-media-manager-has-your-back/
 
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The Beachtek adapter isn't enough, in my opinion. As you can't monitor the audio being recorded to the DSLR itself, there could be issues that you don't even notice until you're reviewing the footage after the shoot. Due to this recording audio separately is a necessity.
 
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It's quite hard to tell whether ur in critical focus on the camera screen. I would recommend a viewfinder or a monitor but i understand if that's out of the budget. Movement is going to make it even harder but check by using the zoom function and do some extra takes even when u feel uve nailed the shot bc the last thing u want when viewing it on ur laptop is to realize that everything from the lighting to the performance was right but the shot is just slightly out of focus.
 
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Ernest Worthing said:
It's quite hard to tell whether ur in critical focus on the camera screen. I would recommend a viewfinder or a monitor but i understand if that's out of the budget. Movement is going to make it even harder but check by using the zoom function and do some extra takes even when u feel uve nailed the shot bc the last thing u want when viewing it on ur laptop is to realize that everything from the lighting to the performance was right but the shot is just slightly out of focus.
Click to expand...

...especially with a 5D in my experience.
 
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Focus is going to be an issue, as many people have already noted. You probably don't have it in your budget for an HD monitor, but a decent Z-finder can be bought for pretty cheap.

Here's the other side of the issue, though. You mentioned a shoulder support, but no follow focus?

And, finally, this kind of shooting requires a great deal of practice, to pull off successfully.

With all that in mind, I recommend you keep a wide depth of field. Save the shallow depth of field for the static shots, or when there is very little movement. f8 will keep your depth of field pretty wide; f12 would be even better.

As far as sound is concerned, I don't recommend the Beachtek, or any of it's competitors, for this camera. Even if you turn the AGC off, this camera still records really crappy audio (and you can't monitor it, which is essential). In my opinion, you simply must get an external recorder.
 
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Gonzo_Entertainment said:
We had a script monkey watching pretty much everything on a 22" monitor and there were STILL scenes where we had slightly missed focus pulls we didn't notice until post. That shallow DOF comes at a heavy heavy price to be sure.
Click to expand...

But doesn't it make you feel better when watching most one hour dramas on television when they have focus issues? I see it more and more, especially in one of my favorite shows, Criminal Minds.

It's not easy, that's for sure.
 
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You guys certainly aren't going to help me sleep at night. Focus worries have definitely been giving me the night sweats. I did pickup a cheap viewfinder eyepiece from Cowboy Studios off Amazon but have not tried it out yet. I'm definitely going to have to light brighter and shoot wider than I had wanted. I've looked at a lot of follow focus rigs but they're always budget busters for me. Is there a more affordable one out there that someone has experience with?

In regards to audio. If the Beachtek's are so poor what is a good audio recorder to use separate from the camera and what audio sync issues could I be up against later?

For cards I have 2x 64GB cards and 1x 32GB. I have 4 batteries and will have a laptop and external hard drive on site with a second drive to backup to once I'm home. (one of the benefits of shooting indoors). How much time will a single 64GB card get me roughly?

Thank you all for your suggestions. This is incredibly helpful.
 
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Shooting with a fully open aperture (ie. @ f/1.4 on your 50mm) is tricky, especially if you're following.

I'd suggest stopping it down a bit. You can still get that shallow DOF look at higher apertures, but it'll allow more room for error.
 
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Thanks for the video suggestion Sin Eater. Very clever. I tracked them down online and ordered a couple. We'll see if it actually works. Thanks also for your suggestion FrankLad.

From what I've gathered it'll be best for me to over light and stop down, and hope for the best.
 
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From what I've gathered it'll be best for me to over light and stop down, and hope for the best.

In general terms, yes. More light means lower ISO which is cleaner image, more light is also the ability to have a little deeper DOF when you want it. If you want shallower DOF you can always crank down the ISO more (if you have room to do that) or dim the lights (or even pop on an ND filter), and one up the aperture for that shallow DOF. It's a luxury it's nce to have. It's just not always possible to bring that much light to bear on our budgets. It takes lights, it takes skilled grips, it takes setup time. Sometimes you just have to open up the aperture more than you want to and try to pull focus.
 
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As an extra sidenote...

Variable neutral density filters are REALLY handy on fast lenses. Particularly in situations where you've got lots of light.

There are some expensive ones out there (Singh-Ray), but I've gotten excellent results out of the less-expensive ones (Fader ND, et al).

Really nice for moments where you want a slower, more filmic shutter speed, AND a more open aperture... you just twist the VND filter to cut down on the amount of light entering the lens.

Although maybe not something you'll need for the given situation, I figured that info might help later on down the road.
 
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