Parc Entertainment - A Video Production Company - Birmingham, AL

Editors are happy when they have plenty of footage to work with in post-production. Shooting multiple angles of a particular scene is called coverage, and whether you are producing your own film, or shooting a long-format marketing video, getting good coverage has many benefits:

1. Flexibility - Ample amounts of raw footage gives your editor many options for structuring the story.
2. Variety - Staring at the same shot for too long can bore some viewers. You want your video or film project to engage and entertain and the right amount of coverage will offer fresh perspectives to your audience.
3. Control - In your narrative film project, your main character picks up the newspaper and stares in horror at the headline. The information in the article is a vital part of your plot. So, did you remember to get a cutaway shot of the headline? Shooting the right amount of coverage gives you control over the story. It allows you to direct your audience’s attention to what you want them to see or to understand.

Here are some things to keep in mind about shooting coverage:

1. Scout - Go to the location where you will be filming. Look around. Start blocking the scene. Figure out where you would like to place your camera. How many set-ups will you need? Once you have done your initial scout, make some time closer to the shooting date when you can conduct a tech scout. This is when you and your production team do a final walk-through of the location to discuss each set-up.
2. Utilize Set-Ups - Consider how you can combine multiple coverage shots with one camera set up. For example, if the camera has been set up for a wide dolly shot, can you keep the camera where it is and shoot a lock-down close up as well? How about a pick-up shot of that file folder in your actor’s hand? Can you raise the camera up more on the tripod and get a high-angle establishing shot? Combining coverage shots into one set up will save a lot of time.
3. Start Wide & Work In - It’s always a good idea to get the establishing shots first. Then you can push in and reset the camera for your close-ups and cutaways. That way, if your day runs too long and you lose the location, you will at least have establishing shots in the can. Imagine losing the location and all you have are extreme close-ups and cutaways. The viewer will be disoriented and won’t know the location, the characters in the scene, the time of day, etc.

Taking the time to prepare by scouting and creating a detailed shot list will ensure that you get the coverage you need for each scene. That will make you editor very happy. And it will give you a much better product.

There’s a fine balance that has to be made between delivering a high-end product and maintaining a budget that your client finds reasonable.

Let’s say you’re getting started in your video production business and you need to keep your production costs low to attract new clients. However, you also want to create content with high production values to give the appearance that your client spent more than they actually did. You always want to go for the “wow” factor. So, how can you create videos with great production value while working with a modest budget?

1. Learn everything you can about proper cinematography techniques. One of the easiest ways to make more aesthetically-pleasing videos is to know the basic concepts of cinematography. Video production is a craft. Don’t think that you can pick up a camera and then point and shoot. You have to learn about composition, framing, camera movements, lighting. You have to learn all you can about the camera itself and its functions. Don’t take this first lesson for granted. This is a necessary pre-production task that won’t cost you anything but time, but it’s the foundation for better looking productions.
2. Capture good audio. Nothing spoils a video faster than bad audio. Make careful considerations regarding your locations. Scout them first. Listen for anything in the vicinity that could cause a problem for your audio track. If you can, hire an experienced audio mixer/boom man for your shoot. Even if the crew consists of just you and the sound guy. Trust me, it will be worth it.
3. Keep the crew to a minimum. Your production budget can really spin out of control once you start adding on grips, audio technicians, editors, etc. When you’re starting out, you will need to function as producer/writer/director/DP/editor in order to keep your costs down. However, you have to concede the fact that while you’re on location you won’t be able to do everything yourself. Start off by hiring one assistant to help you with gear. A fair rate for this individual is anywhere from $200-$350 per day, depending on his/her experience.* (a day rate is based on a 10-hour day. You can pay your assistant a half-day rate if you are on location no more than 5 hours.)
4. Develop a shot list. This is a no-cost pre-production task that will save you time while on location. Each shoot needs to run as efficiently as possible. Time is money. So, always write out a shot list before arriving on location.
5. Rehearse before shooting. The less tape you use, the less money you spend. The less footage you put on your P2 card (or other solid-state media), the less space you take up on your hard drive, meaning less money. So, always rehearse with your talent before shooting. Go over the action and the camera moves. Make sure everyone is clear on what’s to happen when the camera rolls.
6. Take advantage of DIY techniques. High-end productions utilize dollies and cranes to create smooth camera movements. Those movements look very professional on screen and ramp up the production value of any video. But that equipment costs money - a lot of money. But have no fear. There are a number of wonderful do-it-yourself resources on the web for creating the same professional look at minimal cost. Just look at our previous post about creating a dolly move without the use of a dolly. Also look at tutorials from sources like Triune Films and read DIY stuff from FilmmakerIQ. Here’s a quick tutorial on creating your own camera car mount.
7. Invest in stock footage. This will be a rather pricy upfront cost, but the resource will quickly pay for itself. Let’s face it - Shooting at the beaches of Mexico would be too expensive. Grabbing that aerial shot over the Colorado Rockies is probably out of reach. But, if you had a library of stock footage, you could quickly plug in that aerial shot when the subject matter calls for it and by doing so you can instantly increase the production value of your video. A good resource for stock footage is over at Digital Juice.

There are a number of ways to keep your costs down while giving your client a video that “wow’s” them. All it takes is a little imagination and resourcefulness. And as your business gains momentum, you can start investing in bigger crews, better cameras, and additional gear.

Shooting under flourescent lights while on location can be a nightmare. First, the light emitted by the bulbs creates a very flat, even, and uninteresting scene. Second, each flourescent bulb gives off light at a different frequency, which can play nasty tricks on your camera’s CCD. For those of you who have been forced to shoot under flourescents, you may have noticed that the color of your footage will gradually shift from a cooler tone to a warmer tone, then back again. Ideally, it would be best to turn off all flourescents while on location and set up your own lights to ensure maximum control over the lighting situation. However, this isn’t always an option - especially if your shoot is more run-and-gun. So, how can you best control the lighting when using your own light kit isn’t always an option?

1. The very first thing you want to do is set a MANUAL white balance. Don’t leave control of the color in the hands of the camera’s auto white balance function. This could make things worse and the color shift could become even more noticeable.
2. Try using a minus green card for your white balance. Flourescent lights will add a green tint to your scene. White balancing off of a minus green card will negate that tint and give your scene a more natural look. However, I’ve noticed that some green cards when used with certain cameras will make the scene look a little too rosy. you may have to experiment here.
3. Adjust the camera’s shutter speed to 1/120. Usually, this will sync up the camera’s shutter with the rate at which the flourescent bulbs give off light, preventing the scene from color shifting. In my experiences, this has worked well with the Canon XL-1s, Canon XL2, Panasonic DVX-100, and Panasonic HVX-200.

Those are a few tips for correcting in-camera. If you ARE able to use your own lights, here are a coupe of additional suggestions:

1. If you are able to use your own lights, but are unable to turn off the overhead flourescents, be sure to add green gel to your lights to compensate for the green tint emitted by the flourescent bulbs. Then, after adding the gel, get a manual white balance.
2. Invest in a Kino-Flo light bank. the flourescent bulbs in a Kino kit emit light at a constant color temperature, so you don’t have to worry about fluctuations in the color of your scene.

Following these suggestions will certainly help compensate for an unpleasant lighting situation. I would also suggest that you visit the forums at Cinematography.com for tons of useful information on camera techniques.

I came across this site today, thanks to the FreshDV blog. It’s called FilmmakerIQ and it has an exhaustive list of tutorials, reviews, insights, etc. on everything pertaining to films and filmmaking. There’s a great DIY section on how to achieve certain effects while keeping production costs low. The site has resources available for any filmmaker, regardless of the stage of production you’re in. I will definitely add this to my Delicious bookmarks.

One of the things people struggle with in the digital video medium is creating a smooth, rich slow motion effect. In film you can simply overcrank the frame rate and create slow motion, free from duplicate frames. If you own the Panasonic HVX or Varicam you can now do the same thing in the HD video world. But what about those shooting DV? Ordinarily when you shoot DV footage, bring it into your timeline, then slow it down, you can tell that frames are being duplicated. The footage doesn’t look quite as sharp and it has a slight jittery feel. Here’s a little trick I learned from reading The DVX Book by Barry Green. First, shoot your original footage in 60i, using a shutter speed of 1/120. When you load the footage into your timeline, slow it down to 40%. This will give you a nice, rich slow motion look with no duplicate frames.

If you looked at video footage side by side with footage shot on film, the average viewer would probably tell you that film just looks better. They may not be able to tell you why, but most will be able to tell that there’s a difference between the two mediums. That’s why videographers have employed techniques to make their footage look more like film, including shooting at 24 frames per second.

Shooting at 24fps is the film standard, while the video standard is 30fps. A few years ago, companies like Panasonic introduced 24p into their video cameras — a setting which allowed video cameras (for the first time) to shoot at 24fps, just like a film camera. The letter “p” in “24p” stands for “progressive,” meaning that an entire frame of video is captured at once, just like it would be in a film camera or a still camera. Before the introduction of 24p, interlaced video was the standard. Interlaced video means that two “fields” are blended together to create one frame. First, the odd numbered lines in a video field are scanned, then the even numbered lines. Put them together and you have an entire picture.

Making 24p available to videographers was a step toward making video look more like film, but there are many more techniques that must be employed besides 24p, like proper lighting, camera movement, and depth-of-field. Now with the rise of HD, 60p is not too far away. 60p means that 60 progressive frames are captured, not just 24. Now there’s a debate on the rise as to whether 24p is a limitation in the face of higher res HD video. Take a look at this article from Videographer and leave your comments.

One of the things I’ve learned when shooting on-camera interviews is that you have to pay close attention to your background and how you frame up your shot. Otherwise the image may not look level.

In most interview situations, you aren’t going to arrange your shot where you are looking at the background straight on. This will make the image flat and uninteresting. You want to create depth by offsetting the camera slightly, allowing the background to recede into the frame.

However, if your background contains a lot of straight lines, like window blinds, door frames, window sills, or bookshelves, your image may look like it’s on a slant although your tripod head is perfectly level. This is simply an optical illusion caused by the placement of the camera in relation to the background. So what can be done about it? The first choice would be to select a location with a different background. However, I understand that this can’t always be done. Sometimes you have to use what you’ve been given. If you can’t change your location…

• Always make sure your subject is level first. Trying to compensate for the background by tilting the tripod head will usually make things worse, because then your subject will look slanted.
• Create more space between the subject and the background. Then zoom in to your subject. Open up your aperture as much as possible. This will throw the background out of focus and will blur the angles in the background.
• Frame out those unwanted straight lines as best as you can. If you can’t, try to find a plant, some books, anything to hide them.
• Try adjusting the angle of the camera in relation to the subject and the background. Creating a steeper angle will force the straight lines to recede more into the background.

As always, some trial and error will occur here as you explore different possibilities. Unfortunately, locations can’t be perfect 100% of the time, but sometimes a slight angle in the background is acceptable. The human eye can make the adjustment if the subject is level and framed appropriately.

I recently purchased the new Panasonic HVX-200a, a recent update to the original HVX-200. I was pleased to see that The HVX Book by Barry W. Green was included with my purchase. This is a great sidekick for anyone using the HVX. He also wrote a companion volume for DVX-100 users, aptly named The DVX Book.

Both books provide valuable information on how to achieve the best results from these impressive prosumer cameras. Every feature of the camera is explained in detail, but Green also provides important technical information that you won’t find in the manuals. He also gives helpful hints on how to use the camera to improve your cinematography skills.

What excited me the most about The HVX Book was a companion CD which contains about 24 different scene file presets.* The presets give the user an incredible amount of options for the way the image looks on screen — the “war epic” setting is a desaturated look, similar to Saving Private Ryan. “Desert” has a bit of an orange cast. “Dark Neo” mimics the look of the Matrix movies. This is a great tool for anyone who uses the DVX or HVX.

*Both the DVX and the HVX have six different scene files. Each scene file is customizable so you can adjust picture saturation, hue, tint, noise, frame rates, etc. Each setting you manipulate is stored within the scene file, so you can create multiple looks at the turn of the dial.

A couple of weeks ago I told you about this year’s Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival’s promotional commercial. I was brought on board as cinematographer. It’s a great concept promoting “10 Years of Independents.” Watch for the commercial on Fox6, Charter, and Brighthouse. Enjoy.

This year’s Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival is rapidly approaching. If you’ve never had the opportunity to attend, I would highly encourage you to do so. The caliber of submissions gets higher every single year, and this year marks Sidewalk’s 10th anniversary (so you know there’s going to be some special stuff).

As always, Sidewalk will soon be airing promotional commercials to garner interest in the festival. What’s special about the promo this year is the fact that I had the opportunity to work on the shoot as Director of Photography. Filament Artists produced. The 30-second spot was filmed with Alabama talent and Alabama crew, right here in Birmingham. Hopefully it will further highlight the talented filmmakers and the growing film production market here in our community.

We shot the commercial with the Panasonic HVX-200 in DVCPro50 format at 24fps. To read more of my insights into this particular camera, check out two previous posts, “First Impressions” and “Some Considerations.” I won’t give away anything about the commercial’s concept. You will just have to wait until it airs. There’s a possibility that the spot will also screen before each film in each venue during the festival. But ultimately that’s a call left up to the good folks in the Sidewalk office. Until then, look for the commercial on WBRC Fox6 and Bright House cable.