Yesterday I had one of those “quirks” which I believe not many cameramen/directors have come across. Using multiple cameras recording on different cards, firestores etc.

Usually production would want to get the same camera across the job…but I wanted to push the boundaries a little! Showing that Sony, Panasonic cameras can be used on the same project….and the footage that they shoot can be brought together into the editing process seamlessly.

At the end of day both of these companies are helping each other with competition…and if we can avoid format wars the better for the consumer!

  I had 3*Ex3 (various w/s, c/a’s & c/u’s) and 1*HVX (shooting w/s and main sound as well documentary footage)…all shooting 1080/50i…. . After a quick lesson on the Ex3 with DOP Charlie Meyer…I set up the HVX to shoot on Firestore. The HVX had to record the sound off the mixing desk as there was no CD being produced….people forget that sound is half off it…and, usually, more important than vision as it harder to alter if recorded wrongly. So the HVX had the biggest responsibility, secure in the knowledge that the firestore is a reliable recording device and wouldn’t crash.

 All cameras were rolling and synced just before Jack Savoretti & the Suppliers got up onto Ronnie Scott’s stage….40 minutes and after a storming set…all cameras were still rolling to pick-up interviews with the band.

 With almost 4hrs of material shot…it was time to digitise it all into FCP. Bang…done in 2hrs. No problems whatsoever! P2 cards, ex3 SxS cards and Firestore all in and backed up!! It was the first time Charlie, Mark Rainsforth (editor) and myself had dealt with multi-format HD before…and we were all slightly tense but shouldn’t have worried.

So if you find yourself with EX3 in one hand and HVX in the another…don’t worry they work together.

All one happy family!

Sony EX3's supplied by Central Rental

 

Not much work between Christmas and New Year. Well in Halifax it was kicking off!! Newly formed production company Shot & Chopped were shooting their latest commercial and only had one day to get it in the can.

Harry Sona, the director, wanted to a rig that would travel light yet perform well. They decided to opt for the Canon 7d with Zeiss SLR prime lenses.

This was my first job with the Canon 7d but was lucky enough to use it over Xmas....filming family...and what a camera!
I have to admit I was sceptical as to how these still/movie cameras can perform...it was a delight. Very easy-to-use menu buttons/pages....excellent screen. The Canon 7d really performed well.

Niggles...well yes. The lenses are designed for stills work and therefore the aperture is controlled from the camera dial...and noticeably click stops. No live histogram...which would be useful and camera screen and monitor can't work at the same time...it's either one or the other. "Proper" high quality sound has to be recorded independently...we used the Zoom H4N hand-held recorder.

But saying this...the results we achieved were fantastic.

This camera is great for lo-budget commercials, pop promos but not for documentaries where  situations continously change. I thought the results were so good I am tempted to recommend this camera for upcoming film to use for g/v's, and stings.

Also as a stills camera it is insanely good!

Canon 7d and Zoom H4N were supplied by central rental.

Over the last few months I have had the opportunity to use the Sony EX3 on various productions from Done and Dusted's quick turnaround/multi camera "T4 on the Beach" to corporate videos this camera will probably become the camera of choice for most lower budget productions. It does everything you want from an HD camera from 50fps slo-mo to easy-to-learn functions....it isn't by no means perfect. It is top heavy to hand-hold...the macro doesn't in anyway get close enough to your subject and it's expensive. When budgeting for any prosumer HD camera...always add 2 grand because you are always going to want extras e.g. memory cards, tripods, radio mics etc etc. The EX3 cost 5-6 grand without the bells and whistles...saying that I love this camera and so does everyone else i know who has used it.
I was also able to sling a letus on the front and attach my 35mm primes on.....amazing results.

Let me tell you a story....in 2003 I shot a skateboard DVD in California...part of which was filmed by the Oakley factory. I was told by one of their marketing guys that Oakley was putting it's  money into a microchip that could go into virtually any camera and that it would shoot film quality images at a budget price.....this microchip is now housed into
the REDONE!!

Have to thank my good friend Dave Miller for this one...Dave along with a couple of friends and like-minded individuals have pooled their REDONE cameras together and now are hiring out this landmark camera as well as an excellent range of glass.

Having seen so much stuff shot on it recently....I rushed down to south-central London to check this baby out. And what a camera!!

It's very modular like any Aaton/Arriflex film camera.....and very simple to operate....once you get your head round 2K-4K res....etc. etc. Owning a Panasonic HVX200 myself and having to deal with firestores and workflows...this was easy.

Now REDONE's are top-end cameras and they are heavy and bulky as the rest of them...but I found the menu operations/settings very straight forward to operate. Slap on the lens, hard drive, monitor and you are ready to go.

The pictures speak for themselves and with everyone from Steven Soderburgh-Peter Jackson using them for features incl. Che Guevera...it says alot about how far Oakley have come in 5-6 years since I first got wind of it's development.

It's the camera of  the moment (high/lo budget) and I am looking forward to it's little brother the Scarlet (out next year)!

 

I have got my own HVX200 kit but have been lucky enough to, recently, discover the HVX171. What a great camera. Panasonic have improved many features that made the 200 clunky and maybe some vary of it's full potential. The HVX171 disposes of the dv tape system that makes the camera alot lighter and therefore more flexible. WIth the new P2 cards being circulated firestores are soon going to be a thing of the past...but just in case the 171 has a firewire port. Also what i found really nifty were the BNC outs and waveform monitors...all at the touch of a button.

The 171 is a great pro-am camera...easily up these with it's competitors and perfect for low-key filming.

I used it on a feature film..."Infliction" as a second camera and the director was so impressed with the results...he wanted to take it off me straight away!! Also I have started a blog with TV presenter Jaspar Corbett. He/I feel totally at ease with the 171 that I am sure it helps us with his on-screen performance. It is a very intimate camera that Panasonic..have come up with here.

Please do one without a fixed lens (which I love) so it gives us....the users...the flexibility of hiring primes to put on it's front end!! Then this would be a home-run. Please Panasonic...Please.



Bob Callway