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Danny_Schmidt

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Everything posted by Danny_Schmidt

  1. @julienjarry thanks for putting this together. As a fellow FX6 owner I am always psyched to see what little bits other cinematographers are using on their rigs.
  2. I'd love to know! It seems like we are one firmware update away from unlocking the full potential of the FX9. I often find myself defaulting to my FX6 purely because of the frame rate options in full frame - especially when shooting wildlife. I understand no camera is perfect, and we can't have it all, but it really would be nice to see FF 4K60 at the very least. Obviously I'd be stoked with anything beyond that, but at a minimum I think we need some kind of slow motion capabilities utilizing the full sensor. Thoughts? Ideas? Anyone out there with a crystal ball?
  3. Nice @julienjarry! This is a perfect use for something like the Prism Lens FX Dream filter - love the vibe for this kind of thing. How was it cutting in Davinci for the first time? The amount of times Premiere has crashed on me over the years has me thinking it's probably time to find a new program.
  4. Understandable ... there are so many platforms competing for our subscription dollars these days.
  5. Thanks, Oakley! I'll be sure to post here when it finally goes live this spring.
  6. @DougJensen Thank you! I know you appreciate wild Florida as much as I do. It should also be broadcast on National Geographic Channel eventually as well as Disney+. I'll keep posted when I know more.
  7. Hey All -- Thought I'd share a new feature doc that I had the pleasure of DP'ing that debuts soon on Disney+. It's called Path of the Panther and it's close to my heart. We worked for nearly 5 years to get this film across the finish line and I am so psyched to finally share it. You can watch the trailer below. Drawn in by the haunting specter of the Florida panther, National Geographic Explorer Carlton Ward Jr. and a coalition of biologists, ranchers, conservationists, and Indigenous Peoples find themselves on the front lines of an accelerating battle between forces of renewal and destruction that have pushed the Everglades to the brink of ecological collapse. This odyssey of hope and heartbreak is the culmination of more than five years of field research, 500,000 still images, and over 800 hours of ultra high definition camera trap footage. Against all odds, wild panthers have been stunningly captured in their native ecosystem, as they've never been filmed before. The film is the cornerstone of the ‘Path of the Panther' project, supported by the National Geographic Society and many other partners that inspired the passage of the Florida Wildlife Corridor Act – the first legislation of its kind and a blueprint for addressing habitat fragmentation and species extinction across the globe.This film was shot largely with the Sony FS7 using a variety of Sigma primes and Canon L-series zooms. The (stunning) camera trap footage was all shot on Sony mirrorless cameras (A7R and A7S variations). There are some RED and Phantom VEO clips sprinkled throughout, as well as some drone aerials from the Inspire 2. This film is part of a larger campaign to not only save the Florida panther, but to preserve what's left of wild Florida for years to come. I'd love to hear what you think! Feel free to drop your feedback/questions/etc below and we can chat. Thanks!
  8. I recently joined the world of Apple AirTags, further cementing the death grip Apple tech has over my life. I am resigned to embracing technology when it works for me and these have been pretty handy. I put them on all of the normal things: my keys, my dog’s collar, my bike. But I am wondering how I can use them to better keep track of my gear. I saw this article recently on NoFilmSchool.com that goes through the recent releases from some well-know camera accessory makers that attempt to embed the little AirTag on your camera. For my purposes, I think the SmallRig version could be pretty helpful. It’d blend in well with the rest of the camera cage and seems pretty bomber. The Pelican AirTag Holders are also cool, but I’d want to make sure the whole contraption was hidden well in my case because these don’t disguise the AirTag at all from a would-be tamperer. Is this being overly paranoid? Or is it a good way to protect your camera investment? Anyone already doing this?
  9. @DougJensen I love seeing the pix of the camera / lens build out. There are just so many accessories that we all need to do this job so it's helpful to see how other people kit out their rigs!
  10. One of my favorite docs of the year is The Territory by Alex Pritz. This brilliant film depicts the conflict between Indigenous inhabitants of the Brazilian Amazon and pioneering settlers hoping to profit from the land. If you haven’t seen it, I’d recommend watching now on Disney+. It’s in the running for an Oscar this year and has cleaned up across major festivals, including Sundance. Intentional Filmmaking As a DP and director, I am of course fascinated by the making of a film of this scope. Alex Pritz did double duty on this film - directing and shooting The Territory and crafting an incredibly well-thought out narrative along the way. I wasn’t too surprised to learn that Pritz shot the film on Sony cameras, starting production with the FS7 and then switching to FX6 and FX9 when they came available. Many people assume that all docs are shot in a run/gun way, but I appreciated hearing how Pritz was intentional with his cinematography to reflect the different perspectives that each character had for the land. “Understanding these perspective differences and illustrating them through the film’s cinematography was the central creative challenge in shooting this film. For scenes involving Indigenous participants, we often shot handheld and employed a loose and fluid aesthetic on wider focal lengths. When shooting with the farmer/settlers, we would frequently switch to a tripod with a longer zoom lens to build a more mechanical feeling to our cinematography.” - Alex Pritz The film was shot over several years, but always recorded in Sony slog3. This allowed Pritz and his colorist to further distinguish the characters by creating specific looks for each so audiences could be more deeply immersed in the worlds of the protagonists and antagonists. Decolonizing the Documentary Another thing to point out (spoiler alert!) is that this film was a collaboration between Pritz and the indigenous community. Indigenous cinematographers were trained and empowered to shoot much of the film themselves, lending an intimacy, authenticity, and sense of ownership of their story. I personally would like to see this mode of storytelling and collaboration far more often. It is an effort to decolonize the documentary process and use our skills as filmmakers in the service of collaboration and facilitation of telling other people’s stories. There is a lot more to learn from Pritz in this great article from Filmmaker Magazine. Definitely worth a read. And please go watch this important film!
  11. Well, it’s that time of the year when the ‘Best of 2022’ lists start rolling out and the purveyors of gear start ranking their favorite pieces of kit. I personally love these kind of lists. I love the research and thought that generally goes into the process, but I also can appreciate that much of this stuff is entirely subjective. One of my personal go-to’s for information about the latest and greatest gear for my job, is NewsShooter.com. Although I don’t shoot ‘news’ per se, this site caters to folks working in the nonfiction/factual/doc space and they do a very thorough job. Their ‘Best of 2022’ rankings just came out and the FX30 stole the show in the Favorite Budget Digital Cinema Camera category According to NewsShooter’s Matt Allard, “The new FX30 is Sony’s entry-level digital cinema camera and essentially it is a baby FX3 with an APS-C sensor.” What do you all think? Is the sub-$2000 FX30 your entry level ticket to digital cinema? Are there other contenders this year? Will we see more new cameras in 2023 sporting a S35 sensor?
  12. If you’re like me, and you’re constantly browsing the internet for camera gear, it’s nice to know of a few good used market places for this stuff. I’ve bought and sold used cameras and lenses and accessories in the past and it always feels good to breathe new life into some used piece of gear, or part with something I no longer use. Aside from the obvious Ebay and Craigslist (both of which can be less than desirable...), I wanted to share a few places that I regularly check for used stuff. Feel free to share your experience here as well. BorrowLenses.com LensRentals.com These two well-know online rental houses sell their used gear and have big sales several times a year where things are just plain cheap. I bought an FS7 from BL and used it for 4 years. Definitely made my money back! Another place I look is RedUser.net. This is a forum site based around RED cameras, but if you scroll down you’ll find a handy little thread called “Marketplace: 3rd Party Gear”. This is a treasure trove of high end stuff for sale that gets updated daily. You have to make an account to buy/sell here. Sharegrid.com is another place that I’d feel confident shopping. For those unfamiliar, ShareGrid is a local peer-to-peer rental site. If for instance you live in Miami and need to rent an FX6, you can go to ShareGrid, plug in your location and the camera, and it’ll show you a host of people ready to rent to you directly. Well, you can also list stuff for sale here! I’ve never bought from here directly but I see lots of good deals. Some other well-known spots: Adorama.com BHphotovideo.com Both of these mega retailers also sell used gear. A couple of others that seem promising but I’ve never used: MPB.com is an online buy/sell/trade marketplace that claims to “recirculate more than 300,000 items of used kit every year.” Another thing I like about it is that they photograph every item individually, so the pix you see are of the camera that you’ll actually receive. KEH.com - 180 day warranty sounds pretty sweet …
  13. @julienjarryCongrats! That is a big level-up, stoked to see what you create!
  14. Yep, I think it all depends on the scenario. But shooting on a single prime does offer a fun challenge and perhaps encourages the cinematographer to move around more to shoot a scene.
  15. I agree! When I walk into a doc scenario for the first time, it is nice to have something akin to the 24-105mm. However, I am quick to switch to the 35mm prime once I have a lay of the land. On a full frame sensor, I think it's the best prime focal length for indoor and outdoor scenes with people. This is, of course, completely subjective ... so I'd be happy to hear from someone that prefers the 50mm or something totally different. 28mm?
  16. Hey Doug, Thanks for the reply and your insights. The three lenses that I listed aren't necessarily my favorites, but just a 3 lens set common to photography that also finds its way into the kits of some shooters. I don't personally shoot with the 16-35mm much, but when I have it's been for landscapes, timelapse, sports, and unique POVs that add to the storytelling. I agree that it's not the ideal run/gun lens for doc, but there is a place for big wide lenses depending on the scenario. I own a Sigma 20mm 1.4 Art prime lens that I like a lot and gets a lot of use for big wides, TLs, etc. It is sharp and super fast! I shot a lot with the 24-105mm as well and I agree with your take. What it lacks in character, it generally makes up for in range. My favorite use of that lens was actually the Canon version with the Metabones Speedbooster on my old FS7. That combo was sweet because it gave me the range plus added a stop of light (magically...) and allowed shooting at 2.8. The 70-200mm is an ideal b-roll lens for docs, especially when you're trying to put a little distance between yourself and the action. There will always be a place in my bag for this one! All of these lenses should work in the service of telling the story in the best way possible. I like to think that all of these lenses, from wide to extreme telephoto, find themselves on a scale of subjective to objective. I mean this in so much as how they interpret things for the audience. A wide angle, close up to a subject, allows the audience to feel as if they are part of the action, intimately involved in the lives of the subject. A longer focal length lens feels more objective, and gives a voyeuristic perspective on the action - akin to the audience looking at the scene through a monocular. Overall I prefer shooting full frame with lenses that were intended to cover the whole sensor. That said, I am happy when shooting long lens on the FX9 and can quickly switch to S35 mode and get more out of that 200-600mm!
  17. For those out there working in the documentary space, I am curious what are your go-to lenses? For people just getting started in the world of filmmaking, lenses are an important consideration. Some in the doc world lean heavily on what is known to photographers as the Holy Trinity - a set of three classic zooms that cover most of your range: 16-35mm, 24-70mm, 70-200mm. Between these three lenses you can accomplish quite a lot. The widest end might be good for establishing shots, landscapes, etc. The 24-70 could be a good run/gun verité lens. And the 70-200mm is a classic you’ll see in many cinematographer’s kit used for b-roll, interviews, close ups. In recent years I’ve switched to shooting mostly on primes, both for the image they produce and for the challenge that it presents. I enjoy learning how a 35mm or 50mm interprets the world and moving myself and my camera to achieve a different shot, rather than just zooming in/out. Of course, the needs of the production and the desired aesthetic will often dictate these choices for you, but it is fun to experiment with how different lenses change the perspective for the audience, and your experience as a filmmaker. All of this is subjective and there is no right/wrong choice when it comes to picking lenses. But I will say this: cameras come and go, but generally the investment you make in good glass goes a long way. What are you shooting with?
  18. Much of my work these days is filming wildlife so I wanted to share my current FX6 long lens build. We talk a lot on this forum about how great the FX6 is for shooting wildlife (4K 120, cache record, etc) so I won’t go into that here. Mostly I wanted to point out some crucial pieces of gear. There isn’t much on the internet that explains these things, so hopefully this helps!  The first, and perhaps most crucial, piece of kit is a proper tripod. These long lens rigs can get pretty heavy and very prone to shaky footage, so having a solid fluid head is really important. I use the Cartoni Focus 22. None of the heads in this range are cheap, but I guarantee that if you take care of it, this piece of camera gear will outlast everything else you buy. The next piece is the 18” Dovetail plate from Wooden Camera. This piece attaches to your tripod plate/tripod head. Atop the dovetail is a Wooden Camera bridgeplate that you can slide back and forth along the plate to achieve optimum balance on the tripod.     I use 24” stainless steel 19mm rods that plug into the WC bridgeplate. These allow for the Wooden Camera lens support to prop up the lens. Attached to the camera is the Tilta Baseplate. If I wanted to, I could use 15mm rods with this baseplate to attach a follow focus, etc. You can see that I have a focus ring on the Sony 200-600mm lens for this purpose.     The Sony 200-600mm has been a great wildlife lens. With the focus gear on there, it helps to slow down the fly-by-wire focus system when you’re not using AF on the lens. I like a big monitor for filming wildlife. It lets me achieve critical focus, exposure, etc. I’ve been using the SmallHD 702 Touch.   The monitor and the camera are powered by the amazing Hawk-Woods 150w v-mount batteries. I love these things. They are compact, but super powerful and have d-tap for the monitor. Have any questions? Suggestions? These setups are always a work-in-progress. Let’s see those rigs!
  19. I wanted to share the trailer to a documentary I had the great pleasure of working on, called YOUTH v GOV. I was one of a few DPs on this long form doc project directed by my dear friend and stellar filmmaker, Christi Cooper. We shot the project almost entirely on Sony cameras (mostly on the work horse FS7) and Canon lenses. Hats off to Christi for seeing this project through and for keeping this beast on track over the years. Making a feature is no small task, but Christi rallied and continually set up her team for success in this important storytelling mission. A bit about the film: YOUTH v GOV is the story of America’s youth taking on the world’s most powerful government. Armed with a wealth of evidence, twenty-one courageous leaders file a ground-breaking lawsuit against the U.S. government, asserting it has willfully acted over six decades to create the climate crisis, thus endangering their constitutional rights to life, liberty, and property. If these young people are successful, they will not only make history, they will change the future. The whole film is available on Netflix, but you can watch the trailer here! #SONYFS7
  20. I have been working as a cinematographer/camera operator since 2012, and over the last 10 years I have come to realize, that if you want to play the long game in this industry, you need to take care of your body. For many years I’d throw big cameras up on my shoulder and shoot 10-14hr days of verité, observational docs and nonfiction TV. It didn’t take long for the consequences to come to light, namely a very sore back, shoulders, and neck. The first time I gave the EasyRig a try, it was a rented unit for a 10-day shoot. As soon as I put it on, I knew it was a game changer. In fact, I called the rental house right then and told them to bill my card for the cost of the vest because I was going to make this a keeper! (that's the face of someone no longer in back pain!)  The EasyRig is a simple contraption that you wear that supports the weight of the camera as it dangles out in front of you. There are lots of kinds, brands, etc - but the basic premise is the same: the weight of your rig is distributed much more evenly across your waist and hips, effectively taking the camera off of your shoulder. Now there is a common myth about the EasyRig that needs dispelling. It’s not a steadicam. It does not offer any sort of counterweighted, spring loaded functionality that you see in a modern steady rig. In fact, if you attempt to walk and film with your EasyRig at the same time, you'll realize that the footage might be worse than if your camera was just shoulder mounted. What I love about the EasyRig: You can shoot all day on the thing with much less strain on your neck and backYou can take your hands off of your camera to make adjustments, fix a lav, drink some coffee, etc.They work amazingly well on boats! Very nice to be able to grab a railing, etc when things get choppy.For long OTF (on-the-fly) interviews they are an amazing tool. Often times your producer doesn’t know/appreciate how hard it is to hold a camera steady for those things. Never tried one? Rent an EasyRig for your next shoot and you’ll see what I mean. Sure they are expensive to buy, but so is a nice tripod. Your body is the only one you get, so a few thousand dollars shouldn’t deter you.
  21. How do you like shooting with that RM1BP Remote? Does the focus work pretty well with a cam like the FX6? I could see this being handy for wildlife/long lens scenarios when grabbing the lens or camera to hit record or to pull focus could cause shake.
  22. Time-lapse is a filmmaking technique where a cinematographer shoots a series of still pictures (generally of the same frame) at a chosen regular interval for a series of time. These pictures are then played together in sequence, showing an event unfolding in rapid speed. Think clouds racing across the sky, the frenetic race of cars in a city, or a flower blooming. Basically, it’s a trick made possible by the camera that shows us something we wouldn’t be able to see with the naked eye. People have always been able to shoot these with their video camera simply by hitting record for a length of time and then speeding up their video in post. Digital photography presented a better, and more controlled way to do it by taking single frames on a DSLR or mirrorless camera and then compiling the images in a program like After Effects, Davinci, or Premiere. This is still the leading way to create time-lapses in my opinion, but it is also far more tedious and requires a lot more work in post to bring it all together. Sometimes, it is easier to use the tool you are already shooting with. Enter, the FX6. The FX6 has a built-in interval shooting mode that allows you create time-lapses within the camera. You can choose your interval and how many frames you want to record. I always just choose one frame - this is what you’re doing when you use a DSLR to shoot time-lapse, so it makes the most sense to me. A more creative decision is which interval to choose. A shorter interval (1-3s) is going to create slower movement overall. A longer interval (5-10s) will speed up the motion even more dramatically. Experiment a bit with what works best for you, but I prefer something a bit slower, in the 3-4s range so the movement isn’t so frenetic and crazy. Set up your shot, choose your interval, and then hit record. Boom! That is all there is to it. Now you just need to sit back and let the camera do it’s thing. When you hit stop record, the time-lapse file will appear in your thumbnails for you to watch. One thing to remember: you need to let it run long enough to get a useable shot. If you want a 10 second time-lapse in 24p, you’ll need 240 frames. If you’re shooting a frame every 3 seconds (20 frames per minute), you’ll need to let the time-lapse run for twelve minutes. Math! Have you ever used the interval feature in your camera to shoot time-lapse? How did it go for you?
  23. Hey Doug -- I've been super impressed with the AF capabilities as well, especially for wildlife. Thanks for putting this video together that lines out the settings so well.
  24. Hey! Thanks for the reply. I did use an onboard mic on the FS7. It was important to get all the skate noise!
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