The DSLR Filmmaker's Handbook: Real-World Production Techniques

By Barry Andersson

Learn to shoot professional-quality HD footage with your DSLR Camera

The DSLR Filmmaker's Handbook, 2nd Edition is the expert guide to getting professional movie-making results with an HD video-enabled DSLR camera. Fully updated to reflect the latest technology, this updated edition provides guidance toward best practices and techniques that maximize results. Shooting HD video with a DSLR has many benefits — and also a few tricky drawbacks — but this guide gives you the insight and training you need to overcome these challenges as you learn what to anticipate, how to work around it, and how to fix imperfections in post-production. Award winning independent filmmaker Barry Andersson walks you through the shooting process and shows you what to do before, during, and after filming to ensure high quality results.

Most of today's DSLRs have the capacity to shoot HD video. This, combined with incredible low-light capabilities, shallow depth of field, and relatively low price point make these cameras an extremely attractive entry point for would-be independent filmmakers. This book shows you how to exploit your DSLR's capabilities to produce beautiful film, with step-by-step expert instruction.

• Understand the limitations of DSLR video
• Learn what to plan for before filming begins
• Exploit HD capabilities to maximize the film's visuals
• Produce professional-level, film-quality footage

With thorough explanations and expert instruction, The DSLR Filmmaker's Handbook, 2nd Edition is the training you need to start shooting beautiful HD footage.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Wiley
• Release date: Mar 11, 2015
• ISBN: 9781118983515

Book preview

Copyright

Copyright © 2015 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana

Published simultaneously in Canada

ISBN: 978-1-118-98349-2

ISBN: 978-1-118-98350-8 (ebk.)

ISBN: 978-1-118-98351-5 (ebk.)

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except as permitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, [phone], fax [phone]. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, [phone], fax [phone], or online at http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions.

Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: The publisher and the author make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this work and specifically disclaim all warranties, including without limitation warranties of fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales or promotional materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for every situation. This work is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional services. If professional assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought. Neither the publisher nor the author shall be liable for damages arising herefrom. The fact that an organization or Web site is referred to in this work as a citation and/or a potential source of further information does not mean that the author or the publisher endorses the information the organization or Web site may provide or recommendations it may make. Further, readers should be aware that Internet Web sites listed in this work may have changed or disappeared between when this work was written and when it is read.

For general information on our other products and services or to obtain technical support, please contact our Customer Care Department within the U.S. at [phone], outside the U.S. at [phone] or fax [phone].

Wiley publishes in a variety of print and electronic formats and by print-on-demand. Some material included with standard print versions of this book may not be included in e-books or in print-on-demand. If this book refers to media such as a CD or DVD that is not included in the version you purchased, you may download this material at http://booksupport.wiley.com. For more information about Wiley products, visit www.wiley.com.

Library of Congress Control Number: 2015930540

TRADEMARKS: Wiley, the Wiley logo, and the Sybex logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and/or its affiliates, in the United States and other countries, and may not be used without written permissionAll other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book.

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Credits

Acquisitions Editor: Mariann Barsolo

Development Editor: Kim Wimpsett

Technical Editor: Robert Corell

Production Editor: Dassi Zeidel

Copy Editor: Linda Recktenwald

Editorial Manager: Pete Gaughan

Production Manager: Kathleen Wisor

Associate Publisher: Jim Minatel

Book Designer: Mark Ong, Side by Side Studios

Compositor: Maureen Forys, Happenstance Type-O-Rama

Proofreader: Amy J. Schneider

Indexer: Ted Laux

Project Coordinator, Cover: Patrick Redmond

Cover Designer: Wiley

Cover Image: Courtesy of Barry Andersson

Dedication

To my kids, who put up with me, inspire me, challenge me, and make me laugh every day. I love you both more than you will ever know.

Acknowledgments

I could not have written this book without the help and support of many people. First, I need to thank Janie L. Geyen, who coauthored the first edition of this book. Without her tireless dedication, patience, passion, and support, this book would have never made it off the ground.

I also want thank my kids, Trinity and Stonewall, for being so patient with me during the whole writing experience as well as being good subjects in so many of the examples and testing over the past couple of years.

I must also thank the contributors, Michael Heagle and Daniel Brown. Michael wrote the chapter on fixing it in post and did a superb job of making the subject matter of post-production seem to be no problem at all. Daniel wrote the entire section about shooting underwater photos and video. His many years of experience were invaluable and distilled to a point where we believe anyone reading his tips will be well on their way to top-quality underwater images.

I also want to thank some of my close friends who allowed me to share some of their invaluable knowledge with their permission. Shane and Lydia Hurlbut and their top-of-the-line Hurlbut Visuals Elite team were awesome. They are leaders in the field and helped us tremendously in better learning the DSLR video cameras and workflows; I also gleaned information from their blog at www.hurlbutvisuals.com. Additionally, Chris Fenwick, editor extraordinaire, was invaluable in helping with a simplified workflow for compressing final images and getting them ready for multiple devices. Thanks to Scott Sheppard for the many hours of assistance in helping set up test after test and being a sounding board for everything from lenses to editing to compression to color and more, to Milo Durben for his invaluable knowledge of gripping and rigging and the patience for all the images we had to take during the course of writing the book, and to Jack Boniface for being a great sounding board and a great help with consulting on the audio portions of the book.

I also cannot thank enough our cast and crew of The Shamus for their outstanding performances and their patience in working with a young technology so early in the DSLR game: to our actors, Charles Hubble, Greg Hain, Emily Tyra, Sarah Richardson, Sam Landman, Sasha Andreev, and the many other outstanding actors; and to our crew, Michael Dvork, Ryan Dodge, Tammy Hollingsworth, Deena Graf, Thomas Popp, and the rest of the gang who helped make the film such a joy to work on.

Additional thanks to Julien Lasseur, Anne Gaither, Jeff Lalier, Antonio Aguirre, Rachel Weber, Michael Patrick McCaffrey, David Svenson, Scott Citron, Richard Schleuning, and Nocole Balle from Carl Zeiss, Brian Valente from Redrock Micro, Rick Booth and Dan Ikeda from Tiffen/Steadicam, Garrett Brown for his lifetime dedication to the perfection of movement in film, John Peters, Matthew Duclos from Duclos Lenses, Joel Svendsen from Rosco, Steve Holmes, and Lee Varis.

Lastly, I have to thank my great friend and DSLR video champion Mitch Aunger and his website Planet5D.com. It is the must-read blog and information resource on the Web. Bookmark the site and visit it often.

Of course, the book wouldn’t have been possible at all without the Sybex team: Mariann Barsolo, acquisitions editor; Kim Wimpsett, developmental editor; Dassi Zeidel, production editor; Linda Recktenwald, copy editor; Amy Schneider, proofreader; and the compositors at Happenstance Type-O-Rama. I also want to thank the technical editor on this edition, Robert Correll.

About the Author

Barry Andersson is an award-winning independent filmmaker and trainer. His career started with live television video production, ranging from international live interactive broadcasts to live sporting event production. About the same time Andersson started in video production, he also started to produce and direct 35 mm motion-picture short films. Working with everything from ½″, ³/4″, Beta, and high-definition video to 8 mm, 16 mm, and 35 mm motion-picture film, he has knowledge of both the video and traditional film workflows. Early in his career he shot over 100 weddings and since then has directed several award-winning short films, several television pilots, episodic television, numerous commercials, and one of the first DSLR feature films. Mr. Andersson’s client list includes ESPN, PBS, Discovery Channel, NBA, Disney, Skype, and Samsung Electronics, to name a few.

Follow Barry Andersson:

Instagram: @barryandersson

Twitter: @mopho_barry

Facebook: www.facebook.com/barryanderssonpro

Introduction

This book is a culmination of untold long hours fiddling with cameras and trying to get a shot to work on a variety of DSLR cameras. Since the first edition, these methods have been honed and battle tested over the course of close to 100 productions ranging from low-budget to Fortune 100 companies.

The transition from shooting with film or standard video to working with a DSLR is an exciting and daunting prospect. It is a combination of technological knowledge and a lot of trial and error. This arena is constantly changing as innovations are added or new cameras enter the market. However, we are at a point where there is a DSLR core knowledge base that will provide a foundation for any project. Currently, most DSLR knowledge comes from word of mouth or from some blog or forum that I once read. Tips and disinformation are given equal footing, and ultimately everyone is stuck holding a camera on the first day of shooting wondering whether the information that they have been gleaning in bits and pieces is actually going to work. This book cuts to the chase; if it’s in here, it’s going to work. This book attempts to cram that core knowledge of DSLR video into one volume.

It offers information on every subject that you need to be aware of to shoot a DSLR project. This book addresses the practicalities that a filmmaker needs to know to actually be able to complete a DSLR project or that a videographer needs for a shoot. You will find out how to pick gear, set up the gear, and choose and manipulate lenses and various tools to improve your shooting. As you plan all aspects of your shoot, the book will give you direction to ensure that you have your bases covered. Whether you have never worked with DSLR video or you have DSLR video experience, we cover how to create a professional, high-quality project from start to finish and help you avoid pitfalls that might hurt your final project.

Obviously, at times, further knowledge or proficiency is necessary. For example, we can tell you about a Steadicam rig, but you will need to practice using a rig or test your motion needs with an operator in order for it to function correctly. We can highlight various editing workflows, but when you get your footage, you will need to have a working knowledge of editing in order to edit it.

This book is for anyone who wants to shoot a DSLR project whether it be a feature film, a wedding, or any other production. This book does not cover film theory, ways to break into Hollywood, or how to start your own wedding videography business. What we do cover are ways you can best use DSLR cameras, lenses, and other accessories to help you create a professional-looking project.

Who Should Read This Book

As the title implies, this book is intended for people who own or want to shoot video with DSLR cameras. However, we strive as much as possible to make most of the information as camera platform neutral as we can. Much of this book can be used regardless of the camera platform you end up shooting with. However, people who want to shoot with DLSR video probably fall into two basic groups:

Independent filmmakers trying to get the film look on an affordable budget

Photographers who are looking to start shooting DSLR video but have never worked in the video world or the motion-picture film world

We are making certain assumptions regarding the reader here:

You are familiar with using a video, film, or still camera.

You are interested in diving deeper than the factory settings on the camera to achieve a certain look for your video.

You have a rudimentary understanding of movies and the visual language of movies.

For the purposes of this book, an independent filmmaker is not only a filmmaker as in Hollywood movies but also a videographer who creates or wants to film documentaries, music videos, weddings, commercials, or corporate videos. As for still photographers, we assume many will have little to no knowledge of video, editing, and the effects that motion will have on the lens choice in the final image. If you are a photographer with more exposure in this arena, then you are ahead of the game, but there is still plenty of practical advice, tips, and tricks you can benefit from before you head out on your shoot. If you are an aspiring filmmaker, then you will find out what you need to successfully prepare and shoot, as well as what problems to watch out for before you start your next film.

With The DSLR Filmmaker’s Handbook, we aim to provide a clear overview and pitfalls of the DSLR video workflow. We will touch on various camera types, lenses, and more, but on the whole there are practical advice and tips regardless of what camera and/or equipment you use. We hope this encourages people to dive in and test the DSLR video capabilities and not be discouraged with any limitations of the technology. Use the new technology as a challenge to create the very best video possible, and feel free to learn from our mistakes and successes.

As with any technology, DSLR cameras will continue to evolve and change. You can contact me directly with your questions via Twitter or my website at www.MophoRentals.com. Additionally, I am a guest blogger on my friend Mitch Aunger’s website at www.Planet5D.com. Make sure to stop by to keep up to date on any new cameras, equipment, or workflows that evolve after the printing of this book.

What Is Covered in This Book

Here is a glance at what is in each chapter:

Chapter 1, Fundamentals of DSLR Filmmaking, is key. Whether you are a person familiar shooting with standard video cameras, a still photographer, or a filmmaker, there will be overlap in equipment and vernacular. However, there are some unique processes, gear, and workflows that apply specifically to shooting video on DSLR cameras.

Chapter 2, Gear and Recommendations, helps you decide what camera is the best fit for you, tells what gear is available to help shoot your next film, and offers our recommendations for what you should use for your next project.

Chapter 3, Testing and Custom Settings, helps you control the look of the image, which is a first-order goal of the filmmaker. Accurate color, the ability to create a look, and the proper way to set up the cameras are all part of the DSLR workflow.

Chapter 4, Cameras and Lenses on Location, covers cameras and lenses since the DSLR platform has exponentially expanded the number of available cameras, lenses, and formats that a filmmaker can work with. It is now more important than ever to understand the tools and be aware of the available choices and the reasons to choose your camera and lenses.

Chapter 5, Camera Motion and Support, covers not just equipment but also a method for adding movement and motion to your shots. See what type of equipment is available, explore best practices for creating the motion, and learn how to plan for the equipment you will need in order to get the shot you want.

Chapter 6, Lighting on Location, covers lighting, from available natural light to full-on professional lights and lighting setups. Check out best practices and things that will help you achieve a better image.

Chapter 7, Sound on Location, provides suggestions for working with DSLR cameras, which is totally different from working with traditional video cameras. DSLR cameras should be treated much more like film cameras, where the best option is to record audio on a separate device for maximum quality.

Chapter 8, Organizing and Storing Data in the Field, covers how to handle your data. With a little forethought and planning, you will save tons of time and headaches later in post-production. Don’t skip what might seem like a boring chapter.

Chapter 9, Troubleshooting, helps you be aware of the common issues when shooting DSLR video and that there are problems and limitations (but nothing that you can’t work around). Knowledge is power in this sense, and the more you know, the easier it will be to craft the way you shoot your film so you can be successful.

Chapter 10, Converting and Editing Your Footage, shows you how (and when) you need to convert your original footage, best practices for backing up your footage, and how to get organized for the edit. If you are unfamiliar with editing, this will get you started (but is not a comprehensive how-to on editing).

Chapter 11, Audio Crash Course, covers everything from syncing audio and video all the way to how to ADR lines that you didn’t get or didn’t turn out in post.

Chapter 12, Color Correction and Grading, covers not just the look of the movie but also correcting color problems and creating a seamless image that is technically satisfactory and ready for you to show to an audience.

Chapter 13, Compressing Your Film, looks at how you can compress your film so it looks as close as possible to the uncompressed version you edited and so it can be viewed in the best-quality compressed version no matter whether you show it online, on a DVD, or in a theater.

Chapter 14, Post-Production Looks, covers many common problems that come up during shooting that need to be fixed in post. We look at the top issues both for DSLR video shooters and for video in general.

Chapter 15, Workshops, covers some tips and tricks for shooting underwater, for shooting in or at a moving vehicle, and for changing your video speed to achieve the cinematic look you want.

How to Contact the Author

I welcome feedback from you about this book or for suggestions about books you’d like to see from me in the future. You can reach me by writing to [e-mail]. For more information about our equipment rentals, for consulting inquiries, or for questions regarding hiring me for work, please visit www.MophoRentals.com and/or www.barryandersson.com.

Sybex strives to keep you supplied with the latest tools and information you need for your work. Please check the book’s web page at www.sybex.com/go/dslrfilmmaker, where we will post updates to the book’s content should the need arise.

Chapter One

Fundamentals of DSLR Filmmaking

c01uf001.tif

When choosing to shoot with DSLR cameras, you need to know some of the basics. Whether your background is with a traditional video camera, as a still photographer, or as a filmmaker, you’ll see some overlap in equipment and terms you are familiar with. However, some unique processes, gear, and workflows apply specifically to shooting video on DSLR cameras, so don’t just skip ahead and assume you know everything.

Features of DSLR Cameras

Until Nikon released the D90 in 2008, buyers had to choose between a digital still camera and a digital video camera. Filmmakers were using film or traditional video cameras for production. When the D90 and, quickly afterward, the Canon 5D Mark II were released, you finally had the ability to shoot digital stills and HD video on the same device. Since then, every major camera manufacturer has added DSLR cameras that can shoot video.

At the time, HD video on a still camera was controversial. A lot of photographers worried that improvements to the still camera would be limited because it seemed all the attention was being placed on the video side of the camera. Independent filmmakers took one look at the early footage and realized the vast potential of this new technology. HD video has been around since the 1990s but was practically available only on traditional video cameras. The design and function of traditional video cameras prevented a lot of the cinematic qualities that traditional film cameras provided.

DSLR cameras allowed filmmakers to easily and inexpensively use interchangeable lenses to craft the look of their film more like traditional filmmaking. These factors, along with an available shallow depth of field and low-light capabilities, were not available on most traditional video cameras. These issues, coupled with the price and quality of the video image, helped supersize the growth of the DSLR market.

As stated previously, since the launch of the Nikon D90 and the Canon 5D Mark II, manufacturers have released an endless string of DSLR cameras that shoot video. The still/HD video hybrid has become the norm for capturing video. You can now just compare models and find the right functions and price point for your project and start shooting.

Sensor Size

If you are not a photographer and not accustomed to dealing with sensor sizes, let’s put it in motion-picture film terms. Sensor size is a bit like choosing whether to shoot on 8 mm, 16 mm, Super 16 mm, 35 mm, Super 35 mm, or 70 mm film. Just as you would with motion-picture film stock, you choose your sensor size based on your budget, the depth of field, and the aesthetic look for your film. In general, the bigger the sensor, the more expensive the camera (just like 35 mm or 70 mm film); the smaller the sensor, the cheaper the camera. This is a generalization, because some higher-end cameras have smaller than full-frame sensors.

A full-frame sensor is approximately the same size as a single frame of 35 mm film from a traditional still film camera (Figure 1-1).

Any non-full-frame sensor is referred to as a crop sensor (Figure 1-2). These sensors vary in size but are smaller than a single frame of 35 mm film from a traditional still film camera.

c01f001.eps

Figure 1-1: A full-frame sensor and 35 mm still film are the same size; the sensor area is 36×24 mm, or 864 mm².

c01f002.eps

Figure 1-2: A crop sensor is smaller than 35 mm film. The Canon APS-C sensor area is 22.2×14.8 mm, or 329 mm².

The sensor size affects the grain in your image, the light sensitivity, and the depth of field aesthetic for that camera. At the time of this writing, there are two dominant sensor sizes: full-frame sensors and APS-C crop sensors.

c01f003.eps

Figure 1-3: Nikon APS-C (left) vs. Canon APS-C sensor (right). The Nikon sensor is also used by Pentax and Sony. Notice that the Canon APS-C sensor is slightly smaller than the Nikon APS-C sensor.

APS-C is currently in all non-full-frame Nikon cameras and the Canon 7D Mark II, EOS 70D, and Rebel T5i. To make things slightly more confusing, there is a slight difference between the Canon APS-C and Nikon APS-C sensors (Figure 1-3): specifically, the Nikon APS-C sensor (22.2×14.8 mm, or 329 mm²) is slightly larger than the Canon version (~23.6×15.7 mm, or about 370 mm²).

c01f004.eps

Figure 1-4: Field of view comparison between full-frame sensor (blue) and crop sensor (red)

If you are using a crop sensor, be aware of how this affects your lenses. When you’re shooting with lenses from traditional 35 mm film cameras, the field of view will not match up with the given focal length on the lens. This is due to the fact that the sensor is smaller than the area the lens would normally be filling when shooting with 35mm film or a full-frame sensor camera.

Some people say that the focal length will be changed when used on a crop-sensor camera, but that is not accurate. Standard still lenses were designed so that the field of view would cover the full frame of the 35 mm film (Figure 1-4). A crop sensor is smaller than a standard 35 mm film frame, and when a standard lens is used, the field of view is greater than what is captured on the sensor (Figure 1-5). This creates a magnification effect. For example, your 50 mm lens will have a narrower field of view. This does not in any way change the actual focal length of the lens, just how much of the area of view is captured (Figure 1-6).

c01f005.tif

Figure 1-5: Full-frame sensor captured with an 85 mm Zeiss lens

c01f006.tif

Figure 1-6: APS-C sensor in the same camera position with the same lens. Notice the magnification effect as compared to the full-frame image in the previous figure.

The various sizes of crop sensors have their own multiplication factor specific to that size of sensor; these are referred to as either the crop factor or the focal length multiplier. Specific crop factors range between 1.3 and 2 depending on the size of the sensor. The way the crop factor is determined is a simple division of the size of the sensor by a full frame. For example, a full-frame sensor is 36×24 mm, and a Canon APS-C sensor is 22.3×14.9 mm. Dividing 36 by 22.3, we get 1.614, which we round to 1.6. If you are using a standard 24 mm wide-angle lens on a 1.6 crop sensor, your field of view is more like what you get with a 38 mm lens than with a 24 mm lens. This can hurt you if you are shooting in a really tight location, because you may not be able to achieve a wide enough angle.

The APS-C crop sensor is almost identical in size to the standard 35 mm film that Hollywood uses. So, don’t get worried if you have a crop-sensor camera. Before you decide which camera you should buy, look at some footage from the cameras you are looking to shoot with and choose the one that best aesthetically matches the movie you want to make. Decide the speed of film (ISO on your camera) and the grain tolerance (sensor size), and choose as you would between standard film stock, Kodak Vision stock, and so on.

Full-frame sensors are, for a variety of reasons, the most desirable, and the Canon 5D Mark III and the Sony A7s are the two leading cameras in the DSLR space with full-frame sensors. The great part of the full-frame sensor is that traditional 35 mm film lenses retain their true focal length. If you have your trusty 35 mm or 50 mm lens (or any lens, for that matter), then there is no learning curve for what image you will get. It will look the same as when shooting still images.

A good thing to note when comparing a full-frame digital sensor to 35 mm still or motion-picture film is that a full-frame digital sensor is in fact larger than 35 mm film. In reality, a full-frame sensor is almost equivalent to a VistaVision frame (Figure 1-7).

c01f007.eps

Figure 1-7: VistaVision film frame (left) vs. 35 mm film frame (right)

VistaVision

VistaVision was created in 1954 at Paramount Pictures; 35 mm motion film stock is 24×36 mm, whereas the full-frame digital sensor is 36×24 mm.

In VistaVision, instead of recording an image horizontally from edge to edge of 35 mm motion-picture film, the image is recorded vertically, allowing a much larger area of the film stock to be used for each frame. The main benefit is a much higher-resolution image and the possibility of a much greater depth of field.

Because of the lack of speed of the film stock circa 1954, usually productions blasted the scenes with light to create a large depth of field and usually didn’t take advantage of the ability to have a narrow or shallow depth of field. Thus, if you watch VistaVision movies like Alfred Hitchcock’s North by Northwest, you won’t see a shallow depth of field because they lit everything with mega Hollywood lights. Because DSLR cameras are so sensitive, now for the first time filmmakers are able to shoot at narrow depths of field previously not seen on a mass scale.

Table 1-1 lists the dimensions of the most common DSLR sensors; Figure 1-8 compares those dimensions visually. Figure 1-9 compares various physical film sizes.

Table 1-1: Sensor dimensions

c01f008.eps

Figure 1-8: Comparisons of sensor size

The major benefits of using a camera with a full-frame sensor are that it is more light-sensitive, creates less noise in your image, and offers the ability for a narrow depth of field.

More Light Sensitivity The reason that a camera with a full-frame sensor has more light sensitivity is simple—there’s more space for light to hit the sensor and bigger pixels collect more light (photons). The full-frame sensor has more than double the area of the APS-C crop sensor. The bigger (fatter) pixels catch more of the light than the smaller sensors.

Less Noise By having the larger pixels to catch the light, the camera doesn’t have to amplify them in order to match the same ISO from a smaller sensor. Think of it as blowing up your image. The larger the image you begin with, the less noise in your final print. The larger the sensor you start with, the less noise in your final footage.

Depth of Field Most filmmakers were never happy with the look of video. When HD came into existence, it was touted for its clear and sharp image. Many filmmakers didn’t like the look because it didn’t look cinematic. That all changed with the release of the first DSLR cameras. The ability to have a shallow depth of field and the more natural color rendering of flesh tones made HD video desirable to many filmmakers who previously disliked the look of HD video.

c01f009.eps

Figure 1-9: Various motion-picture film sizes

Depth of field is what we unconsciously think of when we want something to look cinematic. Look at your favorite movies to see how much you see of the background in any given shot. You will see that many scenes have a shallow depth of field where the background is more or less out of focus. With a traditional home video camera, you always have a deep depth of field, and when you view your footage, you will find that most things are in focus almost as far back as you can see. This is because sensors in home camcorders are small and the lenses are not fast so they have a bigger aperture than a DSLR camera.

The larger the sensor, the more shallow the possible depth of field; the smaller the sensor, the deeper the depth of field will be. Also, shooting at lower f-stops will cause a shallow depth of field vs. a higher f-stop on any sensor size.

With DSLR cameras, you can now create films just like Hollywood does. As a matter of fact, DSLR cameras have now been used to shoot major Hollywood film theatrical releases, many leading TV shows, and even many images you see when watching sports. You can choose a lens and paint with light just as filmmakers have since the dawn of the movie industry. And that is why shooting on a DSLR camera is revolutionary. We are making movies that look just those we have been watching for as long as the medium has existed.

Frame Rates

Current DSLR cameras offer a range of frame rates depending on which camera you buy or rent. Let’s talk for a moment about the standard frame rates in both film and video production. We call these frames per second (fps). These are the most common, or standard, frame rates:

24 fps is the standard rate at which motion-picture film gets run through the camera. So, any movie that is shot on film that you see in the movie theater was shot at 24 fps and is the holy grail of the film feel of your footage.

25 fps is the standard in most of the world (outside the United States and Japan) for video broadcast. This is close to the film look and was widely sought after in video cameras in the United States for filmmakers looking to get away from the 30 fps look of U.S. video cameras.

29.97 fps is the standard for broadcast in the United States. Most people refer to this as 30 fps, but there is a huge difference between 30 fps and 29.97 fps when it comes to broadcasting or viewing your footage in traditional formats (that is, TV, DVD, VHS, and so on).

30 fps is the standard more or less for web video. On the Web, there are no rules for frame rate. The Canon 5D Mark II originally was able to shoot only 30 fps and was limited to web-only video or complicated transcoding that doesn’t always work without problems.

Slow motion would be any frame rate greater than 30 fps. The two most common frame rates on DSLR cameras are 50 fps and 60 fps. This means you are recording double the number of frames as you would at 25 fps or 30 fps, and you can (in post) play these shots back at half speed smoothly, giving you slow motion.

fps and p vs. i

Many times fps is not listed next to your frame rate. Instead, you will see the frame rate of 24, 30, and so on, and either the letter i or the letter p will follow it. For example, if you want to shoot at 24 fps, you can select 24p, which stands for 24 frames per second progressive.

When you see 60p vs. 60i, the p stands for progressive, and i stands for interlaced. Interlaced video records every other line, whereas progressive records a full-frame image. For example, 60p means you are recording 60 full-frame images each second, whereas 60i means you record half an image each second, so you end with a total of 30 full frames.

You might hear a few other terms related to frame rates. For example, NTSC stands for National Television System Committee and is the analog television system used in North America, South America, South Korea, Taiwan, Japan, Burma, the Philippines, and some other Pacific islands. NTSC has been the standard for more than 50 years in broadcast media in the United States and represents a 4:3 aspect ratio (think of the standard TV image, that is, non-wide-screen models) and a frame rate of 30 fps (also 29.97 fps). Both 30 fps and 29.97 fps are referred to when talking about NTSC. Although 30 fps was the initial standard for NTSC in 1941, in 1953 with the introduction of color television, the committee required a slight reduction in frame rate down to 29.97 fps. This reduction was needed because of visible interference with the chrominance signal and the sound signals over the airwaves. (In June 2009, the United States transitioned from analog to digital transmissions, and the new standard is called ATSC, which includes the digital formats 16:9 and 1920×1200 resolutions.)

ISO Settings

What is ISO? ISO represents how sensitive the image sensor is to the amount of light available. The higher your ISO, the more sensitive the image sensor is, thus increasing your ability to get shots in low-light situations. By raising your ISO rating to shoot with less light, you will be adding more noise or video grain into your image. Just note that often when you change one setting you are not changing just one thing—likely you are affecting something else by your choice. This is why it is critical to know all the basics and how they all interact so you can make sure you understand and predict what the end result will look like in the video image.

ISO is mostly an issue when you are shooting in low-light situations. If you are outside on a bright, sunny day or if you light your scene, you will be able to stay with a lower ISO. Think of ISO as a tool to help you capture an image if you aren’t in ideal conditions or if you don’t have enough lights to illuminate the scene.

Which ISO settings are available will differ from camera to camera.

If you have a still-film background, you may be more familiar with this being referred to as the ASA rating. ISO is the digital-photo equivalent of a film stock ASA rating.

As the famous quote states, You can’t have your cake and eat it too. There is a trade-off to high ISO settings: noise. When you boost your sensor’s sensitivity by selecting a higher ISO, you are enabling the camera to record a fainter light signal. By enabling the camera to record a fainter light signal, you, at the same time, are allowing the camera to record the fainter noise signal. Noise is defined as any signal that is not attributed to the light from the subject you are shooting. Noise appears as colored pixels usually most visible in the shadows and dark areas of your footage.

The sensor in your camera is an analog device and as such will create some noise itself in capturing your footage. This, coupled with the increased ability of the sensor to capture the light signal and noise signal, creates the visible noise in your captured footage. If you ever shoot high ASA film stock, then you have grain instead of noise; in general, film grain is acceptable, whereas digital noise is considered bad.

Your sensor size and camera manufacturer determine the range of ISO settings available on any given camera without being affected by noise (at least noticeable noise). The signal-to-noise ratio (or the S/N ratio) is the amount of light (signal) captured in relation to the amount of noise captured. This is why, in general, the larger the sensor, the less noise present in your footage. The reason for this is the number of pixels and their density on the actual sensor. Look at various camera models, and you will see that the manufacturer has placed a rating of 8 megapixels (MP), 10 megapixels, 12.1 megapixels, and so on for the sensor of those cameras (a megapixel is 1 million pixels).

This can be a bit deceiving, though, because it’s possible for two cameras—one that has a crop sensor and the other a full-frame sensor—to have the same megapixel count. In this case, the manufacturer has crammed the same number of pixels on the smaller sensor as on the larger sensors. This causes the pixels to be much closer together and affects how much signal (light) can be captured through each pixel. For instance, consider an 18 MP Canon 7D (Canon APS-C sensor) and a 16 MP Canon 1D Mark IV APS-H. You might think that because the 7D has more megapixels, it would yield a better image. Actually, the 1D Mark IV, with only a 16 MP count, will yield a better (less noisy) image because the pixels are less densely packed on the larger sensor.

So, you cannot look just at the megapixel count; you also need to look at the sensor size and the density of the pixels in the camera you want to use. The best possible situation is a full-frame sensor with a high megapixel count. If you are looking at cameras that share the same sensor size but have different megapixel counts, you may want to rent both cameras and shoot some footage to test the noise signals and see which one gives you the better image for your project.

Features of SLR Lenses

The lens is the eye of your camera; what is captured in the lens is what will end up on the screen. Shooting with a DSLR opens up the world for most videographers who were limited by a single lens or complicated adaptations, and filmmakers are curious to see how a familiar lens interacts with the new system.

Because the choice of lens is the single most important decision you will have to make for every single shot, it is important to start with the relevant basics. Here we will talk about the lens choices and how they affect your final footage.

Aperture, f-stops, and t-stops

Aperture (the measure of the space that light passes through in the lens) is measured in f-stops. An f-stop is a ratio or fraction, so smaller numbers mean more light. Often lenses are considered fast or slow: a lens with a low-numbered minimum f-stop is considered a fast lens because it allows in more light (or, put another way, you can use a faster shutter speed). A lens with a large minimum f-stop number is considered a slow lens.

The sequence of f-stops follows an unusual pattern; this is a typical sequence:

f/1.0, f/1.4, f/2, f/2.8, f/4, f/5.6, f/8, f/11, f/16, f/22, f/32, f/45, f/64

Each stop represents a change of half the size greater or lesser than the adjacent aperture; so, f/2.8 lets in twice as much light as f/4.

The reason for these apparently strange numbers is that the aperture opening is essentially a circle, so each successive f-stop is calculated by dividing by the square root of 2.

There are also half-stop and third-stop calculations, which allow for even greater control of the amount of light passing through the aperture opening and the exposure. If you see other numbers between the standard full stops, these represent half or third stops.

An f-stop is a geometric calculation between focal length and aperture, but light can be lost within the lens or optics. This loss will usually be more apparent with zoom lenses or when shooting with multiple lenses. The determination of a t-stop is used to handle this loss of light within a camera system. A t-stop is a true stop or transmission stop and measures exactly how much light is making it through the lens to the sensor. A t-stop is a simple measurement of actual light and deals only with exposure, not depth of field. In general, t-stops will not be an issue, but certain lenses are calibrated in both f-stops and t-stops.

Cine-Style Lenses vs. Photo Lenses

Cine lenses were lenses originally designed with the goal of the recorded image being projected in a theater. A good cine lens is designed to be incredibly sharp and has amazing glass that transmits light nearly flawlessly with high resolution and often low contrast. Cine lenses were also designed to fit a 35 mm movie film print, so if these lenses are used on a DLSR camera (Figure 1-10)—where the sensor is larger than 35 mm motion-picture film—vignetting will occur. Also, cine lenses may be marked with t-stops instead of f-stops.

c01f010.tif

Figure 1-10: A cinema-style lens on a DSLR camera

One of the main differences of cine lenses from traditional still photography lenses is that cine lenses are matched sets optically: they have matching t-stops, barrel size, focal length, and back focus throughout the set of lenses. This means there is no change from lens to lens when switching from one cine prime lens to the next. Still lenses are not always matched, and the f-stops, barrel sizes, focal lengths, and so on can change from lens to lens. Another feature of a cine lens is properly calibrated marks for distance, and on cine lenses there are usually more than on a still lens.

A cine lens is designed with focus in mind and has focus gearing. The lens has a wider and smoother range of movement from one focus point to another than a still lens. This increased turning distance is necessary for various focus changes within a shot. A cine lens is designed so that it can be manipulated by a second person and can be done with extreme accuracy because focus is even more crucial when the image is going to be projected in a theater.

A cine lens also has internal focus. As you obtain focus, the lens front does not move forward because cine lenses utilize internal focusing. Cine lenses do not breathe much, or at all, as you focus.

Breathing Lenses

This phenomenon happens in some lenses (both prime and zoom lenses): when you focus the image, it temporarily appears to expand and reduce. If you are doing a rack focus from a foreground image to an image in the background and you have a lens that breathes, you will not get a smooth rack focus from the foreground to the background. The only way to find out whether your lens breathes is to do a rack focus and see if it does it.

Some cine lenses may still have slight breathing problems, and some photo lenses won’t breathe. Testing is always critical because breathing is more apparent when the image is projected.

Cine lenses also do not have hard clicks and have a step-less aperture for f-stops. This feature means that you can set the f-stop exactly at the level where it needs to be with no need to move to the next level in order to get close.

Hard Click for f-stop

Most still-camera lenses have spring-type mechanisms that click as the aperture setting of the lens is turned. The click indicates that the next f-stop setting or step has been reached, and the f-stops are generally accurately set. Importantly for moviemakers, this also means that only the preset f-stops can be used.

In Chapter 4, Cameras and Lenses on Location, we’ll tell you how to de-click a lens.

c01c0f011.tif

Figure 1-11: Zeiss CP.2 lenses are modified still lenses that are housed in a cinema-style body that allows for measurements on both sides of the lens and a longer focus throw for better focus pulling.

Lenses can be put into cine-style casings (Figure 1-11), or you can get a cine-style lens that is easier to use when shooting video. A real cine lens is more expensive than a comparable still lens. Cine lenses are also quite heavy and can feel cumbersome to use, especially if used with added matte boxes or other accessories.

Photo or still lenses are and should be used for DSLR video because they give you great results. The advent of high-quality DSLR cameras and options for the filmmaker has opened the floodgates on lenses that can be used. Traditional still lenses are now being used to shoot movies. There are some noteworthy differences between a cine-style lens and a still lens.

In general, the focus and zoom on photo lenses are designed for quick adjustments for stills. The movement is not going to be incorporated into the shot either with a zoom or with a focus change, so the focus and zoom on a still camera can sometimes be too sensitive for easy motion on video. This means the focus on a still lens may change drastically by moving the focus ring only a small amount. This small amount of movement can make pulling focus and smooth zooming difficult but not impossible. Some photo lenses also have the focus, zoom, and aperture ring set in the opposite direction of a cine lens and so shifting between lenses forces you to shift more gear around or mentally take note of the shift. Some still lenses rely on the camera settings to make aperture changes, which limits the aperture range that can used for the shot. So just like with cameras you need to use trial and error to find the exact lens or lenses you