DSLR Video Planning and Shooting

DSLR VIDEO PLANNING AND SHOOTING
Richard Harrington – Author, From Still to Motion & Creating DSLR Video – RHED Pixel
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Tuesday, September 3, 13

Richard Harrington
‣ RHED Pixel (www.rhedpixel.com)
‣ Adobe Certified Expert & Trainer
‣ Apple Certified Instructor
‣ NAPP Instructor
‣ Creative COW
‣ Project Management Professional
‣ Consult on digital media production
and web content

From Still to Motion
‣ A photographer’s guide to creating video
with your DSLR
‣ Full color case study with hands-on
activities
‣ 6+ hours of training videos
‣ www.peachpit.com/stilltomotion
‣ Free sample – tinyurl.com/fs2msample

Creating DSLR Video:
From Snapshots to Great Shots
‣ Designed for new users and solo shooters
‣ Maximize gear you own and grow on a
tight budget
‣ Situation-based learning
‣ http://tinyurl.com/dslrvideobook
‣ Free sample posted

An Editor's Guide to
Adobe Premiere Pro
‣ Designed for experienced editors
‣ Make the move from Final Cut Pro or Avid
‣ Professional workflow
‣ www.peachpit.com/premiereguide
‣ Over 6 hours of video
‣ Free sample posted

richardharringtonblog.com

photofocus.com

About You

About You
‣ Photographer

About You
‣ Photographer
‣ Videographer

About You
‣ Photographer
‣ Videographer
‣ Designer/Motion Graphics Artist

About You
‣ Photographer
‣ Videographer
‣ Educator

About You
‣ Photographer
‣ Videographer
‣ Educator
‣ Business Owner

Why Shoot DSLR Video
The Benefits of DSLR Video

AESTHETIC BENEFITS
‣ Great Depth of Field
‣ Filmic Image
‣ Creatively Invigorating
‣ Smaller Profile

.
Depth of Field

Depth of Field

FILMIC IMAGE

.
FILMIC IMAGE

Technical Benefits
‣ Lens Selection
‣ Lowlight Performance
‣ Smaller Profile
‣ Tapeless Workflow

LENS SELECTION

LOW LIGHT PERFORMANCE

.
Smaller Profile

Smaller Profile

TAPELESS WORKFLOW

THe CONS
‣ Tapeless Workflow
‣ Sync Sound Workflow
‣ Add-on Gear Essential
‣ New Skills
‣ Focus is Difficult

SYNC SOUND WORKFLOW

ADD ON GEAR ESSENTIAL

Technical Essentials
A Crash Course in Video

Frame Rate Options

Frame Rate Options
‣ 60 fps (59.94 fps)
Common frame rate for 720p HD
Can be used for overcranking

Frame Rate Options
‣ 60 fps (59.94 fps)
‣ 30 fps (really 29.97 fps)
The most common frame rate for
broadcast in the U.S. and other

Frame Rate Options
‣ 60 fps (59.94 fps)
‣ 25 fps
The common frame rate of video used in
Europe and around the world that use the
PAL standard.

Frame Rate Options
‣ 60 fps (59.94 fps)
‣ 25 fps
The common frame rate of video used in
Europe and around the world that use the
PAL standard.
‣ 24 fps (23.98 fps)
A rate that closely matches that of film

Full Frame Sensor Cropped Sensor

In this business...
You will Live OFF Your Gear &
Die WHEN it Fails

Selecting Lenses
Cinema Has Different Demands

Selecting Lenses
‣ You've may have invested in a set of
specific lenses that work well for your
style of photography. We recommend
that you immediately move these lenses
into a video workflow and try them out.
‣ When selecting additional lenses for
video work, you’ll need to be more
varied in your choices.
‣ You’ll likely want range... the ultra wide
lens, a super fast lens for lowlight
shooting, and an ultra long lens to
capture far away action.

Adapting a lens
to your mount
‣ Collecting good lenses can be a life-
long pursuit by a lot of folks.
‣ There are lots of companies that make
adapters that allow you to put a lens
from one manufacture on a body from
another.
‣ No auto-focusing capabilities.
‣ You'll also lose additional lens features
like image stabilization.
‣ Fotodiox and Novoflex

Focal Length
‣ 10mm – 35mm – depending on the
body you’re using lenses in this range
can are a go to for wide-angle shots.
‣ Lot of action in a scene
‣ Establishing shots for a scene.
‣ Let you see the big picture without
having to remove yourself a great
distance away from the action.

Focal Length
‣ 50mm -100mm – Lenses in this focal
range work great for portraits and
interviews.
‣ Be sure that you think abut the effect
of the closeup on your subject.
‣ Do you need makeup? Is the lighting
flattering?
‣ Lenses of this length can start to
show tiny details you may want to
avoid.

Focal Length
‣ 200mm plus – Long telephoto lenses
are great for compressing the
background of scene
‣ Are also ideal when you want to let
action unfold in front of you without
having to actually be in the action.
‣ Additionally we love long telephoto
lenses to get up-close shots of
hands, facial reactions and small
details that really help tell a story.

Aperture and
Lens Choice
‣ One of your main concerns is getting
the fastest lens that you can afford
‣ Fast lenses allow you to work in low
light and be able to still freeze action as
you can work with a faster shutter
speed and lower ISOs
‣ Fast lenses offer a wider apertures
(f/1.8, f/1.2 and so on) the ability to
leverage that amazing depth of field
characteristics of a DSLR sensor

Aperture and
Lens Choice
‣ Faster lens have one major issue –
price. Fast lenses are expensive but
having a few in your bag is essential for
photo and video work.
‣ Trying to use lenses that have an
aperture of f/2.8 or wider.
‣ If you’ll be doing work that always has
quite a bit of light available (like when
working outdoors) than an aperture of f/
4 should work just fine and those lenses
have the benefit of being cheaper.

Aperture and
Lens Choice
‣ Where is the aperture control for the
lens. Some lenses have an aperture
ring alongside the focus and zoom
rings.
‣ This allows you to precisely control
aperture during a shot and is very useful
when you need to stop down in a
situation like walking from indoors to
outside.
‣ Other lenses have electronic aperture
control, meaning that aperture is
controlled on the actual camera body.

Selecting a Camera Body
What to Choose When It’s Video You Want

Selecting a
Camera Body
‣ Which video enabled DSLR you choose
is largely a matter of personal
preference
‣ We highly recommend you actually try
out or test a camera before deciding on
purchasing it
‣ You can't do much with the footage if
the camera doesn’t shoot the frame rate
or resolution that your project requires

Ergonomics
‣ How the camera feels in your hands is
an important part of choosing a video
enabled DSLR.
‣ Size – The body you choose should fit
your hands well.
‣ Weight – Pro bodies (or bodies that
have battery grips installed) tend to be
heavier which provides a nice counter
balance to longer lenses.

Sensor Resolution
‣ When it comes to sensor resolution and
video, don't let the megapixel count
influence your choice of a camera body.
‣ Choose a camera body that meets the
megapixel requirements of your still
images and don’t worry about sensor
resolution for video.
‣ The 21.1 megapixel Canon 5D MKII
that has a max resolution of 5616 x
3744 when taking still photos.
‣ When shooting video at 1920 x 1080,
your effective megapixel count is only
2.1 megapixels!

Full Frame Vs.
Cropped Sensors
‣ A full frame sensor is one that matches
the size of a 35mm film frame
and the sensor is approximately 36mm
x 24mm.
‣ Manufactures like Canon, Nikon and
Panasonic have different sizes for their
cropped sensors or smaller sensors but
generally adhere to standardized sizes
based on the APS (advanced photo
system).
‣ Cropped (or smaller) sensors multiply
the focal range of any given lens.

Full Frame Vs.
Cropped Sensors
‣ As a general rule of thumb, the larger
the sensor the greater the influence on
depth of field (DOF).
‣ Put simply, a larger sensor will allow
you to blur the background easier than
a smaller sensor with the same lens.
‣ A driving force in the popularity of video
DSLRs is that their sensors are
gigantic. Those large sensors allow for
a much greater control in the depth of
field (which many equate to a cinematic
look).

Crop Factors
‣ 1.3 – Crop factor used by Canon on
some of their 1-series bodies that use a
APS – H sensor like the 1D Mark
‣ 1.5 – Crop factor is employed by Nikon
for all of its non-full frame
‣ 1.6 – This crop factor is used by Canon
for their APS-C bodies like the 7D and
the Digital Rebel
‣ 2.0 – A large crop factor ratio that’s
used by Micro Four Thirds image
sensors like the one featured on the
Panasonic Lumix GH1 DSLR

THe GeaR You’ll NEED
Some Must and Nice To Haves

MUST HAVES
‣ Fluid-Head Tripod
‣ Viewfinder
‣ Audio Recording Device with
Microphone

NICE TO HAVES
‣ Camera Support
‣ Fast Lenses
‣ Follow Focus
‣ External Monitor
‣ Electronic Viewfinder
‣ Lights
‣ Matte Box

SMALL HD
Panasonic via AJA

Powering the Camera
Without power, you’re dead

Powering the
Camera
‣ When shooting video, your camera will
need much more power than you
usually use when just shooting stills.
‣ First, you’ll be using the Live View
function of the camera – which means
powering the LCD continuously
‣ Second, to record video, your camera’s
processors and memory card are
working all the time.

Live View Power
Considerations
‣ Your camera’s default settings for the
live view mode includes shutting it off
after a couple minutes. Leave this as is.
‣ It’s essential to have additional batteries
with you when shooting video.
‣ Pack five batteries per shooting day for
each camera body.
‣ If charging batteries is an easy option,
you can get by with less (3 per camera)

Using a
Battery Grip
‣ Two batteries are in use.
‣ Sometimes one is contained in the grip
and one in the camera body. Other
times, two are in the grip itself.
‣ This added power is great for shooting
video because you’ll be using the live
view mode on your camera all the time.
‣ A battery grips often allows you to
change batteries quickly since the
battery door is located on the rear or
side of the grip.

Tethered Power
‣ If you are in a studio or other location
where AC power is available for a
longer period of time, an AC power
adapter is a good alternative
‣ The only downside to them is that it
limits camera movement, especially if
you are on a jib or dolly.
‣ We'll often power a camera with AC
power for stationary shots (like
interviews), then switch to a battery
when on the go.

Camera Monitoring
Knowing what you’re getting

Sync Sound Workflow
Audio will Often Come from Two Sources

Why record
dual sound?

Why record
dual sound?
‣ Internal microphone quality

Why record
dual sound?
‣ Automatic Gain Control

Why record
dual sound?
‣ Difficulty in monitoring

Why record
dual sound?
‣ Difficulty in monitoring
‣ Challenge to keep constant levels

Dual Sound
WOrkflow
‣ Use sync source
‣ Record enhanced camera audio
‣ Record “real” sound with
professional microphones
plugged into a mixer
‣ Record to file-based recorder
‣ Monitor properly
‣ Synchronize in postproduction

PluralEyes
‣ Place video on one track and
audio on another track
‣ Files are synced based on sound,
no timecode required
‣ Audio levels can be normalized
‣ Huge timesaver
‣ www.redgiantsoftware.com
$199

Exposure Triangle
Understanding the relationship between settings

Impact of Light and
Motion on Focus
‣ If you’re shooting a lot of motion,
pay close attention to both the amount
of light as well as the quality of light
‣ The less light that’s available, the larger
an aperture you’ll have to use in order
to record a properly exposed image.
‣ This means that your depth of field will
decrease and it will be much harder to
keep your subject in focus.
‣ If you or your subject are moving, it
get’s even more tricky

The Window
‣ Imagine your camera is a window with
shutters that open and close.
‣ Aperture is the size of the window. If it’s
bigger more light gets through.
‣ Shutter Speed is the amount of time
that the shutters are open. The longer
they’re open, the more that comes in.
‣ Inside the room and are wearing
sunglasses. Your eyes become
desensitized to the light that comes in
(like a low ISO).

Going into a location without
scouting is like shooting with
your eyes closed

Why Plan
An overlooked but critical step

The Purpose
‣ Productions are expensive ventures,
you want to maximize productivity.
‣ Preplanning asks the questions and
determines the solutions before that
expensive day comes.
‣ Takes the concept on paper and puts
a real world face on it
‣ Have a game plan in advance,
schedule, shot list, etc.

Site Survey
Assembling the right team

Who Goes?
‣ Producer
‣ Director
‣ Director Of Photography
‣ Location Manager
‣ Art Director
‣ Electric
‣ Additional department heads

Why?
‣ Everybody has a different set of needs.
‣ Someone has to be responsible to fulfill
all of the informational needs.
‣ Must be prepared to answer questions
essential crew might have the day of the
shoot (or before).
‣ Easier to plan for problems than solve
on the fly.

Gear to Bring On Site Survey
Essential equipment

Digital Camera
‣ Visualize the physical space.
Ceiling height, windows, floors, lighting,
wall color, obstructions, access...
wide shots that show everything.
‣ Pre-visualize shots.
Lenses and aspect ratio as close to the
real format you will shoot.
Your DSLR makes this easy!
‣ You can sample depth of field to hide
background, check for color compatibility,
check requirements of camera placement,
some idea of light quality and placement.

iPhone
‣ PanaScout
‣ Cinemek Storyboard
‣ Compass
‣ A Level
‣ Focalware
‣ The Weather Chanel

Panascout

CINEMEK

FocalwAre

Sunseeker

Measuring tools
‣ Compass
‣ Inclinometer
‣ SunPath software
‣ Calculate sun direction, position,
shadow angle for given shoot day.
‣ SunPath
‣ Helios

Digital Audio Recorder
‣ Record room tone
‣ Useful for evaluation later
‣ Can detect problem audio that often goes
unnoticed

The Internet
‣ Because you’ll always need to look
something up
‣ Laptop
‣ Smart Phone
‣ iPad

What to Accomplish ON Your Site Survey
Don’t leave until you get these things done...

Technical
‣ Find the main power box
‣ Identify power distribution throughout
the building
‣ Locate building engineer
‣ Identify necessary connectors for power
‣ Examine fuses and identify maximum
load for circuits
‣ Check if wall sockets are grounded
‣ Check wall outlets with circuit testers
‣ Determine cable runs and amount of
cable needed

Sun Calculations
‣ Determine sunpath for given shoot day
‣ Determine shadow heights
(if needed) for specific times of day
‣ Identify sunrise, twilight,
dusk, and sunset
‣ Use software or application

Weather
‣ Weather forecasts
‣ Backup location if shooting outdoors
‣ Staging area for gear and crew
‣ Rain gear
‣ Pop-up tents for protecting gear and
crew

Sound
Considerations
‣ Listen for extraneous sounds that may
be present on shoot day
‣ Record room tone for analysis
‣ Determine if control over HVAC
‣ Evaluate control via scheduling
time of day

ART Direction
‣ Anything to move
‣ Anything to bring
‣ Propping
‣ Set alterations
‣ Practical lighting

What To Plan for Creatively
Open your eyes and good things can be found...

What To Plan for
Creatively

What To Plan for
Creatively
‣ Camera position

What To Plan for
Creatively
‣ Camera position
‣ Lens selection

What To Plan for
Creatively
‣ Camera position
‣ Lens selection
‣ Lighting decisions

What To Plan for
Creatively
‣ Camera position
‣ Lens selection
‣ Shot List/ Shooting Order

What To Plan for
Creatively
‣ Camera position
‣ Lens selection
‣ Rigging Issues

What To Plan for
Creatively
‣ Camera position
‣ Lens selection
‣ Rigging Issues
‣ Alternative shooting options

Make a Plan
Get your thoughts on a page

Making a Plan
‣ Site Survey
‣ Storyboard
‣ Sketch
‣ Camera
‣ Shot list
‣ Lighting diagrams

Photoshop for
art Direction
‣ Shoot test shots in a raw format
‣ Organize with Adobe Bridge or
Lightroom
‣ Open in Camera Raw
‣ Color grade to desired look
‣ Share with crew for lighting direction

Crew IS PART OF THE EQUATION
BETWEEN RESOURCES AND
WHAT YOU WANT TO ACCOMPLISH

Gear and CREW
How Much to Bring?

Crewing
‣ Can you do it all?
‣ Minimize delays in shooting
‣ Build multitalented crew
‣ Examine and adjust budget
‣ Add support crew if possible
‣ Audio
‣ Gaffer
‣ Data Technician
‣ Camera Assistant

Gear
‣ Story requirements
‣ Basics
‣ Specialty Items
‣ Jibs
‣ Sliders
‣ Lenses
‣ Power Requirements
‣ Storage
‣ Cards
‣ Drives

Gear
‣ Test your gear thoroughly
‣ Rehearse shots
‣ Test exposure
‣ Test lenses
‣ Work out the bugs
(There are several)

A Gap in Knowledge is
like a Hole In your Head

The POSTPRODUCTION WORKFLOW
There are Extra Steps... But it’s Worth it

The WORKFLOW
‣ Transfer to Field Drive and Mirror
‣ Determine Editing Format
‣ Identify Storage Requirements
‣ Transfer to an Edit Drive
‣ Determine Transcoding Specs
‣ Organize Media
‣ Transcode Media (optional)
‣ Edit

Storage
Requirements
‣ DSLR video footage has a low data rate
‣ Transcoded footage has significantly
higher data rate
‣ Calculate for both camera original and
transcoded footage
‣ Media storage should be redundant
‣ AJA’s Data rate calculator very useful
for calculating storage requirements

PLAN FOR STORAGE
‣ Storage space is consumed relatively
fast.
‣ Canon 5D Mark II
‣ 1920 X 1080 at 30 fps needs
approximately 320 MB of card space
for each minute of footage
‣ A 32 GB CF card will hold about 100
minutes of footage
‣ Often use bus-powered drives for field

Transfer to Drive
‣ Transfer to a reliable drive
‣ Ideally you'll use a RAIDed and
redundant drive, right away.
‣ Make sure both transfers are complete
before reformatting the cards.
‣ Transferring also helps validate the data
integrity of files and can prevent issues
later with a corrupt clip.

Public Service Announcement
Case Study

Resources
Things to help get the job done

http://kelbytraining.com/

bit.ly/DSLRtips

creativeclouduser.com

Richard Harrington
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DSLR Video Planning and Shooting

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