Film tec tips

[stem]

Hi.
I wanted to start a thread where we could discuss and shear ideas regarding filming, techniques and hints so that we could all enjoy the fun and beauty that we as riders experience out there in mother nature

I myself use a Sony HDR-XR105E with wide angle lens and a single foot pod to get rid of my shakyaky hand filming

 

[Pedersen]

Use the POV 1.0. Always with me on the helmet and a remote on the handlebars to start/stop recording. Sad thing is that I often forget to start it, and never get around to edit all the rawmaterial.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YFkoMprAf8

get shots like this..

 

[christopher]

Hi.
I wanted to start a thread where we could discuss and shear ideas regarding filming, techniques and hints so that we could all enjoy the fun and beauty that we as riders experience out there in mother nature

I myself use a Sony HDR-XR105E with wide angle lens and a single foot pod to get rid of my shakyaky hand filming

EXCELLENT IDEA!!

I have a Sony HDR-SR11

My wife is a drama teacher and we have been using this to record all of her performances.

But what has really made the difference for us is this tripod.

This has a remote camera control on it that allows me to run the camera on the tripod WITHOUT ever touching the camera.
Fluid filled head, for SMOOTH Tilt/Pan, and Zoom, Power, Audio controls are on the handle.

This shoots a respectable HD "Home Video", but probably NOT something I would want to use to shoot video to show other people.
Really need something with lenses..

I think the next step might be something like this Sony NEX-VG10 that accepts both the E-Mount and the A-Mount lenses!!

 

[stem]

EXCELLENT IDEA!!

This shoots a respectable HD "Home Video", but probably NOT something I would want to use to shoot video to show other people.
Really need something with lenses..

I hear ya...the guys I ride with wants to pitch in on a Sony Digital Handycam. DCR-VX2000E Pal


The cameras that we use today are of the respectable HD "Home Video" type as you refer to, but I'm wondering if these guys are using lenses or if the colors shown in this video are edited in afterwards?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uyjGCx9xLDs&feature=related

 

[christopher]

Thats a fixed, single lens, camera.
Will never give you the possibilities of one that accepts interchangeable lenses.

 

[IceboundFreeride]

I've been using a Canon HF10 this last season and I strongly recommend it to everyone who's out there making movies!
http://www.trustedreviews.com/camcorders/review/2008/04/26/Canon-HF10/p1

It works much better then expected in winter conditions. The battery time is really good, even in cold weather. And the optical image stabilisation is just great, it almost looks like your using a tripod even with full zoom and it doessn't interfer with image quality. I have also never had any problem with jamming or anything beacause of freezing.

This one also has even better optics than my old camcorder, Canon HV30, which I am really happy with. To bad I can only show you an example of footage from the old camera, not that awesome driving, but the image quality is definetly not bad.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yppi4g6DwLI

 

[stem]

Hmm...I see, but the thing that I've experienced with the type of camera that I my self have end the one you (Icebound) have is that they only record 25-30 frames a second, this will in turn affect any slow mo scenes you might get. The picture starts to "hack" when you turn the speed down. The camera I posted earlier takes 60 frames a second, this will in turn ensure that the slow mo scenes are more fluid and detailed.
But: How do you use the focus to get an object close just slightly out and a moving object in the back clear?

 

[mtn_rider08]

But: How do you use the focus to get an object close just slightly out and a moving object in the back clear?

Manual Focus! Most of the smaller hand-held camera don't have this.

 

[stem]

Okay, stability: As mentioned I use a camera rod which I can expand from 1ft to 5ft, this enables me to film witout getting my "parkinson light" effects on camera.
Do anybody out there got their own solutions for stability to the camera?

 

[polemite.productions]

that tripod above looks like the way to go. i've got a cheap one, and it gets the job done, but a fluid filled head would be much smoother. i've been using an old sony digital 8 camera for years, but finally got something a little better. the sony hdr sr11. i chose it for the price, and the features. its got a manual focus knob, slow-mo setting (high frame rate), and it still has the eye piece as well as the lcd screen. i like using the eye piece in the mountains because it saves on battery life. can't wait to try it out this year.

this little gadget interests me for some quick on the go shots. looks like it would help quite a bit with stability.
http://www.cameta.com/Cam-Caddie-Th...Stabilizing-Camera-Camcorder-Handle-41575.cfm

don't forget that techniques are probably even more important than equipment (although a tripod is right up there). the biggest improvement to my footage came after i learned about the rule of thirds. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rule_of_thirds

and when it comes to editing, clips should be no longer than 3-5 seconds each, unless you throw in an effect of some sort. each time there is a scene change or an effect thrown in there, you reset the audiences attention span. you might not even realize it when you are watching it, but a quick flash on the screen, timed together with a cymbol crash in a song can make a big difference.

i'm no pro by any means, but here is the last project i put together. good times! http://vimeo.com/7447814
ps, reduced quality for the internet killed some of my effects, but you get the point.

 

[stem]

don't forget that techniques are probably even more important than equipment (although a tripod is right up there). the biggest improvement to my footage came after i learned about the rule of thirds. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rule_of_thirds


Never thought about that, good tip! Have tried it out a few times now and what an effect this gives to the picture.

 

[mgeary07]

What Editing programs are you guys having good luck with?

I have done some looking into Pinnacle Ultimate Studio. Has anyone used this?

 

[thierracing]

i got a question

how do you make the hill your climbing look as big as it really is. I always take video of me climbing and the hill looks soo small what can i do to help this?

 

[tudizzle]

get a bigger mountain

 

[Mean Yamaha]

What Editing programs are you guys having good luck with?

I have done some looking into Pinnacle Ultimate Studio. Has anyone used this?

I have Pinnacle Ult Studio 12 Plus and it Blows!!! Very choppy and I have a 8g of Ram on a PC make to do Video editing. I have read alot of complants about this program.. If I were you I wouls steer clean of it.

 

[mgeary07]

I have Pinnacle Ult Studio 12 Plus and it Blows!!! Very choppy and I have a 8g of Ram on a PC make to do Video editing. I have read alot of complants about this program.. If I were you I wouls steer clean of it.

Ok well with that said what do you recommend?!

 

[Doc Zoom]

A couple of pointers.
Camera's:
I find having a viewfinder very important when filming on bright sunny days, its way to hard to see the lcd screen, so make sure you get a camera with one!

If you plan on editing your video, do some research to see if your computer is up to par. AVCHD files found on a lot of cameras these days will bog your computer to a halt if its not the latest and greatest. Sony's HDV footage edits quite a bit easier on slower machines. Or just stay with the old format SD (standard def). Stay away from DVD camcorders too! My main work horse is a Sony Z5U High Def camera with both tape and a media card. I love the new workflow with the media cards, just drag the files into your computer and start editing! My new little B roll camera is the Panasonic TM700 with built in memory. This camera rocks, but uses the AVCHD format.
My editing machine is a PC with a SSD (solid state drive) for the C drive, 2TB graphics drive, 1TB music drive and a raid 0 4 TB video drive. I7 Intel 480X processor that uses all 12 cores and to top it off an Nvidea FX4800 Graphics card and 12 gigs of RAM. I plan on going to an FX5800 graphics card and 24 Gigs of ram in the near future. This system now rocks!
Before a 15 second AVCHD clip would have to render for about 3 minutes before I could work with it. Now I can layer over 10 AVCHD clips deep with any effect and it plays instantly!

As far as editing, try to stick to straight cuts and not to many fancy transitions. Your audience needs to be impressed with the footage not a funky wipe you just did. Audio is also very important, try to use a better mic or wireless mics or just get close to the action.

When filming...I can't over emphasize holding the camera still. Nothing worse than watching shakey footage! Even a cheap tripod helps a bunch.
Learn how to hold your camera properly. I hold mine with both hands and bring my elbows into my belly and chest to help stabilize it.

Hope some of these ideas help! If you have any questions let me know!

If you do have some cool footage and would like to share it with the world, let me know and maybe we can incorporate it into Mountain Mod Mania!

Have a great season!

Doc Zoom

 

[tree climber]

what about still photo film tec. thats what i would like to know more about. it always seems so hard to get a good clean photo in the snow without knowing what settings to use and knowing nothing about photography

 

[polemite.productions]

i got a question

how do you make the hill your climbing look as big as it really is. I always take video of me climbing and the hill looks soo small what can i do to help this?

there is nothing you can do to capture the true impression of how steep a climb is, or how big a jump is. but poor shooting can make it look much worse than it could be.

using the rule of thirds, shoot your subject in one of the bottom corners of your sight picture and keep him there. if you can, try to align yourself so that he is traveling diagonally across your sight picture. at the end of the climb, zoom out for an establishing shot of the hill.

lighting and contrast help too. shooting near some rock exposure, trees, or even just some shadows gives some depth to the shot. nothing worse than a rider held in the middle of the screen on a blank white canvas. might as well be shooting the guy sitting still in a studio.