first 7d shoot on sunday-what do i need to know?

[Rob Katz]

first 7d shoot on sunday-what do i need to know?

just hired to make short doc for non-profit.

using friend's 7d w/array of nikon primes and 24-70/2.8 zoom.

i have never shot/directed w/dslr.

my friend will be operating. he is very familiar with his rig.

but what do i need to know about the 7d and dslr experience specifically in directing my three talking head exterior interviews?

what do i need to know in creating exterior supporting "b" roll?

there will be sound person on shoot.

any insights are appreciated.

be well

rob
smalltalk productions

[Jerry Porter]

Deleted for not being helpful....

[James A. Davis]

On one of your User Defined slots in the Picture Style settings, lower your Sharpness and Contrast down to 0 (Zero). Take your Saturation down to 2 and leave the Color Tone alone. This gives you a flat image that you can manipulate better in post (it helps with lessen compression in a way). Remember to set your Picture Style on whatever slot you did this before you shoot. Keep the shutter @ 50 (closest to standard film shutter) if you plan for film out. Or 250 shutter for that Saving Private Ryan high jittery shutter look. Make sure you set it on 1920x1080 24p if your going for the film look and 60p if you plan on slow motion shots. Don't go above 1600 ISO unless you want alot of noise and grain.

Hope this helps. Happy shooting.

[Rob Katz]

jerry-

thanks for the heads-up.

circumstances dictate me shooting on sunday so i chose a camera op who knows his rig very well.

i was hoping for insights from experienced 7d shooters that care to share experiences in a system that i haven't used.

that said, i have made over 150 pieces in my career so acquiring 7d insights is now part of a very short window of pre-production.

ymmv

be well

rob
smalltalk productions

[Tom Chaney]

Hey Rob,

Check this out if you haven't already. Great stuff in here.

HDSLR | B&H Photo Online Videos | Podcasts

Regards,

Tom

[Marty Hudzik]

Hopefully your camera operator is aware of this but I find the biggest issue I have with the 7d is it's inability to resolve fine lines and patterns without creating the infamous moire/aliasing look. The most obvious thing is to try to have the talent not wear any clothing with tight patterns. Also, try not to shoot any wide shots of buildings with brick or strong surface patterns. If you are shooting talking head interviews with this kind of background, you should be able to knock it out of focus with the shallow DOF that the lens you described should have. This would at least solve find patterns in your background.

Watch out that the camera doesn't overheat.....long takes for an interview, over and over can lead to this. I find shutting the "live view" off between takes helps immensely.

Lock down on a tripod as much as possible because this seems to keep the moire issues in check. You might not notice the pattern on something that is still, but if the camera is moving....even slightly, the moire pattern starts shifting and changing and "that" is distracting.

Most important, if shooting at f2.8 or lower, double check your focus with a larger HD monitor....do not rely on the 7d Screen...even with a Zfinder. I have found many shots that I thought were perfect onsite proved to be soft on the bigger screen when editing. Of course if you shoot with large sensor cameras I am sure you are aware of this. If you are coming from 1/3" or 1/2" sensors you might be surprised how the shallow DOF we are all pursuing can actually come back and bite you!

If any of this is elementary to you I apologize as I am not sure of your shooting background and wanted to cover the issues that have plagued me when shooting with an APC-S sensor after shooting 1/3" HD for years.


If I think of any other things I'll post. Good Luck.

[Jerry Porter]

Sorry for the snarky response, I was having a bad day yesterday. One of the things that bit me a few times at first was trusting the auto white balance. Don't use is it, take the time to set it on the K setting and double check it. It will make your life in post much easier.

[G. Lee Gordon]

Rob, besides the basics that you probably already know, I would suggest:

-Get familiar with the various picure styles available, depending on your editor and how you plan to tackle post (CC, etc).

- Remember to record with the on camera mike turned on(for referece purposes)

- Plenty of cards.

- When focusing, be sure to use the x10 feature for critical focus.

- Be sure to familiarize yourself so you can change settings on the fly (aperature, frame rate, etc.).

7D is an awesome camera. You should be able to get some beautiful footage which we all expect to see here on the site soon...
...Good luck!