Film Technique for the Digital Age

The more things change... the better off you'll be knowing some of these classic DP techniques

Tim Rhys and Jennifer Wood | Published October 5, 2003

Marcus van Bavel

The Players With partner Randy Barbato, Fenton Bailey has directed and/or produced a number of documentary projects, including The Eyes of Tammy Faye and Monica in Black & White. His latest film, Party Monster, co-written, produced and directed with Barbato and adapted from their earlier documentary of the same name, premiered at last year's Sundance Film Festival and was released theatrically this summer. ■ Garett Chipman, co-founder of Frazier Chipman Entertainment, has worked in all facets of film and TV production. Most recently, he directed the short One Door Down, which he shot on the Canon XL1 and edited on Final Cut Pro. For more info on Chipman and his projects, visit www.frazierchipman.com. ■ After performing cinematography duties on The Blair Witch Project, Neal Fredericks has become one of the indie world's most sought-after DPs, with more than 25 films to his credit. Some of his recent projects include Robert Napton's The Legend of Diablo, Daniel Zirilli's Vengeance and Zachary Hansen's Killer Me. For more info, visit www.reelmind.com/camopdp. ■ One of the elder statesmen of the modern indie film movement, Rick Schmidt has written, directed and produced 18 features and is the author of the classic book, Feature Filmmaking at Used-Car Prices (Penguin Books). His latest book, “Extreme DV,” is due out in 2004. For more info on Schmidt and his Feature Workshops, visit www.lightvideo.com. ■ Marcus van Bavel is owner of DVFilm Digital Transfers, a digital transfer facility in Austin. He is also the author of Shooting Digital, a guide to independent moviemaking which is available online at www.dvfilm.com/book. ■ With more than 30 years and 50 projects to his credit, cinematogrpaher Howard Wexler has worked in virtually every film and video format, including 16 and 35mm film, as well as Mini DV, DVCAM, Digi Beta and High Definition. For more information on his work, visit www.howardwexler.com. s

Randy Barato & Fenton Bailey (standing)

MovieMaker (MM): From an “equipment” standpoint, what's the best way to improve the production value of a digital movie?

Marcus van Bavel (MVB): The “yawn” answer would be that it depends on the budget. The highest resolution camera, the classiest dollies, cranes, lights, reflectors, etc. all add to the production. Every dollar you put into the camera/grip package goes on screen, unless your camera crew eats turkey for lunch and wanders in a Tryptophan daze.

I would say the most useful things are the ones that keep the camera steady, like the tripod, jib arm, dolly and crane. Many of the projects we transfer to film are shot handheld, however. With the incredible lightness and lack of mass of the typical digital camera, the results have a jerky, “inertia-less” feeling that does not translate well to film. Aliasing (the jagged edges on curves and diagonal lines in a bitmap image) and low resolution are the results of shaky camera movement, and despite how way cool it looks on television, it does not perform well on the big screen.

Rick Schmidt (RS): To improve a DV movie, go the extra step of trying to achieve the best sound quality by purchasing or renting high-quality mics (Sennheiser, etc.). Add a professional boom pole and a mixer, plus a sound person who knows his craft. And have a radio mic/lavaliers on hand to free up the actors for more 360-degree action (the transmitter/receiver of many radio mics slip right onto the top accessory mic slot of most DV camcorders). With better sound, your issues/52/images will actually look crisper.

Fenton Bailey (FB): Lighting. It's still all about lighting, or “unlighting” (lighting in reverse), since a little light goes a long, way—digitally speaking.

Garett Chipman (GC): Using the proper lighting is key. Having the right bulbs, wattage and wavelength is essential for the type of look you want in DV.

Howard Wexler (HW): Use warm cards for color balance control, a good tripod and head, flags, scrims, diffusion material and have a well-equipped sound department.

Neal Fredericks (NF): I try to employ a wealth of different soft-source lighting units, specifically Kino-Flos. These give off virtually no heat and are easy to set up and control. I can also attach gels to them and switch between tungsten and daylight globes. With Kino-Flos I can make the picture look aesthetically pleasing, but also allow the director more time with the actors. Set-up time can be very efficient and allow the director a creative freedom in the camera angles. By the way, I have applied the same technique to shooting 16mm and 35mm and can shoot just as fast.

What specific grip/gear usage tips can you give to a moviemaker who wants to achieve high production value on a DV movie?

Garett Chipman

MVB: Pretend your camera weighs 50 pounds; that's how to get a “cinematic” look. Get the biggest and heaviest of everything.

4K HMI's did not become obsolete with the digital camera. They're still the best way to punch out a city street or the side of a building, and don't count on a full moon to do that for you. They're also the only way to shoot daytime interiors on a soundstage. Shooting a set in a studio is still the best way to get the outstanding performances and art direction that make a movie stand out, and you need decent lights to do that.

RS: If you're going for a “commercial” look, one small light can make a great deal of difference. If you shoot with your own DV camera and are recording sound yourself at the same time, always wear earphones so you can monitor sound. You'll find that you compose your visuals using the sound quality as a navigational tool. When sound is good, you keep your framing. As soon as it drops off, call “cut” and reframe, making sure that dialogue is overlapped or that action continues through the edit-point. Carefully monitoring sound helps you create a series of shots that cut together into a sequence.

GC: Lighting is key. Again, using a monitor is essential. With DV cameras being so light, you need a rock solid tripod—nothing flimsy!

HW: Good coverage is usually more important than lighting.

MVB: Even though it's a post-production process and must be done in a professional lab or post house, timing your final picture in a “tape-to-tape” session through a da Vinci color correction computer will give you the options to achieve high production values on a DV movie. I advise every director I work with in the DV format to seriously consider this process.

What about general aesthetic advice?

MVB: Avoid unmotivated pans, tilts and zooms. By “unmotivated,” I mean camera movement that is not following action. Nothing is more distracting and irrelevant than pointless camera movement. Tell the story in the most straightforward way.

RS: Don't try to copy any existing style or structure of filmmaking. If you are shooting DV, you are at the beginning of an entirely new medium, with freedoms to explore, transitions to invent and new artistic truths awaiting. Cinema artists can forge ahead without censoring themselves for some vague notion of what Miramax, Hollywood and Sundance want. Always dig for the truth of what you are telling, whether recording fiction or non-fiction. As with The Celebration, the truth will set you free.

FB: Close-ups, close-ups, close-ups.

Neal Fredericks

GC: Know what you want the look to be before shooting. Know what you can do in post. Do not have the mentality of ‘We can fix it in post.' Get it done right while shooting.

HW: Be true to the director's vision. Always do things to enhance the story.

What is your favorite DV camera on the market right now, and why?

MVB: For under $5,000, the hands-slap-down winner is
the Panasonic PAL AG-DVX100, in 25P mode, with the Panasonic anamorphic adapter. It looks so much like film, both transferred to film or converted to NTSC, that it's scary. I've seen several projects come in on PAL Mini DV that were virtually indistinguishable from film transferred to tape, and they were all shot with the DVX100.

For above $5,000, I'd give serious consideration to the Panasonic AJ-SDX900  AJ-HDC27 VariCam and the Sony HDW-F900 CineAlta... although with CineAlta kind of money you could shoot 35mm and post on HD, for about the same results.

RS: The JVC GR-HD1, because it promises the Hi-Def issues/52/images that are replacing film at a price many can afford.

GC: The Canon XL1S. I just shot two commercials with it. It's flexible, has interchangeable lenses and is broadcast quality.

FB: The Sony PD-150.

HW: I like the PD-150, although I've heard good things about the DVX100. The Sony DSR-500 is great, as it allows full manual control.

MVB: I've been very happy with the Sony DSR-250 DVCAM, especially with the small color monitor that flips off the side of the camera body.

What film techniques translate best to a DV shoot? For example, do you think dollies and Steadicams are just as useful?

Rick Schmidt

MVB: Absolutely—even more so than film. Film doesn't care if the camera is moving slightly, but the digital camera sure does, since the grid-like array of sensors on the chip may interfere with, or fail to accurately reproduce vertical or horizontal detail in the scene. It's best to keep the camera steady, limit your depth of field so that background detail and aliasing do not distract the viewer. Also, use careful art direction that avoids patterns in clothing that do not shoot well on video.

RS: If you're shooting DV, just leave old film techniques behind. You can do “Steadicam” moves handheld if you're careful. A dolly can be made from an airport luggage cart, a skateboard—anything with wheels. Go portable and lightweight, get creative and invent shots out of the box.

FB: Handheld is the way to go.

GC: I think dollies and Steadicams are very useful in filmmaking. The problem with dollies is that the DV camera is so light that any bumps are huge. So put weights on it and make sure it's solid.

The two most important items are the visuals and the sound. Put all your money into that. You light the same but differently for DV. A lot of times you need more light for DV to get the right color. Just because the camera controls allows you to manipulate the shot, make sure you know what you're doing. Try it first. Opening the iris or playing with shutter speed is cool, just make sure it's the right look.

28 Days Later was shot on the Canon XL1 PAL version (which I would recommend using because of resolution). That film shows you just how good a look you can achieve with shooting in DV. It's DV and not film, but the line is coming closer and closer.

HW: Moving the camera is a way to enhance the story, if called for. Move the camera just as you would in a bigger production.

MVB: I try to limit handheld work when working in video, or use it sparingly or for a specific story effect. The best technique I use is to apply all my film shooting techniques, like classical framing, using foreground and background elements. I avoid on-camera zooms; they look very cheap on video cameras as opposed to film cameras.

HW: Ultimately, it all comes down to  where you put the camera and why.  MM

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