Introduction xx
Chapter 1 Fundamentals of DSLR Filmmaking 1
Features of DSLR Cameras 1
Sensor Size 2
Frame Rates 8
ISO Settings 9
Features of SLR Lenses 10
Aperture, f-stops, and t-stops 10
Cine-Style Lenses vs. Photo Lenses 11
Types of Lenses 12
How Sensor Size and Lenses Interact 17
Focal Length Multiplication Factors 17
Focal Length and Field of View 18
Angle of View and Magnification Factor 20
Chapter 2 Gear and Recommendations 23
What Camera Is Right for You? 23
Decisions in Choosing a Camera 24
Best Camera For... 27
Manual Controls 29
Lenses and Accessories 29
50 mm Lens 29
Set of Prime Lenses 30
Trade-offs 30
Lens Brands 32
Lens Mounts and Adapters 33
Matte Boxes 34
Filters 35
Lens Accessories 38
Viewing While Shooting 39
Lights 44
Studio Lighting 44
LED Lighting 45
Hardware-Store Lighting 45
Audio 46
Mixers 47
Microphones 48
Slate (Clapboard) 49
Tripod and Dollies 50
Specialty Items and Miscellaneous 53
Camera Mounts 53
Follow Focus 54
Stabilizers and Handheld Rigs 55
Carrying Case 57
CF Cards and SD Cards 58
Batteries 58
Planning Your Gear Package 59
Low Budget 60
Independent Budget 60
Blockbuster Budget 61
The Next Three Things You Should Buy 61
Should You Buy or Rent? 62
Gear That Goes Together 63
Chapter 3 Testing and Custom Settings 65
Camera-Specific Testing 66
Testing ISO 66
Testing Exposure and Color 69
Testing Color Temperature and White Balance 72
Testing Frame Rate and Shutter Speed 73
Testing Recording Length Limitations and File Size Limitations 73
Testing File Formats and Codecs 74
Testing Equipment Interactions 74
Testing Lenses 74
Testing Filters, Hoods, and Matte Boxes 76
Testing Viewfinders and EVF 77
Testing Lighting: Color Temperature and Amount of Light 78
Using and Calibrating External Monitors 79
Testing Focus Pulling and Follow Focus 84
Remote Starting the Camera and Rigging in Unique Spots 85
Testing Camera Movement 85
Testing Off-Camera Audio 86
Testing Cables 86
More Things to Test 86
Using In-Camera Presets 87
Native Canon Picture-Style Settings 87
Changing the Camera Presets for Image Control 89
Customizing a Camera Preset 90
Creating a Unique Custom Setting from Scratch 93
Should You Bother Creating a Preset? 96
Settings That Prepare for Post-Production 97
Settings to Work without Post 99
Customizing Your Picture Style: Steps for Canon DSLR Cameras 101
Chapter 4 Cameras and Lenses on Location 109
Using Cameras on Location 109
Mixing Multiple Cameras, Makes, and Models 109
Powering Your Camera 110
Understanding Recording Time Limitations 112
Managing Memory Cards 112
Using Lenses on Location 113
Perspective 114
Depth of Field and Focus 118
Perceived Distance and Compression 121
Blur and Distortion 123
Sharpness 126
Image Stabilization and Vibration Reduction 128
Focusing 128
Methods of Pulling Focus 130
De-clicking a Lens 132
Zooming 135
Chapter 5 Camera Motion and Support 137
Camera Motion 137
Why Add Movement? 138
Restricting Movement 139
On-Screen Action and Position with Movement 139
Types of Camera Movement 139
Pan and Related Movements 140
Whip Pan 141
Zooming 141
Push-In 141
Pull-Back (or Pull-Out) and Widen-Out 142
Combined Push-In and Pan 142
Combined Push-In and Whip Pan 143
Circling 143
Dolly Moves 144
Tracking Lateral Movement through Space and Retracking 144
Moving or Tracking through Solid Objects 144
Pendulum Pan 144
Crane Moves 145
Movement with a Jib Arm 146
Planning the Motion 146
Blocking and Previsualization 147
Storyboarding and Diagrams 147
Rehearsals and Run-Throughs 147
Gear for Designing and Controlling Movement 147
Tripods 147
Monopods 153
Accessories for Camera Angle 155
Stabilizing Your Camera Motion 156
Why Stabilize? 156
Gear for Motion 158
Unique Movement and Support 171
Motion, the Edit, and Cutting 172
Chapter 6 Lighting on Location 175
Planning the Lights 176
Timing: When to Set Lights 176
Choosing Lights 177
Distribution and Shape 178
Color 180
Principles for Setting Lighting 182
Adding Depth and Dimension 182
Lighting the Entire Scene 182
Using Logic to Create a Natural Look 183
Reflecting Mood and Emotion 184
Setting Visual Priority and Focus 185
Types of Fill Light 185
Light Direction and Angle of Light 187
Types of Lights by Position 189
Key Light 190
Backlight 190
Fill Light 192
Illuminating the Rest of the Set: The Traditional Three-Point Light Setup 193
Light Sources and Ambient Light 196
Lighting for Special Situations 196
Shadows 197
Light at Night 197
Fire and Flames 199
Mirrors 200
Glare 200
Close-up Lighting, Matching, and Cheating 201
Lighting for Green Screen or Chroma Key 201
Managing Light 204
Diffusion 204
Bouncing 205
Blocking 206
Tools for Controlling Light 206
Light Quality 211
Changing the Quality of the Light 213
Picking Exposure 215
Chapter 7 Sound on Location 219
The Role of Sound 219
Hiring a Professional 220
Recording Sound with DSLR Cameras 221
Using an External Recording Device 223
Capturing Reference Audio 224
Using an XLR Audio Adapter 226
Wearing Headphones 227
Microphones and Key Accessories 227
Types of Microphones 227
Placing Microphones 230
Microphone Pickup Patterns 231
Sound-Managing Accessories 234
Planning, Setting Up, and Recording a Shoot 234
Planning for Dialogue 235
Recording a Shoot 236
Managing Sound on Set 237
Chapter 8 Organizing and Storing Data in the Field 243
Setting Up a File System 243
Labeling Equipment 244
Manually Setting File Numbering 246
Setting Up Separate Folders in the Camera 250
Understanding Current Types of Capture Media 253
Transferring Files from Capture Media to Hard Drive 255
Understanding Different Capture Formats 258
Backing Up Your Footage on Set 259
Organizing Data on Set 260
Managing Files on the Set 260
Arranging Your Footage 260
Chapter 9 Troubleshooting 263
Avoiding Problems: What to Do, What to Take 264
Emergency Items 264
iPhone/iPad Applications for Filmmaking 268
Planning for Sufficient Power 270
Shooting Problems 270
Rolling Shutter Dilemmas and Sensor Problems 271
Difficulties Achieving Sharp Focus 273
Chapter 10 Converting and Editing Your Footage 299
Setting the Foundation for Post-Production Workflow 300
Choosing the Right Hard Drives 300
Internal Hard Drives 301
External Hard Drives 301
Hard Drive Recommendations 304
Drive Speed and Cache 305
Backing Up Data 305
Choosing and Using an Editing Codec 307
"Format" Is Not "Codec" 307
Delivery Codec vs. Capture Codec 308
To Convert or Not to Convert 308
Online vs. Offline Editing 309
Codecs for Online and Offline Editing 310
Converting Your Footage 312
Editing Your Footage 312
Choosing a Nonlinear Editor 312
Organizing Your Footage in Your NLE 313
Chapter 11 Audio Crash Course 317
Syncing Your Audio and Video 318
Setting Up Your Editing Timelines Properly 318
Syncing Footage Directly in Your NLE 319
Syncing Automatically with PluralEyes 326
Unsynced Files? 329
Troubleshooting Out-of-Sync Sound 329
Automated Dialogue Replacement and Sound Effects 330
Finding Music 334
Chapter 12 Color Correction and Grading 337
Color Theory and the Eye 338
Subjective Properties of Color 340
Objective Properties of Color 343
Color Correction on Set: Outside the Camera 344
Multiple Light Sources and Color Temperature 344
On-Set Changes in Light 345
Gels and Filters 346
Sometimes the Camera Sees Things You Don't 347
Color Correction Card 347
Single Camera Shoot vs. Multiple Cameras 347
Color Correction on Set: Inside the Camera 348
White Balance: Setting It in the Camera and Changing for Effect 348
Picture-Style Settings 351
What Is This Camera Shooting Anyway and Why Do I Care? 351
Color Spaces in Video and Encoding 352
Bit Depth and Color Depth 353
Compression, Subsampling, and Color 354
Post-Production Color Correction and Grading 356
Evaluating Footage 357
Scopes and How to Read Them 357
Primary Corrections 360
Evaluating Color 363
Secondary Corrections 365
Chapter 13 Compressing Your Film 369
Understanding Compression 370
Outputting Your Video 372
Creating a Self-Contained Master Digital File 373
Creating a DVD or Blu-ray Disc 375
Compressing Your Footage 376
Authoring Your DVD/Blu-ray Disc 376
Publishing to the Web 377
Chapter 14 Post-Production Looks 383
Primary Color Correction 383
Micromanaging with Regional Color Corrections 384
Secondary Color Correction 388
Creating a Hard-Hitting Action Movie Look 388
Saturation 388
Faux Lens Effects 391
Diffusing Your Footage 391
Applying Color, Filters, or Tints 394
Behind-the-Lens Fakery 396
Adding Vignettes 396
Understanding Grain 399
Making Genuine Film-Grained Footage 399
Removing Banding 402
Chapter 15 Workshops 405
A Brief Guide to Underwater Cinematography 405
Remember Where You Are 406
Bring a Flash, Ideally Two 409
Shoot Up 413
Buoyancy 414
You Need Two Lenses Only If You Have the Option of Changing Them Out 415
Focus. Not the Camera, You. 417
The Manual Method 418
Autofocus 418
Preparation before Shooting 418
Pre-Dive Prep 419
Histograms 419
Rigging a Car 421
Safety First 421
Interior Dialogue Scenes 421
Car Chase 427
Achieving That Cinematic Look: Ramping and Changing Frames per Second 431
Shooting in Slow Motion 432
"Rubber Arms" (or the Bending of Images That Shouldn't Bend That Way) 432
The 180º Rule 433
Index 434
