3 camera reality show - camera recs

[Jim McKinney]

Just curious as to what is the "norm" these days for multi-camera reality shows. I'd be interested in the opinions of anyone out there. Definitely looking for a smallish chip camera. Thanks in advance.

 

[Josh Miller]

Depends on what your distribution requirements are. I've seen (only by seeing the camera on tv during the show) it looks like the Sony cameras are the camera of choice for a decent amount of reality shows. I've seen the PMWEX3 and possibly the PMWEX1R or some AVCHD camera that looks close to it. Some of the larger budget reality shows I've seen seem to be using Panasonic ENG cameras like their p2 cameras. I was eating in DC when the mom and kids from John and Kate came in and they were shooting to HDV tape. I plan on shooting a multi cam low budget reality show for the web next summer and we're probably going with Panasonic AVCHD cameras, only because we have 2 HMC150s already. I guess it really comes down to budget, turn around time (tape vs file based work flow), and distribution requirements.

 

[Ibrahim Abdulkarim]

Like Josh said distribution requierments is a big factor some still like to have masters on tape. if not ill go with the sony ex1 if your on a tight budget and still want really good image and it has to 16bit xlr ports this will help you in the long run rather than aduio sync with some external recorder. for reality tv the image is awesome and you can dump footage very easy with the sxs card right on your macbook pro. there are 2 sxs card slots on the camera so you wont miss any action . i was working on another reality show called "LOVE AND HIPHOP" where the producer thought it was best to use 5d to me the image was whack as !@#$%^&*(_)(*&^%$ SDOF on ever shot, shaky camera bad aduio , bad color , the list goes on and still this show is now in production for a 3rd season. if i was you i would stay away from dslr but hey if your on a tight budget some canon t2i will get the job done for under $500 each but i wouldnt do it

 

[Chris McKechnie]

The 5D has been increasingly popular. Ever since Gale (DP of House) used it on a season finale episode, a lot of networks added that camera to their arsenal. I think it would be awesome to shoot an Epic reality show, but since there is so much footage, you would need a rather large crew just to assist in the post process.

 

[Justin Marx]

HDX-900 or EX3 with 5D for beauty b-roll and time lapse.. This is the "norm". I've worked on more reality then I care to admit.

 

[Stephen Mick]

I'd look at the Canon XF305 and 105 cameras. Some combination of two or three of those might fit the bill.

 

[Curt Pair]

Most reality shows I've either worked on, or heard about shoot on the Sony Z7. They choose this because HDV tape is CHEAP! They don't like to move media from cards to drives... SxS and P2 cards are too expensive for them... Now, they do like to add, follow focus, mattebox, wireless audio, wireless video and on board lights... these little rigs are heavy and difficult to manage...

 

[Ibrahim Abdulkarim]

HDX-900 or EX3 with 5D for beauty b-roll and time lapse.. This is the "norm". I've worked on more reality then I care to admit.

agreed. the only reason i prefer ex1 over ex3 is the price if youre renting these cameras by the time youre done shooting for 2-3 weeks you could have bought them already a used ex1 will run you between $3,000 - $4,500 price to rent and EX3 $200 - $350 a day and the 32gb sxs cars will cost you about $50 - $75 a day. you do the math but the sony PMW-XDCAM are awesome ex1 and ex3

 

[Ted Parkes]

I am also a fan of the Cannon Fx305. 50 mb 4:2:2 to Cf cards. Great image for the $

 

[Jim McKinney]

The 5D has been increasingly popular. Ever since Gale (DP of House) used it on a season finale episode, a lot of networks added that camera to their arsenal. I think it would be awesome to shoot an Epic reality show, but since there is so much footage, you would need a rather large crew just to assist in the post process.

Gosh, with all the issues of a 5D - just to name 2: audio and continuous running - would that be a good idea? I think an Epic or Scarlett could be cool, using a high compression rate and maybe at 3K resolution to help keep the data down. Maybe adding a Keypro mini so you could have immediate ProRes?

The Canon 5D can take a beautiful image when shot properly - but it seems so unfriendly for the grind of reality work.

 

[Jim McKinney]

Most reality shows I've either worked on, or heard about shoot on the Sony Z7. They choose this because HDV tape is CHEAP! They don't like to move media from cards to drives... SxS and P2 cards are too expensive for them... Now, they do like to add, follow focus, mattebox, wireless audio, wireless video and on board lights... these little rigs are heavy and difficult to manage...

Tape is cheap, but then you have to digitize that - so it has it's own expense. Plus it takes longer. And I thought just about everyone was moving away from tape now. I just goes to show . . .

And thanks for your post, Curt. I'm not really arguing with you, I'm just wondering aloud if it still makes sense to go that route, or if producers (some) are just stuck on an older path.

And btw, THANKS TO EVERYONE so far, for your timely responses. I wouldn't mind more opinions coming in. This has been very helpful so far. Thanks.

 

[Ibrahim Abdulkarim]

shooting a reality show on red is an uber bad idea post would be a nightmare dumping days weeks worth of footage not to mention the cost also workflow suck also depending on lighting you might need focus pullers for every rig (might), color correction, the list goes on. Red is for movie making, music videos and commercials. in that field they are the best cameras on the planet. A Bentley and A Rose Royce are the some of the best cars but would suck at the indi500 CANON 5D IS THE ABSOLUTE WORST CAMERA TO USE FOR A REALITY SHOW (its ok for b roll) nobody likes h.264. the only reason people still use tape is some networks still want the masters. but no one likes using it.

 

[Greg Huson]

We see EX-1 and EX-3 a lot, but F-3 is the favorite. XDCam is also very popular if you need physical media, but don't want to shoot tape. I suspect the Canon C300 will be a hit for reality, like F3, if their codec is as good as 50mb XDCam. F-3 is used to shoot 'The Layover,' which consistently looks awesome. We have nothing to do with it, obviously, but I'm just a huge fan of the show - http://magazine.creativecow.net/article/cinema-veacuteriteacute-with-the-sony-pmwf3

From a post point of view, HDV, in all its forms, sucks. 5D/7D is tough and annoying. Transcode it and add timecode before loading into the editing system. .R3D media would be tough but doable if you were careful - you'd definitely need an offline/online workflow and a very smart assistant editor.

 

[David Kurvers]

Try a Nikon D4 or D800 with a Atomos Ninja HD-SDI recorder attached for a clean 10Bit Prores recording (no h.264) maybe put it in Redrock Micro rig with focus control, add a decent microphone or sound recording device and have at it. The files can be dumped fast and are pretty much ready for cutting - no transcoding required.

I've wondered about the suitability of RED cameras for live broadcast or near broadcast and reality work. It'll be an evolving thing I'm guessing.

 

[Ibrahim Abdulkarim]

The 5D has been increasingly popular. Ever since Gale (DP of House) used it on a season finale episode, a lot of networks added that camera to their arsenal. I think it would be awesome to shoot an Epic reality show, but since there is so much footage, you would need a rather large crew just to assist in the post process.

you didnt mention that was the only episode they shot using the 5d and that was 2008

 

[Jim McKinney]

Red does not come to mind as the first camera for this sort of work. My suggestion - or idle thought really - was just to use the files from a KiPro mini (or some similar device), and never even dump the raw files (or save them briefly for backup in case the KiPro fails). I know it's attaching more weight to the kit, but . . .