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  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

Shooting music video

S

Simon Leonhardt

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Hi guys,

I have to say thank you for all the good informations here first.
I am looking for a camera to shoot mostly music videos, I have a recording studio and a lot
of my clients asking for video shoots, so I have to try myself. A friend of mine was doing
a movie some time ago and I hade to assist him, so I know a little bit about movie making
and camera. But I am not nearly a professional by now! :D

Which models would you recommend me for my situation and why?
Looked for a epic MX first but know I am thinking of a Scarlet W or Scarlet Dragon
or a Raven.

Thank you very much!
 
They're all fine.

Still, most of my clients that do music videos want the slowest slow motion that retains the highest resolution. They don't usually go to 300fps but 60-120 is the norm.

Also unless you have a crew or the budget, most videos are very indie no budget shoots meaning few lights. Go with lenses that are primes and 'fast' aperture. You may only get to have 1 or 2 lights or shoot lots of guerrilla night shots, so be brighter on the camera side than with lighting.

That said, I would recommend Epic-W if you can afford but much of it should be depending on your budget and how many clients you might have. You'd hope to pay off the camera within a year (or at least make the worth of the camera if the income doesn't all go towards the debt).

Scarlet-W is good too. Raven is fine if that's all you can afford, but you might grow beyond what it offers pretty fast and have wished to had bought the next one up.

My thoughts...
 
Hey Wil,

thank you very much for the fast response. You mean RED EPIC-W Helium 8K S35 Brain right?
It is a little bit to much for me I think, a Raven will do the Job? I have to ask the people how much
money they would spend on shooting, so I can guess if it is possible to pay it off within a year.
Like you said about growing, thats a big point. It was the same with my recording studio,
spending a lot of money in getting better stuff time after time. So I would like to buy the best I can afford
at this time! ;-)

Which lense would you recommend in special?

Thank you,
Simon
 
If you go with the Raven, I think Canon lenses are fine. I'm not familiar with Sigma or other EF lenses but I never had any issues with Canon. I do like Zeiss but I find using Fool Control and the auto-focus electronics is beautiful. Zeiss photo lenses don't have electronics.
 
Thank you, that sounds good. I hope they will be shipping in Germany soon, does anbody know why they stopped?
Do you have a special Canon lens in mind? I like the zeiss stuff! ;)
 
Simon,

My advice is different. I want you to get a bit cheaper camera and saving your money to buy Red camera 3-6month later.

Just get a new a6500 from sony, and sigma art 18-35 and 50-100 and get a decent tripod firstly.

You can make so much stuff from that camera that will be as good looking music video as red owners are as an amateur filmmaker. In my case, I get paid to make $1000-1500 per a day job for music video cinematography job using these small cameras and most directors still find me rather than finding a DP with gear, because I always make a storyboard for them, and that's my secret to get a job.

Of course I offer them with better gears that I own as well, and I love to shoot with better gears all the time. (Epic-W, FS7, Red epic dragon... drone etcs)

For instance, FS7's case it took me 6 month to pay back in late 2014(At that time, nobody used fs7, I was one of the first owner, and nobody would like to hire FS7) In fact, I worked on my A7RII and RED much more time.
Next 2015 summer, I got hired to do feature job that doubles the money from FS7, and I was happy owning FS7 ever. Red's case I co-owned with my partner, and we mainly rented it to a studio where everyday we rented it out, there were no way that we couldn't make money out of it. But, it was because my partner has good connections with many DPs who trust him for his gear. Again it's all about connection.

As a matter of the fact, I made almost $8000 with my A7RII(Not includes my rate), and some case, and it still hold the shooting very very well. It means I shot it at least 70-80 days with it. Including my rates and combining Movi+ Wireless follow focus, I assume I was very happy with the camera.

Some times, I hoped my Red cameras have 5 axis stabilizer that this $3000 has.

What I am trying to say is that.

I think you better learn with a camera that you can handle in the beginning. I know Epic-W will give you jobs, but in the long run you want to start with small, and upgrade little by little instead start from big.
 
I second Minu. I love RED, but it is not the cheapest, nor the easiest camera. The sony A7 or A6500 are fantastic little beasts. I started video with renting a RED for a big job, with the DP and all. But as of camera ownership for video, I started with the canon 5D, moved to sony, moved to RED.

If you are set on RED, I would go scarlet-W or Epic-dragon for your needs. I love my Epic-W, but you won't get slow-mo at 8K, and the 6K crop will limit you with the wide lenses that are quite needed for music videos.
Raven also could be a good option for you, but if the budget allows go with the above.
 
Simon Leonhardt said:
Looked for a epic MX first but know I am thinking of a Scarlet W or Scarlet Dragon
or a Raven.
Click to expand...
you're thinking right, just don't get crazy and go with your budget, because best camera does not guarantee best visuals;
btw, MX is still an awesome camera, i would choose it any day over Raven for sure and maybe even Scarlet Dragon. if you can bargain a really good deal - go for it, you won't regret it.
but if you still not 100% sure that this is your thing, do what the guys say, get A7s and try to shoot a few music videos , it's a very capable camera, and if it IS your thing, it's a very nice camera to keep, even if you own any RED;
best.
 
Thank you all very much!!! So many great respones.
I were considering the Sony A7SII and Sony A7RII because of price and learning curve,
but isnt there a problem about grading no raw files? Would be a long way to get that cine look, right?
I am serious and dont have the money to buy a epic w, and financing at the beginning isnt good at all for me! ;-)
The time will come! :D
 
Start with Black Magic or Kinefinity. Don't worry about 4K to start. Concentrate on learning lighting and composition. Without learning those, your work will look pretty much the same whether shot on Red or shot an iPhone 2.

Learn, build your skills and client base, and gradually work your way up to something like a Red.
 
Wow that looks great, so if you dent need 4K it seems to be a very good camera!
Do you think music video would be good too?
 
Yes, I do. It's a good stepping stone for getting into filmmaking, and great for getting started with so that you can be building experience and working relationships and a reel while saving for a Red or similar. ��
 
Thanks, that sounds good.
Can you recommend good lenses for it?
 
I hunted down a set of used Nikon and Minolta manual focus slr lenses and used them with appropriate mft adapters. It's nowherr near as nice as shooting on a Red with proper lens mounts and cine lenses, but you'll appreciate the Red that much more when you make the jump. ��

Plus, you can still use Nikon slr lenses on a Red with one of the available adapters, since those older lenses don't require electronic control. I used dedicated MFT lenses from Panasonic as well with good results, but they cost more and you wouldn't be able to use them on a Red later.
 
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