Alex Donaldson
Bronze member
Filming Bible is pretty outdated. Im pretty bored so i figured i'd give this a go.
1. Use the rule of thirds... rider rolls in on the left 1/3rd portion of the frame, trick happens in the middle third of the frame, rider rolls away in the right third. This applies for almost all fisheye shots and most long lens shots, more so fisheye.
2. If you're using an X grip.... STABILIZE IT. Put ankle weights at the back for counter balance. If you're using a DSLR, get a cold shoe mount screw, costs $3 on Amazon. Locks your handle of that unnecessary bouncing.
3. Clean your damn fisheye, enough said.
4. Don't cut heads, back up, know the width of your fisheye, your footage will look so much cleaner.
5. MANUAL CONTROLS. Can't stress this enough. NEVER use auto exposure, auto white balance or auto shutter speed. Footage is bound to look like shit. Set your exposure according to the lighting, shutter speed is double the frame rate (ie. 60p/i = 1/120 shutter, 30p-= 1/60 shutter) Set the white balance manually to a sheet of white printer paper, maybe a light grey for slightly warmer colors, but pleeeeease for the love of god don't WB off of the sky.
6. Iris/Exposure/Aperture. f5.6 gives the best results for fisheyes with vig. always try to keep your aperature as close to closed as possible, something like f11. Opening your aperture will result in an increased depth of field, which in return will make your fisheye blurry and discolored around the edges (smaller cameras are especially prone to this, the fancy term is "Chromatic Abberation")
7. Steadyshot. Leave it off for fisheye shots, on for long lens. Some people wonder "why is my fisheye bobbing?" turn your steadyshot/O.I.S off. Problem Solved.
8. Audio. If your camera has a microphone input, get an external mic by any means. It will improve your audio a lot and will reduce if not make wind noise disappear. If your camera doesn't have a mic jack you can buy a tack on windscreen for your camera which helps with excess noise.
9. Lenses/Fisheyes: The classic debate, "which fisheye should i get?". Well nowadays its gotten a lot more confusing. The baby death is the best fisheye for small, consumer cameras. Century Optics and Opteka makes them. The Mk1 is the best for the Sony VX Series, mk2 as the runner up.
10. DSLRs. Ahh the new age hype. Please read this before you decide to go this route. There are several fisheyes for Canon APS-C sized DSLRS.
1. The many brand 8mm/7mm/6.5mm (Rokinon, Samyang, Bower, Vivitar, Opteka= All the same). Peleng 8mm, Best for the price IMO. Wide and lots of distortion. Canon 8-15mm, $1300 but by far the best.
2. Handles. The Eazy Handle is by far the best DSLR handle on the market. While pricey, it is for sure worth it. Nomad Handle is the runner up and cam caddie w/ lockout kit as third. Fuck the X Grip.
3. ISO is your gain setting, never leave it on auto. Keep it as low as possible.
4. Only use 1080/30p for B-roll. Use 720/60p for the rest, unless you don't plan on using slow motion.
5. External Mics are a must for any DSLR
6. ONLY USE CLASS 10 CARDS!!! Sandisk Extremes work best.
ill add more tomorrow. hopefully this helps some dudes.
1. Use the rule of thirds... rider rolls in on the left 1/3rd portion of the frame, trick happens in the middle third of the frame, rider rolls away in the right third. This applies for almost all fisheye shots and most long lens shots, more so fisheye.
2. If you're using an X grip.... STABILIZE IT. Put ankle weights at the back for counter balance. If you're using a DSLR, get a cold shoe mount screw, costs $3 on Amazon. Locks your handle of that unnecessary bouncing.
3. Clean your damn fisheye, enough said.
4. Don't cut heads, back up, know the width of your fisheye, your footage will look so much cleaner.
5. MANUAL CONTROLS. Can't stress this enough. NEVER use auto exposure, auto white balance or auto shutter speed. Footage is bound to look like shit. Set your exposure according to the lighting, shutter speed is double the frame rate (ie. 60p/i = 1/120 shutter, 30p-= 1/60 shutter) Set the white balance manually to a sheet of white printer paper, maybe a light grey for slightly warmer colors, but pleeeeease for the love of god don't WB off of the sky.
6. Iris/Exposure/Aperture. f5.6 gives the best results for fisheyes with vig. always try to keep your aperature as close to closed as possible, something like f11. Opening your aperture will result in an increased depth of field, which in return will make your fisheye blurry and discolored around the edges (smaller cameras are especially prone to this, the fancy term is "Chromatic Abberation")
7. Steadyshot. Leave it off for fisheye shots, on for long lens. Some people wonder "why is my fisheye bobbing?" turn your steadyshot/O.I.S off. Problem Solved.
8. Audio. If your camera has a microphone input, get an external mic by any means. It will improve your audio a lot and will reduce if not make wind noise disappear. If your camera doesn't have a mic jack you can buy a tack on windscreen for your camera which helps with excess noise.
9. Lenses/Fisheyes: The classic debate, "which fisheye should i get?". Well nowadays its gotten a lot more confusing. The baby death is the best fisheye for small, consumer cameras. Century Optics and Opteka makes them. The Mk1 is the best for the Sony VX Series, mk2 as the runner up.
10. DSLRs. Ahh the new age hype. Please read this before you decide to go this route. There are several fisheyes for Canon APS-C sized DSLRS.
1. The many brand 8mm/7mm/6.5mm (Rokinon, Samyang, Bower, Vivitar, Opteka= All the same). Peleng 8mm, Best for the price IMO. Wide and lots of distortion. Canon 8-15mm, $1300 but by far the best.
2. Handles. The Eazy Handle is by far the best DSLR handle on the market. While pricey, it is for sure worth it. Nomad Handle is the runner up and cam caddie w/ lockout kit as third. Fuck the X Grip.
3. ISO is your gain setting, never leave it on auto. Keep it as low as possible.
4. Only use 1080/30p for B-roll. Use 720/60p for the rest, unless you don't plan on using slow motion.
5. External Mics are a must for any DSLR
6. ONLY USE CLASS 10 CARDS!!! Sandisk Extremes work best.
ill add more tomorrow. hopefully this helps some dudes.
