Less Gear, More Storytelling
Greetings from my annual trip to Las Vegas where I’m attending NAB.
It’s been a long day first day of the exhibit hall being open and I have some thoughts about the show.
No – there’s not anything new from Canon in the form of a 5D Mark 3 or the super camera we are all waiting for – you know the one – the one that has the 5D sensor in a video camera body – like how hard is that? I guess harder than we would think. Adobe came out with a kicking new 5.5 upgrade that should give Apple a run for it’s money when FCP 8 debuts tomorrow night at the LAFCPUG Supermeet. (It’s the worst kept secret at NAB and on the web.)
There’s a lot of gear for HDSLR’s here. A lot of add-on gizmos to make the HDSLRs work like a video camera body.
Even with all it’s problems the output from the HDSLRs rock and I’m shooting with them. Yeah, it would be nice if you could not have moire, or not have rolling jello shutters, not have to separately record audio and then connecting it all in FCP and of course, not having RAW in camera video files, etc.
The output is great, the number of hoops we have to jump through is not – and I’m so over it. It seems that sort of a cult has developed around the HDSLR after-market gear such as viewfinders, support systems, monitors and other additions. Has the gear become more important that the story? Do you really need a village to make a film these days?
When I shot photographs for TIME Magazine, I was a minimalist. I really don’t like gear since it gets in my way of recording the content ands telling the story. I shot with two Leicas, with 21mm and 35mm lenses, along with a Canon with a 100F2. That was my main kit. It was quick, easy and efficient to getting to what’s important – the story. Every once in a while, I’d put a 200 or 300 on the Canon just for a different view, but always kept the three bodies and three lenses. When digital came along, I went down to two Canon bodies. One with a 16-35, the other with the 100F2. I’d put a 24 1.4 in my pocket (for those ultra low light scenes) since three SLR bodies was overkill for the minimalist.
My friend and great National Geographic shooter David Alan Harvey takes this even further by shooting stories with just a Leica and a 35mm lens. Cartier-Bresson made some pretty nice snaps with just a Leica and 50mm lens.
Listen folks – this HDSLR video thing is just a stop-gap situation, like HDV was, until video type cameras with 5D sensors appear for under $10,000. Sony has a new F3 for $13,300 without lenses or $18,700 with three lenses – ouch! That price point might be okay for upscale movie makers, but not visual journalists now used to $2500 camera bodies.
I’m trying to not make my HDSLR more complicated then I need to because I know one day in the near future, it all goes away and we go back to shooting with real video bodies at reasonable prices, but with larger sensors.
Amen!
When I travel, I pack light. I can concentrate on the trip and have more fun. This holds true for a photojournalist on assignment.
One of the first lessons I learned when I started was to be a minimalist on assignment. This didn’t mean you shouldn’t be prepared. But, I learned that I could work more efficiently and concentrate on the story – simply, Be Better – when I had less gear to fuss around with.
We can’t neglect the stories because we got caught up in the geekdom of the gear and trying to put together all the extraneous crap just to do it.
Right on, I’ve been anticipating the same development. Here’s a proper video camera with 4/3 sensor. The $5,000 Panasonic AG-AF100.
http://catalog2.panasonic.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ModelDetail?storeId=11201&catalogId=13051&itemId=473159&catGroupId=112502&surfModel=AG-AF100&displayTab=O
Sony also has a couple of new Super 35 sensor cameras out, the F3 and FS-100.
Man, I’ve been thinking this for a while now. I watch in envy as my still photographer friends just wonder around with a couple of bodies and some primes (I think Thayer only owns three lenses.)
I’m shooting a doc in South Sudan this summer and I find myself going in circles trying to keep it simple as I’ll likely be on my own until I can get larger funding. I can either go back to a nice small chip like the XF100 and get my simplicity back, but then I remember how much I love the look of my 5d and how shooting with it (and reviewing the footage from it) can be such a joy!
One Day….
I completely agree, I feel like a lot of people are getting lost in the new camera technology and special effects and are completely forgetting about the actual story of the film. I love watching old movies especially ones like old horror movies or old Hitchcock movies because they knew how to utilize the other aspects of filmmaking besides just the camera such as the music. There is so much you can do with just the music in a film. I really feel like the stories of movies are being neglected and the special effects are taking center stage.
“I’m trying to not make my HDSLR more complicated then I need to because I know one day in the near future, it all goes away and we go back to shooting with real video bodies at reasonable prices, but with larger sensors.”
Too true, Bro. Just too true!