Is it really bad to shoot a feature film on a camcorder?

harmonica · Mar 7, 2014

Oh okay. When shooting action shots, it is difficult to pull focus at f2.5 or wider on a DSLR. Especially when running while following actors, or doing a running tracking shot on a still person from far away, you cannot tell what is in focus, even with a focus puller running next to me.

I also noticed that I posted this thread in the film forum when I mean to in the video forum. Sorry about that.

timor · Mar 7, 2014

DSLR Video Rigs
UrbanFox.TV Blog: DSLRs rigged for video Gadget show
And THIS is interesting show:
[video=vimeo;36557953]http://vimeo.com/36557953[/video]
In any case, internet is full of that.

timor · Mar 7, 2014

This one is more serious:
[video=vimeo;9737352]http://vimeo.com/9737352[/video]

BobaPhil · Mar 8, 2014

If you can, check out the documentary SIDE BY SIDE, hosted by Keanue Reeves. It's a fantastic study about the 'death' of film in the movie industry and how so many makers are shooting on digital, including lots of students who shoot with DSLR cameras now.

I still work with old cine film/home movies and found it all exciting, yet sad, that film is being used less and less.

grafxman · Mar 9, 2014

I have about 500 video clips on my flickr pages. Most of them were shot either a Canon 7D or Canon 6D. Shooting video with a DSLR is frankly a pain in the you know what. Yes you can buy all manner of extra attachments to make things easier but it still doesn't hold a candle to a camcorder such as this one:

Canon XA20 Professional HD Camcorder 8453B002 B&H Photo Video

It has an astonishing stability system that is far better than any DSLR stability system. It's an "active stability system" that, as near as I can tell, automatically crops the edges of the scene slightly so the scene stays completely steady even though you might be walking with it. DSLR video is fine if the camera is on a tripod or some sort of a stabilizer gadget is used but for any sort of serious video I would break out a decent camcorder. The only reason I bought the XA20 was for it's night video capability. Here's a few clips:

Armadillo crosses the road | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
nice little garter snake | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
marsh rabbit munches grass | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

It will shoot green or black and white IR video. It also takes some pretty decent still photos. If I was shooting a feature film with DSLR camera I would have to have a studio for most of the shoots and a tripod with wheels that I could roll around like the Hollywood folks used with film cameras. It would just be so much easier and quicker with a camcorder like the Canon XA20.

harmonica · Mar 9, 2014

Okay thanks. It doesn't seem that that camera can change lenses though and I am stuck with the one lens option. Is their any draw backs to this lens? I would also like to do some fast zoom shots in the action sequence I plan on shooting like those really fast zooms you see in older movies like The Wild Bunch. If the camera comes with a built in zoom lens only, can it do that?

grafxman · Mar 10, 2014

Here's the specs for the lens from the hyperlink I provided:

35mm Equivalent: 26.8 to 576mm (28.8 to 576mm with Dynamic IS)

That's more zoom power than any DSLR lens ever made. If that's not enough oomph for you, Canon makes a pretty decent 1.5 teleconverter that screws into the front of the lens. Since I shoot wildlife I bought it too. Although when you zoom back you start getting vignetting so I would recommend you hold off on buying it unless you're sure you need it. You don't need to take my word for how great this camera is, just read the reviews and study the specs. It has 3 seconds of continuous pre-record. It has remote control that allows to control it remotely. You could set it up very close to the action and control it remotely. Zoom speed can be set to variable, constant (with 16 levels), fast, normal or slow. I suspect this camcorder will do much more than you will ever require of it. You can use a button on the camcorder body for fast zoom and a button on the top of the handle for slow zoom. You really should watch the video at the hyperlink I provided.

runnah · Mar 10, 2014

This is the one I use when I am not using my 5D MKIII.

Sony HXR-NX70U NXCAM Compact Camcorder HXR-NX70U B&H Photo Video

It's certainly "easier" to use. Focus system is better and form factor is much better. Although compared to my 5D the video color and the DOF is not as great.

grafxman · Mar 10, 2014

If you're still wondering about the XA20, take a look at this review:

Canon XA25 Professional Camcorder Review | Videomaker.com

The XA25 is the exact same camera except for an additional coax output.

harmonica · Mar 11, 2014

Okay thanks. I watched the videos, and saw the night capability. Is the night mode always in black and white? When it comes to the zoom I want to do, here's an example of how fast I want it, at 1:38 into the clip, when it zooms back from the woman's face:

grafxman · Mar 12, 2014

I don't know if it will go that fast however you should be able to speed things up in the software. I use Corel's VideoStudio X5 which doesn't cost much. The interface is a little difficult to figure out but it's very easy to speed up or slow down a clip. IIRC without having to dig through the manual, I think the camera will do both the green as well as black and white night video. You can probably find a bunch more videos on youtube if you search for XA20 or XA25.

harmonica · Mar 14, 2014

Okay thanks but I can't speed it up footage, without the actor looking like he is moving fast. You can speed up a zoom if the actor is still and it won't be noticeable but I want to do a fast zoom when an actor jumps, the jump will be sped up as well. Maybe I can zoom just before the jump and have it work out while shooting. I was thinking about what was said on here about how if you crop the footage, you can make your sensor smaller, since you are only using a smaller section of your sensor, therefore giving you a deeper DOF. I didn't want to crop my sensor since I would be loosing HD.

But what if I shot my project in a 2.75:1 aspect ratio? It's pretty widescreen for today's standards, but it will give me more deeper DOF to use, and I don't mind the epic look of it. That way, I can still retain HD quality for hopeful distributors, cause it's an HD movie, just super widescreen. Will distributors and film festivals mind a movie as wide as Lawrence of Arabia by today's standards, or would they have a problem with it?

grafxman · Mar 14, 2014

I'm afraid you're asking questions beyond my video experience level, I suggest you go here:

Videomaker.com

Sign up and ask your questions in their forum. I'm sure all your questions can be answered there. Sorry I can't help more.