When Vincent Laforet released Reverie last year, the digital revolution seemed poised to sweep across the world of moviemaking. Shot entirely on a prototype of Canon’s then yet-to-be-released EOS 5D Mark II, the short film revealed the camera’s extraordinary low-light sensitivity and HD video capabilities, all with the photographer’s choice of lenses. It appeared to be an all-in-one movie studio replacement.
The fact that HD video and cinematic quality was being offered at consumer rates thrilled the online video community. “Laforet’s, in particular, showed off the real upside of working with the 5DII’s light-sensitive sensor: When you can work with smaller lights, your production budget goes much farther,” said photographer and End User writer Ryan Brenizer in an e-mail.
It seemed that a few big Hollywood studios would no longer dominate our viewing agenda, that an indie revolution was imminent and that the dam on a reservoir of creativity had been destroyed. But that has not been the case. So why are we not awash in studio-quality, low-budget flicks? The answer is complex, and it zeros in on an ever more important relationship between the tools of production and the actual talent of filmmaking — the two of which people often confuse.
Canon’s announcement last month of their latest model, the EOS 1D Mark IV, was coupled with another release by Laforet, using a Mark IV prototype. Again shooting under tight time restrictions and using no additional lighting, the short, Nocturne, immediately became the subject of intense internet chatter.
Video enthusiasts were thrilled by news of the expanded ISO range and ability to shoot at 24, 25 and 30fps at full 1080p, but before many had the opportunity to see the movie, Canon requested it be pulled. No official explanation has been offered by either the company or Laforet himself, although it has been noted his use of Zeiss lenses during production may be the cause. The incident is just the latest in a series of missteps and blunders which has caused consternation amongst potential subscribers to the DSLR as movie camera.
Following Canon’s Mark II and Nikon’s D90 entry into the market with beautiful full-frame HD video capabilities and swappable, high-quality lenses, early adopters began to showcase their videos on YouTube and Vimeo. In June, a group of independent filmmakers from Oregon announced they had completed shooting a feature-length movie using the D90, also named Reverie.
Sound Designer Alex Stowell on the set of Reverie, courtesy Alles Mist
“Effectively, a 35mm Digital Cinema Camera [sic] had become available to the masses,” e-mailed Reverie cinematographer and producer Alles Mist, “[t]o artists who haven’t the benefit of studio funding and giant crews. That alone was enough to thrill me.”
Online viewers of trailers for Mist’s feature-length Reverie were torn between criticizing the movie as much as the quality of image. Reverie screened in Grant’s Pass, Oregon, for friends and crew and is being shopped for distribution.
“It’s not the format, it’s the content,” says independent filmmaker Jon Moritsugu in an e-mail. “I think the ‘YouTube revolution’ … has already unleashed a tsunami of indie and home movies. I don’t feel that a particular type of cheap DSLR camera is gonna really cause that much of a stir.”
Jon Moritsugu with 2nd Unit gear for Scumrock, courtesy Jon Moritsugu
Camera enthusiasts were quick to point out some immediate problems with the technology. Dubbed the jello effect, a catch-all phrase for visual distortions caused by the rolling shutter, straight objects wobble and lean due to the sensor’s construction of the image top to bottom. When Nikon released their prosumer D300S, claims of improvement were made, although hotly contested. Those fortunate enough to have seen Laforet’s Nocturne complained that his methods of cutting and post-production manipulations didn’t allow for honest critique of how the HD video handled movement.
Another sticking point was most cameras’ lack of manual function while engaged in video recording. The Canon and Nikon models lock in automatic, requiring some work arounds.
During shooting of Mist’s Reverie, the filmmaker circumvented the camera by locking the camera to its highest f-stop and focusing with a swapped lens. “These automatic systems should not be relied upon to perform these functions for the operator. Once that happens, the resulting piece is no longer the work of the artist — it is that of the mechanism,” he says.
Canon responded to complaints in June by introducing a firmware update for their 5D Mark II which allowed manual aperture, ISO and shutter speed control, but not allowing manual control of the video function. Nikon similarly refused to relinquish full control to the user with their subsequent DSLR models.
In order to compensate for the inherent shortcomings of the D90, Mist employed 10 years of film experience and some additional gear. “We had three main lenses — a Sigma Fixed f/2.8 28-70mm, a 50mm Prime f/1.4, and the Nikkor 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6 which comes with the D90.” An additional investment of over a thousand dollars required to correct for poor specs is a slap in the face to the Nikon faithful. However, this may not act as a deterrent to first-time buyers gearing up for another Christmas shopping season.
Once would-be filmmakers make the investment and the first footage is shot, initial excitement will undoubtedly yield to frustration. “The main block there,” said Brenizer, “is what happens when 1080p video in particular gets pushed down into a truly consumer market and people encounter how much time and computer power it takes to edit the footage.” While the Nikon D90 shoots video at 24fps, the Canon Mark II records at 30fps, which would need to be converted before using many popular editing programs. Using a process called “pulldown,” film shot at 24fps is converted to run at 30fps. “Pulldowns are concentrated insanity,” says Mist. When a new camera is released, it often requires people to change their workflow. The video editing giant Final Cut Pro has been taking steps to accommodate would-be directors by introducing patches designed for DSLR footage.
Experienced filmmakers are accustomed to long hours spent in post production, but most dabblers in video will probably lack the time or initiative to fully understand the process involved. “We shot the entire thing for five grand with a Hi8 analog camcorder,” said the award-winning Moritsugu, in reference to his 2003 film Scumrock. “I edited on a VHS cuts-only system; then we transferred everything to AVID and did sound-design work.”
And just because it’s digital, he says, doesn’t mean all the problems go away: “Horrifying scheduling nightmares, chicken-neck dinners for vegetarian crews and scabies infestations (DO NOT furnish your production office with couches and chairs found on the street from garbage collection night).”
If nothing else, the growing market of amateur filmmakers could create a financial incentive for companies to simplify all the video formatting madness. The more one learns about necessary software and conversions, the more one realizes how desperately the whole industry needs universal hardware and software standards.
One bright light to emerge from the darkness of change has been in the world of multimedia journalism. The PBS series Frontline used footage shot on a Mark II by embedded photojournalist Danfung Dennis for the documentary Obama’s War.
While the camera’s size certainly enabled Dennis more flexibility in coverage (he was denied a full film crew), the technical limitations were pronounced. He had to employ a rig to compensate for the unsuitable design, use filters to compensate for overexposure, and be a slave to Canon’s 15-minute take limit. The post-production process required extreme patience as the large files caused havoc for his laptop and needed to be converted to Apple ProRes 422 LT to ensure quality.
“From a professional standpoint,” says Brenizer, “video DSLRs’ primary strength is within mixed-media projects. It’s easier to switch between photos and video, and you have less to carry.”
It’s been an uncertain year for investment in the world of DSLR cameras. An excited flurry of product launches has caused confusion, debates and severed allegiances while complaints rage. The manufacturers are obviously investing heavily in the new HD video capabilities, continuing to showcase new videos as each new model is released. And people are buying — Canon showed a 10 percent increase in DSLR sales over the past year — but how long before companies are contemplating a substantial upgrade?
“As the manufacturers make updates to them, there will definitely be increased interest, and undoubtedly an escalation in productions where the cameras are utilized, particularly among independent filmmakers,” Mist says. “The more demand for enhancements that consumers and professionals provide for this new breed of camera, the more changes will be made to them.”
