Cinematic Film Look: Budget vs Pro Gear

Can we get the 'film look' with both inexpensive and professional gear?

Cast:
Alaa Maygi
Darren Boakye-Adjei
Caitlin Lucia

Director - Tiara Westlake
Behind-the-Scenes - Ben Hardy

Designer - Yolande Carella
Make up Artist - Cara McDaniels
Head Piece Designer - Isabella Josie

[onehappydawg]

I look at it this way. With my photography, once I learned about light and lighting, I went from taking pictures that looked just like everyone else’s to when my friends went to a local store to print a picture I took they were asked for a photographers copyright release.
Once I learned about light it didn’t really matter about the gear I had. I could take a great picture with a nice DSLR or an iPhone. I’ve been shooting DSLR video for a couple of years now and I think it’s the same thing. Once I learned what “cinematic” movements were and lighting a scene(which I’m still learning about)I can shoot a video that is “cinematic” with any gear.
The big difference, that normal people who watch videos don’t really pay attention too, is dynamic range, quality of color and razor sharpness. If the video work is halfway decent and the story is good, normal people don’t really notice or care about the rest.
In my humble opinion.
I like watching your videos, Keep up the great work.

[davidblanch]

I really think that the real magic is in the crew. A camera, whether it is an Arri Alexa or a Sony A7III, will never be able to capture an emotion on its own. The human team behind the project, will. So glad to see you working with such equipment. Take care!

[anishsamtani]

Simon has this soothing calm voice. I mean I love filmmaking and that's what I come here for, but haha gotta admit his voice has become another reason!

[bestoca]

Really like how you’ve transitioned your videos from ‘classroom’ to out in the field and showing us some of the issues that may crop up. I’m also super impressed that you made two videos at the same time!

[KaitlinGaspar]

your dedication to showing that gear doesn’t matter was one of the most inspiring things for me when i was a broke high school filmmaker :’) it helped me gain the confidence i needed to pick up the tools i already had and create and learn and improve!! & to realize that even with very little money i was capable of creating worthwhile art! now, a few years into my film&tv degree, i have the ability to play with gear much more expensive than i’m used to, but i’m not so overwhelmed or scared because of the solid base i have to stand on! i am so appreciative of how encouraging and helpful you are. thank you so much Simon!!!!

[nolanmolt]

I’ve heard it said you can choose 2 of 3: Cheap, Good, or Fast... You can’t have all 3. For me, I’d choose good and cheap. Going more slow is something I’m willing to do than sacrifice for the other. Yet I respect the other perspectives too. Also love seeing more and more pro level features like wireless follow focus, anamorphic lenses, gimbals, etc become cheaper and better! Great news for us indie filmmakers 🙌🏻 Fantastic video Simon, excited to see the finished project!

[Fuzzmistro]

It's the team and the vibe that everyone brings to the project. I love gear that makes the job easier (more efficient) I hate wasting time especially when we have a LIGHT race.

[MackerelSkyLtd]

Shooting on a Red spoils you for Dynamic Range, making it hard to go back to even a Lumix S1 without suddenly having to worry about the sky blowing out, much less working with something like a Sony A7Sii. The other part of the equation that I’m addicted to with Red footage is the complete flexibility in post. And even the 6K or 8K R3D footage is more manageable for the edit rig than the 4K mp4.

Also not terribly keen on how the gimbal setup/teardown/balance cut into production timing when we were using one. But It all depends on what shots you need. If you’re doing a fashion shoot like this, the gimbal is possibly essential, but for complex blocking where you need to hit your marks multiple takes running, I found the gimbal a complete pain compared to a simple dolly track setup. I’d rather not have to fight the gimbal to make it do what I want it to.

[LovroSabljak]

Are you still on T3i?? Just curious after all these years ;)

[Boosuf]

I think I've learned this the hard way. I had a budget of £250 to make a short film, and ended up spending 200 on gear and 50 on an actor. The final shots look mediocre at best because I spent so much time and energy planning what to buy and how to use it, when I should have been planning what to do.

[corbinpearce]

As a very general statement, my experience so far both personally and learning from others, is that gear is ultimately a convenience thing. Expensive toys make a lot of effects and shots easier to pull off. However almost everything you see done professionally can be achieved on a hobby budget with some creativity and diligence. When you get expensive gear, you essentially pay to save yourself the headache and time it will take to prepare the shot. It's doing all the work you would be. So, it can be super helpful, but rarely is it truly necessary.

[GeoElmoGeocaching]

This was interesting. As a relatively new self-taught hobbyist filmmaker, I enjoy watching your videos and learning from them. Your "budget" is my pro right now though :-). My upgrade from an iPhone 7 to a Panasonic Lumix G7 was a big jump for me, and I'm working now to learn how to film well with the G7. Filmmaking is a really fun hobby and I hope to someday produce great cinematic video.

[groundupproduction]

Dude everyone apart of this project is amazing. You did so much work !!! You animal!!

[denzels.]

Great to see theory being put into action and hearing feedback and lessons from your own work. More of this.

[saurabhraj]

2:27 That's the best sponsering style ever in the history of YouTube.. Every YouTuber should take note

[daniquegodwin]

If you use a GH5 or A7SIII yeah it’s fine for most people, but if you go with cheaper cameras there is a huge difference. It’s the dynamic range that makes a difference. Even with the A7III that I shoot with I notice that quite a lot. I’ve seen a comparison between mirrorless and DSLR’s with cinema cameras and there is a huge difference in image quality.

[cosnut_]

Y
ou deserve some obsessive stocking and following. Just this video alone gave me the best impression of your channel. So much so, I am planning on going through your entire channel to learn as much as I can from you seeming dialed in experience and mellow voice. Thanks mate

[LycanVisuals]

I'd like to see Simon get his hands on the BlackMagic.

[CoffeewithCrew]

Working with both personally, I much prefer high end rental gear to a dslr accessory bundle type setup. Things are more solid and have quicker turn around and usually bring about a more easily cinematic look. It sounds odd but they also bring a serious feel to the people on set and people soon speed up and stop messing around. However the times I’ve used larger gear has meant our crews have been larger and more experienced aswell so it very well could have been down to crew and professionalism. I totally agree it’s all about what’s in front of the camera because I’ve seen complete amateurs use tens of thousands of pounds worth of kit to have it look like sharp garbage. It’s almost all about who you work with and where and when you’re working for a scene but when you can use the high end gear there’s a reason the prices are high. It’s always easier and less time consuming to get a nicer image, the lenses are sharper and have longer (smoother) focus reaches and the cameras have most of the buttons built in. Focus is usually not done on camera aswell so having a focus puller there is so much smoother and something highly reccomended to invest in

[DANAMIONLINE]

Thinking about gear to speed up workflow is a good qualifier for choosing gear. I’ve never thought about this on the production side.