Major Project : Meeting with DOP || Re-thinking the equipment choices

Second meeting with the DOP/ Camera man - Sam Creamer 

After providing my camera man with the pre production package and script for him to review over the Christmas holidays, we re grouped to go over our options regarding the equipment choices.

After our first meeting I was advised to look at the Black Magic Ursa because of the cinematic imagery that can be created. With it's 4K capability, images would be really clear and would leave a great room for possibilities in the editing stage as well.  

Black magic video; 

Pros
- Great 4k imagery
-  XLR ports for sound - Would be able to operate sound mixing kit. 
- EF mount, this means I would be able to make use of canon lenses

Cons
- Not good in low light (maximum ISO is 800) 
- need a fast lens  

However, there were many limitations that come with using this camera. First of all the cost. To rent this camera I would be set back by about £200 to £400 once renting from FatLama.com. 

This already digs into my budget a little. With the listings on fatlama, it's important to note that some of these did not come with memory cards so I would need to purchase these separately. The cost of this would be around £100.  So, I wanted to find an alternative because I didn't want to use the uni's Panasonic's. Even though it is a good 4K camera that would allow great flexibility, I wanted the option to change lenses and add ND filters to have greater control of the imagery created. I found that the imagery that comes out on the Panasonic seem really clear, and would be great for actuality footage for a documentary. This wasn't exactly the look I was going for so I will continue to research the best type of equipment for the production. 

Other options that me and Sam spoke about included the Sony FS7

but due to budget, We have both decided that it would be a good idea to stick with the Sony A7sII because sam would be able to use the lens he wanted and it would be a really good all rounder. When considering renting this camera, I also had to think about sound. 

Sony A7s II

Pros: 

• Exceptional low light capabilities 
• cinematic 4k imagery
• Will be able to use the Fujinon lens that Sam reccomended 

Cons: 

• Sony E mount. Would need to rent a Metabones EF adaptor
• Does not have an XLR port for sound. If you want to record sound into the camera then I would need to have a Pre amp but that would crush the sound a little and give me/ the sound operator less control. 
• I would need to sync the external sound during the edit. This is something that I find very daunting because it seems very tedious. I need to research how to efficiently do this. 

Final Thoughts 

I will be using the Sony A7s because after working out the costing, it would be cheaper to hire the necessary kit. I will also learn how to effectively sync sound. 

Next Steps

• Complete the shooting schedule and call sheets
• finalise all prop lists
• Choose an appropriate sound operator 
• Finalise crew for shooting dates
• Find an appropriate actress to play the mother
• Find an appropriate actors to play Isaiah's friends
• Complete a second Location Recee for Isaiah's House scene.
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