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The Only Tip You Need to Become a Better Filmmaker

May 20^th, 2015

by Sebastian WöberMay 20^th, 2015

As filmmakers we’ve all become in some way involved in the crazy run for the latest developments in camera gear. In the hopes to make better films and become better filmmakers many of us are constantly called to catch up with innovation. But sometimes it seems we are missing the essence of what truly makes a filmmaker better and that is not the gear.

In the midst of the gear craziness at NAB 2015 and in search for an authentic message I got these 19 terrific comments from professional filmmakers during my last round on the show floor. I hope you enjoy the story despite heavy background noises.

This is also a little way to say thank you to everyone who followed our coverage during NAB and a tribute to our friends and colleagues we meet once a year. If you like it please check out last year’s video.

Ironically before everyone is asking, here’s the equipment used for the video:

Sony Alpha a7S

At cinema5D we often use this camera. For this particular job it was ideal. Because of the lowlight strength there was no need for additional lighting. And it was an extremely lightweight package.

Unfortunately I shot on a picture profile I’m not used to. Next time I’ll go back to Slog2 which I personally enjoy for accurate grading.

Zeiss Loxia 35mm F/2.0

This is a new lens by Zeiss and it’s awesome. It adds virtually no weight to the camera while at the same time being full-frame and offering F/2.0 and a super crisp image.

Sony XLR-K2M Adapter

This little add-on that routes XLR audio directly through the hot-shoe is very convenient. I set the mono-mic to both channels with different levels, so I had a backup audio.
Unfortunately I relied on Sony’s kit microphone that proved to have horrible directional characteristics. It picked up all the surrounding noise. I wish I had used one of our sponsor’s mics. It’s kind of embarrassing actually, but this was a really fast shoot.

The footage was graded using filmconvert, as well as a custom LUT and some additional corrections.

Music by musicbed.com
A. Taylor – Ash and Dust