Music Video with Final Cut and Canon 5D. Quality good?

[Cananboi]

Hey there, the video is recorded with a Canon 5D and edited in Final Cut Pro. What do you think of the quality?

[edDV]

I have significant issues with it.

The whole point of the 5D is creative control of narrow focus. Many fails here.

Be back later.

[edDV]

The main problem I have with this video is the use of defocus as a transition effect. This seems to be an intended theme where there is a cut to defocus and then the person or object comes into focus. I find this disturbing. Selective focus should be used to direct not confuse the eye.

Second issue is too narrow depth of field on many of the shots causing the main action to drop out of focus.


Focus should be on the hands


Lighting and focus should be on the drummer, not the distant yellow drum.


The couple never came into focus in this shot.

[TreeTops]

I agree with the focus issues. Is this a camera problem or an operator problem?

[edDV]

I agree with the focus issues. Is this a camera problem or an operator problem?

DSLR's are difficult to keep in focus. You can widen the depth of field by stopping down an F stop or two and compensate with exposure time. Or the operator needs to manually adjust focus. Film crews often use a second camera operator to "follow focus".

[budwzr]

Yeah, here's a couple more. The cameraman should try Magic Lantern, it has follow focus arrows onscreen. And the editor should have dumped these shots, they're underwhelming anyway and can be replaced by just about anything else. In fact, the whole video is a bit vanilla.

The editor is mostly to blame though. Lack of creativity, being the most glaring omission.




[Attachment 10126 - Click to enlarge]

[edDV]

I don't blame the editor but the shooter. If all the takes had these location issues, then the editor had to do the best with what source he/she had.

Most of the errors point to central auto focus or operator error.

Auto focus searches for detail. It will lock to surfaces with detail (center weighted). Unfortunately surfaces with detail are not always the desired center of action. What is needed is cam op doing manual focus to fit creative intent.

[budwzr]

How about this one, where the hair blocks the lead singer for 2+ seconds!


[Attachment 10127 - Click to enlarge]

[budwzr]

Oh, I almost forgot. The song sounds like generic stock music. Like what you might hear playing at Denny's during your rootie tootie breakfast.

[edDV]

How about this one, where the hair blocks the lead singer for 2+ seconds!

I'm still undecided whether those blurry shots of the woman were shot on set or composited in post* but I agree the blocked shots shout "stand down in front"!

* the edges are suspect.

[budwzr]

All the cuts are fast, excepts ONE transition that looks bad, but the editor left it in there. Maybe a time sync error and they needed to shave some milliseconds off.


[Attachment 10130 - Click to enlarge]

[budwzr]

What's this ? A half dutch angle? And the side of the face is blown while other parts of the frame are dark. Perhaps an ND filter should have been employed.

I get that this shot is an attempt at creativity, but it just doesn't work because the angles just make it puzzling and unnatural. Like that cockeyed gravity roadside attraction in northern Cal on the 101.


[Attachment 10131 - Click to enlarge]

And more out of focus "transitions"

[Attachment 10132 - Click to enlarge]

[budwzr]

Hehehe, whew!, this thread ought to cut way down on people signing up just to promote their videos.

[budwzr]

How about this one, where the hair blocks the lead singer for 2+ seconds!

I'm still undecided whether those blurry shots of the woman were shot on set or composited in post* but I agree the blocked shots shout "stand down in front"!

* the edges are suspect.

I think there were so many blurry shots that the editor just decided to "go with it". So it became an impromptu effect.