Tag: video

When to film in HD and 4K

Deciding when to film in HD (High Definition) or 4K resolution depends on several factors related to your project’s requirements, budget, and distribution platform. Here are considerations for each resolution:

Filming in HD (High Definition):

  1. Cost-Effectiveness: HD filming can be more budget-friendly in terms of equipment and post-production costs compared to 4K.
  2. Distribution: If your content will primarily be viewed on platforms or devices that do not require 4K resolution (e.g., older TVs, online streaming at lower resolutions), HD is sufficient.
  3. Storage and Bandwidth: HD footage consumes less storage space and requires less bandwidth for editing and distribution compared to 4K, which can be advantageous for certain projects.
  4. Workflow: HD may have a smoother workflow on less powerful editing systems compared to 4K, which demands higher processing power and storage capacity.
  5. Intended Look: If you prefer a more traditional or cinematic look associated with HD resolution, it might suit your project better than the ultra-high definition of 4K.

Filming in 4K:

  1. Future-Proofing: 4K resolution is becoming increasingly standard, providing higher quality and more detailed footage that can be future-proofed for upcoming display technologies.
  2. Flexibility in Post-Production: Shooting in 4K allows for more flexibility in post-production, such as cropping, stabilizing, or zooming without losing quality when downscaled to HD.
  3. Professional Projects: For professional films, documentaries, or projects requiring the highest quality, 4K can enhance the visual experience and meet industry standards.
  4. High-End Displays: If your content will be viewed on large, high-resolution screens or devices that support 4K playback, filming in 4K ensures optimal quality.
  5. Downsampling: Shooting in 4K and downsampling to HD can result in superior HD footage due to the reduction in noise and increased sharpness.

Decision Factors:

  • Project Scope: Consider the overall goals and requirements of your project.
  • Budget: Evaluate your budget for filming equipment, storage, and post-production resources.
  • Audience and Distribution: Determine where and how your content will be consumed.
  • Technical Capability: Assess the technical capabilities of your production team and post-production facilities.

In summary, choose HD or 4K based on your specific project needs, considering factors like budget, desired visual quality, distribution platforms, and future-proofing requirements. Both resolutions have their advantages, and the decision ultimately depends on what best serves your creative vision and logistical constraints.

The best lighting techniques for fashion photography

Photographing fashion requires careful consideration of lighting to capture the clothing, textures, and colors in the most flattering and impactful way. Here are some lighting techniques commonly used in fashion photography:

  1. Natural Light: Utilizing natural light can produce beautiful and soft results, especially during the golden hours of sunrise and sunset. Shooting outdoors or near large windows can provide even, flattering illumination. Diffuse the light with sheer curtains or shoot in shaded areas to avoid harsh shadows.

2. Softbox Lighting: Softbox lighting creates a diffused, soft light that minimizes harsh shadows and highlights. This type of lighting is commonly used in studio settings to create a clean, flattering look for fashion shoots. Place softboxes on either side of the model to evenly illuminate the subject.

3. Ring Light: Ring lights are circular lights that surround the camera lens, providing even and shadow-free illumination. They create a distinctive catchlight in the eyes and produce a flattering, almost ethereal glow on the subject. Ring lights are particularly popular for beauty and close-up shots in fashion photography.

4. Strobe Lights: Strobe lights are powerful flashes that provide intense bursts of light, ideal for freezing motion and capturing crisp images. They are commonly used in fashion photography to create dramatic lighting effects and emphasize textures and details in clothing. Strobe lights can be positioned at various angles to sculpt the subject and create depth.

5. Continuous Lighting: Continuous lighting sources, such as LED panels or tungsten lights, provide a steady stream of light without the need for flash. They allow photographers to see the effects of the lighting in real-time, making it easier to adjust and fine-tune the setup. Continuous lighting is versatile and suitable for both studio and on-location fashion shoots.

6. Rembrandt Lighting: Named after the famous painter, Rembrandt lighting is characterized by a triangle of light on the cheek opposite the main light source. This lighting technique adds depth and dimension to the subject’s face, creating a classic and flattering look often seen in fashion portraits.

7 Backlighting: Backlighting involves positioning the light source behind the subject, which can create a halo effect around the edges and emphasize silhouettes. This technique works particularly well for showcasing translucent fabrics and creating dramatic, high-contrast images in fashion photography.

8. Reflectors: Reflectors bounce light back onto the subject to fill in shadows and add a subtle glow. They come in various colors and surfaces, such as silver, gold, white, and translucent, each producing different effects. Reflectors are portable and versatile tools that can enhance natural or artificial lighting setups in fashion photography.

Experimenting with different lighting techniques and setups allows photographers to create unique and visually stunning fashion images that highlight the clothing, accessories, and overall aesthetic of the shoot.

Thank you for reading my blog, that is not me above, I’m much better looking than that….

Video Production Durban and the Blackmagic Cinema 4K Camera

Hi guys, welcome to another blog from the no 1 Video Production Company Durban. In the previous blog I mentioned a very exciting project currently being filmed in KZN. I am happy to say its done and I am posting the video below.

GCV Productions and Pixel Craft Training filmed last week Wednesday at Durban Botanic Gardens. We wanted to try the new Blackmagic Cinema 4K Camera. We approached Caitlyn Grunewald, a young artist at Westville Girls High School. The concept is a small promotional video for Caitlyn. Location would be the lovely pond at Durban Botanic Gardens. A lovely location but close to a busy road so we knew the interview with Caitlyn would need to be done somewhere else.

We posted the behind the scene photos last week.

sdr

Nice sunny weather, awesome location, and good help meant we produced a lovely video. Please have a look below and tell us what you think.

GCV Productions and Pixel Craft Training working together with Caitlyn Grunewald

Video Production Durban in pre-production for new exciting project.

Hi guys, welcome to another blog from Video Production Durban. Today I am excited to announce an awesome project commencing soon in collaboration with Pixel Craft Training.

Together we will produce a short promo video using the Blackmagic Cinema Camera. We are excited to see exactly what this camera is capable of doing. The location is Botanic Gardens, Durban at 12 pm. On set will be Manosh Seetherem and his assistant (PixelCraft Training) myself and Tristan Ambross (GCV Productions). The talent is Caitlyn Gronewald who is a young aspiring artist from Durban.

Below is a few photos taken from a preproduction location visit. We are looking at angle of sun, amount of people in the area and ambient noise. We are not closing the area off to the public so we need to visit with the public visiting the area during the shoot.

12 pm Winter in Durban means we have about 4 hours of good light but realistically we might only start filming at 1 pm. Pixelcraft will supply lighting but these are battery operated therefore we have 1 hour of actual filming time.

Location – Deck overlooking pond
Looking at the deck where the Talent will be positioned
Location – Low angle camera view on the deck.

Location Recce is extremely important to get a feel for the environment and look for anything that can be a challenge when filming. Ideally visit the location at same time of day of filming. Look at angle of sun, shadows. Listen to ambient noise such as traffic noise, even the wildlife in the area. Loud birds such as the notorious Hadeda can interrupt an interview (if recording audio)

Our talent will be painting a pond scene, seated next to the pond and painting. We will work towards a similar image with the below….

Our artist will paint a picture similar to the above. We need the bright colours to bring out the Blackmagics capabilities

So our location is ready, lets look at the camera gear.

Blackmagic Cinema Camera on the Zhiyun Crane 2 ready for production. Small and steady movements are required.
The Blackmagic Cinema Camera on a Zhiyun Crane 2.

So guys that’s a wrap for the pre production, we look forward to a very exciting day ahead and lets hope for a very awesome video to come. Watch out for the next blog and my youtube page to see the final video. And please visit www.pixelcrafttraining.co.za for their amazing work done, photos and videos.

For information regarding video please contact Guy Crosbie @ GCV Productions, visit www.gcv.co.za

http://www.gcv.co.za
http://www.pixelcrafttraining.co.za

Video Company Durban – Update

Hi everyone, welcome to another blog. What has Durban’s best video company Durban been up to.  It has been a busy 3 months with quite a few videos being produced.  I will list the links below.  GCV was in JHB producing videos for McDonald’s.   Some videos are still being produced so should hopefully be done soon.

video 1:  A team of 4 at Boxer requested their project be made into a video.  McDonald’s is looking at petrol free delivery vehicles.  Have a look at the video link for what we were able to come up with.   Below are pics taken from the video shoot at  Kyalami McDonald’s in Gauteng.   The delivery vehicle is a trike, runs on battery, no fuel, no exhaust fumes and very very quiet on the road.

Filming took a few hours with pics on a canon 60D, action movement filmed on the DJI osmo and a sony nx3 for the customer interview.

Have a look at the video below :

We hope you enjoyed the video above.  The video went on to win best presentation.  Well done Anesa and her team.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for reading my blog.  We will keep you updated to all our news in KZN

The vehicle you will be seeing on the roads soon delivery your ymmy Mcdonalds order.

www.gcv.co.za

 

Video company Durban – A Message to Students

Hi all, welcome to another blog from the no 1 Video company Durban, we talking to students going out into the video or film industry.

A question I have looked at very carefully is…was it worth studying video, is someone at an advantage with 3 years of film school behind them?  Personally I have never been asked to provide a CV except to lecture at DUT and Damelin.  How do I differ from the video guy that buys a nice camera and calls himself a cameraman?   I did learn a lot at DUT Video Technology but I do believe a youngster can learn just as much assisting at a video company or a cameraman.  Video is practical, all the theory cannot get you ready for the shoot that happens live or a wedding that you have one shot at getting right.

Studying video / film / TV gives the student good exposure to the different aspects of production.  Careers are created from writing scripts, looking for talent, recording sound, editing  and video marketing.   Its not all about filming and editing.  Imagine the career of a Focus Puller, his job is to adjust the focus of a camera during filming…that’s it.   But it is a very important job because if it is wrong you cannot fix it in the edit.  Focus and over exposure are generally two things you cant fix in the edit.

Personally I don’t believe video needs 3 or 4 years of study.

Get good experience working in the industry assisting the cameraman or editor or location manager.  Don’t believe if someone tells you you must study or get some sort of diploma or certificate.  You can learn so much involving yourself in the work or a company of what it is you want to do.

Please do not hesitate to contact me should you have any queries regarding video.

Regards

Guy Crosbie

www.gcv.co.za

video production durban

 

Video production company Durban – update

Hi guys, welcome to another blog for video production company, Durban.  Whats news…lots. We have been busy with all sorts of productions in and around KZN as well as JHB.  I have mentioned it all in the previous blog so please read it there.

So for 2019 we want to really make a difference for our clients.  Improve, innovate and adapt.  Always look and ask yourself what can be done to offer your customers the best possible product.  Look at creative skills and gear.  Gear is important because video equipment is always improving.  Its funny how sound recording has basically stayed the same over the last 10 years but look at video.

Video – 2010 – 2019 HDV, HD, 4K, UHD, 8K.  Equipment for us over the last 10 years.   Sony PD 170.  Sony Z5. Sony NX3.

Sound – 2010 – 2019 Sony UWP – V1

Here is a review of the microphone below.

Amazing don’t you think…Video has come a long way and audio stays the same.  I love my lapel mic, damn trusty microphone that never ever lets me down.

Thanks for reading.  I hope you have enjoyed it.  The next blog will follow soon.

If you require more info regarding video please call us at GCV Productions.

 

Thank you

 

 

 

video company durban – ordination

Hi everyone.  Happy New Year. Welcome to video production company Durban.  We have a wonderful blog lined up, lets look at the work done so far.

We started the year with a production for Boxer Champ News Live.  We filmed in Nqutu which is about 60 km from Dundee in the province of KZN.  We were fortunate enough to join up with the wonderful Thandie Khumalo, I will post a link to one of her wonderful music videos.

It was an absolute honour working with her.  As well as working with her we got the wonderful opportunity of working in Nqutu. Wonderful city.

 

The above is a video we filmed in JHB 2 weeks ago at a church.  It was an Ordination.  2 cameras were used for the video to cover the event.  It was a fun production with a good video at the end of the day.

 

 

Trail of Lights, Durban Botanic Gardens

Hi guys, welcome to the 1st blog of video production durban  for the year 2019.  I hope everyone has a great year ahead. Towards the end of last year I filmed the Trail of Lights at the Durban Botanic Gardens organised by The Event Company, all lights provided by Magic Company.

Here is a link to the video, enjoy viewing it.  I will discuss the video after the link

 

Did you enjoy it?  The video was filmed on 1 evening, 14th December 2018.  The purpose of the video is to promote the evening for the next 2 weeks to all public to visit the venue and support the charities represented.

Filming the event has its challenges, nearly every shot needs to be lit which meant bringing an assistant, thank you to Kerry Phillips for her helping hands with the lights and choosing the right locations to film.

Another challenge is to make sure the ISO settings on the camera is not too high creating a grainy shot.  I set the DJI Osmo to 800 ISO, this allowed enough light without too much movement in the shot.

The event began at 18:30 until 21:30, the first hour is still in sunlight so I waited till after sunset for the majority of the filming.

 

 

Once the sun went down it was rush rush rush.  there was so much to film.  We had to have the video done by the end of the evening as the edited video would be used to promote the event the very next day.

The footage was then edited to music that evening and presented to the client the very next day .  The client was extremely happy with the video with only one request…to swap the logos at the end of the video.

I hope you guys like watching the video.  Please support GCV Productions for any videos you may require.

Thank you

Regards

Guy Crosbie

http://www.gcv.co.za

video production durban – video presentation

Hi guys, welcome to video production durban no 1 blogger.  Whats news today…lets have a look at a recent video we shot.

Let me give you the lowdown on how this video came together.  It was shot in a small studio with a mixture of studio still lights and video LED light.  Background was composed of framed pictures on Easels.  We shot on a Canon 550D, sound was recorded using a Sony lapel mic plugged into an Zoom H5.

The camera was locked off for the entire shoot and all that was done was to hit record on the camera as well as the audio recorder.  The shoot lasted roughly 90 minutes with takes being repeated sometimes just for safety.   Cutaways in the edited version were jpegs that were imported from still images supplied by Matthew Willman.

So yes pretty much a straight forward video shoot using video basics to get the final product.  Below is a link to the video on youtube….

 

 

So the above video is very basic.  Make sure your settings are correct from the beginning and go ahead and shoot.

GCV Productions is a video company based in KwaZulu Natal, South Africa.  Please call us for any queries you may have.

 

Regards

Guy Crosbie

guy@gcv.co.za