My first dance concert shot with the GH4

[Salvatore Privitera]

This the first of the dance concerts I'll be shooting with the GH4. It's not great but still learning about about this camera. Any tips, tricks or suggestions would be appreciated.

reconfigured // form 11-1-14 on Vimeo

[Salvatore Privitera]

Sorry, the password is privatedance.

Cine D, UHD @23.973, ISO 1600, contrast -3, saturation -3, noise reduction 0, sharpness -3, hue 0. I-Dynamic - standard.
Lens - Lumix 14 - 45mm. Used 14mm @ F 4, zoomed and tracked in post.

[Mark Ahrens]

I didn't watch all of it, but did see some rough movements on some (pan + post pan). I'd try to smooth those out. I was going to ask if you kept it a static shot and did all pans in post. I'm assuming you panned a bit, right?
It seems the lighting was consistent so you didn't have to alter the exposure settings during the performance. Have you filmed any other live stage shows where you had to actively alter the exposure? How would the cam perform? Shock, flash or smooth? I ask because i'm considering it as a b-cam for my show recordings.

[Paul R Johnson]

You must get a decent pant/tilt head that allows silky smooth movements for dance. The subject material flows, and any lurches are so obvious. You also need to go higher, above those people's heads because you miss a great deal of the lower body when they are downstage. The silhouettes are also very distracting when the camera moves. A good example of needing two cameras - the wide image begs for some close ups of individuals, and would cut in well - but there is not enough detail in the wide only shot. Looked good, though - but for a longer piece would be a bit tiring to watch.

[Salvatore Privitera]

Originally Posted by Mark Ahrens

I didn't watch all of it, but did see some rough movements on some (pan + post pan). I'd try to smooth those out. I was going to ask if you kept it a static shot and did all pans in post. I'm assuming you panned a bit, right?
It seems the lighting was consistent so you didn't have to alter the exposure settings during the performance. Have you filmed any other live stage shows where you had to actively alter the exposure? How would the cam perform? Shock, flash or smooth? I ask because i'm considering it as a b-cam for my show recordings.

Hi Mark,
I kept it static and zoomed and tracked in post. Just experimenting with what I can do with key framing. Wish I had a faster lens. I shot stage shows for the last 20 plus years and used cameras from SVHS to Canon C100. This is the first time using a DSLR style camera so kept it safe at F4.0. The other cameras I've used I altered the exposer quite a bit while shooting. I would have rode the f-stops if I had a cine lens. I think it would be great b-cam.

[Salvatore Privitera]

Originally Posted by Paul R Johnson

You must get a decent pant/tilt head that allows silky smooth movements for dance. The subject material flows, and any lurches are so obvious. You also need to go higher, above those people's heads because you miss a great deal of the lower body when they are downstage. The silhouettes are also very distracting when the camera moves. A good example of needing two cameras - the wide image begs for some close ups of individuals, and would cut in well - but there is not enough detail in the wide only shot. Looked good, though - but for a longer piece would be a bit tiring to watch.

Hi Paul,
I shot the whole dance wide static and zoomed and tracked in post - just experimenting. As far as going higher to clear the audience I was eight feet high off the floor from my position. The Dance Department does not provide me with adequate elevation but yes it is distracting.

Thanks for your input - much appreciated.