Shooting feature horror film on VG20 at DVinfo.net

John Vincent · September 4th, 2012, 04:54 PM

I thought my fellow VG20 users would be interested in this. My Kickstarter account for my 5th feature film, XENOMORPH, just went live. Tag line: "On Earth, no cares if you die"

And yup, I'm shooting this on a VG20.

The pitch:

"Five friends must travel to far away Harper's Grove for a wedding. On the way, they encounter a turned over US Army truck. The truck and apparently dead soldiers block the road. The 5 friends get out to investigate. Papers, blood, the shattered remains of a large crate, and the dead are everywhere. One of the lads finds a satchel filled tattered pieces of metal. Even as they call 911, a HUGE SHAPE emerges from the woods. It's the Xenomorph, an alien held captive since before the Roswell incident - and it's pissed. It begins draining the blood from the bodies of the dead, draining them for nutrients. These "dead" rise again to do the bidding of this dread creature. Our heroes call the police only to see them killed by the dead who rise up to defend their inhuman master. Dispatching the police, they descend on our heroes.

They run, but are soon trapped in a small barn. They fight to survive even as they try to unravel the mystery of what exactly is happening. It's a race against the clock as they must fight for their lives even as the government tries to contain this menace from outer space."

Any support would def help - we have donations as low as one buck!

Be a part of EGE's newest creation - XENOMORPH by john vincent — Kickstarter

Ryan Douthit · September 4th, 2012, 07:50 PM

With a title like Xenomorph I had to toss something in the hat.

John Vincent · September 4th, 2012, 09:21 PM

And thank you very much for doing so!

Ron Little · September 5th, 2012, 10:13 AM

Hey, any information on what lenses you will be using and how you are recording the audio? Also where are you shooting it? I want to help.

John Vincent · September 5th, 2012, 10:46 PM

It's going to be a down and dirty shoot that's for sure. Normally, that would mean get the best zoom I can afford (likely the Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 L), but I'd like to try and keep to to one length for most of the film, just to see what would happen.

That lens would likely be the Tamron 35mm 1.4. It's fast, sharp, and decently tough. If it's good enough for Phil Bloom, it's good enough for me.

Sound recorded on the camera (which is quite good, but likely mostly unusable from handling noise) as well as the Tascam DR40 - so dual recorded sound, timed up with a clapper.

We're shooting it in Ypsilanti Michigan, hopefully starting in about a month & a half - at least we will if we reach our kickstarter goal.

Ron Little · September 6th, 2012, 08:33 AM

Thanks for the reply I will check out the Tamron 35. I have not looked at that one. I have a Nikon 50 1.4 that really makes some nice pictures. Have you considered recording to a NanoFlash to get the 422 color space? Regrettably, Michigan is out of my range. Good luck I will definitely be getting one of the DVDs. I hope you do a behind the scenes.

John Vincent · September 6th, 2012, 04:28 PM

Yeah, we'll hopefully be putting up stuff every Friday starting next week.

Far as the Tamron goes, I love it. Bokeh isn't as creamy as some, but that's about my only complaint.

I have thought about the nanoflash, but rejected it for 3 reasons:

1. It's costly - the cheapest option is something $1,000 if I'm not mistaken.

2. Bulk/batteries/BS - we're going to have 20-30 setups a day, meaning I want to eliminate as much that can (read will) go wrong as I can. Having yet another gizmo needing batteries that can't get wet or muddy or fake blood on it is a big no-no for this project.

3. Improvement over image quality likely minimal. I don't think an outboard recorder improves some of the weakness of the VG20 - like no control of sharpening/contrast and rolling shutter. There would obviously be more color control in post, but I'm probably going to shoot this as a 1st POV style film - meaning that it can look a little crappy in places and still work.

That said, I probably would use one if I could get one cheap.

Bill Bruner · September 9th, 2012, 09:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by John Vincent

...lens would likely be the Tamron 35mm 1.4. It's fast, sharp, and decently tough. If it's good enough for Phil Bloom, it's good enough for me....

Hi John - do you mean the Tamron 35mm f1.4 - or the still camera Samyang/Rokinon 35mm f1.4 that Bloom recommends here?

If so, have you seen the new

Rokinon 35mm T1.5 cine lens

? A little more expensive than the still camera lens, but a lot less expensive than Zeiss, Canon or Angenieux cine lenses - with the same workflow advantages for filmmakers.

It's essentially the same glass as the still lens - with aperture is measured in T-stops instead of less accurate F-stops, already de-clicked and pre-geared for follow focus.

Good luck with your project - look forward to seeing some behind-the-scenes photos and clips!

Bill

John Vincent · September 9th, 2012, 07:44 PM

Bill - thanks for correcting me. It is indeed the Rokinon/Samyang! And I'll be sure to post behind the scenes stuff soon.

Cine lenses are nice, but cost more then I want to spend - and let's face it - I won't be using those markings anyway.

Hate to lose any light sensitivity as well...

September 4th, 2012, 04:54 PM	#1
John Vincent Trustee Join Date: Sep 2005 Posts: 1,065	Shooting feature horror film on VG20 I thought my fellow VG20 users would be interested in this. My Kickstarter account for my 5th feature film, XENOMORPH, just went live. Tag line: "On Earth, no cares if you die" And yup, I'm shooting this on a VG20. The pitch: "Five friends must travel to far away Harper's Grove for a wedding. On the way, they encounter a turned over US Army truck. The truck and apparently dead soldiers block the road. The 5 friends get out to investigate. Papers, blood, the shattered remains of a large crate, and the dead are everywhere. One of the lads finds a satchel filled tattered pieces of metal. Even as they call 911, a HUGE SHAPE emerges from the woods. It's the Xenomorph, an alien held captive since before the Roswell incident - and it's pissed. It begins draining the blood from the bodies of the dead, draining them for nutrients. These "dead" rise again to do the bidding of this dread creature. Our heroes call the police only to see them killed by the dead who rise up to defend their inhuman master. Dispatching the police, they descend on our heroes. They run, but are soon trapped in a small barn. They fight to survive even as they try to unravel the mystery of what exactly is happening. It's a race against the clock as they must fight for their lives even as the government tries to contain this menace from outer space." Any support would def help - we have donations as low as one buck! Be a part of EGE's newest creation - XENOMORPH by john vincent — Kickstarter

September 4th, 2012, 07:50 PM	#2
Ryan Douthit Major Player Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Kirkland, WA Posts: 474	Re: Shooting feature horror film on VG20 With a title like Xenomorph I had to toss something in the hat.

September 4th, 2012, 09:21 PM	#3
John Vincent Trustee Join Date: Sep 2005 Posts: 1,065	Re: Shooting feature horror film on VG20 And thank you very much for doing so!

September 5th, 2012, 10:13 AM	#4
Ron Little Major Player Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Pensacola Fl. Posts: 627	Re: Shooting feature horror film on VG20 Hey, any information on what lenses you will be using and how you are recording the audio? Also where are you shooting it? I want to help.

September 5th, 2012, 10:46 PM	#5
John Vincent Trustee Join Date: Sep 2005 Posts: 1,065	Re: Shooting feature horror film on VG20 It's going to be a down and dirty shoot that's for sure. Normally, that would mean get the best zoom I can afford (likely the Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 L), but I'd like to try and keep to to one length for most of the film, just to see what would happen. That lens would likely be the Tamron 35mm 1.4. It's fast, sharp, and decently tough. If it's good enough for Phil Bloom, it's good enough for me. Sound recorded on the camera (which is quite good, but likely mostly unusable from handling noise) as well as the Tascam DR40 - so dual recorded sound, timed up with a clapper. We're shooting it in Ypsilanti Michigan, hopefully starting in about a month & a half - at least we will if we reach our kickstarter goal.

September 6th, 2012, 08:33 AM	#6
Ron Little Major Player Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Pensacola Fl. Posts: 627	Re: Shooting feature horror film on VG20 Thanks for the reply I will check out the Tamron 35. I have not looked at that one. I have a Nikon 50 1.4 that really makes some nice pictures. Have you considered recording to a NanoFlash to get the 422 color space? Regrettably, Michigan is out of my range. Good luck I will definitely be getting one of the DVDs. I hope you do a behind the scenes.

September 6th, 2012, 04:28 PM	#7
John Vincent Trustee Join Date: Sep 2005 Posts: 1,065	Re: Shooting feature horror film on VG20 Yeah, we'll hopefully be putting up stuff every Friday starting next week. Far as the Tamron goes, I love it. Bokeh isn't as creamy as some, but that's about my only complaint. I have thought about the nanoflash, but rejected it for 3 reasons: 1. It's costly - the cheapest option is something $1,000 if I'm not mistaken. 2. Bulk/batteries/BS - we're going to have 20-30 setups a day, meaning I want to eliminate as much that can (read will) go wrong as I can. Having yet another gizmo needing batteries that can't get wet or muddy or fake blood on it is a big no-no for this project. 3. Improvement over image quality likely minimal. I don't think an outboard recorder improves some of the weakness of the VG20 - like no control of sharpening/contrast and rolling shutter. There would obviously be more color control in post, but I'm probably going to shoot this as a 1st POV style film - meaning that it can look a little crappy in places and still work. That said, I probably would use one if I could get one cheap.

September 9th, 2012, 07:44 PM	#9
John Vincent Trustee Join Date: Sep 2005 Posts: 1,065	Re: Shooting feature horror film on VG20 Bill - thanks for correcting me. It is indeed the Rokinon/Samyang! And I'll be sure to post behind the scenes stuff soon. Cine lenses are nice, but cost more then I want to spend - and let's face it - I won't be using those markings anyway. Hate to lose any light sensitivity as well...