Pros and Cons of DSLR Filmmaking at SXSW

SXSW puts the spotlight on /DSLR filmmaking. So what’s the fuss all about? First check these 10 examples of stunning DSLR cinematography on No Film School and you’ll get the fuss. After a couple of workshops yesterday, we are in a little bit more in the know about the potential of the current generation of DLSRs as cheap alternatives tor high end HD film camera’s such as the Red. At the 11am workshop ‘DSLR Filmmaking: Understanding Strengths and Weaknesses,’ Barry “I am not a basher” Green, whose short ‘Depth of Phil’, also one of the few voices that dares to address the flaws and weaknesses.

1. Use some sort of stabilizer, “It’s difficult to get a nice hand held shots because the camera is just too damn light.”
2. Record sound separately and syncing later. With Pluraleyes that’s a piece of cake.
3. Avoid fast camera movements, it can cause skewing. “It’s a CMOS thing. It’s the way they scan,” Barry says.
4. Don’t use shutter speeds like 1/250th when filming in fluorescent or HMI light. It will cause horizontal bands. Stay with 1/60th.
5. Images with a lot of details and movement can become mushy (caused by the video codec).
6. Aliasing “all dslr’s do it” can cause nasty patterns polluting the image when everything is in sharp focus. Can occur when shooting brick buildings. Avoid corduroy shirts. (How’s that for a fashion statement.