I’m calling it as I see it.  DSLR video is a fad – at least in solo video journalism it is.  Plain and simple.  There are many who have become enamoured with the so called uber cool extreme shallow depth of field flavor of the moment, equating it to creative license and thus making it their top priority, and in the process, losing sight of the first rule of solo video journalism:  It’s the story, not the gear.

I have a real issue with this whole mind set of DSLR’s/Shallow DOF perspective that has been flooding this profession for the past several months.

Time and time again, I read forum posting after forum posting from so called pro’s wondering if they are going to get more work by switching to a DSLR that shoots video.

In a word – No.

From my professional experience, I believe it only makes a mediocre shooter look desperate (and I’ve seen plenty of that lately) if you have to use technical gimmicks to make up for your lack of compelling story telling shooting skills.

As someone who has seen alot of still and video content in my career as a visual content creator, I’d rather view a compelling piece shot on a single chip SONY A1U or HC7 that has clean audio, proper exposure, proper compositional framing, utilizing compelling story telling technique, etc than a boring story shot with the latest fad video DSLR with shallow DOF as the gimmick to save a mediocre story. That’s not to say a solid story can’t be shot on a DSLR that shoots video – but it’s my belief that it’s 98% operator and 2% equipment and the vast majority of shooters have lost sight of that.

My mentor from afar, David Dunkley-Gyimah, has posted his experiences and insights around the notion of tradionally laid out video cameras versus what it takes to shoot with one of the Hybrid DSLR’s .  Having read about, seen and even handled these flavors of the moment has provided some insights on my end that I’m going to take liberties with.

Here’s some things most don’t seem to be addressing.  The purchase of additional gear just to get the DSLR to work the way a traditional video camera works out of the box.  Now tell me why a self contained backpack journalist who is having to carry all their gear why would you want to have to carry viewfinder magnifiers, matte boxes, rails, shoulder stocks, etc to get your story shot?  More gear to carry, more to assemble, and in the end, will probably get in the way of producing the story.

Yet that’s exactly what all the spin doctoring proponents would have you believe is needed to create compelling content.  They couldn’t be more wrong.  In fact, the form factor of video cameras remains virtually the same for a good reason.  It’s already known.  There’s no relearning where/how to focus, where to place mics, how to manage audio in post due to poor audio quality of Hybrid DSLR’s thus having to manage a separate audio recorder that has to be synch’d in post, etc…

The next generation of video cameras recently announced at NAB prove an important point.  SONY, Panasonic, JVC, and Canon stay the course with the tranditional form factor of video cameras for those who make their livings shooting a variety of content.  Sure, Canon’s DSLR’s were the darling s of 2010 NAB, but many don’t seem to have taken much notice that the mainstay video cameras for those who shoot video content for a living still hold to traditional form factor and their known acquisition codecs as they are time tested and proven in both acquisition and in post production.

Yes the cameras are bigger, but you retain all the features needed to produce professional content – without having to Rube Goldberg your gear together.  And there’s no hoop jumping in post – another bane of the DSLR Video equation.

The funny thing is, I came from a stills background – having shot stills for over 25 years, and yet I find the idea of shooting video with a DSLR as not being quite right.  I personally would rather produce video content on a camera that was designed from the ground up to do so, not as an add on to a tool that requires firmware updates, limitations of recording time a heavy investment in accessories to get it to shoot video.

Too many mediocre shooters have become worked up (and plain lazy) over the shallow DOF film look. For all practical purposes, they lose all the features that standard video cameras provide – ie, they are stuck in manual focus, audio control is still a kludge, they have to buy more accessories just to compensate for the lack of proper features needed to shoot properly – but hey, it looks really cool when they shoot with it.

If you’re more concerned about the equipment instead of the story – it’s time to get back to basics and learn to produce compelling content with the gear you currently have before moving to the latest.

If given the choice between the hybrid DSLR and a traditional form factor video camera – I’d still go for the latter.  I know what I’m getting through the whole production process.  Time is money – why waste it on inefficient processes to be “cool”?

In closing, Hybrid DSLR video is a kludge – having to duct tape together all the parts necessary just to get the tool to do what it mostly should.  Mainstream video cameras  present a known quantity – they do what they do because they were designed to.

Why trust your livlihood on anything else?

Update:  Just came across this video that has Vincent Laforet confirming much of what I’ve said in this posting. (Thanks to Jonathan Shuler for having this posted on his blog)

As a continuation from part one, next is the plain talk recommendations for a shotgun mic – the microphone that sits atop your camera while shooting.  I”m not going to discuss the technical aspects of the different kinds of pickup patterns, the various jargon/lingo associated with audio.  You can find that information here – instead I’m providing some practical down to earth, real world advice about my choice of microphones, that are known to just work.

The shotgun mic is the typical on camera microphone that will dramatically improve the quality of your audio compared to the built in microphones on todays camcorders.  Other than the SONY A1U, the cameras listed in part one utilize a 3.5mm mini jack.  This does present more limited options in the mic department, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get excellent sounding audio from those choices.

If you can afford it, go for best

Since beginning this article, I came upon (and purchased) what could be considered the best shotgun mic for either mini jack or XLR connection – The Ambient Audio TinyMic.

I originally came across this article describing the audio qualities of this mic – and the size was all I had been looking for in a professional mic that wasn’t locked into the XLR connector.  The benefit of the Ambient Audio TinyMic is the ability to swap out the connector to either mini jack or XLR – without having to contend with the increased size of an XLR based mic.

I’ve been using the TinyMic for sometime now and I can attest to the sound quality that results utilizing it.  I’ve used it on a boom overhead my subjects when doing interviews – it’s quite frankly one of the best pieces of equipment I could have purchased.  And it’s one of those that can be utilized when I transition to a newer camera.

But I’m not made of money…

What do you do if your budget is more limited?  Can you still get good quality audio without having to drain your bank account?

Yes you can.  For those who cannot afford the cost of the TinyMic (over $400 base unit),  I recommend one of the following mini jack mics:

• Azden ECZ-990 Shotgun Microphone
• Azden SMX-10 Stereo Microphone
• Azden SGM-X Shotgun Microphone
• RODE VideoMic
• Sennheiser MKE 400 Shotgun Microphone

Each of these microphones, while not up to their XLR big brothers standards, can provide clean, clear sound quality as long as you’re keeping an eye on your audio levels while shooting – which is something that can be done with the cameras I recommended in part one of this series.  And don’t forget, a good quality set of headphones of earbud phones is crucial for monitoring your audio while shooting.

Among my interest in shooting video in the zen like Solo VJ paradigm, I also research quite a bit on the idea of paring down ones possessions as a means of reducing ones clutter, simplifying your life if you will.

One area that I’ve taken an interest in is in the realm of what solo video journalists can actually utilize that combines small size, yet has as high a quality of image and take that same concept into the post production process.

For those who see the web as a viable platform for content distribution, the burden of carrying large, heavy and expensive video gear becomes a thing of the past.  Myriads of consumer, and prosumer HDV video cameras are available that take this idea and can make it work.

So I’m going to touch on my recommendations for gear for those who are serious shooters, not the typical writer who is having to shoot video as a part of their work.  This first in this series is about the best solution for cameras based upon price versus performance up to this point in time.

Cameras:

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There are HD video cameras available on the market that provide the necessary functions for shooting video content at more than a casual level.  I have mentioned the necessary features in the past but I’m going to repeat them as a refresher.

• Microphone Input
• Headphone jack to monitor audio
• Manual White Balance
• Manual Mic Audio level adjustment
• Manual Exposure Control
• Manual Focus Control
• Firewire Connectivity (Tape based ingest)

Each of these features should be available to the shooter, no matter what their level of expertise is.  This comes from personal and professional experience. You can shoot in auto everything and as you gain experience, you begin to find you want more control over the cameras features – having these options available allows you to become more creative in your shooting as you gain experience.

The cameras will typically be one chip HDV or AVCHD cameras.  The ones currently on the market that have become mainstays for solo vj’s looking for a balance of small size and high image quality include the:

Tape Based Cameras

Tape based acquisition is still considered by many the best solution due to the tape being the immediate archive of acquired footage.  It’s readily available, inexpensive, and reduces the need for purchasing hard drives to archive the content as compared to content shot to memory cards.

The tape based cameras I suggest include:

• SONY HC7, HC9
• Canon HV20, 30, 40
• SONY A1U, which is unique for having XLR mic input compared to the other cameras which utilize a 3.5mm or 1/8″ mini jack.

I recommend these cameras because the HDV codec is a known quantity – is well supported even in older NLE’s that support it and produce broadcast quality footage when setup properly in exposure.

AVCHD Based Cameras

Flash memory HD acquisition is based around the highly compressed AVCHD codec standard.  These cameras utilize either a large capacity hard drive inside the camcorder or use flash based cards that provide immediate access to the files on the card – which for tight deadlines, can be an advantage.  The trade offs are you need a hefty computer to transcode the AVCHD files to be able to edit them.  I recommend staying away from cameras that have an internal hard drive and instead, find a camera that has dual memory slots to allow for uninterrupted shooting  without fear of moving parts breaking down – which is typical for traditional hard drives when they are handled roughly.

The cameras I recommend include:

• The Canon HF-S series of cameras
• The SONY CX-300 and 500 series cameras

AVCHD cameras are the new kids on the block compared to HDV based cameras.  They provide excellent image quality, but at the cost of a highly compressed file format that can bring most computers to its knees when trying to edit the file format.  Transcoding (to be discussed in a future article) is the best solution – especially if laptop editing.

MIC Jacks

With regards to the type of mic jack available on the camera, my research has concluded through personal experience and advice from other pro’s that there is virtually no difference in audio quality between these two connector types.  XLR does provide a wider range of higher end shotgun mics and a more robust connection, but as you’ll soon discover, using a mic with a 3.5mm lack isn’t any less effective than using an XLR type mic – old prejudices don’t die easily.  In addition, the mini jack type mics currently available are quite affordable and I’m going to try and dispel many opinions that what is needed for higher end broadcast type work is overkill for producing video for the web – even as technology pushes into the realm of 1080p video for the web.

In part two of this equipment series, I’ll look at compact mics for use on these compact HD cameras.

On Friday, May 9th, I was fortunate enough to have been given access to cover the rally for Senator Obama held here in Eugene, Oregon as a solo video journalist.

Needless to say, I hadn’t been through a trial by fire like that in many years – reminded me of my daysas an unpaid intern at one of the local newspapers back in the day.

I was able to shoot for the citizen journalist organization – The Uptake.

I busted my hump to capture content shooting with what I later discovered was the smallest camera being used by the working press. I found it slightly amusing to look at all the gear the mainstream media was shooting with including what I now term “Hair and Teeth” on camera talent . Add to that multiple production crew people and no wonder TV news is going in the toilet. And the looks I got shooting on the media platform with my little cameras in relation to the various shoulder mount and larger sized cameras such as Panasonic DVX100′s & HVX200′s, SONY V1U’s, etc put a smile on my face as well.

I did find some limitations in my choice of gear that I shoot with, but I’m beginning to find that using the SONY HC7′s with the Azden SMX10 mic is very compact and less intimidating to the subjects I shoot when I interview them.

The combination of shooting hand held and on my Bogen 3001 tripod with fluid head was a dream – All my gear was carried in my photo backpack – I was mobile and easily moved around while asking man on the street type questions. Going to post in Vegas Pro 8 was straight forward.

At the end of this project – I discovered the pro’s and con’s of working with these cameras, but given their limitations, I still prefer shooting with these types of cameras over anything bigger for the time being – especially when delivering to the web.

Over at Mike Jones’ Blog he has posted what I would deem a warranted scathing commentary on how the vast majority of video shooters equate the size of their cameras to be an indicator of the quality of their content.

And this is especially prevalent with the news videographer detractors who so righteously pontificate about how you have to have a shoulder mount camera and multiperson production crew to cover any form of news “correctly”

Freelancers are especially hard pressed financially due to the fact that we have to foot the bill for our own gear. Shooting video isn’t cheap – but it can be done for less than spin doctoring ad wizards would have the market believe.

Covering the recent Obama rally, I was able to observe those mainstream news media shooters strutting around with their expensive shoulder mount cameras and tripods – only to see them capturing the same boring shots time after time with hair and teeth reporters. No engagement with supporters, only what their gear would allow them to do given the size and weight.

I’ve felt much along the same lines as Mike.

I’ll let you read his posting in detail but I want to quote Mike’s closing statement which I feel is especially important to those freelance solo vj’s who feel as though they aren’t being taken seriously due to the very notion of camera size.

“Sometimes I find it hard to think beyond the idea that there’s a whole lot of filmmakers in the world with small-penis syndrome – those who feel their professional manhood so under threat they need to draw a hard and arbitrary line in the sand to make themselves feel secure as big-dicked professionals….”

In December of 2007, I finally made the switch from my beloved SONY TRV950′s to a pair of SONY HC7 camcorders.

Having shot with them intermittently since that time, I’ve come to appreciate, even love, shooting with them.

The size of the HC7 isn’t intimidating – either to the subject, or to my body when carrying them around. I have two cameras, 4 batteries, an Azden SMX10 shotgun mic, a Century Optics .55 wide angle lens and a Cavision 3×3 Rubber Matte Box – which all fits into a Photo backpack that also carries my small Dell D400 laptop with two external laptop drives for editing while traveling. Other cameras such as the Canon HV20/30 provide similar size and capabilities.

When walking around locally, I opt for a single HC7, the wide angle lens and mic with the mattebox which all fits in a small shoulder bag.

The ability to shoot HDV content in a diminutive package really makes for being agile at all times. In addition it also makes sense when shooting in the unobtrusive reportage style – the size of the camera doesn’t call attention to what it’s capable of producing image wise. Add to it the compact size of the mic and you have a solid acquisition system for shooting video for web distribution as well as potential broadcast.

Some would say the small size is a disadvantage due to camera shake. This is understandable and a tradeoff I and other like minded solo video journalists are willing to accept in place of being able to move about more freely without the cumbersome size of larger size camcorders.

It still utilizes tape, which has its pros and cons but they are a cost effective tool to work with and I don’t mind logging tapes at this time – the technology of tapeless recording and archiving is still working itself out and I would rather have tape for the time being. Who knows, NLE’s may finally resolve the AVCHD file format for editing the native file format. In a pinch, Vegas Pro 8 used in conjunction with VASST’s Gearshift plugin allows for editing of AVCHD in a way that increases performance on older hardware at the expense of slightly longer times in post due to editing with proxy files.

Bottom line is – working with this size camera gives Solo VJ’s the ability to be nimble content creators at a cost effective entry price.

Gear isn’t nearly as important as we are led to believe

Read that again -  Gear isn’t nearly as important as we are led to believe

So how does this fit into the Solo VJ paradigm?

Although having quality video acquisition tools is important, I think the future for solo video journalists will lie more in online content distribution – not which high end camera one shoots with – or whether it was edited on a MAC or PC.

PF Bentley, a respected video journalist and trail blazer in the craft of Solo Video Journalism, stated on the Digitaljournalist that:

“In the next few years we will be moving out of broadband and into fiber optic or powerline Web delivery which will enable full HD Web video and network broadcast online. This means that you are going to have to compete for viewers with 5,000 or more “stations” online. You better have some really good stuff to show ’cause you are not the only game in town for ADVERTISING DOLLARS.”

That is forward thinking and a prediction I believe it beginning to come to pass – and one forward thinking Solo video journalists should be working towards.

In my opinion, there should be more concern by Solo VJ’s about their method of content delivery on the web, not which camera, which NLE or whether to deliver to Bluray, HD-DVD, etc.

Lately I’ve been delving into DivX and to be honest, I think it’s a better delivery solution to Flash video in cost for it’s encoding tools, cross platform playback options, overall image quality and utilization of system resources.  Downside is you may have to download its player – big deal.

This is the future for both local and online content distribution in HD from what I have surmised.  I think too many shooters sit on discussion forums and dwell on the gear end of things and forget about how the end product is going to be delivered.  Robin Berg, a professional underwater shooter for broadcast, stated in a recent email to me that he tested the SONY HC7 head to head with the SONY Z1U for Broadcast quality – and his testing showed it can compete with the much larger and expensive Z1U in the right conditions. I chose the HC7′s as my tool for lightweight, high quality video content acquisition for that very reason.

It is my opinion that too many people have become enamored with a larger camera and van loads of other video gear strictly for bragging rights yet don’t take into account their method for content delivery.

The Travel Channel Academy teaches it’s attendees to shoot with consumer grade video cameras, edit on a laptop and teaches them how to market their content to the Travel Channel.  It’s about a lightweight, uncomplicated approach to story telling with a video camera.  This bodes well for online content distribution which is making inroads with entrenched TV News Station Managers, whether the detractors choose to believe it or not.

There is a place for multiperson production crews, but the future lies with experienced one person Solo Video Journalists who can do it all – from conceiving the project, to shooting, editing, narrating, scoring musical soundtrack and delivering to multiple outlets.

That is the Solo VJ paradigm.

Up until December of 2007, I had been a vocal opponent of making the switch to HD – especially for those solo video journalists who were dedicating their craft specifically for the web.

The idea of shooting HD with the end product being a 480×270 pixel end product just didn’t seem practical in my opinion.

Of course I have made the jump to HDV – Why the change now?

One of my/bluprojekt’s core mission values is to reduce my footprint on the environment by consuming as little as possible.

I personally drive less than 100 miles per month (except when I have some sort of assignment to shoot which requires me to drive my paid for 1988 Volkswagon Rabbit).  I plan any errand running as specifically as possible – thus driving only when I absolutely need to.  I avoid driving to the mall, opting instead to purchase what I need online.  It saves time and energy by letting the postal service, FedEx or UPS bring to me what I need – unless it can’t wait.

I made the jump to HDV after having lost out on two potential broadcast projects where the producers specifically asked me if I shot HD.  Having to say no I didn’t shoot HD probably lost me those possible projects.  So it was a necessary expendeture I had to make.  My previous SD gear found a good home with a shooter who was looking to begin making underwater content but felt overwhelmed by all the choices in HD gear – and the cost associated with it.  More or less, my beloved TRV950′s and underwater housing were in a sense, recycled.

It disgusts me to see companies like SONY, Canon, JVC and others working on nine month production cycles for ther products – causing consumers to feel the ever nagging need to have the very latest and greatest – even if they just purchased something a few months before.

I staunchly refuse to fall into that consumerism trap and it’s a core belief that drives what I do in my work as a Solo Video Journalist in bluprojekt.

Jim Feely over at Studiodaily.com has written an excellent piece for all those shooters and those thinking to make the move to video. He feels that too many can get wrapped up over whether to shoot HD or if standard definition is good enough to make a living with.

I couldn’t agree more with his assessment – content is still king.

I was recently asked by someone about my position on what constitutes professional equipment. I’m going to blather a bit on my particular POV on this topic because it annoys me that the spin doctoring ad wizards love to manipulate the human psyche to consume and that is a serious issue as far as I’m concerned.

Now given the fact that certain sectors of commerce are driven by the consumption of the latest and greatest smack at a very core issue facing us today in the 21st century.

The Climate Crisis (Stay with me now – oogly boogly)

I’ll be honest – I’d love to own the latest and greatest in HD cameras to work as a Solo VJ. That isn’t a financially feasible option for me at the present time. Having said that – does that preclude me from becoming a good VJ and beginning to make a living from it?

Certainly not.

If we are to aspire to deliver our content either online or potentially for broadcast, we need to assess the tools of our trade and acquire them as needed. Those shooting strictly for web distributed content certainly doesn’t require shooting a $5000 HDV camera. BUT… A $300 camcorder isn’t worth purchasing either in my opinion.

Why the discrepancy???

It has to do with finding the balance point between features and price. Any camera worth seriously shooting with needs the following five qualities to be considered as a tool in the Solo VJ repertoire: Manual Exposure control, Manual audio level control, Manual Focus, Manual White Balance and Firewire Connectivity. That’s it.

“Edit – it was pointed out that there should be two other requirements – Headphone out and mic input – thanks to Cyndy Green for her input on this”

My pair of SONY TRV950′s are older, 3 chip cameras which fill those five requirements. In addition, they give me 16×9 and 4×3 aspect ratios. And they were less than $900 each second hand. “But, they’re standard definition you say? They aren’t HD cameras – and everybody knows you HAVE to have HD to be a professional shooter these days…”

Excuse me? Can you show me in the rule books that says I HAVE to have that requirement??? I don’t think there is one.

But, that doesn’t mean NOT having HDV cameras isn’t necessary. It all depends on the final end product – and your finances. If I distribute for online content delivery – even local and possibly national broadcast – if the work is high enough in caliber, it doesn’t matter one iota.

But the Solo VJ detractors beg to differ – I say whatever.

The tool is only a small part of the equation – it’s the operator that acquires those decisive moments – the tool is only the capture device.