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The introduction of the Nikon D90 and the Canon 5D Mark ii DSLR cameras in 2008 marked the beginning of what some people refer to as the "DSLR revolution". The DSLR revolution can be considered a happy incident that came about with the convergence of photography and video in the camera industry. High resolution still cameras with large sensors were equipped with video capabilities and soon filmmakers realized the potential of this cameras as tools to shoot high quality film projects on a shoestring budget. Even if this came with obvious limitations, the large sensors, the high resolution and the ability of virtually use them with any high quality lens soon overshadowed the shortcomings. DSLR cameras can really give your project an amazing look. You only need to know how to use them to achieve a more "filmic" look. Here we take a look at various tips on how to make the best out of your DSLR camera. 1) It's important to have a clear idea of what kind of look you want to achieve. "Film look" can be a very vague description as films vary considerably when it comes to visual style. Many seem to agree, however, that the first and foremost quality you want to achieve with you DSLR is to avoid the "video" look, the plain 60i "hard news" camcorder look with everything in focus and a very stable and smooth image. Set the camera to 24FPS. You'll notice the difference right away. Due to the lower frame rate and progressive scan the image will have some blur and will appear less stable when panning left and right. Well, it may not sound too appealing but yes, that's what the "film look" comes down to. 2) Shallow depth of field. The main advantage of shooting with DSLRs, especially with full frame DSLRs, is that you have the ability of getting a very shallow depth of field with your images. A shallow depth of field creates a very artistic picture, with your subject in focus and a soft background. In general a very fast lens (usually f1.8 or less) will help you achieve this effect. The bigger your iris aperture, the shallower the depth of field. More light comes through the lens and the result is less focus across the frame. Focus on your subject and let everything else go. With full frame DSLRs that can be achieved even if the lens is not too fast. And also using longer lenses will enhance the effect as well. 3) Use different types of camera support systems, like a jib, a dolly or slider. Many intro shots are done using jibs and that brings a lot of production value to your shots. Due to the small size of DSLRs, you will be able to use more affordable jibs. The same for sliders. When using a slider, always make sure to have an object in the foreground! 4) Shoot with a flat picture profile. In general, keep in mind what kind of movie you are shooting and how much post production you are planning to do. Most of the time it is recommended to shoot with a "flat" image, meaning bringing down the saturation and contrast. That will give you the most flexibility in post production as the contrast and saturation can always be added in post with editing or color correction softwares. If you don't want to do much post production work after shooting, you can select a picture profile on your DSLR and go for a specific look. But even then, keep in mind that many types of films, like dramas and horror films for example, use the flat, under saturated and not too contrasty look. The color space with most DSLRs is not of the best quality and shooting with a flat image many times helps to give you a more filmic look. Many films nowadays are using this technique just like in the past many filmmakers shooting low budget films on video opted for black and white. 5) Sharpness. Don't worry about this detail if you are shooting for the internet. The size of the video will be small and keeping the sharpness high won't affect the image. However, if you are shooting a feature or tv project, always put the sharpness as low as possible. You'll notice the difference right away when showing your project on a television or theatre. Keeping the sharpness high will ruin your visual style and your images just won't look filmic. 6) Always use manual settings. This comes down to being able to control focus, iris, shutter speed, ISO and white balance. You need to be able to control the white balance of the image as well as the exposure. Always keep in mind what mood you are trying to create in your scene and what are the key elements in your shot. Does your frame have very dark and very bright areas? Then shooting automatic will make things more complicated. The camera might underexpose your actors to get information on the bright area of the image. So, you'll lose control of that when shooting automatic. If your actors are the key elements of the shot, by selecting the iris aperture you'll be able to get the right exposure on your actors. If it means losing details on the bright areas, so be it. In other shots it may come down to the opposite. You may want to underexpose your actors to create a silhouette. Whatever your scene is, you need to be able to make your artistic choices by controlling those elements. 7) Exposure. Now that you are shooting with manual settings, let's focus on the exposure. Sometimes you'll not be able to get the right exposure on your shot, maybe be by mistake or because of the scene's high contrast. Always keep in mind that when shooting on video, especially with DSLRs is always better to underexpose than overexpose your shot. Overexposed images have detail that is lost and can't be brought back. Underexposed images are more easily adjustable in post production. 8) Shutter speed. Ideally, you'll always want to have your shutter speed at half your frame rate. If you are shooting at 24fps, this means setting your shutter at 1/48th of a second. Some DSLRs, however, do not have 1/48th so 1/50th will be your closest choice. Using very fast shutter speeds can give you a strobe like effect when you pan. Also, very important is to take notice of what kind of lighting you have in your shot. If you have fluorescent lighting in your shot you may experience "flicker" if you are shooting at 24fps with a 1/48th shutter speed. As the cycle rate of fluorescent lights are 1/60th of a second, choose 1/60th of a second shutter speed if you are shooting at 24fps and notice flicker. 9) Shutter angle. If you are able to select your shutter angle, keep in mind that your shot will have different feel depending on your shutter angle. In general, the shutter angle will determine how long your frame will be exposed. If the shutter angle is high, let's say 240 degrees, it means your frame will be exposed longer and therefore your image will be smoother and you'll get more blur. Shooting with 180 degrees shutter angle you'll get definitely a more filmic look as it is the most used shutter angle in films. Shooting with a 90 degree shutter angle you'll get very sharp images so your video will look more "intense". So, in general, keep in mind that a 180 degree shutter will give a more filmic/standard feel to your images and choosing a higher or lower degree shutter angle will help you create a specific feel for your shots. There's many types of DSLR cameras. They differ by resolution, sensor size, compression and many more elements. So, get to know your DSLR in depth first, then consider these points as general principles you always need to keep in mind if you want to make the best out your DSLR camera. USEFUL RESOURCES DSLR Rental Los Angeles
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