Why Camera Flame Wars Will Not Make You A Better Filmmaker
I’ve been involved with online camera and filmmaking discussions for nearly a decade now and in that time I have seen one of the most important shifts in the history of filmmaking for the beginning filmmaker and professional alike: The Digital Revolution. We’re coming to the completion of that digital shift – technology is maturing and these new tools are now widely available. But now what? What is the future?
Technology can only progress so far. It will get better but not at this astounding pace we’ve seen in the last 5 years. Now we are entering a perfect storm of social propaganda that threatens to enslave us in a never ending [camera] consumer cycle and it has nothing to do making films or making films better.
For 95% of video applications, what is currently available on the market and affordable to most people is “good enough”. For the remainder 5% of projects there are a myriad of options available for rent. And yet I keep reading comments like “I’ve been asking for a camera that does x, y, z” or “This camera is crap because it can’t do 60p” or “Z Camera company is finally listening to their customers.”
Bullshit. No camera is holding you back.
You are holding yourself back.
The digital revolution has ushered in an era of artistic freedom. But freedom is scary. Freedom means we have to take responsibility for our success and our failure. This freedom also means your audience now has the same tools as you and you no longer belong to a special class with privileged access. Freedom requires you to compete, which means you have to be good. You have to bring something unique to the table. That’s downright terrifying.
The reaction is to build up imaginary walls – Walls to separate you as a REAL Filmmaker from the hobbyist. Walls that reinforce your superiority over the riff raff.
And this is exactly what’s happening with camera discussions and flame wars. And the camera manufacturers love it.
They want your money.
I am a dyed-in-the-wool capitalist. I have no moral issue with companies making money. They build the tools I use to tell my stories and without that exchange for profit I would not be able to do what I want to do. It’s not a zero-sum game where they win and we lose – it’s a win-win. Filmmakers and Manufacturers have different objectives and our relationship is mutually beneficial.
The problem emerges when we as filmmakers lose sight of our objective (to tell stories) and play into imaginary walls vanity and class. The camera manufacturers have product to sell and once everybody has a camera, they need to convince us to buy another one to keep the revenue coming in. That’s when they appeal to our need for vanity, helping us build up our imaginary walls. The result is a constant state of dissatisfaction for sole purpose of selling cameras to replace the perfectly functional cameras we already own.
“I want it now. Give it to me now, or I will scream and scream until I am sick!!!!”
That hissy-fit quote above came from Philip Bloom’s run down on the new Sony F5 and F55 cameras. In context of the article it is clear he is being facetious. The F5 and F55 are studio grade cameras made for professional productions and he’s playing on the juvenile attitude for comedic effect.
But the childish sentiment is not uncommon in the online arena where aspiring (and inexperienced) filmmakers are trying desperately to crawl up the social ladder.
If Hollywood is about the manufacturing of dreams, then the industry of filmmaking is the wide glossy-eyed pursuit of those dreams. As filmmakers, we’re all looking for the golden ticket in.
For some, the camera has become that golden ticket. The camera has become a symbol of filmmaker’s status than a tool of creation. Higher end cameras are perceived as a luxury item catering to the filmmaker who has a “refined taste” or “great eye”.
It is more than just brand loyalty. With the product life cycle of cameras getting shorter and shorter (about 2-3 years before the community deems them “obsolete” even though they’ll function much longer) maintaining the imaginary walls as a filmmaker means you must have access to the latest camera offerings. You can’t be seen with last year’s model. But the cost of cinema-level cameras keeps wanna-be-filmmakers from “buying-in” to the prestigious class.
And it’s here where the dangers of the camera flame wars rears their ugly head. Ownership and Experience are not prerequisites to discussion anymore, all you need to at least waft a scent of filmmaking authority is sound like you know something.
Fanboys and Speculation
It happens like clockwork. Every time a new camera is announced, even before official press releases are sent out, blogs get filled up with comments from people either in eager excitement or trashing the camera. These debates almost always devolve into flame wars – any discussion on the grey areas quickly posterized into black and white ironically by people who shout the loudest for 12-bit color space.
Almost all “camera news” prior to a release is pure speculation. In the fast paced socially connected online world, information is a valued commodity and being perceived as “first” with any sort of news is key, even if that news is wishful thinking and/or completely made up.
Speculation is so prominent that a cottage industry has sprung up around it. There are sites that contain the word “rumors” for almost every hotly anticipated brand.
Of course fanboys eat it up. Fanboys have identified themselves as lords of the brand and superior to the ignorant masses. Having information on any new camera (even if it’s not their preferred brand) gives them a sense of authority that they can lull over their fellow internet commenter. Being able to say, “This camera sucks, you should wait until my favorite company releases their new camera” makes them feel as though they are speaking with a voice of experience even though that experience does not come from actually making films or making anything useful to society.
But what value to REAL filmmaker does speculation have? – Absolutely nothing.
What serious filmmaker is going to base a hefty buying decision on what amounts to nothing more than gossip?
Why should an aspiring filmmakers put off producing a film in order to wait for a new camera to arrive that’s only talked about by people that have never seen it and never used it? Speculation may be “fun” but it’s taking your energy away from what really matters.
None of this Crap has to do with Filmmaking
Filmmaking begins with a camera, that fact cannot be skirted around. The Camera defines the art form, but the camera is not defining element of a film.
Having the same type of camera that was used on The Hobbit for example does not mean you have the same screenwriters, the same visionary director, celebrity actors, story rights, production designers, locations, lighting specialists, prop designers, stunt coordinators, editors, digital artists, location managers, producers, office staff, marketing representatives and distribution deals that are the REAL reason The Hobbit will be successful.
It’s belabored point and so tiresomely cliche: A camera will not make you a better filmmaker. It will not make a great movie.
Thanks to technology, the camera is starting to become the least important element on a set: trumped by things like a fantastic story and extraordinarily talented cast and crew.
And that’s the terrifying fact, especially to fan boys.
Confessions of an Addict
I have a lot of gear.
I have a garage full of grip stuff and shelves of cameras. I’ve reinvested most of my money working professionally back into my collection. Do I need it? Yes, it makes my job easier. But they also make my job harder. More gear, more choices, more problems – more space to store it all.
Running Filmmaker IQ, I’ve been exposed to a lot of the propaganda that camera manufacturers and camera fanboys throw my way. I’ve even been a participant of it. I get excited over new cameras just like everyone else and I admit that I have felt that my now two-and-a-half year old Canon 5D MkII is some how an inferior camera – the same camera that has make films that won awards and had RED users complementing me the image quality.
But occasionally, when I look at a well-lit piece of video I shot with my five-year-old Sony EX1 camera, I take pause and marvel at the clarity. This really does look good. When I compared my 5D MkII with the MkIII last April at NAB, I saw no discernible difference between the two that jumped out at me despite what some on the Internet were telling me.
I know there are limitations of these cameras – they’re not perfect. But I can take out the credit card and order any camera I want. I sometimes make deals with myself – if I reach a certain income, I’ll reward myself with this lens or that light or that camera. But all that expensive gear – it’s nothing without a story to tell, great actors, a great story and a great soundtrack. What’s the point of credit card debt if there’s nothing to shoot?
And perhaps my eyes are starting to fail me as I get older. But as my age adds up, my heart gets wiser. I connect to films differently now. It’s not about the clarity of 4K projection or the pristine nature of the image, it’s about whether I care after the first 10 minutes.
Go out and make your stories. Gear is important, there’s no getting around that. But never lose perspective on the real reason why people watch films in the first place – for the story.
Great post. I definitely agree. I think if people spent the huge amounts of time they use arguing about cameras on their own screenplays, that we might have more meaningful films rather than a short film that we don’t care about that looks nice. A lot of filmmakers that I know will spend time writing maybe one or two drafts and be ready to shoot. No one takes the time to write a good script. Being a cinematographer myself, I think writing and casting are the hardest parts of a film. Its really easy to shoot something. Its really hard to write a good script and even harder trying to find good actors.
Casting is a bit scary because it really can make or break a project. There’s a lot more than just acting ability to consider especially on low budget – attitude being the most important.
I totally agree. It’s amazing how much time we spend reading about cameras instead of perfecting our filmmaking, storytelling and social skills. As for what is driving camera manufacturers, I’d just like to share the probably too honest answer I got from a Panasonic salesman on an Camera expo in Germany some months back. My very simple question to him was ‘Why don’t you put the codec of the HPX250 into the AG-AF101 or the larger sensor of the AG-AF101 into the HPX250?’ He looked at me for 2 seconds before replying ‘Yeah right, and which camera should we sell in 3 years?’…
When I asked a Sony rep one time that very same kind of question (put a large sensor in a camera body), they gave me an answer that the lens wouldn’t have the focal distance that people had become accustomed to. I accepted that on face value. This was last spring. In a few months they’ll be releasing the camera I asked about.
Oh well, that’s their game. It benefits us as filmmakers, but let’s not lose sight of the ball
You manage to put out what most of us think, but don’t parrot around like idiots.Video and cinema is experiencing the technical hype and marketing schizophrenia that still photography has been suffering since some 5-10 years ago, is just catching up.
I just shoot a short film as DP with a 3-pack of 1000W orangies, full pack of CTO/CTB/ND/difusser gels and a 8-year-old Sony hvr-z1. It simply looks gorgeous and the product is fantastic. My director, my crew mates, the talent and the schedule simply made it work.
A mate of mine shot a feature with a 5D II. And by feature I mean, its around 2 hour long, not that it had feature quality. In fact, to be honest, is way below our school standards. I don’t think his dslr made his film any better.
I could go on and on, by I think the points is made, you made it perfectly.
Greetings from Spain!
Cheers on making the Z1 work – I still have that lying around and I use it on occasion when I need a second camera. Wonderful camera!
Its like I’ve been saying for years, cameras are tools to be used by skilled technicians and artists. A master will know how to capitalize on a camera’s strengths and even take advantage of its weaknesses.
Magnificient article sir!
Was fighting this thought for a couple of days in my mind. You, have clearly slayed the beast for me.
Thanks again for the article. Helped gain perspective!
As the guy on the other side of the counter at more than one trade show, his statement is completely accurate. The fact is, all these camera companies have always done this, and for good reason. If the Sony F3 had the features of the features of the F35, what would be the point of the F35? And honestly, they have a good point in doing it, because without the higher end, where’s the development money going to come from? On top of that, there are many of those features that frankly are more confusing than useful for the average user. Granted, there are some cameras on the market that should be better than they are, and those short comings can be frustrating, but there are more people that will throw an EX3, AF100, or whatever into auto mode and shoot that way forever (I cant tell you how many people asked how to turn on Autofocus on cameras with either broadcast or cinema lenses).
Is it annoying? Yes. Is it necessary? I think so.
As for the point of this post? it is absolutely correct. Cameras are tools, and should be viewed as such. It’s always how you use it that truly matters. I would take a Mona Lisa in crayon vs an oil panting of a stick figure any day.
To butcher a great quote – What’s the point in having sharp images when you’ve fuzzy ideas? I’d much sooner watch a sharp idea with a fuzzy image than vice versa.
Great article.
I think most people don’t understand why a director choose a specific camera
the reason why the cameras are changing is because they wanna capture the “quality” of a film camera and have the art freedom of the digital.(we still inn the transition to the full digital)
in movies the technology change the art, and the art the technology.
you talked about the hobbit and they used 3d reds, and why? because the director wanna shoot with more frames per second (48 frames, a normal camera shoot at 24) to make look more natural, more real, the director says he want to give the feeling that you are looking into the real world, and also that’s why the 3d, besides that they had to have a different workflow if you ever worked with red you know what I mean its not only the process for the CGI that changes, but even the make up will be made different.
maybe its not the reason why it will be a good movie, but you need to understand that good directors choose their cameras because the story, if you wanna shoot at night you will choose the best cameras to do that, with the look you wanna, ex for the movie collateral they used the camera thomson viper because in that time it was the best to film at night, and had the look the director want. or the movie che that was filmed on the red, and it was great because its easier to change the cards, and after days filming in a forest it really make easier for the team to film with a light camera, and easier means faster what means cheaper (try film in the forest with a big camera heavy camera, you gonna have limits).
choosing a camera is really important, its the eye that see the world you wanna show, so is better that it is the right one. the directors choose the camera not only for the movie, but for every shot many movies are in both digital, and film, and with different cameras all the time, every camera has its purpose for the shot, for ex in district 9 they used the red, and the Sony PMW-EX1 the sony was used to give a documentary feeling wen needed.
and you cant compare the RED, and canon 7D if you are going to use some CGI, color correction or any VFX in your movie you would see the difference between both, and the freedom (and the problems hehe) that each one will give you, they both will have a different look and will have a different workflow.
a studio not only choose the camera for the reasons I said but also because they need to do better than other studios, and for that they will use different cameras to make easier, and cheaper to produce better quality video. (maybe the RED seems expensive for most amateurs or indie directors, but for a bigger studio in may cases it will make easier and cheaper )
studios do everything for a reason they don’t just choose cameras because they are expensive for the general public.
if this is wrong them tell me why you got a canon 5D, why not a 3ti or just use an iPhone?
anyway my point is every camera has its purpose, and every director his preferences and workflow. every camera has different advantages, and problems to deal with, you can not make a video with the arri alexa exposure awesomeness, using a 5d, again its all about the shot all about the story.
amateurs will buy a camera for the sake of it and good directors will do it because it gonna be good for their movie.
they are all tools, they are part of the movie, those tools will free, limit, and push your creativity.
maybe I should explain this
about the Canon 5D II, or 7D I don’t mean they are bad cameras I just mean you need to think about the workflow and what you wanna achieve,
the movie Paranorman a stop motion movie, a beautiful looking movie, was filmed with a 5D II, and the reasons are simple they could give one to each animator (63 5D II in total, left and right sliders to capture stereo), so the animator could operate it very easy (they had some controllers to do it so you move the puppet and just click a button to shot), they are very small (the studio was also small so to have loots of cameras around shooting it was good ), and because its a stop motion you can control all the factors (and they are still images) so you could use the 5D at its best, and don’t need to worry about technical limitation too much, and also it was in their bugged
(and the best is it was probably the best choice, I cant see it been done like this with huge cameras or reds )
just too many reasons to chose a camera, so choose wisely.
I hope it help people understand better a director mind regarding camera choice.
You need to think about workflow on every camera – be it 5D MkII or RED or Alexa – they all have their own needs.
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hi guys, I am in love with canon 5D Mark II and Mark III. I find Go Pro also a very good camera and Go Pro 3 seems to be more advanced waiting to be available in India. I was not very happy with Sony EX3 result is very flat and lacks sharpness. I find Sony 500 also a good camera but for outdoor it is not the same as indoor result. I don’t see a huge difference in the result of Red and Canon mark II or III.
5Ds are brilliant cameras. The Sony EX line you have to fine tune the color profile settings to get them to put out a color like the 5Ds – but the sharpness is very good (you may not have the proper lens on it).
There’s a big difference between RED and Canon DSLRs – but you really won’t see it too much on the stuff that gets posted to the Internet.
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This article will be useful in my professional life
Love hearing you guys echo what I’ve been thinking and saying for years. Tons of crap made to look great is still tons of crap. I love talking about cameras because it’s more fun then doing a script analysis or motivating your camera blocking, but if you want to a good movie you need to work on your story telling skills. The language of cinema. I’ve got some posts on this and soon a script analysis tutorial. Check it out if you get time. http://www.howtomakeamovie.com. I think I’m going to go drewl over the C500 now. Cheers!
Thank you for this article. Really, thank you. I am in my final year of film school in Australia and I have just spent three years of my life being questioned why I don’t own at least a 5D. We have equipment loans with F3′s, P2′s and several other dozens of crazy expensive high quality gear (which we are paying for with our loans!) and yet and still there’s always that student film crew wasting their money on a Red Epics to film substandard stories. One guy this year could afford a new blackmagic and he was hailed as some kind of cinema god! I for one will always be more impressed by a gripping story than any pleasantly pretty yawnfest the REDs, 5Ds and Blackmagic’s seem to yield.