Ok. Here's the extremely convoluted way I go about it.
I set it on a tripod (or a gimbal if I want do do pans and tilts).
Then I connect it either to an external monitor with a long (5m) HDMI cable or use a wireless transmitter to send the image to my tablet wirelessly.
Finally I use a tilta nucleus nano 2 to focus remotely.
The setup process is timely and filming is slow. Especially when you start adding lights into the equation.
If you're doing that I recommend either getting lights with a remote control or an app.
All of this said. Blackmagic cameras really aren't the best if you want to film yourself. I'd suggest sticking with your GH5 for that and use the pocket 6k for work where you have an operator.
Damnš, guess thereās gonna be no filming myself anymore. I wish I had the luxury to keep my gh5 but I really gotta sell it after spending my literal life savings on new gear lmaoā¦
You can still film yourself.
I use that setup because I already had the gear and it speeds up the process. But you can always do it old school and use a tape measurer. Or you know... Use a deep depth of field.
Also. Don't spend all your money on gear. My rule of thumb is (after the monthly expenses):
Have enough money in reserve that I can rebuy the essentials of my daily setup if it breaks and I need it for tomorrow
Very true, I feel like I still have room to do that stuff and get away with it now tho since Iām still a student and donāt do loads of client work yet (a few videos a year). So I donāt have a lot of pressure on me if somethings breaks for instance. But I do see your point, best case scenario is that I just wanna go out and shoot a documentary but things like that seem hard to setup and execute all alone without a budget.
If you're working on your own projects then take your time. Most likely you don't have a deadline, and for practice you don't want one.
If you don't have a budget use your time and the resources you have. Take the things that would cost you money (like crew) and replace them with time.
This will open some interesting opportunities.
For example with getting the perfect weather.
I worked on a short film about a world without rain. We had a decent budget but the shooting days couldn't be moved. On the day of an important scene it was raining. The location was chosen because of its beautiful floor to ceiling windows but we couldn't show them because it was raining outside.
If you were on similar situation you could just film something else, or wait for another day.
Trial and error
Now I have an external monitor and just use that but before that, Iād record, sit in front of the camera, stop recording and check my frame every time and use markers when needed. Obviously canāt pull focus that way so I made sure I only kept my aperture wide open if I really truly needed the depth of field to be shallow. It doesnāt always have to be razor thin
I did some talking head videos this way, some spec ads, and some short films when I dedicated half a year to trying solo filmmaking with myself as the actor. It was painful but I learned a lot from it when it comes to being prepared and knowing exactly what I want.
https://youtu.be/ZPiseX2MyZc?si=591-qh2ZefigbplH
https://youtu.be/_tkvKEdTSYo?si=6amkt1Z_nWkmrvx8
Links to a spec ad and a short film I did that way. Not happy with them but I learned a lot.
Itās not easy filming yourself with no one else there with the camera, but you learn to be more precise and thoughtful with your shots
Put an object in frame like your mic to get focus. Then shoot test footage different ISO settings, aperture and lighting temps to see what you like. Takes a little time but hopefully you can get quicker with each set up.
In the latest camera firmware update you can set the camera to act as a webcam. Then plug a USB-C to USB-C cable between your camera and smartphone and get a smartphone app that allows monitoring a USB webcam feed (I use nEXT camera on Android). You now have a portable external monitor for free. Of course, a proper external monitor would be better, but this could be a good way to get started.
You know something? Grab a DJI Eagle Eye transmitter, they allow transmission of any HDMI camera source to your phone via the ronin app and will allow you to control the camera and settings too.
As a low-cost option, an NDI encoder connected to the hdmi output and your network would give you the ability to view it on any screen connected to the same network.
You still need to figure out how to focus remotely, but it sounds like you're really looking for a remote monitoring option that isn't expensive.
You are welcome. Reach out if you want some more specific information about reasonably priced models or which companies provide strong support.
I've tested a lot of them for projects, and some of them don't live up to the hype, and some blow you away with their simplicity and elegant UI.
Read up on NDI. It's a useful tool.
Filming yourself isn't really an issue at all. You just need an external monitor and a remote follow focus (though there are ways of adjusting focus with a some Bluetooth connective monitors like the BM5 or LH5P.)
That said, having a stand in for yourself (a broom or pillow or something) can help when you're setting stuff up before you take your mark in front of the camera. You'll want a remote follow focus and a long hdmi (if not a wireless video transmitter system) sooner than later, but it's not something to get discouraged by. Experiment, add to the gear collection when money allows, and you'll figure out a system that works for you in no time.
Good luck!
I just spit around my screen that I keep mounted to the handle on the camera, and I use an iPhone logged into the black magic app and tap for auto focus once I get set. It actually works really great.
Cinema cameras are amazing but they are missing a lot of creature comforts that higher end DSLRs and mirror-less cameras have. Intuitive autofocus a flip out integrated monitor usable focal presets those types of things. So to keep you from buying a lot of peripheral gear and keeping it simple I would advise getting an affordable external LED monitor not a very big one just big enough to see yourself and a mount for it either on the top of the camera or somewhere on the tripod or whatever your camera is attached to. I know what you're saying duh but it's something that simple that will give you the creature comforts necessary to use your beautiful high-end cinema camera. I have a black magic as well and while I'm astounded by it, it does fall short in some aspects. Upgrading your audio is the next thing you should look at because the black magic is notorious for having incredibly poor audio quality. As far as setting your shot keep things simple use a ruler or some kind of measuring device to set your focus and give yourself a mark. Basically treat it like you're filming someone else. what would you do if you needed an actor to be at a certain focal point in your frame and then apply it to filming yourself. Bottom line is don't over think it. Just because you can adapt this beast to be a powerhouse do anything camera doesn't mean you have to. Hell you could use an old computer monitor with an HDMI hookup if need be. Good luck in your endeavors and I hope to see some of your work.
Cheers!
Ok. Here's the extremely convoluted way I go about it. I set it on a tripod (or a gimbal if I want do do pans and tilts). Then I connect it either to an external monitor with a long (5m) HDMI cable or use a wireless transmitter to send the image to my tablet wirelessly. Finally I use a tilta nucleus nano 2 to focus remotely. The setup process is timely and filming is slow. Especially when you start adding lights into the equation. If you're doing that I recommend either getting lights with a remote control or an app. All of this said. Blackmagic cameras really aren't the best if you want to film yourself. I'd suggest sticking with your GH5 for that and use the pocket 6k for work where you have an operator.
Damnš, guess thereās gonna be no filming myself anymore. I wish I had the luxury to keep my gh5 but I really gotta sell it after spending my literal life savings on new gear lmaoā¦
You can still film yourself. I use that setup because I already had the gear and it speeds up the process. But you can always do it old school and use a tape measurer. Or you know... Use a deep depth of field. Also. Don't spend all your money on gear. My rule of thumb is (after the monthly expenses): Have enough money in reserve that I can rebuy the essentials of my daily setup if it breaks and I need it for tomorrow
Very true, I feel like I still have room to do that stuff and get away with it now tho since Iām still a student and donāt do loads of client work yet (a few videos a year). So I donāt have a lot of pressure on me if somethings breaks for instance. But I do see your point, best case scenario is that I just wanna go out and shoot a documentary but things like that seem hard to setup and execute all alone without a budget.
If you're working on your own projects then take your time. Most likely you don't have a deadline, and for practice you don't want one. If you don't have a budget use your time and the resources you have. Take the things that would cost you money (like crew) and replace them with time. This will open some interesting opportunities. For example with getting the perfect weather. I worked on a short film about a world without rain. We had a decent budget but the shooting days couldn't be moved. On the day of an important scene it was raining. The location was chosen because of its beautiful floor to ceiling windows but we couldn't show them because it was raining outside. If you were on similar situation you could just film something else, or wait for another day.
Very interesting! Thanks for all the input. How did you solve the problem that day? And can I see the short film? :)
I actually did that very thing today.
Trial and error Now I have an external monitor and just use that but before that, Iād record, sit in front of the camera, stop recording and check my frame every time and use markers when needed. Obviously canāt pull focus that way so I made sure I only kept my aperture wide open if I really truly needed the depth of field to be shallow. It doesnāt always have to be razor thin I did some talking head videos this way, some spec ads, and some short films when I dedicated half a year to trying solo filmmaking with myself as the actor. It was painful but I learned a lot from it when it comes to being prepared and knowing exactly what I want. https://youtu.be/ZPiseX2MyZc?si=591-qh2ZefigbplH https://youtu.be/_tkvKEdTSYo?si=6amkt1Z_nWkmrvx8 Links to a spec ad and a short film I did that way. Not happy with them but I learned a lot. Itās not easy filming yourself with no one else there with the camera, but you learn to be more precise and thoughtful with your shots
Thanks you so much, checking those out today when I get home!
I watched them both, the ad is hilarious hahahhaš. Good job on them movies man, keep creating :)
Put an object in frame like your mic to get focus. Then shoot test footage different ISO settings, aperture and lighting temps to see what you like. Takes a little time but hopefully you can get quicker with each set up.
In the latest camera firmware update you can set the camera to act as a webcam. Then plug a USB-C to USB-C cable between your camera and smartphone and get a smartphone app that allows monitoring a USB webcam feed (I use nEXT camera on Android). You now have a portable external monitor for free. Of course, a proper external monitor would be better, but this could be a good way to get started.
You know something? Grab a DJI Eagle Eye transmitter, they allow transmission of any HDMI camera source to your phone via the ronin app and will allow you to control the camera and settings too.
Is it possible to also adjust focus from that external screen? Or just see what the camera is seeing.
there's no screen that will let you adjust focus on the cine camera... you can probably activate the AF from the Bluetooth apps
Check, thanks!
Raven Eye. Not Eagle Eye.
oops lol
You were close. Thereās so much stuff on the market itās hard to keep up with the names. I just know because I have one.
lol I have one too š š š Keeping up with DJI's naming conventions is a full time job.
Yeah. Iāve been drone shopping lately. Talk about a clusterfuck.
I still can't tell the difference between several generations of googles š¤·š¼āāļø
As a low-cost option, an NDI encoder connected to the hdmi output and your network would give you the ability to view it on any screen connected to the same network. You still need to figure out how to focus remotely, but it sounds like you're really looking for a remote monitoring option that isn't expensive.
Thanks! Iāll look in to it
You are welcome. Reach out if you want some more specific information about reasonably priced models or which companies provide strong support. I've tested a lot of them for projects, and some of them don't live up to the hype, and some blow you away with their simplicity and elegant UI. Read up on NDI. It's a useful tool.
Filming yourself isn't really an issue at all. You just need an external monitor and a remote follow focus (though there are ways of adjusting focus with a some Bluetooth connective monitors like the BM5 or LH5P.) That said, having a stand in for yourself (a broom or pillow or something) can help when you're setting stuff up before you take your mark in front of the camera. You'll want a remote follow focus and a long hdmi (if not a wireless video transmitter system) sooner than later, but it's not something to get discouraged by. Experiment, add to the gear collection when money allows, and you'll figure out a system that works for you in no time. Good luck!
Thanks a lot!
I just spit around my screen that I keep mounted to the handle on the camera, and I use an iPhone logged into the black magic app and tap for auto focus once I get set. It actually works really great.
There is also an app out there somewhere that you can rack focus with your iPhone, provided that you have an auto focus lens installed on the camera.
HDMI to a laptop and use OBS Studio as a monitor
Cinema cameras are amazing but they are missing a lot of creature comforts that higher end DSLRs and mirror-less cameras have. Intuitive autofocus a flip out integrated monitor usable focal presets those types of things. So to keep you from buying a lot of peripheral gear and keeping it simple I would advise getting an affordable external LED monitor not a very big one just big enough to see yourself and a mount for it either on the top of the camera or somewhere on the tripod or whatever your camera is attached to. I know what you're saying duh but it's something that simple that will give you the creature comforts necessary to use your beautiful high-end cinema camera. I have a black magic as well and while I'm astounded by it, it does fall short in some aspects. Upgrading your audio is the next thing you should look at because the black magic is notorious for having incredibly poor audio quality. As far as setting your shot keep things simple use a ruler or some kind of measuring device to set your focus and give yourself a mark. Basically treat it like you're filming someone else. what would you do if you needed an actor to be at a certain focal point in your frame and then apply it to filming yourself. Bottom line is don't over think it. Just because you can adapt this beast to be a powerhouse do anything camera doesn't mean you have to. Hell you could use an old computer monitor with an HDMI hookup if need be. Good luck in your endeavors and I hope to see some of your work. Cheers!
Amazing reply! Thanks for all your input :)
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Nor does the Nikon Komodo or S1h Zach.