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House episode shot entirely with EOS 5D II

Posted: Sat May 15, 2010 5:13 pm
by JustAnEngineer
The season finale of House airs on Monday, 5/17 (7:00 PM CDT) on FOX. The entire episode was shot using a Canon EOS 5D Mark II.
http://www.petapixel.com/2010/04/09/hou ... d-mark-ii/

Re: House episode shot entirely with EOS 5D II

Posted: Sat May 15, 2010 5:21 pm
by Chun¢
That was probably a big PITA. Don't DSLRs only get like 10 minutes of video at a time?

Re: House episode shot entirely with EOS 5D II

Posted: Sat May 15, 2010 5:25 pm
by JustAnEngineer
In the article that I linked, the director said that they used CF cards that held 22 minutes of 1080p/24 video.

Re: House episode shot entirely with EOS 5D II

Posted: Sat May 15, 2010 5:33 pm
by mattsteg
Chun¢ wrote:
That was probably a big PITA. Don't DSLRs only get like 10 minutes of video at a time?

How many times have you seen a 10+ minute uninterrupted cut on a TV show, movie, etc.? :roll:

Re: House episode shot entirely with EOS 5D II

Posted: Sat May 15, 2010 7:15 pm
by Voldenuit
Chun¢ wrote:
That was probably a big PITA. Don't DSLRs only get like 10 minutes of video at a time?


My GF1 can shoot a 720p AVCHD clip the size of the SD card, which translates to ~2 hrs of video on a 16 GB card, and the GH1 can do the same with 1080p (the camera will automatically spawn a new file transparently whenever it reaches the 4 GB filesize limit of the FAT32 card).

Unfortunately, the Canons don't do that, so you have to manually restart recording when it hits the 4 GB max file size of FAT32. That translates to about 10 mins of 1080p, but as mattsteg said, 10 minutes is plenty for a take, unless you're trying to film Russian Ark. Still, this is a technical limitation that can potentially be fixed in firmware - Canon simply needs to update the container to one which allows for data to be stored across multiple files.

George Lucas is also using 5DMkIIs as a secondary camera(s) in his latest film project, and the feedback has been positive. They're a lot less bulky than traditional movie cameras, have a great lens lineup, and can be remotely controlled, which is very handy for shooting tight spaces and weird angles.

Re: House episode shot entirely with EOS 5D II

Posted: Sat May 15, 2010 7:37 pm
by JustAnEngineer
Voldenuit wrote:
George Lucas is also using 5DMkIIs as a secondary camera(s) in his latest film project, and the feedback has been positive.
http://philipbloom.co.uk/2010/05/12/redtails/

Re: House episode shot entirely with EOS 5D II

Posted: Sun May 16, 2010 9:21 am
by SpotTheCat
This doesn't mean joe schmoe can make images that good. They still probably have 2-3 people controlling it, including somebody very skilled as a focus puller. They probably have it on a very specialized rig, too. They're also for sure not using it's mic, nor an external one connected to it.

Basically... so what?

Re: House episode shot entirely with EOS 5D II

Posted: Sun May 16, 2010 11:33 am
by Voldenuit
SpotTheCat wrote:
Basically... so what?


When the 5DMkII burst onto the scene with its unprecedented video capabilities, a lot of pros said it heralded the start of a new paradigm.

Looks like they were right.

This is gear that is within reach of the average enthusiast, and I've been very impressed with the stuff the online community has been doing with this (and the 550D, and the GH1, and GF1).

Re: House episode shot entirely with EOS 5D II

Posted: Sun May 16, 2010 1:08 pm
by Skrying
The cost savings is significant. Not only in the camera but the lenses. In Felica Day's reddit interview she mentions how much cameras like the 5D II have helped and that it's so significant she doesn't see it has a barrier to entry anymore (considering her success I think her comments hold water).

The need for tons of other stuff depends on how you want to shoot and if it isn't possible on a projects budget then it can be thrown out. Shows like House are on an entirely different playing field and use the 5D II for different reasons than low budget efforts.

Re: House episode shot entirely with EOS 5D II

Posted: Tue May 18, 2010 4:21 pm
by ludi
This doesn't mean joe schmoe can make images that good.

The same is true for Joe Schmoe working a still-frame camera he doesn't understand, but if Joe can actually afford the hardware, Joe can practice. Kind of hard to practice with $20k pro movie camera rigs. But on the other hand:

$1600 for a basic SLR video jig, $2500 for a 5D body (or less if used), and $3,000 for two f/2.8 L zooms, and you've got yourself a high quality HD video system for less than $8k. That's kind of special.

Re: House episode shot entirely with EOS 5D II

Posted: Tue May 18, 2010 5:32 pm
by SpotTheCat
Do we know what lenses they used?

Re: House episode shot entirely with EOS 5D II

Posted: Tue May 18, 2010 7:01 pm
by ludi
SpotTheCat wrote:
Do we know what lenses they used?

Yep, if you can tolerate reading a transcripted Twitter feed (ugh) -- it's there in JAE's link.

@unikissa: Ok, seriously. Can you tell us something about the lenses you used?
GY: all the canon primes and the 24-70 and the 70-200 zoom

Re: House episode shot entirely with EOS 5D II

Posted: Tue May 18, 2010 7:53 pm
by SpotTheCat
Cool. I'm glad it wasn't just a canon body with a converter to use five figure studio lenses used on movies/shows.

Re: House episode shot entirely with EOS 5D II

Posted: Tue May 18, 2010 9:03 pm
by bobboobles
ALL the Canon primes? :o

Wonder who they rented the 1200 from?

Re: House episode shot entirely with EOS 5D II

Posted: Tue May 18, 2010 9:06 pm
by JustAnEngineer
Besides the maneuverability of the $3K DSLR that allows it to shoot from more unusual angles than the $300K Panaflex or Arraflex 35mm movie film cameras can manage, one of the creative advantages of the DSLR is actually the quality and large aperture of the Canon prime lenses and the larger image area of full-frame 35mm still photography vs. 35mm movie film (which captures 24 APS-C size images per second, rotated 90° on the 35mm film strip compared to 35mm still images). The minimum depth of field with the DSLR is shallower than the professional movie cameras allow.

I haven't watched this recorded episode of House yet, but from the few minutes that I caught live when I got home the other evening, I wasn't blown away by the photography. NCIS strikes me as a show that routinely makes creative use of depth of field effects. Castle is another program with gorgeous photography.

Re: House episode shot entirely with EOS 5D II

Posted: Fri May 28, 2010 1:43 am
by Voldenuit
In related news, Human Target is using a GH1 (actually, multiple GH1s) as second cameras. Usually in a place where they get blown up or crushed. :p Oh well, at least they haven't dropped a grand piano on it yet:

http://www.eoshd.com/content.php/209-Exclusive-interview-with-cinematographer-Rob-McLachlan-ASC-CSC-on-Fox-s-Human-Target-HDSLRs-GH1

Also, their DP used to shoot for Macguyver. How frickin' cool is that? 8)

Re: House episode shot entirely with EOS 5D II

Posted: Fri May 28, 2010 2:37 am
by ludi
bobboobles wrote:
ALL the Canon primes? :o

Wonder who they rented the 1200 from?

Why rent, when you could own?

(More info here :) )

Re: House episode shot entirely with EOS 5D II

Posted: Tue Jun 01, 2010 6:47 pm
by ludi
Finally got a chance to review this one on Hulu over the weekend. While the photographic work isn't stunning in composition or color, it looks to me like they built an extremely cramped set for the void/collapse scenes and then took advantage of the 5D's size and extremely shallow DoF capabilities to get right into the actors' faces. The shallow DoF is used to force focus transitions between characters and grab their facial expressions without being over-aggressive on cut scenes or cropping.

IOW, it's a subtle effect overall, but IMO it neatly splits the difference between the traditional approaches of building scale models and splicing action into them, versus excessive computer fakery -- i.e. build a real set at a realistic scale and then manipulate a very small camera rig within it. In particular, the secondary-collapse scene has a realistically gritty feel that pure CG never captures because the particle scatter is just too detailed and perfect.

Re: House episode shot entirely with EOS 5D II

Posted: Wed Jun 02, 2010 10:31 pm
by SpotTheCat
ludi wrote:
Finally got a chance to review this one on Hulu over the weekend. While the photographic work isn't stunning in composition or color, it looks to me like they built an extremely cramped set for the void/collapse scenes and then took advantage of the 5D's size and extremely shallow DoF capabilities to get right into the actors' faces. The shallow DoF is used to force focus transitions between characters and grab their facial expressions without being over-aggressive on cut scenes or cropping.

IOW, it's a subtle effect overall, but IMO it neatly splits the difference between the traditional approaches of building scale models and splicing action into them, versus excessive computer fakery -- i.e. build a real set at a realistic scale and then manipulate a very small camera rig within it. In particular, the secondary-collapse scene has a realistically gritty feel that pure CG never captures because the particle scatter is just too detailed and perfect.

It's not like large budget productions use crop video cameras. They have access to the same full 35mm frame format with similar fast lenses to get shallow DoF.

Re: House episode shot entirely with EOS 5D II

Posted: Wed Jun 02, 2010 11:39 pm
by ludi
What I meant is that they use a lot of extremely shallow focus transitions to shift between characters and their activities while working in tight quarters. Sure, you could achieve the same effects with a conventional production camera but the set would have to be built to accommodate the camera's needs. Here, the camera can go literally anywhere a human can fit, and AFAICT they took advantage of that.

Re: House episode shot entirely with EOS 5D II

Posted: Thu Jun 03, 2010 5:06 am
by JustAnEngineer
JustAnEngineer wrote:
One of the creative advantages of the DSLR is actually the quality and large aperture of the Canon prime lenses and the larger image area of full-frame 35mm still photography vs. 35mm movie film (which captures 24 APS-C size images per second, rotated 90° on the 35mm film strip compared to 35mm still images). The minimum depth of field with the DSLR is shallower than the professional movie cameras allow.
ludi wrote:
While the photographic work isn't stunning in composition or color, it looks to me like they built an extremely cramped set for the void/collapse scenes and then took advantage of the 5D's size and extremely shallow DoF capabilities to get right into the actors' faces.
SpotTheCat wrote:
It's not like large budget productions use crop video cameras. They have access to the same full 35mm frame format with similar fast lenses to get shallow DoF.
It's exactly like they use crop cameras.

In a 35mm film SLR still camera, the film travels from left to right. In a 35mm film movie camera, the film travels up and down. With the 90 degree rotation, the width of movie frames on the film is equal to the height of 35 mm still images, yielding the APS-C image size. This is pretty much the same APS-C image size as sensors on most entry-level and mid-range DSLRs.

Re: House episode shot entirely with EOS 5D II

Posted: Thu Jun 03, 2010 9:51 pm
by SpotTheCat
/shame on me.

Re: House episode shot entirely with EOS 5D II

Posted: Fri Jun 04, 2010 9:52 pm
by Voldenuit
Don't forget though that the 5D has to crop its sensor to shoot 16:9 movies, so it's somewhat smaller than 35mm FF, but still much larger than APS-C.

Re: House episode shot entirely with EOS 5D II

Posted: Sat Jun 05, 2010 11:15 am
by JustAnEngineer
Voldenuit wrote:
Don't forget though that the 5D has to crop its sensor to shoot 16:9 movies, so it's somewhat smaller than 35mm FF, but still much larger than APS-C.
Depending on the anamorphic lenses used, there might be similar issues with the 35mm film and the 16:9 ratio.

Re: House episode shot entirely with EOS 5D II

Posted: Sat Jun 05, 2010 12:36 pm
by Voldenuit
JustAnEngineer wrote:
Voldenuit wrote:
Don't forget though that the 5D has to crop its sensor to shoot 16:9 movies, so it's somewhat smaller than 35mm FF, but still much larger than APS-C.
Depending on the anamorphic lenses used, there might be similar issues with the 35mm film and the 16:9 ratio.



Anamorphic actually gives more sensor/film area compared to isomorphic, because you can squeeze a wider FOV into an existing format instead of cropping the top and bottom. Or more precisely, it allows you to preserve your working area at the wider A/R.