How I Shot Video with the 7D at Buca di Beppo
The newly arrived 7D lets me take first dibs with video-making! Read about the experience below!
Buca di Beppo with the Canon 7D from Ted Chen on Vimeo.
A few weeks ago, I declared video to be the next big thing, and every photojournalist/photographer would need to add the new dimension of motion to their repertoire. Then I took the big (money) step to purchase one of the latest hybrid DSLRs, which can capture both quality images and full-HD video.
And yesterday, I brought that Canon 7D on a lunch trip to Buca di Beppo. The Italian restaurant is famous for its family-style portions and vintage decor. While I have also been building my audio equipment list, this set up was still short of ‘professional.’ I had no rig, everything was hand-held and manually adjusted. For sound I had the Zoom H2 recorder, which I’ve had personal experience using while I was at Columbia’s journalism school.
Shooting video is tough. Extremely. You have to predict motion more so than photography, and visualize how every small clip is going to be put together in the end. Then there’s audio. In this video I cheated a little by having background music, despite recording all the ambient sound within the 7D. Sure I could have used the Zoom to record audio, but only for ambient sounds. You’d have to put the Zoom really close to whoever’s speaking to get a good signal. Plus, I was also in the middle of eating the sumptuous food at Buca di Beppo!
As far as video shooting went, I shot everything from the same spot, choosing carefully what I wanted to capture and using selective focus. Keeping the camera steady while filming was a little bit challenging. What I’m really pleased is how the 7D performed at ISO 3200. The video is still cleaner than many other camcorders out there. It won’t beat the 5D2, but I am sufficiently pleased. Besides I really need the better auto-focus and frame rate of the 7D. Once I had the source video and audio files, I put them all together in Final Cut, adjusting the color balance and a little bit of the gamma.
From here, I hope to produce more videos, while slowing expanding the video rig I have. There are way better options for audio out there (like switching to XLR inputs), but right now the Zoom works well enough for me. Also, I need to try and get everything right in-camera while shooting. It’s much easier than tweaking the settings (such as white balance) in post-production.
That’s it from me! Check back on the website often to see if I have new videos up!
Taking video with the Canon 7D at the Italian Restaurant Buca di Beppo
Ted, I think this footage is awesome. I am purchasing my 7D this week and I would like to know what lens you used for your short film. I am pretty good in Final Cut Pro and editing so I can give you some tips and guidance. Visit my web site to see my tutorials. I will be sure to share my links with you as well. Cheers.
Hi Chip, glad you liked the video
. It’s good that you’re getting the 7D because I really recommend it.
I used the 24-105 f4 for everything. Wished I had a 2.8 to do better indoor stuff but I already sold my 24-70. I saw on your Vimeo page that you also have a 5D2?
I recently picked up Final Cut, and watched some video tutorials to get myself going on the basics. I was wondering.. do you create those video logos for clients (on your website) solely with FCP, or is another program required?
I’m also trying to look for copyright/royalty-free music and sounds..how do you get those? Thanks so much for your advice!
Hi Ted,
I don’t have a 5D2 I had a friends for test footage. Those video logos are done in After Effects and/or Motion. For royalty free music I use a few sources:
http://www.freeplaymusic.com
http://www.digitaljuice.com
Or I have a musician friend who I pay for custom sounds. I did that in the video called Faces of the Uninsured. Sometimes I like using music that no one else has and can identify.
I will put my 7D test footage on vimeo right around Thanksgiving, I am doing some video tutorials for Final Cut and workflow. For audio I am purchasing the Tascam DR-100.
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