I thought this was going to be another smug video of a random KZreadr pushing their one-sided view on others but it really wasn't. You made reasonable statements that didn't come off as passive aggressively shaming people who may prefer the opposite of your perspective.

Thanks for the tips 🙏

Couldn't agree more. I started off investing in gimbals and autofocus. Now I'm investing in audio, follow focus, and vintage lenses. I started as an old school film photographer, so bringing my focus skills and that tactile feedback into my filmmaking has been so satisfying.

Trends to ditch: 1. Overusing Slow Motion 2. Differentiate between B-roll & Scene. A scene has a beginning, middle, end. 3. Explaining a Story, rather than showing it 4. Overusing a gimbal 5. Overusing a drone 6. Relying on autofocus 7. Over the top Color Grading Trend Luc is joining: Switching to DaVinci Resolve

@LucForsyth

11 ай бұрын

good summary!

Great list! Only bad thing was the practical on your right, it’s so bright that my eyes wandered to it all the time 😅

Auto focus hunting is a huge pet peeve of mine. Manual focus is second nature to me from shooting a lot of shows on ENG cameras. However Auto focus has gotten soo good I do use it as part of my shooting workflow a lot now. I have it mapped on a few buttons on my Fx9 to push to focus. It is off all the time until I hit that button. I have control of when I kicks in. It still has its quirks but has literally changed how I shoot some run and gun shows.

@LucForsyth

11 ай бұрын

yeah, news is great training. I use AF too, don't get me wrong...just not for the important verite scenes where hunting would be a disaster

@TheTechnoPilot

11 ай бұрын

Yes! This is how to use auto focus! It’s so great to use when you need to absolutely nail that moment without retake, but relying on it all the time, letting it tell the story is just lazy in my book when it’s only due to the lack of a skill.

@richarddzisiewski7197

10 ай бұрын

Nothing ruins a shot more than that!

Great work! Thank you!

Great video Luc, I've been thinking this way for a long time too - its why I abandoned anything above 25p and ditched my gimbal and drone recently (I'll rent them if the scene really calls for it). I think this is totally relevant in documentary but I think it applies in general to filmmaking too - I've seen so many yawn-fest commercial/corporate videos touted as 'amazing' but it's usually just a montage of pointless camera movements with autofocus glitching and stuttering while nothing is lit properly or graded tastefully. I wanted to make this video but now I don't need to because this was bang on perfect!

Couldn't agree more on Gimbals and Drones. Give me immersive handheld all day

@LucForsyth

11 ай бұрын

💯

100% agree about manual focus. Being fully in control of my focus always turns out better when I’m running and gunning. Even when I shoot some more “studio” product videos, I go manual so nothing is lost to hunting AF. More filmmakers need to get comfortable with MF and see how much it offers.

@scotey

11 ай бұрын

I'm trying to wean myself off auto-focus for one-man-band interviews. Not sure if that's realistic. But even when the subject is mostly stationary and the AF isn't hunting, the viewer is probably aware, subconsciously, that no human is at the controls. That said, even manual pulling isn't fully satisfying on a lens with a short focus throw. There's a reason cine lenses exist, and I'm going to have to shell out at some point, I guess. :)

@TrentErwin

11 ай бұрын

@@scotey I still used AF mainly for interviews because cams these days are very good with facial recognition and it's often too hard manage multiple cams and audio by yourself. But b-roll I've gone nearly 50% or more in MF, even on a gimbal at times because there's nothing worse than a clean moving shot and the AF hunting right in the middle. Cine lenses definitely have their place for sure! I'm going to invest in a few here soon myself.

@LucForsyth

11 ай бұрын

AF hunting is a big personal pet peeve of mine...but I do get it when running multiple cams for sit downs as mentioned here too!

@TheLevidance

10 ай бұрын

I need to do this more often. I’m too reliant on AF even though I know the negatives. Gotta just get out and practice more

@El.patch.o

9 ай бұрын

I love setting up my focus points with manual focus. People just don't seem to want to plan out every aspect of the shoot. I'm down to using AF only on a stabilizer and I'm only using it for 3D tracking.

Great information Luke - thank you for sharing these insights... very valuable.

So glad I found your channel and videos. So practical and well delivered.

Glad I found you! Great advice. Thanks!

Another great video, thanks Luc! I've only been working professionally for 9 months, but I exclusively use manual focus and Da Vinci Resolve. I keep my color grading minimal with a focus on accurate skin tones, and I stopped overusing slow motion and my gimbal a few months ago. I haven't ever filmed a proper scene though, but I'm hoping to start with my next project! Thanks for the inspiration brother, it's really helpful 😊

I agree with everything that was said. All these trends were cool, fun, and interesting initially but became overused very quickly. Don't get me wrong, I've participated in these trends because they were trends, everyone was doing them, so naturally, I did as well. But very quickly learned that a lot of it just wasn't my style. And as you said, the point isn't to say STOP doing them, but it's about using them with the right intentions and moments.

@LucForsyth

11 ай бұрын

We've all participated - myself included!

Agree with the excessively colour-graded shots thing. Also too much use of very shallow DOF is annoying, especially when a sign or an object is only partly in focus. The main thing I notice is beautiful shots interspersed with crappy Zoom call footage because that's the only way to get that person in the doc or report. We take it for granted, but it is weird to go from SLog3 4K to crappy mp4 Zoom call in 720p!

Cheers Luc. Great points. TQ

This is gold. Thank you so much for providing these valuable advice from your own experience 🧡

Thanks for yet another great video with insightful information. Love it!!!

@LucForsyth

11 ай бұрын

Great to hear!

Hey Luc, I fell glad that this type of message gets out there in the open, all those points helped me to realize how I was also sometimes using crutches. Nothing beats good old hard honest work in filmmaking. ps. I am in transition past months from Fcpx to Davinci Resolve and its been amazing so far - love learning it and using it.

@jakeEDITsyt

11 ай бұрын

What’s FCPX

All great tips man! Thank you for putting this out. Went to Resolve with every client that I could starting in 2018 and I think you'll love it. It really opens me up creatively where Premiere just feels like Windows 98.

Love your channel! Thanks for keeping it rolling. From across the water in Gibsons :)

Loving all your points! Thanks for these reminders.

@LucForsyth

11 ай бұрын

You're very welcome!

Great video and very needed IMO so thanks for sharing! I totally agree with everything you discussed here, especially about the color grading! I have thought the same exact thing!

these tips are all gems, dude. the over cooked color grading one is huge and something i’m seeing a lot of in my area and network. i just want things to look like real life when it comes to docs. not so insanely dramatic and moody and stylized. it can be cool if it helps tell the story… but not just for the sake of it. love your content!

Great stuff, Luc. I especially agree with your description of scenes vs B-Roll. Docs are so much more effective with scenes. Oh, and down with Gimbals and Drones…they are so over used.

@RugbyPass81

10 ай бұрын

Couldn't agree more. Especially on the point of gimbal use; it's been done to death. I very rarely use a gimbal, except in very specific scenarios. For me, it's used for less than 5% of everything I do.

I agree with all of these. I run into people all the time who think I'm insane for shooting handheld for 95% of my shots. I've even seen editors go so far as to use warp stabilizer on every one of my shots because they think everything is supposed to look like jell-o. For a jitter here or there? Sure. But I'm intentionally shooting with movement and shake in order to be immersed in the story. I also keep running into people who think because I shoot 24fps for almost all of my work that I'm doing it 'wrong' somehow. Wild. Well done on this video.

@guillaumezhang753

11 ай бұрын

We’re shooting in the same way brother - mostly handheld, my gimbal is collecting lens and I use my 24-70 mostly on the wide end to get that immersive vérité style.

@BTMovieSecondChannel

8 ай бұрын

I shoot handheld for 95% too! I only use a tripod besides it.

I appreciate you ,for sharing this video . I learned a lot. ✨️✨️✨️ Thank you 🤗

im working on my first documentary and I come to your channel for inspiration , thank you for all your help.

Spot on, Luc 👍

An excellent reset. Well done. Made me think (re-think, reset) and that's always a good thing. Thanks! Liked and subscribed.

I like this video a lot. Many of the tings you mantion, have bin in my head for some tine now. Good job👍

@LucForsyth

11 ай бұрын

great to hear!

Thank you for this video

@LucForsyth

11 ай бұрын

My pleasure!

Love your stuff, man. I learn a TON each and every video. Hope to connect with you someday!

What a refreshing theme for a video. I agree with all your comments and am guilty of a few of them. I think as we grow we learn and try new trends, become influenced, but eventually most people create a style of their own.

thank you for that one 🙏

Thank you 😮

Just recently found your channel, Luc - nice work! I found this list to be really refreshing. I've really been growing tired of shooting with a gimbal the past few months, and I'm concerned about how many people (including clients) have grown so accustomed to that look. And while I enjoy the look of a good drone shot, I don't enjoy shooting with drones myself. And re: your comments about manual focus: YES! I stopped using autofocus a little over a year ago, and it has made the biggest difference in my filmmaking journey out of anything ever.

Spot on! :)

This is my favourite channel on KZread! Thank you for helping all of us improve our skills :)

Finally someone who agrees with me on drones(I hate to have to explain to clients why I'm not using drones). And with gimble vs handheld, my rule is "what needs the story". If I'm making a promotional video for a company that needs to look professional and in control I'll use my gimble. The steady shot gives a feeling of control and mastery. But when I'm working with emotion and I want to show emotion in a shot I'll go handheld to give a more grounded and personal feeling to the shot. Anyway that's just my take on it.

@choanlpoto

10 ай бұрын

Same thing can be said about drone don’t you think ?

@vandeweijer_filmstudio

9 ай бұрын

that is true, and if the story calls for it I will use a drone(well hire someone to use a drone) but I haven't encountered a situation where I thought a drone could tell a better story than a camera. @@choanlpoto

Fantastic tips! Love them and validated some stuff I'm working through at the moment when it comes to my own work. Subbed!

Wonderfully informative! Thank you for your advice.

@LucForsyth

11 ай бұрын

You're very welcome!

Can't wait for the future Resolve videos!

This is very informative, I started shooting documentaries this year and I very much relate to the things you share in this video. Learning a lot on this journey. Thanks for sharing

Really appreciated as always, Luc!

@LucForsyth

11 ай бұрын

You're very welcome!

Omg - Amen to all of this. You nailed it.

I just wrapped shooting my first "mini" documentary and thankfully, I was able to adhere to most of your suggestions here (some simply from lacking the option to do otherwise - like not being able to fly a drone in Washington DC). I graduated with a video degree before autofocus was a thing, so thankfully I'm used to that for the most part. Thanks for validating a lot of my decisions I made a few weeks ago when filming!

@LucForsyth

11 ай бұрын

haha, validation is what I'm here for! Glad you liked it!

Loved this. Really great points which despite the fact that I am guilty of many of them, I agree with completely. A really clear set of principles that will help me improve my work dramatically in a short space of time. Thanks so much!

@LucForsyth

11 ай бұрын

You're very welcome!

“Tech between me and the story” is a fantastic point for all of us to remember. Also the emphasis on AF/MF was fun - I just bought a Sigma fp, haha. Keep up the good work!

dang dude, these are all things that I've been painfully learning over the last few years. You put it very concisely and clearly here. thanks for the video!

Great video, Luc. So happens I totally agree on every point. Sense of proportion- that’s what should drive a cinematographer and a filmmaker. 😊

Thx for sharing yr exp.

@LucForsyth

10 ай бұрын

You're welcome!

very valuable tips! big thank you 😘

@LucForsyth

11 ай бұрын

You're very welcome!

Interesting & thought provoking. Gonna chew on this for a little while. Thanks for the video!

there's a lot of filmmaker channels out there but I always enjoy yours, mate. great content!

Absolutely agreed with most of these points. I also highly dislike the over grading and weird heavy filters. I get wanting to imitate vintage looks, but it's just pure haze and weird colors. Such a no for me. Also agreed with the gimbal and drones and slow mo, everything just starts looking the same and it doesn't push us to story tell as much as just getting eye candy. I like this return to a focus on story telling and more natural visuals! Thanks for this video, it was great!

Solid fundamental thoughts Luc which I boil down even further by putting myself in the audience and constantly asking what it will take to reach viewers in the gut. Technique has to serve communication or communication is lost, and then what’s the point.

Great video, agree with everything you said for docs.

Such good insight here

@LucForsyth

11 ай бұрын

glad you liked it!

Thank you, Luc. Totally love that you've done the work and are willing to share what you've learned. That said - oh yeah, here goes - I've been a nonfiction writer and editor for 49.5 years, and I'll state this as fact: the hardest thing for creators, and the most valuable skill, hands down, is the ability to put yourself in the reader's - or viewer's - seat. If you can do it, you've got a tremendous competitive advantage. Now then, I've watched a ton of handheld video that worked really well because it didn't distract the viewer, and I've seen docs and TV series utterly ruined by its misuse - as documented by negative comments on Prime. At any rate, you asked! Oh, another pet peeve is the deliberate ungraded "log look." Per a comment I heard in 1959 when a Giants fan mouthed-off at a Dodgers game, "Go stick your head in a fog bank!"

Found your channel a couple weeks ago and love it! Currently filming my latest project with cine lenses and trying to avoid the gimbal for the first time and love it so far. Some gimbal work and auto focus is nice for my corporate projects but it was getting repetitive and was missing that personal feel.

@LucForsyth

11 ай бұрын

nice one! just get those reps in!

Really solid points. Love your reasoning.

I ditched Premier Pro a decade ago when they started with the predatory subscription pricing. Brand allegiance is hard to maintain when the company is all about reaching into your wallet.

Love this video idea. I'm like super interested in timeless classic doc movements and choices. I don't love trends but whatever it's cool. Great video man

this was a great video

slow motion, show don't tell, and colour grading very useful trends, informative video thanks Luc.

@LucForsyth

11 ай бұрын

thanks John!

great video

Thanks form Chicago

From one Forsyth to another, great list. Manual lenses, especially old ones, have much more character and are usually far cheaper to be had. A Small Rig follow focus and a cage with a top handle goes a long way.

Totally agree. Spot on.

The part about scenes versus B-rolls was eye-opening, I need to dip-dive more into that concept

Excellent video! You have one new subscriber here

Always love the usefulness of your videos! Shooting my first doc at the end of the month! Can you do a video about memory during shoots. Dropping footage, backups, laptops etc.. That's where I'm having a tough time hunting for gear.

@LucForsyth

11 ай бұрын

Good idea! I'll put it on the list.

Thank you for your useful point of view. I was very much in doubt about not using gimbal and autofocus, but wanting to give a documentary look to my work as well, I agree with you that a little naturalness in both camera movements and focus helps in immersion.

Spot on. I’m not in the video work yet and starting to dable and it’s all to easy to jump on gimbals and autofocus etc. thanks for these as I can step back and “learn”

Can’t tell you how much I love your videos

This is great 👍🏻 I agree with all of them

Great film Luc. I summarised it internally as "just because one can doesn't mean one should".

Great video! Agree with all your points. /fellow documentary DOP

Love this video So much. Im a photographer, and I enjoy the organic nature of hand held; while sprinkling in drone/gimbal shots

I’m a (virtual) student of film making and subscribing to your account is the best thing that happened to me so far with my film making/ documentary journey. I’m guilty of the things that you’ve pointed out. I used to overthink about these gears and totally forget things that really matters the most. Thank you sensei! More power 🙌

Wow, definitely needed the validation on a few of these trends haha, especially the slow motion. Crazy how much it’s used these days, sometimes I almost feel guilty for shooting most of my work at 24FPS. But I couldn’t agree more, those creamy shots just look that much better when they’re not overused and used in the right way!

@LucForsyth

11 ай бұрын

totally agree!

good to know!

This is one of the best channels on KZread. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.

@LucForsyth

11 ай бұрын

Thank you, appreciate that!

Man, you are reading my mind. I co-sign all of this!

Great video! We share a lot of similar sentiment about avoiding trends as much as possible (although I have certainly followed them). I don't own a gimbal, I don't own a drone, I ditch slow-motion for most of my shots. Handheld, normal-speed footage carries the most emotion for me most of the time. Great tip about showing rather than telling - this is something where I can grow. I depend quite much on interviews in most video's, but could introduce a little more storytelling scenes in my video's.

The moment I flew my first drone, I was enamored, and hooked, but a year later I noticed that I don't fly for photography reasons, but rather, it's the most kick ass therapeutic thing to do in the world and I just end up flying for flying sake.... I keep the b roll just in case, and drones rock for one shot per project, but no one wants to see hours of edited drone footage. Also, I'm new to channel, I love the wisdom you share, others only share product knowledge.

So much truth! Whenever I see a bunch of drone footage I judge.

Totally agree with everything. Looking forward to the one about DaVinci as am in a similar mindset regarding Premiere.

Love this episode. Wish to see more storytelling Episodes.

Hey Luc, great video and thanks for the tips. I personally think you will love DaVinci, is really a great and powerful software.

Great video! My wife was laughing as I watched this because I’ve vented about most of these things to her. Also, I support the move to Resolve. It’s been a fantastic switch from Premier.

I think one for me personally (that goes hand in hand with the drones and gimbals) is getting away from the over the top oneers. About half my job is shooting commercials and about half of it is shooting documentary style stuff these days. Since I'm big on using the drone and gimbal for a lot of my commercial work I like to try to push myself to think through some unusual motivation for long seamless tracking shots and about two years ago I kinda got into the habit of trying to get long fly arounds or push through shots that feature an entire enviornnment without ever cutting. And when this was just me doing it for practice or to think though a scene in a different way with the intention of cutting it up it was great, however most of the producers I work with have caught on and started trying to force these long tracking shots into places where they don't really add to the scene, and they're trying to use the whole damn thing rather than just the good bits. Started with the best of intentions but yeah not every location needs a continuous drone fly through in and out of every hallway and window.

Definitely agree with most if not all. Well said

@LucForsyth

11 ай бұрын

always room for healthy disagreement! Thanks!

I agree - autofocus is nice but as a video journalist who does run and gun shoots 90% of the time, manual focus works best for me.

I went into this, thinking that I would be a little butt hurt, but I pretty much agree with everything. Solid as always.

Amen!💯

Great thoughts mate! I always had the same feeling as a corporate filmer... since gimbals and great AF arrived in the industry, I see other videographer using gimbal shots combined with AF and slow motion in all their videos. Always found this weird... or felt old fashioned, when I was sitting on my dolly and using manual focus.

I’m really considering switching to Resolve however as a professional illustrator/digital artist I still kinda need the adobe suite so cost hasn’t really been the issue because I can’t cancel my Adobe sub. More worried about the learning curve and slow down my process.

@EnvoyJapan

8 ай бұрын

Taking an Illustrator file into After Effects and have the comp constantly updated is worth a lot. So, happy to work in Davinci (have the Studio version), but still can't cancel Adobe. The subscription model was the smartest move ever (for them).