If I told Dr. Gregory House that his season finale will affect the world of photography and film making, he'd probably answer with some witty-yet-rude comment about my possible film maker wonnabe frustration, and go to annoy Dr. Wilson.
But strangely enough, House MD 6th season finale, aired tonight,  will be one of the most important events in the history of HDSLR filmmaking and affordable filmography as a whole. More to it, the debate that started due to the show's  Director of Photography  decision will affect not only these markets, but could be also a game changer to the whole filmmaking and TV industry, as well for the innovative camera company RED.
The reason is simple. House MD's season finale was not shot on film as usual, but on a $2,700 camera from Canon, 5D Mark II. And that's pretty damn affordable, in comparison to the cost of high end cameras.
This is the story how simple cameras are changing the way stories are being told, how money is lost and gained, and how the filmmaking industry is changing forever.

The Beginning of a Revolution?

As I've laid out in a previous post, HDSLR, stills DSLR cameras with video capabilities, are slowly changing the world of video and film making.The ability to use a wide varity of lenses, the high quality image, portability of the cameras, and high quality sensors, sounds like an indy filmmaker dream.
Therefore it is not a huge surprise to see online forums full with enthusiasts, as well as Vimeo groups with stunning videos made on a budget. Vincent Lafouret, LA based filmmaker was one of the first people who advocated these cameras, in the best way possible: creating this stunning video:

Not too long after that Canon introduced its 7D model (which I proudly own), that introduced new key features (such as the most coveted frame rate of 24 frames per second - the same as film), in almost half the price of the 5D Mark II. And then the 550D, half the price of the 7D.

The ability to produce amazing looking videos was quickly advocated by the gear company Zacuto and Philip Bloom, a gifted video maker who contributed a lot to the community through his blog and videos explaining how to best utilize these cameras.
Even my filmmaking hero Robert Rodriguez, was caught using these cameras for some of his productions.

Money To Be Made?
Using an HDSLR camera for video requires more than just a camera. As these cameras are built for stills photography in mind, their ergonomics and features don't answer some key needs of video makers. And where there is a void in the market, there is money to be made. A new market for support gear and rigs was born, with companies such as Zacuto and RedRock Micro leading the pack. These companies, originating mainly from the film and video industry, price their equipment accordingly. And while cameras cost less and less due to mass production, HDSLR video makers find themselves spending more money on rigs than on their camera. Still, price point of a fully equipped HDSLR camera provides amazing production value for fraction of the price of comparable equipment.

From Hobbyists to Mainstream
In the last months two important announcements changed the way HDSLR cameras are perceived:
George Lucas, the visionary filmmaker, announced that he will use 5D Mark II in his next film. We are talking about theatrical release. The real thing. With Lucas. The guy behind Star Wars.
AND Greg Yaitanes, Director of House MD, announced on Twitter that the season finale, airing tonight , was shot entirely on 5D Mark II.
These announcements have a huge impact on the HDSLR market, and filmmaking as a whole. HDSLR cameras are ready for prime time TV and feature films. And they cost a fraction of a professional HD video camera, not to mention film equipment.

Since the birth of YouTube, indy filmmakers and budget productions could easily distribute their content, but couldn't afford to get the production value of high end films. Now they can do it.

It is all about talent now.

In the next post we'll cover the reactions and backfire against the HDSLR movement.

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Image via Wikipedia

Canon EOS  7D, Canon 5D Mark II, Nikon D90 - if these models sound like a foreign language it means you weren't paying attention. These are models of hybrid video and DSLR cameras called HD-DSLR. And they are changing the industry as we know it. Canon 5D Mark II, full frame high end Canon DSLR Camera, had one small feature, that looked like an after thought - the ability to shoot full HD videos. Like many other ground breaking products, this feature was severly crippled. In the first version of these cameras, the video mode was fully automated - which means that the photographer couldn't control ISO and frame rate among other paramters - making it very limited for serious video shooters. But Canon released a new firmware with the ability to fully control all video parameters besides frame rate. And this is nothing less then revolutionary.

Why?

In order to understand that, let's look at the wet dream of a videographer:

1. The ability to change lenses - each lens has its own capabilities, that affect composition, depth of field, and eventually storytelling abilities.
2. Manual control on all image parameters
3. High quality sensor
4. Good low light performance
5. versatility in frame rate
6. Pro audio interfaces
7. Post production friendly recording format.

Canon 5D Mark II covered amazingly well the first 4 items in this list. And I am talking about amazing. High image quality, based on the best glass and sensors out there, with unbelievble low light performance, made this camera a game changer.

But this is not the whole picture. The price point was unbelievable- all that for $3500. A pro video camera with these capablities would cost more then twice the price.

Not everything was so grand in the 5DMII field. First of all, it shot only at 30 frame per seconds. And exactly at this frame rate. Not the video industry standard of 29.97 frame per second. Second, it had non professional video interface, and automatic gain control (which means that the camera adjusts the volume automatically, an audio mixer nightmare). And third, it recorded videos in H264 format - a highly compressed video format that is definitely not editing/color correction friendly.

Still, this camera changed the world of video in a fundamental way. Relatively low price point, coupled with unbelievable image quality, endless lenses possibilities, and manageable workflow - all together signaling a fundamental shift in the video market.

Sofia's People: Canon 5dmk2 24p from Philip Bloom on Vimeo.

And then Canon released the Canon EOS 7D, and again changed the market. Canon fixed many of the flows in 5D Mark II for videographers. It changed the strange 30 frame per second format to industry standard 29.97 fps. It added additional frame rates - 25fps, 50fps and 60 fps, as well as the most coveted 24fps format, wet dream of indie filmmakers.

And all that for $1,700. Personally I found it mind-blowing - and bought one...

It didn't however improve the audio control, nor add a detachable monitor, two important features of video cameras.

Hecq Vs Exillion - Spheres Of Fury from Tim.Chris.Film on Vimeo.

HD-DSLR cameras pose a challnege to videographers, with its unique audio, focus, and handheld shooting issues. Also, no camera can make you a good cinematogrpher or filmmaker.

But these affordable cameras definitely get you as close as you can get for the money to unleash your creativity, and create visuals that were impossible to achieve in the past.

In the next posts in this series we will discuss some of the methods to overcome the flaws of these cameras, get some advice from pros using these cameras, and look how they are changing the market.