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Skateboard Cinematography
The quality of skateboard footage and skateboarding videos has changed tremendously these last few years. And these days there are tons of alternatives to just going out with the same old Sony vx1000. Don’t get me wrong, the Sony Vx1000 is a staple in the skateboarding video industry and will always be regarded by many as “the camera,” but with all the HD and higher end 3 chip cameras out there it’s kind of hard not to try something new.
I personally have always stuck by the Vx2000. I can’t stand having to look into the eyepiece of the vx1000, plus the camera is so old now that parts and service on the camera itself are near impossible to find. The Vx2000 is a good skateboarding camera and has been used by countless highly regarded filmers in the skateboarding industry. You can find one on eBay at an average price of around $1,200 and they go up from there.
There are even cheaper alternatives to getting good skateboarding cameras, such as the Sony Trv-900, which you have probably seen Beagle using in the Baker videos. The Trv-900 camera on eBay can be found running anywhere from $350.00 and up. It’s a super sturdy camera that won’t let you down. Plus, you would feel more comfortable having it take a beating than having your $3,000 dollar Vx2100 take the beating, if you know what I mean.
If you are really rolling on the dough, you can go ten steps beyond everything and switch over to the Panasonic Hvx200 which is what famed Lakai filmer Ty Evans has been using a lot of lately. If you have the $4,000 to pay for this magical camera, it will defiantly be a worthy buy. But for some of us like me, it would cost us an arm and a leg before we could get our hands on one of those beauties.
Regardless of skill, the high quality of the skate footage will always make it more pleasing to our eyes. And a good steady filmer is always nice as well. Feel free to comment if you would like any tips or help on finding some good skate filming equipment.
Posted by Ruben 'Studdard' Najera on Wednesday, July 9th, 2008 in Skateboarding.
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July 19th, 2008 at 1:27 pm
Rueben,
I’m gad to see somebody put out an article on the production side of action sports. I think it’s awesome to inform people that action sports is an industry. So being another person within the media industry(not in action sports, but within other realms) I have some questions, just looking for advice:
I usually see wide angle lenses for some nice fat close ups, what mm do you usually use? Does it depend on the distance between the shooter and the skater? Do you ever use a tripod or monopod? When it comes to a finished product, what kind of editing software do you use. Because skateboarding and action sports are such motion intensive, what kind of codec do you use for compression on the internet? Finally, this is a big one, did you just build up a network by going out and skating with one friend and then working from there? have you/how did you decide to approach random skaters.
Anyways, hope to hear from you again and keep up with the posts.
July 22nd, 2008 at 11:10 pm
Jose!! I usually use a Century Optics lens. 0.3x its a fisheye.. it can be pretty expensive..I also use a Raynox lens. which saves you hundreds of dollars and is a lens that i would rather use when filming lines for the reason that if the board shoots out and breaks the lens you wont loose your pricier lens. Tripods are good for those larger obstacles that are so huge a fisheye isnt even needed. It will of course help you keep a steady shot. Editing software you can go anywhere from Final cut studio to the basic imovie on a mac which suprisingly works super well. And skateparks are a good place to meet skateboarders. Find a park close to your area. There are tons of skateboarders out there that would love to get some tricks on video if they were asked to. Alot of big undiscovered talent out there.. Kids are getting good faster and faster these days!! Thanks for all the kind words Jose!!
October 11th, 2008 at 9:14 pm
Hey Um where do we get them???
October 13th, 2008 at 9:46 am
Saldy,
Get what? The Lenses or the Cameras?
December 23rd, 2008 at 5:41 am
Hi
As a fresh 5ones.com user i only want to say hello to everyone else who uses this board
February 9th, 2009 at 1:26 pm
Depending on your final output you can use a variety of production gear. If you’re going to the web then the VX(Sony)/XL(Canon)/DVX(panasonic) cams are perfect for an entry point without breaking the bank. There are even some killer sub-$1000 consumer cams that are top notch (Canon HV line, waterproof Xacti, even the Mino FlipHD). But if you want to show stuff on the big screen or even produce top level DVDs then the HXV200 is a great cam. You also want to consider if you want to add on lenses or not and if you can manage a tapeless workflow. The Sony EX1 is ridiculously good for it’s price point too.
Post for me is Final Cut Pro hands down. If you wan the control and usability of post then there is nothing better in the price range but you do need a mac of some type (but even a macbook can be modded by a simple install tweak). Definitely with the investment.
We use a Canaon XL1 and FCP for SurfDonkey (http://surfdonkey.ca) and it still gives great quality image. If you’re doing skate stuff though you may want more flexibility in camera handling so a smaller/lightweight cam may be better.
I’d recommend getting in at the lowest possible investment then work your way up as you find your needs arise. Do with what you can to start as the content is much more important…and you can’t buy that anywhere.
Good luck!
Craig Moore
SpiderVideo.tv
April 4th, 2009 at 8:38 pm
Ruben:
talking about the panasonic Hvx200 what kind of fish eye lens is use on this one?, the centurix? if so what is the little base that i’ve seen on pictures under the camera and holding the lens is that requiere to use a century lens on that camera? is called something like mkII?
ruben keep the great work and your information is highly appreciated!!
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