Tools, Technique, and Time

We have worked with the ASU Antrhopology Department (School of Human Evolution and Social Change) frequently over the last number of years. Somewhat ironically, this history presents an opportunity to reflect on the evolution of some of the production tools and techniques we have employed over time. Below are samples from two seperate location shoots recorded in the school's campus laboratory approximately four years apart. The set on the left was recorded with a Canon 5D using (as I recall; this is the only time I've ever used a DSLR for video recording) a 50mm prime, and a 70-200mm telephoto zoom. The shot on the right was recorded with a Blackmagic Design Ursa Mini 4.6k with a 50mm prime. Both were lit with incadescent instruments from Lowell.

Interestingly, the Ursa Mini would generally be considered more "evolved" and the prefered choice for digital cinematography between the two today. However, the Canon certainly holds its own when stacked side-by-side in this particular case. To be fair, not all things were equal between the two setups in terms of lighting, shot composition, lens quality, etc. There are also a number of improvements that might have be made with each in terms of their initial setup and post-production processing. In the end, both shots came out reasonably well, and the biggest differences between the two come not from the camera and recording technologies used, but rather are the result of overall lighting design, setup, and execution.