Filming Video Ads With DSLRsJoe Livolsi and his team created two 30-second video commercials using the Tamron SP 10-24mm wide-angle and SP 17-50mm VC lenses. |
Article by Jenn Gidman Images by Joe Livolsi |
More photographers than ever are shooting video on their DSLRs - a job that requires sharp, fast lenses. Long Island director of photography Joe Livolsi and his team recently used the Tamron SP 10-24mm wide-angle and SP 17-50mm VC lenses to create a couple of spots for ZapMyTax, a consultancy that helps homeowners find ways to reduce their property taxes. |
"The camera we used for these spots overcranks to 240 frames," Joe says. "It was a great opportunity to use the 10-24 and the 17-50. The 'Zap Dance' clip with our Zap Man superhero is shot at 120 fps, and the slow motion is unbelievably clean. The 17-50 was used strictly on the dancing spot, while we alternated lenses between the two lenses in the 'Zap Couple' spot."
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Although shooting video on camcorders still has useful applications, DSLRs have come a long way. "Obviously there's the cost factor," Joe says. "You can get a great camera for $3,000, as well as affordable and versatile lenses that give you that shallow depth-of-field and the ability to switch out different lenses for different scenes. That's a game-changer for DPs and filmmakers, because you can get that 'film' look with the DSLR that you can't get with a camcorder unless you stack ND filters and go with a long lens (which you can't always do). You can almost always achieve the look you want with a DSLR and the right lenses." |
Joe and his team were contacted by Bob Costabile, the creative director of BigBuzz Marketing Group, to produce and shoot the two 30-second spots for ZapMyTax. "The biggest challenge for this project was getting two different commercials done with two different 'looks' in one location within a 10-hour production day," he explains. "We had a crew of 10, plus five actors and six clients. On top of those logistical challenges, it was right before Christmas - most houses we scouted were decked out with ornaments and decorations, which we didn't want." |
The Tamron 10-24 and 17-50 lenses allowed Joe and his team to capture the look they thought would best showcase ZapMyTax's services and fun approach. "I never really had to go longer than 50mm in either commercial," he says. "The best feature on the 17-50 is that it's extremely versatile and fast at F/2.8. I normally like to shoot at ISO 850 with a 180-degree shutter at 23.98 frames per second - that F/2.8 works really well with that. The 10-24, on the other hand, gave us a comedic, 10mm-wide distorted look, although the client eventually had us back off to around 20mm or so to tone it down." |
To keep his focus stable, Joe set up a follow focus that attached to a matte box-rail system. "With the follow focus, I can manually focus easier by spinning the knob forward or back and not have to reach over to the lens itself," he says. "I can also set focus mark stops on this particular system to make sure I hit the marks that are preset. The camera we were using also comes with a small monitor with a focus assist built in to make it easy to see what you're shooting." |
Making sure you have large-enough batteries and enough storage is critical for using your DSLR to shoot video. "The batteries I use are pretty big and last a few hours, so battery life hasn't been an issue for me yet," Joe says. "Our camera uses CompactFlash cards - it has two CF slots so it can simultaneously record or continually record for 164 minutes. CF cards can get expensive for video because you need faster cards for the info. But we can download footage to a hard drive on the set and move on (though I don't like to wipe out the CF cards until I have two separate backups)." |
The result of the ZapMyTax shoot: two creative commercials, as well as one happy homeowner. "The house was very small and newly renovated, which made the homeowner pretty nervous," he says. "We had a lot of moving parts, from a small jib that gets those swooping shots, to large HMI lights with grip stands and cabling throughout the home. We made sure to put down rubber matting and secure everything. At the end, we made sure everything was the way it was before the shoot. We even put the Christmas tree back perfectly!" |
As for using DSLRs and Tamron lenses for shooting video, Joe sees a promising future. "It's happening every day and on almost every job now," he says. "I know a lot of DPs like myself who are almost exclusively using this format. Technologically, the process has changed, but I think we're going back to being more artistic. You have to think about your lens choice, you have to think about your F-stop, you have to think about your ISO. We're actually getting back to the days of 'filmmaking.'" |