camera 4 sports event,which camera??

tealeaves

hi all

ive been asked by a friend to film a boxing event,,,some footage of training then entrances to the ring a bit of the fight and then the awards ceremony at the end,,, ive not done anything like this before and have most experience with still photography

any advice for me??

and also he is renting a camera for it so which camera would be best??

thanks everyone!!

m83

I'd use an EX3 or the likes for something like that:

You can rent them here, probably other places too:

http://www.filmequipmenthire.com/Cameras.html

Some people may suggest using a DSLR for this gig but in my experience they are not suited to these kind of jobs.

tealeaves

thanks for the link,,, will i need to rent out a tri pod too,, also what about lighting,,is it important to have extra lighting for doing talking peices or is it possible to use the shutter speeds or perhaps iso to make the scene brighter,,, i would assume it be fairly dimly lit in the boxing ring and also the fighters are going to be moving fairly quickly around the ring so how am i gonna handle the light problems?? any advice

ScumLord

I filmed a boxing match recently enough.

The lighting in the venue wasn't the best but it was sorted in post production without to much loss in quality. It wasn't horribly dark just not ideal.

Use a tripod, I didn't. Get an elevated position so the ropes aren't in the way and you don't lose the bottom half of the boxers when they're on the other side of the ring.

I wouldn't drop the framerate too low as the boxers can move pretty fast, I don't think there's iso on a camcorder, you can adjust gain on some of them, which will bump up the light but on my camera it's pretty much down to exposure as you can't adjust both exposure and framerate manually at the same time. If your changing the framerate the exposure has to be on automatic.

I don't see how a DSLR would be at all viable with they're short recording time, there's a good bit of time wasted before and after the fight.

m83

Try not to adjust the shutter speed for exposure issues. That's just bad practice. If you're shooting at 25p just set the shutter to 1/50th and leave it alone.

Any prosumer camera will have full manual controls so adjust the gain as you see fit. Gain and ISO are interchangeable on a camcorder. Keep it as low as you can get away to avoid grainy footage.

Shoot your interview near some existing practicals or windows if it's still bright and you'll be ok.

TBH your friend is really asking a lot from you to shoot the entire production with one camera. I assume he isn't expecting amazing results given your lack of experience in this area.

tealeaves

thanks for all the advice, no i think he just wants a record of his boxing event,,he is gonna drop up to me this evening to discuss it all,,, i hope i havent biten off more than i can chew but he knows where im coming from so doubt its perfection he wants,,

scum lord is there any chance i could see some of the footage from the boxing event you done just to get an idea what i should be aiming for

ScumLord

m83 wrote: »

Shoot your interview near some existing practicals or windows if it's still bright and you'll be ok.

Probably won't be possible unless it's done well before the event as the boxing event is usually on late in the evening.

m83

m83 wrote:

... if it's still bright and you'll be ok.

:rolleyes:

tealeaves

cheers for the link scum lord

i dont need to do interviews on the night,,, all i have to do is film the build ups the fights a bit of cornerwork then the handsinthe air at the end,,,also a bit of the ring girls wiggling around

should be fun,, and great experience

i have a load of footage to edit for a 10 -15 minute build up that will be played on a big screen while we are waiting for the first fight to start,,the clips are of training, a cpl of small fights and an interview or 2,,

any ideas on how to stitch it altogether? will i maybe have some sort of video playing in the background with my clips moving across it,,, otherwise im just gonna have clips fading in and out on a black screen,,,that wont look great,,any ideas guys??

thanks

AnonoBoy

tealeaves wrote: »

any ideas on how to stitch it altogether? will i maybe have some sort of video playing in the background with my clips moving across it,,, otherwise im just gonna have clips fading in and out on a black screen,,,that wont look great,,any ideas guys??

thanks

Just cut between your different items. No need to fade down and up.

Definitely to do not have them moving across other videos - that'll look tacky.

Take a look at the sporting montages and buildup pieces they show on sports channels. While you won't have the graphics they have, try to copy the style. Interviews intercut with training and fights. Don't just show an interview then show all the training and then go on to the next. Mix it up a bit to make it more exciting.

tealeaves

how do i get a film from mini dv to the computer??

m83

Capture it over FireWire. Check Youtube for tutorials if you're still stuck... presuming you don't have the manual.

tealeaves

i rented the camera

a canon xl2 anyone got any advice for me tonight regarding this camera

m83

Hmm... not the best choice of camera considering it's only standard definition. Although the movie 28 Days Later was shot on an XL1 so it's good for what it is.

Make sure you're set to 25p and 16:9 widescreen. Shoot the event in TV mode with the shutter set to 1/50. The camera will adjust the aperture by itself for a correct exposure.

Set the gain to -3 and keep nudging it up until you get a properly exposed image (this will be indicated on the screen). Try to keep it as low as you can because your footage will get very grainy, even if it looks ok on the display. If it's problematic for you set it to Auto but only as a last resort.

On the audio side of things, watch the monitors on the side of the camera and get up good and close to the boxers for the interviews. Again, check monitors beforehand.

Make sure batteries are full and bring the charger. Keep an eye on your remaining time on the tapes so you don't run out during a fight. Bring plenty of spares too and label them as you go along.

Good luck anyway, enjoy it, you'll be fine I'm sure!

tealeaves

hi all

the night went well i messed up the first cpl of minutes because of focus problems but i sussed it out fairly quick

lots of respect to anyone that has to hold a camera on their shoulder for a living its hard work

thanks for the help everyone

m83

That's great it went off ok. Post up a link when you're done editing. Would love to check it out.