Why does this look so much better?

Regarding the BMCC 2.5K:

I've spent a reasonable amount of time browsing through videos from this camera on Vimeo and YouTube. Both mounts, all kinds of lenses, all kinds of operators.

I understand that color correction/grading and final transcoding/compressing play an important role in your final product. (Of course a decent lens helps too).

Here is an example of a video that I think looks amazing. Why does it look so much better than almost everything I have watched?



In my honest opinion, the rest of the videos I found (besides a handful) look comparable to a 5DMKIII, etc. when comparing the best of the best.

I have heard people throw around the words "organic" and "natural" to describe the BMCC's footage. The video above absolutely looks that way…very organic and natural footage.

Why does some footage have that organic and natural look and most do not?

Thank you for reading.

Well, this is all about personal taste, but exactly why is hard to tell.

Why the BMCC stands out for me is the great dynamic range combined with how the colours are rendered. Skin tones looks gorgeous, and when I'm shooting landscapes (sunsets, sunrises) I really like the look of the green, yellow and red. (When comparing the shots to the same sunset shot with a D800.) I think the 5D mark II is closer to the BMCC than the D800 because of the colours, even though the dynamic range of the D800 is better than both of them.

For me, the colours are really important. Even though you're shooting in raw your camera still has a certain "look" to it, and I really like the BMCCs look.

It comes down to everything you mentioned as well as years of experience. There is not one specific secret ingredient that makes a film or video look wonderful, and yes, the example you posted looks wonderful.

People often overlook composition and focus primarily on camera specs and technology for the perfect image. What I saw in this video is some very nice composition and camera movement.

Yeah, the video you posted was good because of good camera work, not the camera itself. A lot of the lightning and composition was really good.

Yeah, the video you posted was good because of good camera work, not the camera itself. A lot of the lightning and composition was really good.

+1

Wow, definitely it's the composition and lighting.. nice find!

Well look who made the video. This is Andrew who in my opinion has made the best looking videos with this camera.

But besides the composition and lighting, there is a different look to the video. I cannot explain it, but the footage just looks "real" if that makes any sense. And Andrew has this look in all of his videos. Here are 2 more that are popular:





And by the way, I was comparing his footage to other BMCC users who have shot in 2.5k. So many videos have great composition, lighting, storytelling, editing, but they are lacking a certain natural feel to the footage. And of course there is no right way to CC/grade, etc. but it's very clear to me that even if Andrew's videos had a different color to them, they would still look different.

Try to get Andrew to explain his proces! I would be very interested!

His video with the Bmcc are my favorite videos for showcasing what it can do.

Also more threads like these please, instead of stuff related to shipping or bmd's way of doing business. Those annoy me to death and have nothing to do with cinematography.

Sent from my Android Phone

As some have mentioned above it's the cinematographer. Cameras do not make the image. Composition determined the nice framing and movement, sunset/sunrise shots chose the nice light direction and intensity, exposure was set properly for the best dense images with most information and I'm sure there was a good amount of coloring done in post.

There are years of experience behind those shots.

Try to get Andrew to explain his proces! I would be very interested!

His video with the Bmcc are my favorite videos for showcasing what it can do.

Also more threads like these please, instead of stuff related to shipping or bmd's way of doing business. Those annoy me to death and have nothing to do with cinematography.

Sent from my Android Phone

Well, he processed his Mexico footage using Lightroom, not Resolve. So that gives you starting point at least...

I see lots of correction/grading - even if to an accurate level. The first clip looks REALLY graded like Teal/Orange but, more teal/gold

I've seen many clips from video guys with that washed out flat look, and, in my humble opinion, not sure why people like that? Seems like camera guys like that but regular viewers don't care for it. I LIKE being able to see vibrant, live looking colors on every screen I view it on. "Artsy" washed out, flat, low contrast footage, just looks washed out and dull.

Well, he processed his Mexico footage using Lightroom, not Resolve. So that gives you starting point at least...

Could it be that easy but you're right, I should try that. Once I get my BMCC back from RMA

I tried to match the look based on some .dngs I found to download on YouTube via dropbox. Note: This is not my footage. I attached a photo of the original grade. The link below is my grade. What do you guys think? Organic feel?

NorBro,

I like the grade but it looks a little too pushed. There is some color fringing around the edges of the rock formations. Looks like over sharpening.

Actually, now that I look at the original screen grab it looks like it was shot that way.

I've seen many clips from video guys with that washed out flat look, and, in my humble opinion, not sure why people like that? Seems like camera guys like that but regular viewers don't care for it. I LIKE being able to see vibrant, live looking colors on every screen I view it on. "Artsy" washed out, flat, low contrast footage, just looks washed out and dull.

What are you viewing your footage on? I know a lot of people have their TVs on over-saturated ,so maybe the *flat look* then looks okay?

Certainly the link the OP posted, blacks are really black. Not scientific statement I know. I'm guessing see this on a TV, would lose some of its effect as black is not black but dark grey.

Jules

Why is it so hard to understand that great photography comes form expierence and talent and NOT from equipment. Experience also determines what kind of equipment is used, what lenses to use, what filters, how to shoot with grading in mind, how to grade it without overdoing it etc.

The reality is simple, expierence creates good images, not the equipment (of course I mean equipment that is at least of moderate quality in creating images).

maybe you should try lightroom or acr for your grading.. its the best debayering for DNG's.. also take a look at vsco film..

Why is it so hard to understand that great photography comes form expierence and talent and NOT from equipment. Experience also determines what kind of equipment is used, what lenses to use, what filters, how to shoot with grading in mind, how to grade it without overdoing it etc.

The reality is simple, expierence creates good images, not the equipment (of course I mean equipment that is at least of moderate quality in creating images).

Tru dat!

I've seen many clips from video guys with that washed out flat look, and, in my humble opinion, not sure why people like that? Seems like camera guys like that but regular viewers don't care for it. I LIKE being able to see vibrant, live looking colors on every screen I view it on. "Artsy" washed out, flat, low contrast footage, just looks washed out and dull.

What are you viewing your footage on? I know a lot of people have their TVs on over-saturated ,so maybe the *flat look* then looks okay?

Certainly the link the OP posted, blacks are really black. Not scientific statement I know. I'm guessing see this on a TV, would lose some of its effect as black is not black but dark grey.

Jules

any monitors. we've all seen those nicely shot, but dull washed out colored clips on vimeo. sometimes half the front page videos are like that. people claim it is the "look" or "artsy", sure I guess, but doesn't take much work or skill to make those. ... compared to the graded clips seen in this thread.
Maybe flat is the new black and white?

Just like in photography, it's not the grading, it's the subject, the color and the nature of light. The author of the clips did a lot of homework, went to colorful places and waited for the best light to happen, no shortcuts there.

I think what the OP is seeing in the original link is the lighting. If you look closely, almost every shot (aside from extreme wide shots) was shot at golden/magic hour. This will create the most dynamic images with natural light.