DSLR film #2 - "DSLR film is dead"?

Writer Darren Laken and I meet once a week to discuss the story of the movie. We are writing for the horror/fantasy genre. I will be directing and producing the film, and I'm extremely excited to be getting full creative control. We have had around ten meetings thus far and we have the story pretty much outlined. The job now is to write the "treatment".

The learning curve to making a movie is huge if you've never done it before.  The learning curve is as huge as you want it to be really. I've joined various independent communities and I continue to read up on tips.

One of the most difficult decisions for me so far has been which format the movie should be shot in.  When the idea was sparked it was pretty clear I wanted to shoot  at 1080p in DSLR. Having been to a DSLR film festival in Colorado I was so impressed with the quality that the format offered.  It is also affordable, kind of perfect for a first time director on a tight budget.  This decision was made a couple of months ago, but since then I have read various articles on the internet about how DSLR film is dead.  For a few days I floundered around the internet trying to find answers, I was panicking I'll admit.

I am not an authority on the subject, but as far as I can make out "DSLR film is dead" is an exaggeration from the point of view of marketeers and snobs.  When DSLR film exploded onto the scene about two years ago as a viable and quality format, it was due to the large sensors (full frame) DSLR cameras came with. With the ability to use the affordable stills lenses and their larger range of f-stops, the format became a huge hit. The only downside was the audio input.  To capture professional sounding audio, a film maker would have to purchase an external field mixer and/or external recorder of some sort.

The term "DSLR film is dead" started appearing when companies such as Sony and Panasonic released their next generation video cameras, with equally large sensors.  These cameras seem to be mid-priced, about the same as a top end DSLR camera.  As far as I can see, DSLR is not dead at all. Sure, it no longer dominates the independent movie market, but for a photographer who already has a collection of lenses it makes sense to stick with it.  The quality of DSLR is extremely high and versatile.  For my personal project, I have chosen to continue with DSLR unperturbed... and the sound quality issue?  Well, I always was going to buy a field mixer/external sound recorder anyway. 

Andrex Washlets 8 page gatefold leaflet designs

On the 27th of November I posted about the deadline of this particular job - I had a day to complete it.  I cracked on and got it done, I was working from home so the tight deadline was stress free.  There seems to be more stress on tight deadlines when I'm asked to go into the studio and work amongst the project managers and account handlers. They do a difficult job well, but it easy to slow down an art-worker with interruptions.  From my home studio, there are no interruptions and I can work straight through (listening to my own preference of music!)

Although I completed the work in time for the deadline, there were production complications and the deadline was put back by a few weeks. This allowed Andrex the luxury of having time to get me to tweak the leaflet here and there. Various text changes and visual amends.

Deadlines are funny things.  Sometimes a tight deadline will create some great artwork - some creatives thrive under pressure.  Sometimes a distant deadline will lead to an idea being over scrutinized and will eventually become weak. At other times, a longer deadline will allow minor tweaks to make the design look just right. The latter is how this particular scenario panned out.

Various design versions have followed the leaflet created on the 27th.  We are now awaiting confirmation on which idea Andrex prefer, the artwork creation will follow their decision.

Andrex Washlets PowerPoint visuals

When I'm asked to create something in PowerPoint, I always feel like I'm cheating myself and the client. Don't get me wrong, PowerPoint is good bit of software for putting together fast presentations to be shown in the average office.  As a creative however, it has many limitations. Making a PowerPoint slide show look different to others created in the same software is not an easy task.  I find the controls clunky, and I'm always disappointed with the end result. Visual effects and text control is limited. For the record, when a client asks me to create a slide show without specifying the software - I will use Keynote, or After Effects. These will lead to a much more dynamic looking result.

I digress, I was asked to create a PowerPoint slide show by the marketing agency. The show was going to be a simple tool by which we show the powers at be at Andrex where we are with our designs and artwork. I guess all of that waffle in the last paragraph is irrelevant in this situation. PowerPoint allowed me to quickly drop in visuals allowing this mini job to be completed without detracting from time spent on the overall artwork of the final job.

Sometimes PowerPoint is perfect for a job, what can I say. I just like to do the best job I can.... and I like to moan!