- It's December in Wyoming,
which means it's bitterly cold out.
It also means it's the perfect condition
for cold weather wildlife.
In this refrain, we get wild in Wyoming
as we take to the great outdoors
and discuss the use of high resolution cinematography
and photography as we search
for some of our favorite animals that roam the open plains,
capturing it all in beautiful 8K and 4K 120p resolution,
buckle up.
Resolution seems to be everything these days,
whether you're using a prosumer camera, like the Sony A74
or professional grade camera, like the Sony Alpha 1.
You'll be privy to creating gorgeous content anywhere
in the 6K to 8K resolution range
which will end up giving you huge advantages
when you want to edit or work with your footage
in post-production.
In this episode, we'll be using nature
to demonstrate the power of resolution
and go on a mini adventure in the process.
Before we dive into gear,
let's quickly discuss what 8K resolution means for you,
the user.
To start, 8K resolution is the next evolution
for TV and film.
It allows us to do more with the scene
because there's more pixels to work with
and allows us to physically see more detail up close.
8K resolution is four times the resolution of 4K
and eight times a resolution of 1080p,
which gives the user a ton of latitude
to work with the imagery and video in post production.
The codex used to film 8K footage on the Sony Alpha 1
allow us to film in 4:2:0 or 4:2:2 color,
which in very simplistic terms
and I do mean very simplistic,
4:2:2 gives us a higher data rate
and thus more information than 4:2:0 color space
but it also gives us a larger file size 4:2:2 color
gives the user more information to pull from
when color grading and editing
which means it's a higher quality than 4:2:0.
Now let's talk gear.
When it comes to gear, there are only a few options
for filming ultra high definition, 8K footage.
In this case, we'll be using the Sony Alpha 1
which just got an update recently that allows
for true 10 bit 4:2:2 color rendition in 8K,
which is absolutely fantastic.
To turn your camera into a high resolution monster,
you'll first want to ensure you're filming
in the correct mode.
To do that, turn your camera to movie mode,
hit the menu screen, scroll down to the red camera icon
on the left, and then choose the file format
on the right hand side of the screen.
Once that's open, select the XAVC HS 8K setting.
This will change the resolution of your camera
to film in 8K.
You also have the option
to choose whether you want a 24p or 30p timeline,
depending on how you wanna deliver your footage.
If you're looking to create a more cinematic look,
I would highly recommend choosing the 24p mode.
I also recommend using the highest data rate,
which is 520 megs.
And this is gonna allow you
to have the highest possible video quality when filming.
This also means the file sizes will be larger
but you'll have more information that you can pull
from when you get into the post production phase.
When it comes to choosing 4K 120,
the best method for this is choosing the S and Q mode
from the top of the dial.
This will allow you to easily change between 8K and 4K 120
without having to go into the menu system,
which can be pretty cumbersome if you're in the middle
of an uncontrolled action event.
To set up your S and Q mode, go into the menu system,
choose the red camera icon again, go to image quality,
and on the right hand side, choose S and Q settings.
From there, you can select the recording frame rate,
as well as the high speed frame rate.
For us, we'll be using a 24p recording
with a frame rate of 120 frames per second.
This is going to allow us to slow down the footage
five times that of a regular 24p timeline.
For our lenses, I'll be using the new 70-200 Mark Two,
G Master as well as the 200 to 600
because these lenses will give us the most range
when trying to capture beautiful 8K wildlife footage.
One of the most important things that you can bring with you
on any trip, if you're shooting high resolution 8K
or even 4k 120, you wanna make sure you have a solid tripod.
You also wanna make sure that you have a fluid head
and the fluid head is really important
because it gives it that nice fluid motion.
If you were to use to say a ball head, or just a tripod
that didn't really have any fluidity to it,
you're not gonna get those nice fluid motions.
And it's all gonna be noticeable
when you're actually shooting your content.
So when you go back and play that 8K file,
or that 4k 120p file,
it's gonna have some shake and jitter to it.
And sometimes you can remove it in post,
but it's best to remove it practically
when you're out in the field.
So, we like to use the Sachtler Aktiv 6 right now.
It's a really nice tripod.
It gives you full range of motion.
And when you're using a lens, like the 200 to 600,
having that fluid head really makes a big difference,
especially when you're shooting something like a moose
or bison or any kinda wildlife, because any kind of motion
that you do, it's gonna be replicated back on the sensor.
So, having this fluid head
really just helps kind of negate any kind of issues
you may have when it comes to post production
With our camera gear all sorted out, we can head off
and search for some wildlife.
One of the things I love about the Grand Teton area
is that there's always something new and exciting to see
when it comes to animals.
The landscape is littered with different varieties
of wildlife, and it seems like no matter where you look,
you're bound to find something.
I also recommend if you plan going off the beaten path
to get a proper vehicle, one that's gonna be able
to take the hits of a poorly maintained trail
and or snow and mud.
One of the first animals we came across
is the majestic bison and what an experience that was.
We've got this entire herd of bison right in front of us.
What I will say is, since I am using
such a long focal length at 1200 millimeters,
what do you want do is make sure you don't have
any kind of resistance on the edge of the lens.
So, if you have a lens hood, take it off,
because what it's gonna do is create vibration
and that vibration's gonna kill your shot.
So, I've taken the lens hood off
and I'm just getting incredible imagery.
Bison are very beautiful creatures,
but they're also dangerous.
So, maintain a safe distance when filming.
It's best to stay in your car
and use a long lens when you want to get it closeups.
Because 8K resolution is so big,
I tend to ensure that my shots are a bit wider
and have multiple subjects in the frame.
So if I wanna re crop and recompose, I can do that later.
When you find your subject,
try not to touch the lens or the camera while recording
unless you're actively tracking them with the tripod.
The less movement or vibration
that you add to the scene, the better.
When you are tracking the subject with the fluid head,
make sure that you've gotten yourself enough drag
on both the pan and the tilt
so you can create smooth movement
without having jerky stops and starts.
One thing you might find while you're out filming wildlife
is that you might need more height when it comes
to capturing your subject.
So, sometimes you have to get creative.
So, the reason I climb on top of my Jeep right now
is because the brush out in the field
is just a little bit too high for the elevation
that we need to actually see the moose.
So, I decided to use the Jeep
with the tripod on top of the Jeep.
And now I've got a perfect perspective of both moose
as they're out in the field.
So, you know, you gotta adapt and overcome sometimes.
When it comes to filming techniques, I like to make sure
that my camera lenses are always ready to go.
I'm using the Kessler Quick Release Plate on our tripod
which allows me to go from shooting steady tripod shots
to handheld in just a second or two of time.
Adding this type of tool really helps aid you
when you're in a quick pace situation.
When you are tracking your subject,
it's smart to allow for a bit of buffer room
in the direction that the subject is moving.
That way they're always in frame.
You'll have to anticipate their movement
but once you get an understanding of where they're going,
it's quite easy to track them and get a beautiful shot.
I also recommend turning on Animal Eye AF,
especially in video because it's really going to allow you
to track that focus and worry more about the composition
and not if the image is sharp or not.
One thing to always be aware of when you're out in nature
is that nature is completely unpredictable.
You have no control over what that animal is going to do.
Because of this, it's smart to either stay in your car
when the animals are super close
or keep at least a 15 to 20 foot distance
between you and the animal.
If it decides to charge you or head in your direction,
you wanna make sure you're able to safely make it out.
If you really wanna make your footage
look even more spectacular, you can change the movie mode
to S and Q and capture truly stunning
and unique shots of wildlife at 120 frames per second.
You also wanna make sure
if you're capturing high frame rate footage,
to film when there's a lot of fast,
high impact action happening.
You can also leverage atmospherics like snow, leaves,
or dust in the light to help showcase
the slow motion footage more deliberately.
The more unbelievable it looks, the more in awe
your viewers will be.
Once you've captured
all that beautiful 8K and 4k 120p footage,
it's time to head to the editing bay.
I think one thing people often overlook
is just how much additional horsepower you're going
to need when it comes to setting up a proper 8K workflow.
Your basic computer, whether you're on Apple or Windows,
likely won't be able to handle 8K
or even 4k 120p footage that well.
Here's a list of minimum specs that I would recommend
when you actively wanna view and play back 8K footage.
You wanna make sure that your system has
at least eight cores above 4.2 gigahertz,
32 gigabytes of RAM,
and at least 12 gigabytes of video memory.
This is going to allow you to fluidly work
with 8K plus resolutions in programs like DaVinci Resolve
or Adobe Premier Pro.
You'll also wanna ensure that your footage is stored
on a fast drive such as a gen three or gen four NVMe SSD.
This will provide you with the best playback capabilities.
It's also important to understand how much data your camera
is going to generate when you're out filming.
If you plan on shooting a lot of high resolution content,
then I would highly recommend investing in a NAS
or network attached storage that has at least 64 terabytes
of space, which can be purchased
for around $1,500 to $3,000.
If you anticipate shooting a lot of high resolution content,
think about investing in a proper server that has
at least 120 terabytes and can be upgraded later in life.
Now onto the phone part.
One of the biggest advantages
of filming high resolution content
is the ability to re-crop, recompose,
and reimagine your scene.
Since most productions still only deliver in 1080p or 4k,
you're gonna have either four time or even eight time
the resolution to work with
when you load up your 8K footage.
This is going to allow you, in certain circumstances,
to use the same shot multiple times
and create multiple seams just from one single clip.
You can create many sequences of shots that all derive
from the same composition.
This can be a huge benefit if you're filming a scene
for an interview or you want to create
both a wide and tight shot of your subject.
This is why it's always important to shoot a bit wider
when you're filming in 8K.
There are a multitude of composition possibilities
when it comes to filming high resolution content.
So, the next time you're out, give it a try
and see what you can come up with.
That'll wrap it up for this "Reframed".
Thanks for joining me.