Tutorial: I'm creating a ski documentary on a $10,000 budget

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Hello Maggots!

I thought I'd share some info I've learned as a new ski photographer with those interested in current camera and computer technology as it applies to skiing.

I've been working for the better part of a year to document a new helicopter and cat skiing operation in northern Japan.

My documentary "The Hokkaido Backcountry Project" is coming late summer, early fall 2015.
Check out my first attempt at a ski videographer reel below for sample footage.

This was my big shot, but nobody was going to simply hand me the money. I had to raise the cash while aggressively promoting myself and the project.
Since I actually raised $18,000, it's worth explaining that several thousand went to living and skiing expenses along with travel.



So, how do you produce a documentary video shot over five months on a relatively small ($10,000) budget?

That's the question I've been asking (and answering) since October, when planning my documentary.

I knew there would be three major factors to consider: buying a camera, building my editing computer, and purchasing editing software.

Likewise, I knew three distinct variables that would play into my equipment choice.

1. Cost (under $10,000 USD)
2. Flexibility (able to handle basic and professional video formats)
3. Time (would this equipment be user friendly in the field?)


My portable studio has traveled to Japan and back.

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?

Cost, flexibility, and time were my top needs when purchasing equipment to shoot the Hokkaido Backcountry Project.

I needed to record at least 1080p video and provide quality sound with a small, portable package to travel via airline to Japan and back. I also wanted to shoot in 4K ultra-high definition, using a very light camera that could be packed into the mountains, survive months of constant abuse, and work in cold temperatures and during snowstorms. By October, I had narrowed my camera selection down to the $1,600 Canon 7D MK2, the $2,400 Sony A7s, and the $1,600 Panasonic GH4. The GH4 stood out for me due to its small size and 4k video recording capabilities right out of the box.

I needed professional results with a budget camera, so I selected the Panasonic GH4 and paired it with the Lumix 12-35 f/2.8 lens. The total cost was about $2,700. This allowed me to create great video AND still images too.


John Jackson tailgrab in Niseko


Mark Abma hangtime in Shimamaki


Chris Benchetler on Shiribetsu Dake


Benchetler spraying a turn on Shiribetsu


The beautiful scenery of southern Hokkaido


Shiribetsu-Dake, the home of HBC heli skiing


Greg Hill getting deep!

WHY I SELECTED THE GH4

Here's a breakdown thanks to the folks at EOSHD Blog discussing the pros and cons of the following cameras, including price and lens selection.

While the Sony A7s is an outstanding full-frame camera with amazing low-light sensitivity, it requires an expensive external recorder for 4K shooting. The lenses are also more expensive than other brands and harder to find used. Couple that with a higher initial cost, and I eliminated this camera (even though the low light sensitivity is beautiful).

Likewise, the Canon 7D MK2 is equally expensive as the GH4, but offers only 1080p resolution and no 4K. While the camera does feature Wifi and a touchscreen, it lacks variable frame rates, focus peaking, and the excellent electronic viewfinder present on the GH4.


Shooting UHD video with my Pansonic GH4 during an Arc’teryx photo shoot in Niseko, Japan. Photo: Pia Nic Gunderson

Meanwhile, several online resources, including Caleb Pike's DSLR Video Shooter blog pointed me toward the the Panasonic GH4. With a compact design, sharp 4K footage, slow mo capabilities, built-in electronic viewfinder (very important for run and gun shooting), the GH4 seemed perfect.

I outfitted the camera with a Rode Videomic Pro ($250), Sennheiser Wireless Lavalier Kit ($500), and Kamerar FHugen Honu Cage ($150). With the addition of a Metabones Speed Booster S ($600) and 70-200 F/4 Canon EF lens ($900), I was ready to shoot UHD video (3840 x 2160 at 30fps) for about $4,800.

To compliment my camera, I bought a $300 GoPro 3+ along with a $20 chest mount and $30 roll cage mount.

I also used a Cowboy Studio shoulder support rig ($25), two small tripods ($450), a $120 slider from Kamerar, a cheap studio lighting kit bought on Ebay for $150, and two small LED lights with stands purchased for about $25 each. That brings the total up to $6,175.

BUILDING THE COMPUTER

I used a variety of online tutorials to design and purchase components for my custom editing computer. My recommendations for anyone attempting to go this route is to visit the VideoGuys DIY tutorial and use Newegg.com to purchase parts.

I designed my computer to edit 4K video at half the cost of something built in a factory. I settled on an Intel Core i7 Haswell Quad-Core processor, AMD Z-97 motherboard, including 32 gb of RAM, MSI GeForce GTX 770 2gb graphics card, Samsung 250gb SSD, HGST Ultrastart 1tb 7200 rpm hardrive - all packaged in a nice, Antec case.

The total for parts and labor was about $1,800 - hundreds less when compared to pre-built editors capable of handling the kind of video processing ability I needed. Since I had less than a month to build the machine, I worked with Computer Specialists in Alexandria, MN (my hometown) to assemble the parts. This provided much less headache in the long run.

The final cost for the equipment came in at just under $10,000 when I added extra media (Six Class 10 SD cards at $30 to $50 a piece), extra batteries, several carrying cases, and an additional GH4 camera body ($1,300 in Japan) in case my main camera went down during the shoot.



Can you tell the difference between footage shot with a $10,000 RED Scarlett (body only) vs. the $1,600 Panasonic GH4? Click on the YouTube video above for the side-by-side comparison. My goal was to get the best possible video product with the least amount of cash input.

EDITING SOFTWARE

I believe the current Adobe Creative Suite is among the most user-friendly and robust video editors on the market today. However, at $49.94 per month, it's not the cheapest when compared to Sony Vegas, Final Cut Pro, or Avid. However, what the Creative Cloud loses in affordability, it makes up in usability. That's because this program seamlessly integrates Premiere, Photoshop, After Effects, Illustrator, and Adobe Speed Grade in one big package. You can find a good discussion of the positives and negatives of each product here. I was able to score a low-cost subscription and am very pleased with the results from my photo and editing experiences.

MY WEB SERIES VIDEOS

First day of heli skiing at HBC

Hokkaido Backcountry Project Ep. 2 - "Ski Bums"

HBC Episode #3 - "What is Niseko?"

Hokkaido Backcountry Project Ep. 4 - "Exploring Shakotan"

Hokkaido Backcountry Project Ep. 5 - "Sledding Big Bear"

HBC Episode 6 - Exploring Shimamaki, Hokkaido, Japan

Got any questions? Ask em.

[::: :::]

subscribed

[edit] so, what is TGR's level of involvement in this project?

[sqikunst]

cool cool.

[SUPERIOR]

subscribed

[edit] so, what is TGR's level of involvement in this project?

Good question. I met up with the folks from HBC on the TGR forums. I've also worked with Dunfee to write "Should Heli Skiing Come to Hokkaido, Japan" which was pretty controversial

[Tye 1on]

you've got Pia Nic shooting B-roll? Strong work sir!

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you've got Pia Nic shooting B-roll? Strong work sir!

Turns out, she's a ripping skier too! Who knew???

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Molly Baker visits Hokkaido, Japan

Here’s a recent web edit I made using the GH4 and Rode Video Mic Pro. The clip is shot in 4K, 30fps and 1080p 96fps and downsampled to 1080p. This was bare bones shooting in the mountains and during snowstorms. The camera performed well, and the addition of the 96fps variable frame rate allowed me to shoot some excellent slow-motion footage.

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Here's another example of the GH4 at work in slow motion with 96fps.

I think this is getting to be some of the better footage I shot in Japan, and I just graded this with Premiere and the new Creative Cloud.

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Doco is done, and showing at Whistler Film Fest Next Week!

Here's a link to my blog with the trailer and summary http:/lwww.mattstandal.com/blog