Best Picture Style for Shooting Documentary on Lumix G7 and GH4

by Jan
(Slovakia)

Lumix G7

VISITOR QUESTION:
Submitted December 19, 2015

Hi, I have just found this website, it is exactly what I need..thank you.
I am just an amateur, but very interested in film making, especially in travel documentary.

So far I made a few videos from my trips just for fun. But my next project I want to do best as possible.

I am going to spend one month on Palawan in Philippines. 10 days I will stay on uninhabited island and the rest of time to travel around the Palawan, climb to highest mountain, visit local natives etc.

Palawan is an amazing place on Earth, so I think it would be great theme for film. But problem is that I will be alone so it will not be easy to do everything on my own.

So now the question.

I have a new Lumix G7 which is quite similar to GH4. I would like to ask you which picture style do you recommend for these cameras. The flat profile like CinelikeD with adjusted contrast, saturation etc. or it is possible to use any "baked in" profile which I will not have to correct in post?

I would prefer something that looks nice, quite natural colours but still has kind of "film look". And I will not have to spend tons of time by color correcting (which is not easy as well and maybe I would made it looks worse than I use automatic profile).

Thank you for answer and sorry for my english :)

Jan from Slovakia

ANSWER
From Matt James Smith, Owner Lintel Film

Simple answer: Cine-V with sharpness turned all the way down, don't touch any other settings. The Natural profile is nice too.

Caleb Pike of DSLRVideoShooter.com sells a G7 course if that helps. He knows his stuff.

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Feb 11, 2018

Good question
by: Anonymous

I regularly shoot corporate and business video and when clients talk about cinematic they are usually referring to shallow depth of field. Turn the sharpness and contrast down a little and shoot at wider apertures and you will have something approaching cinematic.

Apr 03, 2016

Cinematic look
by: Anonymous

I am video producer and have heard so much about the cinematic look. I am confused as to whether the cinematic look is one of those aspects of the video picture that drives realism or is it just about nostalgic aesthetics. The reason for my question is that I hope all the talk about cinematic look is not about those societies whose citizens were exposed to moving pictures in cinemas, with films that were shot on cinema cameras before the advent of camcorders. I am from a society in which film became truly popular on Video. Forgive my critical mind as I am a student of mass communication. If I am right many of the film makers from my part of the world were like just following fashion and worrying themselves silly with what only helps distort reality. Should I really worry about cinematic looks if my film is to be watched locally?

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