Stuff like this:

The biggest problem is time. I want to keep this as a hobby, and learning the secrets of e.g. After Effects can take forever. Not to mention other steps of the production flow.

I'm a stills guy by trade. Picked up a GH2 this past June to video my daughter's dance recital. I'd owned a DV camcorder, which I never used. Heck I even own a 5DIII and had never shot video with it (still really haven't). The GH2 actually got me excited.

I see the world as a series of still images. Having to think about how to move through space and time is a challenge. We have to grow as people and learn new things.

So what do I shoot....dance. Haven't really progressed beyond the static camera there, but 10 times out of 10 the camera is unattended (I'd be shooting stills which is what I get paid for). This past weekend I took the plunge and actually tried to film my daughter making a glass bead, and make it coherent.

@prof_hussam

there is still the presumption that small cameras = low quality

Yup, and the GH2 may go down in history as a "best kept secret," known only to a few and unknown to studios because it was so modest-looking.

What we need is a crowd-funded project to get together the extra financial incentive to ensure a hacked GH2 gets A-Cam status in a sure-fire box-office feature with a known producer, good story, DP and Director - and which would have gone ahead using a different camera. Just like a budding actor, a camera can stay undiscovered until it gets its break.

I shoot local TV Talk shows, Live Events, Music Videos, Weddings and i'm gonna start doing documentaries soon. I'm still very new to all of this and have come over from the Pro Audio side of things. I'm very excited about the future work i'll be doing in video.

My biggest issue now is learning more about Editing, Grading and Color Correction. More about better workflow so that my final product is higher quality.

Since I have a reputation from being a Recording Studio Owner here and many clients who needed video and photography, I haven't had to worry too much about what cameras I have, tho it does come up. Still i've been considering buying a Panasonic AG-AC90 to at least have for the look of a Proper Pro Camera that people are used to seeing. At least the AC90 has a decent image for a low price. I have a couple of big old JVC Pro DV Cams that I sometimes bring just for show :). People don't even realize i'm not using the footage from them. Just turn them on and let the pretty lights shine.

@Craig_R

Where do you use shallow DOF in operation videos? :)

I spontaneously imagine close ups of surgeons while operating on an open heart. Drop of sweat running down the forehead. Clock ticking. Flat line on EKG. Close ups of family members waiting for the news.

Or an amputated limb as it fades to unsharp when after being separated.

I am not trying to be just ironic, I am kind of puzzled with how film aesthetics meets with something highly pragmatic as medical instructional videos. Shallow DOF, and separation of plans and motifs is usually a tool to produce some kind of emotional bond with protagonists, to emphasize suspense, intensity, create metonymy.

So I'd really like to see how all those elements communicate in your work, any examples?

I use the Sony FS100...an example or two on my channel...happy to answer any questions you might have. I agree that finding material to film can be hard, especially if it's a hobby. But, shooting in as many environments and under as many different conditions as possible will quickly show you where your strengths are and what you like dong.

Commercials, Corporate videos, music videos, ONE charity event client. I'd like to keep it that way. ;)

@svart

It is really interesting that any good film, even very short, is very social thing as require bunch of people working together. Yet many gurus propose you to become all in one antisocial guy. DIY in worse meaning.

I do TV and am currently shooting a feature film with the GH2. Sometimes high-end industrials or commercials or the like.

It's comedy, and we're often pushing the bounds of what our budget allows us to do, and the GH2 gives us really great IQ, in a small (carryon only) package, that we can easily take out with just a producer and talent, or producer, director and talent, when need be.

That's the best part of the GH2, to me, we can shoot with a very small team. Personally, I think having someone concerned with camera operating (to pay attention to the frame) and someone directing (to pay attention to the performance) is all you need with this camera.

Goa You oftend tend to describe yourself, your way of working by jerking on others, their noobiness yada yada... I hope it serve your confidence - at least something good would come out of that insecure childish behaviour.

Sorry VK for the vid only post above, it was just a joke responding to the op who can t stand backyard vids. A way to show that when adding girls in a boring subject it can become... Well, a boring subject with girls! I m mainly shooting for fun. i just enjoy learning to use the tools. Some friends here and then ask me to join a project (either corporate stuff or fictionnal). It s a good way to practice, have fun in team and sometimes refund my investments (primarly done as a pure enthusiast videographer). It's not my main job and won't become in a near future (unless i m fired : mmh it could be!)

@astraban

This isn't about me. Never has been. I feel compelled to give the right advice to people who've got a good chance if they do things right.

I am new to the GH2. After 12 months I am just starting to get predictable results. Please don't insult me by trying to read my mind.

I don't fit into the "filmmaker" mold as most here do, I shoot Ocean Sports Events using a jetski as my video platform. There are many reasons I use the GH1/2 with 14-140kit lens rather than a camcorder other than the ability to take stills as well if I need to. There is something about the image from the GHx cameras that clients notice over similar footage shot on camcorders, it stands out and they prefer it.

I travel light, no tripods etc, most of the kit fits a carry-on bag as most of the gigs require overseas travel and I work alone. Audio is usually Zoom H1 with lav and sync later to video. I'm big on DIY, my water resistant housings and various stabilising devices are home made. I don't shoot or have time for obtaining max image quality, my job is to get great CONTENT and produce a entertaining visual coverage of a Event that is usually shot in difficult, sometimes uncontrolled circumstances, ie, 30kt winds, big seas, poor or harsh lighting (moire, noisy blacks and a few macro-blocks are the least of my worries...lol ).

The challenges are many but the rewards are worthy, it's fun, pays well and I still get to hang with the friends I've competed with in the past, except on the other side of the lens.

Don't know if that's going to help you much in your ambitions, but that's what I do.

http://rambos-locker.blogspot.com