Benchmarking from a great video: Premiere settings o new lens ?

[antoniod19097390]

Hi guys, the last question I posted helped me a lot so I give it another shot. This is my typical video: Coldplay - Hypnotised (Cover) - YouTube

I'm using a Canon Eos500D with the original lens.
Today I saw this and I felt like a baby: Issues - Julia Michaels - MTV Cover Of The Month - YouTube

Ignoring for a moment the light, the movement of the camera and the fact that they are very young and good looking ... the quality of the image is stunning.

It's something I can work on my camera settings, premiere setting or I should focus on the lens ? (pun not intended )

Or it's something I can get in Premiere ? Sorry for the very noob-ish and generic question !

[Ann Bens]

You can leave out Premiere Settings:

If the source is not any good, no software in the world is going to fix it or give you the 'look' you want.

[shooternz]

Focus on lighting first and foremost.

[excited_Genie16B8]

I think you're expecting too much from an NLE forum.  You're wanting to get some in-depth instruction on cinematography here.

[R Neil Haugen]

Your camera work is technically correct, sort of mostly. In that the exposure and contrast and white balance settings are adequate to the scene.

Except ... the brighter lit area (which draws attention naturally) is the wall & stuff behind you. You're dark & contrasty, the wall & gear behind you is a lot easier to see ... and look at. Your skin specular highlights should really be about the brightest thing in the scene, and everything else down to a medium/medium low midtone.

Which means, as noted above ... learning to use light to control & shape the image ... and to lead and reward the eye for looking at what you want it to see, what you want the viewer to concentrate on.

Once you've got that going, then ... it would be worth talking about say what to do with a grade or whether to go for a Look.

Neil

[antoniod19097390]

Thanks, Neil. To be honest the choice of the lights, even if "wrong" is a result of experiments. I noticed that a warmer light on the side makes an interesting contrast that I kinda like. I know it's not perfect but I'm still working on it. What I wanted to understand if there's the chance that the definition of their video is better. I also did perfectly lit covers and I never got that level of definition. That's why I was wondering if maybe they were also using a different camera lens from mine Or maybe different manual settings. BUt maybe that's not the right question for the Premiere forum

[Ann Bens]

I think the camerawork is terrible. In and out of focus. It destroys the rest.

[antoniod19097390]

Really ? I'm not sure: I'm fascinated by every camera work just because I don't have the luxury of someone operating a camera when I shoot my videos (that's why I'm thinking about getting a Rollocam). Anyway, even with manual correction, I don't think I would go with those setting like those. What's intriguing me, anyway, it's the detail level of the image. The on focus part, of course

[Peru Bob]

Aside from the other comments, I don't like the fact that you can see a lamp on the right of the video.

[shooternz]

Lenses vary greatly in quality and sharpness is part of that.

General rule - $$$=sharpness.

[antoniod19097390]

Yeah, unfortunately I know this rule Right now I'm using the standard 18-55 mm on my 700D: if I have to shell out the bucks for a better lens I'd just like to get the best one for this purpose

[shooternz · Accepted solution]

https://www.camerastuffreview.com/general/beste-lens-voor-canon-70

BTW - none of these lenses will even come close to the quality of a high end cine lens but they will be an improvement on your Kit Lens.

Kit lenses are usually fairly junky.

[antoniod19097390]

Thanks a lot for this list

[Ann Bens]

Kit lenses are usually fairly junky.

Most of us have junky wallets.