The FOX Series "House" Shooting With Canon 5D Mark II's

By: Jared Abrams

The Fox series “House” will be using Canon 5D Mark II’s to shoot the final episode this season. I overheard the camera assistant’s saying that the DP wanted to use the 5D Mark II with Canon still lenses for it’s shallow depth of field. From what little I could see, they had a remote follow focus strapped to a Red Rock Micro Eyespy handheld rig. It looks like more and more pros are gravitating towards the image quality and size of these unique cameras.The DSLR invasion has begun!

Posted On: 11th March 2010
By: jared1
Under: Canon EOS 5D mk2, HDSLR

Richard Crook March 11, 2010

Did the AC say if these were B cams or 2nd unit cams…or is the whole episode being shot on them? I wonder if this particular episode is using the cameras for a unique handheld look or a POV video-cam look? Looking forward to seeing the camera on another TV drama!

Jay April 9, 2010

A friend of mine was a dead guy in this episode and he said they were using the 5D for the entire episode. They actually had two on set for the big scene he was in.

Dan Kanes March 11, 2010

They Should Use Zeiss Compact Primes with a 5D Modified by HotRod Cameras if they want to be abe to get repeatable focus and accurate distance scales. Canon L series are a joke for getting any sort of repeatable focus.

Matt March 12, 2010

“Canon L series are a joke for getting any sort of repeatable focus”

I don’t disagree with you completely, but I have not had any problems with my L lenses, and repeating focus. It does however take some getting used to if you are familiar with a traditional video lens, but it is ‘doable’. You just have to get more comfortable with manually focusing the lens to know where it needs to be in focus accordingly. Also this can also be very dependant on which lens you are using. I have no problems with my 16-35 2.8L, or my 200mm prime 2.8L for distance shots. My 100mm 2.8 macro and 50mm 1.8 work just as fine. Just takes practice,

Dan Kanes March 12, 2010

Point well taken, however in professional motion picture and television production a camera assistant commonly known as a 1st AC or Focus Puller is responsible for assisting the operator in landing focus (sometimes operators focus their own shots. If shooting with a T-stop lower than a 5.6 on a 5D in a fast paced professional environment it will be very difficult to get a consistently focused shot.

I’ve personally gotten very good at catching my own focus as an operator on these small cameras, but to integrate them into a professional workflow might call for something like the Zeiss CPs or CP2′s (not out yet)

Thanks for posting!

Would love to see an interview with the DP, AC’s and Producers of House about this and see what they all have to say.

Chris Collins March 11, 2010

The Canon glass is a surprise to me as well. ZE primes with gears would be a cheaper alternative.

Cavner March 12, 2010

I saw Denis Danfung’s footage in the PBS Frontline doc ‘Obama’s War’. It looked terrific on the HD channel (not to mention that his footage was extraordinary).

It’s all very exciting.

frank March 12, 2010

If they output the final to 1080p then they will need to do some post work to hide the H264 compression artifacts; unless all the shots are lock-offs

Adam T May 4, 2010

Good point. I’m guessing they will shoot in 1080p to oversample, do some minimal work to disguise the artifacting, and output a 720p broadcast version. I believe FOX broadcasts in 720p anyway.

Myles March 12, 2010

Would be fantastic if C5D could get an interview with those involved in production.

jared March 14, 2010

I will try to hook that up this week.
Thanks for the comment.
Jared

0100 March 14, 2010

Only the beginning!!! Can’t wait to see what the vDSLR is in 2 years or even just 1 year from now.

almus rayne April 12, 2010

just wanna ask…they use canon 5D Mark II for what season? is it season 6?

Bill Daily April 13, 2010

I hope they get some sweet shots of House’s crotch! On the 5D that would look astounding!

Alex April 15, 2010

And what can you say about quality?? Bad cameras to bad seasons!

kan April 18, 2010

interesting to find out the picture quality of the season

Sam April 22, 2010

How about the sound?

Alex April 23, 2010

))) Thanks a lol

nate May 11, 2010

sound is always recorded externally on a sound recorder with a boom mic. professionals never use onboard mic when filming movies

Isaac April 25, 2010

I believe the A100 from Panasonic will answer your needs in a year. The perfect Hybrids are coming, thank you.

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Robert May 18, 2010

That website is in Russian, for anyone not speaking Russian.

Denver Portrait Photographer May 12, 2010

The video coming out the these DSLRs is pretty awesome and the different looks you can get with the still lenses is almost endless. I can’t wait to see more shows experimenting with this format.

Richard WILSON May 16, 2010

Guys, the Canon EOS 5D Mark III is on the drawing board, or should I say in the 3D software Design!

Jay May 21, 2010

The 5D MKII has been a mystery for me since day one. I never thought the video quality was very good at all, and have in all this time blamed it on my “what am I doing wrong attitude.”
Well lately I have been hearing some comments from some video pros stating that it really has a lot of faults.
Anyway I SO looked forward to the House episode to see what could be done with this camera in the hands of some true professionals…You know what? I think everyone is so gaga about how inexpensively they can work with a very portable camera with inexpensive interchangeable lenses that does a reasonably decent job that they are just not looking at what it produces with a real discerning eye. Yes it CAN be made to look good, but you have to go through hoops to get it do so, and even then I don’t think it holds a candle to some of the equipment that Hollywood has been using for years!
But then again we are now living in a society where musicians aren’t really expected to hold a tune anymore, actors are chosen merely by their looks, products are manufactured to last maybe a year or less…
the cheapening of quality in our society.
For what it’s worth, I felt that the 5D MKII quality in the House episode lacked detail and sharpness found in the tried and true cameras usually used on that show.
Just my opinion.

jr May 26, 2010

Well I had no idea what the finale was shot on. I just thought it looked fantastic–I’d assumed they brought in a new director to shake things up but no… it was just one of their regulars. If yo don’t like th elook of the camera that’s why the Gods made chocolate and vanilla but don’t say people only think they like the results because of its size. This was the best looking house since early season 1–and if the camera had a lot to do with that, then good for the camera. Not everything has to look like a laquered 90s Ron Howard movie.

jason June 23, 2010

Do you really know what you talking about! canon 5d mark 11 is awson 5 start!! Probably you dont even know anything about video quality. Hater!

phildd July 19, 2010

Hi Jay, I think you’re slightly missing the point here with the 5D MKII.

Of course it has many faults, and does fall short compared to top production equipment this should be expected!, but the tradeoff is immense. As a camera it stands in a class entirely of it’s own and in fact brings much higher quality cinematography, down the ladder to a large demographic of film makers who aren’t part of an elite industry.

As a new film maker and photographer I’ve used a large array of ‘mid range’ digital video camera’s, that preceded the 5D and none of these camera’s come even close to the 5D’s performance, and photographically speaking at least it produces some incredible results, and I think this alone makes most of us oversee it’s current limitations.

I do agree with you about standards being systematically lowered over time but the 5D is in a way reversing this process and is rightfully hailed as a camera that finally brings extremely high quality photography to independent or low budget of film makers.

Unfortunately many young film makers nowadays focus more on the technicality of film making rather than the content itself. Great film making is more about what you have to say and how you say it rather than how good the image quality is, history proves this time and time again.

Nick Layton January 28, 2011

Hi Jay,

For the most part you are right. This is after all a nicely priced, nicely specified DSLR – and isn’t THAT the point? You’re comparing apples with the entire contents of a million greengrocer’s stores. Because they could have gone out and bought several of these cameras with really decent lenses for ONE DAY’s rental on said ‘standard’ Hollywood equipment. So, up to a point, there is no comparison. The effect on the market is incredible though. Obviously my shoots aren’t like yours. But my last employer who paid out for two Canon prosumer video cameras looks across to my 5d and is nearly livid. And if I was Canon’s prosumer Video rep, I would be frightened for the future of Canon’s video offerings. Good times for the consumer though. One last thought though, have you seen the film ’28 days later’? All shot on the Canon XL1, (how it got released on blu-ray is baffling!!!) Terrific, atmospheric and I hardly ever thought about the quality – so if Danny Boyle pushed the envelope nearly 10 years ago, can’t intrepid DP’s today continue to question accepted practices?

Luis Villalon October 30, 2010

I am amazed about the stupid comments some people make not only about the D5, but about any camera that comes in the market. It’s almost like you freeze one frame look at it for 2 hours to see what minor flaws you can find. I have shot 6 features with Panavision and Arriflex cameras (35mm), but my last 2 projects have been with the Canon and I am as happy as I could be. Why? Because I give my work with it the same treatment I give 35mm. If you don’t light properly,don’t know composition, color and contrast, or understand the mood of the story, you will never get good results out of any camera. The problem with digital is that most people crank to highest ISO…(See! You can see all the way down Main St for 10 blocks, you don’t need lights!) Aim the camera and press the record button and call themselves DPs. Of course it all looks like crap and some blame the camera. Also, In my projects, all the sound is recorded separately, lately with the Zoom or Tascam recorders, with sound going to the camera for reference only or through the Juiced Link….just like real movies, the built in mike is only good for ambiance noise only. I am not going to sit around and wait for the perfect digiwonder, I’d rather keep working, and as of today, I have one more project after my current one again with the Canon. I make films I don’t just talk about them.

Mazhar March 16, 2011

nice said. one must know & rememember that PHOTOGRAPHY means “writing with Light”. tools may change but the bottom line is unchanged.

Matthew March 24, 2011

Luis, you made my day… so enjoy!

Photographer goes to his friend’s house for dinner and brings his portfolio. His friend admires the images and exclaims “these are awesome pictures, you have an amazing camera.”
So then they have dinner, and when it is all done the photographer says, “that was an excellent dinner, I bet you have amazing pots and pans!”

There is a fine line between professional and amateur forever. This joke hints and the difference. Love your work, love your lights, and it will light up your life!

Timinator May 17, 2011

I love this illustration…I hope you will not mind if I post it myself on other sites…this is the perfect illustration of skills vs. tools.

Thanks so much,

Tim

piaiklon April 25, 2011

Matthew,
I do love statement and sample you made. Love ur work,lights and it’ll light up.Thanks guys.
I have noticed that all the professional and amateur are interesting that 5d.Ml scrutinize all the ways to upgrade 5dmk2 to mk free.Zacuto,red rock,cinevate,genus, ikan,and all companies are trying better rigs especially for 5d , why?
without any potential , they dont do that way, i think. it’s clear …
thx guys

Christian Schwier August 7, 2011

Does anyone know where I can find a link to the House finale shot with the 5D – even just a trailer or teaser? We’re doing an article on our video production blog about the DSLR revolution (http://www.litewavemedia.com) and would love to post it with the article. Seems like Fox recently pulled down all the links from YouTube.

abdforgoah October 29, 2011

WOW!!! Bawa You Are The COOLEST!!!!! Lots of Love. Jai Gurudev.

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