By Matt Jeppsen | e-mail the author

I had recently had opportunity to interview Josh Oakhurst, Indie filmmaker and Senior Editor at SportsHD. In his spare time, Josh maintains a blog at www.joshoakhurst.com where he regularly opines and rants on various topics pertaining to shooting, editing and production.

What follows is Part1 of our two-part interview. In Part2, you’ll hear Josh rant on 720 vs 1080, Progressive acquisition in broadcast, and Film Look vs Video Look. Stay tuned we’ll post Part2 later this week.

Thanks for taking the time for this open dialogue. We’ve had several conversations prior to this, and I’ve been impressed with your knowledge of production, and your strong opinions on the subjects we all care about. For starters, what really excites you about this profession?

Filmmaking is an extension of my brain. I think in moving pictures and fun things like cameras, friends, scripts, lights and computers allow me to take the moving pictures out of my head and show them to other people. I like telling stories, and people respond to light and sound very well.

So, could you tell me a little about yourself? Where you’re from, how you got your start in production and what are you currently doing?

I’m originally from Kansas City, Missouri. As a young kid, I played with my Dad’s VHS camcorder at lot but didn’t begin frequently shooting stuff until I was 16. One year my friend Mark got a Hi8 camera for Christmas and we pretty much shot on it every weekend. It started off as typical teenage drive-thru-bullshit but then became a chance to experiment with real stories.

In 1999 I started editing on an ole’ no-name VTR-to-VTR controller and quickly learned how fun editing is. I took a Broadcast Journalism class in HS and from there stepped up to my first digital non-linear editor in the Casablanca Macro System. The Casablanca was basically one big microwave looking thing attached to a keyboard, trackball, CD player, VTR, and 6GB shoe-sized removable hard drives. We almost crapped our pants when the 9GB drives came out.

Broadcast Journalism was basically just one big “lets see how many inside jokes we can sneak past he administrators� class. We had to write stories and do research, but most of the time it was an excuse just to goof off with the cameras.

In late 2000, I put together a 45-minute documentary of a bunch of stupid bullshit from those early days. I’d like to say something of substance came out of my teenage years, but it was really just crap. There are still a few VHS copies of that documentary floating around and I’m sure one day I’ll end up having to answer a bunch of questions like, “Uh, THIS is how you got started?â€?

“Yup.�

The biggest benefit of filming and editing goofy material was that I logged hundreds of hours of shooting and editing even before I graduated HS.

I ended up very bored at Missouri State University and spent all the money I had saved up to buy an iMac, Final Cut (version 1), and a Canon GL-1 upon moving to California. After 10 months of some trendy, “coming of ageâ€? revelations and about two years of writing and no shooting, I moved to Denver and dove into FCP2. I took advantage of “tuition paid for” computer time and camera rentals at The University of Colorado at Denver and learned as much as I could. Looking back, I wish I would of had the balls to forgo school entirely and spend the money I now owe in student loans on my own set of gear. I taught myself photography, FCP, After Effects, Photoshop, and Flash and now I have a $30,000 piece of paper my current employer doesn’t give a shit about (BA in Communications and Multi-Media).

In December of 2003, I shot my first music video for a crappy local band the day after graduating from college. From there came a few more music videos, a couple of shorts, a commercial or two, a small snowboard video that aired somewhere on Fuel TV, and a whole bunch more nonsense in between.

Through it all, I learned how to frame a shot or two and fell in love with writing.

For the last couple years I have bounced around in TV by first helping a graphic design firm start up their own Broadcast division, then freelancing, and then to HDNet/ HDNet Movies as a promotional editor. In 2005, I was hired away from HDNet by a former HDNet producer to help start SportsHD productions under the title of Senior Editor (officially) and Chief Engineer (un-officially).

At heart, I bleed for filmmaking and yearn everyday to quit my job in TV so I can write and tell my own stories for a change. I’m slowly working towards that goal.

So would you recommend a similar path to others that wish to break into this industry? How do talented people get a foot in the door in this day and age?

The only suggestions I would make to those interested in pursuing a career of, by, and for moving pictures is to start shooting, pay attention to the industry, and stop making excuses. You get your foot in the door by busting it down and not waiting for Daddy to call you in a favor (that could be my first of many shots directed at film school students).

What are your current weapons of choice? What are you shooting, editing and cutting with, how do you store and transfer your projects and media, what do you generally deliver your projects on?

For editing and magic making, I use Final Cut Pro 5 (of course) and various Apple PowerMac, XSAN, XRAID, XSERVE, and firewire architecture. I use Photoshop CS everyday and while I love After Effects, I try to stay away from motion work because I realize it’s not my strong suit. I’ve done a bit of Maya work in the past and I’d prefer to never open that program again. 3D work is just way too nerdy for me, and consequently, I have the utmost respect for anyone who’s strictly working in the motion design field.

As far as cameras go, I own a DVX 100 but have been shooting everything recently on the Z1U. I doubt I’ll be using the Panny much more but keep it around because it’s the first camera I ever loved.

My professional HD workflow generally happens in via HDCAM edited in the DVCPRO HD codec and is delivered via HDCAM tapes. I also do quite a bit of HDV work. Moving forward, I’ll probably never shoot a frame of film in my life, and I really don’t care to. Film looks great, but MAKE THE DIGITAL SWITCH. Progression is natural.

My next short is being shot on the F900.

In your experience, what are some of the strengths and weaknesses of the tools you use every day (both hardware and software)? Tell me about your workflow…give me a few examples of what steps you must take to bring a project from acquisition to fruition.

Haha, you know it’s funny - on a daily basis I come sit around $50,000 dollars of post-production equipment and I’m constantly frustrated with how problematic it can be. PEOPLE STILL MATTER. Engineers, or at least a knack for engineering is very much required for advanced stages or HD storage architecture. I love Apple, and I’ve never felt at home on an Avid - but machines still crash routinely. There are tons of cables and wires and settings and off switches between ingesting and exporting footage that can and will break/stumble/fail to recognize/ and quit while deadlines are approaching. Nothing is bombproof - and money will not bail you out unless you can afford people smarter than you to help.

I’ve often referred to Editing on an Avid as 95% editing and 5% engineering, while using a tricked out FCP edit bay is more like 65% editing and 35% engineering. At editing’s most basic level, you’re simply a media manager - and that’s it. Editing won’t happen unless you set up your shit right in the backend so the editing comes naturally. Editing is one of my favorite aspects of filmmaking because that’s where all the magic happens. Good editors fix mistakes and find ways to hide the shortcomings of production.

Workflow is entirely dependent on budgets and I jump around constantly depending on the project. Smart people at Apple and AJA have made those Post-Production jumps easier. Format choices still abound and will continue to increase as manufacturers figure out a way to migrate from tape to hard disk recording. P2 is not the answer. Hard drives still fail, but the future will find away to acquire 4:4:4 in a much smaller way.

Two recording formats in the news a lot lately; HDV and more recently DVCPROHD. Tell us what kind of real-world experience you have had with both formats. Also, I see mention from time to time about HDV motion artifacting, is this an issue in your experience? Tell me about other emerging tech and equipment have you have had opportunity to work with? What are some of the production and workflow issues you are seeing?

DVCPRO HD is a better codec than acquisition format. Because they resemble MiniDV tapes on steroids, DVCPRO HD tapes are great, but few Indies will find shooting DVCPRO HD useful. For DVCPRO HD costs, one can generally acquire in HDCAM, which is preferred in my opinion.
As far as DVCPRO HD acquired on P2 media - I’m sorry but P2 is not the future. I know many Indies want the HVX to be the final piece in bringing their masterpieces to life, but shooting 1080p on P2 media isn’t the solution. The $900 8GB P2 cards hold less than 2 minutes of 1080p footage. That is completely asinine. As a one-man crew, carrying a laptop around or strapping a hard drive to the camera is not an option. I believe the industry will eventually progress to a tape less format, but P2 is not the answer.

HDV motion artifacting is not generally a problem for experienced users of the Z1U (users being cameramen and editors). So much of the artifacting I see is based on the shutter speed and bad lighting. The CCDs are really small for high def work so it’s a good idea to over light more than you would for DV. Is there artifacting? Absolutely, but I don’t feel the Z1U’s artifacting to be a significant downfall to people worried about using the camera. If you’re creative, you find ways to work around shortfalls. THATS WHAT INDIE PRODUCTIONS ARE ALL ABOUT. We can’t have THE BEST equipment all the time. Deal with it. Think on your feet - get creative in post. Use the motion artifacting to your advantage, cut around it, or smooth out your camera movements. HDV is a limited codec and sometimes it breaks down. All the manufacturers are still trying to figure this HD in a small package thing out. There’s no perfect camera on the market.

On the back-end, I’m dealing with more bleeding edge technology in the XSAN storage arena. XSAN is great, but it’s not very user friendly to troubleshoot. Even Apple’s own XSAN guru guy who set up our storage at SportsHD has trouble with it. It’s become my job to manage and route the two PowerMacs, XRAIDS, XSERVE, XSAN, and other miscellaneous peripherals to allow simultaneous access of all our media. Add in Final Cut, Kona, HDCAM, and Firewire deck nuances and things start getting complex. This shit isn’t plug and play. It’s close - but not quite.

As to production, what are some of the tools that have been deprecated, and how do your new workflows compare with the old? Can you give us a few examples of what has changed in your world…and what has remained the same?

For starters, take the Casablanca system I first used as an example. The company is still around but WHY USE A PROPRIETARY FORMAT? “Gee, here’s my Casablanca project…what do you mean you can’t open it?” And at least for me, huge Avid-type ROOMS are also a thing of the past. Faster desktop computers and cheaper storage have also made big, expensive, and proprietary edit bays a thing of the past.

And deprecated? Shit, Canon. I mean, thank you Canon for pushing MiniDV and for bringing us the XL1, but no one’s going to buy your stupid XL-H1 until the price comes down. The XL1 had a large part in starting the digital revolution, but where is Canon now? The XL-H1 is a great camera but there’s no need for it yet even in the broadcast world. Canon, your interchangeable lenses are great, but Indies don’t care about you anymore. Are the Canon A and D guys asleep as to what else is happening in the industry? QUIT SLACKING! We know you guys can do it. I’ve shot a ton of stuff on the XL1 but shudder when I look at the camera now because it seems, so….out-dated. Come on Canon.

And this one’s timely: Anyone (especially you quirky film schoolers trolling the message boards) know where several of Panasonic’s old formats are? How about MII? That ring a bell for anyone? Panasonic’s MII was supposed to take over BetaCam SP, and their 6mm tapes were supposedly bleeding edge, but where are those formats now? P2 is next in line to vanish. PRINT IT.

To be continued…

We’ll be posting Part2 of this interview later this week. In the meantime, feel free to leave a comment or opinion of your own, and take a gander at Josh’s blog, www.joshoakhurst.com.
If you have specific questions raised by this interview that you’d like to hear Josh address, please post them below, or send them directly to info@freshdv.com.

Part2 of the interview has been posted, read it here.