The Benefits of Filming in 8K
A while back, Devin answered a question from a viewer. The question was why we film in 8k when pretty much everyone on YouTube watches our videos in 1080p. This is a great question, and we thought we’d answer it with some help.
First, you’ll see Devin’s video answering the viewer’s question. After the video, we took the transcript, cleaned it up, and provided it as an article. However, we felt much more needed to be said on this topic. So, we are also sharing content from two fantastic creators — Matt Granger & the PremiumBeat team at Shutterstock — both legends in their own right.
You’ll find that reading all three perspectives (though similar in opinions) provides a more comprehensive understanding of the question: Why film in 8K?
We hope you enjoyed the video. Here’s Devin in written form!
You're probably wondering why I called you here today.
Well, we're gonna answer some questions, so let's just get right to it. Okay, so this is a shoutout to Jack Anderson who asked the question:
“Why do you even care so much about picture quality when you upload it to a platform where 70% of people watching it are on a smartphone anyway?”
Well, Jack, today's your special day because I would love to answer your question.
So, as hopefully, a lot of you guys know a lot of the videos that we upload onto our YouTube channels are in 8k. We film with the RED on helium 8k super 35-millimeter camera, and we have a Vista Vision 8k camera on the way, that we upgraded recently.
Now, we know that most people don't have 8k televisions. In fact, we don't even own an 8k television. So, we can't even fully experience it how it was meant to be experienced.
1. Future Proofing
Everything that we have done on our YouTube channel has never been for now. It's always been with the future in mind as the end goal. The truth is, 10 years from now most things more than likely are going to be even higher than 8k. So, we want to make our content future-proof, so that 5 to 10 years from now, it's not going to get outdated.
2. Our Business Model
It's not just having our content future-proof, but a part of our business is by selling stock video footage to 4k televisions. So, you have companies like Sharp TV and Samsung who come to us saying: “Hey, we want to show off our TVs. Do you have any 4k content? Or do you have any 8k content?” Those are two specific questions we get asked on a monthly basis, and because a lot of our YouTube videos are shot in 4k and shot in 8k, we get the opportunity to sell some of that footage to help fund our equipment and the videos we're making.
3. Hollywood Quality
Those are the two big reasons and then I'd say the third reason is more of a personal reason. As far as our goal, or at least my goal, is to do high-quality videos comparable to Hollywood.
Now, if you want to compete with Hollywood, ideas are the most important. But if you can also use the kind of technology that they're using, such as the camera equipment, it's gonna help you learn faster than just reading about it. You get the hands-on experience needed.
So, we're also using the same cameras that they're using in the Hollywood world. With the 8k camera, we have now, it is the same camera that they used on “Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2.” It’s what they're used on Spider-man. It is what they're using in “The Hobbit.” The last three Hobbit movies were all shot on RED cameras. “Pirates of the Caribbean,” as well was shot on the RED camera. So, for us, it's all about future-proofing our technology and those are the reasons why we film on 8k and 4k.
We know that most of our viewers are watching YouTube videos on their smartphones. But we know that one-day technology is going to finally catch up, where it's affordable and it becomes a standard. When that day happens, we know our videos won't be outdated.
So, there you have it. Any questions you guys have in the comment section of our videos, please ask. We go through them and the comments that are getting the most likes, the most thumbs up, we're making those our priority to answer your guys' questions because you guys have been a huge part of our success. So thank you so much for watching.
If you haven't already, go watch yesterday's video, that I'm really stoked on. But we wanted to answer your guys’ questions. Thanks so much for watching over and out.
——————
Next is a video and article by the talented Australian, Matt Granger — a longtime YouTuber and an excellent guide on all things videography and photography (check out Matt’s channel). There were several points that make this an interesting watch and read. First, Matt provides a rich understanding of the history behind video resolution. We particularly liked Matt’s insights on the progression of technology and creating a mindset to be part of the future and not hold on to the past. Finally, he responds to the five most common arguments given when filmmakers consider moving to 8K and adapting to new technology in general.
Overall, the following perspective is well thought out and gives insights you don’t normally find when considering how to progress your creative work with technology.
——————
The History & Future of Video Resolution
Today, I want to talk about resolution and why I think it's worth keeping up with the latest technological advances.
Now, whether we're talking stills or video, no technology will replace a talented artist with a creative concept. But assuming you have your technique and your concept down, I think it's really worthwhile keeping up with the latest developments in terms of resolution, especially as it relates to video. Whenever the topic of 4K video comes up, there are always some people that say it's pointless.
Most people don't have a 4K screen. The human eye can't resolve it. It's a waste of time and money filming in 4K until the infrastructure is in place. Granted, that's a reasonable standpoint. But I think each of those points are wrong.
First off, while very few people will have an 8k-ready monitor, many will have 4K and have the internet speeds to view it. But before I make my case about keeping up with the resolution race, let's run through a quick history of video resolution. For the first 50 years of television, resolution was measured in lines per screen rather than pixels.
The pioneering attempts at HD TV in the 1930s and 1940s had between 240 and 819 lines. A huge improvement over previous resolutions that used as few as 12 lines. In 1953 analog color TV debuted in the United States with 525 lines, establishing the NTSC standard. Shortly after Europe followed with a 625-line SECAM and PAL analog color systems standard. Jump forward to the 1980s. Home computing was taking off, and we started to talk about screen resolution in terms of pixels rather than lines.
The term pixel actually originated as an abbreviation of “picture element.” Early home computers, such as the commodore PET, used cathode ray tubes to create a monochromatic green monitor. Then, in 1977, the Apple II introduced the first color CRT monitor and achieved a resolution of 280 by 192 pixels. That's an overall resolution of 52,760 pixels per frame or a whopping 0.05 of a megapixel.
Computer screen resolution continued to advance, with IBM introducing the VGA standard of 640 x 480 in 1987. Since then, the demand for video games has driven resolution up and up. Desktop monitors have now reached kind of a sweet spot of 2560 x 1600. Mobile devices range widely from just 600 x 800 for really small devices, up to 1536 x 2048 for the iPad retina. That’s 60 times higher than the Apple II desktop had.
Fast forward to 1996, digital TV was officially mandated as the new standard for future HD TV broadcasting, and it uses a resolution of 1920 x 1080 – equivalent to just over two megapixels. A standard we all know now as 1080p. Today's Ultra 4K HD TV, known as 2160p, bumps this up another notch to 3840 x 2160, which amounts to four times the number of pixels as 1080p. It comes in at around 8.3 megapixels per frame. 8K Is just taking it to the next level with a whopping 7680 x 4320. Or on cameras like the RED Epic Helium, it goes all the way to 8192 x 4320 or 35.4 megapixels.
So today, and this is my point, whether you have a high-end monitor or not, 2.6K. Is well and truly here in computing. 4K is becoming the standard in most major TV markets, and 8K is coming. It always happens this way. First, the premium cameras like the Helium, and then it trickles down through the market.
Sharp, Samsung, Panasonic, Sony, and LG, all have 8K screens they offer. Not to mention, the Tokyo 2020 Olympics were broadcasted by NHK in 8K, and they intend on starting their live broadcast in 8K next year. That said, NHK has always been ahead of the curve. They started broadcasting HDTV back in the 1980s, a full decade before that resolution became the standard.
It's coming! While we may not all be ready yet, the march of technology goes on. So, sure, you can argue that the internet is too slow, that devices aren't ready, or that your customers don't want it. But think of it this way, what if you had shot all your footage in the early 1990s, just before full HD was stamped as a universal standard, and you shot all your work in VGA. Now looking at where the market is, that resolution is almost useless beyond nostalgic purposes.
In time, in my opinion, full HD is going to look like how VGA does now. In the next few years, when 8K is the standard, and the cutting-edge tech is 16K or 40 Holograms or something like that. You'll wish you had kept up with the latest offerings. Having said that, I really should address some of the common arguments against 4K and what's to come.
Argument #1: “I don't even shoot video commercially.”
If you're shooting quality footage, there's a chance that it has commercial value, whether intended or not. There are several snippets from Youtube clips that I've made over the years that I've sold to TV stations overseas. They all required 1080p as a minimum.
Just like selling a still image to a stock agency, super low-res files just won't cut it. If you’re certain you'll never want to sell your footage or that you won’t watch it in 10 years' time when screen tech has advanced, then sure, stick with your cathode ray television, your commodore 64, and filming in the lowest resolution to save space.
Argument #2: “The human eye can't even see that much detail.”
When the iPhone 4 was released, Steve Jobs claimed that the human eye couldn't detect resolution beyond 300 pixels per inch from about a foot. It was disputed at the time, and I think we've pretty much proven he was wrong. Sharp believes that the eye can actually detect 1000 PPI, which explains some of the different 8K. ventures currently going on in Japan. Yet, only time will tell.
Argument #3: “Cameras are expensive, storage is expensive, high-end computers are expensive too.”
It's true that all of this equipment is expensive, and the top tier always comes at a huge premium. But the bar for all these technologies is moving rapidly, to computing power, HD capacity, and all of these things are surging forward. The dollar per unit is actually falling really fast. In time, you won't be able to buy lower than a 4K TV. Has anyone seen an SD cathode ray tube in the stores lately?
Argument #4: “My internet connection is way too slow to handle all this.”
Well, I'm from Australia, so I feel your pain. In the past, as I worked on my videography projects, I had about 5 megabits per second down and 1 up. It just meant that I had to plan ahead to leave time for the upload. But to be honest, even if you're not uploading in the highest resolution, there's still value in shooting it.
In my opinion, there are four things to consider.
The first one splits a lot of people, but it does give you cropping options in post. If you decided you want to add some texture and image in an area, you could move the frame if you're not using the full resolution.
Second thing is that down-sampling leads to a beautiful image. Try shooting in 4K and exporting it at 1080. It just looks killer, and the same is true down res-ing 8K to 4K.
Thirdly, it gives you the chance to introduce movements in edit. As if you're footage was done on a slider when you didn't have the equipment on the job.
And finally, and most importantly, it future proofs you. Once the bandwidth catches up with everything else, you have a robust internet connection, and you have the highest spec computer; you'll have high res files to work with. If you don't shoot them, you'll never have them. Do we need it? Look the same was said at every major step forward.
Argument #5: “Do we really need it?”
Look, the same was said at every major step forward. Do we need VGA? Do we need 720, 1080, 4K? And in stills, do we need a 6 megapixel camera? Do we need 12, 24, 36?
Technology and the market marches on, whether you like it or not. You personally, as an individual, may not have a burning desire for what's coming next, but it's coming anyway. So my advice is just to embrace it rather than fight it. Be ahead of the curve, and who knows what opportunities that might open up for you.
——————
Below is a great article by the Shutterstock team on whether you should film in 8K. What they share overlaps somewhat with what we saw in Devin’s and Matt’s videos/articles. However, their perspective provides a more objective analysis of the advantages and challenges of 8K video. Both Devin and Matt are strong advocates for 8K and it shows. It’s obvious that the Shutterstock team also believes in 8K but it ends with an open invitation to make an informed decision on whether you should start shooting videos in 8K, considering the benefits and limitations.
——————
Exploring 8K: Does It Matter?
Move over 4K, 8K is the way of the future. But the question remains, does it matter today? Should you start shooting videos in 8K? Let’s talk about that.
Believe it or not, there will come a day when filmmakers and video professionals look back at 8K and laugh. Not because 8K was such a hot topic, but because we’ll have moved on to 16K or higher! Seriously, if you look back at how the news of 4K cameras was handled, you’d think the video world was about to collapse under the weight of the increased pixels and file sizes.
Instead, we’ve all largely learned to embrace 4K, as it has truly been a game-changer in how video professionals and filmmakers frame their shots, manage their workflows, and handle post-production. Now, thanks in part to Canon for introducing a relatively affordable 8K mirrorless camera with the newly announced EOS 5R, we’re looking down the barrel of a new 8K revolution.
So, before you pull the trigger on the R5, or perhaps the Blackmagic URSA Mini Pro 12K, or even just a Samsung S20 Series, let’s ask ourselves: Does 8K actually matter?
People have a hard time differentiating between 4K and 8K televisions. Image via Proxima Studio.
A Look at 8K
As PremiumBeat writer Lewis McGregor points out in his article on how the industry may have reached its threshold for sub-$3,000 cameras, the 4K digital camera revolution began with the Canon EOS-1D C back in 2012/2013. This paved the way for high-quality, yet quite affordable options like the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K, the Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5, the Sony Alpha a7 III, and many more.
But 8K has long been the next frontier, albeit not necessarily for the reasons you may think. Compared to 4K, 8K is still new and not nearly the norm — not just for the video industry, but also for video itself.
Even though the first 8K televisions were unveiled in 2019, 4K television is only recently starting to find its footing — sort of. The technology has been adopted by half the households in the US, and according to an article in Forbes, most people can’t tell the difference between 4K and 8K televisions in the first place.
Yet, in 2020, we have several cameras available that can shoot 8K UHD (7680 × 4320) — which is literally the highest resolution defined in Rec. 2020 (UHDTV) standard. These cameras include the high-end RED Digital Cinema Cameras, the new Blackmagic URSA Mini Pro 12K, the Canon R5, and even several smartphones that can push versions of 8K.
And, while more and more companies are undoubtedly going to start chasing 8K in the months and years ahead, it will likely have less to do with recording video for 8K and more to do with shooting for 4K.
The Upsides of 8K
Arguably, unless you’re using a high-end cinema camera to shoot feature films for the biggest of screens, the best reason to shoot 8K today is to improve 4K videos. And that’s because shooting 8K footage with the expressed purpose of creating a 4K video gives you a lot more information to work with.
While it’s debatable if these added pixels actually add clarity over 4K, they do certainly add more coverage options, shooting flexibility, and more information for working on framing, stabilization, and effects in your edits.
The Challenges of 8K
On the other hand, 8K comes with plenty of challenges, as well. The majority of these challenges have to do with file sizes and the amount of processing power you’ll need at every part of your video production workflow.
These issues are all similar to when the industry had to adapt from Full HD (as the standard go-to) to 4K. However, in terms of technology adoption rate, the 4K-to-8K move is happening way faster than previous transitions, which means many going to 8K aren’t going to be ready to handle these new file sizes right off the bat.
Because of the sheer amount of information that needs to be processed with 8K video recording, many of these early 8K cameras are going to have several issues and limitations.
These will — and do — include issues with recording time (just how long you can continuously record 8K), recording space (how much can your cards or SSDs handle before filling up), and overheating (which has actually already been a reported problem with the new EOS R5, which Canon is working hard to update).
Along with challenges in recording 8K, many turnkey videographers and editors will experience new issues with their post-production workflows, starting from the first stages of uploading, archiving, and backing up footage.
In terms of file sizes and storage, 8K is not double 4K, it’s four times — which means very large files. Luckily, many editors have already adapted processes for working with large file sizes with proxies and downsampling. Again, if your end goal is shooting 8K videos for 4K projects, your editing timelines and exports shouldn’t be overtaxed too much — for now.
8K for Visual Effects
The biggest advantages for 8K film and video professionals are perhaps going to come from the extra bandwidth and flexibility for those interested in digital effects. More information is always better for motion, stabilization, color grading, and visual effects.
However, while video editors and motion graphic artists are going to encounter many of the same issues with increased file sizes as before, ideally, they’ve already been operating with increased processing power.
For your everyday filmmakers and videographers that dabble in motion graphics and visual effects, if you can push your current setups and workflows to their max, you should be able to get much better basic effects out of your 8K footage as you work with it to create your 4K videos.
Should you shoot 8K?
So, the question is this: Should you shoot 8K?
I’m going to have to ultimately say: Yes! But only because this article is going to be up for a long time and, eventually, you’ll have no choice but to embrace 8K as it becomes the new norm. As of today, shooting 8K for your 4K videos is a suitable option, but only if you’re ready and set up to handle it.
There’s nothing wrong with sitting and waiting as the technology continues to advance. After all, it took almost eight years between the first mainstream 4K cameras and when the resolution finally reached its peak in terms of performance and price.
Undoubtedly, 8K will move quicker, but you still have several years to follow the trend and watch the technology evolve before you’re forced to make the jump and invest in 8K for your video production.