Do You Need To Shoot In 4K?

4K has been a part of the filmmaking has been discussed since the RED ONE was first announced at the 2006 NAB Show. Soon, experts were proclaiming with certainty, 4K would take over within just a couple of years, and HD would be obsolete in a few years. 12 years later, though, HD is still here.

Just about every new camera can shoot 4K now. As we know, smartphones have been shooting 4K since Acer’s Liquid S2 released 5 years ago. It’s really opened up since 2007/2008, when the RED ONE was the only real option.

I see a lot of smartphone filmmakers who put 4K in the title or description of their work, as if it’s major selling point. But is it really necessary?

So far, I’ve only shot in 2K. And when it comes to uploading to Amazon Video, they currently only accept HD. YouTube can accept 4K, but how many people watch in that resolution?

I tried to Google the number, but couldn’t find the figures. However, I think you’ll find a huge majority of YouTube viewers watch in HD or less. Most of the time when I’m watching YouTube, I’m happy to get 720p.

If you stream a film via Amazon Video, you’re given a choice to pay more to get HD quality. I always choose SD. Not just because I’m stingy, but also because even though my broadband is fast, there’s very little visual difference to my eyes. And I’ll probably be watching it on an HD monitor. So, 4K? Forget it.

Netflix are one of the only players to require original productions be shot in 4k. However, they still buy films shot in HD or 2K. So, unless Netflix are funding your production, you could still sell your film to them if you shot it in HD.

If it’s good enough for Netflix, why isn’t it good enough for you? With so many smartphones shooting 4K now, there’s people shooting their holiday videos and pets in 4K. But really, are those videos really any more watchable because of their high resolution?

Is Worrying About 4K Actually Hurting Your Production?

“Back in the film days, cameras were relevant for decades, and most filmmakers didn’t need to obsess over their gear or worry that their work would lose relevancy because of the technology they were using. They focused on what mattered – telling a good story with great performances and entertaining an audience. And I think we’re finally starting to get back to that place…” – Noam Kroll

Noam Kroll is an award-winning Los Angeles based filmmaker, and the founder of the boutique production house, Creative Rebellion. Check out his post Why Shooting 4K Is Becoming Less Important.

Also, there’s an interesting comment on the post, by reader called Liam:

“I shoot docs more than narrative, so it’s certainly a different ball game, but I’ve shot a couple of low budget indie projects recently that have spent significant time and money worrying that they have to shoot 4K to be taken seriously. In some cases, actual anxiety that it won’t be good enough to shoot cheaply on a GH5 or C100 or similar and spend the money saved on pre/post production, hotels or something else. Then I was at Sheffield Doc Fest earlier this year and the opening film playing to an enormous theatre was shot on a prosumer camcorder in HD, with the auto-white balance left on in some shots (it looked like crap but it WAS a great story). Then several of the award winning films it turns out (Minding the Gap which has now been picket up by Hulu, and Hale County, This Morning, This Evening) were shot on 5Dmkiii’s. I heard another was shot on the bmpcc…etc etc. Another beautiful doc that keeps getting drooled over time and time again for it’s visuals is The Islands and the Whales, shot on a Sony F3 in HD. In my world at least, the only people worrying about 4K are the amateurs. It’s a very strange disconnect and I get wrapped up just as much as the next person in worrying about the wrong things. The latest camera doesn’t do much good at all for a production in many cases.”

What are your thoughts on shooting in 4K?

Read Next: Best Smartphone Filmmaking Kit 2019.

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