What's the secret to super clear/detailed looking video?

4K downscaled to 1080p will always have more detail than naive 1080p, no way around it. This is because 4K uses a different sampling algorithm from the analog signal, so despite outputting 1080p, the extra detail is still there.

The first video looks what some might call "clear" or "punchy" because the grading had a complimentary color scheme. Chromatic contrast adds "punch" to the image without affecting the tonality.

always shoot at your sensors native ISO, it will have the lowest amount of digital noise and the widest dynamic range.
use nd to adjust exposure, not iso, or shutter speed.
edit the native files from the camera or link to the native files when you are ready to export if you use a proxy for editing.
I'm not sure what file formats and codecs the gh3 and gh4 use but a lot of video cameras have options for higher Mbps recording, shoot at the highest you can. external recorders can also help you get a better image out of the camera by sending a clean signal from the sensor to the recorder and compressing there, most cameras are not the most efficient at processing and compressing the signal for recording.

Grade the image well but don't over do it, you can often make it look worse by pushing the image to far in color grading. Look at the waveform and scopes to make sure you are within the limits of your delivery method.

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It looks like they originally filmed with a flat color profile and then did post work coloring it to their taste. Filming with a flat color profile such as cinestyle will help you have more flexibility to push the colors in post and get more "clear" looking video.

I was always wondering the same thing with my gh3 haha, glad you asked.

What's the GH3's native ISO? I know they fixed the iso bug from the 2, but I haven't found what it was for the 3 yet

a flat picture profile or log style profile gives your more protection in the highlights and shadows. by having less contrast in the recorded image you can get more detail in the high and lows and then add the contrast, saturation and sharpness back in post to you liking.

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Michael_ThatcherFilming with a flat color profile such as cinestyle will help you have more flexibility to push the colors in post and get more "clear" looking video.

This is terrible advice for who anyone who shoots in 8-bit (which is 99% of NS).

There is nothing wrong with shooting log c in high-end cameras; the problem is that the log c workflow contradicts the 8-bit workflow. They do not work together at all. The image falls apart as soon as you push it any further than you would shooting a rec. 709 style. The blunt truth that most people don't want to acknowledge is lighting is 90% of the image.

lIllIThis is terrible advice for who anyone who shoots in 8-bit (which is 99% of NS).

There is nothing wrong with shooting log c in high-end cameras; the problem is that the log c workflow contradicts the 8-bit workflow. They do not work together at all. The image falls apart as soon as you push it any further than you would shooting a rec. 709 style. The blunt truth that most people don't want to acknowledge is lighting is 90% of the image.

this is absolutly true, but 90% of ns problaby doesnt know what 8-bit means. lol
I still think you get a better result with cinestyle from a canon dslr than a standard PP, but you are correct you cannot push the image around in grading at all because it will add noise, artifacts and make it look worse. whenever I use this workflow I add less than 10% contrast and sat back in post. the PP just protects the highs and lows a tiny bit more than the standard PP

Rdwagner2this is absolutly true, but 90% of ns problaby doesnt know what 8-bit means. lol
I still think you get a better result with cinestyle from a canon dslr than a standard PP, but you are correct you cannot push the image around in grading at all because it will add noise, artifacts and make it look worse. whenever I use this workflow I add less than 10% contrast and sat back in post. the PP just protects the highs and lows a tiny bit more than the standard PP

I got the best results from shooting a standard Neutral profile, then turning sharpness and contrast all the way down. Same aesthetic as Cinestyle, but more subtle and doesn't involve compressing the bajeezus out of the tonal range and consequently, fucking up the image in post trying to make it look normal again just so you can see an extra wrinkle in the shadow. I always grade for a soft knee and sharp toe anyways, so getting a pleasing image out of the rec. 709 profiles has never been a problem is long as you aren't careless in setting exposure.