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Question about a feature shot on XH A1…
Greetings COW BRETHREN!!!
Here is my question…
I am working on a feature that I have shot on XH A1 @ 1080 24p… and now I am starting post production.
I have spent the past two weeks digitizing 50+ interviews using the camera as a deck over firewire.
The problem is that I have gotten the impression that if I had digitized footage using an HD capture card I might be seeing better looking footage.
(for the record I am a professional shooter and editor who usually shoots Varicam and F900 as well as my own HVX200.
At any rate this is my first really long-term foray into HDV.
Everything is lit well and shot well… yet, now that I am looking the footage from FCP it looks like there is so much compression that there is a wired grain all over almost every shot.
So is it true that if I capture in a different way that I will get better results?
If so, how should I capture? By the way… I am on the verge of getting a blackmagic HD Extreme capture card.Now the real question… can I edit the film using the existing captures as an off-line and then Batch Capture only the clips I am using in the film for my final online (including color correction). The thought of having to re capture “everything” now makes me sick.
Can anyone help me out on this? I am in semi-uncharted waters here.
For me anyway.Tony
this interview is over
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1 Reply
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[tony ladesich] “So is it true that if I capture in a different way that I will get better results? “
The test here is to hook your A1 up to a decent TV and compare the quality to what you’ve already captured. If it’s the same, well………
The HDV compression scheme came into existence to allow users to get into HD without much difference in hardware cost compared Mini DV. HDV was also designed right out of the gate to enable easy firewire capture, so if everything is set up correctly you won’t see a quality difference between a firewire capture and any other way. I’m sure you already know from your years in this business that you can never get a better picture than what’s already on the tape.
So, my question to you is what does the source footage look like compared to the captured footage? Once that’s determined perhaps we can move forward with more recommendations.
[tony ladesich] “Now the real question� can I edit the film using the existing captures as an off-line and then Batch Capture only the clips I am using in the film for my final online (including color correction). “
Yes. Once the rough edit is complete you can make the media in the FCP sequence timeline offline and just re-capture what you need. This is a pretty basic answer I’ve given you but, in essence, what you’re asking for can be done.
– Don
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