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best camera settings for dv commercial projection
I DP’ed for a short that was recently screened at a commercial theater. My (DVXa, 24p advanced) footage looked fine in camera, on the editing monitor and even projected via a small, non-commercial digital projector, however, it was disappointingly flat in this large theater (400-500 person) venue.
Although I DP’ed for this piece, I was not involved in post; however I’m currently working on a new short and will be involved from start to finish (post in Premier Pro). The new project will also be screened at the same commercial theater.
My question is, what are the best settings for the DVX, given the final viewing format (although these shorts will ultimately be released in DVD as well)? Is there anything I can do in post to ensure that what I see on the editing monitor will be reproduced on a large projection screen. Are the considerations for digital projection (both during and after production) the same as for blow-up to 35mm?
Thanks for your suggestions – ransley
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10 Replies
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If it looks good on your monitor but bad on the projection- it’s the projection that’s the issue. There’s a wide spectrum of video projector quality out there. I’ve seen the same material look amazing on one projector and godawful on the next.
Perhaps there is a way to get a different venue or even rent a better projector for this venue to use. Spending another $500 to get nice looking projection could be something you work into your production budget.
-Noah
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Thanks Noah… the projector in question is one at a San Antonio cinema multiplex, and probably first rate. I’m just looking for suggestions about how to maximize the DVX for a big screen venue.
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Ransley,
This is a very subjective question you are asking. You say it looks great in camera, on te monitor and on a small projector. If you really want to make it look great in that theater then I would lod the film on a laptop bring it to the cinema and solor correct it there for that screening. Maybe you can get in in the daytime and do a CC pass with your editor/colorist there for that specific event.
The larger you go with the DVX the more you will see it’s limitations. You have not even stated what you were projecting from, Tape, DVD, etc.
To many factors to really answer the question. You seem satisfied with everything but this one room. If you maximize for that room how are the rest of the forms of media going to look?
David
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And besides- there’s not much specific you can do to “shoot for good looking projection” other than switch to 35mm.
Noah
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Exactly what would you expect from a $3000 camera? If you want it to look good blown up, you’ll have to start with some larger chips, among other things.
The DVX is great if you’re going to DVD distribution. As for theatrical work, it could get by with an experienced operator and the world’s best gaffer.
Just my $.02 worth.
Steve Wargo
Who, by the way, shot a feature with 4 DVXs and got it into distribution. -
Thanks for the feedback…
Yesterday I attended a small film festival that was screening a short I’d produced prior to buying my DVX. The camera I used for this piece was a consumer grade Sony digital 8 (obviously not anywhere near the same class as the Panasonic). The footage, which contained a wide range of exposures & lighting levels, looked great – I was stunned when it was projected, especially after my experience last week, as I had been expecting a catastrophy.
HOWEVER several of the other festival entries had been shot, using DVXs and every single one of them had the same problem I had experienced with my DVX footage… their blacks & shadows were decidedly muddy or simply too black to see any detail. The most glaring example of this problem was a scene in one short that featured a black actor fighting with someone who was wearing black in a darkened locker room… the actors were invisible except for the whites of their eyes – definitely not what the director intended!
During the Q&A that followed each screening, I asked each of the directors who had used a DVX the same question – how did your footage look on the monitor – and each of them, of course, responded that their footage looked good, in fact the piece, featuring the locker room scene actually had exceptionally high production values throughout (for a $2k budget) with the shadow detail being the one, nagging exception.
As with the previous theater, the festival venue was a large commercial theater, but this time I got the opportunity to tour the projection facility. They were normally set up to use a conventional projector, but the owner had rented a “commercial grade” Ieki digital projector coupled with a “line-doubler”. The projectionist told me that they tried using the projector by itself, but the footage for all the project entries looked terrible, and was only acceptable after he installed the line-doubler, which may speak to the quality projector issue. All entries were on DVD (not tape) and I plan to get the tech specs for the projector & line-doubler from the projectionist today, should anyone be interested.
Given my filmmaker stature at the moment (and my wife’s protective eye on our budget) my ambitions preclude 35mm, and I’m very happy to have my modest little Pannie, but I’m still dealing with its learning curve.
Based on my (admittedly sparse) experience with the DVX thus far, I have tended to accept what I see on the DVX monitor as an acceptable image for post & projection, but now I’m wondering if I should lead the exposure a bit by raising the overall light levels (or by bumping the exposure), then adjust the levels in post, depending on the ultimate destination for viewing – small or large screen.
Any other thoughts on this would be appreciated.
Thanks again – Russ
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Russ,
FYIW. I have created a setting with the blacks raised compared to the factory defaults. I also shoot withthe 7.5 setup on. This let’s me, put back the blacks when I color correct. Its. like the whites, if they are blown out your messed. I always leave myself room to “see” into the blacks. Out of teh camera it looks washed out, but with good color correction, it looks awesome.David
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I agree. The 100 has a vast array of settings. It is tough to look at a small monitor and try to see what the picture might look like blownup. On my feature film, my AC did a week of testing before we started. Our big problem was working outside in the shade and then seeing something lit by the sun. Way too much contrast and the white really blew out. We had to be very careful.
It’s all a combination of camera settings and proper light levels.
SW
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I got myself one of these for that little problem. A 35 dollar solution.
https://www.petrolbags.com/new_petrol_site/
David
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Sorry for the delay, but here are the specs on the equipment that was used during this past weekend’s festival (I don’t yet have info about specs for the first venue)
The theater used an Eiki LC-NB2 projector(1,200 lumens). The festival entries were all DVDs, loaded into a Pioneer DV-275 progressive scan player. They used a DVDO progressive scan display interface between the player and projector.
The theater was an older facility (probably built in the 40s-50s) and the throw was about 100+/- feet from projector to screen. I don’t have the dimensions of the screen, but it was probably comparable to a medium-sized contemporary multi-plex.
The technician who provided the line-doubler, told me that the Eiki projector was not the best equipment for handling the blacks, especially when the image is enlarged to such a scale – so there’s at least a part of the problem (although, as Noah & Steve have pointed out, the DVX isn’t a 35mm).
I’m going to follow up on David’s & Steve’s suggestions; shoot some tests and experiment with the 7.5 set-up, then try to screen the results at the (older) theater. We’ve got a couple of projects coming up in the next month which will be screened at the first (newer/larger) venue sometime in December, and I’d really like to have a firmer grip on how to anticipate and deal with this issue.
Thanks for the feedback – Russ
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