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Varicam. Firestore and field recording of offline video
Has anyone shot Varicam HD in the field with a Firestore unit piggybacked to the camera with a Miranda or Evertz conversion interface? In other words, the DVCPRO HD tape records the HD signal and the Firestore unit records DV files for off-line editing without the need to capture from tape, keeping tape totally “virgin” until online. We’re examining various cost/efficiency workflows for an upcoming heavy-travel Varicam project, weighing the cost of the Miranda or Evertz/Firestore concept vs. an assistant editor capturing from tape with a rented DVCPRO HD deck. Curious to know if the time code generated to the .mov files is a match good enough for a painless online. Also, in situations when shooting in a more controlled environment (soundstage) where a powerbook/firewire drive setup can be used, is there a converter less expensive than the Miranda/Evertz that could provide the same conversion of DVCPRO HD to DV for recording .mov files with timecode (matching the HD tape) on the drive/computer. going from an output on the Varicam to a Firewire connection?
Thanks,
Jim -
1 Reply
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Jim,
The deck option will cost more (plus the editors labor) than the Firewire converter and drive. But with the deck you have the option of importing at native DVPRO100 HD. This is the best option of all, and I suspect that the Firewire drives are cheaper to buy than the Miranda/Evertz downconverter is to rent (you could buy 7.5 Terabites of Firewire drive for the price of the Miranda).
I own the Miranda DVC800 and a 40Gb nNovia harddisk drive that attaches with Anton Bauer brackets on both sides, but to be honest, this kit has only been used with my Sony F900 which both requires an adapter such as the Miranda, to produce HD-SDI on the set (for monitoring) and a downconverted sub-master for off-line editing. The Varicam/Firewire workflow is much neater and more condusive to the 1200A playing back HD through the firewire port to FCP. Downconverting is only ever “required” (at least up to this point) when post-production is Avid-centric.
With the 40 Gb drive, one is able to record about 2.5 hours of DV25 and then either play it in at real time (emulating a VTR) or transfering files at a slightly faster rate to you NLE. It also acts as a HDD if that is a sufficient amount of time for your whole project (say a commercial or short news story) and in this case there is no need for digitizing (the holy grail!) you just attack the drive to your editor and open files.
The harddisk recorder is programed to start and stop recording when the time code turns (record run) and despite a short learning curve, this method can provide a fairly reliable, and definately inexpensive workflow.
Any hiccups however will require you to use the camera and converter (as a player) or the 1200A deck to redo.In general, I think it’s a false economy to try to do production without a deck; the 1200A is so versatile; as a player, backup recorder, downconverter, cross converter and firewire source that it’s expense is justified on these several accounts.
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