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Activity Forums Cinematography 3 Camera Shoot

  • 3 Camera Shoot

    Posted by Frederick Iannone on May 25, 2009 at 2:44 am

    Hey All,
    I want to shoot a theatrical performance in real time with three cameras (master and 2 wing cameras) and will take the sound off the house board. I will cut this on FCP6 and use the 3 camera feature in the software. Not having done this before, are there any things I need to be aware of….any tips, etc? I’m strictly a 1 camera film guy. I will shoot this project with 3 JVC 24p cameras (one 100u and the others probably the 250u’s) Any help would be greatly appreciated.

    Thanks to all,
    Fred

    Adrian Sancho replied 16 years, 11 months ago 7 Members · 13 Replies
  • 13 Replies
  • Rick Wise

    May 25, 2009 at 7:06 pm

    There have been other threads on this very same situation. In brief, you want to shoot so that it is easy in post to sync up all 3 cameras. If you can jam sync the 3 cameras to the same time code, problem solved. Another way is to have the 3 cameras pan to a common slate with a clapstick, and then never turn off. If the show is longer than what you can record on one tape or one card, your editor will have some trouble syncing up the next reels. However, provided all 3 cameras run continuously, even when one or more cannot get a good shot, it is pretty easy to sync to voice. Do make sure each camera is recording sound, even if only one gets a good feed from the house system. Otherwise you will have extreme trouble syncing later.

    Rick Wise
    director of photography
    and custom lighting design
    Oakland, CA
    https://www.RickWiseDP.com
    https://www.recessionvideo.net
    https://www.linkedin.com/in/rwise
    email: Rick@RickWiseDP.com

  • John Fishback

    May 25, 2009 at 8:50 pm

    IMHO, if you really want these cameras to sync throughout your program you should run reference and timecode to each. The AJA Gen10 https://www.aja.com/products/converters/converters-hd-gen10.php has multiple outputs (so no DA is needed) and will generate SD or HD sync. If the cameras don’t accept sync, use Rick’s approach. Since you have three options when you cut, you can always adjust for drift, but once you start slipping or sliding tracks, you’ll lose the speed of synced multitrack editing.

    John

    MacPro 8-core 2.8GHz 8 GB RAM OS 10.5.5 QT7.5.5 Kona 3 Dual Cinema 23 ATI Radeon HD 3870
    ATTO ExpressSAS R380 RAID Adapter, PDE Enclosure with 8-drive 6TB RAID 5
    24″ TV-Logic Monitor
    Final Cut Studio 2 (up to date)

    Pro Tools HD w SYNC IO, Yamaha DM1000, Millennia Media HV-3C, Neumann U87, Schoeps Mk41 mics, Genelec Monitors, PrimaLT ISDN

  • Adrian Sancho

    May 28, 2009 at 5:08 am

    Yeah if you can’t sync the cameras keep ’em running. Even if you have to change tape it’s no big deal to sync as long as they’re running. Definitely get a house mix on at least one camera. I once had to sync stop and go footage off 3 cameras once and it took over 16 hours just to sync! Keep ’em runnin’…

  • Steve Wargo

    May 28, 2009 at 5:18 am

    Does the 100 have a Time Code connector?

    Steve Wargo
    Tempe, Arizona
    It’s a dry heat!

    Sony HDCAM F-900 & HDW-2000/1 deck
    5 Final Cut (not quite PRO) systems
    Sony HVR-M25 HDV deck
    2-Sony EX-1 HD .

  • John Fishback

    May 28, 2009 at 2:54 pm

    If all else fails, there’s always PluralEyes software that sync clips (in Final Cut) without timecode. https://www.singularsoftware.com/autosync/

    John

    MacPro 8-core 2.8GHz 8 GB RAM OS 10.5.5 QT7.5.5 Kona 3 Dual Cinema 23 ATI Radeon HD 3870
    ATTO ExpressSAS R380 RAID Adapter, PDE Enclosure with 8-drive 6TB RAID 5
    24″ TV-Logic Monitor
    Final Cut Studio 2 (up to date)

    Pro Tools HD w SYNC IO, Yamaha DM1000, Millennia Media HV-3C, Neumann U87, Schoeps Mk41 mics, Genelec Monitors, PrimaLT ISDN

  • Frederick Iannone

    May 28, 2009 at 6:15 pm

    it has a 3 pin xlr out…..won’t that have tc in there?

  • Frederick Iannone

    May 28, 2009 at 6:18 pm

    you mean keep at least one camera running….in other words stagger the reload times, right? also, if i get a feed from the house board to the master camera, it’ll have time code on it right? i’m using the jvc 100u’s. Another poster asked me that.
    thanks, fred

  • John Fishback

    May 28, 2009 at 7:01 pm

    I think he means let the timecode contionue to free-run. Then you can change tape and when you go into record your timecode is the same as the other cameras.

    It would be a good idea to send the master sound to all cameras. That way the sound itself can help you sync if the t/c is off. You can easily hear when two (or three) sound tracks are in sync, and when they start to slip and have phasing start.

    John

    MacPro 8-core 2.8GHz 8 GB RAM OS 10.5.5 QT7.5.5 Kona 3 Dual Cinema 23 ATI Radeon HD 3870
    ATTO ExpressSAS R380 RAID Adapter, PDE Enclosure with 8-drive 6TB RAID 5
    24″ TV-Logic Monitor
    Final Cut Studio 2 (up to date)

    Pro Tools HD w SYNC IO, Yamaha DM1000, Millennia Media HV-3C, Neumann U87, Schoeps Mk41 mics, Genelec Monitors, PrimaLT ISDN

  • Mickey Houlihan

    May 29, 2009 at 2:11 pm

    The other benefit to recording a house mix to all cameras is that you don’t lose it during the tape change to your master camera.

  • Frederick Iannone

    May 29, 2009 at 5:13 pm

    that makes sense.

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