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Best Settings For a Narrative with the HPX170
Hey Fellow Cow Users,
So I’m planning a narrative short film for the Columbia Universtiy National Undergraduate Film Festival (CUNUFF) and the Ivy FIlm Festival, and I’m trying to figure out the best settings that I could use on my HPX170.
So far I’ve been setting it to Cine-Like D (I Believe) and using the Cine Gamma curves. Lately though I just haven’t been too wowed by them and haven’t seen what I’m really looking for (unless I’m misusing them?). I was watching a few videos on the Vimeo channel and I saw some things that looked really fantastic and I’m not sure how to get that type of footage. I feel like I’m doing something wrong. I really want something that will make my colors pop and have good contrast and a warm tone, but within those limits I just need it to look real and natural.
Can anyone help me out here and maybe give me some settings suggestions that I could work with and test before I start shooting?
Just as a quick afterthought too, could anyone give me any low light advice while avoiding gain at all costs?
Thanks!
Best,
MattPanasonic HPX170 P
Unibody Macbook Pro 15 inch, 2.8 Ghz, 4GB RAM
Final Cut Pro Studio 2
Avid Media Composer
The College of WIlliam and Mary -
5 Replies
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Cinelike V gamma will give more contrast. You can always bring up Chroma Level for more saturation. Lower master ped for a richer, more saturated look as well. It all depends on how much grading and color correction you plan to do in post. I shoot Cinelike D most often with HPX170 and HDX900 and add contrast and saturation in post. You can warm by white balancing with a colder white reference or use Color Temp control.
Recommend Coring at +2 or higher, no matter what detail level to keep noise under control.
Jeff Regan
Shooting Star Video
http://www.ssv.com -
It sounds to me like most of the clips you are liking have probably had some pretty extensive color correction. How good are you with color correction and Magic Bullet?
I shoot BPress because it has less noise than either of the CineLike modes. The idea is generally to shoot a “flat negative” and tweak the images with FCP’s three way or with Color and really make them sing.
Dan
Providing value added material to all of your favorite DVDs
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Those suggestions sound really interesting. Dan, what is Magic Bullet? I’m fairly surprised that I’ve never heard of it before. I’m pretty good with Final Cut’s Tri Color corrector and I’m trying to teach myself Color. By the time I am shooting (early January) I should be reasonably proficient.
Thanks again!
MattPanasonic HPX170 P
Unibody Macbook Pro 15 inch, 2.8 Ghz, 4GB RAM
Final Cut Pro Studio 2
Avid Media Composer
The College of WIlliam and Mary -
https://www.redgiantsoftware.com/products/host-applications/apple-final-cut-pro/magic-bullet-looks/
Enjoy! But remember that stuff like Magic Bullet is best when it is subtle.
Dan
Providing value added material to all of your favorite DVDs
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Matthew, if you don’t have it, get Barry Green’s book on the camera. It is a must have and really gets into the whys as well as the hows.
I have gotten away from the cine gammas also for less gain in the image. You can put that gamma look in post but you can’t remove the noise.
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