footage cropped on TV set – letterboxing/window boxing a solution

[David Roth weiss]

There is always a portion of the outer edges of the video frame that are viewable on computer monitors, but obscurred from view on TVs. Every video camera has an “action safe” guide designed to help to ensure that important action will never be cut off when tranmitted for broadcast. Whoever shot your video evidently disregarded or didn’t know about that.

Cropping is not the answer, lowering the image several scan lines on the y-axis is the answer. The problem is, of course, if you go too far you will see a black area that extends beyond the edge of the true video frame that will show on your computer monitor even if it it doesn’t show on the TV. So, you’ll need to make two versions, one for Web delivery and one for TV/DVD.

David Roth Weiss
Director/Editor
David Weiss Productions, Inc.
Los Angeles

POST-PRODUCTION WITHOUT THE USUAL INSANITY ™

A forum host of Creative COW’s Apple Final Cut Pro, Business & Marketing, and Indie Film & Documentary forums.

[Ann Edwards]

Thanks, I didn’t think of that

The final output will be DVD, but could end up being played on a TV or computer. Could I put more than one version on the dvd? One for TV viewers and one for those viewing on the computer? Also, what about the new widescreen/flat TVs, don’t they display more like a computer?

I could also scale the video down, thus creating an all around black border that wouldn’t show on conventional TV, but would on any other display… again… it would need to be 2 versions?? (the video is about one hour long)

thanks again for your help.

deborah

[David Roth weiss]

You could[deborah edmeades] “Could I put more than one version on the dvd?”

Yes, but that’s a pain for you and the viewers.

[deborah edmeades] “Also, what about the new widescreen/flat TVs, don’t they display more like a computer?”

Yes, that’s true too, which really points out that you should probably just leave it as is…[deborah edmeades] “I could also scale the video down, thus creating an all around black border that wouldn’t show on conventional TV, but would on any other display… again… it would need to be 2 versions??”

Maybe you should scale the entire movie down, creating a slight black border around everything and just enough to make that closeup work, and just chalk it up to a creative decision. It would be the least obtrusive of all solutions in my opinion.

David Roth Weiss
Director/Editor
David Weiss Productions, Inc.
Los Angeles

POST-PRODUCTION WITHOUT THE USUAL INSANITY ™

A forum host of Creative COW’s Apple Final Cut Pro, Business & Marketing, and Indie Film & Documentary forums.

[Dennis Leppell]

Is it possible to key out the background of the talking head, lower the image on the y axis a bit, and drop in a new background?

[Kevin Monahan]

Basic editing skills would include checking title and action safe before output. I leave them on when designing all titles.

Kevin Monahan
http://www.fcpworld.com
Author – Motion Graphics and Effects in Final Cut Pro

[Ann Edwards]

thanks for your response

I have found a great solution – first lower the frame on the y axis until it is in the right place, and then, because the background is static throughout each shot, I import the the video still into photoshop and create the extra background that I need above his head using the clone stamp and other tools, then import back into FCP and place it beneath my lowered footage. It works ike a charm!

d

[David Roth weiss]

[Kevin Monahan] “Basic editing skills would include checking title and action safe before output.”

Shooting skills too… But, sometimes shit happens.

David Roth Weiss
Director/Editor
David Weiss Productions, Inc.
Los Angeles

POST-PRODUCTION WITHOUT THE USUAL INSANITY ™

A forum host of Creative COW’s Apple Final Cut Pro, Business & Marketing, and Indie Film & Documentary forums.

[David Roth weiss]

[deborah edmeades] “I import the the video still into photoshop and create the extra background that I need above his head using the clone stamp and other tools, then import back into FCP and place it beneath my lowered footage. It works ike a charm!”

Good solution Deborah. In the past I’ve done a similar thing by rotating a copy of the original shot 180 degrees, flopping horizontally, moving it way up on the y-axis so that the very top of the frame matched the existing background, and creating a softedge where they meet. I forgot to mention that until your PhotoShop solution reminded me…

David Roth Weiss
Director/Editor
David Weiss Productions, Inc.
Los Angeles

POST-PRODUCTION WITHOUT THE USUAL INSANITY ™

A forum host of Creative COW’s Apple Final Cut Pro, Business & Marketing, and Indie Film & Documentary forums.