-
Forced into Scary issue
Hello,
I have just been informed that my boss has decided I must start shooting all my tripod videos using a Cannon T1i SLR.
WHY you may ask, cuz I sure did – I currently use a perfectly good Cannon xl2. Because it shoots at 1080i.Okay so here is my issue – the mic is omnidirectional and there is no plug in for a mic cord – so label mics OUT.
My boss’s solution – use the xl2 to capture audio and then sync. Cuz that is not problem – it only takes a moment.
I am not for sure he is accurate about this. My first FCP project, everytime I pulled the clip to the timeline the audio and video tracks would split and I would have to resync them manually. It was very frustrating. And now he is proposing I do this for every video shoot?OKay enough venting –
Problem #2 – Frame rate. I have figured out that at 1080i this camera shoots at 20fps.So here are my questions –
#1 – is he right that syncing audio and video in Soundtrack Pro is not an issue and easily done?#2 – Does frame rate difference from the 2 cameras matter when I go to sync audio captured at 30p and video at 20fps?
#3 – PLEASE dear God somebody give me verbiage to help me persuade him what a bad idea this really is.
Thanks
Jennifer Arani
-
5 Replies
-
Using the other camera as a recorder for double-system sound will work technically, but certainly is not efficient. Can you detail what kind of video you are shooting and what the post production workflow is like? What is the end product and how is it shown/distributed? As far as keeping the audio locked to the video, I think that’s a matter of settings in Final Cut more than anything to do with the camera.
I am a real skeptic when it comes to using DSLR’s for otherwise “standard” video projects. Seems like working harder instead of smarter. Now you’re relagating a perfectly good purpose- built camera to the role of psuedo-nagra. Sounds crazy.
DGMW, I have seen gorgeous pictures come off DSLR video. But nearly always, it is because a whole lot of extra work and expense have gone into making that shoot, with extra gear applied to the camera (use of primes, DOF adaptors, etc.) Extra work spent lighting, in shooting technique, extra work spent in post… hey, more is more.
But sometimes, less is more, as Mies used to say.
I would suggest just getting a video camera that shoots 1080i and leaving the DSLR to the film auteur/ pro cinematographers who really enjoy spending a lot of time tweaking the gear. For me personally, the camera is just a tool to tell my story with, I don’t fetishize it. Whatever camera I can get my hands on that does the job I need, that’s fine, but I prefer simpler over complex.
-
okay folks – here is what I have decided.
The boss has made up his mind and I will take these lemons and make the best lemonade ever!So here is what I am asking of the forum. Please help me formulate a workflow.
The projects I will have to film with the HDSLR will be:
Interview style footage against a green screen in a controlled environment. Equipment note : I will have two softboxes and a Lowe light kit (2 omni barn doors, 2 totas, a small spot, and two umbrellas).
There are times I will be shooting a person at their desks for training videos. Those are the types of tripod shooting I do.I do know that I can argue to never mix the hd footage with the XL2 NTSC footage. So at least on projects that will have B roll I can get away with not using the HD SLR – Is that a correct way of explaining it to him? Can someone offer me again some arguing points to prove my point of view?
The output I can’t tell you – because I have always shot 4:3 NTSC DV. So I really don’t even know how to set up my FCP presets for the .mov that comes from the HDSLR. I did a quick 2 min experiment and came up with the following – Can someone verify if this is correct?
Easy Set up
Format: HD Rate: All Rates
Use: DVCPRO HD – 1080p30 What worries me about this is the cannon at 1080i only shoots 20fpsSequence Settings
Frame size 1920X1080 Aspect ratio – HDTV 1080i (16:9)
Pixel Aspect Ratio – Square
Field Dominance – None
Editing Timebase – 30
QT video Settings – Apple ProRes 422(HQ)Export using QT
Frame size: 1920X1080 HDTV 1080i (16:9)
Square
None
29.97
Same as Editing Timebase
QT settings
H.264The ultimate use for these videos will be:
- Played back on Dell’s thru a projector (I will probably convert from QT to WMV as the trainers have several other programs running at the same time. The Dell’s just handle the WMV’s better than the QT in this situation)
- Played on TVs that are hooked to Dells. Usually I need these videos in 1440X1080. My current TVs can not handle 1920X1080 resolution set in the Dells control panel. So with res that does work the video card compresses 16:9 into 4:3 anyway. So 1440X1080 WMV really was the best workflow for playback.
- Last but not least playback on the web in, of course, a smaller size.
SO….
Now that you know the back story —–1st – Any warnings I should know before I set up. Something I should add to the “If you can adjust it you must check it” rule.
2nd – What should I set my FCP settings to? I know I can not log and transfer with the HDSLR footage. I can import the .mov file and that works fine.
3rd – Is there a GOOD video tutorial on roundtriping to STP to sync and replace the HDSLR with the XL-2’s audio.
4th – My instincts tell me to let the camera roll without stopping on both cameras. That way I have only 2 sets of movies instead of multiple clips on both cameras. Fix the sound and then instead of what WOULD have been a batch capture, to make subclips being careful to leave plenty of handles.
So what do you think?
Thanks – sorry this post is so long.Jennifer Arani
-
I have been reading about hdslr usage for a while now and I don’t feel that I’m any sort of expert, but this sounds like a bad idea. It seems to me like you really have to know what you’re doing to adapt a workflow and get quality work, and while the shots you can get are outstanding, it’s still a lot more work. There are a number of problems with shooting video with these cameras still that people are still developing and researching. It doesn’t seem realistic for daily jobs to be using these unless you are really devoted to making it work I guess. I think the 20 fps is going to cause messes, and don’t these cameras generally only have a shot duration of like 15 minutes or something lower? That could mess you up too.
I would go get another camera that could do 1080i and forget the T1i.
-
[Jennifer Arani] “I have figured out that at 1080i this camera shoots at 20fps.”
For that reason alone you NEED to press the “boss” to at least get the new T2i that was just announced it can shoot 1080 at 24p. The T21 also has an audio in jack for shooting video. Shooting a non standard frame rate is going to be a head ache and a half.
[Jennifer Arani] “Does frame rate difference from the 2 cameras matter when I go to sync audio captured at 30p and video at 20fps? “
YES it will.
I love the video that you can get from DSLR cameras it is beautiful, If you have to shoot with the T1i then I would recommend shooting in 720 for frame rate reasons.
Another thing that you need to be aware of of that there are time limites to recording video in DSLRs I believe around 12-15 min. And it does not matter what size memory card you use there is still the time limit. The reason for it is because the cameras format memory cards in the Fat32 format and Fat32 has a 4GB file size limit, ant it is that 4GB file size limit that is the limiting factor.
Hindsight is always 1080p
-
Oh and I forgot to add that you need to remember that you will have to convert ALL footage shot on the DSLR before you can edit it. They record h.264 and that is NOT an editing format.
Hindsight is always 1080p
Reply to this Discussion! Login or Sign Up