Nasty Video Look- how do I eliminate it?!

[Kevin Monahan]

[endoftheend] “Whilst editing I’ve been relying on my mac’s monitor display and i’ve found that when outputing the film to view elsewhere it looks horribly different!”

I guess you did not know…pro editors attach an external video monitor as they work to see how their video really looks. The computer monitor is progressive scan and in RGB colorspace. Your video is interlaced and in YUV colorspace. Therefore, what you see on the video monitor is what you get. The computer monitor is not reality. The “look” you describe is actually what your video truly looks like. Video looks like video, right?

[endoftheend] “A few weeks back I messed around with all kinds of settings and thought i’d fixed the problem when I outputted a letterboxed version onto”

What kinds of settings? Filters? What?

If you want your video to look more cinematic, shoot in 24P or use G Film from nattress.com.
And always work with a video monitor hooked up so you can actually see what you are doing.
Use a TV if you cannot afford a bonafide production video monitor. 😉

Kevin Monahan
Author – Motion Graphics and Effects in Final Cut Pro
fcpworld.com

[Graeme Nattress]

Thanks Kevin! I was going to suggest that an Application of Nattress Film Effects will probably do the job – Preset Basic should be perfect!

Graeme

– http://www.nattress.com – Film Effects and Standards Conversion for FCP

[Tony]

Kevin,

FCP Filters are only part of the equation. If the team hired to shoot the footage in the first place did not light the project “filmstyle” or put in effort into art direction, motivated lighting, etc etc no magically filter is going to turn the footage into a magically film look. At best the video can be transformed into “faux film” with all the flaws highlighted.

It only hides the crap it started out as originally.

In this case please apply the anti crappy video filter found in FCP’s hidden tool chest. It’s next to the experienced crew and editors wanted list.

Tony Salgado

[Kevin Monahan]

[tony salgado] In this case please apply the anti crappy video filter found in FCP’s hidden tool chest. It’s next to the experienced crew and editors wanted list.”

Ha ha! Good one Tony. I totally agree with you. As a former lighting guy, it’s so important to light your shot well. Don’t know why this escapes so many people new to the biz.

I worked on a DV Feature that was shot with a DSR-500 and lit by a Hollywood DP (and this was well before Bullet or Nattress), that looked very cinematic indeed.

So for a good film look, you have to light is properly first and foremost. Good glass and 3 2/3″ CCDs also greatly improve your look. Top it off with GFilm and you’re good to go!

Kevin Monahan
Author – Motion Graphics and Effects in Final Cut Pro
fcpworld.com

[Mart Twain]

Well, I totally agree with you. You can’t cover up bad lighting and photography with post-production effects, but the point is that the image itself is perfect, the problem occurs when the image is in motion.

Applying the nattress did the trick, but also just applying a small amount of motion blur gave the desired effect to the movement.

A very experienced DOP worked on this film, who did an amazing job working on a dsr 570 and a limited amount of lighting. But film is about images in motion and this film in particular is about movement and physicallity, so the harsh blunt nature of DV did not fit it. Had we had a bigger budget we would have shot on film, but we didn’t and you can’t pretend that having great photography and lighting work is going to cover up the fact that DV is not a medium best suited to cinema.

Having said that, it was very easy to eliminate ‘the nasty video look’ once I worked out how and all that took was a couple of dumb and naive sounding posts on an internet forum! Problem solved

cheers, matt

[Mart Twain]

Well, I totally agree with you. You can’t cover up bad lighting and photography with post-production effects, but the point is that the image itself is perfect, the problem occurs when the image is in motion.

Applying the nattress did the trick, but also just applying a small amount of motion blur gave the desired effect to the movement.

A very experienced DOP worked on this film, who did an amazing job working on a dsr 570 and a limited amount of lighting. But film is about images in motion and this film in particular is about movement and physicallity, so the harsh blunt nature of DV did not fit it. Had we had a bigger budget we would have shot on film, but we didn’t and you can’t pretend that having great photography and lighting work is going to cover up the fact that DV is not a medium best suited to cinema.

Having said that, it was very easy to eliminate ‘the nasty video look’ once I worked out how and all that took was a couple of dumb and naive sounding posts on an internet forum! Problem solved

cheers, matt