setting-up for HDTV/PAL in AE

[Steve Roberts]

It sounds as if you’re speaking in general terms. Tell us more about the project, what it’s for, whether it has a buyer, and so on.

I’m asking this because, on a job, the final format is not up in the air. You know the tech specs on a job.

So tell us more and we can help.

[Graham Proctor]

Hi Steve,

Thanks a lot for getting back to me. I really appreciate it.

I’m a designer and a graphic artist. What I want to do is create a music short (3 mins) and the best pointer I could give you is that it might well fit into the same category as the sort of stuff you would come across at https://www.onedotzero.com/new/frames.html. I’m pretty clear about using AE to get what I want visually – it’s the tech stuff regarding set up/final output that i don’t want to screw up on (and think I might).

The source material would be graphics created by me in Photoshop and Ai with some quicktime coming from Cinema 4D. It wouldn’t really involve the use of live-action footage but I might want to bring in short footage clips here and there (shot on mini-DV) and use them after doing some heavy graphic treatments.

On completetion I would want to be able to:

Show it on a top-end MacBookPro (as a quicktime movie)
Post it on an FTP
Post it on a Website
Publish it on DVD
Be in a position (if the opportunity arose) to submit it for broadcast.

I’m aware that submitting something for broadcast involves a different set of criteria from say, posting for web use and that there are big issues like NTSC v PAL, transfer to tape and all the rest of it. I’m trying to find the best compromise that will offer some room for manuvere. If I can’t do that then I just want to drop in with best option and take it from there.

If this were an A4 brochure keyart print job for example, and I knew maybe it was going to be used as an ad in several diffrent magazine formats and maybe a billboard, a roller banner and a webgraphic, I might do it as A2 (with plenty of breathing space) at 450dpi in 16bit. That would be my ‘best-shot’ master and everything else would sort of spin off from that. That’s kind of what I’m trying to get to here – the equilvant sort of position. I think my computer could handle a 720p project but don’t know about 1080. (my machine is G5 DUAL PPC 2.5GHZ/8G/1T/OSX10.4.9)

I guess that in terms of its function it would be a showcase piece and that I would be using it to attract interest in my work and as a vehicle to allow me to get new business in an area I getting really excted about. The other thing that this would do is give me a sizable project to get me ‘bedded in’. I find I work/learn/create best if I set myself significant challenges.

My general level of expertise/experience with creative software is very high. I have a good understanding of the core issues and an ability to adapt quicky to new working concepts – but with motion graphics, this set-up thing just has kind of got me a bit stumped. I can see it’s not as simple as ‘choose a size and go’ but as I said I just want to be able to make a decision and know that it isn’t going to park me in a corner later.

Right now I trying to fill in the general sort of picture so as to get to a position where I can start producing artwork for import into AE. I’m becoming aware of issues like ‘broadcast safe colours’ and what happens when a 16:9 project shows up in a 4:3 situation etc. My position is roughly analgous to where I might be if I was a green-ish designer who had a big job going to a commercial printers. Maybe I heard all about stuff like ‘direct-to-plate’ and ‘laser die-cutting’ at college but when the print guy turns up at the studio I don’t feel so sure about how sure I am ( if you see what I mean ! ).

There also seems to be a fairly heated debate going on about 720p v 1080i which, although I undertstand the technical arguements, I frankly find bewildering in the context of what I’ve laid out above.

I hope this helps to clarify…

Thanks again

All the best

Graham

[Steve Roberts]

I’ll go out on a limb and say that the likelihood of your broadcasting in HD is slim, and doesn’t warrant the mild headache of working with an HD project. But I don’t know if anybody’s broadcasting arty music videos on HD over there.

I’d just use the Standard Def PAL DV widescreen preset. You can use the widescreen square pixel preset to work in, then make smaller comps for the smaller sizes, drop the big one into those comps, resiz, and render.

For the MacBook Pro playback, consider compressing your big movie to H.264.
For the FTP, compress it to bunch of sizes to allow for recipients of varied levels of patience.
For web quickies, most people like, say, 480×270 or 320×180.

Yes, you can use proxies to make an HD project palatable, but i wouldn’t recommend it at your stage of the game.

From a motion graphics perspective, 720 vs 1080 all depends on what the client wants.

Just my opinion … 🙂

[Graham Proctor]

Thanks for this Steve,

I’m going to have to have a good long think about all this over the weekend…

Best

g