Shooting and syncing with multiple 5DMKII’s

[Pete Burger]

Since those cameras don’t use timecode and you can’t sync them, it maybe would be best to use a clapperboard or something else which gives you a signal to use for manual syncing (maybe shoot a clock with all cameras then, without stopping them reposition them. Or clap your hands on camera, …)

I’m not familiar with the multicam workflow of FCP, but there’s a great plugin called Plural Eyes, that helps with syncing.

[Pete Burger]

Another idea: Start the cameras with a remote control. If the cams are set up in a way, the remote reaches them all at once, this could work. Haven’t tested it, so no guarantee…

[Martin Jordan]

Well, I thought of that possibility but how could you hook all 3 cameras up to one remote? That’s the problem.

Quad-Core, 2.93GHz, OS 10.6.2, 32GB Ram, 4TB RAID eSATA External, 4TB Internal, ATI Radeon HD 4870 graphics card, FCP Studio 7, AE 9.0.2, Boris BCC, FEC, CoreMelt 2, FxFactory Pro 2, idustrial revolution Volumetrix, Yanobox Motype, Squeeze for the Web, MacBook Pro (MBP) 2.6 GHz, Panasonic HPX300 Video Camera.
The entire Adobe Creative Suite 4, Design Premium.
Owner of Full Graphics Design Firm Houston, Tx 21 yrs.
Mac user since 1988.

[Pete Burger]

Wireless remotes, like this one?

https://www.amazon.com/Opteka-RC-4-Wireless-Control-Digital/dp/B0019RGQVU/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1306848396&sr=8-3

As I said (or wrote): haven’t tested it, but might work… Not shure though, if they support movie recording…

I got the T2i, which has a “movie mode” and remote controllers seem to work with it. The 5D MkII doesn’t have a special mode for video, has it? Haven’t been working for quite a time with the 5D…

Edit: I googled around a bit and it seems, there’s now such thing as a (wireless) remote controller that triggers the record-button on the 5DMkII…

[Brent Dunn]

Here’s a blog on setting up the multicam edit with final cut 7.
https://www.geniusdv.com/news_and_tutorials/2009/10/creating_a_multiclip_in_final_cut_pro_7.php

You can do mulitcam editing with final cut as long as you are using the same camera, which you are. I’m not sure what issues you may have with the starting and stopping that is problematic with using DSLR’s.

Like was mentioned, pluraleyes is what most people use to synch the audio, but I haven’t used it, so I’m not sure how it handles multicam. You should do your research on their site.

Brent Dunn
Owner / Director / Editor
DunnRight Films
DunnRight Video.com
Video Marketing Toolbox.net

Sony EX-1,
Canon 5D Mark II
Canon 7D
Mac Pro Tower, Quad Core,
with Final Cut Studio

HP i7 Quad laptop
Adobe CS-5 Production Suite

[Martin Jordan]

OK, thanks guys. I’ll research these comments and go from there.

Quad-Core, 2.93GHz, OS 10.6.2, 32GB Ram, 4TB RAID eSATA External, 4TB Internal, ATI Radeon HD 4870 graphics card, FCP Studio 7, AE 9.0.2, Boris BCC, FEC, CoreMelt 2, FxFactory Pro 2, idustrial revolution Volumetrix, Yanobox Motype, Squeeze for the Web, MacBook Pro (MBP) 2.6 GHz, Panasonic HPX300 Video Camera.
The entire Adobe Creative Suite 4, Design Premium.
Owner of Full Graphics Design Firm Houston, Tx 21 yrs.
Mac user since 1988.

[Bill Davis]

As someone who’s been doing 5d video for more than two years, and editing the results in FCP, I can tell you that you’re likely to have BIG problems trying to do multi-cam editing with 5d footage.

The issue is the inherent size of the video stream produced by the camera.

If you try to shoot either native or even ProResLT, more than two data streams will choke most standard Mac towers unless you have something VERY hot-rodded.

Each 5d stream in ProRes LT is fixed at 100 mbps. So the math is easy. You’ll need 200, 300, or 400 Mbps throughput if you want to do 2-cam, 3-cam, or 4-cam editing – plus substantial overhead room if you don’t want major slugishness every time you try to work with your timeline.

You need to research and consider PROXY editing — where you make much lower rez versions of your original shots and use those for editing, only replacing the proxys with your actual footage once you’ve made all your decisions.

Multi-cam editing of DSLR footage is still reasonably rarified air right now, tho the tools are getting better and better.

Good luck.

“Before speaking out ask yourself whether your words are true, whether they are respectful and whether they are needed in our civil discussions.”-Justice O’Conner

[Martin Jordan]

Thanks Bill for the info. I do have a “hotrod” system with a 4TB RAID that delivers about 590MBPS. It can actually handle about 8 streams with no problem.

Quad-Core, 2.93GHz, OS 10.6.2, 32GB Ram, 4TB RAID eSATA External, 4TB Internal, ATI Radeon HD 4870 graphics card, FCP Studio 7, AE 9.0.2, Boris BCC, FEC, CoreMelt 2, FxFactory Pro 2, idustrial revolution Volumetrix, Yanobox Motype, Squeeze for the Web, MacBook Pro (MBP) 2.6 GHz, Panasonic HPX300 Video Camera.
The entire Adobe Creative Suite 4, Design Premium.
Owner of Full Graphics Design Firm Houston, Tx 21 yrs.
Mac user since 1988.