Shooting/Editing for unusual display: 720×2560

[Walter Soyka]

[Jeremy Garchow] “Shoot 1280×720, turn it vertical and double the vertical.”

I think it’s premature to discuss how to shoot it when we don’t know anything about the creative requirements or how the video will actually be displayed.

What is the display device or devices? How far away will the viewers be, and in what conditions? These factors will help determine how much scaling may be acceptable and whether originating footage at 720p will be sufficient.

Walter Soyka
Principal & Designer at Keen Live
Motion Graphics, Widescreen Events, Presentation Design, and Consulting
RenderBreak Blog – What I’m thinking when my workstation’s thinking
Creative Cow Forum Host: Live & Stage Events

[Jeremy Garchow]

[Walter Soyka] “I think it’s premature to discuss how to shoot it when we don’t know anything about the creative requirements or how the video will actually be displayed. “

Perhaps, but it’s not hard to speculate what’s going on.

[Kenny Powerass]

Sorry for the radio silence.
This is for a display in a store. It stands inside the front door. What we’re shooting is a person welcoming customers to the store. No more than that. No graphics, no effects, not even a transition.
The monitor is about six to eight feet tall and customers will be a few feet away.

I was thinking the best way is to cut in FCP and then online elsewhere. Does it have to be AE or will Motion do?

[Kenny Powerass]

Here’s a photo of the display.

[Shane Ross]

When I interviewed for a job, the job was three vertical monitors, basically just HDTVs flipped on their side. So that was easy…just plan on the footage being flipped 90 degrees. But the main display was a long one over the booth…and it was something like 4000×1080. So that footage was being done by an After Effects graphics guy, because they can have canvases that large.

FCP won’t be able to do it. You can try Motion, but in my experience, it is AE that does it. And people experienced with that type of work. Personally, I am not experienced with that, so I’d either pass on it, or let the client know about my inexperience up front…and then work LONG HOURS to make sure I got it right.

Test test test test test

Shane

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[Walter Soyka]

[Jeremy Garchow] “it’s not hard to speculate what’s going on.”

I agree with you that it’s most likely two 1280×720 portrait displays –but it could also be a single blended projection system, or a sliver from a 2560×1600 30″ digital signage monitor, or a high-density LED wall.

If it’s just two displays, is there a bezel that must be accounted for in the image? Or a gap between the two monitors?

What’s more important to the creative? The higher resolution that shooting portrait 1080p/PsF would provide, or the higher temporal resolution that 720p60 would provide?

There are many, many possibilities.

Walter Soyka
Principal & Designer at Keen Live
Motion Graphics, Widescreen Events, Presentation Design, and Consulting
RenderBreak Blog – What I’m thinking when my workstation’s thinking
Creative Cow Forum Host: Live & Stage Events

[Jason Brown]

Also, in my experience…I was editing in standard video frame sizes and placing them into designs that were of strange shape. So edit the piece in FCP…export as video element, then place into weird design shape. Thats how I’ve done it, and seen it done.

This case may be different…but that’s my experience.

[Walter Soyka]

[Kenny Powerass] “This is for a display in a store. It stands inside the front door. What we’re shooting is a person welcoming customers to the store. No more than that. No graphics, no effects, not even a transition.”

There’s got to be some transition — this piece will loop at some point, right?

And hopefully there will be enough change in the image to prevent burn-in?

[Kenny Powerass] “The monitor is about six to eight feet tall and customers will be a few feet away.”

I would make every effort to start with as much resolution as the budget allows.

[Kenny Powerass] “I was thinking the best way is to cut in FCP and then online elsewhere. Does it have to be AE or will Motion do?”

I’m an AE user, so I’m biased, but I think it’d be doable in Motion. If I recall correctly, Motion supports rasters up to 4096×4096.

Walter Soyka
Principal & Designer at Keen Live
Motion Graphics, Widescreen Events, Presentation Design, and Consulting
RenderBreak Blog – What I’m thinking when my workstation’s thinking
Creative Cow Forum Host: Live & Stage Events

[Kenny Powerass]

My first editing gig came to me before I had ever touched an NLE or even owned a computer. The pay was $42k. I studied, asked dumb questions and pulled it off. I started that job the same month that creativecow came online.
Everything I’ve learned about editing came out of taking a job I didn’t know how to do and then figuring it out. Part of it is digging through manuals, part is trial and error. But almost always it involves coming to the friendly Cow community and asking questions. Some might think the questions are ridiculous, but nobody has ever suggested I’m unfit for the job and shouldn’t do it. I’m not an idiot and this isn’t rocket science.
Not that it’s relevant to the topic I was asking about, but I didn’t misrepresent myself at all. This is a client I’ve had for years and they know the work I do. They know this is new territory for me and I promised I would get it done one way or another. I have an AE guy, I have animators and compositors, I have camera people. There’s plenty of people I can turn to if the job is beyond me.
I was just looking for guidance on how more experienced editors would approach it. I haven’t spent much time on the Cow lately, but I thought that’s what it was still about.

[Kenny Powerass]

No. No looping. This is just one of many elements that will run on a much larger loop of ads and other promotions.
It’s not such a specific thing that I’m worried about what area is action safe. I think as long as the speaker’s face is visible it doesn’t make a big difference. I’ll err on the side of leaving too much on the sides just to avoid him looking like he’s a big dude stuck in a box.
I actually tried it in Motion last night. It looked OK to me, but I don’t know for sure that it’ll look as good on a screen ten times the size. That’s why I’m looking for tips.