Step by step workflow guide for HVX200 and Firestore FS-100 shooting 720 24p (link)

[Jerry Hofmann]

Sorry you didn’t know about this: https://www.apple.com/finalcutstudio/resources/white_papers/FCP_Wkflw.pdf before you spent a lot of time figuring it out on a trial and error basis…Might find some further explaination of the workflow there…

Jerry

[Zander]

I have to ask this,

why go to the firestore isntead of using the p2 cars, the only benifits i can see is going for longer than a (roughly) 14 min shot, which is rare.

I supose documentary’s would be helped out, that way you can capture a larger event without switching.

btw, Thanks for the info, good write up

Aaron Zander
student editor at brooks institute of photography
12″powermac g4 1.25gb ram, 1.5 GHZ macosx 10.4.6 1.3tb external space
finalcut 5.0.4 adobe cs2 afterefects 7pro
currently working on BombIt: World WIde Graffitit

[Christopher Wright]

very helpful post!

[Michael Mk siu]

Jerry,

Thanks for the Apple White Paper Link. We did find it and had read through it. However, although the document details the workflow on how to import P2 into FCP, it doesn’t specifically give us anything regardng the use of he FireStoer FS-100 with the HVX200. That’s why we created this new workflow.

Cheers,
MK

[Michael Mk siu]

Aaron,

At this point, we are only able to get 4gig PS cards. We do have three of those, but shooting at DVCPRO HD data rate (1080 or 720), yields a ~1gig / min storage need. That comes out to about 8 min of continuous shoot with the two 4 gig cards in the two slots. And you are right, since this is a documentary shoot, we’d rather be prepared and ready to capture, rather than offloading cards while things are happening. As well, we are anticipating some run-and-gun situation where the ability to keep rolling is useful.

Hope this help explains why we chose to go with the FireStore!

Cheers,
MK

[Dan Riley]

michaelmk,

How many hours can the FS-100 record at 720 24p from the HVX200 ?
And how much does it cost?

Finally, do you think the FS-100 is a reasonable solution
for your use, or would you like to see a hard drive or
disk recording system directly inside that camera?

Thanks,
Dan

[Walter Biscardi]

[Danrnw] ”
Finally, do you think the FS-100 is a reasonable solution
for your use, or would you like to see a hard drive or
disk recording system directly inside that camera?”

Definitely would not want to see a hard drive in the camera. It’s heavy enough as it is and the drive would be too limiting, unless you could swap them out. I like the P2 idea and if you want “longer loads” the FS-100 is a good start. More drive alternatives will probably appear as the amount of 3rd party gear for this camera is just incredible already.

Walter Biscardi, Jr.
https://www.biscardicreative.com

Director, “The Rough Cut”
https://www.theroughcutmovie.com

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“I reject your reality and substitute my own!” – Adam Savage, Mythbusters

[Dan Riley]

Walter,

If they took out the tape drive system and swapped it with a
hard drive the weight would probably be the same.
Why have a tape system in there anyway, it’s SD only.

My problem with this camera is that P2 workflow sucks.
If you are a real world producer, you have to have a
dedicated p2 store and a person there to operate it,
and a place to operate it,
unless you shoot is for 8 minutes.
This is going backwards to film days with that extra person
just handling that stuff.
If you are not very careful you can actually record over
what you already shot pretty easily.
In my world of interviews and studio shoots,
this is not viable. However, the camera itself may be
but not if I have to record to p2 cards at 2 grand a piece
and then wait 2 times longer than real time to get the
footage into FCP. Thus the hard drive questions.

Finally, you think that camera is heavy?
Have you shot with a DVW790 lately?

Dan

[Gary Adcock]

[Danrnw] “My problem with this camera is that P2 workflow sucks.”

There are any number of solutions for the P2 workflow- just because Panny is not holding your hand and guiding you every step of the process dose not mean that there are not workable solutions. IT means that you have not found them or have not found someone that understands YOUR specific needs- Every single person I know use a different method for their work. The Firestore is a single solution, but buying or renting more cards solves a vast majority of issues for most filmmakers.

[Danrnw] “If you are not very careful you can actually record over what you already shot pretty easily.”
Not while the material is still on the cards not you cannot easily record over them – now if your “workflow” is not properly established prior to commencing your project – then the fault is solely operator error. The ability to record over the existing content on a card has to be MANUALLY set in a sub menu in the HVX 200. And it is not in a place a casual user would know or find.

[Danrnw] “In my world of interviews and studio shoots, this is not viable.”

this is the most viable time to use the P2 technology, Indoors not moving no run and gun???
I have shot 90min continuous interviews with 5- 4gig cards. – and no extra bodies to handle the ingest. I did a location shoot in italy in march where I shot 4 hours of P2 footage every day for 10 straight days, by myself.
I had one issue and it was my fault for ejecting both cards from the camera at the same time while I was recording.

It is a new and different way to work and it requires a thought out approach to the way you shoot and the way you handle the files. Just because the process is not to your liking does not mean workflows do not exist.

[Danrnw] “I have to record to p2 cards at 2 grand a piece and then wait 2 times longer than real time to get the footage into FCP.”

I wonder if you have ever used this camera. As many of your posts are not accurate in what and how the camera actually works. The 4 gig cards can record 10min of 720p24 HD and cost less than US $600.
The 8 gig cards are under US$1400 now and record 20mins of 720p24 per card — That 20 mins of footage from the 8 gig card takes about 6 mins to import into FCP on my 1.67 G4 laptop (depends on how many clips- with any transfer process the less number of files the faster the import)

22 mins was a standard Betacam load- so there are more than a few Non-DV shooters that do not have issues with the length of the record time.- being able to hot swap the cards continuously makes the process easier than one might think. You just need a better set of sticks to hold the camera on.

gary adcock
Studio37
HD & Film Consultation
Post and Production Workflows
Chicago, IL
gary@studio37.com

[Justin Fain]

Man, I really wish the original post’s link still worked. I know this thread is pretty old, but I just got an HVX-200 and an FS-100 and could use something like that. Any ideas to find it or something similar on the net?