Using electronic flash to sync 2 cameras?

[Jeremy Garchow]

Another thing. If you are planning to use multicam, all of your footage must be in the same format/frame rate.

Mixing different resolutions and codecs won’t work in multicam.

[Phil Balsdon]

I use PluralEyes very successfully with my HDSLR kit and FCP7.

I don’t edit much dual cam stuff, but once a month I do a 2 camera shoot (interview), the producer/editor syncs the two cams with PluralEyes in FCP7 then does a multi cam edit, he says its a breeze.

Cinematographer, Steadicam Operator, Final Cut Pro Post Production.
https://philming.com.au
https://www.steadi-onfilms.com.au/

[Michael Griggs]

It would also be good to jam sync your cameras. They may not have a TC input, but they do probably have a “free run” timecode option. (With the free run TC, they will continuously be at the same time, since Free Run isn’t limited to record time.)

I do mulitcam wedding shoots every weekend, and it’s our SOP. Just set both cameras to time of day (usually 24hr military time), matched down to seconds and frames, and set em going at the same time. They should then only be a few frames off, and at the worst a second or two…..

When it comes time to sync in post, you won’t have to look very far to match the cams up.

[Eric Susch]

I’m surprised no one’s mentioned this but why don’t you just shoot the whole event without starting and stopping the cameras. One sync mark (hand clap, drum beat, flash, whatever) at the beginning of each tape means you have only six shots to sync at the end of your six hour event. Easy.

____________________________________
Eric Susch
http://www.LetsKnit2gether.com
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[Jonny Cates]

Michael
This seems to be a very good idea as the others. At this point, I’m a little in the dark as to the make and model of the second camera that I’ll be using.

The 2nd camera that was available to me, is no longer. I’m trying to round up another second one asap. I may end up with something fairly rudimentary. I have a simple Canon GL2 at the moment, not much in the way of high end of camera these days, but will suffice since my higher end HD model will be on BO for several weeks.
Soooo… I guess I will wing it. I assume the clock setting method your referring to, will work on just about any type camera that has a clock setting.

Thanks for your valuable input!

Jonny Cates

[Jonny Cates]

Yea Eric, this is a very logical idea and has crossed my mind.

However, the one thing I’m up against is each band will have to tear down their gear and the next band will set up.

The only remaining constant are two drum kits that won’t change. These band changes can sometimes be fast, sometimes slow. I really didn’t want to waste any footage until each band starts (trying to avoid the dreaded tape change in the middle of a song ya know. Timing can be tricky sometimes.

But I do think your suggestion is a very qualifying method for a 2 camera sync. If they made an hour and a half DV tape, I could easily do this non-stop method. About 2 bands an hour is the average–give or take.

Thanks!

Jonny Cates

[Fred Jodry]

“Last August, I taped an event with a single camera, and a week later made acquaintance with an individual that was at the same event with camera. Much of this persons footage was very good, so I struck a deal and set out to sync their footage with mine. This event was an indoor night time music show with many different rock bands.

In this world we live in, still camera flashes go off at any given event about every 5- 10 seconds or less.
By process of elimination one can line up the same flashes at the same point on the timeline, by matching the exact frames where the flash went off. It seems to work flawlessly in this dimly lit condition.

I have this event to do again, and planning on a second camera for close-ups.”

Johnny, congratulations on inventing a new, incidental, type of midi (musical instrument digital interface) synchronization.

The first time was when the musicians for “Steamboat Willie” in 1928 had a one- watt neon light wired in series on each`s music stand and saw flashes according to previous attempts to record the audio. Without midi, the Warner Brothers producer, Ray (Rouben) Mamoulian, discovered that editing a sound picture`s track first then editing the visual film was the way to go.

You`ve turned the stiles in this case.

[Jonny Cates]

Wow Fred!
That is a bit of trivia I would have never known. How interesting!

Two weeks ago, I did this same event and used this method simply because it was convenient and it worked.
I synced 3 cameras, and got very good video and great sound from the soundboard man.

The only hitch is the frame sizes of the cameras were not the same, so I have a few small hoops to jump through to make it all work. But all in all, it went well.

Thanks so much for that historical comment…

Jonny Cates

[Fred Jodry]

I can just see those musicians turn the page and get a first rate shock when they shake hands with the business electrode of a Cunningham CX-350 or Western Electric WE-205D tube.