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Work Flow through FCP
Hi
I guess I am looking for some yes or no answer here. Scenario: I make surf movies, I have just started a new movie. I have a Sony HVR-Z5 (just released camera) that can shoot PAL/NTSC 25p (it says native progressive, no idea if this means true progressive, but it looks better than interlaced) 50i, 24p, 30p, 60i. I am in a waiting period (waiting for swell) now which looks like I will be filming tomorrow or in the next few days, I obviously can only shoot when there are waves and they have to be good waves or there is no point. So I am trying to research (not my strong point) if the work flow I think is going to work will work. I am trying to avoid filming in a setting and then finding out after shooting for 4 months that the footage won’t work, or won’t look as good as it could have doing it another way, I can not simply reshoot, I can not get the surfers back, one chance only. I will not be editing this footage until May, June, so hopefully on FCP7 (everybody seem to think it will be release at the NAB thing it April, here is to hopping).
So I was going to shoot in 25p, the reason for PAL is that I am in Australia and I have a water camera HVR-A1 but this only shots interlaced PAL. All though the final copy of this movie will be pressed as a NTSC DVD Because they will work on PAL DVD player but not the other way round. The reason for progressive is that it looks better then interlaced (nobody would buy an interlaced surf DVD as it looks cheap, all previous movies I have had to De interlace but this has lost a lot of quality in the picture)
Settings in FCP has an Easy Setup HDV – 1080p25 (I am still on FCP5 saving for FCP7). Will this setting allow me to capture my footage at it’s best quality? Will I be able to bring in my interlaced footage from the water camera (I have read something about changing the field preference of interlaced footage to none will enable this-?)
Then when I have done effects, anything in motion, color etc… then by taking it to compressor to make a SD and a HD version of the movie. to finally go to DVD Studio Pro to create the SD DVD. DVD’s are interlaced? because TV is? Will I have to convert my footage in compressor so that it will be fine for the DVD?
will the above work flow work? will I run into any trouble?
If anyone thinks there is a better work flow through FCP (hopefully 7) with the camera setting available please let me know. It would take me week to try and find out if this would be the best way but I have at most days before I have to film. I have just got the camera so no chance to test all settings.Any help, suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I just want to product the best job I can and would hate it if a technical setup issue caused me to fall short of that goal.
If you have read this far one more question won’t hurt. I have read that shooting progressive panning shot don’t look great as they are jumpy, I have only had a quick test with some surf footage today and in FCP it does not seem to be. Would this change once it is outputted to DVD?
Thanks
Joseph -
3 Replies
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Hi Joseph,
Those images can be downloaded as Progressive or as interlaced. In the last case you must check them as NONE in FC. In a progressive sequence they will work as progressive.
I’ve never shoot surfing, but I think I probably would shoot interlaced. I guess you may need to make a lot of slow-mo. You will get a much better slow with 50i than with 25p.
If you haven’t got good result when deinterlacing I just can suggest you to use a good plugin to do it.
Cheers,
rafael -
Hi Joseph!
We (that’s the hubby and me) are in exactly the same situation you are in! We are going to film at the Surf Comp in Margaret River/WA the next few days. We just decided to shoot in interlance 50i. We got the Z5 as well.
Im wondering how your shoot turned out and weather you had any tips for us? Would be great to hear from you… We are new to it all as well and appreciate any hints and pointers in the right direction!
We did a test shoot today and found it really difficult to find the right white balance setting since it all looks diffrent on the LCD screen in the sunlight. We probably take a straight-white white-balance card with us. Its difficult to get the exposure right, the white of the waves always tends to look overexposed but the surfers are still a bit dark…Not to mention that the light changes all the time:Overcast, sunny, it never bloody ends! *lol* We might use the Film look one, although that has a quite hight contrast. Not quite sure how to go about all this. May I ask what sort of settings worked out for you?
How do you protect you camera on the beach? We have a CamRaide Desert Suit – it holds the sun off as well. But it is really difficult to chance the settings when the camera is in there!
Well, thanks for reading. Hope to catch ya soon!
Andrea Fisher
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Hi Andrea
Well I have used the progressive setting and it look a lot better than interlaced but slow motion do not. So I am shooting some in interlaced. My water camera shoot only interlaced so I will be turning most of those clips into slow motion. Anything out of the water that does not need slow motion I am using progressive.
With shooting got to have the sun behind or you just can’t get the colour you want. This mean if I shoot in the morning on the east coast of Australia I shoot from a headland or water, I don’t shoot off the beach much unless I am looking down the beach normally south, winter is better as the sun is more in the north. So basically you need to move around to get the right light. That is if you care about the colour and clarity of your image.
Import you files as HD do all your editing in HD the once it is finished then down convert it to SD for DVD. I have found that give me a better image. If you shoot interlace, de-interlace you footage before exporting it to a compressor.
I have used a t-shirt, towel, plastic bag to cover the camera, but I have now put together a water proof canvas cover that I made myself as I also have a 400mm camera and lens mounted on the Z5. Having covers are more of a hassle to use the camera, but I guess you have to weight that up with what the salt air can do to it.
Don’t know if any of that helps.
J.
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