[Alan Lloyd]

It looks like you’re getting some good replies here, I just want to add one – with an example.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0RGm7hN7QQU

The outdoor greenscreen is at about 1:35. And yes, the sun is on the other side for the reverse – it’s a no-budget labor of love for a few of us here in MN. (I was inside, doing the lighting for an indoor greenscreen setup for a different scene, while this sequence was being shot.)

It does, though, match the direction of the “sunlight” on the background plates.

They did manage to pull an OK key on both sequences, working off HDV – I think in FCP, though I’m not involved in the editing, I just light some of it.

[Alan Lloyd]

I am not a big fan of the lower priced Manfrotto heads for one reason: The tilt lock is on the tilt axis. This is incredibly bad mechanical design.

If your camera is at all nose-heavy, say, if you put on a wide-angle lens or something – or if you’re using a client’s rig (Manfrotto pod w/Canon XL-1 or XL-2) it will pull against the tilt-lock and begin to sag.

This: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/131444-REG/Libec_THM20_TH_M20_Aluminum_2_Stage_Tripod.html

…is a decent/usable pod and head and has a leveling ballhead. Those cheap Manfrottos make you level one leg at a time – a real PITA if you ask me.

At the price point you’re looking at, nothing is perfect. But from a user perspective, the Libec is much more user-friendly for video use than that Manfrotto you referenced.

[Alan Lloyd]

I, too, am a non-Manfrotto person. I have used multiple Manfrotto heads and not liked any of them. Cartoni makes good stuff, as does Vinten, as does Sachtler.

You’ll want some other, smaller lights as well. With a 1K in a bag, a couple Arri 300’s and a 150 (Fresnels) will be a good start. Don’t forget the stands! And color, diffusion, blackwrap, and some miscellany such as a grip head or two, the short (28″?) grip arm, a couple Cardellinis and Mafers, and whatever.

You get to go buy gear – enjoy!

[Alan Lloyd]

[Jason Harris] “When you say “save the layers” i get a bit lost, are you referring to EACH layer or frame, what EXACTLY am i doing, am i saving my psd with LAYERS intact, there are so many options i need some guidance”

I said import the layers independently. PPro will “flatten” a .psd file otherwise.

Each layer as an image sequence – presuming they are numbered sequentially. Drag them to the timeline as such and they will make one video track. Repeat with subsequent layers, making certain they are properly arranged for depth.

Save this project. Adjust your transparencies – you can use a “scratch” bit of video if you like, for reference below them – using the “opacity” control. Save the project again. (Good practice anyway!)

This should give you an animated lower third with some areas transparent to the degree you like.

[Alan Lloyd]

“…since ppro does not ALLOW quicktime MOV to import…”

I have CS3 and it does indeed import .mov files.

However…

What you are trying to do is fairly straightforward. You have preserved your .psd files, I hope. They are still useful for this.

Import each layer of them individually as an image sequence, place them in their proper depth relationship, and adjust the opacity of what you want to see through. The best thing would be to do that in a clean project and save that project, then you can import the entire project and have everything set up in its proper form and timing when you’re doing subsequent work.

[Alan Lloyd]

That was useful. Thanks ever so much.

[Alan Lloyd]

There’s also Brunner’s The Sheep Look Up – a very good look at the dark side of the future.

[Alan Lloyd]

I’ve been using it (CS3) all week on location (snicker!) and captured about 5-6 hours of footage overall, shooting miniDV. I think our longest grab, though, was maybe 30 minutes or so.

It has HDV presets.

Anything that will output a firewire signal will work.

I have just used USB externals for capture (we’re rotating them as we’ve been doing edits offsite while still capturing) and it’s just worked. Wish I could say the same for my Wacom tablet – it died this morning. Didn’t register on any of three machines!

BTW, it has a WFM, vectorscope, and audio meters in with the record monitor, and playback for client viewing is no trouble whatever. This is on a stock Dell Vostro 1500 running XP/SP3. And yes, we roll tape in the camera as a backup. Have not needed to use one. (Crosses fingers, thinks about taking shoes off…)

[Alan Lloyd]

Bring a laptop with Adobe On Location and record it to hard drives directly (using tape as a backup) and setting up post and finishing will be much, much faster.

I dislike using edit applications for live capture when live capture applications exist. And are far less expensive than the AJA whatever.

(Full disclosure, I’m a PC guy – just not in that other sense…)

[Alan Lloyd]

The earlier you catch (and admit to) your mistakes, the easier they are to fix.