Al Bergstein
Forum Replies Created
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Daniel, you are aware that the Videomic Pro has three settings, and normally you will use the -20 setting, not the middle or right hand one? (I’m not in front of the mic right now). Is this something different than that problem? If so, it could be your unit is defective. But make sure it’s not set too hot. It’s very common and can really screw things up.
Al
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Tim, it really doesn’t matter whether you shoot for HDSLR or Hollywood. Lighting is got a few basics for this kind of work. There are many lighting training videos on the web. I assume these are kitchens already assembled in people’s houses? If so, get yourself some decent portable lighting kits. The main issue is getting enough wattage to light for depth of field. Not long ago hot lights would have been your choice. Now you have fluorescents and LEDs, neither of which put out quite the light that hot lights do for the price.
B&H sells a kit of three Fluorescents with stands and case by Impact Soft for $348. I can’t vouch for their quality. I personally own a Lowell Rifa kit that has interchangeable heads, so I can use a Tungsten/Halogen for just the kind of work you describe, where I need massive hot light bounced off ceilings. I have two large 66’s and one 44. But the heads also can use fluorescents, and they are ok, they just take time to warm up. I give them about 15 minutes to reach maximum light output.
I like the interchangeable heads, and though they price is quite higher than the cheap lights, since you are making money on your shots, you could justify the higher price and versatility, IMHO. The Lowells also have umbrellas with front diffusers that are very easy to setup and strike. I literally can be ready to go in minutes.
If you want to put up with halogens, which I don’t recommend as a steady way of life, you can buy used Lowell kits for cheap these days. But you have to be very careful with them, as they are super hot and you can’t strike them quickly without endangering your gear.
I’m sure others will have other choices,there are hundreds of ways to do what you want, but that’s what I’ve chosen.
Al
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How much RAM are you running? And I assume you have a great video card with tons of RAM. And your OS on an SSD drive?
It’s not likely you will see a huge noticeable difference in this CPU upgrade. Worthwhile means cost effective to me. They speak of about a 20% difference, but not sure you will see it in Adobe.
The benchmarks at the site below speak of better graphics, but only when using the internal graphics chip. We are usually using external processing on a dedicated card.
https://www.cpu-world.com/Compare/506/Intel_Core_i5_i5-3550_vs_Intel_Core_i7_i7-3770K.html
Al
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If it’s not showing up in the waveforms, it’s likely the lav quality or perhaps it’s malfuncting if it’s a good manufacturer. How much did you pay for this mic? I tried an Azden lav once and it was terrible. Harsh as heck. I threw it out. The 7D should be fine, as long as you didn’t overdrive it (which it appears you didn’t). The JL should be fine also. Try the EQ stuff mentioned by Dave.
Al
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Are you saying that the files are named the same but contain different data from different day shoots? And the date your shoot occurred there are no files from it?
I have tried almost every kind of repair software for damaged hard disks. My favorite, one that works virtually everytime, is DiskWarrior. It’s been around a long time, worth paying for, I’d say. My take is that if DW can’t fix it, it’s likely gone.
As you’ve found out, media management is critical. If the shoot is critical, dumping to two different hard drives is a good idea, but buying more cards is better and ultimately cheaper (especially in terms of time in the field on location). I never try to erase a card until I’ve dumped it twice. Also, using a Ninja Blade for example is another way to offload the files while shooting, saves you time in the field! You can unload your CF/SD card to one drive while knowing you’ve captured the same footage on the Ninja. Gives you a better monitor than the 7D has too, that’s for sure!
Good luck!
Al
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Frank. No. I have not been able to get it to work. According to BM tech, the accuracy of the VHS tapes in terms of head alignment etc is more critical with Intensity than with the cheaper but out of production Video Recorder. You can still buy the video recorders at:
It’s frustrating that I would pay more to get what is a professional device yet it can’t outperform a cheaper consumer device made by the same company!
But at least I got it to work. The quality for my needs coming out of the cheaper Video Recorder is fine. I would loved to have had the better quality since some of this is archival, but it is what it is.
Al
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While all these are great ideas that you should seriously listen to, my thoughts were more along the line of Francis above. I have taken to getting low cost leasing, from Canon, to lease my cameras (C100 for example). This, along with the monthly Adobe licensing, is a way to keep the money in your pocket for other uses, like marketing, and smaller disposables. Credit might work, but is very expensive, unless you have immediate work and can pay down the credit charges quickly.
We have no idea what type of business you are thinking of getting into with video, but let me tell you from some experience earlier in my life, under capitalized small businesses are the number one reason that they fail. You aren’t even half way to what you likely will spend. How do I know? Because I got back into it in 2010 and I had to spend much more than you are, just to get the *right* equipment. (a couple of matched cameras for live perfomances and docs work, a set of battery driven lights I could work with,a full complement of lenses needed, etc.). I live far away from any rental centers, so it’s almost impossible to rent cost effectively.
You also didn’t mention whether you anticipate that the $9k is for actually running the business or just what you have budgeted for equipment. Let’s assume that you have some kind of clients or money to fall back on for living expenses while you start up, and the 9k is just for gear. Stretch that budget! Buy used, question every purchase. Will it really get you more work? And yes, Kinos are great, but there are a lot of nice cheaper lights out there. I’ve found that my most used lighting is 1x1s from Light Panels. But that’s me. And what happens when the $9k is gone?
So if you want more advice than what we have given you, it might help to explain why you feel you need this stuff, and what kind of work you intend to do with it.
Al
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Though I have not done TV commercials, all these folks great feedback is very much inline with what I have done to get business. Some clients want details, some not. I’ve been told by clients I’ve won, and that wanted detail that I’ve had the most professionally done budgets they’ve seen. (not that I’ve got some special tool, just Excel). Once a client has been with me a while they usually trust me to help the understand a budget that’s just a ballpark. If they don’t know you, a detailed budget helps them understand their choices.
Al
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I read about two years ago in an interview with the Canadian rep of I believe Panasonic, that he had a box full of failed cards in his office. As long as other cards aren’t failing or that you can pinpoint it to one device or another, I wouldn’t worry about it and just replace the card. CF cards don’t seem to fail much, in my experience, at least not the ones I’m using (actually I’ve never had a CF card fail). I’ve had a couple of SD cards fail, and I believe that the handling of them, getting finger grease on the leads is to blame.
Al
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Yes, if you aren’t broadcasting real time, you are correct.
Al