[Bill Davis]

I won’t argue with the general assumption that working in the finest quality that your system both supports AND for which it does not extract a performance penalty is smart.

However, particularly in video editing, I’ve watched for decades as otherwise smart guys I’ve known spent time and resources assembling system that capable of working with UNCOMPRESSED files, only to end up feeding them an exclusive diet of 3.5Mbps DV footage.

Those systems WILL maintain the maximum quality that those formats can handle and may even be superior when it comes to compositing those shots with OTHER higher rez elements. – BUT -the lessons I learned in my early days in print advertising ring true.

Once you screen a photo with an 85-line screen – no matter HOW high-rez a print you make of the ad – you will never recover ANY of the resolution that’s been LOST in the translation of the original shot.

So if you shoot on a 5dmkii and the CARD FILES exit with a file that’s H264 bandwidth limited to 100Mbps – That’s what your VIDEO is going to STAY no matter what other raster standard you may subsequently choose to plop them on.

FWIW.

“Before speaking out ask yourself whether your words are true, whether they are respectful and whether they are needed in our civil discussions.”-Justice O’Conner

[Bill Davis]

Having also done quite a lot of retail work, I’ll note that over the past decade or so, most commercial spaces have swapped out their old-style overhead lighting for more energy efficient products.

I was quite surprised to see that in a lot of the retail spaces I’ve shot in over the past few years, that overhead lighting is now pretty close to the traditional TUNGSTEN color temp.

So when I ordered both my color balanced fluorescent instruments AND my LED lights, I broke with tradition and ordered 3200k lamps and with that, I’ve been able to use them as convenient “face fill” and “shelf brighteners” working WITH the existing store lighting.

So make sure you check the space you’ll be working in as to color balance of the existing lights.

FWIW.

“Before speaking out ask yourself whether your words are true, whether they are respectful and whether they are needed in our civil discussions.”-Justice O’Conner

[Bill Davis]

Not to make things more complex…

But don’t forget that the CAMERA NATIVE files are already encoded in H264 at a maximum data rate of 100Mbps.

ProResLT is DESIGNED to work with data streams of that size. So in the initial ingest and straight editing of 5Dmkii footage – you gain NOTHING from working in ProRes HQ or in any timeline workflow above ProRes LT.

Others here are correct that IF you’re going to do compositing of sources at higher data rates and/or extra color grading in POST – then and only then will working with additional color space help you.

Bottom line. If you shoot correctly in the first place. (proper color balance/lighting in your field production and no mixed color temperatures you wish to correct in post – plus you’re happy with the original “look” of your footage) than you can comfortably enjoy the benefits of the smaller data stream of ProResLT knowing that ALL the quality of your original footage will be maintained throughout your entire workflow.

FWIW.

“Before speaking out ask yourself whether your words are true, whether they are respectful and whether they are needed in our civil discussions.”-Justice O’Conner

[Bill Davis]

I am CERTAINLY not defending bad audio practices here, which every experienced video maker knows is the DEATH of any production effort.

I’ll just note that once upon a time, I volunteered to do sound for a young filmmakers initial effort.
I submitted quality audio field tracks. So, imagine my HORROR when I discovered that the young fellow (in editing his own work) had managed to put the audio on stereo tracks with just enough offset that when summed to mono all the dialog phase-cancelled into a barely intelligible MESS.

The audio in the presentation theater sounded GOD AWFUL. And there was my name as the “sound recordist” on the credit roll.

Just a reminder that there are a LOT of things that can ruin audio. Some you can’t even HEAR until you get to the final output stage. In the end, it’s the responsibility of the video maker to TEST and re-TEST as necessary – particularly in the ACTUAL playback conditions to insure that your hard-won quality is maintained.

FWIW.

“Before speaking out ask yourself whether your words are true, whether they are respectful and whether they are needed in our civil discussions.”-Justice O’Conner

[Bill Davis]

Camera = piano.

If you can play one piano, you can play ANY of them. More importantly, if you aren’t yet a highly skilled piano player, the quality of the instrument to which you sit down at is always going to be a a pretty insignificant consideration.

Every single camera mentioned in this thread is capable of making a GREAT movie – or another in the ever increasing series of home made digital movies that goes nowhere. It’s a harsh reality – but it IS reality.

Pick a camera – any camera – whatever you’re currently leaning towards – knowing that in the end, what really matters is the EXPERIENCE you gain making your movie. NOT any sort of magic that the particular device will impart. There IS no magic in devices. But smart people CAN develop magic in themselves. But only after the hardware stuff is BEHIND you and the process of creating has started.

FWIW.

“Before speaking out ask yourself whether your words are true, whether they are respectful and whether they are needed in our civil discussions.”-Justice O’Conner

[Bill Davis]

Accepted, appreciated, and happy (particularly after I’ve made so many, many mistakes in judgement in my own life that people have had to forgive and overlook) to be able to put the acrimony to rest.

Oh, and Manfrotto sells what you’re looking for under the label of “autopole” (possibly hyphenated) but I doubt that they have units that span the distance you mentioned in your prior post – which is why I never mentioned them. That’s a HUGE span for other than a fully supported TRUSS form.

“Before speaking out ask yourself whether your words are true, whether they are respectful and whether they are needed in our civil discussions.”-Justice O’Conner

[Bill Davis]

I am NOT interested in engaging in any form of escalation here, however, since these posts are permanent and indexed by Google, I do feel the need to set the public record straight.

NO, I’ve never been associated with any firm with the name Quantum, period.

YES, I was associated with Videomaker magazine some years ago. I spent 10 years there first as a general article writer and eventually Contributing Editor responsible for writing the Computer Editing column wherein I attempted to make complex editing and production concepts clear to a general video audience. I’m proud of that work.

As to FCP 1.1, MAYBE. I’ve owned and operated a FCP suite since April of 1999 – barely 2 months after the program debuted at NAB that year. So at one point, I surely worked with FCP 1.1. But I’ve grown a bit beyond that. So see my operation and work as it is today, feel free to view my business site at https://www.newvideoaz.com.

Thanks for the opportunity to set the public record straight.

“Before speaking out ask yourself whether your words are true, whether they are respectful and whether they are needed in our civil discussions.”-Justice O’Conner

[Bill Davis]

While I appreciate the outstanding Gomer Pyle impression in your post, I’m still not quite convinced that the wholesale devaluing of skills sweeping our industry isn’t at least somewhat linked to the wholesale devaluing of how we allow language to be used to describe the people in it.

But I guess I’ll get with the modern process and change my ways.

A Camera OP is anyone with a camera.
The guy who volunteers to bring the 50″ 12 guage extension cord and a pair of Halogen shop lights to the set is now officially the Gaffer.
And from this point on, a DP is anyone who’s in charge of lighting a video – which, I suppose means that if the Principal at the local grade school asks me to fiddle with the stage lights prior to this year’s performance of Chicken Little – BINGO they are now and forever a DP!

BTW, I’m in NO WAY casting any aspersions on the OP.
He’s precisely correct that unless you keep asking and keep learning you’re dead in the water in this business.

I suppose I’m just tired of showing up on sets lately and learning that the people who are supposed to know how to do things have absolutely NO CLUE how to do them – beyond what they read that very afternoon in a newsgroup like this.

And it’s not just in video. I’m seeing the SAME thing in all sorts of industries as business happily guts their staff of anyone who’s been around long enought to acquire some actual knowledge, in favor of the CHEAPEST workers they can keep around.

I suppose we’ll have to deal even MORE with this in the future, since those very organizations seem to enjoy passing out fancier and fancier titles, in lieu of actually paying people more money.

Sigh.

“Before speaking out ask yourself whether your words are true, whether they are respectful and whether they are needed in our civil discussions.”-Justice O’Conner

[Bill Davis]

Weird how the meaning of “DP” seams to have evolved.

One would have traditionally assumed that along the way from 2nd AC, to 1st AC to Operator then finally – after many, many years of dedicated practice and mastery – to DP you might have come across the knowledge to confront many of your questions.

But then, I’m just a “producer.” And everyone understands that the term has actually come to mean “related to or sleeping with someone important in the cast or executive group.”

SIGH.

“Before speaking out ask yourself whether your words are true, whether they are respectful and whether they are needed in our civil discussions.”-Justice O’Conner

[Bill Davis]

Sorry for being late getting back to this thread, but I’ve spent the past six days shooting what is likely around my 300th corporate video – including incidentally – shooting green screen keys once again with my 5DMkii.

Dave, you seem to take issue with my contention. Causing me to wonder precisely what experience YOU have with pulling keys on 5DMkii footage yourself? Have you actually DONE it, or are you relying on your technical understanding of the underlying THEORY for your contentions?

Because my experiences are NOT theoretical – they are real world practical.

5DMkii files – transcoded to ProRes 422 LT keys WORLDS better than the (admittedly difficult) keys I’ve been pulling for 10 years from 4:1:1 DV. And are generally worlds SUPERIOR to keys pulled from the BetaSP sources I used in my early career. Transcoded to ProRes 422 (Standard) the keys are substantially better. And while I haven’t needed it for my work – I have friends who regularly transcode to ProRes 444 – allow them to regularly do fine quality effects work.

I never argued that 5dMkii files were the “be all and end all” for keying. I simply argue that the excellent pixel density of these files allow for better quality keying than any solution available at a similar cost.

YMMV – and perhaps does. But I stand by my direct experiences.

“Before speaking out ask yourself whether your words are true, whether they are respectful and whether they are needed in our civil discussions.”-Justice O’Conner