[Bob Cole]

Appreciate the feedback. I’ll be checking out all of these suggestions.

— Bob C

[Bob Cole]

I looked at the sample video. The key seems quite harsh, especially for an elderly person. You’d be much better off following the advice of John Sharaf. If you can’t get enough equipment to light two people, film them one at a time, which is more manageable for the camera anyway.

Just because you own a vidled doesn’t mean you use it. I went to a shoot once with a very talented cinematographer, who had a truck load of equipment. He took one look at the setting (with a nice big window), pulled out a reflector, and shot an absolutely gorgeous interview with window light.

Another technique for soft light when you don’t have access to Chimeras/Kinos is a shower curtain — position any powerful light behind it and blast away. Home Depot lights?

— Bob C

[Bob Cole]

My objective is to put my music library on a portable hard drive, so I can take it with me for portable editing with FCP.

As I stated in the first post, iTunes tends to create a sub-folder inside the main folder (I think this is because I specified that iTunes organize cuts by Artist, which I can stop doing). I can move those files back to the main folder, and delete the sub-folder. But here’s the kicker: when I play a cut in iTunes, iTunes immediately re-creates the sub-folder, and the cut that I play in iTunes gets moved right back into that sub-folder.

Since my whole plan is to make a nice, easily-accessible music library on-line, I don’t want a hodge-podge of folders, and I especially don’t want iTunes to start moving files around when they are going to be used in FCP.

It appears that I’m stuck with whatever iTunes does initially. Or is there some way to erase the iTunes database and force iTunes to make a new catalog, based on the file structure that I want?

[Bob Cole]

[Shane Ross] “The only issue with that is that FCP won’t organize the music or SFX on the FINDER level…that is something that someone would have to manually do.”

Could you explain what you mean by that? Do you mean, moving files into different folders?

I like BF’s idea of a FCP project too. The only problem: what if three years from now, I want or need to use another NLE?

While I’m fantasizing about the program I’d like: Let it have a robust, searchable database, which would run on Win or Mac. It should analyze and report the bpm of each track. It should be “light” enough to run on a Mac Mini or a small laptop.

Anybody use Filemaker Pro for this sort of thing?

[Bob Cole]

Thanks Shane. I bought your DVD, just haven’t sat down to go through it yet….

But about my other question: Is it possible to automatically index this massive collection of files in a database? And customize it? I would like to have a way to very quickly put my own comments on a database. For example, I’d like to be able to listen to a cut, and then write “NG” and “****” and “used this in the ABC Corp 2007 video.” And then, I’d like to be able to search and retrieve a given cut — for example, type in “ABC Corp” and come up with the above-referenced file. Or, search for all the top-ranked, “****” cuts.

[Bob Cole]

How about larger monitors to replace the two you have?

[Bob Cole]

Haven’t tested this, but I would think a bare bulb without reflector would waste a lot of its output when using it as an interview key. I like putting my old Lowel Tota-lights or D-lights in Chimeras.

I thought the best app. for Chimera’s bare bulb fixture was in a lantern.

But the price is right!

— Bob C

[Bob Cole]

[Noah Kadner] ”
Recommend a Fujinon or Canon HD lens- spend a lot for a good lens”

Very interesting discussion everybody. I was under the wrong impression. I thought that the “cheap” glass, which has CAC, was to correct an imaging weakness in the 500 itself.

I assume that the way to “decode” the lens manufacturers’ websites is to look for an EFP lens?

Has anybody used the Canon HJ11ex4.7B? The wide angle sounds very useful.

— Bob C

[Bob Cole]

[G.A. Kokes] “the HPX500 is at its best when using a “true” HD lens.”

Several of you report that one should get an HD lens. Acc. to Pana’s literature, there are special HD lenses for this camera which compensate for some imaging problems.

Are those the lenses you are referring to? Which exact lens do you folks use and recommend?

— Bob C

[Bob Cole]

[Rick Dolishny] “Chroma key is really bad, worse perhaps than HDV, but most vis is coming in really nice.”

Rick, poor keying is a deal-breaker, right? When you need it, you need it.

— Bob C