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[Michael Black FCP] “The tape has numerous timecode breaks and, unfortunately, dubbing to another tape isn’t really an option.”

I suggest you DO dub it.

All it takes is ANY two DV camcorders and a FW cable.

A home video DV camcorder will work perfectly for this purpose and the quality of the copy will not degrade at all.

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No need to make the blacks you want to appear ON-SCREEN higher than 10-15% above “zero”.

Since the linear keyer will be DROPPING OUT the “zero blacks” they will not be broadcast.

That way, the keyer will be able to easily “see the difference” between your +10% (or so) blacks and the “zero black” of the key-out background.

The 10% (or so) “blacks” that will be seen in your graphic should look just fine on the air.

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AND!!!

Wear GOOD over-the-ear HEADPHONES 100% of the time that you are shooting usable audio.

You can immediately fix a problem and re-shoot on-the-spot if you HEAR the problems as you go.

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The material that the costumes are made of can affect the rustling noise.
You’ll need to do some tests under actual conditions.

Be prepared to make some adjustments to mic placement on the actor.
I’ve found that the mic placed near the actor’s neck (where the shoulder meets the neck) but NOT his THROAT (that can make the audio UNINTELLIGIBLE) is a good position.

Is the camcorder going to be HAND-HELD?

If its on a tripod you don’t NEED to mount the receiver(s) ON the camera.

I’ve Gaffer-taped them to the tripod… or to a standard mic floor-stand or C-stand positioned near the camera.

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If its all on a single TAPE, you can’t use any “alpha channels”.

It its pretty easy to work-around.

Just make SURE to NOT USE any fully black colors in the graphics.

Keep everything that you “call” black (the darkest areas of the grphic) at about 10-12% above true “black”.

Then make sure you make any area that is supposed to “disappear” at “ZERO black” (NTSC video “calls” black in the video at 7.5% above “ZERO black” or “Super black.” Then the switcher will be able to easily adjust the zero blacks to key out leaving the rest of the graphic on-screen.

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Well then, “wavy lines” does not tell us enough about the problem.

It seems unlikely that two camcorders would develop the same problem or condition independently at the same time.

I think you still need further consultation a qualified tech at YOUR end.

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[FBTony] “What are the best setting for the for this?”

There is no “best setting” for every situation.

It all depends on the microphone you have connected to the transmitter, the placement of the mic, the loudness of the voice, and the input sensitivity of the camcorder.

Its adjustable so YOU can make the correct decision at the time of the recording (and it will not always be the same at every shoot).

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[FBTony] “sennheiser-input 1
onboard mic-input 2

INPUT 1
Rec CH-CH1
Input level-line
+48v-off

INPUT 2
Input level-mic
+48-on

Is this right?”

It is right, if the Sennheiser has a line-level output, otherwise it should be feeding a mic-level input (still no need for +48v).

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Uncooperative “stage lighting” has been a problem for shooters since… forever.

If the shooter(s) didn’t make WB adjustments (as much as possible) during the event, an “all red” lighting situation is about as BAD a condition as can occur.

The “detail” (resolution) in a video camera is mostly contained in the GREEN “channel”.

Since “all-red” lighting means an almost total ABSENCE of green… you’re going to have diffuculty extracting any kind of usable image (details) out of the footage.

A learning experience for all.

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If all of the clips of audio you want to adjust are all together on the timeline, just select them all first, then, while they are highlighted, make the audio change.

If they are NOT all together, but scattered throughout the timeline, select each one separately and drag each one down (hold the “shift key” as you do so they won’t SLIP sideways) to a single new audio track that you create for this purpose. Then, on that new audio track, select all of those clips at once, and while they are highlighted, make the audio change.