[Dean Sensui]

Sometimes no matter what you do, doing simulated moves on still images may not look all that great when done with FCP. Same goes for scaling video. Even with rendering set for “best quality” it may not look as good as it should.

I’ve since resorted to doing these things in After Effects.

Regarding image size, you’ll need to size each image so that your pixel representation ends up at 1:1 if you’re zooming in.

For example, if you’re starting off with a wide view, then slowly zooming in to show just half the image, then you’ll need to start off with a JPEG or TIFF that’s 1440 pixels wide in order to end up showing just half the image with a video framing that’s 720 pixels across.

Exact resolution doesn’t matter: 72, 100 or 300 pixels/inch is irrelevant in video. It only matters in print publishing and the web. What counts is the total number of pixels in an image, and a standard definition TV screen is 720 pixels across.

So if you’re scanning a bunch of pictures, keep an eye on the final pixel dimensions of the image and ignore the inch count. Most scanning software should provide this info and can sometimes even be set to display it by default.

Regarding AE with FCP, I’ll lay everything out in FCP, then use Automatic Duck to move it all into AE. Only the portions with the DVE’s are rendered out and added back to the FCP sequence (I keep the original files in place for future reference but position the rendered movie over the top of it all).

Automatic Duck isn’t cheap but it saved me from a lot of anguish when I had to rescue a project earlier this year.

Dean Sensui — Imagination Media Hawaii

[Dean Sensui]

The hard drive system definitely should be upgraded to SATA or better. Firmtek has a 4-channel hot-swap SATA system that should work nicely. There are others out there, including one from G-RAID that is supposed to be formatted in such a way as to maintain throughput even when it gets close to capacity.

The other concern is I believe HDV requires more computing power to display than a codec such as DVCProHD. That might be another contributing factor.

As for multiple streams, I recall seeing four streams of DVCProHD being played back simultaneously when FCP HD was first announced at the NAB in 2004. And three of those streams had been scaled down to half-size and overlaid on the fourth stream.

Dean Sensui — Imagination Media Hawaii

[Dean Sensui]

I’m using a pair of SATA hard drives configured into a mirrored RAID 1. In case one drive dies, the other maintains the integrity of the data.

Cost is about $1.20 per gigabyte, or about $1.20 a minute. On par with Varicam tape but the retrieval is a lot faster.

The drive pairs are also removable, so the storage capacity is actually limited only by budget, not by anything technical.

The system is sold by Firmtek: https://firmtek.com/seritek/

My concern now is finding a good cataloging system that will help me retrive specific clips.

Dean Sensui — Imagination Media Hawaii

[Dean Sensui]

I log and capture the entire tape at once. Along the way I’ll check to see if it’s running properly.

After that, I’ll spend hours cutting it up into individual clips and logging the shots. Not unlike clipping film and tagging takes.

So either way, you’re going to spend time at it.

The only way to shorten the process is to learn to type faster. 🙂

I do it this way mostly because it reduces wear and tear on the tape. It gets captured in one continuous pass. Then all the back-and-forth shuttling is done in the NLE which is designed for that sort of abuse.

Dean Sensui — Imagination Media Hawaii

[Dean Sensui]

I use a CAVision shoulder mount.

By having the camera mounted on a longer support, and having it resting on the shoulder, it substantially reduces pitch and yaw motions, thus making the shots a lot steadier.

Dean Sensui — Imagination Media Hawaii

[Dean Sensui]

Chris has it correct.

The DSR-20 is recording the signal correctly via Firewire.

The problem is that the analog outputs aren’t applying the proper setup of 7.5 IRE to ensure the correct display on a US NTSC monitor.

And there’s no way to fix that on that particular deck… which is what I also use. So I feel your pain… 🙂

I wonder if there’s some sort of relatively inexpensive module that can attach to the back of the DSR-20 that will provide that setup, or if a technician can make an adjustment to the output circuts to get this to work right?

Dean Sensui — Imagination Media Hawaii

[Dean Sensui]

If you need long, uninterrupted record times, then it’s the Firestore. It also gives you the most capacity per dollar. You also get a longer record-ahead buffer with a Firestore. 7 seconds of HD, compared to the built-in record-ahead buffer of the HVX-200 which will give you only 3 seconds.

The downside of the Firestore is susceptability to vibration. I had it fail on me during an aerial shoot, and I had no idea of how bad it was until after we got back on the ground. Fortunately it was acting up during the flight, and I started shooting on a P2 card as backup.

It also takes 20 seconds to power-up the Firestore. You can’t shut it down to conserve battery power if you’re dealing with a situation where things can happen at a moment’s notice. Whereas an HVX with a P2 card will get going in a few seconds. Fortunately the large Firestore battery will power it for five hours. Get two batteries and it’ll probably outlast the shooter 🙂

With the Firestore I’m constantly concerned about the Firewire connection and whether the camera is actually recording to the device. I’ve had a number of occasions where I either couldn’t get it to stop recording or get it to start. The quick fix was to power down the HVX and power it back up.

If you can deal with card swaps but need to keep things compact and reliable, then it’s the P2 card. P2 cards don’t require extra power, unless you’re using a P2 Store. The P2 Store shares the same battery as the HVX-200 and will power itself down when not in use. But you’ll have to be able to keep track of whether a card has been downloaded and if it’s ready to be re-formatted and re-used.

And, of course, there’s the cost of P2 cards along with the P2 Store.

Two other concerns I encountered with the Firestore:

— It emits substantial RF noise that gets picked up by my ATW-101 wireless system if I have all the units assembled as a compact bundle. If I’m running wireless systems along with the Firestore, then either the Firestore or the wireless receivers have to be mounted on my belt, with the other unit on the camera. Not the best configuration for run-and-gun.

— If shooting in weather, it has to be protected but without obstructing the vents or access to the controls. With the Firestore on the back of a shoulder mount, I covered it loosely with a large Ziplock bag and was able to shoot in the rain without any problems.

Dean Sensui — Imagination Media Hawaii

[Dean Sensui]

Sounds like you hadn’t organized your captured clips before creating the multicamera clip. You somehow mixed cameras within each angle.

And apparently your cameramen stopped shooting occasionally during the job. You’ll have to resolve this problem before creating the multicam clip.

For future reference, when doing a multicam job, the shooters need to keep the cameras rolling until the event ends or until they run out of tape. And tape changes should be staggered so all the cameras won’t lose coverage simultaneously.

Dean Sensui — Imagination Media Hawaii

[Dean Sensui]

Here’s how I do it. This is my standard checklist for users asking how it’s done:

— Select clips for each camera angle.
— Find “slate” points and cut the clips there.
— Move clips to a bin.
— Highlight clips.
— Go to Modify dropdown menu and select Make Multiclip
— Select “Sync using in points”.
— Check “on” all clips.

Your multiclip will then be created and can be found in the bin.

Drag this multiclip into a sequence.

— In Viewer: Show Multiclip Overlays; Show Source Angle Effects should both be “on.”
— Go to View dropdown menu — Playhead sync — Open
— Go to View dropdown menu — Multiclip Active Tracks — Video + Audio
— Go to View dropdown menu — External Video — All frames (not sure if this is essential)

When you click on your sequence and hit the space bar, you should see all camera angles in the viewer playing simultaneously and the “program” or selected camera angle should be playing in the canvas as well.

To select a camera, just click on the angle in the viewer.

At the end your multiclip will be cut into their respective camera angles. You can go back and fine tune the cuts, too.

Dean Sensui — Imagination Media Hawaii

[Dean Sensui]

I create a specific folder for each “No Name” volume and drop it in there.

The folder’s name usually consists of a one-word “slug” to ID the project, followed by an 8-digit date (year month day) and a letter to signify the sequence (a, b, c, etc).

Dean Sensui — http://www.HawaiiGoesFishing.com