[Dean Sensui]

The only caveat about editing HD content on an SD sequence is the inability to easily repurpose the program if you want it in HD later. And you’ll have to render the entire program anyway.

Simply re-scaling will result in rough-looking graphics and titles.

For what I do, which requires both HD and SD versions, I let Compressor handle the scaling.

And for any fish caught on the show, I let the fishermen handle the scaling…

Dean Sensui — Hawaii Goes Fishing

[Dean Sensui]

Here’s my setup:

I export a file as Apple ProRes 422 HQ. It’s what’s output by Color so that’s what I’m exporting.

In Compressor, here are my settings:

“DVD 16:9 SD, sharpened 90-min.” This is a slightly modified version of the “90-min best quality” setting.

— 2.0 Dolby Digital -31 dBFS, no compression
— DVD 16:9 MPEG-2, 6.2 Mbps, 2-pass. Detail 20

The frame aspect is 16:9 widescreen. Audio is passed through without any level changes.

Note that setting “detail” to 20 will dramatically increase encoding time. Do a test to see the results before committing a large project.

In DVD Studio Pro:

Click on “Outline” window.
Set the title of the main disk as desired.

In the Outline window, click on “Menu 1” icon.
— Under Menu editor in the Inspector window, set “display mode” to 16:9 Letterbox.
— Do the same for Track 1.

This will create a letterboxed version that will work with 4:3 televisions.

Dean Sensui — Hawaii Goes Fishing

[Dean Sensui]

Thanks for the warning.

I got the email, too and it looked too good to be true. So I trashed it.

Dean Sensui — Hawaii Goes Fishing

[Dean Sensui]

I turned off Autosave and developed a habit of constantly hitting “command-S” whenever I have done several steps.

In the ancient past, “Autosave” used to cause more problems than not. And I learned to constantly save as I work. And then there are backups, too.

Dean Sensui — Hawaii Goes Fishing

[Dean Sensui]

Here’s how I was thinking of doing it, but it uses After Effects: Get a handheld shot of a target on the wall. Motion-track the target in AE, then apply the motion data to the original clip.

You might be able to do something similar in FCP: Shoot a target on the wall. Placed that shot under the clip you want to animate.

With the static clip’s opacity set at 50%, carefully mimic the motion you see in the target shot below. You’ll have to make sure the motion is keyframed all the way through.

This might be a little more tedious than doing it with AE, but it’s a lot cheaper than buying the broadcast version of AE.

However, if you’re going to be doing a lot of this sort of thing, as well as green screen, roto, etc, then AE is worth the money.

Come to think of it, you might be able to do the same thing in Motion.

Dean Sensui — Hawaii Goes Fishing

[Dean Sensui]

Nic…

If you freeze frame the shot you might see the flaws, but people aren’t going to scrutinize things that closely and you can get away with some slight inaccuracies.

However, if you’re doing this effect with something that has a complex edge and it’s taking place over a longer period of time, then you’ll have to consider creating a mask and animating it as needed, and that means doing roto work.

I did one for an insurance company commercial that involved a mom and two kids that took five hours to rotoscope. It was a three-second clip. The little girl had a pony tail that flopped about as she ran.

It was the only way it could be done, other than painting the side of an entire SUV green. Then again, it might have been cheaper that way.

Dean Sensui — Hawaii Goes Fishing

[Dean Sensui]

You might want to see if you can do this in Motion.

The other tool that is particularly adept at doing this is After Effects. But even AE’s built-in roto tools are limited. A better roto tool is a plug-in for AE, called Silhouette. And Silhouette has a much more accurate motion tracker, too.

Dean Sensui — Hawaii Goes Fishing

[Dean Sensui]

This was shot with an EX1. 1920×1080 p30.

Recorded to an SxS card. EEFX.com green screen material. Two Lowel Tota Lights, two Lowel DP lights and a fan. Composited in After Effects using Primatte & Composite Wizard.

https://hawaiigoesfishing.com/greenscreen_demo.html

Dean Sensui — Hawaii Goes Fishing

[Dean Sensui]

[Chris Eller] “the EX3 does output a genlock and TC-link signal, can receivers like your rig ingest the genlock and TC-link?”

Chris… I don’t know what the TC-link signal is like. But if it’s an audio signal then it’s possible to lay it down on one of the four tracks on the R-44. Of course you do end up sacrificing one of the audio tracks.

It’s also possible to link up a pair of R-44 recorders to provide up to 8 tracks. A bit more cumbersome but certainly workable.

Dean Sensui — Hawaii Goes Fishing

[Dean Sensui]

Can’t be the GPS. It relies on being able to pick up very weak signals, and can’t afford to spew any RF of its own.

If you’re experiencing strange interference on long stretches of desolate road, beware of UFO abductions.

Was the shotgun connected to the wireless transmitter, or was it hardwired into the camera? Seems like you’re experiencing way too many problems, and it’s more than just a wireless issue.

And, yes, certain cell phones can be a serious problem. Some producers will insist that all cell phones be turned off, not just set on silent. I was at a bar where the performer’s PA system was picking up interference from a Nokia phone. It’s a wonder the FCC approves such devices.

Dean Sensui — Hawaii Goes Fishing