John Sharaf
Forum Replies Created
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Avenger,
The Varicam is called that because of its ability to shoot variable frame rates. Those supported are 4-60 fps. The recorder actually always records 60 distinct frames per second but the camera, under menu speed control determines what is actually recorded, and makes “flag” frame metadata that is recorded in the user bit to control the postproduction interpolation which is done either in the hardware FRC or in software in FCP.
For slo-motion for example either version of the FRC (hardware or software) will take your instruction and convert the 60 fps to eith 24 or 30 fps, effectively making 2x or 2.5x slomotion. This interpolated result would need to be recorded on tape (in the hardware version) or stored as a seperate master clip (in FCP) for inclusion in your final project.
JS
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Phil,
Sure, in addition stage the action with distant background, use as long a lens as possible (telephoto) and as open an iris as possible (F1.8-2.8) through the use of the internal filters (D4) and add’l ND and/or Pola filters as necessary.
JS
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Phil,
I don’t think you’re following my logic; I’m saying “leave the shutter off”. This way you’ll have the most “blurred” frames as possible; which could alternately be described as “creamy and soft”, although I wouldn’t use these words to describe the effect of shutter speed, but rather the effect of detail, selective focus and filtration.
JS
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Avenger,
The best advice as always is to try to keep things simple! In this case the simplest solution is to do all the photography in one format, with one camera. The workaround you describe seems ill-conceived at best! The Cineframe shots will never look like the 24 progressive on the Varicam, and I fear the various conversions you describe will do nothing but deteriorate the image even further and introduce artifacts.
If you can’t afford the Varicam, use the Sony for everything; as you say this is a student project and presumably you will have many more opportunities in the future to use the Varicam, and maybe even a 35mm camera on other projects. Visual consistancy and continuity are very important in making the technique transparent and subservient to the story and performance.
On the other hand, if it’s merely a matter of renting the Varicam for a second weekend (one day rate), maybe you can somehow swing the extra dough to do so; it’s a finite amount of money and not that much at that. Another alternative is to try to find a local owner/operator who would be interested in helping you out (more of a longshot), but creativity in this aspect of production is often as important as creativity in writing the script, directing the talent and in editing the final piece. Making a film requires a combination of difficult tasks that often are invisible in the outcome.
Good luck!
JS
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Phil,
I go with the recommendation of the rental house; shutter off gives you the widest shutter possible, and therefore the most blurr 9and less jutter) at the frame rate you choose. For example if you use the maximum slo-mo speed of 60 fps, the shutter speed (in off position) will be 1/60th of a second. If you use the 180 degree shutter on it will be 1/12oth of a second and so forth.
For the shot you describe I’d say shoot several versions, as you will not be able to visualize the results on location unless you also rent a FRC or bring a FCP machine. They would be 36, 48 and 60 fps.
Be carefull of including strong vertical lines in your panning shots, perhaps favor a blocking the has your actress running towards the camera.
JS
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Robert,
On-camera lights are often a necessary evil; that is that the light coming from the direction of the camera is as un-elegant as possible, with little character or modeling, yet sometimes it;s the only way to provide illumination in a flowing, dynamic scene.
There are many types of on-camera lights, but the best is characterized by being as large, soft and controlable as possible. My current favorite is the “Lite Panel” which is a daylight balanced LCD lite that has precut color correction gels and a dimmer control. Granted it’s expensive (about $1000) but it comes with a self-contained battery and will probably last you through several future generations of camcorders.
The AB Ultralite is a well accepted on-board light and can be enhanced with the Chimera accessory that makes it quite soft and useful, and AB even offers an HMI source that attaches to the Ultralite base to accomodate the often required daylight balanced supplemental lighting.
I’d shy away from anything Smith Victor for any rugged use or long term life, its cheap price probably accompanies its limited usefulness.
Whatever light you decide on, look at the Isreali Arm mount as a way to get the unit further away from the lens to enable some modeling or directionality to the light source.
JS
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Alt,
Threre is no upgrade path short of selling your old “F” and buying a new “H”. I have not seen any glut of used Varicams on the market!
As far as differences, please search recent postings on this forum and you’ll find one of mine that ennunciates most of the changes.
JS
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Jay,
That’s right; the VTR menus are only accessable at the camera head, not from the ECU. The settings made on these menys rmain with the camera and do not change with the various File written and read from the memory card.
JS
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Kevin,
It definately is a fatal flaw in the Dark Compression feature that it resets to “off” when you pwer-down. As you know this creates a sitiuation where you must remember, and have time to reset it on power-up or else you’ll have Dark Compression continuity issues. I don’t have any great faith that this will ever be corrected, as there are other software issues just as pressing that were ignored in the one and only software upgrade so far, and the persistant rumours of new models abound.
There is however good reasons to use it and/or not to use it. If your scenes contain many highlights such as day exteriors as opposed to dark scenes, you do not want the Dark Compression on, you want to avail yourself of the full range of compression in the highlight areas.
JS
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Ramona,
That’s very true; in fact it turns out that the only way so far to attach a CCU to the Infinity is by Ethernet, so it is not ideally positioned to be a “systems” camera in a multi-camera environment where one would want to use a Telecast or Evertz Fiber system; I doubt that Cat. 5 cable is robust enough for the television production environment that I am familiar with. I’ve already pointed this out to the powers-that-be at GVG and hope that “conventional” camera control will be added, at least in the “enhanced” version that will also include 24p which presumably will follow.
The announcement of this camera, with its elegent storage solution, really throws a monkey wrench into the current HD camera market; it makes anyone who is considering buying any HD camcorder pause to think. Furthermore it almost certainly renders the P2 Varicam dead in the water (by virtue of the cost of the P2 media) and casts serious doubts on the HDX’s potential longevity when it finally arrives. In addition it threatens the HD-XDCAM acceptibility by virtue of its 2/3″ imager vs. 1/2″ imager (at a similar or lesser price pont)and the propriatary nature of the Sony storage.
Understand that all this happens because Thomson has shown a balsa wood mockup and put forward a “plan” on a projected timetable; no one really knows if the Iomege REV-PRO and JPEG2000 are going to even work, and finally editing solutions remain to be seen. But I too find the concept very interesting, and I’m certain my network clients will also!
JS