[John Sharaf]

Hi Ty,

There is both practical and creative benefits from the adjustable shutter speed settings in modern video cameras,

The first is to imitate either the temporal characteristics of film or video, depending on your creative intention. For example, at 24p the shutter in off position would be 1/24th of a second which creates a very blurry pictures.

Film cameras nominally set their shutters at 180 degrees (allowing half the time for exposure ans half the time for viewing as the mirror.shutter spins). This effectively makes the shutter speed 1/48th.

The same is true for 30p, which is a very common frame rate for the internet and other compressed playback. Here it’s important to remember to turn the shutter on again to 180 degrees (effectively 1/60th of a second) for proper temporal motion.

Only at 60i should you leave the shutter off; as this is the nominal setting from video cameras before variable shutters. Because the camera is making 60 “half frames” per second the effective shutter speed is 1/60.

In addition one can “skinny up” the shutter for what’s often referred to as the “Private Ryan” effect. This creates a “staccato” motion as was used to great effect on the Spielberg movie during the battle scenes. If this is your intention you should test to determine exactly how much skinny you want; 1/125, 1/150 ???

Another use of the “variable” shutter is to eliminate rolling when photographing a computer CRT display. Adjust the speed slowly while watching through the VF or on your own display through the camera until the rolling stops. It not always possible, especially if shooting at 720/60p because the slowest shutter speed is 1/60.

Hope this helps!

JS

[John Sharaf]

Hi Garth,

Do you intend to grow pot or vegetables on your two stages? If so Metal Halide is an excellent choice. If however you want to do photography I’d suggest there are much better technologies.

As you can see from the chart below (thank you Wikipedia):

Standard “Hylux” Color Corrected
Metal Halide Metal Halide White HPS
4000K 5500K 2300K
CRI – 65 CRI – 90 CRI – 90
White is White is White is
White Bluish-green Yellow

The so called “color corrected” metal halide lights at best burn at 2300K, so that if you were to use proper tungsten movie lights to light the foreground, the backgrounds would be either ye;;or (for the white set) or warm green for the chroma set; neither of which is a pleasing situation.

If you’re thinking of lighting the foreground and the background with metal halide, you’ll find yourself in the realm of having to jury rig or manufacture your own lighting instruments, which will most certainly be inferior to commercially available units.

I can only surmise that your intention in this thought process is to save money, but you must consider that whatever professional lighting equipment you rent, lease or purchase will be amortized over time by the budgets of the projects you produce. Lighting equipment, especially the sort that never leaves the studio can last for decades.

The considerations you must make therefore are; efficiency (low power consumption, as the electric bill can be higher than the cost of the lights), long globe life, cool burning (to minimize heat that would make your talent sweat and require expensive air conditioning) and units that are designed for the purpose you intend (flood, wash, keylight, backlight, etc).

Right now we are in the midst of the LED Renaissance where there are now many choices from diverse manufacturers. The things to consider are “high CRI”, lamp design and price. My favorite units these days are those made by CINEO, namely their “TruColors” which have a unique design whereby the color correction to the LED’s is made by a “transfer panel” in front of the light. This way the color doesn’t change over time or even during an extended shoot as many other LED lights do that have the correction painted on the globe.

I would also recommend Kino Flo, especially to light the background walls, as these units are cool, cheap to run and the globes last a long time. They are typically used in this situation.

Another good choice is the Mole Richardson Space Lights.

Going full circle, your selection will undoubtedly be determined by cost, so you have to determine that intelligently; don’t just pull a number out of the thin air. Figure how many lights you’ll need in various scenarios and go from there.

If you need help, the best idea is to hire a Lighting Director or Gaffer for a consultation. who’s familiar with these types of sets and let them plot the grid. They’ll likely do this for very little money (a half day’s pay?) or sometimes the lighting sales vendor might offer to do this if you can convince them you’re for real.

I’m sure other will chime in with similar suggestions, so good luck with your project!

JS

[John Sharaf]

HI Todd,

Apples and Oranges; the Red Rock is a Laser, so it’s visible and potentially injurious (also 10x the price of a simple laser measure). The Cine Tape allows real time use as the subject or camera moves during the shot.

As with all specialized movie kit, it’s priced commensurately, but always seems with the cost when the “impossible” shot is made and in focus!

The economics of it are that the top camera assistants can both rent to the show and/or just use it to do their job much better. It’s a finicky device and best used by an owner operator who’s familiar with it’s quirks and has also the special widgets to mount it properly.

Frankly, the AC’s I know who own these units are generally the best in the business!

JS

[John Sharaf]

Todd,

I think the #2 is the other part of the Cine Tape, the readout. It’s available now in both wired and wireless versions.

JS

[John Sharaf]

Hi Filip,

You’re probably wondering about the “Cine-Tape” which is an ultrasonic device to measure distances for focus.

Here’s the link to the manufacturer’s website with complete information:

https://www.cinemaelec.com/products/cinetapemeasure.php

JS

[John Sharaf]

Hi Rich,

The look of these spots (and all moving images in general) is established with the lighting and art direction and them embellished in post.

The technology included in the newest Digital Cinema Cameras and the now ubiquitous Color Correction platforms accessible to all budgets definitely enables more sophisticated manipulations than in the past.

In the examples you offer, the look really starts with the design of the set (allowing soft overhead lighting) and the color palette of the wardrobe, walls and furnishings. None of this comes cheaply or without extensive pre-visualization and planning; such is the nature of making high end commercials.

Most likely you’re looking at images created on an Arri Alexa camera which is known for it’s “organic” and not overly enhanced look and then “processed” in CC making use of “power windows”, especially on the faces.

JS

[John Sharaf]

Same for “Auto Knee”, sometimes it can make picture look like exposure change without iris moving. Set to “Manual” in menu.

JS

[John Sharaf]

Hi Roger,

That’s the best question to ask!

I’ve always set my ONE zebra setting to 100, so I know what’s about to go into clip (which is usually 105 or 109).

Some folks prefer to use 70 as that’s always been considered the proper exposure for skin tone in a key light.

For me the dual setting is too confusing to be effective in the heat of battle.

Do a little experimenting and decide what’s best for you.

The only potential issue with all of this is if someone else uses your camera and set’s the Zebra elsewhere. Not sure about your EX1/3 but some cameras allow a VF indication of where the Zebra is set too. This is a helpful feature.

Good luck,

JS

[John Sharaf]

HI Alan,

Giving the subject a “haircut” has always been my preference too for the closeup. It is a matter of taste, and obviously if the client wants “air” then give it to them; remember “the client’s always right”.

In the example you show of the bald gentlemen, the “haircut” is always more appropriate, as it minimizes the shiny dome which would otherwise draw attention from the expressive face, and furthermore makes the subject much more handsome (or beautiful in the case of a bald woman).

In terms of matching a wider and tighter shot, the convention is to have the eyes in the same spot on both frames, as presumably that is what the viewer is fixed on and will carry the cut most seamlessly. The reality in doing this is that (depending on how tight the closeup is) it often forces a “haircut” to do so.

Tell your complaining client(s) to look at high priced and high quality commercials, where the close ups are almost always with haircuts as opposed to the talking head local news shows, and they’ll see that the haircut closeup is the best way to go.

JS

[John Sharaf]

Hi Ralph,

Last time I shot in China was before the internet (that dates me!)

Anyway, my guess is that it will next to impossible to do what you’re asking. Especially to find high speed connections that do not have controlled access.

If you really must send back “news” footage, I recommend you talk with your local network affiliates to whom you’ll be sending the footage for assistance. They could coordinate with the network bureaus in Bejing and find out how they “ship” footage. My guess is they do it through the government broadcaster.

Failing that, here a link to “Global Vision” who advertises Satellite and Fiber transmission:

https://www.gvn.cc/index.php

Good luck!

JS