[John Sharaf]

Doing a proper job as a video cinematographer requires some understanding of electricity and it’s use in practical locations.

First off, you must know how many watts (volts x amps) your light use and the total current required with the intended kit.

Working in a hotel, it’s often a good idea to interface with the staff electrician and have him show you where the fuse box is and have him determine how many circuits and of what capacity will be available. In conference rooms and ballrooms they can often provide additional circuits on a temporary basis, but not usually in regular rooms and suites, but it is safe to say that even the smallest hotel room will have two circuits, one in the room itself and the other in the bathroom, of at least 15 amps each.

The use of practical locations and available power is one of the main reasons that small HMI’s (200 and 400 watts)and Kino Flo fluorescent fixtures have become so popular and the quartz lights, like the Lowell kit you mention are so out of favor.

JS

[John Sharaf]

TC is definitely embedded in the HD-SDI signal, as it is in the Firewire, but your FCP must be set to understand it. It believe your issue is a FCP setting.

JS

[John Sharaf]

You’re referring to HDX900, which is a world camera like the Varicam; the question is about the SDX900 which apparently is not. There are two different models, one for NTSC the other for PAL!

JS

[John Sharaf]

Phil,

While I’m not really an expert on the SDX900, from a quick perusal of the operation manual it does not appear that it is a “universal” camera, like the Varicam and that there are distinct NTSC and PAL versions.

In the Varicam you simply set the Systems Frequency to “60” (from the default of 59.94) and the frame rate to 25fps or 50fps to shoot PAL standard. The 1200A/1400 decks interpret the frame rate (over 60 frames) to output the proper PAL picture.

I’d say your American clients as out of luck in getting a 24p tape from your camera. Their best bet would have been to bring a NTSC camera with them or try to find one in Europe. Just as there are PAL cameras in the states, perhaps some rental houses across the pond carry such an item to accommodate traveling US crews, I don’t know.

The only solution at this point would be to shoot at 25fps and do a standards conversion upon their return; based on the amount of footage it might have been more economical for them to bring their own camera body, but that would have required a little forethought!

[John Sharaf]

Wade,

The Varicam (F and H models) are “Worldcams” meaning they can produce masters in both PAL and NTSC formats (really meaning that the master can be downconverted for NTSC).

This is accomplished by the “System Frequency” setting on page 4 of the camera’s menu. In the 59.94 setting (for USA) the frame rates are divided by 1001, meaning that when you set at 24fps, you’re really getting 23.97. The other setting is “60” which means the recorder is operating at the “full frame rates” such that 24fps means exactly that or 25fps is exactly that.

The Panasonic decks can interpret there speeds to create PAL downconvert for PAL countries and NTSC downconvert for the US and other 60hz countries.

JS

[John Sharaf]

Sailor,

There are settings on both the deck and FCP which could be screwing you up. First off, make sure the deck is outputting HD through the firewire and not DVCPRO50 or 25. Then confirm your capture settings in FCP to be 720p/23.97 Varicam. While this should work, I have to admit that I too often have trouble with firewire capture and almost always resort to HD-SDI capture through my Kona card. Kona is a relatively inexpensive device which provides all the professional ins and outs, conversions and HD-SDI monitoring that really expands the basic FCP into a highly capable editing suite. I highly recommend it, or one of AJA’s comparable products (HD iO) and it should easily be amortized on a feature film type project.

JS

[John Sharaf]

Overseas travel with professional video equipment, especially to two or more countries almost always requires acquiring a “CARNET” which is a document which proves the origin of the equipment and demonstrates that it has been re imported to the country of origin. The processing of the Carnet required proof of insurance and often a bond to compel compliance (in lieu of established credit rating such as a D&B). No doubt, getting a Carnet can add cost and complexity to your travel plans, but so can the impounding of the equipment when you attempt to enter or leave a foreign country.

Search “Carnet” on google and you’ll find out a lot more. The first specific would be whether the two countries you intend to visit are party to the international agreement. If not, then the alternative is to establish a relationship with a customs broker who is familiar with import and export from the countries concerned.

JS

[John Sharaf]

Short of finding a suitable repair facility where you live ( a Mathews dealer or large lighting/grip rental house) you might try calling Mathews for some guidance on how to do the repair yourself. It’s not “rocket surgery”

JS

[John Sharaf]

No. No sync necessary for digitizing. I’m talking about the cameras needing genlock (trilevel hi def sync) in order for the code to be locked; in other words for the cadence to be locked.

JS

[John Sharaf]

Yes, just as I suspected, no trilevel sync connection! What this really means is that your EDL must contain the discreet TC from the picture that accompanies it. No problem, unless of course you’re cutting to a common sound track with the code of one and not the other camera. Of course at worst you’ll be a frame off on the second “b-roll” camera.

My advice is to proceed normally and carefully observe the result of the online and adjust the one frame discrepancy if it’s noticeable, which again, is unlikely.

JS