Leo Ticheli
Forum Replies Created
-
There are any number of reasons your pictures are green, not the least of which could be a lot of green reflected light from trees and grass.
The most likely cause, however, is that your settings are producing the green. You can’t just go into the VariCam menus on location and start manipulating things without suffering the consequences.
There is NO substitute for proper setup with charts and scopes and a qualified tech.
If you absolutely must shoot without a proper setup, it’s probably best to use the factory defaults and trust the colorist to bail you out in post.
Good shooting!
Leo
-
The cameras are totally different.
Other than some general operator skills, I don’t think experience with the 200 will help at all with setting up the VariCam.
I urge you to go to the rental house or an owner/operator and spend all the time you can with the camera before the shoot.
Even if you do this, you should consider having the camera set up by someone skilled for the shooting you will be doing and don’t touch anything on the shoot! If you play with the setting on the shoot, it’s very possible to get into a great deal of trouble with the VariCam or any camera with so many user-defined parameters.
Of course having a skilled VariCam assistant on the shoot is a great idea, but leaving the camera setting alone is the next best thing. Getting a good rich “negative” will allow you some latitude in post.
Good shooting!
Leo
-
Under no circumstances is it possible to improve image quality by adding a duplication in the chain. The best you can hope for is a clone, an exact digital match, so just go directly from your 1700 to your edit system.
I don’t know if the Teranex can ameliorate your noise problem. Perhaps a high-end color grading system could help; you should go to a facility that has one and let them have a crack at it.
Why are you planning to cross convert to 1080i? I suspect your material will look much better in progressive. Just do your edit in 24p.
At the risk of sounding unsympathetic, which I certainly am not, the VariCam was not a new product a year and a half ago and there were plenty of qualified assistants and operators out there. I’m sure you know your biggest mistake was in not testing all the way through the production/post production chain. You can take some small comfort in knowing that you’re not alone.
Sorry I can’t offer a silver bullet solution.
Good shooting!
Leo
-
Thank you, Tim, for your terrific post.
Personally, I find it shockingly ignorant, if not insulting, when people suggest that you can create great cinematography simply by purchasing a more capable camera or modern film stock.
Artists can make beautiful films with virtually any camera; higher quality cameras or film stocks may well help, but it really depends on what look is best to tell the story. I think of the contrasting styles in “Bringing out the dead,” which is deliberately gritty and blown out, and the lush majesty of “Geisha.”
There is no substitute for talent and skill.
Good shooting!
Leo
-
VariCam is 720p only, although any of the Panasonic HD decks can output 1080.
Good shooting!
Leo
-
The “Professional Look” that virgilxavier asked about is certainly not attributable to any technological achievement.
The, “professional look,” is the bringing to bear many disciplines and the skills of artists. It’s all about talent; if you want to know how it’s done, just study the credits on a film.
The production designers, cinematographers, set designers, wardrobe designers, and many others all working in harmony under the direction of a talented director create the, “professional look.”
Good shooting!
Leo
-
Hi Elliott!
Time-lapse with the VariCam is a piece of cake.
The minimum duration for each shot is 10 frames, but you can easily and quickly drop as many as you like in post.
The menu is pretty self-explanatory; just do a simple test and you’ll be confident to do it for real.
Good shooting!
Leo
-
I’m not a camera engineer, but my immediate thought is that you have a corrupted data card which then corrupted the settings in the camera.
I would try restoring all the factory defaults and then manually put in your own settings. Destroy the old data card and write your settings to a new one.
This certainly can’t hurt and just might fix the problem. If not, you really need to send it in.
Without doubt I would call Panasonic and report the problem; they may have some history on it or be able to advise you.
Good luck!
Leo
-
Today’s video cameras handle highlight areas much better than earlier models, and higher-end cameras typically do a much better job of it.
If you are stuck with a camera that doesn’t handle the highlights well, you need to very carefully light and block the scene. Well, actually, you need to do that with any camera, even film!
I can’t say the grey lab coats will work out well; while the parts going into clip will indeed be white, the areas in the shadows may look decidedly grey. It’s an easy test and you’ll have to make the call. There is the danger that the grey coats might read as dingy.
Even when shooting with the VariCam, which has excellent highlight capability, I favor deliberately putting some of the whites into clip losing the detail. This give a very bright, “happy” look that often suits hospital spots.
Good shooting!
Leo
-
I’m willing to place a small wager that the different tapes have nothing whatsoever to do with your machine problem.
It’s not unusual to make erroneous diagnoses when one thing, by sheer chance alone, seems to produce a given result.
Unless something has changed, the manufacturer of the tapes says that they are absolutely identical except for the case color and text. If this is no longer the case, it’s important news for all of us.
I suggest you have the problem checked out before it causes more trouble, probably when you need the machine most!
Also, unless you are getting some marketing/markup benefit from using the more expensive tapes, you are not doing yourself a favor using them.
Hope you get it sorted out!
Good shooting!
Leo