[Michael Pruitt-bruun]

times have changed. some units are able to continue more or less as they have for years (American Masters, Nature), but most are expected to do a great deal more with a great deal less.

a huge amount of programming at this station is done on the hvx200. location and studio.

[Michael Pruitt-bruun]

yes, well… the client is a prominent PBS station. i have a good rapport with the unit, having worked with them for years, but there are certain institutional hurdles and restrictions on resources. it is only because i have worked with them so long that we have any hope of overcoming some of those hurdles and providing them with a more tailored product. people like DP’s and editors are generally just pieces that get plugged into the existing structure for as short a time as possible. however the producer has indicated that she would like to have the compositor on set for the initial set up of our first shoot, so it is possible that we may get to do some tests and evaluations on the spot. but time and budgets are at a premium, so i’m trying to have my ducks in a row.

[Michael Pruitt-bruun]

the relationship between detail level and frequency is very helpful. i’ve been sitting in front of my field monitor, dialing various frequency settings up and down all morning. it gives me some sense of what it’s doing, but i’m only guessing if that ultimately aids or hinders a key.

regarding contrast and gamma, i’ve seen some things i shot get absolutely butchered on the way to the web. flat and lifeless, while still suffering from banding, properly exposed skin gets pushed over the edge while shadows are crushed.

these are subjects i’ve been trying to gather more information on for some time. the gulf between production and post can be huge sometimes. i always ask, “do you have an editor on board yet, and if so… what can i do to make their job easier?” usually doesn’t help. tests would be ideal, but again, not something people are willing to devote time to.

[Michael Pruitt-bruun]

thank you, Craig. i understand that there are variables, but you’ve given me a lot to work with. 🙂

Michael

[Michael Pruitt-bruun]

so, with a tip of the hat to Mr. Seeman, let me pose the question with the assumption that the ex3 suffers no significant disadvantage for its 4:2:0 color space in the context of chroma key compositing;

is it helpful to reduce detail in the ex3 when shooting for chroma key? if so, is there a particular interaction between the various detail settings that one should be aware of, or that might be helpful?

also, for material destined for the web, is it generally beneficial to favor lower-contrast gammas in view of the fact that web material will be significantly compressed and viewed on computer monitors? or will the lower-contrast gammas merely result in a flat picture?

thanks in advance.

Michael

(seaches done; “detail, chroma key”, “detail, green screen” and “gamma, web”)

[Michael Pruitt-bruun]

[Craig Seeman] “Searching this forum using chroma key would have resulted in your finding previous threads with the answer including the Juan Martinez quote. Asking questions and expecting free consultation without first doing research is, itself, an issue when it comes to the time professionals devote to the forum.

The COW search function will often result in the answers you’re looking for. Please do use it.

Downloading the web video will show you the frame size, data rate, frame rate the client has used previously. You’d also find that web video is progressive frames.

I’m sorry if you don’t like what I’m saying but the most important thing someone can learn is how to learn/investigate. Certainly some things are hard to find but the forum search would reveal chroma key with EX codec answer and the client’s site would reveal the frame rate, size, and even the data rate they target.

Gamma curves is a bit harder to find but Alister Chapman’s video explains the curves in the EX.”

i’m sorry if you felt i was wasting your time. regarding the search function, it is quite frequently useful. for some subjects, it can be difficult to narrow down the results to a useful or manageable scope. having asked a more specific question previously regarding the ex3 vs the ‘500 for the purposes of this shoot, i had been given an entirely different impression of the relative merits of the ex3’s color space in the context of compositing. it appears that there are different views on the subject. i have met and spoken with Mr. Martinez in the past regarding certain issues i was having with my camera. as a spokesman for Sony, he plays a rather prominent role in the community. however i frequently find that those actually doing the work with the equipment are able to provide more specific and informative answers, based on their personal experience.

downloading web video allows me to see the final form of the video. as i am a cameraman with little experience with post production, the various processes the video undergoes, the numerous stages and iterations, are not something i normally deal with. the matter at hand concerns camera settings vis-a-vis those intermediary stages. the relationship that bears to the final product is beyond the scope of my knowledge, so it would be irresponsible for me to make assumptions based on what i can see only at the very beginning and very end of the process. this is precisely why i pose the question here, in this particular ex3 forum, where those with direct experience with the camera i own overlap with those who have a much better understanding of the compositing and post processes.

i have no problem with what you’re saying. not personally. i just don’t think it can be applied as blithely as you might.

regarding gamma curves, i appreciate the link. i am familiar with the fundamentals, it is the application that i am attempting to understand better. for many, myself included, the opportunity to consider these matters not as general descriptions but as a process of achieving a certain result in specific circumstances is the best way for them to develop a greater understanding, and extrapolate from there towards the general principles.

thanks again, Craig.

[Michael Pruitt-bruun]

thanks for the info, Craig. i’m encouraged by the ex’s ability to handle keying. and i know less about the technical aspects of the web than i do regarding compositing.

[Craig Seeman] “The most important asset one can have is the ability to reason through your goals. Simple investigation such as downloading their videos would give you answers as to what they may expect.”

hmm, that’s a bit condescending. beyond that, your second sentence there seems to be baseless, if not just too vague. if you’d care to expand, perhaps there’s something buried that i haven’t managed to unpack. this unit has never done this sort of video before. i’m not sure how downloading web video would provide information on camera settings that might make a compositor’s life easier. there are so many stages and levels of compression that occur after the footage leaves my hands, but before it ends up in it’s final form on someone’s computer screen.

Michael

[Michael Pruitt-bruun]

… and while we’re at it, i’d love to hear some thoughts on gammas for this type of application. as it’s a studio shoot, run-away highlights shouldn’t be an issue. the cine gammas seem a little compressed, lacking in contrast. it’s for a children’s interactive website, it needs to pop. but if i put in too much contrast in the camera, will everything under 40 ire get crushed after down-rezzing, and being viewed on the web?

[Michael Pruitt-bruun]

hmm. i only have fce on my laptop, not fcp. and i’m not about to shell out for fcp right now with the new version on the horizon. if the ki pro mini were available now, i’d just buy that and use the ex3. i know i’d get milage out of it if i get the f3 as well.

i much prefer the ex3 over the ‘500 but it looks like the most economical way to get high bit rate 4:2:2 for this shoot will be the ‘500.

thanks again for your help.

Michael

[Michael Pruitt-bruun]

thank you, Michael.

when you say, “record directly to a computer” i assume there is still an intermediary video processor to be taken into account.

regarding your hpx500, i may be heading towards an f3 some time this year. thank you though.