Ralph Keyser
Forum Replies Created
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What?!?, no Varicam? 😉
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Just out of interest, what did you do to get the wrong way round thing to be fixed?
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I hesitate to put easy and rotoscope in the same sentence. Having said that, the answer to your question sort of depends on how complex the object you are rotoscoping and how often you plan to do this. Combustion has a learning curve to it, although I think it’s a fine tool. Have you tried doing this just with AE? What problems did you encounter?
Ralph Keyser
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We’re using Panasonic’s AJ-SD93 deck and the direct firewire link to PPro. You even get device control without needing an RS-422. As others have mentioned, the DV codec is the same for DVCPRO25, DVCAM, and mini-DV, so no worries there. The thing I’d like to take advantage of is this deck’s DVCPRO50 capability, but so far, other than going out to analog and back in via a board like the Decklink, I’ve yet to find a direct firewire workflow. My partner, who uses this deck directly with FCP, rubs this in all the time 🙂
Ralph
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I’ve used the Miller DS10 in production for about 5 years with very good results. The ball is small (at 75mm), but it’s a true ball mounted head. Shooting here in the desert, things get exposed to a hellish environment, but the Miller has held up very well.
One thing to consider would be the counter-balance on the head. The DS10 is perfect with something the weight of an XL1, but an HVX might be a bit light. The DS20, IIRC, has a selectable counter-balance, but it’s only a few positions, so look into what those positions are set for. Another option might be something with interchangable springs (I think some of the Vintens do that).
This is one of those sore points for me. Finding a really good fluid head for a very light camera is a tough challenge.
Ralph
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You might also think about how things will look after the edit. If you can do the wides/mediums on sticks instead of hand-held and only go hand-held for tight close-ups you can save lots of time (and therefore money) for the production company. Wide hand-held shots can be a nightmare to get looking good, especially if the director goes for the “shaky cam” approach.
Ralph
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There is also an NTSC color safe filter you can use that will ensure the colors stay in-bounds, although you might not always like the way it gets there. Just one more option for desparate times.
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I’d agree with your statement that you’ll find more user support for either Lightwave or C4D. I’m not so sure about the statement regarding AE and Photoshop relative to those two packages. I prefer Lightwave, but given what I think you are looking to do, either package would probably work just fine. Lightwave can import AutoCAD data directly, and I’d probably use it for animating your booth models rather than going to After Effects.
Ralph Keyser
Albuquerque, NM -
Dust actually in the lens is really unusual, especially if you are seeing it in three cameras. I hate to ask obvious questions, but I also hate to see you have to send a bunch of lenses off that don’t need it.
Have you checked the viewfinders? Do you normally keep an optical flat on the lens? Have you cleaned the back elements of the lens (in addition to the front)?
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I think you’re going to struggle to find anything at that price point. Something like the Sennheiser MKE300 at about $160 is probably the bottom end that I’d consider.
You might also consider that microphones, unlike cameras, don’t change very fast. A really decent shotgun (like the Sennheiser ME66) will cost more (about $475 street), but will outlast several cameras. Plus, if you have any interest at all in decent audio, you’ve just got to get the microphone off the camera and closer to the source.
Ralph