Russell Lasson
Forum Replies Created
-
[William Bearden] “We need a JPEG2000 stream”
What you’re really looking for is a Digital Cinema Package (DCP). Just simply getting a JPEG2000 stream won’t do you much good.
Check out this article for a little more info:
https://magazine.creativecow.net/article/21st-century-cinema-an-indie-look-at-digital-cinema
If you need any help, feel free to ask. I’ve helped several indie filmmakers through this process.
-Russ
Russell Lasson
Colorist/Digital Cinema Specialist
Color Mill
Salt Lake City, UT
http://www.colormill.net -
[Thomas Lee] “A hammer is a hammer. The carpenter is the magician!”
The great thing about all this is that the carpenter has more than one tool to choose from. The most important thing is to choose the right tool for the job. Whether that’s AVID, FCP, RED, SONY, ARRI, 35, 16, 8, VHS, whatever.
I think Walters point is that FCP seems to be the right tool for the job when it comes to Docs now days.
-Russ
Russell Lasson
Colorist/Digital Cinema Specialist
Color Mill
Salt Lake City, UT
http://www.colormill.net -
Please give more information about the project, like what type of video clip you have. I’m really not sure what you’re asking for right now.
-Russ
Russell Lasson
Colorist/Digital Cinema Specialist
Color Mill
Salt Lake City, UT
http://www.colormill.net -
Are you using a broadcast monitor to compare color?
Are you comparing QT to the FCP viewer?
-Russ
Russell Lasson
Colorist/Digital Cinema Specialist
Color Mill
Salt Lake City, UT
http://www.colormill.net -
The Canon AVCHD cameras don’t shoot at 24P Native. They shoot 24P, but then add a 2:3 pulldown, so when you bring them into FCP, they’re actually 29.97. You’ll need to use a tool like Compressor or Cinema Tools to get back to 24P.
-Russ
Russell Lasson
Colorist/Digital Cinema Specialist
Color Mill
Salt Lake City, UT
http://www.colormill.net -
AJA Kona. It’s not the only thing that will work with FCP, but it is the best:)
-Russ
Russell Lasson
Colorist/Digital Cinema Specialist
Color Mill
Salt Lake City, UT
http://www.colormill.net -
[Jay Moffat] “Just dropping the original file into the 2048×858 sequence setup, it stretches the vertical resolution.
If I drop in the 2048×858 rendered sequence back into itself, the pause frame is stretched, but playing the sequence displays letterboxed, but at the top of the screen. “
So FCP is trying to conform whatever you have to 1920×1080, then the Kona plays it out. The Kona is not scaling the 2k video. Again, the Kona 3 can do this, but not the Kona LH series.
[Jay Moffat] “My basic wonder is if I should re-render the sequence as 1080 and grade, or just grade and render out as 2048×1152 and supply back to the client. “
Going out to theaters is about the only reason I can think of to keep the 2048 resolution. Other than that, I would master at 1920×1080. So if the client needs 2k then stick with that. Otherwise, I’d render it out to 1920×1080 for the finishing work.
-Russ
Russell Lasson
Colorist/Digital Cinema Specialist
Color Mill
Salt Lake City, UT
http://www.colormill.net -
My hunch is that FCP is doing the scaling to give the Kona LHi the 1080 signal. You’re not noticing any strange distortion because your 2k resolution is 16:9, just like your output resolution.
For kicks, create a sequence that is 2048×858. Put a clip into it and change it so it doesn’t scale to fit the frame, but just crops the top and bottom. Export that clip and then bring it back into the sequence. This is so FCP will see the clip as native to the timeline. Now try to play it back using your current FCP/Kona monitor settings. Does to playback? If so, is it stretching the vertical resolution or is it playing back the file letterboxed within 16:9.
We only have Kona 3 and Kona LHe cards in our facility. If I get a second today, I’ll try what you’re talking about on these cards. But you’re right, the Kona 3 is the only card that, according to the specs, supports 2k.
-Russ
Russell Lasson
Colorist/Digital Cinema Specialist
Color Mill
Salt Lake City, UT
http://www.colormill.net -
Like Chris says, Blu-ray is a good alternative. Many people wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between a DCP, Blu-ray, ProRes or HDCAM playback. I’ve know a couple local films that have even done a limited release in digital cinema theaters on Blu-ray or other alternative playback devices.
The most important thing if you’re not using a DCP in a theater is to make sure that things get connected right. With digital cinema projectors, usually it’s pretty easy to get the picture looking right. The bigger challenge is getting the audio from your playback source patched into their system correctly. Often times this requires unplugging part of the existing system to get it to work right. This is where you need to bribe the theater owner or projectionist because as soon as you ask them to start unplugging their system, they start getting very uncomfortable.
It’s obvious that you shouldn’t break the bank to get this done, but whatever you do, make sure it will work wherever you need to play the film.
-Russ
Russell Lasson
Colorist/Digital Cinema Specialist
Color Mill
Salt Lake City, UT
http://www.colormill.net -
https://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4179/is_20081209/ai_n31116405/
Russell Lasson
Colorist/Digital Cinema Specialist
Color Mill
Salt Lake City, UT
http://www.colormill.net