Scott Sheriff
Forum Replies Created
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There really isn’t a ‘best’ camera, just a camera that is best for the majority of your work.
It is more important to find the best camera for the type of client you service, or subject matter.
The choice of controls, glass, image sensor, frame rate, format, audio inputs reliability and performance under conditions like yours would be much better criteria.
As far as tapeless, there are some downsides to that workflow depending on what your circumstances are.Scott Sheriff
Director
https://www.sstdigitalmedia.comI have a system, it has stuff in it, and stuff hooked to it. I have a camera, it can record stuff. I read the manuals, and know how to use this stuff and lots of other stuff too.
You should be suitably impressed… -
Adam,
I have not experienced this.
It’s hard to objectively judge without using a test tone.
If there is a level difference, there are several places it could be happening.1khz tone should be recorded in manual mode at a standard level like -12 on all channels.
This tone should be played back and set for unity if the playback is adjustable.
If the playback device has a fixed playback level, note the level and see if there is a major (more than +/- 3db) difference.
Depending on how you are capturing, there may be an input adjustment. This should be set for unity if one exists.
If your capture is FW or a media card you should get the -12 record level on your capture/ingest in your NLE.Did a quick test using my JVC gy-110U
Recorded bars/tone @ -12.
This tape went into FCP using Log and Capture and a JVC BR-50 deck via FW. With this set-up the playback audio level is fixed.
Resulting clip plays back about one needles width below -12 (lets call it -13) in FCP on the FCP meter. At this level, it shows up on my mixer @ -0 (analog).
Opening the clip directly with QT Pro 7.6.3 results in a -0 (analog) level on my mixer, which for practical purposes is about the same as -12 digital.
Long story short, I’m seeing unity gain.Scott Sheriff
Director
https://www.sstdigitalmedia.comI have a system, it has stuff in it, and stuff hooked to it. I have a camera, it can record stuff. I read the manuals, and know how to use this stuff and lots of other stuff too.
You should be suitably impressed… -
Isa,
“I really thought someone else would have found this. If I record audio on manual, the levels peak very easily, but pulling the clips into FCP, the levels are very low and need to be normalised. Any clue what I can do?”I’m not sure what you mean by “normalize”.
Without know what you are trying to record, and what your final output is, it is hard to give specific advice. What are you setting your peaks at? And what is generating the peaks?
Manual is the way to go. All any automatic mode is going to do for you is kill your dynamic range.“Also, I saw a review about the fantastic lo-lux mode, but I’ve found this camera really tough and ridiculously noisy in lowlux mode. How do you get beyond the noise?”
Add lights.
I think you’re suffering from unrealistic expectations.
This camera has 3 x 1/4 inch CCD’s. That is not a lot of light gathering surface. Couple that with the maximum aperture of the lens, and the fact you’re dividing the light transmitted through the lens three ways with a prism before it gets to the CCD’s. Image pickups generate random electron noise when they are not sufficiently stimulated by light falling on the surface. Upping the gain magnifies this noise. Some tricky digital filters built into the camera can reduce this somewhat, but there is no magic that makes this just go away.
More light, faster glass with bigger apertures, bigger image sensors is the only cure for this.
Shooting 720 unless you need a bigger frame for final delivery, and shutting off the image stabilizer may help some.Scott Sheriff
Director
https://www.sstdigitalmedia.comI have a system, it has stuff in it, and stuff hooked to it. I have a camera, it can record stuff. I read the manuals, and know how to use this stuff and lots of other stuff too.
You should be suitably impressed… -
[David Battistella] “I think that we will see a new name for the app.
Here is my guess:APPLE POST”
Nope. Not even close.
How about “iPost”, or “My iPost ’11”.
My iPost ’11 would have tabs with the following cool apps:
One Step Video Arranger
Make pro quality movies with just one click!Audio Solutions
Add super cool effects, narration with these fun sound design toolsColor Fixer and Themes
Drag and drop intelligent video repairs and fun themes to make your movie stand out.Magic Movie Publisher
Be a studio mogul and control the distribution of your new masterpiece with one simple click.Cinema Packs
Add to your movie making fun with “Cinema Packs”. Cinema Packs will add the latest cool filters and themes seen in your favorite media to your Color Fixer tab. Many of the coolest effects will have exclusive matching sound designs for Audio Solutions. In addition to all the super cool effects and trendy themes you get in Cinema Packs, each one will have interactive “Film S’Cool” tutorial content featuring the hottest talent in Hollywood.My iPost ’11 will be available for iPhone, iPad and Mac. Cinema Packs sold separately, and will require an App Store account.
Scott Sheriff
Director
https://www.sstdigitalmedia.comI have a system, it has stuff in it, and stuff hooked to it. I have a camera, it can record stuff. I read the manuals, and know how to use this stuff and lots of other stuff too.
You should be suitably impressed… -
[Shane Ross] “Sure it can. You can watch something other than golf. The most boring sport ever.”
Golf isn’t a sport. It’s a game. It’s a lot more interesting to watch if you play.
Have you watched any curling? How about darts? Snooze. Both are worse than open mic night at a karaoke bar.Scott Sheriff
Director
https://www.sstdigitalmedia.comI have a system, it has stuff in it, and stuff hooked to it. I have a camera, it can record stuff. I read the manuals, and know how to use this stuff and lots of other stuff too.
You should be suitably impressed… -
Bill,
“Today’s editing interface is largely a digital implementation of the same editing workflow that was forced by the 3 deck A/B roll conventions of editing in the 1960s. Source deck? Rec deck? We all loved that as traditional editors, we could look on our screens and see little icons that represented the same boxes that we used when we were learning to edit.But it’s 50+ years LATER, for pete’s sake. i love traditions and proven workflows as much as the next guy. But honestly, if people as bright as the teams at Apple have actually done some thinking about what editing MIGHT be from a 2011 perspective – especially given the ASTONISHING developments in computers and general digital technology since the 60s – then I for one am willing to give an alternate vision (if, in fact we will actually see something like that at NAB) a chance.”
A better way to handle data in the background, I’m all for. Major changes to the UI like killing the viewer/canvas/timeline, I’m against.
The QWERTY KB, I think dates back to the 1870’s with the design having to work with manual key-lever typewriters. Starting with Teletype machines and progressing through keypunch machines, typewriters like the Selectric and on to electronic word processors and the PC revolution, the QWERTY layout has not really been needed. Proponents over the years used very similar arguments like, experts have done studies, have a more efficient design, QWERTY it’s unnecessary, it’s old, a new better alternative won’t be hard to learn, etc. And those arguments may be true.
But yet here we are well over a hundred years later still using the QWERTY KB, with the alternatives failing to gain any real traction.
No offense to the smart guys at Apple, but changes to the UI that would eliminate the Viewer/Canvas/Timeline would be met with the same resistance as alternative keyboards and “New Coke”.
If you’re an old school linear editor you have probably hand drawn a paper ‘timeline’ to visualize edit sequences before. I think we all did this long before NLE’s come along. I think the Viewer/Canvas/Timeline UI is probably one of the best ways to present the info and it seems to mimic how we visualize the information. There are other non-timeline UI’s out there, but they don’t seem well received.
More control over the FC UI would be great. The ability to alter BG color, make the UI font bigger would be two things on my list.Scott Sheriff
Director
https://www.sstdigitalmedia.comI have a system, it has stuff in it, and stuff hooked to it. I have a camera, it can record stuff. I read the manuals, and know how to use this stuff and lots of other stuff too.
You should be suitably impressed… -
Bill,
“I totally understand your perspective. I will note however that the last time I faced this kind of technology rev – in the “what camera should I shoot on” quandry, I took a flyer and became an early adopter of the Canon 5dMkii. As a 3 decades experienced video guy, I understood the risks and the limitations.That was nearly two YEARS ago. The first year, I had the luxury of building expertise without the stress of it being my MUST USE tool. Then, suddenly, everywhere I looked people were demanding the camera that I had significant experience using. That fact alone allowed me to move into higher and higher end work – getting calls from larger ad agencies and bigger corporations rather than smaller clients.
It’s always a toss up as to when you adopt something new.
Bet wrong and you waste time learning something that will be obsolete or irrelevant all too soon.
But bet correctly, and when everyone starts demanding the new toys you already know how to incorporate what they do with your existing experience.”
Maybe it’s just me, but I think the difference here is your post platform rarely comes up as a topic of conversation with a client when they are looking to book. About the only time it seems relevant is if you’re applying for a job.
All they usually want to know is rate, amount of time it will take, and can you accept/deliver in ‘x’ format. Sometimes if there is a particular FX, or font they are interested in, they may ask about that.
Unlike a camera, I wouldn’t know why it would even make a difference what the post platform is since most NLE’s are essentially multi-format. Maybe if the project was logged, or started with someone else and they wanted to make sure that previous work was usable. Or they have something unusual (large frame sizes, etc) that they already know can’t be done in certain NLE’s. And those jobs are a bit more rare.
I have had people ask me what I use, but only as a topic of idle conversation.Scott Sheriff
Director
https://www.sstdigitalmedia.comI have a system, it has stuff in it, and stuff hooked to it. I have a camera, it can record stuff. I read the manuals, and know how to use this stuff and lots of other stuff too.
You should be suitably impressed… -
It’s all fun and games until someone gets a skinned knee and goes home crying.
If a new version comes out, I wonder how many legacy users will be left in the dust? Or how many running on very minimal systems won’t be able to upgrade?
Just changing over to SL caused a six month (or more) disruption for many. And SL also made some software and legacy devices boat anchors, due to driver and other issues. Snow Leopard was a very minimal OS change, but yet there were a ton of folks that either were trying to downgrade back to Leopard, or just not going to, or couldn’t install it. If the jump to SL was too much for some, I wonder if a completely revamped FCS is in their future? On the same subject, a new version is almost certain to require the OS to be at least SL. So all those 40 dollar an hour guys still running G5’s are going to face a cold hard reality if they want to keep up. The non-Intel machines are going to be doorstops.
New FCP=New OS=New system.If a new version comes out, I wonder how buggy it will be? And for how long?
Is the object of being an editor to make money editing, or be an unpaid Apple beta tester?
There are always things that users will wish a piece of gear could do. I’m not sure if FCP is so lacking, that the loss of productivity if a new version turns out to be buggy is going to be worth it. And even if it is fairly stable there are costs in both time and money to upgrade. There will be drivers and plugins that won’t work, and for some (see above) it will mean buying more memory, a new GPU or even a new system. For others it will be a some downtime and the cost of the software. And for everyone the time (productivity) lost learning a new app, if there are major UI or operational changes. Will the new changes offset all this?If a new version comes out, no one knows what the ‘new’ FCS UI or general layout is going to be. With the proliferation of GoPro, Flip and other cameras like that, it is just as possible that FCP could end up being more ‘consumer friendly’ than going more towards supporting professionals. Think the market is crowded now?
On the other hand, it could go completely the other way leaning more towards the professional users, adding support for larger frame sizes or cine cams. Although this seems unlikely since the ratio of 5DII’s vs Genesis seems to favor the 5DII.
Or maybe the UI will combine all the elements of FCS into FCP? For those that don’t have an interest in mographs, or making DVD’s will having more non-editing stuff in the UI make you happy?I admit I’m a professional cynic, and not inclined to act like a giddy school girl on prom night because Apple (or anyone else) has a new toy to buy.
In the last year the rumor mill has ranged from Apple is dumping FCP to a new version that will blow away the competition is coming out.
In all this fan boy rumor mongering the one thing I have found lacking is an objective look at what a completely revamped FCP would mean in a business sense to the users. I don’t really see much street cred in what platform I use to edit. How many of you care what brand of tool your mechanic buys?
The curious thing about this desire for a new FCS is that there are so many current users that can’t use Motion, DVDSP (I know Shane thinks DVD’s are on life support but there still seems to be a call for them out here in fly-over country), Color, STP and don’t even know FC beyond the basics. A look at any weeks postings in the various forums will confirm that. IMO those hours spent cruising mac rumor forums, and blogging about “what if” might be better spent learning what you currently have.
So I’m not one of those pining for a new version. What I have works well and is stable.
Curious about a new version? Yes. If a new version offers a benefit for me that offsets the cost in both time and money then it would make sense to upgrade. It is a tool, nothing more. It is not magic, nor will it do my editing for me.So I guess my long winded point is be careful what you wish for. And if your one of those that spends hours wishing for a new FCS version, I’m not really trying to throw salt in your game. Just putting what that means into perspective. Or at least as much as possible with something that hasn’t even been announced yet. Who knows, maybe the big announcement is something other than a new version?
One thing is certain. If a new FCS version comes out, the train wreck coming from those that will just jump in and start changing their systems without doing proper research is sure to generate some LULZ.
I guess we will find out soon enough.
Scott Sheriff
Director
https://www.sstdigitalmedia.comI have a system, it has stuff in it, and stuff hooked to it. I have a camera, it can record stuff. I read the manuals, and know how to use this stuff and lots of other stuff too.
You should be suitably impressed… -
“But my method didn’t really work either. If I export an aiff, then reimport it right back into FCP, the audio difts about 2 seconds over the half hour show.”
I’m guessing this is operator error from mis-matched sample rates. Can’t say for sure without more specifics, but 99 times out of a hundred that is what it is.
“I looked this up, and couldnt find much, except that it’s a bug. hmmm”
Not aware of this bug. You should post a link to your source for this information.
Scott Sheriff
Director
https://www.sstdigitalmedia.comI have a system, it has stuff in it, and stuff hooked to it. I have a camera, it can record stuff. I read the manuals, and know how to use this stuff and lots of other stuff too.
You should be suitably impressed… -
Shane,
“I agree with PBS, but local stations are fine. At least here in LA.”In Denver duopoly/LMA killed 2 commercial stations, resulting in the loss of about 95% of the absorbed stations staff. The ‘parent stations’ are running with so much automation that sweeps looks like it’s being run by vacation relief crew.
Two PBS stations in the market. Both are being run by the larger of the two. In effect, another LMA.
Two other commercial stations in the market are operating with less than 5 full time staff members each. That’s counting the GM, sales, traffic and ops staff.
On the non-broadcast side, there are several large ‘cube farm’ cable origination facilities in the area. All are actively reducing staff, and taking other cost cutting steps.
The largest film/video rental house laid off the entire staff, and has been liquidating most of the gear except for a few of the big pieces. The owner is operating it part-time for now.
It’s not all bad news.
A large VOD porn distributor is doing well, and often posts job openings due to expansion.Scott Sheriff
Director
https://www.sstdigitalmedia.comI have a system, it has stuff in it, and stuff hooked to it. I have a camera, it can record stuff. I read the manuals, and know how to use this stuff and lots of other stuff too.
You should be suitably impressed…