Steve Crow
Forum Replies Created
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I’ve looked at your still image and around the top of the head and his shoulder and face are logos that should be OUTSIDE the pink line meaning not included in the mask – you can reverse the rotobrush tool to indicate what you DON”T want to include and that’s what you need to do
You may have to make the corrections and then move the playhead a few frames ahead to check if the mask is still good or if you have to make further corrections. As he moves in the frame the software is supposed to detect that and to change the shape of the mask but it sometimes needs help with that – which is why this rotoscoping task is sooo tedious.
Steve Crow
Crow Digital Media
http://www.CrowDigitalMedia.com -
PS: Just so that you don’t feel so bad you are not the only person who makes this mistaske…I did the exact same thing (in reverse) early in my career when trying to film an interview outdoors at a park with a celebrity (well he is very well known in his world!).
It was too bright outside in the middle of the lawn so I suggested we move under some trees which wasn’t a bad idea so ten points for me and my smart decision. Then I exposed for the interview subject and did pretty good there too….BUT my background was SO bright compared to the foreground that everything behind him was totally blown out…all the footage was ruined and I couldn’t save it for my client. I stil cringe about that mistake and hope that I never run into that person again.
If I had this type of gear I could have put up diffusers/scrims/silks above and behind the talent to cut down on the background light but I didn’t own that stuff and in fact I still don’t. What I really should have done is insist we move to another location with more even lighting but I didn’t so minus 80 points for me. I’m still nervous to this day about shooting in super bright light outdoors to be honest!
Steve Crow
Crow Digital Media
http://www.CrowDigitalMedia.com -
What you may want to investigate first are masking/matte filters to basically define a shape around the person – everything outside that shape can be turned white or any color you wish, you could even put in a simulated background much like in doing green screen work.
UPDATE: I TRIED THIS OUT IN YOUR SAMPLE FOOTAGE AND HE IS MOVING WAY TOO MUCH FOR THIS TO BE EFFECTIVE FOR YOU
But that will only take you so far, to get a decent result you will probably have to turn to a tool like Adobe After Effects and its built in “rotoscoping” tools that “cut out” an object from the background, frame by frame. Since the object (the person) is moving during the clip it’s a tedious process that software can help you with but be prepared for spending a great deal of time on this.
I am sure you already know you have a rather big exposure problem with the footage too, because the talent is standing in front of a well light background and he is wearing all black that the camera’s exposure settings were set using the background instead of the foreground (the talent) To me this shot reminds me of a backlight subject such as you might see when a person is filmed standing in a rather dark room and they are standing in front of a large window through which bright sunshine is streaming through.
Steve Crow
Crow Digital Media
http://www.CrowDigitalMedia.com -
I’d suggest you look at 70-200 lenses with a constant aperture (so that the image doesn’t darken as you zoom in) – preferably something around the 2.8 Aperture. Budget is going to be the issue with Canon lenses but you can try looking for the slightly older version of their lens, or buy a good quality used lens from someplace like KEH.
Check out some reviews for the Sigma and Tamron equivalents just to see what they have, I think they will fit your budget much better with more than acceptable performance for video which is relatively low resolution anyhow when compared to still images….but that’s another rant so I’d better stop myself there. 🙂
Steve Crow
Crow Digital Media
http://www.CrowDigitalMedia.com -
ha ha yep probably not but my point was to really show what can be done with a DSLR versus a traditional videocamera and I’ve used both. The beauty of those DSLR shots can’t be matched by traditional videocameras unless you spend huge dollars…but the same approach, creativity and style StillMotion used can be done for a local golf club tournament – it doesn’t have to be a Callaway Series and, like you said, probably won’t be to begin with.
Steve Crow
Crow Digital Media
http://www.CrowDigitalMedia.com -
Here’s a little motivation as to what can be accomplished with a HD DSLR from the guys at StillMotion and the Callaway series
Now they used the Canon EOS 1D Mark IV which would eat up your entire budget but they also had Canon 7D shots in there and you probably can’t tell the difference. I don’t know what your vision is for these golf videos but I would concentrate on profiles and not trying to capture every shot. For that reason I disagree on the long telephoto lens…I just don’t think you will need them – you aren’t likely to be able to capture much of the long drive type shots anyways as far as “play by play” goes, I think of these like small films, not documenting games…therefore I know I will be reasonably close to my subjects even if I am filming from where the spectators stand around the tee.
Steve Crow
Crow Digital Media
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Keep in mind that the Rode Videomic gets good reviews for its use to improve the in-camera sound while filming in a dual-audio setup.
I own one and I would NOT trust it outdoors for interviews unless I was within 4 to 5 feet of the subject and even then I would be using a 3rd party windscreen – not the flimsy foam one that comes with it.
The true interview sound is most often captured with another type of mic….often a lavalier or it could be a boom mic hung over the interview subject assuming that are not walking around.
Steve Crow
Crow Digital Media
http://www.CrowDigitalMedia.com -
If they want your clip then they’ll probably willing to pay for it. If they expect it for free what does that tell you about them and their business practices, they might say it will be great for your “reel” or for “exposure” but I doubt highly if you see ANY benefit from it. Show them that your work is valuable and don’t let them take advantage of you just because you may perceive them as being in the power seat (which I think is false by the way)
Steve Crow
Crow Digital Media
http://www.CrowDigitalMedia.com -
The T4i would be a great choice…get the body only and then buy the Canon 50mm 1.4 as your basic lens to go with it – it’s great. Next get a Fader ND or a set of ND filters for filming outdoors, you will also need some kind of LCD hood/magnfier, I use the Zacutto Z-Finder but there are less expensive options, without this you won’t be able to see the LCD screen when filming outdoors on bright days.
You’ll need a wide angle lens, for that I’d suggest a 24-70mm fixed aperture lens, Canon makes a good one but other brands can be considered too.
Next be sure to get the Manfrotto Monopod – the 561BHDV-1 – don’t even consider another model just get it and you will thank me later.
Think hard about your sound requirements if you plan on doing any sort of interviews – it’s going to take some budget.
This is a bare bones kit but will serve you very well – at a later point you can upgrade the camera to the Canon 7D but for now the T4i will be just as good for you.
Steve Crow
Crow Digital Media
http://www.CrowDigitalMedia.com -
On a side note, I view exposure as a creative choice and so don’t really believe in “the perfect exposure” – for instance right now I see tons of TV programs and Web videos (including tutorials) that keep the image dark dark dark.
Now frankly I really despise that look particularly when applied to educational type material- how many YouTube or Vimeo tutorials have I seen where the instructor/presenter is wearing all black, sis tanding in front of a black background, is showing off essentially all black camera gear and then they choose to light the scene with a weak flashlight…it’s lazy and makes seeing what is going on (the whole point for a tutorial video) difficult.
Now shadows can be a fantastic lighting element when used creatively and artistically under the supervision of a talented DP (which I am not)
Steve Crow
Crow Digital Media
http://www.CrowDigitalMedia.com