[Todd Terry]

Hi Ritchie…

Well, if you are just looking for “calling cards”-type videos to get gigs for the band, there’s nothing wrong with doing iPhone and GoPro videos, that’s perfectly fine, and I know you are not trying to produce music videos that wind up on MTV (if MTV still existed as such anymore)… so there’s a whole different quality and production value goal there. I’m sure you are just looking for something easy that will give decent videos to book jobs and to share on social media. The phone/GoPro combo is fine for that, and it looks like you are able to do some basic multi-camera editing and that’s a good thing.

Just a couple of observations.

Kill all the crazy edit effects. They don’t add anything and just have that “Well we’ve got to put some effect in here, lets use this one” look. They aren’t helping. I think I only noticed that on one video (maybe the newest one?… I just kinda scanned through them), but it was in there a LOT.

The lighting is killing you… with all the quick strobing and fast pulsing red and blue and purple and such lighting that is driving your cameras (and the viewer) nuts. I’m sure it looks good live in person and is fun to dance to and all that, but maybe for an occasional song where are trying to record video you could have your lighting person tone that down… either waaaaaay slow the transitions so the cameras can keep up, or even better just leave the lighting plot alone for the duration of the song…preferably with something not so harshly colored. Hey you could even say to the audience “We’re trying to get this next song on camera, so the lights are gonna be a bit boring… just enjoy the music.”

The last thing I’ll mention is sound…. I sure don’t mean to be harsh, and sorry to say it man, but the sound is terrible. You’re a band, you’ve GOTTA sound good no matter what you look like. I’m not sure how you are capturing sound (is it just through the phone’s mic?… that’s what it sounds like), but there are many better ways to do that. I’m a director and DP, not a sound guy, so I’m not going to be a great source of advice there. Maybe others in here will be, or head over to the Audio Professionals forum where I’m sure they will have some great tips.

Rock on….

T2

__________________________________
Todd Terry
Creative Director
Fantastic Plastic Entertainment, Inc.
fantasticplastic.com

[Todd Terry]

I’m gonna chime in and agree with most everyone here, I think.

Looking at those samples, my guess is that it was exposed more-or-less normally and lit more-or-less normally (although with quite flat lighting) and all the darkening was done in post. In some cases there where noticeable hair/back/splash lights that could have been a fair bit hotter than you might normally light (in order to preserve them after post). It might have been originally shot a little on the dark side, but if so I doubt it was much.

No doubt the finished product looks radically different than it would have to the naked eye on set.

T2

__________________________________
Todd Terry
Creative Director
Fantastic Plastic Entertainment, Inc.
fantasticplastic.com

[Todd Terry]

Here’s the funny thing… I had another eBay auction up, too…. for an old full-size Sony camcorder that has been taking up real estate on a shelf for fifteen years.

I just sold it… to a Hollywood prop house. I cannot think of a more fitting place for it to go, I’m actually thrilled.

T2

__________________________________
Todd Terry
Creative Director
Fantastic Plastic Entertainment, Inc.
fantasticplastic.com

[Todd Terry]

Well, firstly, a “normal” shutter speed, one that emulates a 180 ° shutter, is always “one over twice the frame rate.” So, if you were shooting 60fps, a 180 ° shutter would be 1/120th of a second, not 1/96th.

But, that’s a little beside the point. As to your real question, I can’t say with 100% certainty but I think with most cameras the shutter speed will “stick.” That is to say, if you are shooting with your shutter in angle mode rather than fractional mode, and you are for example shooting at 24fps and a 180 ° shutter (which gives you 1/48th of a second), and then you cranked your FPS up to 30fps, then your camera will retain the 180 ° shutter and automatically give you the desired 1/60th of a second exposure.

I believe that in most cases with most cameras the degree-angle designation is “sticky” and will retain that even if you change the FPS. I can’t say with certainty, as it would be rare for me to make those changes so I just don’t remember… I’d say 99%+ of the time I’m shooting at 24fps and 1/48th of a second and almost never have call to change that.

The good news is though, is that will take about four seconds for you to test the theory and check it. Set your camera to 24fps and a 180 ° shutter. Now change the frame rate. If it still shows to be a 180 ° shutter (which I think it will), you’re golden.

I’d check it myself with a C300, but it’s after hours and all my cameras are in the studio downtown.

T2

__________________________________
Todd Terry
Creative Director
Fantastic Plastic Entertainment, Inc.
fantasticplastic.com

[Todd Terry]

If you’re setting your shutter speed in degree increments, you should not have to change that when changing frame rates, the camera is basically calculating it for you.

For example, if you’re shooting at 24fps with a 180 ° shutter, you know you’re getting 1/48th a second. However if you’re shooting at 60fps with a 180 ° shutter, you know that is automatically going to be 1/120 of a second.

Is that what you’re asking?

T2

__________________________________
Todd Terry
Creative Director
Fantastic Plastic Entertainment, Inc.
fantasticplastic.com

[Todd Terry]

I’d suggest you ask that in the Audio Professionals forum…

https://forums.creativecow.net/audioprofessionals

You might get some advice here, but those are the go-to guys for sound recording.

I have to say, your method might be ok if you are just trying to get dialog from the musicians (behind the scenes kind of stuff, you could just put lavs/radio mics on everyone), but if you are trying to get a good recording of an actual musical performance… then no, probably not.

T2

__________________________________
Todd Terry
Creative Director
Fantastic Plastic Entertainment, Inc.
fantasticplastic.com

[Todd Terry]

In this situation we have an interviewer and an interviewee… each will be boomed with their own mic.

But regardless of the lav vs boom issue… unless I’m missing something two mics are still two mics no matter what kind they are, and both will still have the same kind of connection/mixing needs that brought me here in the first place. So switching to lavs doesn’t change my interfacing situation at all.

Another reason I dislike lavs (besides the clinical sound, to my ears) is that I’m just not good at placing them on talent, I don’t have that particular skill. I mean placing them hidden, of course… there are very few if any instances, even in a interview type setting, where I will allow a mic to be seen, and I’m not good at hiding them. To me, unless you are Lester Holt sitting on the Nightly News desk, I don’t wanna see a mic. Also very often we’re doing shoots with a large number of different people, and booming is infinitely easier/faster than having to individually wire up one person after the other. And, that really requires getting pretty up-close-and-personal with the subject. Professional actors don’t mind that, of course, but “real people,” as our subjects often are, are not used to that, or having a stranger rummage inside their clothing… ha.

But… I see I’m highjacking my own thread here and going down a completely unrelated road.

Anywho, I’ve solved this issue as I said… I’ll just use another camera as the interface… slightly clunky but this is a one-time setup so it’s fine for that. But it’s an interesting conversation, nonetheless.

T2

__________________________________
Todd Terry
Creative Director
Fantastic Plastic Entertainment, Inc.
fantasticplastic.com

[Todd Terry]

[Richard Crowley] “For example can you use wired (or wireless) clip-on body mics instead of shotguns?”

Thanks Richard… and I could, but I hate the “lavaliere sound” with a passion… as I said I’m NOT an audio guy, but even the best and highest-end ones sound so clinical and sterile to my ears. I almost always boom… it’s just such a more natural and open sound to me.

I always cringe in a movie when you can tell they go from the boom mic to an on-talent radio mic… usually when talent walks out of a tighter scene into a shot where it would be impossible to boom. No one else in my household seems to hear it or understand why I’m going “Uggh!” out loud, but I just really don’t like the sound.

BUT… doesn’t that beg the question? A mic output is a mic output… and aren’t there exactly the same connection/mixing needs if I am using two body mics as opposed to two booms? I’m probably missing something, but I don’t know what it is…..

T2

__________________________________
Todd Terry
Creative Director
Fantastic Plastic Entertainment, Inc.
fantasticplastic.com

[Todd Terry]

I’ll probably just use a camera as mic inputs and feed it to the little Osmo.

I just tested it with the two mics and our Canon C300 and it worked well and sounded great. I was just trying to avoid having to drag another camera case onto this location… especially since they’re not really paying for the extra camera. But, it’s a trade-off… it’s free, I already have it, and I know that setup like the back of my hand. I was just looking for a simpler and more convenient solution, but sometimes there isn’t one.

Thanks all…

T2

__________________________________
Todd Terry
Creative Director
Fantastic Plastic Entertainment, Inc.
fantasticplastic.com

[Todd Terry]

[Ty Ford] “it will provide years of faithful service.”

I’m sure that’s true, but that faithful service would literally be sitting on a shelf. My company was 22 years old last week, and this is the first time I’ve ever needed such a thing, and it would probably be another two decades before I needed it again.

I’m actually not cheap, I don’t mind investing in great stuff (my little box of prime lenses is probably worth six figures+ today), but I can’t lose money on a one-time job, I’d be better off saying “thanks but no thanks” to the gig… this is one of those cases where I was basically just trying to help out a colleague with a client, but not go in the hole.

I’m sure my buddy who is our occasional audio engineer has something he can either loan, rent, or suggest. He is just out of pocket for a couple of days and I was trying not to bug him… or call in any favors.

Thanks all.. back to your regularly scheduled forum.

T2

__________________________________
Todd Terry
Creative Director
Fantastic Plastic Entertainment, Inc.
fantasticplastic.com