16mm and 4:3 work process for HD doc project

[Roger Richards]

Hi folks,

 

I am grappling with a decision. I have been using a Canon Scoopic 16M and like it very much. Now I have an important decision to make regarding format before embarking on a doc project. The scenarios are these.

 

1. Shooting 16mm in 1.33:1 (4:3) and editing as 4:3 because most of the archival footage I have is already 4:3 Beta and mini-DV.

 

2. Shoot 16mm and during telecine scan the 16mm Scoopic footage to 1080P pillarboxed in ProRes 422 to a hard drive. This will be then down scaled by putting it into a FCP 720P timeline. The archival 4:3 video footage will then be edited into this, essentially scaled up to 720P. Output final doc as 720P pillarboxed footage. (In this scenario, would it be fine to go 1080P or 720P pillarboxed? The archival footage will look rough but it fits the doc subject, which is war.)

 

3. Shoot 16mm with slow film and compose for widescreen, telecine to 1080P, drop into FCP and scale to 1080 or 720 full frame (non-pillarboxed), do same with 4:3 archival footage, even though it will look rough.

 

4. Acquire a Bolex S16mm and go straight to 1080P telecine, edit as 1080P. Next, pillarbox or scale the 4:3 archival footage to 1080P in FCP.

 

I intend for this to go out to DVD or project digitally, not for film transfer to 35mm.

 

Any thoughts on this would be appreciated.

 

Thanks,

Roger

[Allen Achterberg]

S16 is worth looking into. another option is to shoot a 16x9 Framing chart and mark some frame lines for yourself on the groundglass and frame for 16x9 within the regular 16 frame. and when you transfer to 1080p have them extract it exact. you are throwing away negative but this would be of okay quality for DVD and maybe Blu-Ray.

 

look into Super16. save yourself some quality

[Will Montgomery]

I believe the Scoopic M has TV safe lines in the viewfinder. If you use those markings to frame the top and bottom of your shot you'll be safe for a zoom to 16:9.

 

If you're shooting 50D outside with plenty of sunshine you'll be just fine with the Scoopic and zooming. If you're shooting 500T inside make sure your lighting is good and use the Super 16 camera.

 

If you're using FCP, try to go as uncompressed as possible if you're scaling from digiBeta. It might hold up well as long as you don't move to DV or something.

[Roger Richards]

Thanks for your replies, Will and Allen. I think what might work is telecine to either DigiBeta or 10-bit uncompressed to hard drive, then edit in FCP uncompressed. Perhaps out Apple 10-bit uncompressed or to ProRes 422 then scaled to HD from there. I am more concerned about the 4:3 archival footage at this moment.

[Will Montgomery]

Thanks for your replies, Will and Allen. I think what might work is telecine to either DigiBeta or 10-bit uncompressed to hard drive, then edit in FCP uncompressed. Perhaps out Apple 10-bit uncompressed or to ProRes 422 then scaled to HD from there. I am more concerned about the 4:3 archival footage at this moment.

I was actually working in the Animation codec on Final Cut last week for a real motion graphics intensive piece and was amazed that my mac could handle it.