high fps with sped up dialogue for surreal effect

[Ian Coad]

i'm working on a project where i and the director intend to do what is many times done in music videos: shoot at 48 or 60fps with an audible onset lipsync dialogue recording. this will be used for a dream sequence, where the characters will move in slow motion, while their dialogue is spoken in real time, creating a subtle but surreal effect.

 

i need to prove to the director and producers that this is within our means (we are students).

 

can those with applicable experience please help outline the issues and potential pitfalls i should consider and be aware of. as well as if possible some of the methods they recommend.

 

while we are shooting with super 16 can i test this with an hvx?

 

thanks very much. i wont be able to have this approved without a realistic game plan.

[Adrian Sierkowski]

Yes you can test it on any camera which shoots highspeed. I think the biggest issue is going to be getting the actors to speak that quickly w/o falling over their words.

what you could do is record the dialogue normal speed, and then play it back at 2X speed for your 48fps stuff. have them get used to speaking that quickly, and then try it on camera. hard to do. an ADR session could also fix this, though again, on set they'd have to be moving their mouths 2X as fast as it'll slow down to normal speed for any ADR.

It's tricky, of course, but not impossible.

[Rob Vogt]

audible onset lipsync dialogue recording.

I'm not sure if you are asking if you can record the sound during the take but are worried if since you are shooting at high speed will the motor be too loud to record audio. That depends on how far you are from the subject, the polar pattern of the mic used (and if you have noise gates or other audio equipment of the sort handy) and the camera. Or if you mean ADR, I would suggest just trying to synch up the first part of the dialogue then since the audio is moving at a faster rate than the picture just let it go out of sync. After all it is surreal right?

 

There are many techniques used to throw people off like shooting at 20 fps so the audio is almost synced or changing speeds mid take or having someone start talking synced up then have their lips stop moving and have the audio keep going. If you are shooting a dream sequence and it is supposed to be surreal you change the rules. Just test things before you do them and have a plan.

 

If you have a specific example of the sort of thing you want also some people here might be able to tell you how it is done.

[Tom Hepburn]

Another thing to consider to take advantage of the high frame rate, is that have your subject do more that just stand and talk. I believe the police did one years ago and Sting was jumping up and down in sync with the beat and then knocked down a row of candles. This really added to the effect as candle holders fell down slowly and wax splashed up in the air. If I remember right , it may have even been done at 75 fps. As Adrian said, it can be difficult to have your actors hit it right on, particularly with long shots, but you have the advantage of time. Practice a lot, since you already have the audio sped up right? If you can, I would run a film test too. It would really help to know you're on target (or need to make adjustments) before the "real" shoot.

 

I'm not sure what you're recording sound with, you'll need to know exactly what your audio program records at.

My audio comes into my NLE program at 29.97 which adds another layer of hassle, unless I'm importing footage that has been transferred onto DV tape.

 

Sounds fun though,

Tom

[Mike Washlesky]

i'm working on a project where i and the director intend to do what is many times done in music videos: shoot at 48 or 60fps with an audible onset lipsync dialogue recording. this will be used for a dream sequence, where the characters will move in slow motion, while their dialogue is spoken in real time, creating a subtle but surreal effect.

 

i need to prove to the director and producers that this is within our means (we are students).

 

can those with applicable experience please help outline the issues and potential pitfalls i should consider and be aware of. as well as if possible some of the methods they recommend.

 

while we are shooting with super 16 can i test this with an hvx?

 

thanks very much. i wont be able to have this approved without a realistic game plan.

 

this is from a music vid a buddy did. not actual dialogue, but the same style you mention.

 

http://deathforsale.com/womm/index.html

[Paul Bruening]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRoUpDON0_0

 

I promise. It's not a RickRoll.