Mixing S-16 with video

Sandy Thomson · July 7, 2005

I'm shooting a documentary mainly in S-16 but due to the distance involved between my home in Canada and New Zealand where one of the principle subjects is located, I am looking at farming out some progress shots to a freelance video cameragirl who is shooting with a Panasonic DVX100. She's asking me if she should shoot in "cine" mode or normal video and not knowing much about the video camera world I don't know what to tell her. Of course the S-16 is just for capture. In post I'm doing to an HD master and dubbing to SD video and release initially will be in DVD format.

Any suggestions?

Sandu Thomson

David Mullen ASC · July 7, 2005

Does she have the PAL or NTSC version of the camera? How will you be editing everything? Are you transferring all the 16mm to HD and making a downconversion for editing? Are you transferring all the 16mm to SD, creating an EDL, and retransferring selects of the 16mm to HD? Did you shoot the 16mm at 24 fps?

Sandy Thomson · July 8, 2005

David:

Thanks for the response. I don't know if NZ is PAL or NTSC. I'll have to ask.

The intention is to transfer to an HD master, and downconvert for editing. The HD is for some time in the future because I expect to see this project sold as DVD's before it may have a TV opportunity. However, you raise a good point in suggesting the option of transfer all to SD initially with an EDL with a later transfer to HD. I presume the latter would be less costly.

Yes I have shot everything to date at 24 fps.

The production will be 50 min with a shooting ratio of maybe 10:1.

The subject is the restoration of a vintage aircraft.

I'm not new to shooting film but I am to electronic editing.

Sandy

David Mullen ASC · July 8, 2005

You probably want to get the NTSC DVX100A and shoot in 24P Advanced mode, then import it into FCP and have the pulldown removed and cut in 24P (23.976 fps) not in 60i.

If you use the PAL DVX100A, then you'd want to use the 25P mode but then have to deal with the video footage being 25 fps and your film footage being 24 fps.