Michael J. Murphy

I have a wedding this weekend and the only thing troubling me is the audio situation. My wireless lav mics are black and the groom is wearing all white. The only one wearing black is the minister. I want to have a mic on the groom also, but the black on white would be hard to hide. Is it safe to just mic the minister, or should I find another way to mic the groom and the minister? I'm using Shure PG185 mics, with an approximate 6 foot pickup radius. Thanks!

Hi- I'm having the typical problem with a fried camera firewire port on my Sony Z1, but I've put the repair off for at least six months because Sony's $600 is hard to earn with my income. Does anyone know of any alternative repair facility (and reputable) that can repair a Sony Z1 firewire port for less than $600? Thanks! Mike Murphy

Thanks for your advice Jonathan! The only thing concerning me is the difference between the one you recommended and the one at http://www.adorama.com/SVKSB1250.html. The kit you recommended has a photoflood on a short stand, while the other has one on a boom pole for lighting hair and separating the subject from the background. Is the photoflood on the boom pole really necessary or should I stick with the SAM31500? And I'll check out Photoflex's items, too. And Chimera. Maybe I passed them up when I was looking. Eh, it's late, that's probably the case... :lol: Anyway, thanks for your help!

Hi- I've been looking at lighting for video interviews and have seen many different setups: several photofloods in one setup, two umbrellas and a regular halogen lamp with barndoors, and others. So, I've narrowed down some light kits in my price range on Adorama. (I'm not excluding other retailers, I'm just currently browsing there at the moment.) Out of these 5 light kits, which would be best suited for a video interview setup? (disregarding price discrepancies) http://www.adorama.com/SVKSB1250.html http://www.adorama.com/SAM31500.html http://www.adorama.com/SVK77.html http://www.adorama.com/SVK78.html http://www.adorama.com/SVK70.html And if you know of a light kit that you use for interviews, please feel free to recommend one as well! My price range is $300-$700. Thanks! Michael

That's what apparently has happened... and it isn't uncommon, apparently. Well, I'm not looking forward to dishing out $500-$600 for the repair, but that's life...

Chris- If you can e-mail me at Michael@mjmvideography.com, I can help you out and answer some of your questions. Michael

While this post is specifically about my Z1, I know that this problem can apply to any HDV camera, so I thought it would be better posted here. Anyway... when I went to connect my Z1 to the computer a few weeks ago (I left for a two-week trip to Costa Rica two days after the incident), the computer did not at all recognize that anything had been connected. I tried the computer in the next room, and the camera still went unrecognized. It wasn't until later, when I researched this problem, that I found out that firewire can damage a camera's firewire port. (http://dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=64873) This really puts me in a bind because a client wants me to send them some additional footage and I have no way of capturing. Should I send the Z1 off to Sony and probably have to pay a large fee, is there a fix I can do here at home, or does the camera have to be replaced? I'm worried because the warranty has expired... Thanks! Michael

Hi- When I have the Z1 mounted on my shoulder, I often prefer to use the viewfinder since the displayed image is closer to the final result. However, unlike other cameras, the viewfinder doesn't have the 90 degree elbow that allows a camera operator to use the viewfinder comfortably. Does a viewfinder extender, one possibly with the 90 degree elbow, exist? It would be a great relief to my straining neck. :lol: (And yes, I've Googled it. Can't find one anywhere.) Thanks! Michael

Tim- I've looked at the LitePanels, but for my budget, they are incredibly expensive. I've got a budget of about $400...

Actually, Zamir, that was my initial idea. However, not all venues are large. One from two days ago was in a small church with only two feel of space between the edge of the pews and the wall. Of course, that wouldn't allow much room for a lighting stand. Also, some churches (though I haven't come across one yet) have restrictions on auxiliary lighting, even if the church lighting is horrible. So, here's another idea to put on the table: does a camera-mountable soft-box exist? Michael

Since I've started videography, I've noticed that the Z1 doesn't have the best lux rating and 18dB of gain is unacceptable in most applications. I've looked into different types of lights, but I'm not sure which ones are compatible and can mount on the camera. Can I have some opinions on what kind of on-camera light to look into? I'll be using it mostly for weddings, so I don't want the light to be distracting to the bride and groom. My budget is about $400. Thanks! Michael

Tim, you suggested a type of on-camera light called a diffused LED light. I can't seem to find one online. Could you describe it for me? And would it be distracting to the bride and groom? And, yes, I'm a one man team: videographer, editor, sound technician, and DVD authorer, so I need as much automation as possible. Unfortunately, on my current budget, I can't afford a light kit, let alone a remote one... Thanks again!

Every wedding I've filmed (which is only a handful so far) has ended with a nice reception with the lights "turned down low". This is fine for the guests and the photographer, who can use an on-camera flash. Unfortunately, my camera (Sony's HVR-Z1) doesn't do well in these situations. I can't remember the lux specification for the Z1, but I'm sure some other cameras have this problem as well. I've had to make some shots with the gain turned up all the way to 18dB, which results in a really grainy picture. Even working with the video in post doesn't help much. I know on-camera hotshoe lights are available, but in my opinion, that would be distracting to the bride and groom, and they're already nervous enough. So, supposing the lights are down low, the management can't turn them higher, and gain isn't an option, what can I do to achieve a brighter shot? Thanks! Michael :huh:

I had a computer custom built by a freelancer about two years ago for HDV editing. He did some research and compiled a great computer, with 2GB of RAM, 1 TB drive (with RAID 0), and a GeForce 6600 card. However, I'm starting to realize that, deep down, this workstation is looking very shaky... let me explain. The processors are 2.2 GHz, but that doesn't make the cut for my workflow. What has been recommended by others is at least 3.2 GHz, a major difference. The video card is also starting to show faults, and rendering time is sometimes horrific. To add to the problems, the computer has recently simply shut down After Effects and Premiere without saving, usually in the middle of a very long render. That's a lot of time - and data - lost. Because of the growing instability and jeopardy to my data, I need some opinions from fellow editors, in case I decide to replace this computer. I can probably sell this computer for $3000. Would I be able to then buy either a Mac or a PC with plenty of processing power to handle HDV? I've looked at ProMax, Matrox, Edius, AVID, and Apple so far. Any ideas? Thanks.

Hi- I'm having some trouble figuring out what I need for wedding videography, for both the ceremony and reception. My basic audio idea is to attach two wireless lavalier mics to the bride and groom, but all of the packages online seem to include only one mic. What is the best audio configuration for a typical wedding? My audio budget is $600. Thanks! Michael

Sounds great; I'll look into it. Thanks!

If you have seen the movie "Firewall" (although many other action movies use this), then you will probably remember the quick scenes from a security camera POV and edited to have a fish-eye lens, interlaced, slow frame speed, etc. (Even the occasional "glitches" and scan lines) So, equipped with Adobe's Premiere 2.0, After Effects 7, and Photoshop CS2, how could I pull this effect off with maximum authenticity? Any filters would be great, too. Thanks! Mike

That would be great, but I specified a budget of $500. The camera has phantom supply and a windsock is easy to come by, but the budget is quite rigid. Thanks, though!

Hi- I've been shooting with my Sony HVR-Z1 since December of 2005 and didn't really have any film jobs coming in. So for a little while I decided I wouldn't need a microphone if I was just doing stock filming. Now I'm becoming more "noticed" and am starting to build up a network of possible clients. I was asked to shoot a wedding for my Spanish teacher, with me and the camera on the tripod on a balcony about 40 feet from the bride and groom. Luckily, the on-camera microphone picked up everything fine, but if I'm going to start doing this professionally, I need a microphone. So, here's what I need help with. I've studied up on mics and their pickup types (cardoid, bi-directional, hyper cardiod, etc.), each with its own advantage. I need a mic with the most flexibility in a given situation, whether the intended subject is speaking to the camera only six feet away or is about to kiss the bride forty feet away. I also have a self-set budget of $500. Any suggestions as far as type or even model? Thanks! Michael

Hi- I've got a question that's been burning into my mind for a few weeks. I visited my local film production house. They basically film a lot of the local news, events, parties, and so on. I believed the camera they were working with was, or was very similar to, the JVC GY-HD250U. I brought my Sony HVR-Z1 along, to show them a bit of what I had shot (I was also there to see about an internship over the summer). I saw some of their footage and when I compared it to mine, the resolutions and image quality looked practically identical. I really couldn't tell the difference. So, here's my question: What is the difference between using the $9000-$1000 HD250U when you could save some money and and still have high quality using the Z1? Thanks, Mike

I do in fact have 2 GB of RAM installed, which is definitely enough. The model number of the processors is 4200+ (so the full name is AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 4200+). Even though this may seem enough, I'm running into some serious performance problems when using Dynamic Link between Premiere Pro 2.0 and After Effects. After Effects is freezing for at least 7 minutes before I can get any compositing done. Any ideas? Thanks again! Mike

Hi- I had my computer custom built for HDV editing, primarily because it was a little cheaper. I'm curious whether the processor the installer put in is standard for HDV editing. I have two "AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core" processors installed. Of course, having the two processors is always good, but I just want to know if this is suitable for the high performance required from HDV editing. Thanks! Mike

Actually, I'm using Premiere for my editing. In the beginning I knew that shooting 50i would be easier to convert to 24p than 60i, but, unfortunately some of my to-be-24p video is already 60i. Luckily it is mainly for TV playback, so the conversion shouldn't be too noticeable. My other question is what I should do with the audio to avoid the well-talked-about distortion that occurs during the conversion process. What should I do there? Thanks! Mike

Hi- I just started converting some of my footage from the HVR-Z1 (which, unfortunately, will not film in 24p) to 24p. As far as I know, I need to deinterlace the 60i video to get best results when converting to 24p. If I'm wrong, please correct me. Also, I understand that audio can get fairly distorted during the conversion and there's something I need to do to it to prevent the distortion. Again, the conversion process has left me completely confused. Can I have some guidance? Thanks, Mike

Hi- The Z1 allows the user to record in NTSC 30fps and PAL 25fps. Unfortunately, it can't record in 24p. Would it be possible to film in 25fps instead and produce it for a NTSC-TV audience? I tried playing back 25fps footage from the camcorder to the TV, producing only a very flickery picture. Could this be fixed in post, or should I just convert it to 24p later on? Thanks! Mike