Tjerker

Does anyone know if the HD SDI output is uncompressed HD while shooting? I'd like to capture uncompressed HD straight to disk via HD SDI. (HD out --> powermac G5 --> decklink HD card, FCP 10 bits uncompressed capture)

Capturing your video via Firewire is, indeed, losless. As long as you do not compress or decompress your video, it stays the same as captured on tape. EVERYtime you alter the video (dissolves, color correction: the works) you'll go through a decompression - compression cycle, and you'll lose quality. That's the reason they mention having a cuts only transfer - then you don't lose anything.

If you're planning on heavy duty editing, you could capture via SDI and then stay uncompressed in the rest of the workflow. Even better is to capture straight to disk while shooting - but that's an other story.

Hi Tjerker

very happy to have found your thread.

i was given a job shooting an intro for a TV show, using a Varicam and a bluescreen.

(The production decided on the camera)

I have never used the camera before, and only done bluescreen twice before.

I was about to post when I read this.

So to everyone who have replied (specially David Cox), thanks alot.

Good luck Tjerker

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Good luck to you, too! Let me know how it went...

  Theres a million other small things, lighting direction etc, but I'm going on a bit! But to get back to the thread, I think my point is that technically the ideal is an uncompressed 4:4:4: camera / recorder, but given a restricted budget you are more likely to benefit green screen shoots by getting an extra light for your screen the qubbling between 720P 4:2:2 varicam or 1080P 4:1:1 sony.

 

David Cox

Managing Director

Baraka Post Production Ltd

www.baraka.co.uk

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That helps! Thanks!

About that apple solution. Let me just say that green screen work (post) is very difficult and takes a great deal of skill. What tool you have in front of you is largely irrelevant as long as it actually has the toolset you need. No matter what the manufacturers say, green screen comps are never automatic! Also, there are a lot of processes used to make green screens look good (keying, matt correction, edge correction, colour correction etc etc) and if you use a single computer, be ready for a very, very long post session :-)

 

Definitely do some tests so you know what you are letting yourself into. By all means contact mean through our web site if you need more info.

 

Good Luck!

 

David Cox

Managing Director

Baraka Post Production Ltd

www.baraka.co.uk

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The 'Apple solution' I'm considering is: shooting varicam, edit in Final Cut, distribute footage of FX scenes to a bunch of artists via harddisks, get them back and piece everything together again. The 'artists' involved are 3d / matte painters / compositors. Makes any sense?

How low is this budget?  Because who is doing the backgrounds and the composites?  I mean off the top of my head it sounds like at least 200,000 of work there - maybe 100,000 if your a master deal maker.

 

50 minutes - lets figure that's got to be at least 400 cuts with at least 100 different backgrounds.  Let's say each background takes one artist about 3 days to create.  Let's say each composite for each shot takes a day with some being a lot faster and some being a lot longer.  Yeah - if everything was shot perfectly and there were no problems, you could probably pop off a ton of them - or you accept a little quality loss... but I have a feeling you're not going to have the perfect stage and your not going to have all the time you want to shoot.. so back to what I just said.

 

So it looks like you have about 2 years worth of single artist man power ahead of you.  Maybe you have a bunch of friends who will help.  Unless they are seriously indebted to you and you really can trust them... don't - maybe a few will deliver, but the rest won't.

 

I'm really, sincerely, not trying to bum you out.  I'm trying to protect you.  I've been doing this crazy "do it yourself" / "homestyle" / "garage" special effects and bg stuff for over a decade and I just want you to know what you're looking at.  Sounds like you don't have a lot of cash - you sure as hell don't want to spend it all on something that is unfinishable - or if it does finish doesn't look great.

Anyway - so... that's why I'm saying... do a test... do a test on whatever you can get your hands on (even a dv camera) just to test the whole process.

 

As far as cameras go... The bigger the resolution, the less the compression, the greater lattitude of the colors - the better.  And interlacing will not be your friend.

 

As for resolution vs. compression... totally depends on the grades and I'm afraid that's knowledge I don't have - other people here obviously do.

 

....and...........    have fun!  :-)

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The movie is a cooperation of a lot op people, including artists with a lot of experience. SD and chromakey / greenscreen is not new for us - but only on digitbeta material. HD / film is completely new for all of us. We will work with partly built sets. We will have access to a proper stage. We won't have a lot of time, though, and no money.

We're querious how digibeta footage relates to DVC HD stuff. Is it better? Equal? Worse?

I saw the dvgarage tool and was curious to test it against what we use (keylight in shake and after effects).  I didn't find, personally, while testing it on DV footage that it was any better for that than keylight.  It defaults to a softer key.  The problem with DV compression in particular is that it creates big blocks - that's how it compresses... it's just about exactly the opposite of what you would want for keying... because all your smooth lines start to alias into these compression blocks.  Generally whenever anyone has pulled a key from it that worked, it was very systlized, soft edged.  I've never seen a perfect crisp key from DV compression.

 

Try it for yourself.... because you WILL be doing a test... right?  No, seriously - you need to do a few shots and see how long it takes you before you find yourself 2 years into a nightmarish post production process.

 

and.... have fun!  :-)

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It's a very low budget :-( So postproduction costs are a big issue. That's why we consider the VariCam in the first place. But setting up a test shoot if we know beforehand that it won't work - hence the question.

Is digibeta a consideration? Will it give a better picture keyed and blown up to 35 mm projection?

Can you tap the SDI out of the camera head before it gets compressed?  That would work best, I think.  You can pull a great key no problem for most video applications even on tape, but you'll want the cleanest signal possible if it's high-end compositing for a film-out.

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It's for a film-out but we're on a tight budget. Considering data rates and storage issues, we're quite impressed by the Panasonic - Apple route. But we have a lot of greenscreen (50 min+) work...

What do you think?

regards,

T.

We're thinking of using the VariCam to shoot a green screen scene. Anyone got experience? Will it work with the DVC compression? What to expect?

Any input will be appreciated.