Mike Brennan

Clear scan shutter function will also solve synch issues, I am assuming by flicker you mean shooting monitors or filming under artifical light? Choose the native frame rate of the country where the project will be aired but beware of frame rates that are not common in the country where the editing is taking place. ie Shooting 30p if it is being edited in Europe, necessitates finding a NTSC off line. Mike Brennan

Well you are comparing a camcoder with dedicated DVCPROHD recorder built-in to a camera head where you need to add a recorder, well have it dangling on a cable! Varicam 10bit AD 1280x720 pixels recorded to 960x720 @8bit DVCPROHD. Sony f950 12bit A/D 1920x1080 recorded 4:2:2 or 4:4:4 @10 bit onto say SRW1. Also consider the Sony HDC1500. It does 1920x1080 @60p 14bit A/D which can be recorded 4:2:2 10bit on SR. Viper, 1280x720 60p or 1920x1080 @30p can also be recorded onto SR @ 10bit. Mike Brennan Mike Brennan

Thanks for keeping us informed. Sony Denmark set an excellent example with they way they have supported HD in the region. A creative business approach that helps the end user. Mike Brennan

Far as I can tell 99% choose HDCAM 4:4:4 SQ compression at approx 4:1 compression rather than HQ mode at 2:1 This may be because most SR5000 decks only playback SQ mode 4:1 and not 2:1 or that there is very little difference that matters for most subjects. In respect to 4:4:4 at 4:1 versus 4:2:2 at 2:1 I'd go for the former based on current experience with SR using both Viper and f950. IMHO the big deal with SR in order of importance is that it is 10bit then 1920x1080 pixels then 4:4:4 Back end compression to tape @ 4:1 could be better certainly for archiving! but passes otherwise. Mike Brennan

Could you share the comparative costings including post? Other cost factors to consider in shooting HD, 2/3 inch requires less light than 35mm for given depth of field. Forget waiting 3 days before checking that post is happy this should be same day or better still immediatley before the shoot, if you can't previs on set. Consider if the director will benifit from not having a low cost penalty for multiple takes, ad libbing or shooting semi controlled subjects like animals or children. Also consider that there is no excuse for a crap key on HD 444 if you have accurate monitoring on set. With a 1920x1080 monitor you can check every pixel for greenscreen spill, greenscreen reflection, errant hairs or soft subject that often can be rectified on set. Considering all of the above can give DP and director greater confidence in considering riskey actionor difficult subjects. In some circumstances (modest budgets) this is a creative benifit. Mike Brennan

Lightwight mattbox is key. Slim Graphite battery An in-between battery and camera adapter that has multiple lemo outputs to power 1/Lightweight blackbox video timecode sender 2/ Lightweight postage stamp sized sender (if you have on board down convertor) 3/ radio mic Arri pistol grip that bolts to arri dove plate (replaces sony camera dove plate) Carefull positioning of viewfinder to prevent neck strain. Try different magnification monoculars, there are a few types for Sony cameras. A back tip that has worked for me, Before your back gets too tired; Lay down on floor, bend knees upright so heels touching thighs, arms by side palms toward ceiling. This will relax the back muscles and prevent spasms. The back is one of the few muscles that does not "give up" before damaging itself, you must stop before you get tired as the back muscles will keep supporting you to the point of self destruction, probably a hangover from cave man days. Touch wood, 25 years of hand holding these video cameras I haven't had a back problem but have laid down in the most inconvenient of places! Never needed to see a chiro and no I do not work out. I did strain a knee ligament by over extension, raising from squat positon to standing with camera. Mike Brennan

Canon and Fuji will lower cost of HD lenses for 1/2 and 2/3 inch by offering versions without the doubler. Mike Brennan

The f350 camera is not true progressive camcorder. The ccd is interlace. There is loss of resolution in P mode. There is time lag in viewfinder in P mode. Just like the x300. It records MPEG-2 Long GOP coding at a selectable bit-rate of 35, 25 or 18 Mbps. Interestingly it has fewer moving parts than a HDV camcorder but is many times the price. Mike Brennan

BBC have now stopped accepting digibeta for all factual and learning programs. In addition to this they are forcing producers and researchers to self shoot and self edit using Z1 and FCP. This is not an isolated case folks its the real thing. When you combine the two strategies you can see that overnight professional "craft cameramen" are no longer needed at the BBC for documentaries.... What is the experience of "self shooting" COAL (Cameras Operated at Arms Length) in the USA? Mike Brennan

Fred Meyers recent quotes on Log vs Gamma made me think more about the notion that log is better way to record the output of a ccd camera. The often quoted notion is that log is good becuase it records more info in the shadow details where the viewer is most sensitive, has always sounded a little too convenient a statement considering I've yet to see a white paper on it form the perspective of recording direct from camera.... My thoughts.... 1/ ccds are good at capturing shadow detail 2/ log trades steps in the highlights to more steps in the shadows but ccd cameras need all the help they can get in retaining detail in the highlights. 3/ Shadow detail as seen by the viewer is much brighter on a screen than in real life... so isn't it a nonesense to compare? How many have done a comparison test? Mike Brennan

If you do anything but cuts it becomes uncompressed, like Sony Xpri, thats 100% certanty. Apple also say, in the case of Varicam, that (if you are doing a mix) they unrap it to native 960x720 rather than unrap and then pad out to 1280x720. This is one of the reasons they say they get good speed, is that they only play with 960x720.... Mike

1/2 the story? not usually from me:) I was the guy that took two days at NAB to get to the bottom of if Apple FCP would uncompress DVCPROHD when it did a mix and also two days at IBC for Sony to admit that the XDCAMHD camcorder was not true progressive. The above examples are precisely why I agree with a sceptical approach to manufacturers data, certainly when livelyhoods have to be earnt. Mike Brennan

To answer the original question from the camera head side of things we don't know, as Panasonic have not released the pixel count of the camera. Varicam records 960 x720 from a 1280 x 720 ccd. Anything less than these numbers will make for a hard sell. 1440 x 1080 highly compressed HDV format is not being accepted by any HD broadcaster for anything other than small percentages of a HD programme. If the ccds were 1440x1080 (as per SonyX300 and XDCAM HD) and that was recorded 4:2:2 to DVC pro HD 25p or 30p codec then it would be OK for interlace. Bear in mind that in X300 and XDCAM HD progressive images are achieved by ccd processing which results in time lag and reduced resolution, will be interesting to see what the 200 will do to make progressive. Mike Brennan

Thanks for pointing out these details because they can be show stoppers. The value of forums is to give end users the heads up on stuff the manufacturers aren't necessarily keen or even aware of... How many bought HDCAM not relaising it was a 1440x1080 format? How many don't understand that native editing on both Xpri or Apple DVCPROHD does not occur with a mix or colour correction? Mike Brennan

I have palyed with the Genesis and studied side by side footage of Genesis and HDC1500, both recorded on SR at I presume was 4:2:2 as 50fps was being demonstrated. Two SR decks two monitors side by side. Initially the Genesis looked sharper. (long lens shot of girl walking toward camera) than the HDC1500 (sports pictures, players on the field) However on reflection I figured that resolution was the same (as displayed on these monitors at least) but the out of focus background of the Genesis made the girl look sharper. Mike Brennan

What evidence is there that they use 12mega pixel as a 6 megapixel? Mike Brennan

Bob you are right, cameras should be near enough match at factory presets. So return to factory presets. Then dial in choice of matrix, detail, gamma curves to both cameras. Pictures should be in the ball park. If they are not then use an engineer to adjust OHB file to match cameras, (not multimatrix or anything else) OHB matrix is designed so that the other matrixes can be laid on top. Mike Brennan

Make sure you get at least a Sony Mark three camera that has cleaner blacks and revised filter wheel. Better still is a mark 2/ with the 3 upgrade or a f900H as these models have different optical components in the camera that not create the horrible green flare when pointed at point sources. The problem of Panavised HD kit for low budget work is not only do you need experienced video/HD guys in the crew, you also need experienced assistants with significant film backgound. Mike Brennan

You may need to activate the auto pixel correction circuits many times (like a dozen) before it works. Mike Brennan

We agree that a low cost removable format that does not need digitising is the way to go. But the Infinity camera from what I can tell, is going to be the highest value ticket item of the infinity infrastructure. I don't see how they can sell a 2/3 inch 3 chip progressive camera with HDSDI output and inbuilt recorder for under $20k and make any money? Don't forget it will need a $20k lens If they are savvy they'll sell the camera at cost to kick start the format :) something Sony hasn't done when it introduces new cameras, instead making users pay a high premium. The 35gb capacity is on the low side. Uncompressed HD is 8GB a minute so it isn't a step forward in quality at all. XDCAM HD falls into the same category, Sonys initial HD disc cam offering very low HD quality! News is an area where high resolution adds impact to the audience (not always the case with drama) As usual the manufacturers are trying to bend the market to fit into what they can make a buck out of. Cameramena and DPs should be reminding the bean counters that with HD the "vision" in Television is more important than ever before... Mikle Brennan

I agree with Phil, don't go with a Panavised f900, better still if you are tight find a owner operator who (should) give a good deal and greater attention to your shoot than a bigger company. Sometimes a cheap deal from with TV rental facility is tempting but they usually know less about features than Panavision Arri or others with film kit... In Europe the TV rental guys kick the kit out of the door as if it were going on a reality show, even though it is HD. Basic List HD camera with raincover 9 inch monitor 21x cinestyle lens. 7.5mm to 150mm Tripod Hi Hat 6 x batts 2 x chargers Mattbox Filters Follow focus. 14inch crt . Test chart. Timecode transmitter Bag of video cables. Optional HDSDI output on camera HDSDI input on monitors Wide zoom 19mm support 23 inch LCD monitor with HDSDI input 4 more batteries Microforce zoom Mike Brennan

Ticket paying audience expectations are greater for large screen work than small screen. In general, you stand a greater risk of your film being "off the mark" from the large screen audiences expectations if using a consumer camera format. But it can be "off the mark" in many other ways of course script editing acting, these are usually the problem! Your faith/surprise/hope/elation that the picture doesn't look crap on a big screen can't be communicated to the audience who just want to be sucked into the story. The Director has editing, camera direction, grading and lighting as tools to visually suck the audience into the story. The technical quality of the picture ie range of tones and colours, sharpness, depth of field, recording quality are important factors that are tied up with what type of camera, lens and recording format you use. A good producer trades/juggles all of the above to spend the available budget in an effort to meet (all) the audience expectations. Mike Brennan

Michael you chose HDV because you can afford it. The information you give out about the infinity is not sunstantiated. It will be the first camera let alone camcorder under ?20k that will have a true progressive 1920x1080. ccd, doesn't seem liely it will. It is aimed at news and pro who have geared up to 1440x1080 recording from pixel arays of that number or less in the case of Z1! Quality is pretty subjective, if I was tight on budget I'd go for the IMX 900 progressive camera, cheap as chips and looks good on a 30ft screen... Panavision 900 next. Compression in general you want as little as possible at the beginning and can afford more for final distribution. Mike Brennan

Here is the exact page, perhaps you missed the link on the home page. http://www.hd24.com/shooting_from_a_chopper.htm It refers to many tips for shooting from a heli 20 paragraphs of tips one paragraph of mounts! I do not mention any brands of video gimbal, so I don't understand your implication that there was something wrong with posting the link? And for the record for video of course for most work I recommend a stabilised small HD gimbal as technically the best (assuming you can afford it) Gyron 2nd. Spacecam and Wescam 3rd best, Tyler type mounts fourth and hand held last. Who wouldn't! Mike Brennan Here is the page so you don't have to leave the shop.... There is no simple way of learning to shoot from a open door of a helicopter. The biggest impact on the quality of the picture is the pilot, the weather and just how comfortable you are feeling in a banked turn with nothing between you and a 1000 ft drop but 1G and a safety strap. Weather Consider scheduling a wide as possible window so you can choose the time with the smoothest air. If the weather is bad consider changing direction of the shot. Ask the pilot if there is there anything he or you can do to make the flight smoother. Sunrise and sunset offer the least flat lighting of a landscape. Pilot Choose a reputable company if available. If you are flying low or fancy choose a pilot who has at least 5000 hours flight time. But beware, every pilot will have had a cameraman in the back at some time or other and so can claim to have filming experience. Do not fly in a private rich kids or corporate chopper with unknown plot except for the simplest of flights. Your comfort and experience If you have not flown with the door off then perhaps a short dynamic flight in low cost chopper is a good idea to familiarize yourself with he experience. If the experience is not to your liking then employ a operator for the shot and ride along as his assistant to get flight time. There are two ways to work from an open or removed door. One is to sit on the floor with your feet dangling or resting on the skids. This gives maximum panning and tilting scope. But is useless at higher speed because your legs and the camera are in the slipstream. Your mic will become unusable due to wind noise unless you lean backwards out of the slipstream. This position is good for shooting uncontrolled subjects at low height and low speed (not necessarily a safe way to fly) It is possible to get shots looking straight down when the aircraft banks. You can also rig it so the camera can be hand held between your legs, looking straight down when in a hover. This position requires a harness for you and a safety strap for the camera. Take your own harness along and carabinas.. if you trust your life in your own hands that is. All carabinas should be self locking or screw type that can't be accidentally opened (tragically this happened in a televised bungy jump in the UK) If the harness does not have a front release mechanism then strap a divers knife to your ankle in case you need to get out in a hurry. Gaffer tape your trouser legs to stop them flapping or tuck them into your socks:) Wind-chill could be very high so consider silk or cyclists gloves. Sitting on one inch of foam, securely taped to the floor is an idea. There can be a lot of turbulence in the cockpit with the door off so make sure there is nothing that can get blown about. More to the point prepare a bag, that can be strapped down, that has a zipper so you can access what you need. Your shooting angles are more limited, but you are out of the slipstream and generally more comfortable. No silly looking leg ware and changing or batteries and mags or tapes is easier as is communication with the pilot and director. If you are a big chap the camera may come into contact with the roof every now and then. If you are shooting video take a battery that can be cabled to the camera this will reduce fatigue and give you more scope to tilt down. In general do not use any power from the helicopter. The seat cushions are usually velcroed in consider removing one, with pilots permission if the camera is too close to the ceiling. More of a problem with video. I use a small Kenyon gyro that attaches directly to a camera. It helps reduce high frequency vibration. The key to reduce the low frequency oscillation is to be very relaxed so your body acts as a sponge on one hand and a self leveling device on the other. This is not possible to do if you are tense! I wouldn't recommend a home made bungey for your first flight. Preflight Which door to be removed? If you want to get technical then wind direction can have a bearing on which door to remove. Tail rotor effectiveness and hence tail stability is affected by wind direction. So it may be on a crappy day that the pilot will suggest (if you let him) shooting in a particular direction which will enable him greater control of the tail. If you are on the ball you will know which door to remove. You can't shoot a counter clockwise orbit of the subject from the starboard side or a clockwise from the port side. If you have a particular shot that develops from a specific landmark then consider which door to work from in advance. Will you be heading clockwise or anti clockwise around the subject? Plan the shot well in advance if you can. In Europe at least, every few seconds costs a dollar or so! Coordinating action on the ground with a specific aerial maneuver should be avoided unless you have experienced production staff. Coordinating air to air action is somewhat easier because you will be in the hands of the pilots who shouldn't take off unless they are sure of what you want. Coordinating a air to air shot with a specific ground feature in the background is very difficult for the inexperienced. Arrive with plenty of time to setup. Allow a 30 minute briefing with the pilot and a one hour rig. Prove to the pilot that you are safety conscientious and have made a effort to plan and he will be more likely to take you seriously! Production often schedule only 30 minutes to "jump on board". Ensure all members of the crew are aware of how to work safely around a helicopter/airfield. Pickup the smallest of yours or anyone else's rubbish. If you are moving seats about and you find a screw on the floor give it to the pilot. Take as few passengers as possible. Generally this will give the aircraft more performance or greater flight endurance and he pilot needs only be concerned with the comfort of a single passenger. Don't expect mid and long lens shots to be steady for more than a few seconds. Leave the long zoom lens on the ground. Go close and low if practical. It is possible in post, to track the horizon or remove a wobble (up to a point) 35mm and HD offer more scope to do this than 16mm in my opinion. Sometimes it is not possible to go as low as you need. One way around this is to get permission to land near the site you are filming. During the landing and takeoff phase you may get the shot you need. Plan plan plan if you can. Shooting hand held involves compromises! Insurance Ensure that the production insures you as your own insurance generally, will not. Take note that your loss of earnings insurance, mortgage insurance and life insurance by default do not cover you when working in a helicopter. Although the charter company will have legal liability insurance you or your widow will have to sue them in a court of law and prove they were legally liable ie negligent. This could take years and will only pay out if the pilot or charter company were negligent. So make sure that you have a accidental death policy that covers you for helicopters. Chain those commands Expect a safety briefing. Get into the habit of walking around the front of the aircraft, never duck under the boom, even when the rotors are stationary. When the helicopter is on the ground and the rotors are coming up speed or are slowing down a severe gust of wind can deflect them down below head height. When the rotors are turning you should only approach the aircraft on the signal of the pilot or ground staff. Camera assistants, don't be pressured into running up to a helicopter because the director or camera operator is beckoning you! In flight, with a pilot I haven't flown with before, I preface any *unplanned* suggestion for a new maneuver with "if it is safe to do so, could we..." This reinforces the proper chain of command in the cockpit, especially if there is a demanding director onboard putting the pressure on if the schedule has gone pear shaped. Camera mounts This is a big subject. By far the best mounts for HD are gyro stabilized remote head systems. These systems consist of a ball with a lens pan tilt head and just the bare bones of the HD camera. The rest of the camera and the recorder are in the cockpit. Thus the ball can be as small as 14 inches in diameter. A small ball means it has less effect on the aerodynamics and performance of the chopper. If the recorder is in the cockpit tape changes can be made with the need to land. The lightweight ball can be fitted to the nose of the aircraft and so can shoot forward vertically and left and right. The crew are nicely cossetted away in heated/airconditioned comfort with no danger of anything or anyone falling out. With the door shut it is few decibels quiter too! The second type of stabilized mount is like a hot head or remote pan and tilt head with spinning mass gyros fixed to it. It can accept different types of camcorders. They are larger and generally can only be used on the side of aircraft. They are not as stable as the smaller gimbals. Wescam and Spacecam have versions that will take HD cameras as well as 35mm and IMAX cameras. There is a range of non gyro systems made by Tyler that fit on the floor of the helicopter. They are balanced systems, a little like steadycam. Simply put the camera on the sytem, and balance it. The camera operator pans and tilts the camera manually. It is much less steady than the gyrosytems but much cheaper. Tytler also make a nose mount that can be tilted up and down from within the cockpit. If you can't go low consider a wide angle lens and a 250 ft access platform, on a windy day it wobbles as much as chopper... copyright Michael Brennan