Brian Drysdale

Are you shooting on film or video? Given how complex modern windscreens can be, with bonded fitting etc, which requires a specialist window fitter, it's unlikely such a windscreen would exist.

The fifth Lightworks Beta Version 2021.1 is now available on Windows Linux and Mac https://www.lwks.com/index.php?option=com_kunena&func=view&catid=19&id=228696&Itemid=81#228696 This build has a number of additions, updates and fixes. Lightworks is aiming for a release at the end of November.

The fourth Lightworks Beta Version 2021.1 is now available on Windows Linux and Mac. https://www.lwks.com/index.php?option=com_kunena&func=view&catid=19&id=228196&Itemid=81#228196 This latest build includes translations to Korean and Vietnamese among several other regressions reported. There is a known issue with ShuttlePRO devices which is being resolved by Contour,

TV studio and OB camera operators do operate with the camera on the side of their hip, and cradled in their arm, using the viewfinder for framing. I've done it a number of times with Betacams. However, I wouldn't want to do it for more than a few shots.

The third Lightworks Beta Version 2021.1 (revision 125517) now available on Windows Linux and Mac. https://www.lwks.com/index.php?option=com_kunena&func=view&catid=19&id=227684&Itemid=81 This adds ability to 'H.264/MP4", 'MOV', 'MXF' and 'AVI' using a custom output format (Lightworks Pro Only) There are also various fixes.

The 2nd Lightworks V2021.1 beta has been released https://www.lwks.com/index.php?option=com_kunena&func=view&catid=19&id=227192&Itemid=81#227192 This build resolves several important issues raised over the last week and includes the ability to modify the appearance of the user interface even further. There's new user interface changes throughout the application with some new icons throughout the application (work in progress) more configuration options for configuring the user interface within the "Appearance" panel: Global: Font, Panels, Flexible layout, Menus, Popups, Buttons and Tables Plus a number of fixes.

Most people will work in television and other sectors. if you wish to work in feature film production you need to move to an area where they're making films, assuming you wish to work on a crew. These days crews also work on TV dramas and commercials.

The first build of the V2021,1 beta is now available for downloading. This is the first major version under the new owners. https://www.lwks.com/index.php?option=com_kunena&func=view&catid=19&id=226509&Itemid=81#226509 New features include: Projects created in Lightworks no longer require a frame rate to be selected during project creation. This allows for any frame rate content to be imported to a project and played back, logged and added to a sequence seamlessly, including: All content is played at its natural rate regardless of media frame rate. Import 23.98fps, 24fps, 25fps, 29.97fps, 30fps, 50fps, 60fps, 120fps, and 240fps media into the same project The video output format is now set per sequence instead of on the project card Copies of a sequence can be made for different output frame rates if required Asset Associations now allow for sequences, clips, subclips, documents, and to be linked together by loading an asset into the source viewer and selecting the “Associates” tab: Added “Square” and “Portrait” sequence output formats for social media. There are other additions and fixes.

I've got a Contour Shuttle Pro. It works pretty well, however, you do get a touch of rubber banding if you over do the Jog wheel inputs. This is because it uses keystrokes., the full console is designed into the Lightworks architecture. so doesn't have this and is regarded as the best controller on a NLE. The traditional working method with the Lightworks console is to operate this one hand and to have the mouse in the other in a two handed style. It has a long working life, with 20 year old examples still being used. The Shuttle Pro has functions assigned to the buttons, so you can use it that way, but if you're planning to work with the keyboard, this would make more sense. The X-Keys 68 Jog/Shuttle controller also works with Lightworks, but is more expensive than the Shuttle Pro.

I did a slow motion effect shot with my Aaton on its side. It worked fine.

This the old school stuff. A camera head with a vidicon tube is mounted into the side of the camera, where the battery is fitted. A multi core cable runs from that to the control unit, this contains all the electrons for the head. so the combination acts like a B & W vidicon camera. with a video output. The 12v power for the video assist is plugged into the control unit. I had a bracket for mounting this onto my camera's top handle.

No1 is the camera control unit ( CTU 10-18) for the Aaton video assist video head (CX20, VR30).

For anyone interested, here's the console;

The Lightworks Console was a feature that editors loved. There is no rubber banding, like you find with other controllers, its built into the architecture of Lightworks . One of the moderators let film students use it and they thought it felt like they were no longer editing on a computer. I gather there;s less risk of repetitive strain injury with the console because of it ergonomic design. A downside these days is the cost because it was manufactured in batches it costs the same an an Arri Matte box. The upside being that lasts as long as an Arri Matte box.

Lightworks suffered over the years from the management of its company. It was purely hardware based until Editshare took over and they released the software 2010 public beta, which could be run on any computer. What kept it going were the film editors who got it and preferred it to AVID. It's more open to drag and drop now, although, you could still do in in the 2010 version. That one now reminds me of how my Sage accounting software forced me into doing good accounting practice. That Lightworks forced you to name your edits, otherwise you'd lose them. Then you had the option of temporary or permanent edits - this is because you can have more than one timeline on the screen at a time in its layout. So, you could little rough edits on the side that you didn't want to keep after you've either rejected them or put them into the main timeline.. However, that wouldn't be so good for beginners, or users who only want to basic editing. You can still do that, but you now have to delete them rather than just closing a temporary edit, which was automatically deleted.

I would get into the beta testing at an early stage, so that any issues with your Linux operating system can be addressed by the developers. Often users just use the release version and don;t test the beta, although, I gather not being able to have both a release and a beta version on your machine at the same time with some OS makes life difficult.

I was on a moderators; conference call with the new owners and Matt Saindford, the manager. I suspect the development should become quicker, since they are no longer being diverted by Editshare's Flow Story. Lightworks is now a core product for a company, rather than one that came along with the media management product they really wanted. The flexible layout will remain, because that's the one that the editors working on larger projects like using. From what they said, the general plan seems to be for Lightworks to be an even faster editor, without large amounts of bloat, but able to easily interface/exchange with more specialist programs. Higher resolution formats were also mentioned and possible crossover of some aspects of QScan into Lightworks. In V2021.1, I gather there will be improvements to the VFX and audio. They're trying to make it easier for beginners to get started, although, how far that goes in the next version remains to be seen. The social media market is also included in the announced list of new feature, There are plans for new video tutorials, many of which are now getting old, although some of the early ones give good working methods, if you don't want to use drag and drop. The Lightworks beta phase always tends to run longer than planned, there's usually a lot of input from users for new features, quite apart from the planned features and the fixes. A few users are more into computer software than making productions, so they tend to go bug hunting, which throws up more work.

Lightworks have released a maintenance built V2020.1.1 https://www.lwks.com/index.php?option=com_kunena&func=view&catid=19&id=225429&Itemid=81 Since Editshare no longer own Lightworks see: https://www.lwks.com/index.php?option=com_kunena&func=view&catid=19&id=224938&Itemid=81 This latest version is purely to update the EULA within the installers (based on Lightworks now being owned by LWKS Software LTD) but does also include a couple of fixes which should help to address some issues that have arisen since May 2020. Their next step is to make Lightworks 2021.1 available as a public beta version over the coming weeks.

Rodger Deakin is probably using much more expensive lens than you and he may be comparing the same range of LF lenses on both sensor sizes. I recall using a Zeiss Contax 35mm focal length lens on a Super 16 Aaton camera and you could see very slight barrel distortion, while the 16mm/Super 16 T1.3 25mm Super Speed Distagon showed no noticeable barrel distortion.

Apart from it having possibly a variable frame rate. you may find that it has a non standard target frame rate,. Mediainfo will do an analysis of your media.

Let the sound recordist decide on the tools they need, A professional will have both in their kit.

It really depends on how good your actors are. If you're doing it in post it can be difficult to recapture the emotion that was in the original performance. They won't be feeding off the other actor and they could be repeating the line again and again to get the best match. However, you could try recording the dialogue for sound alone just after you've got a good take. That's thought to give a fairly good match that could be used for ADR, since the actor's performance won't have drifted too much.. In the end, unless you've got the builders next door, a competent sound recordist should get good original sound in a scene like this.

Having two people sitting for most of the time for 15mins is pretty restricting in dramatic terms. I know some sit com programmes have used everyone sitting in a sofa, but that's part of British culture as they watch TV. In this case ,You may need to think about body language and how much sitting allows the actors to do, especially if this is a serious argument, rather than a little tiff. Just a few passing thoughts. I would try and avoid needing ADR, since something like this is all about the actor's performances.

I recall going to an industry film quiz in Dublin, it was the camera assistant team that won.

What type of work you do? There are all types of courses, but if you're shooting low budget films with a DSLR you may not want to do a Steadicam Operators Association workshop, that costs as much as the cheaper Steadicams. The Tiffin Steadicam website lists a range of workshops including a 2 day introduction. https://tiffen.com/pages/flysteadicam