Frame Rate

If you looked at video footage side by side with footage shot on film, the average viewer would probably tell you that film just looks better. They may not be able to tell you why, but most will be able to tell that there’s a difference between the two mediums. That’s why videographers have employed techniques to make their footage look more like film, including shooting at 24 frames per second.

Shooting at 24fps is the film standard, while the video standard is 30fps. A few years ago, companies like Panasonic introduced 24p into their video cameras — a setting which allowed video cameras (for the first time) to shoot at 24fps, just like a film camera. The letter “p” in “24p” stands for “progressive,” meaning that an entire frame of video is captured at once, just like it would be in a film camera or a still camera. Before the introduction of 24p, interlaced video was the standard. Interlaced video means that two “fields” are blended together to create one frame. First, the odd numbered lines in a video field are scanned, then the even numbered lines. Put them together and you have an entire picture.

Making 24p available to videographers was a step toward making video look more like film, but there are many more techniques that must be employed besides 24p, like proper lighting, camera movement, and depth-of-field. Now with the rise of HD, 60p is not too far away. 60p means that 60 progressive frames are captured, not just 24. Now there’s a debate on the rise as to whether 24p is a limitation in the face of higher res HD video. Take a look at this article from Videographer and leave your comments.

I came across this juicy little website yesterday — FreshDV. If you work in DV, HDV, HD (anything video) either as a professional or a hobbyist, you will love this site. It has an RSS feed, so you can subscribe to their blog. They have tutorials on topics like calibrating a light meter, working with Adobe Production Studio, and how to find financing and distribution for your film projects. They also have reviews on the latest gear, videos from conferences like NAB, and a podcast. I’ve already started listening to one of their recent discussions on the Sony EX1. This is a great site with a wealth of information. If you’re in to video, you need to check it out.

Every DP (Director of Photography) needs a good camera package at his disposal, but assembling one usually takes a lot of time and a lot of money. For smaller production houses with less capital, getting the camera package together usually means getting it a la carte. Yesterday a friend of mine from Filament Artists turned me on to Zacuto - a one-stop-shop for camera package sales and rentals. They bundle some of your favorite prosumer gear (HD and SD) with specific accessories to fit your shooting needs. You can rent, purchase, or rent-to-own. A quick glance at their website will show you that these guys rent and sell some serious gear. And they recognize and cater to the various needs of the cinematographer.

I finally got a first-hand look at the Red One this past Tuesday night. Some guys from Dead Workers Party came down from Huntsville, bringing with them their latest aquisition - the Red camera. As of this writing, the camera is technically still in beta testing, but will soon go into full production. They guys from Dead Workers Party spoke briefly about the camera, technical specs, workflow, and issues they’ve encountered thus far.

The Red One represents the latest in digital video technology and an advancement in video resolution. The gap between film and video just got a lot smaller and already filmmakers are flocking to this camera because of its extreme versatility, and incredible image reproduction. The Red One has been the center of much hype over the past several months and industry professionals are lining up to get their hands on this thing. In fact, if you want to purchase one, the waiting list is now several months long.

The Red is basically a camera body, allowing users to build their own camera package, much like a film camera. It runs off of a computer hard drive, so it behaves in much the same way. You have to boot it up when you want to use it, and everything is stored in a 320GB hard drive (which stores about 2 hours worth of footage). You can also shoot to copmact flash cards, although each card only holds about 4 minutes. The great thing about the computer-based interface is that the camera will always be up to date with the latest technologies. It is constantly adapting. Users can download updates from Red, then program those updates into the camera. I think that it certainly adds plenty of shelf-life to the camera.

The resolution of the Red is incredible. It shoots at 4K and 2K (4K being the rough equivalent of 35mm film and 2K the rough equivalent of super 16mm) meaning the footage is incredibly deep, incredibly large, and incredibly awesome. You would have to “down convert” to get the footage into a 1080i or 1080p workspace. The Red shoots in a RAW format, and anyone who is a digital SLR user understands the advantages of shooting RAW images. Shooting in RAW gives you an uncompressed image, allowing almost infinite manual control over image manipulation, like color correction, hue, saturation, brightness, contrast, etc. The Red is rated at an ISO of around 320, so users should light their scenes accordingly.

There are some issues with Red Cine, the post-production software and there are concerns about the massive hard drive space needed to store all the footage (the editor from Dead Workers party said that he uses 4TB of hard drive and considers that “temporary storage”). However, the Red One is most definitely going to be THE camera for filmmakers, commercial directors, and other industry professionals.

 

Although I’ve been in this business for several years, I am never naive enough to think I have learned all I need to know about being a director and cinematographer. I am constantly looking for ways to improve myself, whether by reading books, blogs, or watching other demo reels. I think the latter is most beneficial, because you get the chance to see exactly what other people are shooting. The more I surround myself with knowledgeable cinematographers, the more I will continue to grow in my craft. I think that’s a lesson for all of us, whether you work in production or not. Surrounding yourself with people that are better need not be a feeding ground for jealous competition. Mutual learning can take place. Here are a few things I’m reading to keep my chops up:

Placing Shadows: Lighting Techniques for Video Production by Chuck Gloman and Tom Letourneau. The authors give a crash course on the physics of light and the color spectrum before moving into details on all kinds of lighting gear and lighting techniques. Very informative.

Cinematography.com is a great online forum where you can discuss the craft with other directors and cinematographers.

Studio Daily is a catch-all for all things technical about movie making. There are case studies from Hollywood films, reviews, tutorials, blogs, videos, and information on the business side of filmmaking. I just came across this site recently and look forward to reading it.

Now that I’ve had more experience with the Panasonic HVX-200 I’ve had time to reflect on both the pros and cons of this HD camera. You can read about my initial impressions here. I just recently returned from North Carolina where I was working on a video for the Wake Forest Medical Center. I used the HVX and noticed some things about the camera that should be considered before purchasing one.

First, as a consumer, you should always keep in mind what it is you will be using the camera for. Not every camera is suitable for every shooting situation. For example, the fact that the HVX shoots to P2 cards rather than tape should weigh heavily in your decision whether to use this camera or not. In my experiences with it, I can tell that it was designed with the filmmaker in mind. It isn’t necessarily suited for “run-and-gun” ENG style shooting, because of the frequent need to dump the media. It also isn’t really designed for extended takes, like a sit-down interview. This was the situation I faced while using the camera for the Wake Forest job. Since you use up about 1GB per minute in 1080i mode, I was forced to stop the interview on occasion just to swap cards. That can really interrupt the flow of the interview. It’s nice when you can shoot to tape and allow the interview to run for 60 minutes before stopping.

Second, it’s a good idea to have an AC with you when operating this camera. In the world of film, the AC (asst. cameraman) is in charge of removing the exposed film and then loading a new mag onto the camera. This helps keep the shoot moving efficiently. The same can be said of the HVX. Since you must unload the P2 cards and dump the media, it’s good to have someone on your team who functions as a “digital AC.” He can remove the cards, load new cards, and work on dumping the media while you continue shooting. Everything comes to a grinding halt if you are the one forced to do everything. So, if using this camera, pad the budget to include this vital crew member.

I don’t consider the above comments to be negative. These are simply considerations that should be contemplated before purchasing this camera. I still feel that the HVX is one of the best HD cameras on the market, simply because of its incredible versatility and variable frame rates (of course, that’s the filmmaker inside me speaking out). However, I am frustrated by some operative details of the HVX.

1. When shooting 1080i 24p, 720p 24p, or 720p, 24pn, the frame rate is always reset to 24fps when you power off the camera then power back on. It’s easy to forget to change the speed back to the desired frame rate before rolling.

2. The frame rate is never displayed in the viewfinder. I would like to know, at a glance, what frame rate I’m set to, without going into all the menus.

3. The menus are cumbersome and the navigation buttons on the camera are aligned in a confusing manner.

4. Playback from the P2 cards can be tricky. For example, if you shoot footage in 1080i 24p, then switch to shoot in 720p 24pn, you cannot playback the 1080i 24p footage unless the camera is set to 1080i 24p. This was especially scary for me the first time I used this camera when I tried to review some footage I shot early in the day and couldn’t.

The key to selecting the right camera for you is to simply take one out into the field and start experimenting. I hope these observations have been helpful to you as you pursue better looking video.

“It’s all about the story.” That’s the statement you see on the banner for Celtx, a complete media pre-production application. I haven’t used Celtx for any of my scripts; I’ve always used Final Draft, but I have to admit that Celtx does sound pretty impressive. When you visit their website you can get a complete overview of the software, which handles everything you need to see your project through the pre-production process.

There are tools to help jump start the writing process. There are several different writing editors (screenplays, A/V scripts, theatrical plays, and plain text) available when you start putting your script together. There are also tools that allow you to budget and schedule your production; interactive tools allow for group collaboration; and storyboarding tools allow you to visualize the entire production beforehand.

Over the past few weeks I’ve been hearing more and more about Celtx, although it’s been around for a few years. You can find several reviews online in various blogs. Just visit Filmmaker.com and type “celtx” into their search engine. You will see several articles related to the software. 

Mac users are probably familiar with the iMovie application, an editing software designed to make video editing easier and quicker, without the steep learning curve. But could the latest installment, iMovie ‘08 actually take the place of professional software, like Final Cut Pro? That’s what Daniel Hollister discusses in his article on Macteens.

In a recent post, I briefly mentioned how I used the HD Panasonic HVX200 for the first time while on a shoot in Gainesville, Fla. I certainly enjoyed the opportunity to get some hands-on time with this particular camera, as there has been quite a buzz about it for the past several months. I’ve read several reviews about it and other prosumer HD cameras out there, and it was beneficial to for me to put this one to the test. Here’s a summary of my first impressions with the camera.

If you are familiar with the Panasonic DVX, then you will notice immediately that the camera body of the HVX is very similar. The HVX is much larger and much heavier than I had anticipated. However, I found that the handheld shots weren’t as difficult as the reviews make it seem. True, the camera’s weight is off-center just a bit, but this didn’t feel too awkward. I’m sure that if you were handholding your shots for an entire day then your arms would be pretty tired, but the same thing can be said of almost any camera.

One thing I noticed as soon as I put it in my hand was the improvement in the size of the focus ring as compared to the DVX. The focus ring on the DVX is thin and in an awkward position, making smooth rack focus shots difficult. However, the focus ring on the HVX is wider and in a better position on the lens.

Working with the P2 cards was by far the most challenging thing to get used to while using the camera. The HVX is a high-definition camera, but will only shoot high-definition footage to memory cards - not tape. The advantages of using P2 cards is instant access to your footage. No more rewinding to find a particular shot, because whenever you start and stop the camera, the footage is indexed in a separate file. The down side of using the P2 cards is space. With two 8GB cards in the camera I was only able to get 17 minutes of footage (while shooting in 720p/24p mode).

So, using the HVX may be difficult if your projects consist primarily of run-and-gun setups, with only one cameraperson. While using the HVX I quickly surmised that the best shooting scenario is to have 4 P2 cards available. That way, you can always have two in the camera while an assistant dumps the footage from the other two. This prevents costly down time as you wait for the media to copy from the cards to a computer or external hard drive (which, in our case, took about 15 minutes). It would also be beneficial to have all your footage backed up on a separate hard drive. I didn’t like the thought of all that b-roll just sitting on one hard drive. There’s something reassuring about having a tape in your hand, or up on the shelf - knowing that all your raw footage is safely stored away.

Once you adapt your workflow to accomodate the P2 cards, then you should really enjoy working with this camera. The greatest feature of the HVX is the wide range of manual control, including frame rates. You can dial in 11 different frame rates (much like film cameras), from 12 fps to 60 fps. Shooting at 60 fps gives you a nice, rich slow motion look.

While on my shoot in Gainesville, we also used the HVX for SD (standard definition) footage. When I played the tape back on my monitor, I was extremely impressed with the quality. The detail, colors, and richness of the SD footage was unbelievable when compared with footage from other SD prosumer cameras, like the XL-1s or DVX.

In all, I thoroughly enjoyed my experience with the HVX and will probably use it again on future projects. Yes, I still have some questions regarding the HD workflow and there are some uncertainties, but I also realize that with more experience will come greater confidence.

When hiring a video production team to document a seminar, training session, or other live event, it can be easy to neglect one of THE most important things in production - audio. It’s so difficult to get really good, clean audio for any shoot. That’s why I try to budget a professional audio mixer/boom operator to work with me on all shoots. So, if you are scheduling a live event and need a videographer to come on location to shoot, pay special attention to the audio needs of the space. By relying solely on the on-board camera mic, the audio on the video will sound too hollow and will also be filled with a lot of unwanted ambient noise.

I would recommend talking with your videographer about tapping into the venue’s audio system, usually through the use of an XLR cable. Be sure to talk with the venue’s audio-visual specialists so they are aware that there will be a videographer on site who needs access. By hooking into the venue’s system, you can be assured that every speaker’s microphone will go directly to your video. This will cut out all unwanted ambient noise, leaving you with crisp, clean audio.