DSLRs Part 2
25/March/10 12:08 PM
Workflow.
What worried everyone the most seems to have been handled fairly easily. I find that in general, for any acquisition/delivery scenario, there are multiple avenues available to go down. The most significant factor is to be very aware of all the different codec/codec option/frame rate choices and the transcoding possibilities/difficulties involved. Pick the best; quality is king. A professional is very helpful at this point in the workflow!
So specifically for this shoot we used FCP. The “raw” files were 1920x1080 @ 23.98 and we used Compressor to transcode them to ProRes 422 (HQ is my preference though this will add more time). This stabilizes and enhances the beauty of the H264 files. Be prepared to wait a bit for the transcoding--it is not quick! Import into FCP.
For AVID (Mac or PC based) I’d suggest using Compressor to transcode to the Animation codec. This method will take lots of time but will preserve your color palette. There are other choices and I will provide links below.
As far as audio goes, we used a plugin called PluralEyes ($ but free for 30 days) to sync the externally recorded audio to the scratch track contained within the H264/ProRes files. I understand it’s fairly effective and the most drift you may end up with is 1-2 frames. Not bad. Being a perfectionist, I’d probably favor doing an old school manual sync, using the slate clap.
Some alternate/easier/more robust methods:
This Canon E1 plugin will, I believe, automate the above picture import/transcode.
You can also accomplish the above using Media Manager within FCP, but I’ve found that using Compressor is much more stable (FCP does crash/freeze on occasion when using MM to transcode.)
To go straight from the raw files to an AVID file within a Mac AVID flow, use MPEG Streamclip to transcode.
First, install Mac AVID codecs:
http://avid.custkb.com/avid/app/selfservice/search.jsp?DocId=263545
OR, try AVID’s MetaFuze, for a purely PC workflow.
Part 3: Results and Other DSLR Choices.
What worried everyone the most seems to have been handled fairly easily. I find that in general, for any acquisition/delivery scenario, there are multiple avenues available to go down. The most significant factor is to be very aware of all the different codec/codec option/frame rate choices and the transcoding possibilities/difficulties involved. Pick the best; quality is king. A professional is very helpful at this point in the workflow!
So specifically for this shoot we used FCP. The “raw” files were 1920x1080 @ 23.98 and we used Compressor to transcode them to ProRes 422 (HQ is my preference though this will add more time). This stabilizes and enhances the beauty of the H264 files. Be prepared to wait a bit for the transcoding--it is not quick! Import into FCP.
For AVID (Mac or PC based) I’d suggest using Compressor to transcode to the Animation codec. This method will take lots of time but will preserve your color palette. There are other choices and I will provide links below.
As far as audio goes, we used a plugin called PluralEyes ($ but free for 30 days) to sync the externally recorded audio to the scratch track contained within the H264/ProRes files. I understand it’s fairly effective and the most drift you may end up with is 1-2 frames. Not bad. Being a perfectionist, I’d probably favor doing an old school manual sync, using the slate clap.
Some alternate/easier/more robust methods:
This Canon E1 plugin will, I believe, automate the above picture import/transcode.
You can also accomplish the above using Media Manager within FCP, but I’ve found that using Compressor is much more stable (FCP does crash/freeze on occasion when using MM to transcode.)
To go straight from the raw files to an AVID file within a Mac AVID flow, use MPEG Streamclip to transcode.
First, install Mac AVID codecs:
http://avid.custkb.com/avid/app/selfservice/search.jsp?DocId=263545
OR, try AVID’s MetaFuze, for a purely PC workflow.
Part 3: Results and Other DSLR Choices.
Comments
DSLR Links | Fresh Today!
19/March/10 04:25 PM
A Meetup group for (LA
based) DSLR fans!
http://www.meetup.com/SouthlandDSLR/
Finally, the EOS MOVIE Plugin-E1 for Final Cut Pro. Use it to transfer your footage from Canon DSLRs.
http://tiny.cc/XFfll (select Mac OS)
Canon late Monday posted its promised 2.0.3 firmware for the EOS 5D Mark II. The upgrade is tailored to videographers and lets them record at 1080p24 to match traditional movie theater frame rates. The 1080p30 mode has also been tuned to 29.97 frames per second to stay in sync with NTSC-based TV, and it's now possible to shoot in aperture or shutter priority modes to achieve shallow depth of field or high speed without full manual control.
http://tinyurl.com/479wb6 (updated to V 2.0.4 for stability)
Ron Howard. Canon 7D.
http://blog.planet5d.com/2010/03/ron-howard-using-canon-hybrid-dslrs/
http://www.meetup.com/SouthlandDSLR/
Finally, the EOS MOVIE Plugin-E1 for Final Cut Pro. Use it to transfer your footage from Canon DSLRs.
http://tiny.cc/XFfll (select Mac OS)
Canon late Monday posted its promised 2.0.3 firmware for the EOS 5D Mark II. The upgrade is tailored to videographers and lets them record at 1080p24 to match traditional movie theater frame rates. The 1080p30 mode has also been tuned to 29.97 frames per second to stay in sync with NTSC-based TV, and it's now possible to shoot in aperture or shutter priority modes to achieve shallow depth of field or high speed without full manual control.
http://tinyurl.com/479wb6 (updated to V 2.0.4 for stability)
Ron Howard. Canon 7D.
http://blog.planet5d.com/2010/03/ron-howard-using-canon-hybrid-dslrs/
DSLR | Toy or Tool?
16/March/10 02:31 PM
Recently I helped line
produce a shoot that wanted to use the Canon 7D DSLR
camera. There was a considerable amount of debate
between the DP, AC, and editor (closely followed by
the director) as to whether the post workflow for
this camera was stable enough to quickly finish the
scenes that were being shot. Of particular concern
was the issue of audio sync, as several interested
parties had heard that the 7D was problematic in this
regard. Of course I was interested; workflows + new
toys + post paradigm shifts = must know!
To be frank, even though I follow the post flow thru each step of prep/production/actual post, and have devoted considerable time to digital acquisition, I hadn’t yet studied these new hybrid photo and (HD) video system cameras. And I had some doubts. Most of these SLR cameras (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Single-lens_reflex_camera) use an H264 codec to write their HD media files. H264 is fine for viewing from your DVR or for online videos, but as an acquisition format? Also, whereas an SLR’s physical setup is great for capturing stills with, would it work for capturing video (I could picture a DP with his eyes stuck close to an LCD screen or viewfinder while the small camera is tracking and an AC tries to pull focus)? And, of course, workflow. Already, it was clear that to shoot professional video, one would have to record separate sound, and sync each take manually. The audio inputs/mics are fairly useless on the DSLRs, other than to record scratch track against which to check sync (roughly). How about after the shoot; how difficult would it be to get stable footage into AVID or FCP? And no recorded timecode.....grrr.
So, the shoot. DP went with the 7D and ended up pretty happy with it. The AC brought some accessories and we rented a few more from Moviola. Redrock rails, shoulder mount, matte box and filters, couple of external monitors, extra batteries, and plenty of flash storage. Of course some Canon primes and other lenses--these are probably 65% of the reason to use a DSLR vs. another film/vid camera. It looked vaguely like this.
The camera kind of hides. Seems to work fine, though it did feel that at times the camera team was scrunched around the rig/DSLR.
We should have backed up the media as we captured it, but we didn’t. We were lucky.
Raw output? H264 vid on a Macbook Pro looked fantastic.
Part 2: Workflow.
To be frank, even though I follow the post flow thru each step of prep/production/actual post, and have devoted considerable time to digital acquisition, I hadn’t yet studied these new hybrid photo and (HD) video system cameras. And I had some doubts. Most of these SLR cameras (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Single-lens_reflex_camera) use an H264 codec to write their HD media files. H264 is fine for viewing from your DVR or for online videos, but as an acquisition format? Also, whereas an SLR’s physical setup is great for capturing stills with, would it work for capturing video (I could picture a DP with his eyes stuck close to an LCD screen or viewfinder while the small camera is tracking and an AC tries to pull focus)? And, of course, workflow. Already, it was clear that to shoot professional video, one would have to record separate sound, and sync each take manually. The audio inputs/mics are fairly useless on the DSLRs, other than to record scratch track against which to check sync (roughly). How about after the shoot; how difficult would it be to get stable footage into AVID or FCP? And no recorded timecode.....grrr.
So, the shoot. DP went with the 7D and ended up pretty happy with it. The AC brought some accessories and we rented a few more from Moviola. Redrock rails, shoulder mount, matte box and filters, couple of external monitors, extra batteries, and plenty of flash storage. Of course some Canon primes and other lenses--these are probably 65% of the reason to use a DSLR vs. another film/vid camera. It looked vaguely like this.
The camera kind of hides. Seems to work fine, though it did feel that at times the camera team was scrunched around the rig/DSLR.
We should have backed up the media as we captured it, but we didn’t. We were lucky.
Raw output? H264 vid on a Macbook Pro looked fantastic.
Part 2: Workflow.