advice needed for first 7D job!

Michael Nistler · October 29th, 2009, 04:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Manus Sweeney

thanks guys, i'll have the xm2 anyway so i'll use it for the wide shot and decide later whether to use it..

another question, for the shots of the paintings, does anybody have any suggestions on how to make the cutaways a bit more intersting? i'm wondering whether fixed shots, a kind of manual ken burns slow pan, or what kind of dissolves to use between paintings to hopefully make it look a bit more attractive.. i want to avoid cross dissolves for sure but i'm imagining hard cuts might be a bit too sudden?

Hi Manus,

That's a tough one to answer without making several assumptions. Assuming you're going to intercut during the interview, then the next question would be what is the web screen size, end-user throughput, etc? We find this more of a chicken-and-egg scenario, and when it comes to web-based video, it's more an art than a science. Then again, we don't even know the painting aspect ratio, which would also influene the camerawork and editing decisions.

You're going to be much wiser after going through the shoot, editing the video, and posting it online.

Momma didn't say life would always be easy <wink>

Michael

Bruce Rawlings · October 29th, 2009, 04:26 PM

Why not shoot stills of the paintings and do a Ken Burns. THe rostrum moves will look good.

Allan Black · October 29th, 2009, 05:16 PM

I'd concentrate on getting the interview down and do the art later. They could be any size format and might not be available on the day. Japanese art has very fine details, the 7D should be good for this with the right light.

He might refer to particular paintings and their details during the interview so you have to sync art to dialogue later. Make an accurate list on the spot and have them check it there and then. If they leave and you're unsure, disaster looms bigtime.

Cheers.

Manus Sweeney · October 31st, 2009, 03:33 AM

so it went 'ok'!

made some stupid mistakes but ok, i think i can work with it.. in the end i had a little sony icd-sx700 voicerecorder to use so i didnt use the xm2 to shoot at all, with 2 sanken lavs and a beachtek going to the minijack input..

a rough cut for the purposes of subtitling is here

password 'owl'.

mistakaes were a horrible orangish whitebalance! i dont know how i thought it was ok at the time.. here i've done my best to correct it, I'll play with a colours a bit more later.

DOF probably had no need to be so shallow.

Lav cables showing on midshots! I'll try to paint them out in after effects i guess.. And his lav seems to have dissappeared altogether under his shirt, dont know how that happened!

General impressions of the 7d are: great image but that it's a little sharp and unnatural out of the box, I didnt do anything with picture settings.. maybe i need to play around here with sharpness etc.

Moire and Rolling shutter definitely are limitations. I always read people discussing them and thought, it'll be fine i'm sure but yeah, definitely need to keep them in mind..

And generally the camera is capable of very powerfull images and you need to be i guess more sensitive that you are choosing the right 'look' for each shot.

All in all very happy with it. Hopefully going to be doing one of these interviews every month so lots of time for improvements!

Cheers,
Manus

Allan Black · October 31st, 2009, 05:13 AM

Owl it is! Great stuff and props for first time Manus.

A little constructive criticism. Framing was the thing I noticed, he faces cam right which needed more early 2 shots to emphasis he didn't face her. More early headroom too, cam on him is a tad too low for me. Dof could slightly include his? art on rear wall.

Biggest thing: sounds like his voice is cam left and hers cam right, swap or reverse the left/right audio, certainly help their positioning. Keep this as reference to go back to and compare as you do more. Hope this helps.

Cheers.

Manus Sweeney · October 31st, 2009, 06:07 AM

thanks!

yes i realised after i didnt shoot enough wide shots, i will try to patch some in before the main cam right section as you mentioned.. he has the Japanese mannerism of looking straight ahead and not at the person hes talking to which could indeed be confusing with the tight shot..

i agree with the angle being too low..

and thanks for the left/right audio info, i had my speakers back to front!

Manus

Allan Black · November 1st, 2009, 03:12 PM

Huh it's just left and right, not cam left/right as I wrote, sorry.

Manus are you going to include any of his art?

Being close to Asia we used to get a lot of English>Oriental translation and recording work, eventually built up a big stable of artists for this. This was easier (and more profitable) than subtitling the shows, especially when there were many versions to do.

A good trick to use was .. when the client said they were going to subtitle and not do a voice over translation I'd answer, 'what a pity, while they're reading the subtitles they won't be watching the video you spent thousands on' Worked every time lol. Might help you if you ever go English>Asian and the font could be hard to aquire.

Cheers.

Manus Sweeney · November 4th, 2009, 02:20 AM

i'm planning to put a section in between questions with his art (ken burns) and some music..

right now having some bigger discussions with the interviewee about the overall direction/purpose of this series which was a little unclear before, and pretty important to get straight before deciding on editing style/pace etc

i think we'll take some time to get this one right and the next ones will be easier, i'll keep you posted when it's done

Manus Sweeney · January 9th, 2010, 06:02 AM

well it took a long time for various reasons but managed to finish the first of the series.. criticism would be welcome!

YouTube - Akira Shimaya Interview

October 29th, 2009, 05:16 PM	#18
Allan Black Inner Circle Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Sydney. Posts: 2,887	I'd concentrate on getting the interview down and do the art later. They could be any size format and might not be available on the day. Japanese art has very fine details, the 7D should be good for this with the right light. He might refer to particular paintings and their details during the interview so you have to sync art to dialogue later. Make an accurate list on the spot and have them check it there and then. If they leave and you're unsure, disaster looms bigtime. Cheers. __________________ Drink more tap water. On admission at Sydney hospitals more than 5% of day patients are de-hydrated.

October 31st, 2009, 03:33 AM	#19
Manus Sweeney Major Player Join Date: May 2009 Location: Amsterdam, NL Posts: 217	so it went 'ok'! made some stupid mistakes but ok, i think i can work with it.. in the end i had a little sony icd-sx700 voicerecorder to use so i didnt use the xm2 to shoot at all, with 2 sanken lavs and a beachtek going to the minijack input.. a rough cut for the purposes of subtitling is here This is a password protected video on Vimeo password 'owl'. mistakaes were a horrible orangish whitebalance! i dont know how i thought it was ok at the time.. here i've done my best to correct it, I'll play with a colours a bit more later. DOF probably had no need to be so shallow. Lav cables showing on midshots! I'll try to paint them out in after effects i guess.. And his lav seems to have dissappeared altogether under his shirt, dont know how that happened! General impressions of the 7d are: great image but that it's a little sharp and unnatural out of the box, I didnt do anything with picture settings.. maybe i need to play around here with sharpness etc. Moire and Rolling shutter definitely are limitations. I always read people discussing them and thought, it'll be fine i'm sure but yeah, definitely need to keep them in mind.. And generally the camera is capable of very powerfull images and you need to be i guess more sensitive that you are choosing the right 'look' for each shot. All in all very happy with it. Hopefully going to be doing one of these interviews every month so lots of time for improvements! Cheers, Manus

October 31st, 2009, 05:13 AM	#20
Allan Black Inner Circle Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Sydney. Posts: 2,887	Owl it is! Great stuff and props for first time Manus. A little constructive criticism. Framing was the thing I noticed, he faces cam right which needed more early 2 shots to emphasis he didn't face her. More early headroom too, cam on him is a tad too low for me. Dof could slightly include his? art on rear wall. Biggest thing: sounds like his voice is cam left and hers cam right, swap or reverse the left/right audio, certainly help their positioning. Keep this as reference to go back to and compare as you do more. Hope this helps. Cheers. __________________ Drink more tap water. On admission at Sydney hospitals more than 5% of day patients are de-hydrated.

November 1st, 2009, 03:12 PM	#22
Allan Black Inner Circle Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Sydney. Posts: 2,887	Huh it's just left and right, not cam left/right as I wrote, sorry. Manus are you going to include any of his art? Being close to Asia we used to get a lot of English>Oriental translation and recording work, eventually built up a big stable of artists for this. This was easier (and more profitable) than subtitling the shows, especially when there were many versions to do. A good trick to use was .. when the client said they were going to subtitle and not do a voice over translation I'd answer, 'what a pity, while they're reading the subtitles they won't be watching the video you spent thousands on' Worked every time lol. Might help you if you ever go English>Asian and the font could be hard to aquire. Cheers. __________________ Drink more tap water. On admission at Sydney hospitals more than 5% of day patients are de-hydrated.

October 29th, 2009, 04:26 PM	#17
Bruce Rawlings Major Player Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Cardiff, Wales, UK Posts: 410	Why not shoot stills of the paintings and do a Ken Burns. THe rostrum moves will look good.

October 31st, 2009, 06:07 AM	#21
Manus Sweeney Major Player Join Date: May 2009 Location: Amsterdam, NL Posts: 217	thanks! yes i realised after i didnt shoot enough wide shots, i will try to patch some in before the main cam right section as you mentioned.. he has the Japanese mannerism of looking straight ahead and not at the person hes talking to which could indeed be confusing with the tight shot.. i agree with the angle being too low.. and thanks for the left/right audio info, i had my speakers back to front! Manus

November 4th, 2009, 02:20 AM	#23
Manus Sweeney Major Player Join Date: May 2009 Location: Amsterdam, NL Posts: 217	i'm planning to put a section in between questions with his art (ken burns) and some music.. right now having some bigger discussions with the interviewee about the overall direction/purpose of this series which was a little unclear before, and pretty important to get straight before deciding on editing style/pace etc i think we'll take some time to get this one right and the next ones will be easier, i'll keep you posted when it's done

January 9th, 2010, 06:02 AM	#24
Manus Sweeney Major Player Join Date: May 2009 Location: Amsterdam, NL Posts: 217	well it took a long time for various reasons but managed to finish the first of the series.. criticism would be welcome! YouTube - Akira Shimaya Interview