Standard Definition- my longest post ever
 

I have taken about 4 days to read all 102 pages of this forum twice and I haven't found much information on making standard definition pop using Vegas. As a standard def user, I am interested in seeing how far I can push the medium. You see, I am not interested in high-definition right now. I think it is unnecessary at this time. There is too much push toward technology over aestheticism, and regardless of what anybody says, anywhere, high-def covers a multitude of sins. It is also expensive and intensive and one spends too much money supporting and repairing and upgrading their systems and not enough practicing their crafts.

Now, on the editing side I understand, but as an independent filmmaker, standard def allows for a solid, proven work flow for me that is fast and efficient. Also, I am not really impressed with the stuff I have seen from a lot of people working high-def, but people who work in standard and screen in 35mm have amazed me. Iraq in Fragments is a triumph, Lonesome Jim looked great, and a myriad of other productions filmed with the DVX, XL2, and other SD cameras are very impressive.

So, how does Vegas specifically help me produce the best possible production with no added plugins? Which codec produces the absolute cleanest images direct to DVDA? Why not use Vegas to edit a film going to 35mm blow up? Is the titler really as bad as people say? How strong is Vegas's compositing really? Is it absolutely a stand alone solution? Is it absolutely not a stand alone solution? I would like to know from users who still use standard def about their work flow and how they ingest/edit/export in Vegas.

Things I have already considered:
1. High Def is the way of the future. If you want impressive products and people going ooh and ahh over your stuff you are eventually going to have to move to it. (already have a high def camera- not impressed)
2. The everyman of Iraq in Fragments, James Longley, has stated that his next will be high def. (see 1)
3. Every question you asked will depend on how you use the camera and what you want to do, like for example what camera do you use. (DVX100) Well, A or B. (does it matter?) yes, because I want to know if you are poor and have an old camera, cheap and have an old camera, or just serious about the SD thing. (well, A- and I am cheap but serious about SD)
4. You are a jerk and will get no answer for bad mouthing HD, obviously you know nothing (I resent that) about anything and are setting your self up for monumental failure on a neolithic scale, you ***hole. (cool, but I still want to know)
5. Why are you really asking these questions, is it for information or something else, because an educated person would already know the answer to all of theses, especially if you read the forums like you said you did... (I am a gamer; I love them. In gaming there are a few types of people- one of which is the obsessive. He plays a game for hours and hours, completing every difficulty setting and getting 100% of everything until he attains complete mastery of that game... get it)

Will never post anything this long ever again, promise.

You could. Check what the post workflow is. Especially if you use advanced pulldown (not all finishing systems support it!).
Check that the EDL export via scripting works, if you are finishing on another system. (Or whatever method you use... e.g. AAF).

No. It depends on what you want to do with your titles.

It no After Effects or Digital Fusion, but that is a given. You can do layering stuff, it has the bezier tools for drawing masks, simple chromakey (though chromakey isn't that great in Vegas for difficult shots), etc.

This depends on what you are looking to do.

Nowadays a lot of work is being finished in HD just because it's only slightly more expensive. (e.g. when your budget is $100k/episode, it's not really that much more expensive to finish in HD.)

It's only in VFX and CG where HD is a lot more expensive. So sometimes those shows finish in SD.

That feature was (almost certainly) color corrected/graded by a professional colorist. The talent of the cinematographer also plays a role in how good the end result looks. Both of those roles are typically done by people who specialize in that one thing.

Thank you
 

Thanks so much for the info. I appreciate it. I was considering Vegas and now I am dead set on it. I downloaded the trail and started playing with it and it felt like an extension of Reason and Protools (due to it's DAW origins, right?). I feel like it is a logical evolution for me and my learning curve is slight at best. Thanks for helping me make this decision, Glenn (if I may).