Mission Control

[Dale Guthormsen]

Good morning,

A recent thread got me thinking about the following:

With only a couple years until I am free to use all my time anyway i like, but on a more restricted income, I have been trying to get my work room (which my wife calls mission control) outfitted well enough I can do whatever comes up for my videography (mostly wildlife at this point in time, but brancing out to sports as time passses by).
It would be of great value to hear what others consider essential, extra useful and perhaps frivolous. And I am talking from computer/software to hardware, etc. or what ever else might be important.


Dale



Dale

[Graham Bernard]

Dale? What do you have now? - G

[Don Palomaki]

A couple years? Given the rate technology changes - best preparation for ~2 years from now in the way of hardware and software may well be to save money so you can buy or upgrade to up-to-date tools/toys when the time comes.

Beyond that, start to think about your work space/studio to provide room for your gear (computers, monitors, VCRs, DVD players, camcorders, tripods, scanners, printers, etc.), work flow/ (desks, chairs, tables, screens, clients, etc.), and storage for your projects (tapes, DVDs, etc.

[Dale Guthormsen]

comnputer: dell 4600 P4 2.8 gh ht, 1 gig ram, 300 gig hd, 80gig hd multi format dvd burner, invidia g force 6200 256 agp graphics card.

Two external hard drives
dual layer burner
dual 19 inch flat screen monitors
svhs color crt (have not got it to show an image from computer yet) which I got for doing color corrections.

Software:
XP Pro sp2
Premiere Pro 1.5
Adobe encore 1.5
adobe Audition 1.5
Afteraffects 6.5
Motion perfect
Digital Juice
Adobe photoshop cs2

Cameras two Sony trv 480's, one is only a player (took a dunk once).
Gl2
haze and polarizer filters, two battery chargers (one stays in bag)
century 2x
rode mic
rewinder
Monfrotto lanc remote
Velbon video tripod (cheap not to hot!!!)

Shoulder Brace

[Graham Bernard]

What is it you are wanting to produce? Maybe this aint the Forum for this post . . I don't have an issue it being here .. but you might get more input on a more "active" eclectic/inclusive forum on DVinfo.


. .anyways . . ..


"comnputer: dell 4600 P4 2.8 gh ht, 1 gig ram, 300 gig hd, 80gig hd multi format dvd burner, invidia g force 6200 256 agp graphics card."

* Do you have the case space to put in more HDs? I've got 3 further separate internal drives

"Two external hard drives"

* Being a messy and flighty editor I've got 4 externals = 500GBs

"dual layer burner"

* Excellent! I don't!


"dual 19 inch flat screen monitors"

* Excellent!

"svhs color crt (have not got it to show an image from computer yet) which I got for doing color corrections."

* Get it rigged for CC. I run Vegas and CC with my JVC is a cinch.

"Software:
XP Pro sp2
Premiere Pro 1.5
Adobe encore 1.5
adobe Audition 1.5
Afteraffects 6.5
Motion perfect
Digital Juice
Adobe photoshop cs2"

* I don't run any of your s/w!

"Cameras two Sony trv 480's, one is only a player (took a dunk once).
Gl2"

* XM2s here!!


"haze and polarizer filters, two battery chargers (one stays in bag)
century 2x
rode mic
rewinder
Monfrotto lanc remote
Velbon video tripod (cheap not to hot!!!)"

* Filters! - Oh yes, must haves: .6 and .9 Solid NDs ( great for keeping iris BIG for keeping shallow depth of field); .3 and .6 Grad ND to retaining illuminated foregrounds and big BLUE skies; I've also used Black Supermist - good for rich shadows, Tabac .3 Grad gets you great industrial shots and quieter sundowner shots and . . Skin tone enhancer, well, for enhancing skin tones!

* Do get a play with the Miller tripod! FAB! My first was a Velbon. Thought there wasn't anything else. Oh yes there is. Miller for me! Independent leg format great for leveling on weird natural close quarter/tight situations. I've had perfect horizons when all there was were rocks and a fallen tree!

"Shoulder Brace"

* What type?


OK, other stuff.

* Good controllable studio lighting

* Good comfy chair

* Hard floor surface for rolling chair.

* Contour Shuttle Pro

* Graphics Tablet

* Your attention to Audio seems to have disappeared on your list? Speakers? Amps? Mixer? 5.1 setups?

I'll try and further spend your money with some other ideas - if I think of them ..

All in all you "appear" - apart from my additions - good to go.

Grazie

[Dale Guthormsen]

Graham,

While I am well educated in the photography world I am fundamentally ignorant of the audio world.
I grew up in a house ful of muscians (I was the one off) and I know amps and things but this is a new world for me. that is why you do not see much in this realm other than adobe audition. I can create my own music easy enough but that is about all.
What equipment I need and why is another ball game. In this realm I sure could use some advice with short expanations of the actual need.
I do mostly field video, but have two documentaries which i have conceived and will folow through on when I retire shortly.
Example, I think I may need a wireless set up with two lavaier mics but what does one actually need and such. Would need a beach tek to go with it , eh?
If you have time, it would be appreciated.

I got some artificial fur and made a long hair wind muff, cost 1.75 (canadian at that) and it works just dandy. I am going to build one for my rode, the big test.

Dale

[Steve Sirinides]

Hey Dale,
You won't need a Beachtek for a wireless lav - not that it wouln't hurt to invest in one. The Sennheiser Evolution G2 100 is a great wireless lav that will plug right into your GL2 with the 1/8" input. Of course, it will set you back at least $500. But most people on the boards will tell you that you need to spend money to get the audio quality you would like.

I'm working on a small film for a mission organization here in Athens, and I'm trying to make due with just a Rode Videomic. It's not bad, especially since I'll be dubbing some of the interviews with Greek, but the main interview will have to be reshot because I used a bad room and the audio was terrible. A while back Grazie advised me to invest in a good wireless lav, and I'm hoping after this project I'll be able to get one.

I've come to learn that good audio is not impossible on a small budget, but it requires some know-how of audio settings and audio-post.

Steve

[Graham Bernard]

Thanks Steve . . I'm almost exclusively using my Rod Vid Mic now. It is great for my less than sound critical forward facing audio. It can;t beat my Senni66 setup for "crispness" videoing natural stuff and getting that like birdsong, but then again it aint so long and the Senni66 is a tad overkill for what I need on other scenarios - yeah?

I have realised in the past 2 years that there aint no such thing as a "Mic for All Season"! - Guess you got there as well

Ok, Dale, been doing some research for you . . hope this helps . .

Originally Posted by Dale Guthormsen

Graham,

While I am well educated in the photography world I am fundamentally ignorant of the audio world.
I grew up in a house ful of muscians (I was the one off) and I know amps and things but this is a new world for me. that is why you do not see much in this realm other than adobe audition. I can create my own music easy enough but that is about all.

Well put Dale! My background was the plastic arts - and again, like yourself "visual". I dabbled a bit with musicology at school, but serious music making and pro-audio capture was, I must admit, very low on my list of "must-knows" - did I ever get THAT wrong!

I'd say good audio IS 80>90% of a video - PERIOD!

I'm no sound engineer, however I say that an excellent video piece can be ruined by bad audio. Whereas, less than average video can be greatly enhanced if it can be heard correctly. Bad audio will ruin good video. Good audio can make the difference between an average video and, although maybe not award winning, a far FAR better viewer experience.

Dale, allow your ability to "paint" pictures from your photography: framing; exposure; filterers; speeds; presets; colour correction; ambient lighting - to come through to your audio, and start painting sound pictures.

Originally Posted by Dale Guthormsen

Graham,
What equipment I need and why is another ball game. In this realm I sure could use some advice with short expanations of the actual need. Dale

You will get loads of help here on DVinfo - esp. "Now Hear This!" forum.

You must visit Ty Ford's website and his simple and quite educative 28mp MP4 download - Ty Ford Mic Tutorial VIdeo.mp4 will get you going - did me!

http://homepage.mac.com/WebObjects/F...eSharing5.html

Getting back to what you might wish to do, I guess you could deploy a wireless mic setup if you wanted some natural sounds and video at a distance: fledglings in a nest; a badgers set; water falling; covert animal shots needing "good" audio . .

Some notes I try to keep myself aware of:

1/- A budget mic will sound pretty dam good IF you get it near enough to the source/mouth

2/- Try out and experiment with a starter lowly priced mixer. I've got a Behringer which will see me into my grave, I'm sure

3/- Design the audio "picture" as much as the video shot!

4/- Be firm and tell people to KEEP QUIET!

5/- Do plenty plenty of takes

6/- Get friendly with a good audio supply house. Often they will be more than happy for you top try out their kit on their premises.

7/- GET A GOOD SET OF HEADPHONES!!! IMHO don't use them for sound mixing while video editing - you want to hear/have the "loudspeaker experience". But DO USE them if you want to isolate and truly determine a problem.

. .finally?

8/- Make sure you can see and HEAR what you are recording, while you are doing it! Make sure them mics are switched on . . oh yes . .been there done that.

. . and finally, finally .. well maybe not . ..

9/- Do NOT rely on the audio guy on the sound desk getting the levels correct. Yeah .. right . . !

10/- Hunt down anything ANYTHING by DSE a.k.a. Douglas Spotted Eagle a.k.a. SPOT!! - He is a mine of information and is very free with his advise. He does a lot of support on the "Now Hear this forum!"

. . and finally, finally .. there aint no finally . .. once "hooked" by this part of video making, you are gonna have a ball!

Have fun .. .

Grazie

[Dale Guthormsen]

Grazie,Steve

thank you for taking the time. I like the analogy of painting an audio picture, can relate to that and i will keep that foremost in mind.

Thanks for the info on the lavalier.

If I do the documentary I have planned it would seem that a dual system would be the way to go but then that adds the expesns of a dx 8.

Will you use the mixer in post? or in the field when you have more than one mic?

dale

[Graham Bernard]

Originally Posted by Dale Guthormsen

Grazie,Steve

Will you use the mixer in post? or in the field when you have more than one mic?

dale

Guess what Dale? . . .Both!!

The beauty, although I've not done it this way, is that my Behringer can work off of batteries. Neat! When I have used it, it was power from a mains supply and the mixer was invaluable for me to "mix" a multi mic, 2 x XM2 setup, through to the input of one of the cammies. I've done a 2 hander play in an open in the Round play and used to get my levels right for pieces to camera that required I used a boom/stand mic; a wireless AND a reporter's mic. Great fun!

Yesterday I used the Behringer to assist my own V/O for some effects I'm doing for a video. Bit of overkill, but it does make life a lot plainer and controllable.

"Paint 'em Sound Pictures!"

Grazie

[Dale Guthormsen]

Grazie,

1. what do you use the graphics tablet for?

2. I went to b&H to look for the filters (nd grad and solid) I see no differentiation but in the price and the rating. some are coated. They run 24 bucks to over a hundred. I know in lenses you get what you pay for, but how does one even make a choice from them all??
suggestions for this please!!!

dale

[Graham Bernard]

Originally Posted by Dale Guthormsen

Grazie,

1. what do you use the graphics tablet for?

2. I went to b&H to look for the filters (nd grad and solid) I see no differentiation but in the price and the rating. some are coated. They run 24 bucks to over a hundred. I know in lenses you get what you pay for, but how does one even make a choice from them all??
suggestions for this please!!!

dale

1/- For drawing Graphics AND sometimes to push stuff about on my Vegas Timeline. Bit like Tommy Cruise in "Minority Report" where he assembles cases, before they happen. Plus, here is a typical thing I do with drawing directly into my PC and then compositing that same "piece" into and against music. I like doing this and gets/allows me to add some "touches" to a client's video.

Here is sample of what I did using Graphics tablet:

http://www.vegasusers.com/vidshare/t...er_vase_no1_2a

So, Graphic Tablet for working directly on Vegas Timeline and also Drawing directly into PC - I use Paint Shop Pro - it works for me!

2/- OK, basically filters fall into 2 groups:

a: Solids: Those that have the filter coating/effect over all the surface.

.. and .. .

b: Grads (Graduated) Those that have the filter coating/effect over only 50% of the surface.

So a: gets you the effect on all of your frame and b: allows you/us to ONLY effect one half - neat eh?

There is another variation to the Grads, and that is the demarcation line. These too can be broken down into how hard or abrupt the demarcation line appears: "soft" "medium" and "hard".

So what with the various coatings you can obtain: Pola (circ or linear!); ND ( Neutral Density ); Supermists ( whole RANGE of mists available! ); Coloured filters ( too numerous to mention here! ) and Composites ( several bands on ONE filter - oh yes!!) - PLUS the areas on which these coatings are applied ( solid or grad) you also get sizings and shapes too! - It is a massive table of possibilities to cover here.

Needless to say I've tried to keep it simple with: NDs, one Linear POLA, a Tabac (0.3 Grad), and a Supermist Black. These are all 4x4 inches.

I strongly recommend you view these sites, esp Joe Cornish's wonderful examples and see just how he applies them, plus the others that supply filters - so you can get a fuller and more of an understanding as to what can be achieved with filters and when NOT to apply them.

As I keep saying, I use filters to "set-up" my camera. If I want to achieve shallower depth of field I augment my camera's on-board 0.9 ND with my own series of ND .6 and .6grad and even a .3ND grad. This gives me shallower DoF in very bright sunshine, by allowing me to keep the iris as wide iopena s possible. We have a 1/4 inch CCD block, this works against achieving shallowe dopeth of field - the capture plane is small compared to a 1/3 inch and the the 35mm film stock!! However, it doesn't get any better than that, unless you obtain a mini35 adaptor and a SLR lens to snap on the front. Even then you may wish to use a matt box and filters for getting an effect.


Formatt Filters - extensive examples and ranges of filters and what they mean and do: http://www.formatt.co.uk/glass/filters.asp

Lee Filters site on the "Art of Light" + Joe Cornish's work and scrap pad!: http://www.leefilters.com/downloads.asp

Hope this helps . . . . ?

Grazie

[Dale Guthormsen]

Grazie,

Up til today i was looking at acquiring a mixer and some of the things you mentioned.

Today my 11 month old gl2 not only got cassette error, the thing wont even eject the tape!!!!!!!

In two weeks I have a shoot that has been planned for half a year!! no camera.

I am going to purchase another camera (I knew I needed one anyway but hoped to put it off a year).

I am considering panasonic 60
Sony pd 170 or the hdv job
Jvc hd camera

Perhaps a xl2 (cant afford the canon hd camera

Any thoughts?? I shoot mostly out doors and wildlife, but business has started coming my way for sports of sorts.


dale

[Graham Bernard]

Sorry to hear about your XM2. I'd hire to get going and do a repair on your present camera.

You say 11 months, this would, over here in the UK be just inside the manufacturer's warranty period. Very timely indeed. Make use of it. And if you still wish to change cameras you could always sell it. Maybe you could get Canon to do an extended warranty - which may just sway a buyer in this, either perceived or real, HD-induced, swelling market for 2nd hand SD cameras.

However, offering suggestions, within a 2 week decision making window, on a range of cameras as different and diverse as 170>XL2>HDs is way beyond my meagre abilities. I'll leave this for others to feedback.

I hope the assistance I have provided will be of value for whatever you do in the future.

My best regards,

Graham "Grazie" Bernard

As a footnote, it was always my intention as soon as I could afford to do so to have a backup camera. This I have achieved faster than I thought as the cost of an XM2 allowed for me to do this. Will you be in the same position, if wish to have a backup? Maybe your newly repaired XM2 could be this backup?

[Dale Guthormsen]

Graham,

thanks for your extended help, it is truly appreciated.

My mission control list now has several of your suggestions. they will be way-laid for a few months to be certain.

I broke down and spent my money on an xl2. It finally broke down to sony fx1 hd or an xl2. A reality check made me go with the xl2, my software is not hd compatible and i do not have an hd ready tv either.

I really love my gl2 but I do not want two of the same. I do 90% wildlife filming so the interchangable lens is a great idea!! Anyway, after great anxiety of making such a big choice, it is over!!! now just the anxiety of waiting for it!!


Dale