About to film (Sharp Images) at DVinfo.net

Gary Douglas · July 21st, 2008, 12:00 AM

Hello All, thanks for any advice in advance.

I'm about to film a feature with a mid level digital camcorder. As far as editing is concerned i've only been tinkering around on ulead videostudio. For this I was going to use adobe afect effects so I was planning on using adobe premier with it, would this work to my advantage interchanging the footage between programs?
Also, the raw image from the cam is very sharp and clear. To make it look less "home video" I was thinking about sacrificing some quality by making the image more grainier, how would I go about this?
Lastly, are there any really simple and cheap techniques or tricks I could employ to improve the overall quality of image and shot comp?
Thanks
Cya

Alex Humphrey · July 30th, 2008, 01:08 PM

what camera? 24f/24p? Best thing to do to make it look less video is 24f/24p and be able to turn down/off any edge enhancements... -10 or Low or OFF. 2nd how will you color grade? Does your camera have the ability to adjust black stretch/compress? Basically find a way to get as much data recorded in the highlights and shadows at the same time.. then expose for the highlights..... while editing bring up/down the exposure in the shadows. What looks good in camera is not the always the best for later DVD or Film exportation. Do lots of testing FIRST before you roll anything. If you are going FIlm Out, contact the top 5 places your are planning on doing the FILM out and see what they recomend. an days labor testing and making phone calls saves you dozens of days later in post... If you are going DVD ONLY then it's easier. Still shoot with presets and experiement with your NLE. How much effort in post do you want to do? Best results in slightly under exposed video then adjust brightness/contrast/color in your NLE. If over exposed (auto setting) then you are stuck with no detail that you can NEVER get back. If you are doing something quick (news/weddings/anything with a short turn around time) then just expose for in camera, keeping an eye on the highlights with your zebra at 100%, back OFF the exposure off till any zebra dissapears or nearly dissapears.

Seun Osewa · July 30th, 2008, 05:12 PM

Making the image grainier doesn't make it sharper or better. It makes it ugly.

Ervin Farkas · July 31st, 2008, 05:44 AM

- What exactly is a "mid level camcorder"? What shooting modes does it have?
- On the software question, yes, the integration is great between the different apps in the Adobe suite.
- You can do a lot more for the "film look" when shooting, than you can do when editing. First of all you need to light for film, then use a camera/lens combination that gives you depth of field like in film, etc.

July 21st, 2008, 12:00 AM	#1
Gary Douglas Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Lancashire Posts: 40	About to film (Sharp Images) Hello All, thanks for any advice in advance. I'm about to film a feature with a mid level digital camcorder. As far as editing is concerned i've only been tinkering around on ulead videostudio. For this I was going to use adobe afect effects so I was planning on using adobe premier with it, would this work to my advantage interchanging the footage between programs? Also, the raw image from the cam is very sharp and clear. To make it look less "home video" I was thinking about sacrificing some quality by making the image more grainier, how would I go about this? Lastly, are there any really simple and cheap techniques or tricks I could employ to improve the overall quality of image and shot comp? Thanks Cya

July 31st, 2008, 05:44 AM	#4
Ervin Farkas Inner Circle Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Atlanta/USA Posts: 2,515	- What exactly is a "mid level camcorder"? What shooting modes does it have? - On the software question, yes, the integration is great between the different apps in the Adobe suite. - You can do a lot more for the "film look" when shooting, than you can do when editing. First of all you need to light for film, then use a camera/lens combination that gives you depth of field like in film, etc. __________________ Ervin Farkas www.AtlantaLegalVideo.com

July 30th, 2008, 01:08 PM	#2
Alex Humphrey Major Player Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: california North and South Posts: 642	what camera? 24f/24p? Best thing to do to make it look less video is 24f/24p and be able to turn down/off any edge enhancements... -10 or Low or OFF. 2nd how will you color grade? Does your camera have the ability to adjust black stretch/compress? Basically find a way to get as much data recorded in the highlights and shadows at the same time.. then expose for the highlights..... while editing bring up/down the exposure in the shadows. What looks good in camera is not the always the best for later DVD or Film exportation. Do lots of testing FIRST before you roll anything. If you are going FIlm Out, contact the top 5 places your are planning on doing the FILM out and see what they recomend. an days labor testing and making phone calls saves you dozens of days later in post... If you are going DVD ONLY then it's easier. Still shoot with presets and experiement with your NLE. How much effort in post do you want to do? Best results in slightly under exposed video then adjust brightness/contrast/color in your NLE. If over exposed (auto setting) then you are stuck with no detail that you can NEVER get back. If you are doing something quick (news/weddings/anything with a short turn around time) then just expose for in camera, keeping an eye on the highlights with your zebra at 100%, back OFF the exposure off till any zebra dissapears or nearly dissapears.

July 30th, 2008, 05:12 PM	#3
Seun Osewa Major Player Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: West Africa Posts: 255	Making the image grainier doesn't make it sharper or better. It makes it ugly.