DIY - Greenscreen/chromakey/backdrop frame
 

Greetings,

I found this article on digg.com last night - and I apologize in advance if this has already been repeated somewhere else in any of the forums.

http://homepage.mac.com/geerlingguy/...eenscreen.html

(gotta love Home Depot) :)

Regards,
-Michael

Need Production truck in LA, please advice
 

I need to rent a small TV production truck for a day in Los Angeles. It is to shoot a 5 de Mayo music event. We need a simple yet professional setup with at least 5 SD cameras and the ability to record to Beta SX , DVCam, DVCPro or XD Cam, any will do.

I was wondering if any of you has had any goo experience with a company that you would like to recommend us. Needles is to say we are low budget. :)

broken up imagery after render
 

what is this? Im shooting SDV and editing on Vegas 6, everything is perfect until render. The movement of either the image or panning breaks up the edges of the object? Only does it after render? Rendering Mpeg2 with the NTSC DV Widescreen template. Doesnt seem so bad if rendering .avi but then have to comprees in DVD Architect? Its killing me, I just want to find the freeking render template that works...

Any secret tricks/unlocks for DVL9000U? And advice for 30p
 

Hi everyone,

I'm very much a newbie, but I do have a few cameras that I've been playing with:
Canon ZR25, ZR65, ZR80
JVC D30, D70, D90
2x JVC DVL9000

I'm most interested in the DVL9000s of course because of 30p, but I'm a little dissatisfied with their resolution. I'm wondering if there are any tricks for this one. Maybe something fun to play with in the EEPROM? I don't mean to find something to improve the quality, but maybe some reason to keep them.

On that note, how do people feel about the 9000? Most of what I shoot is fast motion (cars, skiing, etc) so progressive is a must. Is there another consumer-level camcorder by JVC or maybe Canon that blows the 9000 out of the water?

I need to keep it in cheap consumer cameras because I would want two or three of them. Eventually I will buy a pair of HD10s, but until then...

AE 7.0 Out of Memory Error
 

When trying to render an After Effects project I keep getting the same error message "After Effects: Out of Memory, 6188K requested." On the render status I show 82% of 2Gb.

Anyone know of a fix or work around?

Jim

OK, just increase virtual memory page file to be 4096 for all drives and pointed after effects to my external hard drive so as not to conflict with OS and Vegas on C:. Lets see what happens!

Ouch that didn't take long! Same error.

Have you seen this video clip?
 

Hello

I came across a clip on here about 5-7 months ago its about a man who wakes up in the morning his alarm clock is buzzing i think it shows 6 am or something and he goes to the bathroom goes to toilet turns the tap on and heads to work then gets in a lift and when he’s at work he takes this drug and then something happens to him that’s as much as i can remember. it’s a very well shot clip and the camera is fast moving switching angles all the time i have done a search and put in "drug" "pill" came up with lots of topics but none of them seems to be the one i want. if you do know this short piece i am on about please post a link or the video i would be most grateful. i just wanted to watch it again since it was so well done but i just cant find it any where

Thanks

Advice regarding 35mm adapters
 

35mm lenses are top priority. That said, I am not sure how to proceed as far as which camcorder to get to have the best value 35mm adapter. I have been leaning towards the HD10U because of HDV, but now I am thinking about an XL2 body or a DVX100a because I'll ultimately be using the 35mm lenses all the time. I am trying to understand whether the XL would be the easiest to accept these lenses. Since it is designed for interchangeable lenses, isn't the 35mm adapter a pretty simple (read: cheap)thing?

I do a lot of point-and-shoot and almost never use artificial lighting. 30p is preferred, but I guess I could do 24p. Is there a big difference in quality between 30p and 24p on the DVX or XL?

Assuming that everything is setup perfectly and color correction in post is a non-issue, will the HD of the JVC really help?

Which route do you experienced users recommend? I have listed these in descending order of my preference
-DVX100a with 35mm vibrating adapter assembly thing - 4:3 is a major disadvantage, though
-HD10U with 35mm vibrating adapter assembly thing - cheap 16:9 HD
-XL2 body with simple 35mm adapter - a little out of my price range

I'd like to spend less, so I'm leaning towards the DVX. What I really want is an HD100, but I can't rationalize such a big step.

Playing multiple videos...
 

How might one play separate video content on 6-12 individual screening units (projectors, flat screens...) from a central unit, ideally from a Mac storing the video? Does anyone know of equipment/software that makes this or a similar equation possible? I guess another route to display multiple videos on separate screens might be to use PMPs, but I like the idea of controlling the content centrally, like a video jockey.

Update: I searched 'video jockey' and found some useful links.

Exporting for Combustion
 

I need to export from Avid to edit in Combustion 3 (or 4) however, nomatter what format I export the quality in combustion is terrible, the image is pixelated and just really low res looking. the best i can do is to double up the image size of a tga sequence which makes 20 seconds of footage around a gig.

(I'm aware of the preview quality, and I've set that to best.)


I just want to know the best workflow for Avid to combustion and back without losing image quality.

I've tried QT reference out of Avid and when I play that back in QT it is great, but as soon as it imports into Combustion the quality drops, i cant find any import options or anything, are there any?

at the moment I'll stick with a targa sequence as double resolution but I hope someone can shed some light because its baffling me.

Thanks

Alex

Economical alternative to Crunch Switch?
 

We have set up low cost arrangement for a two camera studio for live streaming. We are using two NV-GS300 cameras, connected via AV to a crunch switch and another camera on the other side of the crunch switch to convert back to digital for the live feed. Sound is added at the converter camera.

Previously in our tests, we used a Sony camera to receive the AV in and it worked fine. But have now found the extra NV-GS300 we wanted to use for this does not support AV in.

What is the most economical way of replacing the crunch switch with a digital alternative? A whole camera just sitting there is not a very sensible solution to me. Any thoughts?

Cheers,

Damian

Red Giant Instant HD
 

I am trying to gather opinions on real world usage of Instant HD. I have an XL2, and I am considering purchasing the software. Anyone had any good or bad experiences with it?

union vs. non union actors + contract?
 

I am shooting my first commercial using actors and actresses.
some that replied say i am a non union actor some dont mention.
what is the difference?
is there anything i should keep in mind>?
also where can i get special contracts to clear stuff with them?
what should i keep in mind when working with these people?
during the shoot how much food should i provide for them considering that its a low budget commercial?

thanx for your help

De-Interlacing the Video?
 

I have been capturing using an analogue capture card for a while, and I recently switched to Firewire.... and Im having a few problems. One of them, is that the video looks very interlaced.

When I was capturing using my video card, there was an option to de-interlace the video upon capture, so it looked pretty good.

Here is a demo/test shot I took a few nights ago. Its sped up a few dozen times, but the normal speed version looks just as bad.

http://www.planetboredom.net/o2/cars_interlaced.mpg

HD Editing with my PC Config
 

Hey All,
I've been out of the latest processor loop for a bit, so I'm looking for some info. I'm looking at upgrading my CPU and MOBO to accomodate ediitng with an HVX200, on Vegas via. Raylight. (or avid if raylight just isn't working for me)

I currently have Athlon 64 3500+. 2 GB's of Ram, 250 GB, 200GB and two 80 GB's (in striped raid). Do I really need to upgrade? Or can I get by with what I have.

I was thinking that it would be pretty slow going, but I could be wrong.

Casting Director pay rates?
 

ok, im trying to find some information for a project, im currently looking for what an average casting director makes per film, assuming of course this is an average film, and that all other factors are roughly average. Does anyone have a figure thats in the ballpark, there are so many factors affecting it that i cant find any good info. Just as an example, lets use the film Pretty Woman and the like, ya know, not a big CGI film or something like that, just an average film

Any Advice-Plane Interior-greenscreen
 

Hello,

I am fairly experienced shooter and have done quite a few greenscreen shots.. but will have new challenge this week.. Will be on a shoot, at an airport.. where talent will be in a small cessna plane..(will not leave the ground) Some shoots will be interior, and some outside looking into plane etc.. obviously at times it will need to look like they are flying in the plane.. will try some creative angles.. but if i have to resort to greenscreen.. i am worried about the glass around the cockpit.. If i setup greenscreen outside of the glass and shoot from the interior, not sure how well that will work when pulling the key and inserting the clouds..(will use ultra 2 for keying)
Or maybe will just remove glass and make in CG?? Not sure.. anyone have any advice on this type of shooting??

Thanks,
Mike m.

Help with a chroma key set-up
 

Hello,

A little background- I work for a hands-on science museum. We would like to do a weather reporter green screen exhibit to let kids have the experience of doing the weather like they see on television. I have seen this type of exhibit at other museums but have never been impressed with the quality of the final product. I have a few years experience in production work, but have no experience with chroma key technology.

I would like advice on a camera, lighting, hardware live keyer (not computer based), and a green screen laminate or paint (fabric will be too fragile). To give you some budgetary info- we are looking at a 3-chip camera head and lens in the $4K range, Kino-Flo lighting in the $3K range, and keying hardware from $1-5K (DataVideo to Ultimatte). I would like to get the most bang for the buck like getting a less expensive camera and a better keyer if that would be more advantageous. We are a non-profit and if I can get a good final product for less I’m all for it.

This exhibit will not be staffed and will run 7 days a week and we hope to get at least a year or two operational time with necessary repairs and some equipment replacement.

I realize that this is asking a lot especially as a first-time poster. Any advice would be appreciated.

Thank you for your time.
Erik Lizee

Wireless Video Transmitter
 

Hi folks, has anyone had luck with a good wireless video transmitter?

I bought one a while back - for transmitting video from camera to screens in a reception hall - it was fine as long as the camera is still - but once you move around - its useless - signal breaks up. It was a 2.4 Ghz based system for about $350.

I don't want to go to something quite as powerful or expensive as a microwave based system - but something that will provide line of sight or otherwise transmission without breakup. A 200-300 FT range would be ok - the smaller the better

What about something like the Laird Waveshot?


Thanks :)
Paul

Lens Mount Interchangeability Question
 

My experience to this point is with a PD170 and lesser camcorders. I expect in the foreseeable future to obtain a 1/2 inch or possibly 2/3 inch CCD camera. After extensive research on the net I still do not have a clear understanding concerning interchangeability of, specifically, Canon and Fujinon lenses among Sony and Panasonic cameras. I have seen cameras and/or lenses specified as "B2 mount," such as the Sony DSR400; as "B4 mount," especially on older Betacam SP equipment; and as simply "bayonet mount," such as many of the Panasonic cameras. I would appreciate any guidance as to the constraints on lens interchangeability (within a given CCD size, obviously). For example, will a high quality 2/3 inch B4-mount lens on an older Betacam SP camera fit on a modern 2/3 inch DVCPro camera specified simply as "bayonet"? Will a B4 or a "bayonet" fit on a DSR400? Where can I find a definition of B2, B4, etc? Thanks in advance.

Any Auckland, New Zealand camera folks want to join a team for 48hours this year?
 

There's a few of you floating around I see from time to time, so on the off change you catch this, our team is in need of a camera op/dp for the 48 hours in a couple of weekends time.

We're a mix of industry experience and inexperience but most of us have done the 48 hours before once or more. I'm directing so don't want to do camera if I can help it so we need someone competent (We have a DVX102B) who can take the cam and fly with it, take direction, give good input and get the job done. If you have your own camera (XL2 or such, but progressive please) that's fine too, we can use that.

So if you're sociable, competent and can both work your butt off and have fun at the same time, PM or Email me from this site and I'll get back to you.

Cheers
Aaron

Sony DSR-400
 

Sorry to post this here, but it made the most sense... Has anyone used this camera, i couldn't find much information on it on the web. Its strictly DVCAM and i'm wondering if any pro shooters have spent some time with this, and what their verdict is. My company is looking to acquire a few of these for a specific job..Thanks

Tom Green Gets Wired for HBO
 

www.tomgreen.com has a fun video clip that shows what a HBO crew is doing to ready his house for an upcoming special. Good look at a tricked Panny and lots of lighting with kinos and chinese laterns. Its the third seqment the home page channel and is called 'House Tour". I thought it was lots of fun.

A DVi Fun Fact: Taxi Trunk
 

"Two Pelican 1620 cases plus two Pelican 1510 cases can fit in the standard American taxi trunk." This has been a DVi Fun Fact.

streaming HD video over 802.11n
 

I am interested in streaming video (mostly HD) over wireless networks (probably 802.11n). I have been playing around with sample videos from the Microsoft, and Apple web sites, using vlc, quicktime, and WMP. Any suggestions on other things to try, or feedback based on previous experiences?

thanks,

Shawn

www.technoblogy.com

I cant write back to MiniDV.help!
 

guys,I wanted to record some edited footage from AP 2.0 to VX2100 in order to watch it on tv.the process of recording goes well when I "export to tape",but there is nothing on the tape afterwards.Its blank!whats the matter?
Thank you

Creating 2.35:1 footage in post?
 

Hi,

I have a DVX100A. I want to shoot footage with this and trim it down to 2.35:1 in post, and have the black bars dissappear as much as possible when viewed on a widescreen. I am using Adobe Premiere Pro 2 for this.
Now I am going to get myself a screen overlay to give myself a basis to guide myself by on the LCD. How do I go about cropping the footage in Adobe Premiere Pro 2 so that it will still display properly on widescreens?

Top five Finalist.....Gnome film
 

Hi

I posted my film on here a while ago. And it has just been selected in an Australian Film competition.

Voting is now held to find the winning film. My film Gnome is on there.

please visit
http://www.youthweek.com/talent_comp...hootit_jnr.asp

Ratio Question
 

I'm doing a short low-budget TV commercial and this will be my first time using an HD camera (Z1). Since the commercial will need to work on SD TV's, do I shoot my piece using 4:3 with the HD cam? Does that even work?

I'm shooting with HD because of the better quality image, but am unsure how the 16:9 ratio will translate when I dump the final product on to a beta cam tape and then the spot airs. I don't want a letterbox effect or to have anything cropped out.

This probably sounds like a pretty ridiculous question to those that have been working with HD, but while I have been shooting video for some time, I am new to producing stuff for TV and so new to HD that I haven't even used a camera yet. If someone could give me the techy info so I could understand it that would be great. I did a search, but didn't find anything specifically related to my question.

Thanks in advance.

Chroma Greenscreen Backdrop 180 degree C-Shape
 

Howdy fellow shooters-
I work as a PA at MTV and we shoot a show called ADD BIO-
You can check it out at mtv.com/overdrive. (only on a PC, sorry Macs)

With the green screen set-up we have, we need to be able to get
some side profile shots while simultaniously shooting our main frontal camera angle.

We've previously been using 4 C-Stands to make a half-ass (pardon the french) C shape that we drape the green screen over. Which causes wrinkles and uneveness all over because of the knuckles and loose hanging material, which makes it impossible to light.

Possible solutions? Bendable C-shape custom piping that could attach atop the C-Stands?

Buy the foam greenscreen by the yard and tape it up using the C-stands as a frame?

We are also trying to make stuff work without spending too much $$-
Unfortunately MTV doesn't drop thousands of dollars into production, you are supposed to be resourceful and creative to find ways to get what you need.

Any good ideas appreciated or any product websites/links would be helpful.

Rock and Roll-

A true Story, The Matrix camera.
 

A well connected mate of mine, had a friend call him from Sydney, about a camera that was used in filming the highway sequence of the second Matrix movie, that a guy not to far away was willing to sell for $5KAU. I deduced that the only digital cameras used in the sequence were the slow motion ones, most likely a Phantom, yes, you can imagine, they are worth heaps new or secondhand. Unfortunately my friend died of cancer :(. Now e don't know who the seller, or the person in Sydney, was.

Very sad, but here is a tribute to my friend, Ian Hamilton Mclaren (yes of those families) world class chef to royalty and presidents, ex-special forces, one of the founding stock brokers at the Stock Exchange in Sydney, and a list of other extraordinary achievements these well connected army types tend to accumulate.


Thanks

Wayne.

Accurate tracking at full zoom
 

My model specific question didn't yield any results, so let me ask a more general question:

I was shooting some practice footage over the weekend of an aerobatic plane performing an aerobatic sequence. The distance involved means you have to shoot at nearly full zoom, and the aircraft can be hard to follow in the viewfinder. What techniques do people use for tracking action like this? I was thinking a wireframe viewfinder similar to a speedfinder on the Graphlex. Google didn't turn up anything useful so I may have to make my own, or suggestions?

Anyone know a good shouldercam around 500$ and below?
 

I'm looking for a camera around 500$ that i can use for making movies both for school projects and my own. It wont be used for vacations and stuff like that so size isn't a big concern, as long as you can use batteries and mount it on a tripod and have manual controls over focus and other things without having to paus in the middle of a scene.

I've been looking at all kinds of options like analog cameras, currently looking at a JVC Newvicon GX-?? (haven't gotten the info on exact type yet) which is older then i am but is sturdy and prefect for my needs besides for the limited VHS medium, which i'm dicussing here:

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthrea...388#post491388

All help witht he above is very appreciated.

My only other option is a Panasonic GS-70-180 which is in my price range, but it isn't a shoulder cam. Most shouldercams are out of my pricerange sadly.

Your thoughts on these camcorders?
 

I've been looking around for cameras and come up with a few that i've heard and read good things about, now i want to know what you people here think about them.

They are listed in the order i have understood them to be quality-wise

Panasonic GS-180
JVC GR-DF540
Sony DCR-HC44
JVC GR-GZ20
Sanyo Xacti C6 <-- only here because it's cool and i don't know how it performs

I'm looking for the camera which has the highest quality video and most manual control (focus ring etc). Size or portability is not of any concern to me. All off these cameras are in my price range according to swedish market prices; Which are roughly in the 300-500$ USD range. Otherwise any thoughts or opinions on any of the cameras are greatly appreciated.

Deck starts then stops
 

Hi, I'm logging miniDV tapes on a JVC BR-DV3000 deck and when I play the tape it plays for about a second then stops on its own. I've tried a couple different tapes and its only the tapes that I'm logging. They're JVC miniDV 60 ME tapes. I don't know what camera they were shot with. I've put it other tapes today and they work, so there's something specific about that particular tape it seems like. Any ideas? Thanks!
Cal

Close Captioning
 

I have a thirty minute infomercial that will air on local televisions.
1.) Do I have to have it Closed Captioned?
2.) If so.. then how? where should I go? Cost etc...

Thanks
Mike Russell

duplicator instalation
 

Hi guys i'm very new to this. I just purchased some components to build a cd/dvd duplicator.

I have put the whole think together but i dont know how to power the system up.

i used a ful tower case that can take upto 11 drives. i could not find a decent duplicator case.

my problem is after connecting everything up i cant fire up the unit is there is no power switch.

the tower comes with a switch but i dont know where to connect it. The switch has the normal conections that you would use to power up a motherboard.

configured in a jumper pin style.

i know i used the wrong case but thought i could connect it up without any problems.

where is the switch connected on a normal duplicator? is it just wired straght to the power supply? or is it wired to the controller?

i'm using a copystar 1-11 controller.


please help cheers

Quayon

Hair Commercial Technique?
 

I'm trying to figure out the technique used in those shampoo commercials when the models with long flowing hair blowing in slow motion. I tried using the 60p setting with the hvx and a fan blowing on the hair but it still seemed too fast.
Any ideas?
Thanks,
Philip

Need Camera and Operator DFW, TX 6/10
 

I am looking for someone to shoot a 5 minute short this Saturday for entrance into a competition sponsored by FX. I approximate that it will take 4 hours to shoot. I am familiar with Pro Quality DV cameras, but I am directing and don't have the time to train anyone if I rent one.

Your payment will be great if we win the contest. If we don't then I can offer some financial compensation.

If interested you can email me at dilanthomas75@gmail.com. I would be happy to forward the script to anyone interested.

Thank you,
Tom Dyer

Windows Media Encoder 9 no picture on screen capture
 

I've downloaded and installed windows media encoder 9. I've tried to screen capture video from the internet, open player. I get just the audio but no video. I can capture the desktop no problem. I've checked Microsofts web help but couldn't find any help for this problem. Seems like it's got to be a setting or something. Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks
Harry

What are the different ways you guys make money, using your XL2?
 

Just got my XL2. Loving it. We're shooting a gang of shorts and a feature on the horizon.

I live in LA and have done reels for actors along with headshots(Rebel).

What are some other ways, you guys make money using your XL2?