Cloverfield which scenes HVX200 at DVinfo.net

Roshdi Alkadri · January 27th, 2008, 06:49 PM

so i watched cloverfield with my mom. Nice film other than the motion sickness problem. Does anyone know which scenes are HVX? if its the party scene, then i have no more doubts about an hvx filmout.

Ted Spencer · February 2nd, 2008, 05:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Roshdi Alkadri

so i watched cloverfield with my mom. Nice film other than the motion sickness problem. Does anyone know which scenes are HVX? if its the party scene, then i have no more doubts about an hvx filmout.

Yes, we have it on very good authority that the party scene's primary camera was the HVX200.

Roshdi Alkadri · February 3rd, 2008, 10:12 PM

if this is a trustful source then the HVX looks freakin awesome on the big screen.
i had read about the rumors that the party scene was HVX and i was looking for the so called "noise" or "grain", looked like film grain to me, the color rendition looked really awesome too. I'm guessing the cinegamma was used as the latitude showed it. wow.

Carlos Rodriguez · February 4th, 2008, 12:11 AM

I saw a publicity photo (I'm assuming) or a set photo of the very end scene in the tunnel, and the two main characters were looking into a small samsung-ish looking memory based type camcorder. I highly doubt that the film was shot on such a camera because of the dynamics of the picture throughout the film.

here is a link to the photo

http://images.eonline.com/eol_images...eld.011108.jpg

did a little more digging and found this also.

http://gizmodo.com/347463/the-real-c...nd-cloverfield

Ted Spencer · February 4th, 2008, 08:22 AM

Yes, in the party scene as well there were a few shots evidently done with very modest consumer camcorders, and these brief segments stand out obviously as inferior in quality to the rest. They look about like you'd expect a $500 SD handycam to look.

My information comes from some fairly extensive discussions at dxvuser.com in which I asked exactly these questions. Among others, someone claiming to have been camera assistant on the shoot (managing P2 cards, mainly) stated unequivocally that the HVX was the primary party scene camera. As an HVX owner, and having seen the film, I was likewise jubilant to hear it.

Elsewhere, others involved in the production (DP, director IIRC) said in various articles that the HVX was used for a great deal of the film, but not for any scenes involving CGI or compositing due to its relatively lower resolution being less than optimal once heavy post processing was applied. Higher end cams like the Viper and/or Genesis were used there.

Roshdi Alkadri · February 5th, 2008, 11:03 PM

please dont get me wrong, i did see an article about the hvx being used, but its
probably none of the exterior night shots as there was no "grain" or "noise" at all. The f23 was for sure used as i read. The HVX was probably used in the party
scene, as there are enough light to work with, without being noisy

Hvx in use:
http://www.imdb.com/media/rm1761384704/tt1060277

Steven Thomas · February 7th, 2008, 12:50 PM

Remember the camera was used for the handheld portable camcorder look.
The HVX200 is capable of far better image.

The first outside night shot was real noisy. I have no idea which camera was used there. Most of the bar scene look good. One scene where a girl was sitting at the bar you could see noise and macroblocking crawling on the back wall.

Overall, I think they acheived the look they wanted, although I could not stand the non-stop motion. It was very annoying. My wife hated it and wanted to leave. ;)

Roshdi Alkadri · February 7th, 2008, 10:49 PM

thats why an affordable 2k camera (hopefully scarlet) is a must.If a film is picked up for distribution, then the res is there instead of having to uprez.

Barry Green · February 8th, 2008, 11:11 PM

Why though? When even standard-def 4:3 films have been repeatedly shown in the theaters, including getting Oscar nominations, why would a 2K camera be a "must"?

We've long since passed the threshhold where these small cameras can make images "good enough" for theatrical exhibition.

Roshdi Alkadri · February 9th, 2008, 12:22 AM

Good point barry. Story is king, even if its shot on VHS but realistically more res is better, 2k looks better then uprezed SD or HD, dont it.

What kills most HD cameras is the compression artifacts, the hvx footage looked awesome but someone did notice macro blocking. Its still better than HDV, but 2k raw will look better than both DVCPRO HD and HDV, and will offer more room to play with the raw image hopefully at 4:4:4.

Dont get me wrong, i make my living of the HVX.

Kevin James · March 3rd, 2008, 09:51 AM

Hey guys, new article in HD Video Pro says Viper and F23 used for any and all effects shots. HVX200 used for most of the party, bar, and POV shots without effects. The little AVCHD camera used for select party. bar, and POV shots.

Roshdi Alkadri · March 4th, 2008, 06:59 PM

confirmed, the HVX was pretty much most of the movie, except where VFX are involved, the color space of the viper and F23 helped there

Tom Sherwood · April 17th, 2008, 02:43 AM

sorry for the lame question whats a 2K camera? Is that price? Again super new to the lingo.

Shahryar Rizvi · April 18th, 2008, 01:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tom Sherwood

sorry for the lame question whats a 2K camera? Is that price? Again super new to the lingo.

I myself am also pretty new to cameras, but I believe it has to do with resolution. I first got familiar with the term 5k, 4k, and 3k during the Engadget posts on the new Red cameras:
http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/14/r...ini-camcorder/
http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/14/r...k-epic-camera/

Cool thread by the way. I've been a Sony HC1 user since Spring 2006 and have been looking to upgrade my camera. I bought a Canon HV30 today when there was a price drop at B&H photo, but am thinking that I might be making more of a lateral move. I'd like to make a jump forward since I do generate revenue off my camera (I record my stand up and record other people's stand up and sell them their DVDs). I remember reading about the HVX200 back in 2005 and thinking.. "hmm.. maybe one day."

The price on b&h photo for this camera scares me, but the going price on ebay doesn't seem too bad. I'm just wondering about the other stuff I would need with this camera. How much are the P2 cards running these days? What about lenses I would need? though I've owned the HC1 for a couple of years now, I still haven't bought any lenses and am not really familiar with them.

January 27th, 2008, 06:49 PM	#1
Roshdi Alkadri Major Player Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Calgary, Alberta Posts: 265	Cloverfield which scenes HVX200 so i watched cloverfield with my mom. Nice film other than the motion sickness problem. Does anyone know which scenes are HVX? if its the party scene, then i have no more doubts about an hvx filmout.

February 3rd, 2008, 10:12 PM	#3
Roshdi Alkadri Major Player Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Calgary, Alberta Posts: 265	if this is a trustful source then the HVX looks freakin awesome on the big screen. i had read about the rumors that the party scene was HVX and i was looking for the so called "noise" or "grain", looked like film grain to me, the color rendition looked really awesome too. I'm guessing the cinegamma was used as the latitude showed it. wow.

February 4th, 2008, 12:11 AM	#4
Carlos Rodriguez Major Player Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Modesto, California Posts: 206	I saw a publicity photo (I'm assuming) or a set photo of the very end scene in the tunnel, and the two main characters were looking into a small samsung-ish looking memory based type camcorder. I highly doubt that the film was shot on such a camera because of the dynamics of the picture throughout the film. here is a link to the photo http://images.eonline.com/eol_images...eld.011108.jpg did a little more digging and found this also. http://gizmodo.com/347463/the-real-c...nd-cloverfield

February 4th, 2008, 08:22 AM	#5
Ted Spencer Regular Crew Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: New York City (USA) Posts: 53	Yes, in the party scene as well there were a few shots evidently done with very modest consumer camcorders, and these brief segments stand out obviously as inferior in quality to the rest. They look about like you'd expect a $500 SD handycam to look. My information comes from some fairly extensive discussions at dxvuser.com in which I asked exactly these questions. Among others, someone claiming to have been camera assistant on the shoot (managing P2 cards, mainly) stated unequivocally that the HVX was the primary party scene camera. As an HVX owner, and having seen the film, I was likewise jubilant to hear it. Elsewhere, others involved in the production (DP, director IIRC) said in various articles that the HVX was used for a great deal of the film, but not for any scenes involving CGI or compositing due to its relatively lower resolution being less than optimal once heavy post processing was applied. Higher end cams like the Viper and/or Genesis were used there.

February 5th, 2008, 11:03 PM	#6
Roshdi Alkadri Major Player Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Calgary, Alberta Posts: 265	please dont get me wrong, i did see an article about the hvx being used, but its probably none of the exterior night shots as there was no "grain" or "noise" at all. The f23 was for sure used as i read. The HVX was probably used in the party scene, as there are enough light to work with, without being noisy Hvx in use: http://www.imdb.com/media/rm1761384704/tt1060277

February 7th, 2008, 12:50 PM	#7
Steven Thomas Trustee Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Gilbert, AZ Posts: 1,896	Remember the camera was used for the handheld portable camcorder look. The HVX200 is capable of far better image. The first outside night shot was real noisy. I have no idea which camera was used there. Most of the bar scene look good. One scene where a girl was sitting at the bar you could see noise and macroblocking crawling on the back wall. Overall, I think they acheived the look they wanted, although I could not stand the non-stop motion. It was very annoying. My wife hated it and wanted to leave. ;)

February 7th, 2008, 10:49 PM	#8
Roshdi Alkadri Major Player Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Calgary, Alberta Posts: 265	thats why an affordable 2k camera (hopefully scarlet) is a must.If a film is picked up for distribution, then the res is there instead of having to uprez.

February 8th, 2008, 11:11 PM	#9
Barry Green Barry Wan Kenobi Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: North Carolina Posts: 3,863	Why though? When even standard-def 4:3 films have been repeatedly shown in the theaters, including getting Oscar nominations, why would a 2K camera be a "must"? We've long since passed the threshhold where these small cameras can make images "good enough" for theatrical exhibition.

February 9th, 2008, 12:22 AM	#10
Roshdi Alkadri Major Player Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Calgary, Alberta Posts: 265	Good point barry. Story is king, even if its shot on VHS but realistically more res is better, 2k looks better then uprezed SD or HD, dont it. What kills most HD cameras is the compression artifacts, the hvx footage looked awesome but someone did notice macro blocking. Its still better than HDV, but 2k raw will look better than both DVCPRO HD and HDV, and will offer more room to play with the raw image hopefully at 4:4:4. Dont get me wrong, i make my living of the HVX.

March 3rd, 2008, 09:51 AM	#11
Kevin James Major Player Join Date: May 2004 Location: Orlando, FL Posts: 204	Hey guys, new article in HD Video Pro says Viper and F23 used for any and all effects shots. HVX200 used for most of the party, bar, and POV shots without effects. The little AVCHD camera used for select party. bar, and POV shots.

March 4th, 2008, 06:59 PM	#12
Roshdi Alkadri Major Player Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Calgary, Alberta Posts: 265	confirmed, the HVX was pretty much most of the movie, except where VFX are involved, the color space of the viper and F23 helped there

April 17th, 2008, 02:43 AM	#13
Tom Sherwood Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 83	sorry for the lame question whats a 2K camera? Is that price? Again super new to the lingo.