film-like settings

[melannsha]

I just got the hvx200 and would like to know what settings will give me the most film-like look...currently, my settings are at 720 24pn in the film mode synchro scan 180.0...

when I bring my footage into final cut 6.0.4, it looks video-like in that jittery kind of way...I'm used to shooting on the dvx100a in 24p and would like to maintain that same smoothness that the dvx100 gives...

I leave tomorrow for an important shoot so if someone could help me figure out if there's a better setting, I would greatly appreciate it!

thanks in advance :)

[David Jimerson]

720/24p with a 180-degree shutter mimics a standard film camera exactly.

[melannsha]

thanks for getting back to me, I really appreciate it...do you mean that I should change it from 24pn to 24p? thanks!

[John Froton]

I don't think David meant to change from pn to p .... both will give the same result in the end with the exception that "pn" will save you space by not storing/recording the pulldown frames. Either way, you will typically not use pulldown frames in a 23.98p project.

As far as getting a filmlook, I have a couple of other suggestions to add.

First, try using a good polarizer filter. This can make a nice difference in natural color saturation while helping to eliminate overexposed areas, especially in the bright outdoors.

Second, make sure to use abundant, soft, even lighting, if you can help it, to help eliminate and manage extreme dark or bright areas in the frame. The main idea is to bring the outer world into the dynamic range of the camcorder rather than trying to make the limited dynamic range of the camcorder capture the extremes of the real world.

Third, do a lot of real world test shoots and try to get a feel for the judder when moving the camcorder. Panning and camera movement can be tricky and requires moving at certain speeds to get a smooth result. Exposure, depth of field and focal length all play important parts in gettiing good looking temporal motion as well.

Fourth, experiment with the Cinelike settings in the camcorder to get the look your after and if your scene is well lit, consider using Cinelike-D for it's most filmlike luminence curve that compresses grayscale values for the look of improved dynamic range.

I hope this helps :thumbup: I'm not sure why the HVX would be giving you a more jittery video look than the DVX.

[jetaddiction@mac.com]

some new shooters i have seen looking for the film look setup the 24p setting then run and gun shoot like the did before ,get very dissapointed in the results . if you are going to shoot in 24f then you must learn the rules of the road, pan speeds with zoom charts are in barrys book. test all the different motion blur setting with your shutter speed setting until you get favorable results .i llok at the 24f as a mood setting and never used for quick motion . if going to film and have to shoot all 24f then change up the camera angle pan less when you have action. i think a dof 35mm adapter gives more of a film look way more than the look of just a 24p setting. 24f have alot of limmitation video shooters never ran into before.

[Alexg]

Last week I shot part of a documentary outdoors in 24p (not pn...size wasn't an issue cause I was using a firestore...but in retrospect I probably should have just shot it 24pn) and it looked great and everything was silky smooth. It was a little overcast so that helped out. One of these days I'm gonna have to post a video on this site.

[David Saraceno]

Progressive is only part of the equation.

A shallow DOF also contributes. Without an adapter, there are ways to produce a decent, shallow DOF but you have to work with it.