strobe in TV series and movies (compared to DVX)

[ulisses]

Hello,

After watching many TV series, like CSI, SmallVille, ER, Lay&Order, etc and movies in my home TV I think strobes are reduced compared to DVX 24P.
As Barry showed in his DVD, the DVX Pan Srobes is like a 16mm running at 24P, but what hollywood does to minimize that in the TV series ? Are they running in HD 60 FPS ? 35mm 30 FPS ? (Since they know it will be broadcasted...)
Any clue ?

Thanks,
Ulisses

[ulisses]

Thinking:

Maybe 35mm at 30FPS and shutter at 1/30 ?

Thanks,
Ulisses

[Barry_S]

I've never really gotten the whole strobing issue with the DVX. I've shot a fair amount of film and to me the DVX *most* emulates film with its frame rate. You can argue about compression artifacts or colorspace or resolution, but the frame cadence is the same as film.

When you're watching those top notch shows, you're seeing superbly controlled smooth camera movement. Those same crews could use a DVX and get the same smoothness. There are filmmakers on this board that also know how to move a camera, and you won't see any "strobing" in their work.

[GuRamalho]

I agree Barry, this is because now a days it's "out of fashion" the good and old smooth movement. The worst is they want to have a, how can I say, "documental" look so badly that they do it wrong, shaking the camera to a point where you get sick, when what you want in a hand held is the smoother it can be, then the wobling will be fine. Don't need to fake it… * *:P

[ulisses]

Ok,

But sometimes we see hand held camera shots and even then not so much strobe, maybe I'm looking too much at the DVX LCD :)

Anyone knows if in top US TV Series they are using film or HD cameras ?

Thanks,
Ulisses

[Barry_Green]

But Ulisses, you answered it yourself -- you've seen on the DVD that film and DVX strobe exactly the same.

So it's all in the camera movement. A film camera (other than the A-minima) is a big heavy big big heavy beast. Even my tiny little Konvas 35mm camera weighs maybe three times what the DVX does. Weight = smoother motion. Strap a 10-lb barbell weight on the bottom of your DVX, and you'll probably find that you'll have smoother handheld footage.

It's not the camera or the nature of 24p that's causing the strobing you're seeing -- it's the way the camera is moved. If you moved a film camera the same way you moved the DVX, you'd see exactly the same strobing.

So it's all practice practice practice, plus using tripods and jibs and dollies and steadicams and everything else that film shooters have been using for decades to get smooth shots.

[ulisses]

Ok Barry,

Make sense the camera weight, but how about shutter speed and 30 FPS ? Do you know if these guys working for TV series runs at 30 FPS ? How about slow shutter for fast motions, is it a commun option ?

thanks again,
Ulisses

[Barry_Green]

Sometimes film is shot at 30fps for TV (29.97, of course) but most times we just shoot 24. As far as shutter speed, the DVX gives you the flexibility to choose any shutter speed from 1/24 on up. Most film cameras operate between the range of 1/43 to 1/60 when shooting 24fps.