Rusty shooter going to Africa.

I

itsme7g

Member
Used to shoot BetaSP on the regular old ENG setups for a local television station about 10 years ago. Could make anything work as long as we had the camera, tripod, mics, lights, tape, and batteries. In fact that was my little mental checklist as I went out the door. Anything else could be forgotten and often was!

For the last 10 years I have been doing motion graphics and more recently VFX for TV. My wife owns a dance studio so I have always had a camera. First an XL-1 and now the HVX. I shoot 3 performances a year that have a few shows each.

So enough background. I volunteer my time to help a nonprofit that helps prevent blindness in Africa, Asia, South America, the US, and other places. Recently I volunteered to go shoot a documentary of their work in Ghana, Africa. It will be just me and the budget is limited since it will be out of pocket from me.

So I have a month to get my gear and workflow set up. I was just gleaning info off the boards and after putting together several different variations I figured I might see if anyone else here has input that can help me.

Here is what I have so far.

HVX200
1x 4GB P2 card
A long sony phantom powered shotgun with great sound but needs to mount to the camera.
Kata case that held my XL-1
3x HVX batteries
1x battery charger
Slower G4 powebook for offloading
Camera shoulder brace
Lightweight tripod
Little Canon Elura in case the HVX dies

So my dilemma is do I get another P2 card (buy or rent)
Should I back up from the camera to some of these or take a laptop to Africa?
Should I relly consider shooting on tape to make it easier and gain recording time even though I lose HD? They don't really need HD but I love it.:huh:
How many batteries are enough. How much redundancy do I need in cables and other equipment?

Long post I know. I know that my old background should make anything other than a catastrophic failure workable but I like to be as prepared for the unexpected as possible.

Thanks
 
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I would shoot tape just to be safe. I lived in Africa for seven months and I do not recommend bringing a laptop.

Batteries depend entirely on how much access you'll have to a power outlet. I had only a generator so I had about 10 9-hour batteries, and that served me well, especially when on the road for long periods of time.

Also, you NEED a waterproof and dustproof case for ALL of your electronic equipment. I recommend Pelican. That is absolutely crucial.
 
I take a power invertor along with me and I run my laptop right out of my vehicle.

I'd hate to see you downconvert your footage to SD. How long will you be gone?

You really need at least another P2 card. More if you can. I'm using 5 4gig cards in the field and dump to my G4 PowerBook. I carry several bus powered Firewire hard drives with me and transfer footage to those when I'm down for the evening. Clear off my laptop and start all over again.

Or, you can bring me along and I'll be happy to shoot it for you! :)
 
Wow you two are fast! Thanks for the input so far.

I am going for 2 weeks. I also would hate to go to SD but at the same time not dealing with laptops or firewire drive has its own appeal. So I see it as a weighing of the true pros and cons.

n8ture said:
Or, you can bring me along and I'll be happy to shoot it for you! :)
Click to expand...
Sure thing if you can work for half of what they are paying me! :eek: Lets see, that is 0 divided by 2, carry the one... Hey I think you owe me money!
 
I would rent one or two 8gb cards.
The G4 PB will be better than using the camera to offload to drives. Add a portable bus powered drive for offloading when no AC is available. Scroll down to the "Ondago" drive.
http://acomdata.com/hdp/fs.html
3 batteries will be enough as long as you can get to AC power every night but take another charger. I have one of these and it works on AC/DC.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ac-dc-battery-c...ryZ43436QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
Add a rain slicker to the list. You never know.
 
I've spent a bit of time in East Africa and Madagascar. If you get all the P2 stuff you need---I'd STILL bring the appropriate Panny mini-DV MQ(?) tapes as a backup plan. Your valuables--especially that laptop--are even more valuable to very poor folks. And you haven't seen poverty till you've seen African poverty.
Good luck. Hope you bring back great HD footage and it helps the wonderful human beings that inhabit the cursed Dark Continent.
 
If you are only going for 2 weeks , then you should be fairly sorted with the kit you suggested. i personally would shot tape. And i know from experience of month long shoots in africa and jamaica, that a spare battery charger is a must. I'm not joking!!!
and an invertor that can be plugged up to a cigarette lighter in a car, ooh and a basic tool kit.!!

ian
 
Thanks for the input. I will try and shoot with p2 cards if I can find some to rent here near DC. I will take tapes just in case I have to resort to it. Cheap laptop and external backup drives. I also might look into that drive that sucks data off the HVX directly just as a laptop backup.

Going to look into that pelican case that can be carry on luggage. I have to cram a d-slr in there also, so I want to make sure it is with me at all times.

Thanks again for the help.
 
Well the trip had gotten moved back so I have a little over a week before I leave.

I wonder if someone could point out a thread or online tutorial that covers the following. I have decided to shoot on MiniDV tapes but want 24P as the final. I never had a DVX and have only used the P2 card with my HVX. Even then I only usually shoot for best dynamic range and generic color since I am an Compositor type now and I can modify the look heavily in post.

I want to start off on the right foot this week as I test and retest my settings and gear as well as practice quick setups. I am going to use FCP for editing.

Thanks a bunch.
 
Rent the cards, don't take a laptop with all that other stuff. It is going to be hard enough on you alone (will you have any assistant?) Also take tapes as a back up plan.

On similar trips, I actually took roll or fold up solar panels to charge my batteries in the back country- worked great! You'll need a 12v charger for the batteries, but they can be found very cheap on the internet.

Good luck. Remember, the less junk you "have" to haul around in the back country, the more energy and attention you can focus on the task and subject at hand- which sounds to be personally involving. It'd be a shame to miss the magic of the project because you were worrying about your laptop stashed in some bungalow in a small african village.

Take care,

Forrest
 
I don't know, I think if you're going to do HD, it's a big step. When I was in the field last summer, I had 4 8Gig P2's, that I would offload to my PBg4. I was shooting all 720pn24, but I still ran out on some shots, so I would have to offload during the interviews, which could be awkward sometimes. However, now that I have the HD footage at home, I'm so freaking happy I didn't shoot to tape, the HD looks so much better. In the evenings, I'd offload from the powerbook to a Firewire 800 raid 1, and at the end of the week I'd copy everything to DVD's. I didn't lose a frame of footage, but it's alot of work, you have to be prepared for really loooong takes for doc shooting, especially off the cuff work. If you can rent a couple of 16g cards, if they're available before you leave, that would be ideal. Just my 2 cents. I was also in a region with iffy electricity, but the locals trusted me enough not to bother my gear. Good personal relationships are really important if you want to succeed in the doc business.
 
Maybe I said that wrong. I am not taking a laptop. Having less junk is on my mind so that is why I am going to shoot SD on tape. The HD isn't needed so it just makes things easier. I am looking for a decent place to start on how to easily set up the camera so it shoots in a 24p mode on the tape. I know that isn't true 24P put I am not sure what I should be setting. I don't want 3:2 added and I remember something about a method that does no interlacing and uses duplicate frames instead.

Thanks for the tips!
 
Found this valuable stuff from andy_starbuck last year:


CRASH COURSE: How to use the HVX200 like an SD miniDV tape camera

The HVX200 is the “Swiss Army Knife” of video cameras. It records in 13 formats. There is a pretty steep learning curve, but that’s because working with the P2 in HD will change the way you think about video. And once you see the results, you’ll not want to shoot in SD or to tape anymore. Nevertheless, some people need to get up to speed quickly just using the HVX in “compatibility” mode to do the same kinds of things they were able to do with the DVX100, the xl1s or the gl2.

[1] CAMERA SETUP

1. On the back of the HVX200, to the left of the battery, there is a switch labeled “MCR PC” on one side and “VCR DUB” on the other side. Move the switch to the right to the “VCR DUB” side. When the camera is turned on this will cause different software to load, and the camera will be a standard definition miniDV tape camera instead of a high definition P2 camera. Turn the power on.

2. Above the “VCR DUB” switch is a dial labeled “SCENE FILES”. Set the dial to “f6”. Each SCENE FILE records settings that control the look of the image recorded, such as gamma (brightness and contrast) and color controls.

3. Look at the left side of the camera in the area that is covered by the LCD panel when it is closed. On the far left, on the bottom row of buttons, there is one labeled “DISP/MODE CHK”. Press and hold this button while looking at the LCD and you will see information about the current camera settings. Check the lower left corner for “48K” and above that “24PA”. The 48K refers to the quality of sound being recorded. You want that on 48K, which is high quality 16-bit sound, not 32K, which is lower quality 12-bit sound. We will make adjustments through the menu system in a moment to correct this if it is not set to 48K. The “24PA” refers to the recording format. The HVX200 records in four different formats to miniDV tape. These are the same formats supported by the DVX100, but they are given names beginning with “480i” because this is how standard definition (SD) video is named in the High Definition standards.

Decide which recording format and aspect ratio you will be recording in. If the footage is to be intercut with video from the xl1s or the gl2, then you will probably want to match the format and aspect ratio of the other cameras you have been using.


4. Set the Recording Format

Recording Formats to miniDV tape:
480i/60i = This is standard video format. The 60i means 60 fields per second, interlaced. If you record in this mode the image will look like any other video camera image — very sharp and with a lot of contrast — and it will intercut on a 29.97 fps timeline with video from other cameras.

480i/30p = This format records in 30 frames per second (instead of fields) but in progressive mode. The image will be softer. It won’t look like film, but it won’t have the sharpness of video either. It is compatible with a 29.97 fps timeline. Use this if you want a softer filmic look, but need to keep compatibility to 60i video.

480i/24p = In this mode the camera records in 24 frames per second, which is film speed. However, to record the signal onto tape, the camera performs “pulldown” which means that it mixes fields from adjacent frames to create filler frames that bring it up to 30 frames per second. The filler frames makes smooth motion in the conversion from 24fps to 30fps. However, it is not easy to drop the pulldown frames, so you can’t return to the original 24 frames per second. The video produce looks much more like film, and it can be edited on a 29.97 fps timeline. However, the pulldown frames might create artifacts when intercut with 60i or 30p footage on the same timeline.

480i/24pA = The “A” stands for “advanced”. In this mode the camera records at 24 frames per second, film speed, and it adds filler frames to bring the video up to 30 frames per second to record it to tape, but it uses a trick to make the original 24 frames per second recoverable in post. The camera repeats frames to create the filler frames. When you bring this footage into your non-linear editing program (NLE) you have to remove the extra pulldown frames. The result is 24 fps footage that is the same format as if the footage had been shot on film and transferred to video using a Telecine machine. The footage is edited on a 23.98 fps timeline. And then pulldown occurs at the very end of editing.

Decide which recording format you will be using.

Press the MENU button on the top of the camera, beneath the handle. Use the navigation buttons and the SET button to navigate the menus.

On the menu, select “5. RECORDING SETUP”
Under “RECORDING FORMAT”
Choose the format you want to record in.

I suggest if you have not shot in 30p, 24p, or 24pA to run some tests with your NLE to make sure that you are able to get the results you want.


5. Set the Aspect Ratio


Aspect Ratio on the HVX200 in tape mode:

NORMAL = Records in 4:3 ratio, 720x480 pixels.
LETTERBOX = Records in 16:9 ratio by cropping the top and bottom of the 4:3 image.
The resulting image is about 320x480 pixels, with black bars on the top and bottom.
SQUEEZE = Records in 16:9 ratio. The image is distorted so that it uses all 720x480 pixels.
This makes the image tall and skinny. It must be stretched out to 16x9 (widescreen)
in post in your NLE. The benefit is that you will have 720x480 resolution to work with.

I believe that the DVX100 series camera accomplishes SQUEEZE by cropping the 4:3 image and then digitally stretching it. The result is that even though the image is 720x480, the information in the image is just a 320x480 image that has been stretched out horizontally. In the HVX200 camera, the Squeeze mode actually uses the 16:9 widescreen CCDs and provides true 720x480 resolution (its actually reducing from HD resolution). This is a key difference between the DVX and the HVX for SD shooting.

Use the MENU and navigation buttons.

On the menu, select “2. CAMERA SETUP”
Under “ASPECT CONV”
Choose the aspect ratio you want to record in.


6. Verify/Set the Audio Recording Rate

The camera can record in 16-bit 48K, which is slightly better than CD quality sound, or 12-bit 32K which is about like FM radio quality sound. You will almost always want to record in 48K.

On the menu, select “5. RECORDING SETUP”
Under “AUDIO REC”
Verify or set the audio recording mode to “48K”

7. Verify/Set “Auto” settings

If you have used the xl1s or the gl2 than you are probably familiar with white balance. On most consumer cameras, this is called AWB or “Auto White Balance”. The camera takes an average of all the pixels on the screen and adjusts the color assuming that the average represents “pure” gray. On the HVX200 this is called Auto Tracking White or ATW. The problem with auto white balance is that the colors are constantly changing. Although visually, the color is consistent, when you go to edit you might find, for example, that a red sweater isn’t the right hue. Maybe its too orange. If the white balance is fixed and doesn’t change during the shot, then the clip can be color corrected. However, if you have auto white balance enabled, then the definition of what is white will change during the shot, and the sweater might shift in hue from orange-ish to purple-ish during the shot. The shot is then not easily color corrected in post, because the color of things in the scene are constantly changing.

To disable the Auto Tracking White:
Use the MENU and navigation buttons.

On the menu, select “4. AUTO SW”
Under “ATW”
Set the ATW to OFF.

You will now have to manually set the white balance, which is covered in the section on Camera Operation below.


8. Set the GAMMA and MATRIX to control the “look” of the image.


The GAMMA setting effects the brightness and contrast of the image.
The HVX200 provides the following GAMMA settings:
HD NORM, LOW, SD NORM , HIGH, B.PRESS, CINELIKE D , CINELIKE V

The settings you will be most interested in are SD NORM, which gives the image a look similar to common SD video cameras, and the CINELIKE settings, which give a look that is more like film.

On the menu, select “1. SCENE FILE”
You will have to scroll down the settings past the first screen to the second screen of settings.
Under “GAMMA”
Set the GAMMA to “SD NORM” or “CINELIKE D” or “CINELIKE V”


The MATRIX setting effects the color representation of the image.
The HVX200 provides the following MATRIX settings:
NORM , ENRICHED, FLUO, CINE-LIKE

NORM provides a normal video coloring, ENRICHED makes the colors look saturated and richer,
FLUO compensates for the greenish cast of filming under flourescent lights, and
CINE-LIKE makes the coloring look like film.

On the menu, select “1. SCENE FILE”
You will have to scroll down the settings past the first screen to the second screen of settings.
Under “MATRIX”
Set the MATRIX to “NORM” for a video look, or “CINE LIKE” for a film look.


You are now ready to record.


[2] CAMERA OPERATION

1. Set the Manual mode.
On the left side of the camera, beneath the LCD, right-most bottom switch is labeled “AUTO ... MANUAL”. Place the switch in “AUTO” for the most “idiot-proof” mode of operation. The camera will operate almost like a camcorder, adjusting everything automatically. If you place the switch in “MANUAL” mode, then you will have more control over the camera.

2. Set the black balance.
Whenever you change the recording format on the HVX200, you need to set the black balance.
There is a button on the front left corner of the camera labeled AWB. Press and hold that button for three seconds and it will cause the camera to black balance.

3. Set the white balance.
On the side of the camera is a toggle switch labeled WHITE BAL. It has positions “A”, “B”, and “PRST”.
The button labeled AWB located in the front left part of the camera, close to the lens, is for manually setting the white balance. Put the WHITE BAL switch in position B. Press the AWB button for 1 second while focusing the camera and filling the frame with a white target. You can store white balance in “A” or “B”. If you move the switch to PRST, then then the AWB button toggles between a theoretical preset white balance set for daylight, and another one set for interior lighting. If you use the PRST setting, the colors will be off, but because the white balance is fixed, the color for the clip can be corrected in post. So normally you would set white balance in A or B, and only use PRST if you don’t have time or a target to set white balance.

4. There are several controls that you should read about in the manual:

1) GAIN = electronically boosts the signal for low light situations, but amplifies noise.
2) ND Filter = Optically cuts the light intensity so you can get a good exposure on a sunny day.
3) IRIS = The IRIS button toggles between Manual and Auto Iris mode. In Manual mode, you use the thumb dial located nearby to set the exposure level. Normally, you set the exposure using the Iris in auto mode, and then change it to manual mode to make adjustments, and then leave it in manual while shooting to ensure that the brightness doesn’t change during the shoot.
4) FOCUS = The Focus has a manual and an automatic setting. You will most often leave this on automatic, unless the shot requires movement or people are passing in front of the scene, which would requre the camera to refocus.

Now that you’ve set the black balance, white balance, and exposure, you are ready to press the little red button and record.


[3] POST

1. With the camera OFF, GENTLY insert the firewire into the computer port and into the camera port. The HVX200 has a lot of covers and doors. On the left side, at the very back of the camera, the last little covering above the battery has the firewire port in it.

2. Make sure that the “VCR DUB” switch is still in tape mode. Turn the power ON. The Camera come sup in “Record” mode. Press the button to the left of the “MCR PC / VCR DUB” switch one time to change the camera from record mode to VCR mode. Don’t hold this button for too long, because it will cause the camera to enter DUB mode, where it can copy files from the P2 Card to miniDV tape.

At this point you should be able to control the HVX200 and capture video the same as with any SD/DV video camera.

I suggest that you try these procedures. Capture the video format you intend to use, and see if it goes all the way to post and if you can work with it.

When you are done capturing video, remember to first shut down the video camera, and then remove the firewire from the port.

Summary

For the most compatibility and the most "video camera/camcorder" look:
RECORDING FORMAT 480i/60i, ASPECT CONV = NORMAL, GAMMA=SD NORM, MATRIX = NORM.

To imitate the look of the DVX100:
RECORDING FORMAT 480i/24P, ASPECT CONV = SQUEEZE, GAMMA=CINELIKE D, MATRIX= CINE_LIKE

To get 24 fps and the most "film look":
RECORDING FORMAT 480i/24PA, ASPECT CONV = SQUEEZE, GAMMA=CINELIKE V, MATRIX= CINE_LIKE


Hope this helps or at least provides some of the information you are looking for.

Andy

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Last edited by andy_starbuck : 06-14-2006 at 12:19 PM.
 
I have shot quite a bit in Africa. I would shoot to the P2 card then dub in onto your Mini DV for back up and then dump the cards to your G4.
Get 2 8gig cars and if you are shooting 720 24p you should have enough room for longer interviews.
I had a big problem when I shot some stuff onto mini DV when i was in Africa. Dust and stuff got in and I had **** loads of drop out and being in Africa it is super hard to find a place that is going to be able to work on the camera for you. I still had P2 cards with me so just shoot DV footage to the P2 card and got alot more recording time but had no problems with the elements.
 
Hi,

I am going to Africa as well. I will be leaving in mid-June and will be living in Tanzania for two years. I am going as a Peace Corps Volunteer and will be doing the job of HIV/Aids education in the community. (I hope I can make videos and show them.)

I am also a filmmaker and am going to be taking:

Audio-Technica 835b shotgun mic
mini-disk recorder
DVX100a
Macbook w/external hardrive
Mitsubishi Pocket Projector (not bought)
Pelican 1430 (not bought)

16mm Bolex
16mm Film

Solar Power (need help!)
----------------------------------------

I am intending on sticking almost everything into the Pelican- and then placing that into a dinky bag so it doesn't look "nice".
I am going to try to secure it for the first 3 months in a locked place while I "train" and get used to the place.

I am worried about the safety of my things but I think if I am really carefull it should be alright. (also getting personal articles insurance.)
---------------------------------------

THe power issue : I am wondering if any one could give me more details on how to do the solar power thing and what I need to get..

Also - I am not sure how to store my 16mm film so that it is at least a little bit protected from the heat and humitidy!

I would appreciate any other advice too.

Thank you,
alicia

marymeep@yahoo.com
 
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