Need Settings Advice For Mardi Gras Day

bbalser

bbalser

Veteran
Ok, I've photographed and videoed Mardi Gras here in New Orleans every year since I was about thirteen years old. This is my first year out with the HVX, and have spent a day using it at prades already. The last two years with my DVX100a were great. But now things that never mattered before a now a big deal.

So I'm looking for advice before I hit the streets tomorrow and capture Mardi Gras day in DVCPRO-HD. I plan to shoot 720p24/60 so I can get my slo-mo shots when I need them.

Shots are sudden, things happen without warning, there's no time to change camera settings. It's about as intense of a run and gun situation as you can do. FS-100 is about to get it's ultimate durability test, too. Here's some of my situational obsticals:
1- Lots of situations where tree and building shadows cover part, or most of a shot, with sunshine in the rest.
2- Sun lit shots that the 1/8 ND seems too much, but too blown out for not using it.
3- Night shots, floats are full of lights, street lights lighting up some stuff, rest is really dark, I'd like to get as much of the lit up area as I can.

Any setting suggestions are welcome! Remember, today is Monday, I hit the streats at the crack of dawn tomorrow morning. I start in the French Quarter with the sunrise and deserted streets. It's the most fun shooting I've ever done. You haven't done run and gun for real until you come here and do it all day long for Mardi Gras. I want to get the best looking stuff out of my HVX as I can.
 
Hey Ben I just Shot Galveston Mardi Gras with the HVX and the Firestore.
I'm glad I did it. It allowed me to get Baptized by fire. You have all of your different situations in that shoot to push the Camera.
The most important thing that I found out is...
The HVX is a beautiful piece of equipment,, But it is better suited for production than ENG style shooting.!!!
Running and Gunning,,, The camera can take it, but why run the risk of something going wrong..
Example: LCD being open and pushed back beyond its limit, Firewire jack from camera being touched as someone bumps into you...
Out of 217 clips, One was not good due to that,, and I didn't find out until I put in the footage...
I only had 2 90min batteries for my fire store. I had to recharge for a while, when i had down time in the vip room..
How may batteries will you have for your fire store and how long will thy last?
Be sure to have a clear filter on your lens, due to the beads being thrown at it.
They kept hitting my camera pretty hard.. But I'm sure you know about that.

I shot 480 24p because that what my client wanted. Even in standard def, my video came out beautiful,the colors were great.
Settings:
Scene File
Operation Video
Synchro 1/48
Detail +2
V Detail+3
Detail Coring +2
Chroma Phase 0
Color Temp +1
Master Ped-1
A Iris Level +1
News OFF
Gamma Cinelike
Knee off
Matrix cine;ike
Skin off
V detail freq thin

I had 2 white balances during the day . one in the sunlight the other in the shadow of a tree or building..
This is what worked for me..
hopefully it is close enough for HD
Have Fun !!!
 
In a situation like that, I'd recommend using CINE-D to capture the most dynamic range, and set your zebras on 105%. Ride exposure so that you keep zebras to a minimum; if you can't hold detail in the shot and in the sky, blow out the sky if necessary or, preferably, try to reframe to minimize the amount of sky. In a sunlit & shadow shot, try to preserve your highlights and let the shadows take care of themselves; video cameras see deeper into the shadows than they do into the highlights so you'll hold shadow detail longer. Therefore you want to hold onto your highlights as best as possible.

Keep the detail level down a tad to minimize noise; no higher than 0, and maybe a couple of notches in the negative. Wouldn't hurt to turn coring up a tad as well, maybe +2.

Watch your iris, try to stay at f/8 or more open. F/11 = soft blurry footage. If the camera is forcing you to f/11, put in that ND filter.

Set the master pedestal up to 0. You'll get slightly milky blacks and flat contrast with MP0 and Cine-D, but you will retain the maximum shadow detail. You can always add contrast in post.

Good luck, and show us what you come back with!
 
Oh no, no, I really can't post "those" shots! The FCC and FBI would be kicking my door in right away! I'd sell them for a good price to the Girls Gone Wild folks, though. LOL!

I will have a short compilation clip up soon.
 
Ben, I'm glad to hear that the day went well. Geez, what a day that must have been, and could have been. I'm glad there were no disasters, and it seems that you had a fun day of it.

Looking forward to seeing the compilation.

So what settings did you end up going with?

Later,
Jason
 
The Cine-D and pedistal at +1 and detail level at -1. Seem to give me great results. Here's a full size still. I was shooting something and this hot babe walks in front of me. I don't notice until I'm here in FCP this morning, look at the tat on her right breast, and it dawns on me, THAT'S MINE! I can prove it, she has my name on her! LOL!

bens.jpg


I screwed up the day I went and got a parade. I forgot to "save" my Scene file and didn't get my overcranked bead throwing and catching stuff. But I sure got it Tuseday in the Quarter. Nothing like ef'ing up big time to learn a lesson hard and sure!
 
BenB said:
The Cine-D and pedistal at +1 and detail level at -1.
Click to expand...
Everything else was just default. Try to stay focused. And bear in mind this is one of the more tame shots of the day.

The green thing in her hand is called a "Hand Grenade}. It's a pretty strong drink that goes down like fruit juice. College kids get them and later that night after getting plastered on a few, try to make bongs with them.

Hey, if it has your name on it... right?
 
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