4:3/16:9 and 24P Modes

C

chrismd

New member
I'm currently in Vietnam and shooting footage for a doc idea that I have. I'm using my DXV-100.

A couple of quick questions.

1. I'd love for the final image to be 16:9 for possible film festival screenings and dvd's. I do not have a 16:9 mode on the camera, nor do I have an anamorphic adaptor. Is it possible to shoot 4:3 and letter box it later in post? If so, do I need to be aware of how I frame my shots? In other words, will part of the image be cropped? Would this be the same as using the letter box mode in the camera?

2. I am shooting 24P advanced. My last project was shot 24P, but not advanced, and my editor bemoaned the fact that he did not have true 24 fps footage to work with. Is there any potential problem with shooting 24P advanced? I highly doubt there will be a film out of this project. DVD's and digiBeta are much more likely. There is the possiblity of cutting my footage with licensed news footage that I assume would be 30 fps. Any potential problems?

This is my first time attempting a solo project like this. Any feedback is much appreciated.
 
i think the best way for you to do this would be to use instant hd. you will have to scale your footage from 4:3 to 16:9 which means you will lose some framing so while you are shooting you will need to keep that in mind.
 
1) Yes, you can shoot 4:3 and crop later. This is the better way of going about it -- you can choose where you want to crop it based on the framing of the footage. You should be mindful of the framing when you shoot, but you will have more leeway in post.

2) 24p standard IS "true 24p," and anyone who says it's not doesn't know what he's talking about. Which to shoot -- 24p or 24pA -- depends entirely on how you plan to edit. If you plan to edit on a 24p timeline, then shoot 24pA. If you plan to edit on a 60i timeline, then shoot 24p. There is no other consideration.
 
Thanks for the feedback. Much appreciated. I plan to shoot 24P Standard in 4:3 mode. I'll tape my LCD screen for framing and then crop in post.
 
Out of curiosity . . .

If, based on what I said, you plan to shoot 24p standard, that means you intend to edit as 60i. Why would you do that?

You should always match your timeline to the timebase of your footage. So, if you have 24p material, you should edit in 24p -- unless you're mixing the footage with 30p, or with 60i and you want to keep the 60i look. This is so that your fades, dissolves, other transitions, motion texts, etc., will look natural. If you're editing only 24p material, it's always best to edit in 24p.

That being the case, you should shoot 24pA. Is there a reason you don't want to?
 
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