Jay Hooray
New member
I’m here to connect and learn from other creative minds. Looking to see how people think, create, and move in their own lanes.
Here to Learn How Creators Think, Not Just How Cameras Work
- Thread starter Jay Hooray
- Start date
CharlesPapert
Director of Photography
Welcome! There's a long history within these walls that contains what you are describing, along with a lot more "how cameras work" type posts, but if you go digging you can find some chestnuts. It can be a more elusive thing to discuss. Want to tell us more about yourself, your creative journey and passions in this field?
rob norton
Veteran
Welcome Jay!
Jay Hooray
New member
Appreciate it, Charles. I pay attention to how people create and how they think through their work. I’m here to listen, learn, and apply whatever insight fits what I’m building.
Welcome, Jay! As @CharlesPapert said, there’s a wealth of information hanging around the forums, so poke around and see what you find. And if you have questions, please ask!
We’d love to know a little about you and what kinds of creative works you’re into!
We’d love to know a little about you and what kinds of creative works you’re into!
Jay Hooray
New member
I’m drawn to creativity in all forms — voice acting, skits, anything where someone expresses who they are through their work. That authenticity is what interests me. Lately it feels like a lot of content is getting diluted, so I’m here looking for the real craft and the people who still care about it.
That's what we love to hear! I hope you find a wealth of what you're looking for, and contribute your own experiences!
You might already know this trick, but when I want the viewer to be immersed in the video like they're really there, I shoot in a higher framerate like 60 fps, conversely when my intention is to float the audience through a more dreamy story, I shoot in a lower framerate like 23.976
Though I would not call it a "trick." I'd say it's the proper way to understand frame rates aesthetically.
I’d add that fractional timecode is obsolete. There’s no longer any reason to shoot 23.976 over 24 flat.
I still have slates save the day. Had one project with a terrible media manager. I received a phone call from the editor a few months later, thanking me for having detailed sound reports and clearly-labeled files, because those plus the slate were the only way she was able to navigate the footage.
Timecode slates? Sure, they can be excessive and dumb slates will do the job more often than not. But I’ve also had shows where the smart slate was necessary, such as a multicam show on FX9/FX6, where the cameras would routinely lose sync when switching to S&Q and then back on speed; they’d often fail to re-jam, and the smart slate was a great failsafe. They’re also very helpful for vehicle rigs with multiple POV cams like GoPros with no sync.
CharlesPapert
Director of Photography
I shot and edited a small job with no AC and no slate. No hop on camera, so no reference audio recorded. Timecode was jammed but the camera was improperly set to record run. So I had nothing to go on. I manually synced 24 clips to audio which was a laborious process to say the least. The slate would have been the last line of defense in that scenario, but I think one should always have two options. After that I got the smallest possible mic I could leave mounted on my camera as at least a fighting chance to autosync waveforms if that ever came up again, and have pushed to have an audio hop to record scratch production audio on all jobs.
I have to note the irony of a thread that started with the goal of discussing creativity and quickly turned technically specific, but hey, sidebars are our middle name around here (I'm very guilty of it). Kind of think that is the charm of a message board, it's closer to the way people have conversations in person.
I have to note the irony of a thread that started with the goal of discussing creativity and quickly turned technically specific, but hey, sidebars are our middle name around here (I'm very guilty of it). Kind of think that is the charm of a message board, it's closer to the way people have conversations in person.
Sorry Jay, I drift off topic. By the way, I think your first post is excellent. I would really enjoy a thread where people open up about creativity. It could go in many directions.
Ok, let me restate, with a lavish bit of snarkyism not aimed at either of you; On properly managed sets, slates are obsolete.
Meh, I might as well go all the way....Also, putting scene/take on the audio files is a waste of time on set and in edit. Let me hear what you think about the method I use. Camera sets the clip number to 001 at the beginning of the day. Sound does the same and may add a prefix such as 'Day 1' or 'Bar scene'. Camera and Sound stay in sycn with clip/take numbers. If one does an accidental start, the other burns a take to keep in sync (or if Sound does a room tone). Script super notes coverage for each day. Editor bins files accordingly. When needing to pull up the sound files after picture lock (assuming camera has a scratch file), there is no hunting. It has the same take number as the camera clip number. Ok, Ok. I've only used this on a 5 day shoot with five scenes and 20 minutes long. But it was so much faster on set not dicking with slate numbering and slating marks. The other thing I like is the slate is not in the shot so I can easily see in the bins what the shot is (master, CU Mary, CU Joe)
Ok, let me restate, with a lavish bit of snarkyism not aimed at either of you; On properly managed sets, slates are obsolete.
Meh, I might as well go all the way....Also, putting scene/take on the audio files is a waste of time on set and in edit. Let me hear what you think about the method I use. Camera sets the clip number to 001 at the beginning of the day. Sound does the same and may add a prefix such as 'Day 1' or 'Bar scene'. Camera and Sound stay in sycn with clip/take numbers. If one does an accidental start, the other burns a take to keep in sync (or if Sound does a room tone). Script super notes coverage for each day. Editor bins files accordingly. When needing to pull up the sound files after picture lock (assuming camera has a scratch file), there is no hunting. It has the same take number as the camera clip number. Ok, Ok. I've only used this on a 5 day shoot with five scenes and 20 minutes long. But it was so much faster on set not dicking with slate numbering and slating marks. The other thing I like is the slate is not in the shot so I can easily see in the bins what the shot is (master, CU Mary, CU Joe)
Last edited:
The reason I've heard is that Chromecast and AppleTV devices were only updated to play 24.000 video smoothly within the last five years, while Roku and Amazon Fire Sticks still don't handle it correctly - they'll drop or duplicate a frame every 41~42 seconds, which can cause noticeable judder.
It would be nice to roll a clean integer framerate, especially for syncing up to 48 kHz audio.
Something we can all agree on, and a good takeaway for Jay, is that sound is just as important as picture.
Sure, but the larger point is slower framerates = fiction; faster frame rates = reality.
I enjoy a good skit. They usually work based on rhythm, so good editing is key.
A couple of points I've noticed are:
- The first character shown in the skit is usually the protagonist that the audience relates to.
- When there's a "reveal" in the skit, it's preceded by a reaction shot of the protagonist to build suspense as to what it might be.
Some examples from two of my favorite creators: Limmy and ItsReal85
CharlesPapert
Director of Photography
When is it not...?! regardless of the type of production!
BTW, "sketch" for a filmed comedy piece is generally a more accurate term than "skit"--I think the closest to skit in filmed form would be a TikTok (previously Vine) clip, short and one-beat, and limited in scope. Mostly, skits are what kids perform in school.
Interesting takeaways. I can't say as I'd agree with the first one from a pure standpoint of formula. I would say that in many cases the protagonist is not the person that the audience relates to, as they may be the bigger/wilder/more outrageous character, so we relate more to the "normal" person reacting to them. I can't do the math on the second point, as far as a reaction shot immediately preceding a reveal. There is definitely a trope where one of the characters delivers a line and then there is a hard cut to the twist/reveal which puts that line into a different light, not quite the same as a reaction shot.
It's actually pretty interesting to think about, I've shot hundreds of sketches but haven't really done this kind of formal assessment of structure on them.
More than that, any video worth watching tells a story with a beginning, middle, and end.
I try to avoid overthinking when it comes to these things too. There are intangibles that make comedy either funny or not.
That and the classic quote:
“Analyzing humor is like dissecting a frog. Few people are interested. And the frog dies of it.”