3 cam sync problem

V

vuzz

Member
I did a 3 camera concert shoot, 2 of the cams were HVX set at 30p recording to MiniDV One cam was a lower end MiniDV cam at 29.97. I captured all the footage into FCP and synced each cam from a DSLR camera flash that went off at the beginning of the concert.

Now each clip on it's own plays perfect but after 20min each cam is out of sync from the other by about 10-15 frames. Even the two HVX's. Any clues? And thanks for anyone that can help.

\v
 
It's not too surprising. As much as digital cameras, like digital audio recorders, use quartz clocks to control their frames rates and recording speeds, they're pretty likely to have this kind of variation from one unit to another (1/2 second or so) over this kind of time frame (20 minutes or so), especially where tape is involved. You might have had better results if you'd shot to P2 since the tape transport is mechanical, and is likely to introduce more variation than a solid-state medium, but even that will vary a little over time.

The only solution I could suggest for you at this point is to cut the footage into pieces and slide them a frame or two here and there to match. It sounds like you're slipping about a frame every minute or two.

I believe there is a way to use firewire to lock HVXs together at least in terms of clocking, if not in absolute frame-to-frame terms. You'd need to have done that on the shoot however - I don't think it will help you fix it at this point.
 
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Thanks Ted, I really believe this is the only answer. All cameras were checked before and tested. Capture was fine and straight forward. Nothing else to do that to dive in and cut it up.

\v
 
yes ted is far beyond correct, tape is bs theres always a sync issue after like 10 min on mini dv if your not genlocking or using day of time code. even tho both cameras might have been recording at the same time theres that in between frame from when u pushed the record button on the first camera and on the second camera. your best bet now is to find the exact sync point match, if your using avid or final cut gang both clips to play together in the viewer and canvas and see where ur getting out of sync... when you do just find a drum beat or something visual or audio whatever it is that you can resync again with both.. thats your best bet at this point.
 
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