A string of ridiculous newbie questions.

B

Boyd

New member
Golly folks, I'm just in a dilly of a pickle right now!

I'm nineteen and just finished a year at a (crappy, crappy) film school. It gave me a decent all-around overview of sound and lighting, but taught me virtually nothing about video. That said, everything I know about video comes from forums like this, and whatever Borders has in stock. But all that's gonna change.

Right now I'm buying up as much equipment as I can, with the intent of creating a basement studio for indie film work, personal education, and any potential paying gigs (God willing). I've got lights covered, got sound, got a decent editing bay. All that's left is the camera department, which is where my questions lie.

1) High def: I'm still confused about that. I've heard people say you can only view HD footage on an HD-compatible monitor. What happens if you display HD footage on a SD monitor? Is the signal in some way distorted, or is it just not as high quality as it would be had it been shown on an HD monitor?

1b) Following the same line, why are movies like Star Wars shot and distributed on HD when so few people own HDTVs? Am I seeing a high definition image, or is it beng downconverted to SD for DVD/TV distribution?

2) I'm going to get the HVX, and it'll be my first pro-grade camera. I'm in the process of buying various accessories for it (tripod, mattebox, etc.) but have no idea how these things mount onto the camera. Will I have to buy any sort of special adapters or mounts to affix the HVX to a tripod? Will it vary from tripod to tripod? Or does the HVX come equipped with what I need to mount it onto a pro-grade video tripod?

2b) I apologize for ending the last three sentences with the word "tripod". That's just sloppy writing.

3) How do you power equipment out in the field? A generator of some sort would be the obvious answer, I guess, so more specifically I'm wondering what kind. If you just needed enough power for a monitor and a light or two, what sort of power supply would you be looking at and how much would it cost?

That's about all I can think of for now. I wasn't sure if this was the right forum, but since most of my questions centered around HVX accessories and HD, this would probably be better than posting four different threads. If not, sorry.
 
1) Yes this is true. To view HD on a standard TV requires the image to be scaled down loosing it's high definition. Star Wars was shot HD but not distributed that way. For cinema Lucas transfered the footage to film and for DVD he converted to standard definition (DVD is standard def).

2) Sounds like quite an investment for a first time prosumer cam! Whether you need adapters will depend on what you are trying to attach to the camera. Can you be more specific? You should NOT need any adapters to attach the HVX to a tripod. If you can attach a video camera to it now, you should be able to do so with the HVX.

3) Others can offer better advice than I can here. I usually just use reflectors and diffusing screens when outside. I haven't needed a lighting setup (yet).
 
Boyd,

Based on the kind of questions you are asking, you might want to start with the DVX and work your way up to the "heavy duty" equipment.

Chris
 
Boyd said:
2) I'm going to get the HVX, and it'll be my first pro-grade camera. I'm in the process of buying various accessories for it (tripod, mattebox, etc.) but have no idea how these things mount onto the camera. Will I have to buy any sort of special adapters or mounts to affix the HVX to a tripod? Will it vary from tripod to tripod? Or does the HVX come equipped with what I need to mount it onto a pro-grade video tripod?
Click to expand...

It would probably be best to wait until the cam gets released. I'm a wee bit curious as to how you know for sure that some of these accessories you are now in the process of purchasing will actually fit. We're all excited about the cam, but buying accessories for it right now seems a bit premature.

The weight of the cam (among other things like personal budget) will govern which tripod you purchase, and I've yet to see any weight figure on the HVX disclosed (although I could have missed a thread where Jan or someone else in the know mentioned it).
 
CMessineo said:
Boyd,

Based on the kind of questions you are asking, you might want to start with the DVX and work your way up to the "heavy duty" equipment.

Chris
Click to expand...


CMessineo is making a lot of sense. I know that I too have the impulse to always buy the best I can get when I can or even quicker, but even my DVX is good enough for most anything I could want to do.

It also sounds like you have a lot of learning to do, so even if you're a fast learning a DVX kit with lots of goodies will keep you happy well into your feature movie dreams (if that's what you're thinking) and give you the opportunity to put out nice product if you have the skills.

Of course all this being said you're 19 and probably not going to listen :) I didn't and I went on to make a pretty bad feature film on film at a lot of cost, using a lot of things that I didn't need. I did get one hell of an education, however so I guess I'm writing in circles.

Good luck,

J.
 
Boyd said:
2b) I apologize for ending the last three sentences with the word "tripod". That's just sloppy writing.
Click to expand...
It's one thing to be ignorant of spelling errors, bad grammar, or "sloppy writing," but if you're aware of it, then taking the time to fix it (as opposed to making a new bulleted point about how bad it is) would probably behoove you. :) It's always best to put your most competent foot forward... regardless of the medium or method, you'll get more respect. Just my two cents.

Like CMessineo, I think that a DVX would be a better learning tool as well. Not that you can't handle anything "better," but the extra money you'd be spending probably won't gain you any advantage in the short run (certainly not the HD aspect of the camera), and by the time you're ready to leave your hi-def footprint on the world, something more advanced for a lesser price will inevitably be available. There's nothing wrong with learning a new skill set and being enthusiastic about it, but it's always a good idea to start with the basics and work your way up. No sense in throwing out your life savings, especially until you know for sure it's what your calling is. It's one thing to "want to be a cool filmmaker!" but it's a lot more work than most people perceive and all of the good films I know spent a lot more time in the preproduction and postproduction phases than the "fun part" of shooting itself. That's a big wake up call to a lot of people. I think it's great that you're hungry and have taken the time to seek information... but don't overwhelm yourself from the outset buying things you don't need. Figure out how to mount the camera to the tripod first, and then take it from there. :thumbsup:
 
Boyd said:
why are movies like Star Wars shot and distributed on HD when so few people own HDTVs?
Click to expand...

Why are movies like (insert movie) shot and distributed in 35mm when so few people own 35mm projection equipment?
 
(1) Any video signal can be broken down into these sections:

(a) Resolution (Frame Size)​
(b) Scan type​
(c) Frame rate​
(d) Aspect ratio​
(e) Format Standard​

Resolution

Is defined as the number of Pixels in an Image, a Pixel is defined as a Picture Element. A pixel is the smallest "dot" that can be produced within that image. Pixels are placed in a row to form a line, these lines are stacked horizontally to make up the image.
The way we refer to the resolution of an Image is to count the number of Vertical ("dots" Pixel) and multiply it by its Horizontal Lines. This is commonly referred to as the "frame size".

An example of this would be 720 X 576 , this means that There are 720 Vertical lines by 576 Horizontal lines. To find its resolution one would simply multiply 720*576 to get 414,720 Pixels.

Scan Type

The way in which a video is captured and displayed come mainly in two flavours namely Interlaced and Progressive.

Interlaced is defined as Process of "Alternating scan lines to create a complete image" [1]

Where as progressive is defined as
"A system of video scanning whereby lines of a picture are transmitted consecutively [2]

These scan modes are often abbreviated as P for progressive and i for interlace and often appear after frame size to indicate the method of scanning, for example:

720 X 576P would indicate a progressively scanned image that has 720 vertical lines and 576 Horizontally scanned image

where as 720 X 576i Would indicate the as above but with interlace scanning instead.

Frame rate

A moving picture is made up of a series of still images, how often these images are shown or captured (in each second) is referred to as the frame rate. For example 24fps means 24 Frames Per Second, in others words 24 frames are shown or captured every Second. In video however, a frame is made up of lines (or fields) and when capturing or displaying using interlaced method, in every frame only half the lines (or fields) are captured or displayed, then in the second frame the other lines (or fields) are captured or displayed. Therefore the same notation as described earlier is used. For example 24P would indicate 24 WHOLE frames (i.e. all lines or fields are scanned at once). Where as 24i would indicate that in every frame only half the lines (or fields are scanned).

Aspect ratio

This is quite simply the ratio of the frame size, i.e. the ratio of the width against the height, e.g. 4:3 would mean that the height is 0.75 times larger than the width, for example if we multiply the width 720*.75 then we get 540.

Format Standard

By "Standardising" different sets of frame rates, resolution and aspect ratio we can have different Formats.
There are some organisations that have set these standards one such organisation is the ATSC (Advanced Television System Committee).

According to the ATSC Standard Definition is defined as

4:3 or 16:9 aspect ratio
480 lines of resolution
Interlaced scan format

Where as High Definition is defined as:

16:9 aspect ratio
720 or 1080 lines of resolution
Interlaced or progressive scan format

The ATSC have 18 different digital television (DTV) formats.

In short, to view HD material you would need a compatible equipment.

(1b) The reason why SWII was shot on HD is that standard definition does not have enough resolution when projected onto a large screen. My suggestion would be search for Film Vs Digital or 35mm Vs HD type discussions that have been raging around the Internet forums for years. No you can not see a HD image on a SD display it would have to be downconverted.


(2) As far as I know, most cameras and tripods come with standard bushes. That allows them to be connected to each other, I am not exactly sure wether camera X will fit tripod Y. I think if you name the exact model number(s) of the tridpod(s) in question some of our more senior members can answer that quickly.

(2b) Apology Accepted.

(3) Yes a power generator is usually the way to go. First you need to calculate the total number of watts your equipment will use, then select a model that is in that power range. If is was just monitors and some low power lights then maybe you may get away then using a Car battery with an DC/AC inverter (but this depends on your power requirements). Find one of those portable 12v power stations and attach to a inverter.

[1] www.hometheatermag.com/glossary]

[2] http://www.wgcu.org/watch/hdtv_glossaryofterms.html


In future please search

Hope that helps


Anhar Hussain Miah
 
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