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natto

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Hi, I am shooting a short film next weekend using the AG-DVX102A. It is a film school assignment for a 5 minute drama. It is also the first time I will be using it and they really haven't taught us anything about it.

Can someone let me know the important feature to set up. I've been able to take a look at it and have a bit of a play, but would really appreciate some help on it. Probably the main thing I am thinking about is features that will give it the ol' "film look" (of course)

I tried to change it in the scene mode, to 25P but then it seems to add a very slight strobe type effect, and I can't focus very well at all, the subject has to be quite close to get him in focus. And it also makes it quite a bit darker, could someone explain that to me as well.

Thanks.
 
Hey Natto,
I would shoot on either F5 or F6 scene setting for your film, these are the two default progressive settings hence the strobe effect. You have to pan slowly or fastly as not to get that strobe, same with film. You should be able to get some pan time advice from your school. To focus put it on manual focus actually manual everything including iris and whit balance so things dont ramp up and down during your shoot. Focus by zooming in on subject focusing and then zooming out to your desired composition. It is darker in the progressive modes because the chip is getting half the light it would in interlace mode. F5 will give you a crunchier ie crushed blacks look in post, where as F6 will give you the widest dynamic range for later colour correction in post at the expense of a noisier image. I would test, test , test before the shoot so you can work out a look and feel confident with the basic controls of the camera.
Have fun
 
thanks. What about 4x3, letterbox, or squeeze. At some point I am definetly going to want it in a 16x9 frame, but when would it be best to do that? Whats the deal with the squeeze? Not real anamorphic? If I shot in squeeze and then just edited in a 4x3 timeline to give it letterbox, is that a good idea? This short will be finished in digital form, really the only screening these are going to get are at a small theatre projected from a dvd player.
 
If the projector can display 16:9 i would shoot squeeze to keep it simple and edit in an anamorphic timeline. You can shoot 4:3 and upres in post see disjecta's post although it is very time consuming however there is a quality boost. Conversely you could see if you could get hold of an anamorphic adapter although this makes focusing a little harder.
 
about panning, i know it needs to be slow, but what about reality tv shows that sometimes chase people down the street, the camera doesnt get all blurry like it does when im running with my camera and have the shakes. is there a differnce.
 
On those reality programs, they may be shooting 60i (so no strobing), or have a fast shutter speed, or have the sharpness dialed up. Are you trying to look like reality TV or get a film look? They are pretty much different in every technical way and technique.
 
so Law and Order looks way different then survivor? Hmm, i just got Barrys Book in the mail, and within the first 15 pages, i noticed that I can change the Head Phones from Tape to Live and get rid of the echo. Last time i set a post like this, someone said that I had buy a 250.00 adapter and run around with a phany pack on. Thanks BARRY
 
scotman said:
so Law and Order looks way different then survivor?
Click to expand...

Doesn't it? Law and Order always shot on 35mm film (not sure if they still do?). That's more typical filmmaking. On Survivor, you have all handheld, overexpoure, underexposure, iris and focus adjustments during shots. They do a pretty good and artful job at times, but it's very different.
 
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