Custom workflow on set that is definitely unique

[bill totolo]

So you flipped a camera rental into a rental plus onset dailies and color mgt. That's the real takeaway.

 

[markfpv]

So you flipped a camera rental into a rental plus onset dailies and color mgt. That's the real takeaway.

:laugh:

 

[CharlesPapert]

So you flipped a camera rental into a rental plus onset dailies and color mgt. That's the real takeaway.

I wasn't mad about that outcome, sure. But it certainly wasn't the intent.

OR WAS IT...

 

[NorBro]

Charles, how do people get chosen for those kind of jobs on that kind of level? Meaning for someone like you...who's in a union and has the necessary experience and knows people/etc...like why couldn't you be the DP?

[Not that you were trying to be for this one, and I'm assuming a lot has to do with relationships, per usual.]

 

[CharlesPapert]

Charles, how do people get chosen for those kind of jobs on that kind of level? Meaning for someone like you...who's in a union and has the necessary experience and knows people/etc...like why couldn't you be the DP?

[Not that you were trying to be for this one, and I'm assuming a lot has to do with relationships, per usual.]

The DP on the video does lots of high end commercials and music videos, has a resume in those areas far more extensive and with more heat than myself, so it was a much more logical choice and he did a far better job than I would have on this particular project. Relationships of course play a huge role in all of this, and previous credits.

 

[NorBro]

yeah, I hear you, thank you

 

[ahalpert]

Forgive the clickbaity title, but it is entirely accurate on this one.

I was contacted a few weeks ago by a DP for a possible rental of my vintage broadcast cameras. After we talked it through and he sent a reference clip, I realized that the look they were going for was not going to be served by an old camera. Essentially, it was a 20+ year old music video that had been shot on 35mm film--obviously back then it would have been mastered on some high-end standard-def tape format and eventually uploaded to Youtube at limited resolution. In recent years the video has been uprezzed to HD, with notable sharpening applied. And this was the look they wanted to emulate for this video. As much as I wanted (needed!) the camera rental, I said that this was a look that should probably be created in post to duplicate the path of the original. I was informed that post on this project had no interest in experimenting and creating a custom workflow, they wanted the look burned in on set. Interesting!

Gamely taking on the task, I built a workflow that would take a 1080 24p image from camera, pass it through the DIT's cart to de-log and apply LUT via Livegrade, then it would pass over to my setup where it would be downscaled to 525 60i, upscaled back to 1080 24p, then fed into Resolve Live for downstream processing including sharpening, and finally recorded out to a Shogun. To my surprise, after testing it the resulting look is quite close to the reference material, and the important folk will be able to see it real time on set (I haven't measured the latency yet but I expect it will be a few frames at least). I also built an even more messed-up version where the downscale process will also convert the signal from digital (SD-SDI) to analog (composite) and back again. This one really looks funky, with noise, hum and color crawl added into the image. I'm offering both versions to the DP at a camera test on Monday, will be curious to see which one wins!

If anyone has actually made it this far (this is deeply wonky stuff), below is a workfow chart of the test setup. The gray shaded area represents the existing hardware on my DP cart--I'll feed the digital and analog versions into the system as if they are A and B camera, so I can switch between them on command via my ATEM switcher, or even do a split screen for comparison purposes.

This is honestly one of the kookiest things I've ever been tasked with in this business, but at the same time, it is really fun and stretching my brain in interesting ways. And I get a few day's work out of it, plus rental, so there's that!

Nerd

 

[CharlesPapert]

Nerd

I love that I had to scroll through the complete post quote including the diagram just to get to that at the bottom. Well played sir

 

[ahalpert]

.

Music videos have always been about visual experimentation--probably the best part of working on them. I .

I don't see that many music videos these days, but this group Flyana Boss has done something interesting on multiple videos. Sprinting towards the camera with extreme post-stabilization employed as an effect.

 

[CharlesPapert]

I don't see that many music videos these days, but this group Flyana Boss has done something interesting on multiple videos. Sprinting towards the camera with extreme post-stabilization employed as an effect.

Yeah, that is an interesting look. The key seems to be tracking the singer's head for stabilization and letting the rest of the frame do what it does.

I recently looked up a video I did Steadicam on my first year in LA, 1998. We shut down Hollywood Blvd for each take and I rode an insert car down the street then got off to do roundy rounds with the singer. It was pretty exciting and I was looking forward to seeing my single take shot intact. When the video emerged they had varispeeded sections of it, which was the first time I'd ever seen than technique used in a video (it was probably already a trend but I wasn't keeping up with videos then, I guess). That gave it less of a single-take feel which was disappointing since it was complicated getting all of this timing to work on the day. It all looks very dated now. I mean--payphones!

https://youtu.be/A3DCPiEE1Vc?si=6pvVjO7fV32Nga3b

 

[CharlesPapert]

Update: as this project has moved into post, I've been brought back in to treat the rough cuts as they go out, and presumably will be part of the finish as well.

 

[CharlesPapert]

Released into the wild--9M views in first 24 hours!

The final result was the processed footage I generated on set in real time, not a post recreation. I love that the Teradek link screen opens and closes the clip! Very fun to have been part of this project.

 

[ahalpert]

That's awesome

 

[DustinSchmidt]

Released into the wild--9M views in first 24 hours!

The final result was the processed footage I generated on set in real time, not a post recreation. I love that the Teradek link screen opens and closes the clip! Very fun to have been part of this project.

This was a lot of fun to see what the video was after all of the background info. Looks to have been pulled off exactly as described, very cool!

What was the thought process behind shooting 1080 on the Venice 2? Easier to downscale, process and convert compared to feeding out some of the higher resolutions the Venice 2 is cable of?

 

[CharlesPapert]

What was the thought process behind shooting 1080 on the Venice 2? Easier to downscale, process and convert compared to feeding out some of the higher resolutions the Venice 2 is cable of?

There was no need to start higher resolution than 1080, as knocking it down to SD was the first step in my workflow. it wouldn't have added anything useful to the look to start higher. The DIT was sending out 1080 signals to on set monitors already. The camera was recording full resolution to the internal cards, but that footage ended up not being used.

 

[NorBro]

When you said major, I'm thinking: "Well, it's probably not Taylor Swift-major."

But not far off!

Hot dog, that's big time. But to be completely honest I do not like the look at all.

She's BE and mostly everyone is going to love anything she does, but it's painful to watch after a few seconds, IMO.

I would have loved to see an authentic 80s/90s look or something similar with all of that camera work and editing (obviously not the direction in mind).

[Of course this is not a criticism on any talent; just the processed final result.]

 

[ahalpert]

Hot dog, that's big time. But to be completely honest I do not like the look at all.

She's BE and mostly everyone is going to love anything she does, but it's painful to watch after a few seconds, IMO.

I would have loved to see an authentic 80s/90s look or something similar with all of that camera work and editing (obviously not the direction in mind).

[Of course this is not a criticism on any talent; just the processed final result.]

That's funny. I was going to say that the look was pretty much the only thing I liked about the video. And her acting -- she's always been an exceptional actress for a musician.

 

[NorBro]

That's funny. I was going to say that the look was pretty much the only thing I liked about the video. And her acting -- she's always been an exceptional actress for a musician.

You would never, EVER, be hired to make any decisions about what's cool and what the general public might like. LOL

 

[DustinSchmidt]

Some like the look, some don't like it, art is subjective of course. Despite the differing opinions the output remains the same.

In this case it was a look that the client loved and it fulfilled the brief. If you're a DP hired to deliver said result then that's a huge win every time.

On to the next...

 

[ahalpert]

You would never, EVER, be hired to make any decisions about what's cool and what the general public might like. LOL

Except I already have/am...?

But to be more specific, I think her styling is borderline offensive, the song is forgettable, the directing is generic (except in being sort of throwback). The editing is pretty good and there are some nice shots. The processing is probably the most interesting aspect