DVX100A to film

  • Thread starter Thread starter Guest
  • Start date Start date
G

Guest

Guest
i am shooting a short, with the 100A...i dont have the money or time to test.

can someone elucidate some issues for me...

16x9 (internal) and going back to film...
16x9 anamorphic and going back to film...
shooting normal (ntsc) 4:3 to film...


what kind of resolution loss are we talking about?

what about dual mediums...TV and back to film.

PLEASE HELP THE TECHINCALLY INEPT.....

THX
JAMES
 
Re: DVX100A to film

[quote author=James Silverman link=board=Events;num=1086805006;start=0#0 date=06/09/04 at 11:16:37]
what kind of resolution loss are we talking about?
[/quote]
If you're going for widescreen, you have three choices: shoot normal and crop/stretch, shoot internal/squeeze, or shoot with the anamorphic.

Shooting normal and crop/stretch, or shooting with the internal squeeze mode, are about the same. Either way you're losing 25% of your potential resolution. But you don't really have a choice: you gotta go widescreen if you're going to film.

Shooting with the anamorphic adapter CAN result in using all the surface of the chip, and MAY result in a much higher resolution picture. But it's very tough to do it right, and if you don't know the rules and just try to run 'n' gun with it, the results will likely be no better than the internal squeeze mode.

So for your circumstance, with no money or time to conduct proper tests, I'd say just shoot with squeeze and be done with it. It'll be the easiest way to get a decent image with the least amount of things that can go wrong.
 
Re: DVX100A to film

"But it's very tough to do it right, and if you don't know the rules and just try to run 'n' gun with it, the results will likely be no better than the internal squeeze mode. "

whats the "right" way....what do i have to do to prep to do it right?

thanks again.
james
 
 
Re: DVX100A to film

The main thing to "do it right" is to understand and accept that there's an astigmatism built into the lens -- it focuses on the vertical plane at a different point than it does on the horizontals. So you have to have a very high resolution CRT monitor on-hand to judge focus by. And you have to manipulate your light levels so you can keep the iris stopped down enough that the depth-of-field overcomes the astigmatism and delivers proper sharpness.

Adam Wilt created a chart that shows what minimum aperture you need, at what zoom setting and focus setting combinations, to get acceptable sharpness with the anamorphic adapter. It's at http://www.adamwilt.com/24p/7200chartPrint.html
 
Re: DVX100A to film

Detail coring is supposed to take the excess image detail, such as grain and discard it. You should try and set it up so that you have the maximaum image detail with the least amount of grain. Unfortunatly, I have found this hard to do, as it is very hard to see the difference with the naked eye. In performing some experiments, however, I have noticed that the viewfinder/ LCD shows a lot more grain then when i capture it to my computer or play it on a tv. I don't know why this is, but to anyone that seems freeked out about what they see in the LCD, trust me, many things look better once viewed on something else.
 
Re: DVX100A to film

so essentialy, bumping up the detail level witll result in the least loss of resolution (or mask it...it wil have more detail)

i guess if its too sharp, you can soften in post?

james
 
Re: DVX100A to film

woa, that post got missplaced somehow. Sorry about that guys. I think I was switching between two different IE's and I posted my answer on the wrong one.
 
Re: DVX100A to film

1.) does the depth of field problem mean it is a total waste of time to use the anamorphic adaptor in low light situations?
Click to expand...
For the most part, I find it a total waste of time to shoot in low light situations regardless.  You've got to have enough light to get a quality exposure -- without it, the camera will do the best it can, but you're just totally compromising your image at that point.  So if you can't get enough light, you're not going to get a good shot.  And the focus difficulties with the anamorphic would exacerbate the situation.

2.) when you say you have to have a high quality CRT monitor on set, do you mean you HAVE to have a high quality CRT monitor on set?  is it impossible to focus in the LCD screen?
Click to expand...
Again, what's the point of using the anamorphic, if you're going to hamper your ability to use it properly?  It's like buying a Corvette but not buying gas.  You could sit in it, you could gaze longingly at it, but you couldn't actually *use* it.

The LCD is inadequate to the task. You'd need a good 500+ line CRT monitor to be able to accurately judge. And if you're going to be blowing up to film, focus errors are MAGNIFIED. You've GOT to get it right.

What if you use a chart and a tape measure and focus based on distance?
Click to expand...
That would probably be the most accurate way to go, IF someone had developed a full focus chart.  As of right now, I don't believe one exists.  The anamorphic adapter changes the focus point from the standard DVX focus chart.  Heck, next time I have lots of free time, I think that'd be a good experiment to undertake.

In the meantime, you can use Adam Wilt's chart as a starting point.  It only lists focus #'s in 10-step increments, instead of each and every focus # on the ring, but it sure seems like a great start.
3.) is a it a big deal to cut between footage shot with the anamorphic adapter and footage shot in squeeze mode (or even footage shot 4:3 and cropped in post)?
Click to expand...
Depends on how well the anamorphic footage was shot.  If it's shot optimally, then there will be about a 30% difference in resolution.  If not shot optimally, there will be less of a difference.
 
Re: DVX100A to film

hey appreciate the response . . . . as for the low-light questions, I understand the need for good lighting to get traditionally acceptable images: however, I am shooting a very low budget movie in a style very close to the Dogme 95 style . . . . this means that on many shoots I will only have the available light in a location to work with --- rather than say "screw it" and just accept a bad image, I would like very much to work with what I do have and make the image as good as possible.

As for the monitor, in addition to budget difficulties, much of the movie will be shot hand held or with steadicam in a "documentary" style ... whether I have a monitor on the set or not I am going to HAVE to focus on the fly and adjust to the environment during shots.

Anyway, any advice on shooting this style would be greatly appreciated (though I understand if you guys think it's a waste of time).

BTW, why does the *response* to my last post look like it's from me ? . . . very confusing.

thanks, tokyodrifter
 
Re: DVX100A to film

Wow, that's wild, how the post looks like it's from you...

I would like very much to work with what I do have and make the image as good as possible.
Click to expand...
If you're going to be doing that type of shooting, I'd say definitely ditch the anamorphic -- it's just one more thing that can go wrong. But seriously, get a camera-mounted softlight -- you've already spent $3400 for the camera, don't let your footage fail because you didn't spend another $300 for a quality light that will TOTALLY save your footage... even 75 watts can turn a dark grainy muddled mess into a totally watchable scene. Get an assistant to hold it about 20 degrees off-center and a couple of feet higher than the lens, and it'll look great and avoid that "deer in the headlights" look from a camera-mounted light.
 
Re: DVX100A to film

never seen that one before.. but it looked like it must be a quote bug that you discovered deep..
 
Re: DVX100A to film

If you are filming in a dogma 95 circunstamces you shouldn´t even answer for lighting tips.
Anyway. It will all depend in your locations. You can make a lot of test and see the light you can get (lamps/light from windows...) You can see when is the best time to shoot. Do a lot of test.
If it is a hand held thing (in other words: pointing to the action and not compositing the action) i would shoot 4:3 and crop in post. That way you can composite a little bit your pointing action (moving down or up the image till the crop limit)
But is not dogma.

good luck
 
Re: DVX100A to film

hey, I considered starting a new post, but this is still on topic, so . . . .

I've continued researching issues to do with the camera settings if one intends (hopes) to eventually blow up to film. I've read a lot of posts about tweaking red levels and fine tuning the knee and whatnot, but then I read the recommended dvx100a settings on dvfilm.com:

http://www.dvfilm.com/maker/dvx100settings.htm

The philosophy there, as far as I can tell, is do as little color tweaking as possible, just worry about getting the most information you can, and do the color fine-tuning in post.

any comments / advice on how much of fine tuning of colors should be done before shooting if your final goal is a film blow-up?

re: the not-dogme accusation, yeah the movie isn't actually dogme, we were originally going to shoot it that way, but now they're not certifying movies anymore anyway. Still, I am inspired by the dogme feel and want the scenes to very much be about actors deep in character interacting in a real environment with an unobtrusive camera: that's the idea behind not doing traditional lighting and tripod setups which can slow down shooting and distract actors from the emotional content of the scene.

thanks again for all your help,
 
Re: DVX100A to film

I thought for film out stuff, getting the settings from the place you plan to use was the best way to go.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top