File settings : what's the point ?

llathieyre

llathieyre

New member
I apology if this issues has already been raised.
What is the point to fiddle with the dvx file settings to get a color look/style when you can color correct in post prod with FCP and the appropriate plugins ?

I do not see the pros of doing so (ie. fiddling/tampering the settings before shooting), whereas it seems to me a better idea to shoot "standard" and then have the freedom to apply whatever correction you want in post prod.


Please someone tell me whether I am missing something or what.
 
Many reasons. One of which is saving the time of having to do a lot of post work to create a look or match a look.

But if that's the workflow you prefer, do it. The only thing I save for post when shooting on my DVX is widescreen bars.
 
All a matter of personal preference. Some prefer to manipulate the image before it gets compressed to tape.

This applies to all cameras (not just the DVX). Of "CSI: Miami" fame, Co-DP Charles Mills had this to say in a recent issue of American Cinematographer:

"If you're going to suspend disbelief, just go all the way. People assume it's all done in post, but it's not - all the colors are done in camera with filtration and colored lights. The visuals are so important to this show."

Elsewhere on here, Nancy Schreiber was asked about using the DVX on her feature "November":

"I used the cinelike file and did alter both master ped and detail settings…..this was done after extensive testing, including a film out test. If one wants to control color as I did, I would definitely do that in camera, not in post. It’s too artificial to try to change colors later."
 
"what's the point"? Well, there are a few markets where post isn't even a factor. Say, a live multicamera broadcast? Live event taping? News gathering? Or working for producers who don't want to spend a fortune in post color-grading everything? Or for a producer who doesn't have the skills for color grading? Or for a DP who has no idea what the producer might do to his footage in post, so the DP wants to lock in a "good" look right when shooting?

There are two philosophies out there -- "get it right in-camera," or "create the look in post." They both have their advocates. But there are lots and lots of jobs where the create-the-look-in-post workflow just won't work, and therefore you need the ability to adjust the look in-camera.
 
There's only so far that you can push DV footage in post, so getting it in camera is preferable from that standpoint.
 
Barry_Green said:
There are two philosophies out there -- "get it right in-camera," or "create the look in post." They both have their advocates. But there are lots and lots of jobs where the create-the-look-in-post workflow just won't work, and therefore you need the ability to adjust the look in-camera.
Click to expand...

I fall in the middle sort of Barry

I want the iomage to be true and raw in camera.

I want to color it in post but at no sacrifice to the perfect image
 
I like crafting and image in the camera, but I also like the ability to just shoot a straight image and have options when it comes to manipulating the image in post. It just depends on the project I guess.
 
Man, for short filmes, i usually go 24p, SQUEEZE...

detail level -2
color temp -2
cine gama
cinelike

chroma phase and chroma level are the main parts of your camera, in order to control "color" I mean, they saturate the picture, or desaturate it. I leave them at 0 so i can work in post.

BUT thats for short films, if you want something like news broadcast, or a documentary, you may consider 30p
then you can use B.press for rich colors, and make your detail level go up to about 4 or 5. So your scene settings DO matter on what style you are shooting, either making a short film, a music video, a wedding, a tv show, these all have different in cmaera settings, which is your personal taste.
 
fevercity said:
Elsewhere on here, Nancy Schreiber was asked about using the DVX on her feature "November":

"I used the cinelike file and did alter both master ped and detail settings…..this was done after extensive testing, including a film out test. If one wants to control color as I did, I would definitely do that in camera, not in post. It’s too artificial to try to change colors later."
Click to expand...

In all due respect to Nancy as an ASC member, when working with a limiting format such as DV and going for super-saturated colors like she did in "November," I think she did the filmmakers a real disservice. Going for all in-camera effects shooting DV will only get you so far until you run into the limits of dynamic range and chroma-sampling. In particular, the dark-room scene with Courteney Cox, and the super-saturated reds that ended up causing chroma-blocking all over the frame!

As a cinematographer, it is your JOB to know the strengths and limitations of the medium you are working in and embrace them. In this instance, she should have given up the "in-camera" belief and shot the scene with limited color suggested and colored in post to avoid the chroma-blocking.

Post-coloring is too "artificial" ? I'm sure even a low-quality 8-bit color wheel would have looked better than the blocks all over the screen like what ended up in the final product.

End rant.
 
Always easy playing arm-chair DP. She didn't and she's a member.

Coulda should woulda.....

In the case of "November", I probably would've spent more time on the actual script. But, then again, there I go second-guessing another filmmaker's work.
 
I find tweaking file settings on-set impractical, so I won't cry if my colour levels look flat as post-colouring improves things immeasurably if one doesn't push things too far.

Get a clean image an CC in post. DVX footage tends to look flat anyway, even when great care is taken...
 
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