First time with HD, basic questions

B

Benjamin18

Member
This is my first post at dvxuser, and I'm not sure if this should go under 'technical', or 'workflow', so I chose the former.

I just got my new HVX200, and it's an amazing camera. We are about to start production on a student film, and we want to film it in 720 HD, 24P. But that's not as simple as I'd like it to be, and I'm new to HD (All my work to date has been NTSC DV). So, how do I do this?

1)What's the difference between 720p24P and 720p24PN, and what are the advantages and disadvantages to each?

2)I remember there being some rule about 720 HD only playing in 59.94FPS? If that's true, then what does shooting in 24P do?

3)Does changing the frame rate mess with the audio at all (i.e. Am I going to have to change some settings on that?)?

4)I'm going to do all my editing in Adobe Premiere Pro 2.0, and my current plan is to buy Raylight. Is this the best way to go for my situation (extremely low on cash)?

5)Is there any special process to importing 24P video? And what do I do with the pulldown and such?

6)If I'm going to bring a clip into After Effects, is there something else I'm going to have to do with it?

7)Are there any tips and tricks I should know before we 'embark' on this journey?

8)Are there any 'gotchas' I should know?


I've read almost the entire user's manual, and while it has explained some things, it isn't very clear on others. I'm thinking that hearing these things from actual people will help.

I also posted this question in the Panasonic P2 and High-End HD forums at Creative Cow, and haven't gotten any answers, which is uncharacteristic for the COW.

Any answers to any of these questions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Ben Tubb
 
Here's the skimmed over, sugar coated answers. I'm sure others will post more details.

1- 720p24 records a regular 60fps NTSC file, with frames flagged, so that your NLE can do an advanced pulldown removal and you have natively recorded 24fps. 720p24N records only the 24 frames every second you actually need. So your NLE won't need to do anything. Native mode also saves space on your media, so you get more time to record.

2- No, no such rule.

3- No, audio not effected. BUT audio is not carried over when using Alternative Frame Rates and have that file conformed in your NLE.

4- Not a PPro user, I'm sure someone will post about this.

5- Another question for a PPro expert.

6- Not really, no.

7- Yes, tons, cruise these forums often! But you'll figure it out as you go along. Don't try to learn everything at once, take it a step at a time, you'll be just fine.

8- Again, tons, but you'll learn about them as you go along. Post here with your problems, cruise and read stuff here in your spare time, or when you just don't "feel like" working at the moment, and there's no boss breathing down your neck.

Get both Barry's HVX book and DVD set, VERY worth the money. Throw the Panny user manual in the trash. That manual is actually the first gotcha with the HVX.

Enjoy your great new camera!!!!!
 
Thanks so much for your answers. The first question was the most important, and with that answered, we can start shooting this thing.

Thanks again,
Ben
 
As Ben said, you'll find a ton of useful information on these forums. The best advice I can offer is:

-As with any shoot, light properly and make sure you go ahead and test out stuff. Don't just test out your lighting conditions but test out your image settings as well. You can tweak the HVX200 pretty heavily but a lot of it is preference. Some like to up the detail for a sharper look but others hate the un-natural edge enhancment and extra noise. Same goes for color and gamma settings. Make sure you find out what you like first.

-Remember that full blow out on your IRE/Zebra readings is actually 110% so you've got a bit more lattitude to play with than you realize.

-You're going to want to the Cine Gammas and color matrixes for a film look. If you're shooting Cine-D which gives you an extra 1/3 stop of lattitude, keep in mind that it's noiser than the other settings (everthing comes at a price). I like to go ahead and over-expose ever so slightly (not letting anything get beyond 105 but as bright as possible), and then bring it down a bit in post.

-Remember than Cine-V has less noise but also 1/3 stop less lattitude and looks a bit contrastier (which actually looks pretty nice unless you have harsh lights).

-DON'T USE GAIN!!!

-Keep in mind that edge enhancment (your detail settings) is apparently reduced in the Cine gammas according to Adam Wilt so a setting of +7 in Cine-D may be only about +2 in HD Norm.

-If you're a DVX person, remember that the master pedistal is actually harsher on the HVX200. Barry claims that -7 on the DVX is equal to -4 on the HVX.

-Remember that detail coring, while reducing noise, can also lose actual detail.

-If you've never used HD before, make sure to watch your focus as it is MUCH less forgiving with so many pixels and the tiny LCD screen doesn't provide near enough resolution to let you judge by eye. Make sure to use the EVF feature which outlines what is in focus and the Focus Assist which magnifies part of the screen.

Good Luck
 
DavidBeier said:
-If you've never used HD before, make sure to watch your focus as it is MUCH less forgiving with so many pixels and the tiny LCD screen doesn't provide near enough resolution to let you judge by eye. Make sure to use the EVF feature which outlines what is in focus and the Focus Assist which magnifies part of the screen.

Good Luck
Click to expand...

If possible try and get hold of a Marshall 7inch too. Since getting ours we've nailed focus every time.
 
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