General Questions

B

BennyWhiskers

Active member
Hey everyone I just have some general questions about both the 200 and 170hpx and some frame rate ones too. Here goes:

First off, are either of these cameras (200 & 170) good enough to produce a theatrical production? Do you have any examples of movies made using these cameras?

Which camera is better than the other and why(200 vs 170)? Do each have their own positives and negatives that pertain to a different demograph(like ones more for indie flicks while the other is more for tv)?

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For p2 cards, what would you recommend as the best external drive to copy the footage onto before I log and transfer onto my mac? I always wan't to have backups j.i.c.

Also, I'm using fcp7 as the editing platform, so any tricks or tips or things to look out for would be great.

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Here's my current situation that I need to resolve:

I'm struggling to grasp cinema frame rights, here's why:

I always thought American film was shot at 25 fps. Why am I seeing all these cameras with the option to shoot in 24 fps? What's the point of going down from 25 to 24? Is 24 for PAL systems or because it was shot on a DSLR?

Also, wouldn't there be noticeable difference on screen if your master cam footage (let's say a hpx170) set at 25 fps while your B camera (lets say a hacked GH1 that shoots at 23.976 FPS) footage was shown one after the other?

If the editing system conformed the 25 to 23.976, wouldn't it look odd? And vice versa?

I'm thinking that the 1 fps seems like a small hurdle that makes me not want to jeopardize shooting with the hacked GH1. I don't want to rely on fixing the footage in post to make the frame rates match, there's way too much room for error on that and I feel like I don't have the technical skills to for it.

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Thanks for taking time to help me guys, I'm at the point now where I'm beginning to second guess my options and don't want to ruin the film because of something so stupid like wrong fps.
I'm one of those guys who wants to have everything perfect before we begin shooting.
 
American cinema is 24p (PAL is 25p) which obviates about half the questions you asked. I'll let others tackle the issues of workflow, and differences in the HPX170 and HVX.
 
Ok then, since PerroneFord answered the majority of my post, I'll repost the questions that I still need to figure out:

are either of these cameras (200 & 170) good enough to produce a theatrical production? Do you have any examples of movies made using these cameras?

Which camera is better than the other and why(200 vs 170)? Do each have their own positives and negatives that pertain to a different demograph(like ones more for indie flicks while the other is more for tv)?

For p2 cards, what would you recommend as the best external drive to copy the footage onto before I log and transfer onto my mac? I always wan't to have backups j.i.c.

Thanks again guys.
 
Yes to the first. The real question is if you're good enough to push the cameras as far as possible. Most people aren't... and those who are rent.

For the second, I prefer the HPX170. It's easier to carry and hold, has more intuitive controls, newer and probably better glass, slightly improved low light ability, and that's about it. Not huge changes, but enough to be better. If you don't need tapes I recommend it.
 
Cassius said:
Yes to the first. The real question is if you're good enough to push the cameras as far as possible. Most people aren't... and those who are rent.

For the second, I prefer the HPX170. It's easier to carry and hold, has more intuitive controls, newer and probably better glass, slightly improved low light ability, and that's about it. Not huge changes, but enough to be better. If you don't need tapes I recommend it.
Click to expand...

Ok that's good to know. BTW, by glass im assuming stocked lens or available lens that work well with it? Thats another thread for another day, first I need to decide on the cameras lol.
 
im not trying to be a davey-downer here. but if you have to ask basic frame rate questions and assume what "glass" means. being concerned about "theatrical" production is probably putting the cart way, way, WAY before the horse. you have a lot of fundamentals to get a grasp of before mounting a "theatrical" effort

and let me save you a lot of time and forum search. regardless of what you've heard, YES. either camera can produce "theatrically-intentioned" source footage.
but if "theatrical" is your holy grail end use. the camera choice is just the tip of the iceberg
 
wgzn said:
im not trying to be a davey-downer here. but if you have to ask basic frame rate questions and assume what "glass" means. being concerned about "theatrical" production is probably putting the cart way, way, WAY before the horse. you have a lot of fundamentals to get a grasp of before mounting a "theatrical" effort

and let me save you a lot of time and forum search. regardless of what you've heard, YES. either camera can produce "theatrically-intentioned" source footage.
but if "theatrical" is your holy grail end use. the camera choice is just the tip of the iceberg
Click to expand...

making an indy with friends, were not professionals but were not poor either, so being able to affored a decent camera is an obvious decision.

5k is the max were willing to spend on a master cam (including kit and lens). the 170 looks good and it should be close to that budget.

theatrical production, meaning entering it in film festivals. small ones that we have a good shot at being accepted in.

scripts complete, location will be ready in 2-3 months, crew and actors - ready.

oh and its debby-downer even though your a guy (gender-neutral.)
 
To be clear, this is a list of things that contribute to a high quality production.

Good script
Art direction
Set design and locations
Acting
Wardrobe
Direction
Perfect sound
Lighting
Editing/Color correction
Camera quality

That's in order of importance. You may already have all of that covered, but a lot of people think you just need the right camera. Make sure your budget covers everything else- sound and light especially, since those can't be done too cheap. Affording a nice camera is great, but don't let it compromise anything else.
 
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