HVX200A setting for Feature Film

J

jcool

Active member
Hi All,
I am really thnakful for all the information and help I had been getting from all of you.
I am currently in India and planning a short film but eventually would try to make it a feature film.This short is like a warmup for to prepare ourselves for a big screen projection.
So please let me know if there are any general settings that I need to take care or if there are any guidelines that I need to follow so that the footage that we get can be projected to a big screen.

I would really appreciate any kinda suggestions.
My setup is HVX200a with a LetusUltimate.

Thanks
Jay
 
Hi Jay,
1080 is going to offer better resolution than 720 (about 30% on the 200A). If file size doesn't matter, shoot in 1080. I am also going to state the obvious. For a film look, shoot at a frame rate of 24p.

As for scene files, I would shoot more flat and add contrast in post. Master Ped -1 to -4, no boost in saturation, cine-D gama, cine-like color matrix. The Letus seems to soften the detail a bit, might want to boost the detail setting. Then again, the big screen is not going to need as much of a detail increase as a low resolution web file.

As for shutter speed, I would recommend around 220 degree shutter angle. Slightly more motion blur and low light performance. If you are looking for a stuttery zombie film look, decrease shutter angle below 180.

The better question to ask is: how do you want the final production to look? High/low contrast, saturated/de-saturated, zombie/smooth, high detail/soft focus...etc. That will help you determine how to set your camera during production.


Jason
 
Thanks Awakened. Most people just post the same... theres a million ways to do this.. and of course we know that but you actually gave a helpful answer. Yes theres a lot more to consider but for someone needing a few hints you hit the nail on the head. Good pointers on the letus as well although I'd say film your feature on 720 instead because unless your shooting for national geographic you don't need 1080 and it's probably gonna hurt you unless you really know how to shoot the shizzle out of a movie.
 
AwakenedFilms said:
Hi Jay,
1080 is going to offer better resolution than 720 (about 30% on the 200A). If file size doesn't matter, shoot in 1080. I am also going to state the obvious. For a film look, shoot at a frame rate of 24p.

As for scene files, I would shoot more flat and add contrast in post. Master Ped -1 to -4, no boost in saturation, cine-D gama, cine-like color matrix. The Letus seems to soften the detail a bit, might want to boost the detail setting. Then again, the big screen is not going to need as much of a detail increase as a low resolution web file.

As for shutter speed, I would recommend around 220 degree shutter angle. Slightly more motion blur and low light performance. If you are looking for a stuttery zombie film look, decrease shutter angle below 180.

The better question to ask is: how do you want the final production to look? High/low contrast, saturated/de-saturated, zombie/smooth, high detail/soft focus...etc. That will help you determine how to set your camera during production.


Jason
Click to expand...

Jason, I've been reading these forums off and on (more off lately as my wife's photography business has been taking off) for a year and a half, and this is the single most helpful answer regarding this specific question I've seen. Of course when it comes to the "film look," a substantial if not defining portion of it comes from the lighting involved, but there are still settings that will put the camera in the best mode for emulating the physical look of film. I look forward to testing your settings to see how they look. I was actually out this past Sunday playing with the settings on my 200A to approximate that very thing, so this is a very fortuitous post.

Thanks much,

Clint
 
Jason gave some excellent advice. Are you "green" on the 200a? (IE, just getting started, new to the cam, etc:))...Even if you've been using it for a while, a great resource is Barry Green's HVX book. Almost like a cheap college course that covers the camera bumper to bumper. Also, his video training is first class. If you've got a few bucks and the time to sit down and read his info and watch the DVD, I think you'll save many, many hours not re-inventing the wheel.

For me, it was almost like an extra Year of experience with the camera right out of the box.

This site is exceptional as well. Check out the footage section to get an idea of the wide capabilities of the camera. Pick up as much storage (p2) as you can afford and buy a cheap PC laptop/older Mac PB for your P2 off load with a nice 7200rpm external hard drive for storage.

The 200a loves light...are you all set for lighting? I love the sound options on the 200 with a small, $250 (or much less, depending) off board mixer....plenty of audio flexibility options for external mics or line level input...Sound on board mic isn't bad either (for ambience).

The biggest issue I have with my 200 is my LCD and precise focus in HD (720/1080). An external monitor is a great idea and can avoid a ton of headaches in post. I forgot my monitor on my last shoot, but was able to rig up a friend's 9" DVD player screen...anything to help you get better focus, although "Focus Assist" is a God-Send. Balance your Whites yourself and I agree, shoot flat. Tons can be done in post to "pretty it up."

We are shooting a short currently with almost identical settings as Jason. Mater Ped -2, Cine-D gamma, Low to no saturation, Cine Matrix color...no adaptor, so we're shooting flat detail. Exceptional base settings for your feature. From there...your choices are endless. These are very controllable little cameras. I guess the only thing we are doing differently is shooting in 720pn, as we don't have the options to dump on site too much.

Are you projecting digitally or printing to film?

Good Luck...also search around for other custom scene files/tweaks...here, DVinfo, Panny's site, again...more options so you're not reinventing the wheel and learning from scratch. I can't suggest a better option though...for you, in your case, A good read of Barry's HVX Bible is a great starting point:)

J
 
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Zblock said:
I'd say film your feature on 720 instead because unless your shooting for national geographic you don't need 1080 and it's probably gonna hurt you unless you really know how to shoot the shizzle out of a movie.
Click to expand...

1080 won't "hurt" you in any way.

It's identical to shooting in 720, except that you get a sharper image, lose variable frame rates, and need more P2 card and hard drive space.
 
Thanks you all so much for all those valuable suggestions.I was doing a lot of research in the available time while I was in USA(I have a day job just to afford to buy all I bought) and with great help of DVXUSER learnt a lot and bought all I have to .All I have to do right now is give a lot of time to learn using it properly more than anything else.Right now I am working on the script work too .I have done few test shots using the whole setup.I am searching for a team in India (bangalore) to help me with editing,sound(I have all the equipment) while I handle camera and direction.Lighting is a big challenge here and I have to still do research on this.But I would base my script mostly to have scenes in the day time as there is so much Sun light available in India and I have ND Filters(.6 and .9),Polariser and Letus Ultimate to control light.

Thanks for all the support and suggestions.
Regards
Jay
 
I read somewhere that it is actually NOT recommended to shoot in the cine gamma modes especially when using a mini35 adaptor. They said that those modes actually deprive you of critical detail and data in your footage considerably. Which leads to another question Jcool, are you using a mini35?
 
I would ask who gave that advice, and what their basis for saying it is? I've shot plenty with an adapter in both cinegamma modes and there's nothing bad about it at all.
 
DPIX24 said:
I read somewhere that it is actually NOT recommended to shoot in the cine gamma modes especially when using a mini35 adaptor. They said that those modes actually deprive you of critical detail and data in your footage considerably. Which leads to another question Jcool, are you using a mini35?
Click to expand...


I use Letus Ultimate 35mm adapter.As Baryy mentioned below,I never read anywhere that cine gamma modes shouldn't be used.

Thanks
Jay
 
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