In camera vs post slow motion

opatica

opatica

Member
Hi,
I just bought and HPX170 and I am used to filmstock. So, for slow motion, I overckrank. Now what is the advantage of doing it in camera frame rate versus changing the speed in Adobe Premier. Of course I can test and compare but I would like some tech information. I filmed some stuff in slowmotion today, looks great. But i only watched it on the small screen in premier.

I have another question about Scene files. What is the difference in using scene files versus changing Gamas and other setings with After Effects or other plug ins? I though It would be better to film with the best details and untouched colors so we can get the tones and moods in post.

Thanks for your help on such basics questions.
 
There really is no comparison between real and faked post frames. If you have a camera that shoots overcrank and you want slow-mo- use that mode.

Noah
 
Slow motion in post just increases the length of each individual frame, which will result in a choppy image after a little bit of change. That's bad.

As for scene files, it's a decision for the DP. I don't know that there's much difference when the image gets processed as you want. I never change the color settings in scene files, but I do change the pedestal and detail. Those things are much easier to do in camera.
 
FWIW, my philosophy is to try and get as much out of the camera, and film as close as I can to want I want, and not have to rely on post for fixes - emphasis on "rely".
 
Overcrank every time you know you want slow mo. There really is no comparison. Do a test and see for yourself. Pick a nice fast moving subject like someone dancing or juggling. Shoot it with overcrank, then a regular frame rate( and slow it down in post ), and the difference will pop off the screen at you.
 
As far as the scene files... it's been debated many times on here. Technically, as far as I'm concerned it would seem that any modification you do to your footage in post would degrade the overall "quality of your footage". If you're changing the scene settings in camera you can degrade your footage as well though, so it's really hit or miss either way.

In most cases I'd say your best bet would be to use a scene file that will get the most information as possible (ie. most shadow detail, best contrast without blowing out your whites/blacks etc. and best colour). That way you'll have more to play with in post, as opposed to trying to take some fairly nice and finished looking footage, and trying to get something from it in post that isn't really there in the first place, resulting in grainy, dry looking footage.

Try shooting something with in camera looks that are close to your desired end look, and then try shooting the same thing using a flat scene setting that will give you more information to play with in post and see which best suits the look you want in your finished product. It really all comes down to personal preference... But you don't want to need too much post work, because every digital "filter" you put on your footage is either trying to cover something up, or trying to pull something out of your footage that wasn't technically there in the first place, which in a lot of cases can result in video that won't look as rich as the original footage.
 
I agree with btown, always try and shoot "perfect" video for the purpose. I've seen some amazing video come out of post from weak footage. But I've also seen people spend a lot of time in post and only mess up the video more. :)
If you know you'll be doing slo-mo with your footage, overcrank in camera for the best results.
 
With regards to scene files... I'd say try to keep the noise down as much as you can always, but if you know what you want to shoot and have done proper tests, the files can work like film stocks. Realize the camera samples the footage at 14bits before it drops it down to the 8 bit compression of DVCProHD, so anything you after it gets tossed into the compression will be in a narrower (can I say that) color sampling... This is particularly significant with regards to filters and the like, but also is important when considering scene files...
 
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