Last minute change - sending sound to varicam, tips?

[matthewd5]

hello.

i have a 3 week shoot on an indie feature.

they were going to shoot on the canon hdv camera and i wasn't really thrilled about that but at the last minute they have decided to upgrade to a varicam.

can anyone give me a quick idea of how sending sound to the varicam is different than a dvx-100a?

also, what about timecode on the varicam? i assume i can jam sync from my 744t?

we had done some detailed testing with the canon hdv and it took the timecode from the 744t just fine.

i just want to make sure i won't have any surprises when i goto hook up the output from my sd 442 to this camera and that my 744t and my slate will keep time well with this new upgraded camera.

matthew

 

[SMuir]

Be sure to double check the timecode framerate. I've worked with the varicam a few times, and although the footage was being shot at 24P (ie. 23.95 fps) the timecode was run at 29.97 fps. Aside from that, the audio side of the varicam is comparable to DigiBeta cameras and other full-size digital ENG cameras.

As far as jam synching with my FR-2 (and in one case a 744t) using free-running time-of-day code, I've found the Varicam to be more stable and less prone to drift than other cameras in its class.

 

[wabbit]

I use ExtTc/Auto Record on the 744t with the Varicam and use the TC out from the Varicam to the LEMO connection on the 744t. The 744t will start recording whenever the Varicam starts recording (or if they are reviewing footage so you have to remember to disconnect if they are looking at footage).

It's a pretty sweet feature and keeps the camera people happy since they can use record run instead of 24 hour continuous.

Everything else is pretty simple and the same as the cheaper cams. Most people will set the Varicam tone to -20 instead of the -12 often used on DV cameras.

Cheers