Make DVX footage look like webcam

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David W. Richardson

Chapelgrove Films
I've got a shoot coming up where the footage is supposed to look like it's seen from the POV of a computer's webcam. I want to use my DVX100a to shoot the footage, and am wondering what settings would be best.

I don't want the footage to look quite as crappy as a real webcam, but I do want to convey the impression. I know camera position, lighting and props are all going to help create the 'reality' of seeing through a webcam. But any advice on things like shutter speed or any other settings on the DVX100a?

Or would you just tweak it in post? I have Premiere 6.0, but don't have After Effects.

Thanks for your advice!
 
Yeah use a slow shutter speed, so it lags a little bit, and in post, desaturate it, and add some noise. Also, export the footage as 320X240 and reimport it to 720 to pixelate it and make it look even worse.

Haha, how often do you get to say that?!
 
You'll probably want to shoot the "webcam" footage in 60i, as well. It'll really sell the crappy camera feel.
 
Is it supposed to be streaming across the Internet or from a local webcam without having to send the data across the Internet? If it's data sent, then you should compress the hell out of it and also set the framerate to 15fps (I'm sure there's a way to do that in Premiere 6).
 
Even 5-10fps would be believable. Just take everyone's advice, and fool around till you find what you want. A terribly white-balanced look might help your look too.
 
Yeah, I think 60i is the way to go.

I don't want to do 5-10fps if I can help it -- that would reeeeally be annoying to watch. I want this to look like a top-quality webcam. I know they do 30fps and even full-frame 640x480, though I think the idea of exporting to 320x240 is a good idea.

As you say, I need to experiment with these different ideas. Thanks for all the suggestions!
 
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