Multi Camera shoot

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DVX100Shooter

Veteran
I have a shoot coming up in May where Id like to shoot the event with 3 cameras with one them being mounted on a crane. I am not going to have the means to "switch" the event live. If in fact, I did what all would I need? A Switcher of course, 3 monitors, a record deck, cables. Do the cameras (DVX100(A) have to be genlocked or anything like that?
 
No Genlock on DV Camcorders my friend.

I would recommend to stick to no more than 2 cameras if you can.

Getting everything synced adn CC the same is time consuming!!

Thanks,
- Derrick
 
Premiere Pro has something called matchframe or something, cant remember because I never shoot anything multicam. :( But anyway, it's where you shoot everytime with all your cams simutaneously and after capture you find one frame of each 'reel' and press this button on the keyboard and then select one more thing and that will reset and link the time codes together. I know that description is a little vague and confusing, but it will allow you to scrub aorund in one timecode and then that number , when you type it in your next clip will be the exact same spot as the first.

It's so that you dont have to go all around searching and trying to find the next spot you want to cut to.
 
There is a method of using the remote control to set the timecodes on all three cameras the same. Check the owners manual.
Make sure you have all your settings on all three cameras matching. Then do a white balance with the cameras side by side all at the same time to get that to match as closely as possible.
If you have all the settings matching and the white balance matching, you should have no problems.
 
Are you shooting continuously (like a wedding or dance), or doing a lot of stopping and starting (like multiple takes of a scene that requires three angles)? I do a lot of multicamera stuff and would be glad to help if it involves the continuous type (but don't want to write an answer that doesn't match your situation).
 
magicdavek said:
Are you shooting continuously (like a wedding or dance), or doing a lot of stopping and starting (like multiple takes of a scene that requires three angles)? I do a lot of multicamera stuff and would be glad to help if it involves the continuous type (but don't want to write an answer that doesn't match your situation).
Click to expand...
I'll be shooting some stuff continuously soon. I'd be very interested to read your advice. I'm sure it will help a lot of people even if it does not apply to the original poster.
 
If you're shooting typical action type narrative I don't see why you just don't roll the cameras and cut it together in post. How could it not be anymore out of sync than single camera? And single camera works great, it's the norm for shooting.

You'll need to have consistent sound from one source to use as the main sound track or use the dual system. Multiple sound source can work but I find i want a master scene sound track, then i just cut in video stuff on top and it works out. Additional sound soucre can then also be used for additional angles & effects.
 
Here's some advice on multicam shoots. I've done about 2 dozen of these ranging from 3 to 5 cameras. I'm on a Mac and used to use Premiere, now Final Cut Pro.

Step one. Instruct the other camera operators that under NO circumstances turn off the camera at anytime. Having to resync the camera is an unnecessary pain. You want to sync them once in post, not several times. I usually have one in the balcony, one in a back corner and I walk around with one. I'll get shots of the ground, the ceiling, etc on mine, but who cares, nobody will see those parts as I move around, but I don't ever turn off the camera!

Second, ideally, just before the program begins, if someone in view of all cameras could create a noise, you do yourself a huge favor in ease of syncing in post. I have used several methods for syncing the three (or more cameras in post). One is watch for a flash picture taken early in the program. Every flash I've notice stays on a single frame. So if you can sync to the same flash, you're in great shape. The problem is, there may be a few flashes and you don't know which is which . . . Then there's syncing to movement. (e.g., "When the dancer's hand reaches the peak, in the frame before it starts heading back down, line them all up"). This is a pain and doesn't come out well. So, now I sync based upon sound. I find one clear and distinct sound, turn on the waveform display in my NLE and line them up. I listen with head phones and can make fine adjustments. Once lined up, the audio should sound like it is coming from a single source. In other words, there should be no echo/delay effect (unless you are taping in a big auditorium were there's reverb even in a single camera's audio). Anyway, it still amazes me how, when the audio is in sync that it sounds like one track. Once you are in sync, select to "unlink" the video from your audio. That way, when you want to cut a piece of video, the audio portion of the track doesn't get cut as well - you keep the audio of all tracks continuous. (Unless, you need to cut some audio. For example, a camera in the back without an external mic may have some audience members talking throughout the performance, and you may want to eliminate that.)

You have, let's say, three tracks on top of each other in your NLE, one track from each camera, now they are in sync. I forgot to mention that before you put them in sync, stack them in your NLE this way: I know that in Premiere and FCP, the highest track in the stack is the one you see when you play your timeline, and the one's below are hidden. I put the video from the camera I plan on cutting to the least at the bottom, the one I intend to use most at the top. Then, a fourth track is created above that will be your "master" track. Now, there are two ways to proceed - I've done both, and it depends on your project. One way is to go through each track and eliminate any footage you know you can't use, for whatever reason. Once done, it saves you from 1) having bad video block good video in the timeline and 2) allow you to quickly know what you really have to work with as you cut between cameras. The second approach is to simply go ahead and preview each track by temporarily turning off any track(s) above the one you want to look at and keep switching between tracks as you decide which is the best angle. Once you've decided, cut the good part you want and drag it straight up to the master track. You simply go through you source tracks like this and drag them up as you build your master track. The tracks below can be ignored because the master track blocks out the tracks below it when it comes time to send it back to tape or turn it into a QuickTime file. This second way only differs from the first way in that you go right ahead and start previewing and cutting. The first way requires this process too except you've already gotten rid of stuff you won't use. This saves you from wasting your time previewing useless segments of your source material. Also, find good cutaway material (e.g., shots of audience) and put such clips in a fifth track at the top. This track is always off so the master track can always be seen. That fifth track simply becomes a useful "bin" to store cutaway material for those times when none of the three cameras quite got a good enough shot.

That's how I've done my multicamera work. Now here are some more things to think about, neither of which I have used yet, but will have several opportunities this spring and summer. One is to use Live Cut, which is a free program to do multitrack editing with FCP, so long as you are using 4 or fewer source tracks. Second, rumor has it that FCP will have this type of feature built in when it gets released this spring. I think others on this site say Vegas such a feature.
 
Actually, I spoke primarily about editing multitrack, not too much about the shoot (except to mention to not turn the cameras off once turned on). Sometimes it is good to have a well framed but unmanned camera (e.g., a balcony shot) that you can always count on to give you a good perspective when your other camera angles fail you. Why should the other camera angles fail you? Because for those cameras to get the good shots, you'll have to include some crummy stuff as you reframe after camera movement or zoom. For example, I have my camera operators switch between wide angle, close up, medium shots, etc. as well as between different places up front (e.g. a subgroup of three of the eight dancers, or a single dancer in a group, or just the bridesmaids looking on up front, etc.). The key for these situations it to reframe quickly. You don't want you or the other operators slowly panning to the new location and slowly zooming, because those are single camera event techniques and they are generally boring. Instead, have them whip the camera into the newly framed position and quickly zoom in or out to get it framed. This should only take a couple of seconds, and this gets cut out. I change locations, whip between the crowd and what is going on up front all the time, and all of my camera movement is taken out in post, and other camera angles cover for this unusable footage. By using this technique, I create the illusion that there were about 8 cameras used rather than three!

Sound is really an issue. Don't rely on the camera's built in mic, I don't care how superior the DVXs built in mic is compared to a consumer level camera, it still isn't good enough. Also, even a $1200 mic is going to fail you if it is set up in the back of the hall with your camera. You need to mic the talent somehow. I've used a few methods, depending on the type of program. I taped a speaker for a training video who was seated. A wired lavilier did wonders. I bought extensions so I was a long way from him, duck taped the cord to the floor to avoid people tripping and it came out great. I did one wedding where I taped that same lavilier mic to the mic stand used by a justice of the peace at a wedding. Also, that came out perfect. Lucky for me, he didn't touch the mic stand while he was talking. Recently, I hooked up a $175 shotgun mic to an old VHS camcorder that otherwise never leaves the closet and pointed it toward a speaker hiding in the bushes next to an outdoor resturant pavilion and that did the trick (you can dump such audio over to DV first, then your computer, or some NLEs allow direct audio input). Even my $280 AT897 shotgun from the back didn't do very well in that outdoor setting. The key is get the mic near the talent! Now I have the proper cords to hook any XLR mics in a church or auditorium to one of my cameras.
 
I'd Rather Have 3 Tapes Full Of Footage Than Mixing And Cutting From Camera To Camera On Location. The Extra Footage On Tape May Save Your Day.if It's Going To Be Continous You Can Sync All Timecodes On Free Runand Start Them All Together. When I Am In Your Situation We Usually Load A Tape In Each Camera And Use A Clapper To Sync The Frame In Post. It's Important That Neither Of The Cameras Should Stop Rolling. Obviosly There's More Work In Post Than Having A Live Mix.
 
I'd Rather Have 3 Tapes Full Of Footage Than Mixing And Cutting From Camera To Camera On Location. The Extra Footage On Tape May Save Your Day.if It's Going To Be Continous You Can Sync All Timecodes On Free Runand Start Them All Together. When I Am In Your Situation We Usually Load A Tape In Each Camera And Use A Clapper To Sync The Frame In Post. It's Important That Neither Of The Cameras Should Stop Rolling. Obviosly There's More Work In Post Than Having A Live Mix.
 
the best tip is what barry reminded us of in his book, you can set the cameras to all be running at the same timecode if you point the remote at them and set a menu option.

my tips...

1. always run the on camera mic of cameras that don't have shotgun mics etc. the extra sound doesn't cost you anything and it can be good for syncing, picking up crowd noise or saving your ass if something goes wrong with other audio!

2. always have a safety angle, i usual go for a dead center shot of the stage framed so you can see the entire stage and maybe a little bit of the audience.

3. be really careful not to stop the camera, i'm not sure if this is less important if you use the barry method, if you stop and start i think the timecode will be right on the money with freerun. anyone know for sure??

4. get a good pair of headphones. note that good headphones for listening to music like the sennheiser 600's aren't the best for this type of work, the 600's make everything sound better, you want to hear neutral sound, you don't want the sound altered because then you migh miss something. the sony audio monitor headphones are great.

5. should be my first tip but isn't always doable, plug into the sound board! i have the sennheisser evolution wireless set and i got both the beltpack for the lavalier but also the plug on that is intended to go on the bottom of a handheld mic, instead i always plug it into the soundboard if at all possible.

put a 1 or 2 meter cable so you can get to it to change the battery, check the freq. etc. if you get too close the sound engineer gets pissed off because you are getting in his way. he is doing a favor letting you plug in.

a side tip, if you can't get to the soundboard the pro speakers are often powered and they have an xlr in and out so you can plug into the empty xlr sometimes.

have a bunch of connectors, some of the soundboards only do 1/4 like a headphone. i have a big collection of audio adaptors including an audio technica plug that lets you reduce the power of the signal coming in. it can be very handy.

many people overlook the audio.

also, many more people ignore the audience audio, i like to plug into the soundboard for the clean show track and have the shotgun track of the audience repsponse and just backgroun sound. then mix like 80% soundboard and 20% audience. it will sound much more realistic.

silly stuff, bring 3x the batteries you think you will need, get there early to suck up to the sound guy, he is your friend. tip him if you think he helped you.

i always have an extra tape or two and a spare battery taped to the tripod leg with gaf tape. kind of like a guitarist does with picks.

matthew
 
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