My very first post! Cool!

G

gibbie

Member
Hello. I've been reading these boards for a while and recently my partner and I acquired a DVX100a. Yesterday I bought myself an iMac G5 20". Our main goal is to BEGIN to begin learning how to make movies, my partner focussing on post production stuff like Shake and Maya etc., while I try to learn how to direct and edit. No big deal. :undecided

So ... how does one use this stuff and make an amazing feature length movie?

Well, let me start with 2 questions:

I've been reading the DVX manual and Barry Green's DVX book and the impression I get is that slow motion is best done in camera and takes a bit of compromise to get 1/2 speed slo-mo. What I don't understand (I have Final Cut Pro 4.5) is why that can't be done in post with no image degradation. Wouldn't the editing program just have to double each frame (I'd be using 24p) and ... voila! ... you'd have your footage twice as long and playing back at what would appear to be 1/2 speed. No? Why not?

Secondly, I need to get a tripod and fluid head and can probably figure that out from the info on this forum. However, I don't see much discussion on fluid heads with a levelling bubble, or whatever it's called. I would have thought that that would be a standard necessity, at least for those making "movies" as opposed to documentaries and live event coverage where you may need to be mostly handheld. Any recommendations on a fluid head with a leveler, or is this not as necessary a tool as I suppose? We got the camera from EVS, FYI.

In case you can't tell, I'm completely new to video/filmmaking and editing. So I'll save my 3,000 other questions for another day. :)

By the way, though I have nothing to compare it to, I think the DVX is absolutely amazing. Nice handheld shots with the OIS on. At first I was disappointed with the stuttering when I switched to 24p, but when I hooked the cam up to a normal 20" TV, the stutter disappeared. Well, at least it resembled film type stutter and I don't find it a problem. It is really easy to get a variety of looks, and though I only know the controls in theory (I did a stint in filmschool ages ago) I found manual operation quite intuitive and, well, easy. Of course I have MUCH to learn.

The iMac I can't comment on as I haven't tried any capturing yet, but it is a beautiful computer and I have no doubt it will be able to handle FCP editing.

This is a long first post, thanks for reading. I really enjoy these forums. Maybe in 10 years I'll have my own advice to share!

Cheers,

Chris.
 
Ok, first of all... welcome :)

Now to answer your questions. You can, of course, shoot in progressive mode and then slow the footage down to 40-50% speed, but the reason Barry suggests shooting interlaced, 60i is because that way you get more than twice as many frames/material to work with and the end result is a lot more smooth, though at the loss of resolution and quality.

As for fluid heads... The most popular choice here seems to be Bogen/Manfrotto 503, it's the one I own. It's the cheapest true fluid head you can get and it's just really, really nice. It has the leveler you are looking for. The cheaper and also popular model is 501. That one is not a *true* fluid head, but is still a bang for the buck and works well with DVX. Then there are 506 and 510, which are a lot more expensive and might be a bit overkill for the Dvx, but damn, are they sweet? :) Once again, they all have levelers.

Enjoy your new purchase and share your future work and impressions with us :)
 
Thanks very much! I guess I'll just have to try both (60i in camera and 24p in post) and see which I prefer. I thought it was the other way around, ie., that slowing down in post would result in loss of resolution.

Cool. I'll check out the 503. I didn't realize it had a leveler.

I have no idea how long it will take for me to have some "work" to share, as I have barely cracked the manual for FCP, but as soon as I do I'll surely submit stuff for criticism.

Cheers. :)
 
gibbie, welcome!

I'm very new to things too but this site alone has helped me SOOOO much.... Keep coming and use the search feature, it's almost like an in house Google. lol
 
Thanks all. This is a great site/forum, and thanks for saying hello. :)

Now if someone will just post the special FCP plug-in code that they've written that allows one to bypass having to read the 3 huge manuals ... I'd be most grateful.

I mean, really! I spent hours staging a teddy bear knife fight last night with a crew of ... me ... and Apple can't help out just a little?

The DVX imported beautifully and easily with the firewire. The audio (music) got on there too, no problem. But the video just sat there staring back, refusing to be moved or spliced. I think Apple is going to have to redesign FCP. I can't think of another way around this problem.

Maybe it's me. Stupid things that require manuals! :(

Anyway, I'm blabbing cause I have new toys to blab about. I've always dreamed of putting music/sound/images together. Move over Power Point! :cheesy:

I'll come back when I have a question based in reality. Peace all.

Cheers. :beer:
 
Hi Gibbie, that has to be one of our most popular tripod combos, because it has the right price, a fluid head, and pro 2-stage sticks. We have two surviving in rentals, and we use the sticks for jibs as well since they can handle 44lbs. :thumbsup: The D&S are not better...
 
Thanks D.O.C. (and all), I feel welcomed.

Thanks, Rush. My friend/partner ordered our DVX100a from you guys and we're very pleased with it. Great camera, great service. As soon as we recover financially, a tripod, then monitor (just a cheap one for production) and a lighting kit are on our list. Maybe we'll have to relocate to CA so as to avoid the "benefits" of "free trade". So much to buy. So little $$$. :)
 
gibbie said:
How 'bout this combo from EVS?

http://www.evsonline.com/merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=503525PKIT

Are the Davis and Sanford tripods better? It seems the tripod in the EVS package is made (or has an adapter) for the 503.

I'll try a search, so if you don't feel like answering for the billionth time...

don't! :cheesy:

Cheers.
Click to expand...
I won't say it's better because I honestly don't know not having used the other combo. It is MUCH cheaper and I haven't had any problems with my Davis and Sanford.
 
Woa, just read much of that thread. I can't even figure out what I need to look at. My plan is to get the tripod and stand (prob. the Bogen kit from EVS), learn how the heck to edit something in FCP, get another gig of RAM for my Mac, a cheap monitor, and then there are the LIGHTS!

With lights I'm thinking about getting a kit as opposed to buying individual pieces. I just have no idea about real world lighting and need to play around and learn. At the same time I don't want utter crap either. Something just big enough to shoot a dramatic scene with and add on to as I figure out what I'm missing.

I seem to remember a Lowell DV Creator series. Not to pit one co. against another, because I don't know what is good, but those kits looked like they had a nice selection to fool around with.

Thanks. I will bookmark that link and hopefully soon it will make sense! :cheesy:

Also thanks for all the welcomes and suggestions. I am really an ABSOLUTE novice who just happened to decide that he's a filmmaker now. My friend and I are buying stuff (partly by selling other stuff) and now we have to get more stuff and learn how to use EVERYTHING. :undecided

Cheers all!
 
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