Real time Text Overlay in the HMC150 - Possible?

T

tangent

Member
Hello,

I received a quote request for a legal video that has a requirement that text graphics be burnt into the continuous recording NOT later in post. Is that possible with the HMC150? Is there any camera that can, independently of other hardware, meet this spec? If there is an external piece of hardware that could accommodate this spec, can you tell me what it is and whether or not it will work with the HMC150?

Thank you in advance for your help! -chris

BTW, here is the exact wording of the requirement:

3.02 AUDIO AND VIDEO
A. Audio video shall be professional grade, transferred to DVD format.
B. Each DVD shall begin with the Owner's name, Contract name and number, Contractor's name, date and location information such as street name, direction of travel, Building and room or area location viewing side, etc.
C. Information appearing on the recording must be continuous and run simultaneously by computer generated transparent digital information. No editing or overlaying of information at a later date will be acceptable.
D. Digital information will be as follows:
1. Upper left corner:
a. Name of Contractor.
b. Day, Date and Time.
c. Name of Project.
2. Lower left corner:
a. Route of travel, facility and room location.
b. Viewing side.
c. Direction of travel.
d. Stationing.
E. Time must be accurate and continuously generated.
 
The HMC150 can stamp the time of day onto the actual recording, but it doesn't have any capability to go generating text like that. Seems like you'd need a mixer with a graphics overlay capability, and an external recorder, to do what they're asking.
 
Unless there's some sort of all-in-one recorder that legal videographers use, that's designed for this purpose? I don't know of such, but I imagine it's possible that there's something like that out there, maybe some type of DVD recorder that has a character generator function built into it?
 
Wow Barry. Thanks for the quick reply! Yeah, that's what i suspected; needing "a mixer with a graphics overlay capability, and an external recorder, to do what they're asking." ;) But figured it couldn't hurt to ask.

Do you know of any camera that can do this without a mixer, external recorder, etc.? If there is one, maybe i could rent it.
 
What state do you live in? I used to shoot a lot of depositions for another company, and I've never seen requirements like that before. Usually I simply read on mic the witness name, case name, number, city, county, state, date, and time of start. An on more than a few cases, both sets of council would simply waive that then have to sit through it. What direction you traveled from?

In any event, yeah, you're going to need a whole giant setup because no camera is going to be able to generate that sort of thing in-camera. The simplest thing I can think of is to record into a laptop using a BlackMagic like this http://www.blackmagic-design.com/products/ultrastudiopro/, but you'll need a USB 3.0 port or adapter.
 
Hi Mike,

I am in Indiana, but the job is in Illinois. It is not a deposition. It is a pre-construction video; capture the conditions of the jobsite before the construction begins. Useful for arbitration later if a dispute arises about whether or not something was damaged before or a contractor did it. It is one of the ways I make money with my 2 HMC150's. :)
 
I don't know of any camera which will do this..

Also, if your delivery format is DVD, how will they know that the text was added in post? Are they requesting the raw camera files or a final DVD?

You're transcoding to DVD anyways...the final DVD can then be used as the gold copy.
 
I second Phil. They have no way of *not* knowing that it wasn't added in post. I don't mean that as a way of sneaking it in in post. Even if there were some way of doing it, and things go horribly south and there is a lawsuit involved, there is no way of proving that you in fact did in fact do what you were supposed to do, especially since it's impossible to do in camera. And honestly, I fail to see how adding the text in post as opposed to in camera would make any legal difference in a trial.

I would talk to the client about that aspect and explain to them that it's not possible to do it in camera. I mean, if you were showing the job site pre-construction, as long as you get someone on camera stating the info needed (which *would* be difficult to pull off in post), I fail to see how adding it in camera as opposed to post would make a legal difference.
 
Yes, you guys are correct. It shouldn't make a difference doing it in post; it never has before. As far as adding it anyway, other parts of the spec indicate there will be someone on site when I shoot to direct and enforce the spec. :) Whatever.

I did contact the engineering company that created the spec and explained the impossibilities, impracticalities and suggested feasible alternatives. The guy I spoke with asked me to put the same info I conveyed in an email so he could (potentially) create an addendum to the requirement specification. So I did that yesterday. Haven't gotten a response yet. Who knows, maybe I will get the job because i sounded like i knew what i was talking about. :)

One (crazy) way i thought it could be pulled off is if you had a mobile broadcast news team on site. A camera could send a live feed to an editor in a van equipped with a video mixer, etc. and they could add prepared graphics on the fly as the footage is shot. Seems overly complex and expensive though for a simple task of documenting pre-existing damage. I've done this kind of video for over 10 years and none of my clients have ever needed to use the video in court. Just looking at the footage of an area in question has been enough to resolve any dispute. So the precautions this spec is outlining seem really overkill. :) 'nuf said.

Thanks for you help and thinking though this with me!
 
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