shooting 16:9 or 4:3?

Is the "squeeze" mode on a DVX the same as on an HVX when shooting SD? does it give you the same wide-angle look? or is that just dependant on the lens in the HVX? I'm asking this because I was debating on whether or not to invest in a DVX for a "B" cam
 
SQUEEZE on DVX will give the same look of HVX in SD 16:9 mode. NORMAL mode on DVX will give the same look as HVX in SD 4:3 mode (but why would you want to shoot 4:3 on an HVX!).
 
This is the best conversation I have ever seen so far on DVXuser. (thank you all for contributing-i think this should be a sticky)

I just bought a DVX100a and have not shot with my anamorphic lens yet.. nor have I squeezed anything yet.. but I do have fcp and I am willing to try all these modes to gain some experience.

For the more experienced guys.. what is your fav mode to shoot the Dvx100 in?
 
I recently read a post to avoid using squeeze mode with 60i. I recently changed from 60i to 30P and I've gotten better results. But I'm also still learning. I'm fairly sure it was a post by Barry. Has anyone else noticed this with 60i and squeeze?
 
60i does not look very good with squeeze, I either record 30p or 24pa with thin.

Most of the time I shoot with squeeze, mostly because of workflow and someone said that it has higher rez.

The problem with letterbox is the colour correction because it affects the black bars.

What I did was recorded the same footage in all the different modes and then chose from there.
 
im so tired of hearing people saying to shoot 4:3 and crop in post so you can have the ability to reframe. that is the stupidest thing ive ever heard of. when a person shoots a scene they need to frame the shot then and there. why wouldnt you frame the shot then and there? why would you just shoot with half assed cinematography and say "agh, ill frame it right in post" ? dumbest thing i hear numurous people in here say repeadetly every day.

shoot squeeze and frame your shot while shooting!
 
Reframing is sometimes useful for documentary/live event shooting. Otherwise, yes, SQUEEZE has a lot of benefits.
 
I did not understand it as well until I saw another filmaker shoot a Mexico dvd and in it he shot in 4x3 then in post added the bars. It allowed him to pan downwards even though he had not shot it that way originally.. but he had room to pan down in post. It would be something I would have never thought of. (small movement down to be sure but noticible when watching it.)
 
i agree that squeeze is the way to go (and not to bring this thread in a completely different direction nor to highjack it) but i have problems exporting because it exports as anamorphic. cant i just export it so its resolution is in widescreen, and for that should i do 720x405 (that being 16:9)? sorry i have just had this problem for a little
thanks
 
Just a thought:

DVX movies released on the big screen -

NOVEMBER - starring Courtney Cox
LONESOME JIM - Directed by Steve Buscemi, with Casey Affleck
LAND OF PLENTY - Directed by Wim Wenders
IRAQ IN FRAGMENTS - Academy nominated doco

All shot letterboxed. All 4 directors tried the anamorphic adaptor and decided it was too bulky, brought down the f-stop, and did not produce significantly better results.
 
Interesting info dvxhutch.. did you mean all shot squeezed? for the movies above?

By the way Murderball has been shot with a DVX100a as well.
 
No, all shot letterboxed. November, Lonesome JIm and Land Of Plenty were shot on the original DVX100, Iraq In Fragments was shot on the DVX100 and DVX100A.
 
ullanta said:
Basically, you do it in the motion tab for each clip. You can either use the "distort" settings to specify new corners, or a combination of the aspect ratio and scale settings. I don't have FCP in front of me right now to give exact details... but will if this doesn't get you through!

But basically, IIRC, make sure your empty timeline is 16:9. Then, when you drop 4:3 clips into it, FCP will scale then to fit the frame... so they'll be "pillarboxed". Use the "Scale" in the motion tab to make the 4:3 image exactly fit the WIDTH of the 16:9 frame. The height will now be larger than the 16:9 frame, so you can use the "Center" control in the Basic Motion area of the motion tab to vertically re-frame to your liking.
Click to expand...

Will this procedure give me cleaner footage than going into sequence settings and changing the frame size to 720 X 640?

Anyone else try manipulating the frame size then rescaling?

IOW i'm asking if it's "better" to scale the image or change the frame size in the sequence settings?

Oh man, I'm totally lost.
 
Hi,

I have a related question. I need to transfer the FCP footage shot in squeeze mode to DVD but when I use Export / Quicktime movie in FCP (so that I can then use iDVD to burn it), it unsqueezes the image. What should I do to keep the correct aspect ratio?

Thanks.
 
Sorry folks. Further digging around tells me that I should use the 'Quicktime compression' with the custom setting of 720x405. I hope I am not wrong or missing any additional tricks...
 
If your going to be displaying your footage on a 16:9 TV use the "Squeeze"
mode to get 16:9. Or you can get the anamorphic adapter for the dvx.
If your going to be displaying your footage on a 4x3 TV then shoot in letterbox
for a 16x9 look.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top