Shooting Golf Tourament For Immediate Playback

A

andybiz_2005

Well-known member
Dear friends,

I have been tasked to shoot a golf tournament at a 9-hole, 60 acre golf course at a club. I plan on using two camcorders ( 1 DVX100A & 1 Sony PD170) due to the vastness of the course. Time for the shoot would be from 5:00pm till 7:00pm.

After the tournament, dinner would be served (8:00pm) & the golfers would want me to show the day's events, which would be unedited due to such a short time. Hence it is in-camera editing all the way.

Since I will have to play back the footage using the two cameras (connected via cable to an overhead LCD projector), is there a way to switch between camera 1 & 2 in realtime as both cameras are playing back the footage so that the golfers can instantly see footage from the two cameras one at a time? I figure that it's almost impossible as there doesn't seem to be a way to synchronise the miniDV tape playing in the DVX100A & the miniDV tape playing in the Sony PD170 so that it looks like one continuous shot (one camera angle interspersed with the other camera angle). Can a normal 4-channel video switcher switch between playback of each camcorder in realtime?

Please advice me on the best solution to playback footage & intersperse them between two camcorders. Much thanks in advance.

Regards,

Andrew
 
Yes a normal video mixer can switch between the 2 camera's video outpus as you wish. .. don't forget to think about audio!


- Mikko
 
Hi Mikko,

That was such a fast reply :) You mean it's possible to use a normal video switcher? But say just for example, the miniDV tape in DVX100A shows a golfer teeing off (timecode 00:04:25) But the miniDV tape in PD170 shows the golf ball flying in the air & finally dropping to the greens (timecode 00:05:01) for example. If I want to switch from DVX100A followed by switching to Sony PD170, does that mean that the timecode will synchronise automatically in realtime? Maybe it's such a simple answer to this, but I've never attempted something like this before. Thanks.

Andrew
 
oh no, the video mixer simply mixes the video signals .. it has no control over the cameras.

You will have to manually control the camera's playback. And yes, it's going to be a nightmare.
One option would be to have both cameras roll continously, it will keep you syncronized (provided you roll them in sync), but it will end up with moments of "dead air" and a long (realtime) presentation.


I'd almost recomend finding (renting?) a couple of Firestores - one for each camera. At the end of the day, (or sooner if possible) dump those firestores to a laptop and quickly edit the clips together in a basic NLE. Then firewire one of your cameras tot he laptop and present directly from the timeline. Yes it's fast paced, but if you break one of your cameras a little early (and dump it then) and then get teh other FS dumped right at 7:00 you'll still have a good 45-min to an hour (and probabaly more, you can probaably push back the video presenstation a little to let people get seated & served) to do the cut - have your camera operators there to help you edit - they know what they shot.

Any halfway decent computer can playout your cut in real time from the timeline through the camera.



Just a sugestion, but about the best was I can think fo pulling off a clean presensation in the insanly short time you have.

- Mikko
 
Hey Mikko,

yet again, thank you for your very helpful advice. What I was thinking after reading your latest reply is that here in my country, it is very very difficult to find companies that would rent out their Firestores because the Firestore unit in my country is so hard to find. Not many videographers use it.

So the other alternative would be to communicate via walkie-talkie with my other videographer operating the Sony PD170 & synchronise exactly when we push the record button on our respective camcorders. We would have to like verbally count-down over the walkie-talkie (3-2-1, record) or something like that. It's going to be quite a hassle for us as we have to also monitor what goes around us, monitor the game in progress, follow the lead golfer when he gets ready to tee off, set up our camera angles, adjust exposure, focus, etc. So it's going to be a challenge to count down everytime we shoot while also thinking about other stuff.

Initially, I thought about just using only one camera, that would be so easy to playback the miniDV from just one tape, but I can only get one angle of the whole tournament, unless I can quickly teleport to the other end of the golf course :) In situations like these, I wish I could be in two situations at once.
 
wow..
this is certainly a very difficult task to accomplish ... i think certainly playing both cameras together with the switcher will be very difficult to sync.

However I think mikko's second option can be done too... provided u have the person who's proficient in doing multi camera and put it on. then he will be like switching it live on the computer.

But the audience will only get to see that max screen on what we see on the PC with the multi camera screens together....
 
You're making this way more complicated than it needs to be.
Camera one covers the front 9 and camera two covers the back 9. Roam around and get as many groups as possible. Be mindful of of pre-roll and postroll since you're editing in camera. For viewing you don't need a switcher. Playback the entire reel of camera 1 and then switch tapes to camera 2 (truth is it doesn't matter which reel you start with).

I did something like this last year (single camera shoot). It was funny watching them watch themselves on screen. They are like children, easily amused by the most mundane things. "Look at me - I'm on television!". Your audience isn't expecting coverage that would match the coverage of the British Open. They just want to see themselves on TV. Go out there and have some fun.
 
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