Using a D90 for interviews

chris f

chris f

Veteran
Long story short: I am doing a "love story" segment of a wedding video for one of my good buddies for free in exchange for using it for promotional purposes for a new wedding division of my production company. I'm using this shoot as a little R&D because I've yet to jump into the HD world (still clinging to that DVX) and want to test out new equipment, new workflows, etc. before I start charging for it. I had planned on renting the HMC150, but it was unavailable, so I just rented all the other equipment and was going to just use my DVX.

However, after seeing some of the work on the D90 threads, especially the wedding clip, I want to rent out the D90 this weekend and try it out, because it really looks like a great tool for artistic b-roll and may even work for locked down interviews.

Before I rent I have a few questions though (forgive me if they've already been answered, I haven't found them in my searches).


1. Would it be fine to use this cam for interviews? Other than the 5 min. limit on takes and the audio (will record simultaneously with a lav to my DVX), do I have any other obstacles to overcome? Will the cam wear down doing 20 min of interview? How much 720p footage will fit on a memory card (2gig, 4gig, etc.?)

2. How hard is it to focus without an external monitor? Since it's locked down could I take a still, zoom in with the lcd and check the focus on the photo and when I have the focus right lock everything down and switch to video mode?

3. The interviews are outside, if it's bright out will I have to shoot at a very high shutter speed to expose correctly while still getting a shallow DOF? If so, will I be stuck with choppy, Saving Private Ryan footage?

4. How much does shooting video eat up the battery?


Thanks in advance for your help!
 
1. Although possible, this camera may not service you well under pressure in a client-supervised environment. Since it's designed as a still camera, using it as a motion picture camera will be a bit more awkward, i.e., slower. But if you hire a second shooter to handle the "standard" coverage, you could sell this service as a more specialized, "short film," kind of event-coverage service. Sell it more as art than as another technical attribute.

Yes, the longest take is limited to 5 minutes due to heat build-up in the sensor. You would need to break up your interviews at these intervals. I think a 4GB card holds plenty. Maybe 30 or 40 minutes of 720p footage, using some rough calculations. Your mileage will vary since the camera employs variable-bit rate compression.

Ideally, you would need a second person, a sound recordist, to record audio using a double-system sound set-up. The D90's built-in mic is really only usable for "nat" sound (ambience). The optimum way to record sound for D90-acquired video would be to assemble a kit containing a decent, short-shotgun condensor mic ($300-$1,500), fishpole/shock-mount ($300-$700), "Softie" windscreen ($130), and a portable digital recorder ($300-$500) with balanced XLR inputs and phantom power (the Marantz PMD660 is only $419 and has both). You could buy all this for as little as about $1,500. Lower-end audio gear these days is actually quite good. The Audio Technica AT835B is a decent short-shotgun mic, and it's only about $300. Your sound recordist will also need to use a clapstick to visually synch your picture to your sound device. On very long takes, you will also have synch issues that will need correcting in post. [Note: didn't see the part about you using your DVX as the second system--yes, that and a good lav works, too.]

2. I find focusing using the 3" LCD reasonably easy and accurate, at least indoors. In direct sunlight, it's barely visible--you will need some sort of "Hoodman" type shade or something. I'm liking this 3x optical loupe made by Hoodman to address this issue for myself.

3. Yes, since you don't have any direct control over the camera's shutter speed, you are correct. To attenuate the high shutter speeds, you could simply buy a set of ND filters for exterior shooting (0.3, 0.6, 0.9--one, two, and three stops, respectively). When shooting your subject in direct sun, a 4' x 4' Chinasilk is just about the right density and is highly recommended (polysilks are too dense, and often drop the light level too low). Just throw up the silk and choose a shaded background for your interview set-up and you'll be in good shape.

4. Haven't tested battery life yet. Seems pretty healthy.
 
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But if you hire a second shooter to handle the "standard" coverage, you could sell this service as a more specialized, "short film," kind of event-coverage service. Sell it more as art than as another technical attribute.
Click to expand...

This is what I plan on doing if the D90 works out. Using it strictly for artistic shots/b-roll while the rest of the event gets standard coverage.


I went to the camera shop today and they hooked me up. Because they were busy this weekend they let me rent the camera at a reduced rate of 100/day and let me keep it Today, Sat, and Sun for the price of one day. I played around with it a bit today and now I'm going to download the footage and play with it. The LCD screen is HUGE and focusing was very easy, which was a relief.
 
Hey I'd invest/rent another battery. My d90 was at 50% the other day (forgot to charge) and I managed to get about 40 min of footage before it died (well not died, but blinking red). I was using a 16gb, I dunno, maybe that contributed to it dying faster. I always bring two batteries.

Hmm, I think you may find the footage between the d90 and dvx not to blend, but who knows, with the power of color correction i wouldn't be surprised if you pull it off.

but like Ralph said, I'd advise you have a second hand. I've worked wedding with two ppl (me and another person) and its hard enough as it is with gear you're familiar with. In under pressure situation like a wedding the d90 isn't so friendly sometimes. i'm sure you'll learn to lock the exposure down quickly. anyway just my two cents, best of luck i'm sure you'll see the beauty of the d90
 
For this particular edit/project I'm soley using the D90 for video, the DVX will only be used to capture the audio with a lav mic hooked up to it. I finally figured out how to upload the footage to my comp, now I'm just trying to figure out how in the world to edit it with Final Cut Pro 5. Any suggestions?


*Edit* After spending some time on the web and re-reading the stickies on here, I'm much much happier with the footage I'm getting now compared to the footage earlier today in full auto-mode and I've figured a suitable way to edit with Final Cut 5
 
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I've made a little rough cut interview with my test footage and it looks really good in FCP and when exported from FCP using the self-contained export, but when I try to export with h.264 it plays back very choppy, like someone boosted the shutter like crazy. I tried to upload the self-contained file to Vimeo but it won't convert. Hopefully I can get it figured out so I can show it to you guys.
 
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