Visible Pixels

[Lipster_Mansfield]

I was shooting a short and I came up with some interesting results when reviewing the footage. I had a monitor on set was constantly watching it but when I dumped the footage to my computer I noticed things that showed up on the peripheral that didn't show up on the monitor. Specifically the mic/boom and other pieces of lighting equipment. I called my camera operator and asked if he saw it in the shot and he said he didn't. So I pulled out my DVX and did some test footage. What I found was the captured footage showed more than what the on camera LCD showed and that the viewfinder showed even less. I thought the LCD was pixel for pixel what was being captured and I also figured the viewfinder would show the same thing.

What I am wondering is, how do people frame things up? Do people put something on their LCD to show what is TV safe? Do you output a different size? Put a black mask around the finished product? Are there monitors that will display everything? every pixel? Do people run one monitor that shows everything and have a second one that shows TV safe? Can you recommend models of monitors? Does distribution method ie. TV or WEB alter how you handle framing?

I'm just looking for a way to keep what I am shooting consistent and I just haven't been able to do that so far.

Also, I see in behind the scenes footage of movies that they almost always have 2 or more monitors? What do they use them all for?

 

[craigbowman]

A proper field monitor will have an underscan mode which you'll turn on so you don't have any surprises in the picture.

 

[Joshua Provost]

Which model DVX was used? Was it shot in 4:3 or 16:9 squeeze?

 

[Lipster_Mansfield]

I have a DVX100A and shot in 4:3.

 

[Sad Max]

The manual covers this.

If you look at the flip-out viewfinder, you'll see a scribed line a few millimeters outside the edge of the lcd screen. That larger rectangle indicates about the full extent of what's going to tape.