Mopac Media - Resources

Brad Koester and Jose Mata on the set of Jose's TEN LITTLE COWBOYS - Photo by Kevin Triplett

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Cameras Tips

Sony V1U and Final Cut Pro Workflow

......UPDATE (April 2008)

This link at DVINFO is good for folks who are using Final Cut Pro 6 (Final Cut Studio 2) and are wanting to know more about how HDV is edited in FCP:

http://dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=108857

(The rest of this tip is intended for Final Cut Pro 5 ONLY.)

I found this online and thought it might be helpful:

24p workflow on the mac

I just shot and cut a little tw... (more info)

P2 Workflow, from Shane Ross's ''Little Frog in HiDef''

......From Shane Ross's Little Frog in HiDef Blog.

Panasonic P2 workflow, part 1

How it all started

When we first started this project, we always had the HVX-200 in mind. Our original start time was in September, when the cameras were slated to become available. But just as our start date was pushed, so was the release date of the camera. All the while we were researching and testing...and anxously... (more info)

Li-ion Battery Care Suggestions

Camera Batteries for the Panasonic DVX100a

......Proper care for your batteries depends on the chemical makeup of the battery. Consumer electronics generally use lithium-ion (Li-ion) or nickel metal hydride (NiMH) batteries. Most of the cameras at Mopac Media use Li-ion batteries. The properties of lithium and nickel, although they are both classified as metals, are quite different. Consequently, the type of battery should be noted before determining the proper care.

For all the scientists reading this, lithium is the the third element in the (more info)

Pixelcam Mod for Baseband Video Output

......(Photos and instructions courtesy of James Bodard, Jesse Chenven, Andrew Sempere, and Kevin Triplett.)

The Fisher-Price PXL2000 has taken microcinema by quiet storm (to skin a metaphore). Pixelcam shots can also be found in music videos and feature films (Michael Almereyda's epic Another Girl Another Planet was shot entirely in Pixelcam and scenes in his Hamlet and Richard Linklater's Slackers were shot with a similarly modified Pixelcam.

In it'... (more info)

Gritty Subjects

......If you are filming a fictional narrative that delves into the dark, murky waters of the human psyche or the underbelly of society, then you may want a gritty texture and sub-optimal images. A good example is the Danish film "The Celebration" where cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle uses a very inexpensive miniDV plam-sized camera to get noisey images of the subjects as their world is turned upside down and dragged through the mud of social taboo. Is your subject matter really out there? Try the PixelCam, a ... (more info)

Shooting in PAL

......If your video will be transferred to film for viewing in theaters or or film festivals, I recommend you shoot using PAL format cameras. PAL is the European video standard and is closer in frame rate to film and has extra resolution over the North American NTSC standard. We rent a PAL Canon XL1 and PAL monitor equipment for your shoot. Call for details.

Getting a Film Look

......Here, you really need to get with your Director of Photography and decide what image you are going after. The Canon XL1 is a favorite among DPs, for the image it can produce. There are newer cameras that provide more control over the image, such as the JVC GY-DV500 and the Sony DSR-300. Whether to shoot widescreen or not is an issue. The Canon XL1 and Sony TRV-900 both can record in the 16:9 format, although using less resoution because they simply crop the top and bottom of the image. The Sony DSR-500 give... (more info)

Music Videos

......Here, I recommend anything that will realize your vision. A surprisingly good choice for music videos is Super8. If you don't want it to look like it was shot on video, your best is to shoot it on film. The big budget shoots are done on film, usually 16mm and 35mm for the big labels, but a surprising number are shot on Super8. It's relatively inexpensive, can be transferred to video or blown-up to larger film formats with gorgeous results. It is more grainy and gives a softer look but that can be a benefit ... (more info)

Documentary and Events

......When you are filming life for incorporation into a documentary, what you are filming and under what circumstances are important. If you are interviewing someone, I recommend the Sony TRV-900 for its small size. The reason is, you want to put your subject at ease, comfortable, and relaxed so they will respond with natural answers to your questions giving you insight into your subject.

If you are filming in a dark location where you may not have adequate lighting, there are a number of newer cameras tha... (more info)

Corporate and Industrial Training Videos

......Businesses typically want to be professional and can expect the same with the services and products they buy. Video with little distortion, well lit images, and clear sound are what your more picky clients want. Even if they have no budget, they may not be satisfied with lower resolution cameras like Hi8 and SVHS. I recommend BetaSP and Digital Video as your best choices, the Canon XL1 being a favorite, combined with tripod and maybe a jib (if the budget supports it) for dynamic shots.

One unfortunate... (more info)

Subject Matters

......Starting with your subject, what is your film about? For instance, if you are producing a corporate video for promotional or training purposes, then you want a professional image and clean video. If you are filming a documentary, you may want a smaller, less intimidating camera, so your interviewees will be more comfortable and relaxed. Below is a table that may help identify what camera you need.

Quality of the Image

......Digital Video resolution is comparable to BetaSP. To keep this advantage, stay in the digital domain as you edit by using firewire to transfer your source material to and from the computer. Keep in mind that whenever you apply a color correction (or any other filter) to your material, the image will be re-compressed and cause the quality to suffer. Of course, if it improves the shot then it's worth applying the filter. Transitions and editing will also cause a re-compression of the image.

For chroma-k... (more info)

Sound Tips

Music Libraries and What I've Learned

......I'd like to share what I've learned about music libraries so you can make informed decisions and avoid the costly mistakes I've made.

Why You Need to License Music

If you're producing videos, films, radio ads, or ''on-hold'' messages, you're probably wanting to use music to enhance your production.

To stay legal and maintain a professional reputation, you can buy the rights to the music you use. It's interesting to note that the music industry has largely ignored the wedding video marke... (more info)

Lavalier versus Boom and Shotgun

......You'll usually use one of two mics for a scene, either a lavalier (the small mic you see clipped to someone's jacket) or a shotgun on a boom (a long, narrow mic at the end of a pole). There are pros and cons to each and it's important to know which is better in which situation.

Lavaliers, or "lavs," are easier to use than booms. You clip the mic to the subject, run the cables and you have sound. With a boom, you need a boom operator and you have to worry about following the subject and hiding the mic ... (more info)

Room Tone

......Whenever you record in a particular location, you always want to record "room tone" or the ambient sound of the location. Everyone must stand still and make absolutely no sound while 30 seconds to 1 minute is recorded. This is crucial because invariably, you need silence during editing when you start tweaking the delivery and timing of dialouge. Or you need to cover up any accidental sounds made by the crew during a scene or interview.

Use exactly the same microphone and leave all the lights that you ... (more info)

Sound in the Digital Age

......Digital recording of sound is fantastic but comes with a particular disadvantage: Distortion from overdriving the audio inputs. The Theory: A digital recorder converts sound into a series of numbers, which are recorded onto the tape, harddrive or minidisc. These numbers represent the amplitude of the sound. The numbers available to the recorder range from a minimum ot a maximum. If the amplitude exceeds the maximum number available, then the recorder has no choice except to the use the maximum number.

... (more info)

Sound 101

......Rule #1

Rules are made to be broken, but if you value success and are starting out or wanting to break into the professional sound, you'll need to master the rules first. Once you master the rules and understand why they are rules, then you can concentrate on what to break, when and why. In the following rules, I'll include why the rule is important and possible reasons to break it. Why is sound so imporant? We are highly visual and are extremely good at interpreting noisy video or grainy film. When ... (more info)

Lighting Tips

Cheap Halogen Lighting

......The common halogen shop lights you find at Sears and Wal-mart are great for video work, but they don't provide any control (no barndoors or other attachments). But they are dirt cheap which goes a long way for producers on low budgets. They come in a variety of shapes and sizes from ones that have their own stands to ones that have their own grip attachments for ladders, walls, shelves, etc.

For controlling the brightness, you can rig up a standard 600W dimmer in a box. Just don't turn them down too ... (more info)

Filming People of Color

......Subjects with dark skin tone create a high contrast ratio which can be hard to handle. Keep the background on the neutral side -- avoid white or bright colors. Put plenty of light on the subject and keep it even. On a light-skinned face, contrasty lighting often adds modeling and character. On a dark-skinned face the shadows don't seem as flattering.

As in black and white photography, use a key light to highlight hair and shoulders and separate the person from the neutral background. Ask the talent n... (more info)

Shooting an Interrogation Scene

......Most of these scenes either simulate or actually use a China Hat - an inverted bowl fixture with a bare bulb. The spill is often controlled by raising or lowering the light or by adding a skirt of black cloth if the light is off-camera. You can get these units at a store and then figure out how to mount it -- a wall-spreader if you have some real grip equipment.

You can also use a Chinese Lantern off-camera and above the table, skirted on all sides with black cloth or newspaper spray-painted black. B... (more info)

Shooting a Music Video with Timecode

......A big advantage to video on any set, especially a music video, is playback on the set. A big disadvantage is not being able to feed timecode into miniDV cameras -- and using a timecode slate is a big, expensive pain in the ass. Here is a simple method to get timecode on your scenes:

Get the studio master of the song from the artist or label and dub the song onto a mini-DV tape. Just record audio with no video. Then use this to playback in the field or do a timecode burn of this new "master" onto anot... (more info)

On Exterior, Night Lighting

......You're really talking about big power stuff (10K) if your scene is at all wide. This means a fairly large generator, which of course, will have to be mega-muffled if you are recording sound (and we always record sound, don't we?). You would also need something like a blonde to use as a key/fill, although you might get away with reflectors off the 10K.

If your shot is not too wide you might get away using just a blonde and reflectors. This means you could get away with a portable generator, but these ... (more info)

On the Use of Flourescents

......If you are running sync, the flicker from common ballasts is unnoticeable. The expensive Kinoflos and others use a high-frequency ballast designed not to flicker on camera unless using a very high shutter speed.

To prevent color temperature problems, lay your mitts on some Optima 32s by Duro-Test Lighting (see next paragraph). These suckers are as close to tungsten balanced as I've ever seen from a non-specialty tube (like a Kinoflo). Some have like 1/8 to 1/4 green to them, but that's pretty minor, ... (more info)

Books about Lighting

......"Film Lighting" by Malkiewicz is a wonderful collection of commentary by cinematographers, organized by subject.

I don't know why, maybe because cinematography is a visual medium combined with extensive physical logistics, but hearing James Wong Howe and other DPs discuss lighting and camera placement -- supplemented by trying things yourself -- really helps in understanding the process.

I also recommend Nestor Almendros' book "A Man with a Camera", which discusses a lot of philosophical and a... (more info)

Editing Tips

Compressing video for YouTube and Vimeo

......Compression for YouTube is tricky. Here's the summary of Brian Gary's thorough article on the Ken Stone FCP site:

Using Apple's Compressor software to encode your video, use these settings:

Format: Quicktime Movie
Video Settings:
   Codec: H.264
   Frame Rate: 30 fps Progressive (you can also use 24fps)
   Keyframes: Automatic
   Frame Reordering: checked
   Quality: High
   Data Rate: Automatic
A... (more info)

Multicam Editing with Final Cut Pro

......One of the exciting features in Final Cut Pro 5 is the ability to edit a program that was shot with multiple cameras. In Austin, Texas, "Live Music Capital of the World," that's a pretty common program. The cheapest and fastest and easiest way is to switch live to tape (some people might argue it's the easiest way).

If you choose to switch live, there are several excellent producers in town to hire: Vanilla Bean Productions, run by the very friendl... (more info)

Editing Tips and Techniques

......Good editing practices pay off in capturing an audience's attention and holding it. The worst case for editing is when the audience is suddenly aware of they are watching a film. The pacing, the choice of cuts, the action/image that's presented on the screen serve to further the story, hold the audience's attention and keep them wanting more. Editing creates a fluid movement of story and image that can be a beautiful work of art or klunky like an old car.

(more to come -- stay tuned!)

Filmmaking Tips

Insurance and Funding

......Here is a list that might be helpful. ~Angela [from Angela Lee, owner of FilmAustin, a Yahoo Group dedicated to helping independent filmmakers.]

[Matt Hader adds: When purchasing production insurance, and the production is a video shoot (not actual film), make sure to tell the insurance agent that you are doing ''video production'' and not ''making a film.'' The word ''film'' sets off a lot of red flags for insurance folks (film stock, etc). Vid... (more info)

Texas State Sales and Use Tax Exemptions

......The good news is that the state of Texas can provide you with an exemption to the state and local sales and use taxes for material used directly and exclusively in the production and post-production of a film or video. The bad news is that this exemption is only valid if your production will be distributed or will be offered for sale or distribution.

According to the Governor's website, student films are not eligible... (more info)

Improving Your Odds When Pitching

......

(This article first appeared in IndieSlate 2002, by Kevin Triplett.)

This year

Finding Funding SxSW Panel Notes

......Notes from the "Finding Funding Panel @ SxSW 2005" courtesty of Angela Lee at FilmAustin.

From Angela: This was an excellent SxSW festival panel, I hope to see you at the panels next year. Please be aware that these are very cryptic notes. I