Digital Video - March 2008 - (Page 29)

Billups shoots an element for a future chroma-key composite. make the best possible key without worrying about what it looks like, then using the result as a matte. “For HDV in post, I’d mention a couple of things. First, if you’re going to need a lot of post color correction, I’d recommend shooting with gain up a bit, like +3dB, even if it’s bright sunlight, just to noise the image up a bit. That will help keep shadow blocking at bay and increase the apparent bit depth of the image. “Another thing is, there’s a good chance you’ll need to dub the masters to HDCAM prior to capture, if one’s doing offline, then online conform. Another approach is to capture uncompressed from the get-go, using an HD-SDI or HDMI output, and treat it as if it were coming off an HDCAM tape. The advantage of that is using the same hardware codec to decode it as was used to encode, rather than QuickTime’s software codec, which can give you a slightly better image.” Another good friend, VFX supervisor Mike Most, adds: “A compositor always tries every possibility before settling on what is usually a combination of techniques to create a quality matte. In almost every case, a ‘single solution’ matte is not a professional quality matte. Proper mattes almost always require multiple keys of various types and often a degree of rotoscoping before they’re as good as they can get. “Of course, that’s the approach of professional compositors — people who do this for a living. Not editors, cameramen, or producers trying to save money by not using professional compositors.” A growing number of the movies and shows that I shoot involve varying degrees of greenscreen. Over the years I’ve developed a system that allows me to capture the highest quality signal while providing a convenient production and reference station. The performance window in production technology is moving so fast that if we wait for computers to become ruggedized enough for location work, the state-of-the-art will have moved on. It is for this reason that it becomes imperative to devise gear specifically engineered to incorporate current technologies into the production environment. The current version of my “AppleCart” is based on the www.dv.com Steadicam LowBoy Dolly from BackStage Equipment Company in North Hollywood, California. It was custom fabricated for me by the company’s owner. It has spent the majority of its life in trucks and planes, traveling between locations and folds into itself for shuttling around on local jobs. It also breaks all the way down to the two side rails and tires for shipping. Nearly everything else is speed rail and fittings, which can be pulled from the grip truck on location. Any grip worth his Starbucks can slap this thing together, modify it or dismantle it in just a few minutes. I’ve developed a couple of these production carts in various configurations, but the majority of them are Mac Pros with Blackmagic cards and Ciprico RAIDs. They all do 4:4:4 dual-stream HD-SDI and stand up to the wear and tear of realworld production. One of the great things about having a computer right there next to the camera is that you can use the onscreen diagnostics from your capture application to make sure that you’re getting a good bite on the chroma key. Finish the shoot; load on a copy of After Effects and just hand the whole box off to the artist. Once they finish pulling the key and cutting the garbage mattes, they hand it over to the compositor and they in turn hand it off to the editor. DV “Digital Moviemaking 3.0” (ISBN 1932907378) is available at www.mwp.com and www.amazon.com. Used with permission. http://www.mwp.com http://www.amazon.com http://www.dulcesystems.com http://www.dulcesystems.com http://www.dv.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Digital Video - March 2008

Digital Video - March 2008 Contents DV Update Q&A Fest Circuit Instant Expert LP-Micro Light Fusion F2 Drive PPFP-3N Bag Ego Digital Imaging Light KE-79CC Boom & Fuzzy Close-Up: Honoring George Spiro Dibie, ASC Food Fight Key Thoughts on Chroma key DV101 Dynamic Duos First Look: A Big Serve Cameras & Courtrooms Ad Index Production Diary

Digital Video - March 2008

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