http://www.dvguru.com DV Guru http://www.dvguru.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://www.dvguru.com en-us Copyright 2012 Blogsmith, LLC. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.dvguru.com/2007/01/29/dvd-teaches-final-cut-pro-and-dvx100-tips/http://www.dvguru.com/2007/01/29/dvd-teaches-final-cut-pro-and-dvx100-tips/http://www.dvguru.com/2007/01/29/dvd-teaches-final-cut-pro-and-dvx100-tips/#commentsFiled under: Cameras, Editing, The Shoot, Post-production

Callbox has released a Tutorial dvd that teaches users how to maximize shooting with a DVX100 and editing in Final Cut Pro. The tutorial is taught by Noah Kadner. If you use the 2-pop forums, you will have surely seen his name or even recieved assistance from him. Topics include: Output for 35mm Film, Cinema Tools, SDI vs. Firewire Capture and, of coure, Advanced Pulldown Removal. Priced at $75.

(via Macworld)

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]]>dvxdvx100final cut proFinalCutProAjit Anthony2007-01-29T21:26:00+00:00http://www.dvguru.com/2007/01/29/special-effects-of-children-of-men/http://www.dvguru.com/2007/01/29/special-effects-of-children-of-men/http://www.dvguru.com/2007/01/29/special-effects-of-children-of-men/#commentsFiled under: Movies, The Shoot, Post-production

Ok, so I really quite like Children of Men. Partly because it is one of the most convincing films I have seen in a long time, in more ways than one. With other films, I sometimes doubt what I am witnessing, in due part to visual effects that are simply unnatural, for lack of a better word. However, in Children of Men, the implementation of CG and special effects is nearly seamless and unidentifiable, undoubtedly in due part to the overall fluid nature of the film. Nevertheless, CG is there, and this fxguide article does a great job in highlighting how special effects studio Double Negative handled implementing CG into several of CoM's key (and long) scenes. Ordinarily, visual effects artists deal with source footage in several second cuts, but DNeg was faced with compositing shots that went for up to nine minutes. The article also has great technical details regarding the camera rig used during the infamous car chase scene. Very enlightening stuff here. (Here's hoping for a feature-loaded DVD release.)

(via editblog)

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]]>alfonso cuaronAlfonsoCuaronbehind the scenesBehindTheSceneschildren of menChildrenOfMendouble negativeDoubleNegativefilmmakingmoviesspecial effectsSpecialEffectsvisual effectsVisualEffectsBrian Liloia2007-01-29T06:59:00+00:00http://www.dvguru.com/2007/01/24/reduce-time-lapse-flicker-with-gbdeflicker/http://www.dvguru.com/2007/01/24/reduce-time-lapse-flicker-with-gbdeflicker/http://www.dvguru.com/2007/01/24/reduce-time-lapse-flicker-with-gbdeflicker/#commentsFiled under: Production, Software, The Shoot

Creating a timelapse movie can be daunting especially when you will be committing lots of time to your subject. A distracting side-effect that distorts the time-lapse illusion is flicker, such as parts of the scene that are lighter or darker in each frame. Granite Bay software has an informative guide on what causes flicker in time-lapse as well as cures to fix it. They even have a free Deflicker plugin for Adobe After Effects or Premiere because sometimes you can do everything right and still wind up with flickering footage.

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]]>AdobeAfter EffectsAfterEffectsflickerfreepluginPremiereproductionsoftwaretimelapseRussell Heimlich2007-01-24T14:27:00+00:00http://www.dvguru.com/2007/01/24/camcorderinfo-poll-dvd-camcorder-wins/http://www.dvguru.com/2007/01/24/camcorderinfo-poll-dvd-camcorder-wins/http://www.dvguru.com/2007/01/24/camcorderinfo-poll-dvd-camcorder-wins/#commentsFiled under: Trends, Cameras, Hardware, Gear, The Shoot

I've been meaning to post this for a bit now, but things have been a bit hectic lately. Anyway, our friend Richard Baguley over at camcorderinfo posted the results of his poll on video formats. He asked readers to vote on which format they will consider when buying their next camcorder.

The results clearly favored HDV. It seems to be a popular choice which, given the DV tape standard, seems familiar to users. Surprisingly, AVCHD, the new format from Sony and Panasonic had a strong showing. I was also glad to see almost no one is considering those damn DVD camcorders. Click READ below for the complete results.

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]]>AVCHDcamcorder infoCamcorderInfoHDVpollAdam Nielson2007-01-24T07:02:00+00:00http://www.dvguru.com/2007/01/20/speargun-hunter-shooting-hd-under-water/http://www.dvguru.com/2007/01/20/speargun-hunter-shooting-hd-under-water/http://www.dvguru.com/2007/01/20/speargun-hunter-shooting-hd-under-water/#commentsFiled under: The Little Guy, Cameras, Gear, The Shoot, Post-production

Shooting good footage can be a challenge under normal circumstances. Add the elements of shooting underwater, big ol' spearguns and the occasional shark and I won't be signing up for your project. But the crew of Speargun Hunter, a 13 episode series airing on The Outdoor Channel, had to deal with all these issues. They shot the series with a Sony XDCAM HD PDW-F350 and used a Sony Z1 for all the underwater footage. For more details check out this article on the series, plus this interview with the creators.

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]]>hdsonyspeargun huntersSpeargunHuntersunderwaterxdcamz1Sheila Ward2007-01-20T16:08:00+00:00http://www.dvguru.com/2007/01/20/elvis-lives-in-hd/http://www.dvguru.com/2007/01/20/elvis-lives-in-hd/http://www.dvguru.com/2007/01/20/elvis-lives-in-hd/#commentsFiled under: Trends, Production, Cameras, The Shoot

An upcoming documentary, The Truth About Elvis, takes an in-depth look at the conspiracy theory that The King lives. director Dan Bliss wants to separate the film from tabloid fodder, and make sure people the style and imagery of a true and earnest documentary. To do that, he's enlisted the help of the Panasonic AG-HVX200.

Bliss says the camera is a perfect fit for all the traveling 'Elvis required. He also praises it's ability to to shoot lengthy interviews with the help of a P2 Store portable hard drive. Using a Powerbook, Bliss would offload the footage to an external firewire drive, then back up each card to DVD. The system offers storage redundancy, and is a pretty good work-around for the current limitations of P2.

Of course, this isn't the first time we've posted on the success of the HVX in real world applications. Still, it continues to amaze as a an affordable option for "film" and television. Click READ below for more info about the film, and the work flow surrounding it.

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]]>ElvisHVX200P2PanasonicAdam Nielson2007-01-20T09:33:00+00:00http://www.dvguru.com/2007/01/10/freshdv-video-review-of-vfgadgets-pro-gripper-quad-camera-mount/http://www.dvguru.com/2007/01/10/freshdv-video-review-of-vfgadgets-pro-gripper-quad-camera-mount/http://www.dvguru.com/2007/01/10/freshdv-video-review-of-vfgadgets-pro-gripper-quad-camera-mount/#commentsFiled under: Gear, The Shoot, Intermediate

Matt and Kendal have an excellent video review of a car camera mounting system from VFGadgets. Installing the device didn't seem to induce much confidence from them because of the give and the cheap plastic bolts. But when they did use it in a shoot, the mount worked. I have to admit the results were better than what I would have hoped for from what is a prosumer piece of equipment. Also check out the resulting video from the test, it is better a lot of specs I have seen.

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]]>carfreshdvpro gripper quad camera mountProGripperQuadCameraMountvfgadgetsAjit Anthony2007-01-10T16:11:00+00:00http://www.dvguru.com/2007/01/04/the-griptionary-filmmaker-lingo/http://www.dvguru.com/2007/01/04/the-griptionary-filmmaker-lingo/http://www.dvguru.com/2007/01/04/the-griptionary-filmmaker-lingo/#commentsFiled under: The Shoot

Beefy babies, happy heads, condor brackets, oh my! If none of these terms sound familiar, you might need to start spending more time on a film set. Production crews have their own special set of equipment lingo that will probably baffle the uninitiated, but the Griptionary should ease things a bit with its big set of production slang terms and their meanings. Handy!

(via FresHDV)

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]]>equipmentfilmmakinglingoproductionslangBrian Liloia2007-01-04T15:06:00+00:00http://www.dvguru.com/2007/01/03/a-hands-on-review-with-scopebox/http://www.dvguru.com/2007/01/03/a-hands-on-review-with-scopebox/http://www.dvguru.com/2007/01/03/a-hands-on-review-with-scopebox/#commentsFiled under: Production, Software, The Shoot

The more information a filmmaker has at his or her disposal, the better decisions the filmmaker can make. Video scopes give you an objective stream of information about the picture coming out of your camera. ScopeBox aims to go beyond Serious Magic's DV Rack, and it does by leaps and bounds according to Frank Jonen from his hands on review with the product. Some things that set this software package apart from the rest include:

• Full screen, undistracted view
• Full color scopes
• Customizable layouts
• Clean interface
• No real-life looking knobs that are hard to use

To get a more in depth look at ScopeBox with lots of screen shots then give Mr. Jonen's six page review a read through.

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]]>colorDV RackDvRackmonitorparadescopeboxscopeswaveformRussell Heimlich2007-01-03T11:48:00+00:00http://www.dvguru.com/2006/12/31/sony-hdr-fx1-against-fx7/http://www.dvguru.com/2006/12/31/sony-hdr-fx1-against-fx7/http://www.dvguru.com/2006/12/31/sony-hdr-fx1-against-fx7/#commentsFiled under: Cameras, The Shoot, Intermediate

This German website (translated) compares two similar Sony's HDV offerings. The FX7 is the newer version of FX1. There are quite a few differences between the two cameras. The biggest difference is the FX7 1/4 Cmos chip vs FX1 1/3 ccd chip. The site has plenty of stills and some video from both cameras.

I have used FX1 and was generally impressed but this is when HDV was first hitting the market. But now HDV is quite common and the difference between the cameras is growing. According to the stills in the article, I prefer the FX7, even if it leans a little on the consumer saturated side (Sony classifies this as a consumer camera). But I cannot get over the lack of XLR inputs, the Canon XH A1 is a couple of hundred dollars more and it has those features.

(via HD For Indies & FresHDV)

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]]>canon xha1CanonXha1cmosfx1fx7hdvsonyAjit Anthony2006-12-31T20:51:00+00:00http://www.dvguru.com/2006/12/28/remote-camera-controls/http://www.dvguru.com/2006/12/28/remote-camera-controls/http://www.dvguru.com/2006/12/28/remote-camera-controls/#commentsFiled under: The Little Guy, Cameras, Hardware, The Shoot

I posted a while back about the advantages of remote lens controllers. EventDV has a look at some more advanced (and more expensive) models of remote camera control systems. Some of these systems, like the Grizzly Pro, allow you to control up to 3 remote cameras and motion heads. I've covered several live events with 2 cameras and this system would've come in very handy. My current procedure is to use my feet to move between cameras, which is sometimes not easy to do without drawing attention. For me, assistants are the way to go. They have the added benefit of helping you carry all the gear.

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]]>lens controllerremoteremote controlremote pan tiltRemotePanTiltSheila Ward2006-12-28T14:57:00+00:00http://www.dvguru.com/2006/12/27/hd-scares-stars-but-makeup-artists-shine/http://www.dvguru.com/2006/12/27/hd-scares-stars-but-makeup-artists-shine/http://www.dvguru.com/2006/12/27/hd-scares-stars-but-makeup-artists-shine/#commentsFiled under: Trends, Business, Production, Cameras, Lighting, The Shoot

Now that even morning and daytime television are saturated with HD, you know it's arrived. All the clarity and sharpness, however, strikes fear into the hearts of talent. Thanks in part to film grain, viewers don't notice age lines and puffy eyes as much, but with digital and it's all or nothing glory, every line and skin imperfection is aired out for all viewers to see. Some say it's the end of the extreme closeup, and that stars will start putting anti-HD measures in their contracts, but an article at the Hollywood Reporter provides hope. Makeup artists are stepping up their game, utilizing new techniques to literally airbrush away imperfections. I tend to tell my talent that on my tiny HDR-HC1, I've enabled the beautifying filter, and since it's a documentary, they've got nothing to worry about.

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]]>hdmakeupstarsRandall Bennett2006-12-27T23:33:00+00:00http://www.dvguru.com/2006/12/27/stu-maschwitz-interview-on-filmmaking-central/http://www.dvguru.com/2006/12/27/stu-maschwitz-interview-on-filmmaking-central/http://www.dvguru.com/2006/12/27/stu-maschwitz-interview-on-filmmaking-central/#commentsFiled under: The Little Guy, The Shoot, Post-production, DIY

Filmmaker Stu Maschwitz, author of the (should be) newly released book, The DV Rebel's Guide: An All-Digital Approach to Making Killer Action Movies on the Cheap was recently interviewed on Filmmaking Central. Maschwitz discusses some of his own filmmaking background, and delves into inspiration for writing the guide itself, and what readers should expect. The book's obvious goal is to help producing polished action films (as is clear by the title), but the guide seems to focus more on elements of post-production and easily creating polished visual effects with After Effects. Anyone intrigued by the book should give this interview a listen.

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]]>bookdiydv rebels guideDvRebelsGuidefilmmakinginterviewstu maschwitzStuMaschwitzBrian Liloia2006-12-27T08:21:00+00:00http://www.dvguru.com/2006/12/24/interview-solutions-greenscreen-it/http://www.dvguru.com/2006/12/24/interview-solutions-greenscreen-it/http://www.dvguru.com/2006/12/24/interview-solutions-greenscreen-it/#commentsFiled under: The Little Guy, The Shoot, Post-production

If you shoot lots of interviews you know that each one comes with its own set of challenges. If you travel to the subjects location you have to worry about how you will present the interviewers questions, getting shots of both parties, lighting, surroundings, audio, etc. Sometimes it's easy, sometimes it's a nightmare. Well one solution might be to do all your interviews with greenscreens then make them look however you want in post. In this article that's just what they end up doing. Heck, the interviewer isn't even required to be on location because they setup iChat so he can ask the questions while the subject answers into the camera. The interviewers part is all shot at another time and tweaked in post. The article is interesting and with everyone so busy these days it's certainly hard to get everyone in the same room at the same time. This is definitely something to keep in your hat to pull out when you need it.

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]]>green screengreenscreenichatinterviewSheila Ward2006-12-24T21:42:00+00:00http://www.dvguru.com/2006/12/23/depth-of-field-myth-debunked-its-all-an-illusion/http://www.dvguru.com/2006/12/23/depth-of-field-myth-debunked-its-all-an-illusion/http://www.dvguru.com/2006/12/23/depth-of-field-myth-debunked-its-all-an-illusion/#commentsFiled under: Cameras, The Shoot

You may have read or been told that if you physically back up your camera and then zoom in to your subject you will create a shallower depth of field. It's a well known technique that appears is technically incorrect. Walter Graff performed some tests and writes up a great explanation of what is actually going on when this technique is used. The DOF does not change, but the softer background we see just gives the illusion of a shallower DOF. So, does all this really matter as long as the technique gives you the look you want? Maybe not, but you should definitely read his explanation and check out the example he has posted. Understanding little tidbits like this makes us all better shooters.

[via FresHDV]

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]]>depth of fielddofmythshallowwalter graffWalterGraffzoomSheila Ward2006-12-23T00:34:00+00:00http://www.dvguru.com/2006/12/18/complex-3d-tracking-in-a-tv-commercial/http://www.dvguru.com/2006/12/18/complex-3d-tracking-in-a-tv-commercial/http://www.dvguru.com/2006/12/18/complex-3d-tracking-in-a-tv-commercial/#commentsFiled under: Editing, Software, The Shoot, Post-production

Great "how we did it" article over on fxguide that discusses the challenges of creating a TV commercial for a railroad association. The look of this commercial needed to provide the illusion that it was all one continuous shot. The creator utilized green screens, rotoscoping and 3D tracking to pull off the desired result.

Lots of details are included, plus video and stills of before/after shots. Interesting stuff.

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]]>3d trackingcommercialcompositingeffectsfxgreen screenSheila Ward2006-12-18T00:58:00+00:00http://www.dvguru.com/2006/12/14/hdv-hits-its-stride/http://www.dvguru.com/2006/12/14/hdv-hits-its-stride/http://www.dvguru.com/2006/12/14/hdv-hits-its-stride/#commentsFiled under: Cameras, Gear, The Shoot

EventDV.net examines the codec of the year: HDV. The article could be titled "The Story of HDV" with Sony playing the lead, Canon and JVC as the sidekicks. While Panasonic plays the perilous villain. I am exaggerating but HVX is not really given a fair shake, as it infers HVX is better suited for the rental house. This certainly makes sense when you realize the article is written for Event videographers, who record for long periods of time. Which is one of the biggest problems with the HVX currently. This could change with when P2 cards get more memory.

Anyways, check out the article, it gives a very good overall picture of the HDV's products

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]]>canoneventdv.nethdvhvx200jvcpanasonicsonyAjit Anthony2006-12-14T19:09:00+00:00http://www.dvguru.com/2006/12/14/hdv-gone-to-heaven-in-07/http://www.dvguru.com/2006/12/14/hdv-gone-to-heaven-in-07/http://www.dvguru.com/2006/12/14/hdv-gone-to-heaven-in-07/#commentsFiled under: Trends, Business, Production, Cameras, Hardware, Media, The Shoot

Before you buy that new HDV camcorder to go under the tree, you might want to take a look at this. Tore Nordahl over at Coax.tv says the format is dead in 2007. He goes on to explain that the new AVCHD codec is poised to slide into it's spot as the de facto HD camcorder standard.

I did a little checking, and we here at DVGuru have not always said the nicest of things about the AVC format. For starters, no editing system currently supports it. Also, in what is apparently another attempt to leverage it's format, Sony has opted to create camcorders relying exclusively on Blu-ray technology.

AVC doesn't have to be difficult though. As Nordahl points out, the format is certainly not dependent on disk media, and in fact can be recorded onto a drive, or solid state memory like Panasonic's P2 cards. In fact, he cites several models on their way, which will do just that. As for editing support, we recently reported on an AVCHD converter. I also expect major editing apps to announce support in the next revision of their software.

Nordahl makes some great points, and explains that AVC offers many of the advantages of HDV, with fewer drawbacks. There's no denying that HDV uses some gnarly compression to fit itself onto a standard DV tape. Not only is AVCHD less compressed, it doesn't have to shoehorn itself into a cassette tape.

Before you write this off as some blogger talking junk, take a look at Nordahl's resume. The guy knows his stuff, and he has seen quite a few formats come and go. I personally think he makes sense, and there are a few things I have always questioned about HDV. At this point, I'm more than willing to give AVCHD a chance.

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]]>AVCHDHDVNordahlAdam Nielson2006-12-14T10:33:00+00:00http://www.dvguru.com/2006/12/14/12-tips-for-home-movie-success-for-the-2006-holiday-season/http://www.dvguru.com/2006/12/14/12-tips-for-home-movie-success-for-the-2006-holiday-season/http://www.dvguru.com/2006/12/14/12-tips-for-home-movie-success-for-the-2006-holiday-season/#commentsFiled under: The Little Guy, Cameras, The Shoot

We all know one. Maybe it's someone in your family, or a friend or co-worker. They think they are the bees knees when it comes to shooting with a camcorder, yet produce shaky, blurry, snap-zooming video that could make a sea captain nauseous.

These people need help! No one knows that better than home movie transformation artists at iMemories. the Arizona based production company makes it's dough converting and editing home movies and slides into watchable DVDs the whole family will love. Just in time for the holidays, iMemories has released 12 tips for Home Movie success.

I admit, many of the things on the list are basic skills most DVGurus will do in their sleep. Avoiding zoom controls, panning slowly, and using a tripod all make the list. iMemories also bravely delves into lighting, audio, and the dreaded rule of thirds. Now, before you pros blow this off, think hard, and give the gift of better home movies to someone you know. I'm forwarding this to my uncle even as we speak.

Click READ for the complete list

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]]>Adam Nielson2006-12-14T07:22:00+00:00http://www.dvguru.com/2006/12/13/blogging-audio-production/http://www.dvguru.com/2006/12/13/blogging-audio-production/http://www.dvguru.com/2006/12/13/blogging-audio-production/#commentsFiled under: Audio, The Shoot

sync.sound.cinema is a blog dedicated to bringing news on different elements of audio production. As we all know, audio is a bit of an unfortunate underdog when it comes to the filmmaking process. People love to talk about their shiny new cameras with 24p, HDV, etc., but the audio end of producing films seems to play second fiddle to the overall artistic process, despite its great significance. Anyway, it's nice to see a new site devoted strictly to sound, and hopefully it will shape up to become an important resource.

(via Self-Reliant Filmmaking)

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]]>audioblogsoundsyncsoundcinemaBrian Liloia2006-12-13T15:12:00+00:00