Hello everyone. Here is a short clip that i shot last month at school. This was the last work done with Canon XL1 (i sold it and i am going to buy the pana DVX100). The result was quiet nice and we even made our first chroma at the end of the clip.

It was shot in Spain, where i live and where i study.

Tell me what you think of it.

Here is the big version in divx (15 Mb):
www.macgregorcorp.com/mac/optica2big.avi

here is the small clip (5 mb):
www.macgregorcorp.com/mac/optica2small.avi

and here for macintosh lovers:
www.macgregorcorp.com/mac/optica2.mov

i hope the links works because i dont know if the server allows this sizes.

Sigur Rós, good choice my friend. Just out of curiousity what program did you use for editing? FCP?

Very nicely done, Miguel. Impressive!

Would you mind explaining how you did the slow crawl/fast action shots?

well, the technic is very simple, you just have to record in a slow obturation speed (ie:1/6) and then in the editing you put the frame rate again at 25 frames per second.

the final effect wasn´t as good as i expected and i dont like too much. I expected more blurring images, but with the xl1 you cannot shoot any slower.

Also you have to think that the traveling will move 4 times faster than when you took the shot.

It was edited in Vegas 3.0 (arggg, if i knew the version 4 was available postproduction would have taken less time because of the smart time resample). Anyway, i used afeter effects also for the chroma and for duplicating frames and stabilize the footage.

Does anyone know a better software for stabilizing footage?

The 3D was render in Brazil.

And of course, the music was great.

Just out of curiosity Miguel, did you shoot this in frame or normal mode?

Miguel,
Excellent work. Very visually interesting and compelling.

Commotion Pro will perform image stabilization pretty well, at least within reason. It is, however, pretty much as tedius of a process as AE's.

Great work. I would enjoy hearing more about this process. What you did looks great. I'm just wondering about how you shot these subjects. I kinda get the drift of what your talking about but I dont think it really has sunk in yet.
Anyways I really enjoyed the eye candy. Thx

Rob:D

Ditto...I've also got more questions (you've obviously gotten our attention, Miguel!). For instance, when you're shooting at such a slow shutter speed, but have a very slow backward dolly at the same time, how did you manage to keep the dolly so smooth?

Ok. I will explain a little bit better the process.

With the XL1, there are slow obturation times (1/25, 1/12 and 1/6 of a second). When you use them the record mode is automatically set to frame mode (the images are recorded in progressive mode, not as fields -but we all know that in xl1 movie mode records only one field and the other one is interpolated but we still get good looking images-).

Then, shooting at 1/6 sec, each frame is seeing 4 times. So in order to keep smooth video speed, in post you will have to set the speed of the clip 4.17 times faster to acomplish 25 frames per second.

Ok, now we have footage shot at 1/6 second, that runs at 25 frames per second. But the look of the footage is 4 times faster than reality. So if you have shot a highway for example, cars go at 400 km/h insted of 100 km/h.

you could say, well, for me is easier to record at normal speed and then set the speed 4 times faster, and i get the effect. Yes but no. The speed will be also 4 times faster, but the images are different because there is not motion blurring of moving objets, and people notish that.

Also, when shooting at 1/6, the dolly movements will be more smooth. Still, mi footage was not perfect except for the guy with the mirror which no needed stabilization. The others needed a minor tracking. So i used AE (booooring) to do such thing.

Then, everyting is going 4 times faster but if you make someone move slowly or just stand up frozen, and move the dolly very slowly also, you get the clips i recorded. It seems the world moves faster but the person is at "standard" speed.

BUT. 1/6 of a second wasn´t enought for me. I wanted more bluring images of the people in the backwards, so i had to make another effect. Duplicating frames one over the other with opacity set at 50%. So one track is 1 frame ahead. And images will look in theory smoother. I said in theory because i dont like too much the effect, specially with the white coat girl and the moving man in the bridge.

Anyway, i´m glad you like it!!!!!!!!1

Thank you so much for sharing that method!

Thank you, great explination I got it. I really enjoyed this piece. Did you have any problems with lighting? Asuming that this process takes alot longer than normal. Clouds, time of day and so on?

Rob:D

PS- the large format divx has some compresson issues. Towards the end there was breaking up. Might of just been me.

i couldnt get the divx to play right at all and i have no issues playing other divx files...oh well. another question, i know im prob buggin the hell outta ya, did you use the standard XL1s lens for all these shots or manual or any filters, etc? im gettin a XL1s soon and seeing this kind of quality makes me want it sooner!

This was shot with XL1, not XL1s. No filters at all. Only "correct" white balance and use of lights.

In the first guy we have an HMI and a very cloudy day. With the black girl we use two "theaters" (1000 W open quarz lights), with the boy that sits there were two fluorescent screens (5600 and 3200º K), and in he chroma shot there were: HMI in the back, 5 "theaters" for the blue screen, two fluorescent screens for the face and body of the boy, and probably a softlight in the top of his head.

As i look always for quality, i selled the XL1 and i bought a Panasonic DVX100 PAL qhich will arrive in a week and i hope is as good as people say.

Very nice. Makes me want to shoot some test footage and play with your method for the effect.

Can't wait to see your work with the DVX.
Tom

Hey thanks Miguel I have really enjoyed the process you have taken. I always enjoy seening unique approaches using DV. Good luck with your future camera. Just sounds like a week is along time to wait for a camera. lol


Rob:D

Miguel, what was the song that was used in your clip?

John.

Sigur Rós - () - 04 - (njósnavélin)

Hey,

Wow! Well done!... I just made my first attempt at something half decent last night, which I posted for download on this forum, but I wish I hadn't after seeing this very professional peice. VERY NICE WORK.

Miguel, a little help please... I'm very new to the world of DV, but with my humble Canon XM2 (PAL's GL2) I simply can not get quality images like that when output to avi/computer. I know its nothing to do with the compression, is it simply because you record with proper lighting? Or is there some software (importing or rendering) that also plays apart in producing such refined crystal clear shots. My shots appear pixelated around the edges, why is this, I know its not the camera.

Do you recommend slightly over-exposing during a shoot that you know will be viewed on computer, to counter-act the darkness of computer monitors over TV??

Would you recommend Vegas Video over Adobe Premiere 6.5 ?

Thanks,
Keep up the excellent work.

I would def rec Vegas over Premiere, the new addition of Vegas Video 4 is far superior to Premiere 6.5.

Zac

Ps. i'll let others chime in on their opinions, but i think most would agree.

First of all, Hil i enjoyed your vid, the sky looked awesome! i was rather dissappointed that it was so short ;- ( please share more when you can! what did you use flash for in the vid? just the titling?

on to Vegas...
I've just started using Vegas 4...and so far i definately would say it is easier to pick up on than premiere. Alas, I've gotten so used to premiere that i want to just go back to it, but i feel like Vegas 4 will be worth it once i get it down pat. On the plus side, Vegas is much much easier to manipulate titles, and some of the effects can only be found in AE if you were to stick to an adobe platform. For the money, you get quite a bit of product. The winmorph tool is really cool and free for download. the same fellow who did that created another plugin that makes it look like glass breaking that im excitedly gettin ready to use in a project im working on now. Get the demo and test it out, its definately worth the time. also if you shoot in 16.9 with your canon, vegas can automatically recognize this (adobe is a pain, at least the way ive learned to do it).

Trey Thanks,

Yes Flash MX for the titles. Flash can be quite good for that type of thing.

I did myself a major favour today and downloaded the demo of Vegas 4.0

What can I say, I don't ever want to load Premiere again. This thing is amazing. You can tell this has been built from the ground up for sturdy windows usage unlike premiere which crashes compulsively.

It is sooo simple to use (not that premiere was hard, but at least this has clear menus and controls, and doesn't freeze like premiere) FAST, and the quality is superior, the video preview window is excellent quality/colour/contrast and puts Adobe Premiere's to shame. It also has nifty features like recognising where new sequences start in DV captured footage, handy custom templates for rendering work (AND HOW FAST IS THE RENDERING...WOW), within 2minutes I was hooked.

Goodbye Premiere... :)

Hilary,

One thing to consider when working with video is that is a fixed resolution medium, hence there is no advantage in using vector based imagery.

I study this atm, i am currently doing my masters in multimedia/design, and we do a lot of video work, if you want to do titles that are more managable like you did, and also far more detailed, we tend to work in photoshop and After Effects.

The reasons for this is very simple, if you are working pal, then it is 720x576 which the appropriate pixel ratios (nothing else), Photoshop offers the absolute most flexible option when working with rastor imagery, there is nothing that matches Photoshop in what it does.

Flash is a lovely tool, but you have such freedom with video now, explore it, make some far more detailed pictures, you can, you are not worried about resolutions anymore.

And have fun.

Zac

Dear Miguel,
this clip is just great :) Quick question: did you use any accessories with the xl1 for this footage? ( ie lenses, etc... is it the stock 16x lens? )

Thanks in advance,
Kevin

P.S.- It's always fun to look at your clips, keep'em coming! :)

Nothing but the standar XL1 and the standard lense. A dolly also helps! ;-D

My first post here. Have been cruising the boards for a while just learning. I have to say this is the best footage i've seen all night, and frankly, quite inspiring. Is it just me, or did they use that song in vanilla sky also?

Keep it up!

Hi there,

I've only had my XL1 for a few weeks, and I love the results you got. I've been looking all over the manual but I don't know how you set your camera speed. Sorry to ask, but can you please walk me through it? I can't seem to get that speed setting on my XL1.

Thanks!