XL H1 Advice at DVinfo.net

Ben Smallbone · July 21st, 2006, 09:05 PM

Just got the XL H1 and I need a little advice. I'm currently working on a short film for the 48 hour film festival and I'm worried about the speed of editing HD over SD. I own the Canon XL1s and the XL H1, and I'm very comfortable with the workflow of the XL1s footage in FCP. I have a G5 dual 2.0 and the system seems a little sluggish when editing HD. I'm worried that because of the strict timeline(only have 48 hours to finish the entire film), I might need to capture and edit the film in SD, but I want the best possible quality and I really want to play with my new camera. The final video needs to be delivered on DVD and Mini-DV so if I went HD I would need to convert down to SD anyways. Would love to hear your thoughts.

Josh Dahlberg · July 21st, 2006, 09:38 PM

Hi Ben,

Surely you've answered your own question. You've only got 48 hours, final delivery is SD, you know the XL1s inside out, you've got a smooth post-production route with the camera - horses for courses, go with the XL1s. Heck, you can play with your new camera any time you like outside those 48 hours. Good luck with the contest!

Ben Smallbone · July 22nd, 2006, 01:23 AM

One of the other options would be to record in SD 16:9 on the XL H1. I should still get the efficiency of recording and editing in SD but the features of the XL H1. Does anybody know if FCP can capture SD 24f?

Mathieu Ghekiere · July 22nd, 2006, 04:08 AM

I've heard the 24f is the same as 24p on the regular SD cameras (such as XL2, DVX100,...)
Don't know for sure though, but I think you could edit it fine.

Michael Galvan · July 22nd, 2006, 10:14 AM

Yes, 24F is recorded exactly the same way as 24P is on the XL2 and DVX100 (along with the pulldown options). I would definitely use that route.

I did the 48 hour film festival in NYC, and I shot in 24F HDV and downconverrted that to 24P DVCPro50 for editing and final output to DVD. Results were excellent .... we even won some awards!

Brian Critchlow · July 24th, 2006, 04:16 PM

Ben,

I would recommend shooting in HD 60i and setting the camera to downconvert when you bring it in to edit. This way you have HD source footage that you can re-edit some other time, but you will have SD footage going into your NLE and you can edit as normal.

Make sure you shoot 60i though, there is no workflow for 30p or 24p yet.

Ben Smallbone · July 27th, 2006, 10:23 AM

Thanks everyone for your help. The film turned out awesome and I'm thoroughly impressed with this camera. I shot in SD 16:9 24f and had no problems with the footage in FCP.

Michael, I would love to know more details on how you did your downconvert. Was that done through FCP?

Brian, thanks for your tip. The 48 hour film project was from the 21st - 23rd so I will have to try that next time.
I will post the film soon for you guys to take a look.

July 21st, 2006, 09:05 PM	#1
Ben Smallbone New Boot Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Nashville, TN Posts: 7	XL H1 Advice Just got the XL H1 and I need a little advice. I'm currently working on a short film for the 48 hour film festival and I'm worried about the speed of editing HD over SD. I own the Canon XL1s and the XL H1, and I'm very comfortable with the workflow of the XL1s footage in FCP. I have a G5 dual 2.0 and the system seems a little sluggish when editing HD. I'm worried that because of the strict timeline(only have 48 hours to finish the entire film), I might need to capture and edit the film in SD, but I want the best possible quality and I really want to play with my new camera. The final video needs to be delivered on DVD and Mini-DV so if I went HD I would need to convert down to SD anyways. Would love to hear your thoughts.

July 22nd, 2006, 04:08 AM	#4
Mathieu Ghekiere Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Belgium Posts: 2,195	I've heard the 24f is the same as 24p on the regular SD cameras (such as XL2, DVX100,...) Don't know for sure though, but I think you could edit it fine. __________________ http://productionsofthe3rdkind.com http://pr3k.com

July 22nd, 2006, 10:14 AM	#5
Michael Galvan Major Player Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: New York, NY Posts: 775	Yes, 24F is recorded exactly the same way as 24P is on the XL2 and DVX100 (along with the pulldown options). I would definitely use that route. I did the 48 hour film festival in NYC, and I shot in 24F HDV and downconverrted that to 24P DVCPro50 for editing and final output to DVD. Results were excellent .... we even won some awards! __________________ www.michaelgalvan.com www.screenanthology.com

July 21st, 2006, 09:38 PM	#2
Josh Dahlberg Major Player Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Wellington, New Zealand Posts: 513	Hi Ben, Surely you've answered your own question. You've only got 48 hours, final delivery is SD, you know the XL1s inside out, you've got a smooth post-production route with the camera - horses for courses, go with the XL1s. Heck, you can play with your new camera any time you like outside those 48 hours. Good luck with the contest!

July 22nd, 2006, 01:23 AM	#3
Ben Smallbone New Boot Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Nashville, TN Posts: 7	One of the other options would be to record in SD 16:9 on the XL H1. I should still get the efficiency of recording and editing in SD but the features of the XL H1. Does anybody know if FCP can capture SD 24f?

July 24th, 2006, 04:16 PM	#6
Brian Critchlow Regular Crew Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Santa Cruz, CA Posts: 133	Ben, I would recommend shooting in HD 60i and setting the camera to downconvert when you bring it in to edit. This way you have HD source footage that you can re-edit some other time, but you will have SD footage going into your NLE and you can edit as normal. Make sure you shoot 60i though, there is no workflow for 30p or 24p yet.

July 27th, 2006, 10:23 AM	#7
Ben Smallbone New Boot Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Nashville, TN Posts: 7	Thanks everyone for your help. The film turned out awesome and I'm thoroughly impressed with this camera. I shot in SD 16:9 24f and had no problems with the footage in FCP. Michael, I would love to know more details on how you did your downconvert. Was that done through FCP? Brian, thanks for your tip. The 48 hour film project was from the 21st - 23rd so I will have to try that next time. I will post the film soon for you guys to take a look.