DV fanatics here...really?

[John Locke]

Hey, I just loaded a sample video online in another thread to get some advice on what's ailing my camera, and in doing so it dawned on me that I've hardly EVER seen any links to video samples of anything here.

Wud up wi dat?

Everyone here enjoys shooting DV...so why not show off and share a bit of what we've done? Anything would be great: best shots, worst shots, low light, bright light, snow, underwater, action, steadicam, original movies, documentaries, weddings, barmitzvahs, flukes, bloopers, 5 second shots, full web movies--they'd all be fun to check out, and educational to boot!

I know it's a bit embarrasing to have others see what you've done and comment, but what the heck? I'll be the first to admit that I'm a beginner and have a lot to learn about good shooting technique, etc. I'd like to hear what others have to say...even if it's "Hey John, r-e-a-l-l-y boring stuff. Fell asleep and now have a keyboard mark on my forehead." At least that's a kick in the pants to improve.

If you want to see some quick web videos on Korea I put together for my 11 year-old nephew's "International Fair" project at school, have at 'em. Go to http://zchildress.com/korea and check out the first few videos (last one's are just shots of the TV...that was on the list of what the kids wanted to see). Any comments, criticisms, jabs, or questions will be better than them sitting there online, with no one seeing them, and hearing nothing in feedback.

So how about ya'll? Be bold. Be daring. Let's see what you've got.

[Joe Redifer]

OK how about this one. It is in Quicktime format, so EVERYBODY can play it (unlike the inferior AVI format). It is full 720x480 and can be imported into your DV editing aplication (assuming it supports Quicktime, most do on Windows) and viewed on your TV monitor via firewire. It looks much better that way.

The file is only a test to see what we could do so proper lighting/sets were not a consideration. It is only 5 seconds long and clocks in at 18.2 Megs. Again this has not been recompressed and uses the Quicktime DV codec, which looks crappy played on your computer monitor but PERFECT when played through firewire. The actual test sequence is about 30 seconds, I only uploaded 5 of those seconds.

http://207.168.10.78/test.mov

Have fun and post opinions.

Equipment used:
Canon XL1
Apple Mac G4 450 running OS9 and Final Cut Pro 2
Adobe Photoshop 6.0
Quickmovie (to recompile frames)

[John Locke]

Well, all right!

Now that's the kind of stuff I've been hoping to see. Great job, Joe! The light sabers look great...and the movements of the actors are believable. Put that in front of a blue screen, add robes, and it'd be right on par with Lucas.

What did you use to make the light sabers? Commotion?

[Joe Redifer]

Well I built the actual sabers out of broomsticks and stuff like that. After we shot the scene I captured it to my Mac where I used Quicktime 5 Pro to export the movie file into individual frames (pict files). Then I drew the sabers onto each frame in Adobe Photoshop and then used Quickmovie (a shareware app) to recompile the frames into a movie. I mixed the sound completely in Final Cut Pro.

[Ian Austen]

John here is some shots I took and edited using 3 cameras, Panasonic, Canon, & Sony. Editing the 3 in sound sync was a learning experience. Next year I hope to get the cameras matched up better in terms of the colour balance and lighting.

The videos are at our University web site. They are in QuickTime format. If you are using an ATI card you may have problems viewing as there seems to be some issues with QT and ATI
www.stfx.ca then go to link for X-Ring Ceremony.

[Joe Redifer]

The best way to sync up the sound is to walk where all 3 cameras can see you and clap a couple of times. That's your sync. I have an ATI Rage card in my Mac and your Quicktimes worked just fine!

[Daniel H. Buchmann]

I think this is so great that I'm actually getting to see some product from fellow dv owners. This is a great thread, and perhaps worthy of its own catagory in the community. I have some stuff I'd like to show you all but can't till I get my machine up and running. Keep it coming Y'all!!!

[Chris Hurd]

Excellent idea (as usual). I've been to busy to upload anything of my own, but that should change early next year (gotta network the editing computer with the web computer).

If this gets enough interest, we'll put it in its own forum.

[Rob Lohman]

Great idea indeed (both of em)... I've just picked up my XL1S PAL last night... boy did I have a good evening last night :) ... I got my own site (which is hosted at the company I work for). I plan to redesign it early next year and I'm going to upload some things I shot too (if I can get to grips with the camera :)) ... keep up the great ideas!

Signing off as a happy man

[Daniel Kohl]

Sorry,

I'm just getting the hang of using this forum. I may have sent a blank reply.

I just wanted to suggest Commotion™ as an interesting alternative to drawing special effects on each frame of video using Photoshop.

[Joe Redifer]

I've tried Commotion and I don't like it. The problem is that it doesn't seem to let me open a HUGE video (one that is very long). Plus, I can draw on each frame very quickly and it really is kind of fun, having control over each and every pixel on each frame (unlike in Commotion). I am a traditional animator at heart.

Another reason: I HAVE Photoshop and I DON'T HAVE Commotion. No need to spend more money for a program that I feel will achieve inferior results (for me, anyway).

Yet another reason: You retain bragging rights if you do it yourself instead of having the computer do everything for you :)

[John Locke]

I hear you, Joe. My "main" job is web design and I've got all the software toys that you supposedly need to make life easier. More often than not, though, I just pull out the old SimpleText editor and just do it by hand. It is good to know what's going on behind the scenes, and to be able to control it the way you want. The reason I asked whether you used Commotion is because your effect was so well done. Looks too well done to have been done by hand. Good job.

I have a question for Ian about the X-ring shots...did you place a wireless mic up on the podium, a shotgun mic, or strictly "on board" sound? The speaker comes across clearly and doesn't have that hollow, auditorium sound that usually comes across on a PA system.

[Daniel Kohl]

I have something to show.

http://marq5.bei.t-online.de

[John Locke]

Thwack! Branch right in the face! I hate it when that happens.

Interesting footage, Daniel. Makes me wonder if you were holding the camera in one hand, or had it mounted to a helmet. Looks like it's way too steady to have been mounted to the handlebars. I also wonder what camera you were shooting with.

The black & white format, forest location, movement, and cyclist's POV combine to make it something you want to watch again.

Good job.

[Daniel Kohl]

Thanks for the feed back, that was fast.

I shot the material with a $50 chip camera mounted on my helmet. The signal coming out of the chip camera was recorded on a Sony DCR-TRV900 strapped to my chest. I had trouble starting the recording while riding because I had to push the REC and MARK buttons at the same time in VTR mode. I fixed that problem in the next trail by raising the REC and MARK buttons with hot glue, so that I could push both of them with one finger. That worked fine.