Scene Files

[Peter Jefferson]

okies, jsut wodnering what peoples thoughts are on these...
i havent really played much with them, and i havent really had a chance to do comparisons and set up configs for different situations...
but,
i am wondeirng f anyone has already done so...

If so, what would be your settings for a mid afternoon wedding in a normally lit church? ive noticed there are gamma, thick and thin settings etc etc, but i cant find any reference as to what these actually do to the image...

Ive also had some trouble finding a full auto white balance auto with a MANUAL iris setting...
basically i wanto to swithch between indoor and outdoor and have a smooth gradation of colour as the environment changes (much like the MX500's auto mode which takes abotu 2 secodns to reconfigure itself)

How can i acheieve this kind of auto setting? As i need it for spur of the moment changes, as i mainly flm events...

What prefixed scenes are people running?

Just curious coz im about to start messing with mine... asking for advise might save me time and headaches!

[Stephen van Vuuren]

I don't think the DVX100 is a good run and gun cam in any of the progressive modes due to lack of auto features including a push auto focus button. That's where the DVC80 comes in (does it have a push autofocus?) with all modes offering autofocus, gain etc.

I only shoot progressive (advanced), so all my modes are setup around that (different gamma and sharpeness settings mostly).

Plus, I don't think there is a magic recipe for scene files. It depends on what you shoot, how you light, what you do in post (color correction, Magic Bullet etc.) and what your end product is.

I tend to shoot everything 24p advanced, thin, cinegamma and to capture the most flexible, highest quality image and then let post create different outputs. But that may not work for projects that require little or fast post production workflows. Then you need to capture a more representative image in camera.

[Peter Jefferson]

for weddings, im thinking a thin setting, with a higher gamma with the cinema settings would most likely be the case...

I have a HUUUUUUGE wedding (750 people with 3.4 of them soon to be married) coming up and the hall will be set thruout with fairylights and 4 blue spotlights highlighting the main table...

If i do use lights for this function, Id prefer to use an onboard cam light runnign a 35w globe to save battery, but i dont want to ruin the ambience.
As this particular wedding (Moreso the guests) have the potential to keep me busy for a VERY long time I need to makea good impression more than i usually do :)

with the PAL DVX, there is an actual gain up of +18db.. it IS noisy, but i can soften it in post, but basically because it IS so huge and there are so many people (3 cams rolling for 18 hours non stop) this one counts a lil more than my others...

i guess im going to have to run afew tests, but ive noticed teh WB a and B chanels offer different colour compensations, which is what im tryin to automate...

But if i need to create the scenes manually, I will.
I just need to figure out what setting does what... :(

[Glen Elliott]

<<<-- Originally posted by Peter Jefferson :
with the PAL DVX, there is an actual gain up of +18db.. it IS noisy, but i can soften it in post, but basically because it IS so huge and there are so many people (3 cams rolling for 18 hours non stop) this one counts a lil more than my others...

i guess im going to have to run afew tests, but ive noticed teh WB a and B chanels offer different colour compensations, which is what im tryin to automate...

But if i need to create the scenes manually, I will.
I just need to figure out what setting does what... :( -->>>

Pete, the NTSC DVX also hase the 18db gain- it's accessable via the user buttons settings. In other words you have to assign one of the "user" buttons to be the 18db setting. Although, as you said it's useless unless it's so little light and the only alternative to get a shot. I'd rather shoot darker and work the histogram in post.

Regarding white balance A and B. They are user presets. You set one for A manually and one for B manually then switch between them as you shoot in either environment. I like using the manual white balance settings because you can use it in conjuntion with color temperature adjustment which is absolutly imperitive to get accurate white balance in mixed lighting situations....ie Wedding Chapels using incandecent lights with natural sunlight peeking in the stained windows- in those situations your WB doesn't know whether to balance it for the natural or the incandecent lighting. You either end up with the picture being too blue or the skin tones being too red.

[Marcia Janine Galles]

<<<-- I only shoot progressive (advanced), so all my modes are setup around that (different gamma and sharpeness settings mostly).

Plus, I don't think there is a magic recipe for scene files. It depends on what you shoot, how you light, what you do in post (color correction, Magic Bullet etc.) and what your end product is.

I tend to shoot everything 24p advanced, thin, cinegamma and to capture the most flexible, highest quality image and then let post create different outputs. But that may not work for projects that require little or fast post production workflows. Then you need to capture a more representative image in camera. -->>>

Stephen,
I'm a bit confused. I agree the DVX isn't the best if what you're looking for is strictly run and gun. I bought it for docs, and am intending to only shoot 24pAdvanced. But that said, I'm shooting an outdoor wedding in a botanical garden for a friend next month, and I've been experimenting, trying to nail down (in the week I've had it) the best settings to store for scene files for flowers and arbors in the shade, a wedding party in sun and shadow, etc. to have some preconfigs ready to switch between. In effect, won't that make it more run and gun, while preserving the 24pA advantage? And when you mention fast vs slow post time, are you just refering to how much time/care you take to set up a given shot? Even with all your 24pA experience, does it still take that long? I'm in trouble then, I guess! Am wondering if I should just shoot the wedding in 60i to have the gain available, if needed, and let her rip in more auto modes. But that feels like "cheating." Hmmmm.

[Stephen van Vuuren]

Marcia:

You can set different presets all 24pA with varying gamma etc. settings for different lighting (direct sunlight, mixed, shade, backlight etc.). My reference to run and gun was about the lack of autofocus etc. in 24p, not scene files.

Slow post = hand processing & long renders (i.e. shot by shot secondary color correction).

I did some low light tests some time ago and shot a single candle light in 24p and 60i. With 24p in low light, go with 1/24 shutter speed to boost illumination. The extra gain in 60i does reveal more information in the shadow, but like all camera gain, it introduces noise and washes out the deep rich blacks of cinegamma.

Stay 24p use slower shutter speeds. Unless your wedding is really dark, you should be fine. Post some screen grabs and let us see how it turns out.

[Marcia Janine Galles]

Thanks for your prompt response, Stephen. I feel much better. Will stick to my original vow of 24p no matter what. (I love your sig file, btw.)
Night,
Marcia

[Peter Jefferson]

does anyone actualyl use the scene files??

Im always forgetting theyre there and im always messing with the settings on teh cam :(

does anyone know how i can get a soft glow for fairylights?

im doin this huge wedding and im tryin to figure what kind of setting to have the camera on... Ive never done something this obscure before...

any ideas greatly appreciated :)

[Stephen van Vuuren]

Yep, they are very handy.

Soft glow is something you need to do with filtration or in post. I use the glows in FilmFX (www.bigfx.com). Not cheap but absolutely gorgeous.

Other programs have glows as well and I like the effect better than filters.

[Peter Jefferson]

thanx for the link, ill check it out :)