serious XDCAM-mixed project - seeking advice

[Piotr Wozniacki]

I'm preparing for an important project, recording live chamber music in the Polish kings' castle in Krakow. Apart from my EX1, two XDCAM HD machines will be used, and the sound will be recorded by a sound engineer. I'm going to cut it myself using Vegas.

Considering it's going to be my first project using both XDCAM EX and XDCAM HD material, I am open to every single piece of advice from our more experienced members here. On Friday, I will be test shooting with the lighting setup (provide by Philips Poland, who is one of the sponsors for this series of events). Anything particular I should pay attention to, and perhaps ask the lighting engineers for?

Also, which format to use? Shooting with just one cam, I've been using HQ 1080/25p almost exclusively; but considering the bigger XDCAM machines don't use 1920, should I sacrifice the HQ mode in order to inter-cut better?

Also worth mentioning that although I'll edit in HD to create HD master, for the time being we'll be making SD DVDs only.



I'll appreciate any input :)

[Sean Donnelly]

Get a smart slate, or better a concert clock (basically just the TC section of a smart slate). Place it in a location that the cameras can pan off to see it and do that before you cut each time, and you will have a MUCH easier time editing. If the other cams have TC and genlock, you can jam the timecode between them and the sound mixer's clock. The EX1 does not, so you'd need to use the TC clock method. This is what we do for concert films on 35mm.

-Sean

[Piotr Wozniacki]

Sean,

Could you link me to some information on the device you're talking? Thanks.

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Apart from synchronization and lighting, my main concern / dilemma now is whether to use my IR-cutting 486 filter or not... Considering the greenish cast at the extremities when in fully wide, it's only viable with considerably zoomed-in framing; on the other hand - since the F320/350 do not suffer the IR pollution, my own colours could differ dramatically on the performers' clothes...

[Sean Donnelly]

I'd say avoid using the EX1 at the widest end, and go with the 486 filter. I've found that concert lighting can really show the IR problem which can be very difficult to fix in post, whereas a simple secondary correction with a mask in a color grading program will solve the green tint easily.

More info on TC slates

http://www.denecke.com/Products/tcsl...s.htm#TSGRANDE

[Mark Dawson]

Hi Piotr, I can recommend very much a timecode slate when shooting this it will help with Audio and visual sync afterwards when editing. When I assisted Phil Bloom on the Confession shoot and we used one on that production.