Fishing show shot with EX1 at DVinfo.net

Dean Sensui · July 7th, 2008, 01:18 PM

Here's a segment out of our fishing show, "Hawaii Goes Fishing". This is just a single segment from a one-hour program. It usually includes five fishing segments, along with three features on fishing tackle tips, cooking and boat maintenance.

It's shot entirely with the Sony EX1. Edited with Final Cut Pro, and color corrected/graded with Apple's Color application.

http://hawaiigoesfishing.com/videos/hgf_103_ulua.mov

The host's introduction is shot in a studio against green screen. The screen material is from EEFX.com, and the software used is After Effects with the Primatte plugin.

Bill Ward · July 7th, 2008, 06:30 PM

Dean:

Wow. That looks really sharp! The green screen seems like it keyed flawlessly. Nice job matching the light and the source angles. I had to go back and look at the video again after you said it was a studio shot. Couple of very minor suggestions:

1. There are two or three instances where it's obvious you've just made a quick camera move to create an edit point, yet you leave the move in the video. If your segments stylistically have a lot of pop zooms and quick pans, that's one thing, but in this piece, the video is otherwise cut very cleanly, so the whip pans draw attention to themselves and end up sort of looking like mistakes.

2. Nat sound on the fishermen was really low in presence. I know how tough it is getting good audio when it's that windy, but I found myself constantly reaching to turn up the audio for the fishermen, then jumping to turn it back down when the host track returned.

Other than that...great work! I hope you had a rain cover on during the wave spray...

Dean Sensui · July 7th, 2008, 07:45 PM

Bill...

Thanks for the comments. It's good to get the opinions of others. Sometimes I look at this too long, or am rushed to get it out, and things get missed over overlooked.

The audio was tough. I was surprised the AT-4051a with a wind fur was able to catch anything at all when I shot the sequence where they got a hookup at night. It was blowing like crazy and we were getting sprayed occasionally, too.

An ideal situation would be to put wireless lavs on everyone. But with only two available audio channels and guys often going without shirts, it was quite a challenge. Also I'm shooting this solo. In fact, the whole program is shot and edited by just one guy: me. Eventually we'll get a soundman and/or a PA to help with additional audio on a double-system of some kind.

The wave/wind noise was pretty substantial throughout. Close-miking makes a huge difference.

Bill Ward · July 9th, 2008, 11:42 AM

Dean:

Absolutely an audio guy is a blessing. I usually have to do without, but the times when the client will spring for it are a joy.

I use a Sennheiser 416 with a Rycote Softie on all three of my camera packages, and it seems to hold up better in strong wind than some of the less spendy mikes...but there's still no substitute for a good shotgun and a blimp in insane wind conditions like you had.

Here's a thought for future shoots there: have you seen the "Ultimate Fighter" reality show? They seem to have their shirts off most of the time...but wear a rather cool looking necklace wireless mike system. Maybe the manufacturer makes a "mahalo" model that would look good in the islands...

Will the entire show be posted on-line sometime soon? I'd love to see the rest of the segments.

Adam Reuter · July 9th, 2008, 03:26 PM

As Bill said a neckless is nice for shirtless wireless micing. If you've ever seen the show "Big Brother" that's what they have the house guests wear.

Gints Klimanis · July 14th, 2008, 01:40 PM

Great show. Sharp and good colors. I'm surprised the lens wasn't spattered with water. As for the fishing, I wish I had thought of bells. Ocean fishing is much better when you don't have to stand around looking stupid for longer periods of time.

Dean Sensui · July 14th, 2008, 02:17 PM

Bill and Adam ...

I'll check out the necklace idea. I'm also looking for a belt or band that will carry the wireless. It'll help a lot with female talent and other guests who don't wear belts -- nothing to clip the transmitter on. Markertek used to sell one but I can't find it online now.

Gints ...

Thanks! The lens constantly gets sprayed with water and salt, but it's held up well so far. I always carry a couple of microfiber lens wipes and have a small spray bottle of lens cleaner in the bag.

The show is available online at OC16.tv, along with a bunch of other shows produced here, but the quality of their encoding isn't as good as the sample I posted. Also, the quality of the various productions varies greatly and I believe that we're probably at the top of the heap. In terms of viewership, we out-perform everyone else on that channel so far.

The bell idea has been around here for decades now. Each fisherman tries to get one with a slightly different tone which makes it a bit easier to figure out whose pole is going off in the lineup. They also put reflective tape on the rod and the bell, so a flashlight will readily light them up and make them easily seen at night from a distance.

Mark Utley · July 21st, 2008, 01:03 AM

Looks great. I don't mind the bent horizon from the wide angle adapter, though I know some would. Nice shooting style and pace.

Dean Sensui · July 21st, 2008, 02:10 AM

Mark...

Thanks. It's possible to correct for the barrel distortion in After Effects. But with much of the show shot at full wide that would mean doing a LOT of rendering.

Paul Cascio · July 21st, 2008, 05:10 AM

Well, Dean if you need a crew, I'm sure you can find a lot of volunteers from this forum. Me for example. :)

July 7th, 2008, 01:18 PM	#1
Dean Sensui Inner Circle Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Honolulu, HI Posts: 2,054	Fishing show shot with EX1 Here's a segment out of our fishing show, "Hawaii Goes Fishing". This is just a single segment from a one-hour program. It usually includes five fishing segments, along with three features on fishing tackle tips, cooking and boat maintenance. It's shot entirely with the Sony EX1. Edited with Final Cut Pro, and color corrected/graded with Apple's Color application. http://hawaiigoesfishing.com/videos/hgf_103_ulua.mov The host's introduction is shot in a studio against green screen. The screen material is from EEFX.com, and the software used is After Effects with the Primatte plugin. __________________ Dean Sensui Exec Producer, Hawaii Goes Fishing

July 7th, 2008, 07:45 PM	#3
Dean Sensui Inner Circle Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Honolulu, HI Posts: 2,054	Bill... Thanks for the comments. It's good to get the opinions of others. Sometimes I look at this too long, or am rushed to get it out, and things get missed over overlooked. The audio was tough. I was surprised the AT-4051a with a wind fur was able to catch anything at all when I shot the sequence where they got a hookup at night. It was blowing like crazy and we were getting sprayed occasionally, too. An ideal situation would be to put wireless lavs on everyone. But with only two available audio channels and guys often going without shirts, it was quite a challenge. Also I'm shooting this solo. In fact, the whole program is shot and edited by just one guy: me. Eventually we'll get a soundman and/or a PA to help with additional audio on a double-system of some kind. The wave/wind noise was pretty substantial throughout. Close-miking makes a huge difference. __________________ Dean Sensui Exec Producer, Hawaii Goes Fishing

July 14th, 2008, 02:17 PM	#7
Dean Sensui Inner Circle Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Honolulu, HI Posts: 2,054	Bill and Adam ... I'll check out the necklace idea. I'm also looking for a belt or band that will carry the wireless. It'll help a lot with female talent and other guests who don't wear belts -- nothing to clip the transmitter on. Markertek used to sell one but I can't find it online now. Gints ... Thanks! The lens constantly gets sprayed with water and salt, but it's held up well so far. I always carry a couple of microfiber lens wipes and have a small spray bottle of lens cleaner in the bag. The show is available online at OC16.tv, along with a bunch of other shows produced here, but the quality of their encoding isn't as good as the sample I posted. Also, the quality of the various productions varies greatly and I believe that we're probably at the top of the heap. In terms of viewership, we out-perform everyone else on that channel so far. The bell idea has been around here for decades now. Each fisherman tries to get one with a slightly different tone which makes it a bit easier to figure out whose pole is going off in the lineup. They also put reflective tape on the rod and the bell, so a flashlight will readily light them up and make them easily seen at night from a distance. __________________ Dean Sensui Exec Producer, Hawaii Goes Fishing

July 21st, 2008, 01:03 AM	#8
Mark Utley Major Player Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Toronto, ON, Canada Posts: 479	Looks great. I don't mind the bent horizon from the wide angle adapter, though I know some would. Nice shooting style and pace. __________________ Mark Utley

July 21st, 2008, 02:10 AM	#9
Dean Sensui Inner Circle Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Honolulu, HI Posts: 2,054	Mark... Thanks. It's possible to correct for the barrel distortion in After Effects. But with much of the show shot at full wide that would mean doing a LOT of rendering. __________________ Dean Sensui Exec Producer, Hawaii Goes Fishing

July 7th, 2008, 06:30 PM	#2
Bill Ward Major Player Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 580	Dean: Wow. That looks really sharp! The green screen seems like it keyed flawlessly. Nice job matching the light and the source angles. I had to go back and look at the video again after you said it was a studio shot. Couple of very minor suggestions: 1. There are two or three instances where it's obvious you've just made a quick camera move to create an edit point, yet you leave the move in the video. If your segments stylistically have a lot of pop zooms and quick pans, that's one thing, but in this piece, the video is otherwise cut very cleanly, so the whip pans draw attention to themselves and end up sort of looking like mistakes. 2. Nat sound on the fishermen was really low in presence. I know how tough it is getting good audio when it's that windy, but I found myself constantly reaching to turn up the audio for the fishermen, then jumping to turn it back down when the host track returned. Other than that...great work! I hope you had a rain cover on during the wave spray...

July 9th, 2008, 11:42 AM	#4
Bill Ward Major Player Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 580	Dean: Absolutely an audio guy is a blessing. I usually have to do without, but the times when the client will spring for it are a joy. I use a Sennheiser 416 with a Rycote Softie on all three of my camera packages, and it seems to hold up better in strong wind than some of the less spendy mikes...but there's still no substitute for a good shotgun and a blimp in insane wind conditions like you had. Here's a thought for future shoots there: have you seen the "Ultimate Fighter" reality show? They seem to have their shirts off most of the time...but wear a rather cool looking necklace wireless mike system. Maybe the manufacturer makes a "mahalo" model that would look good in the islands... Will the entire show be posted on-line sometime soon? I'd love to see the rest of the segments.

July 9th, 2008, 03:26 PM	#5
Adam Reuter Major Player Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Baltimore, Maryland Posts: 234	As Bill said a neckless is nice for shirtless wireless micing. If you've ever seen the show "Big Brother" that's what they have the house guests wear.

July 14th, 2008, 01:40 PM	#6
Gints Klimanis Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: San Jose, CA Posts: 2,222	Great show. Sharp and good colors. I'm surprised the lens wasn't spattered with water. As for the fishing, I wish I had thought of bells. Ocean fishing is much better when you don't have to stand around looking stupid for longer periods of time.

July 21st, 2008, 05:10 AM	#10
Paul Cascio Trustee Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Bristol, CT (Home of EPSN) Posts: 1,192	Well, Dean if you need a crew, I'm sure you can find a lot of volunteers from this forum. Me for example. :) __________________ Paul Cascio www.pictureframingschool.com