Delivering files after shoot in DV

[Alex Kanakis]

Hello:

I'm shooting an interview for a friend with my EX1. He said the client wants the files delivered in "high quality DV" for someone else to edit! I've yet to get any clarification and the shoot is tomorrow. Well, he wants it in that "HDTV screen size"! Meaning 16:9.

I'm thinking use clip browser to downconvert to raw or avi dv. But I believe that's 4:3. Or maybe just give him the BPAV files. But I have no idea what it'll be edited on.

Any suggestions?

Thanks much!

-Alex Kanakis

[Brian Mills]

Originally Posted by Alex Kanakis

Hello:

I'm shooting an interview for a friend with my EX1. He said the client wants the files delivered in "high quality DV" for someone else to edit! I've yet to get any clarification and the shoot is tomorrow. Well, he wants it in that "HDTV screen size"! Meaning 16:9.

I'm thinking use clip browser to downconvert to raw or avi dv. But I believe that's 4:3. Or maybe just give him the BPAV files. But I have no idea what it'll be edited on.

Any suggestions?

Thanks much!

-Alex Kanakis

Alex:

I feel your pain. Most of the time I edit what I shoot so it's no big deal, but occasionally I get clients who request EX-1 and clearly don't understand the workflow.

As far as Clip Browser is concerned, when it converts to DV, it gives the option of doing so with an Edge Crop (making it 4:3), Letterbox (4:3), or Squeeze (which preserves the 16:9 aspect ratio, but has to be edited in a 16:9 timeline).

Because the client wants it delivered in DV, I would bill for your time and do the batch conversion out of CB yourself (squeeze). However, if the client does not want to pay for your time to convert, give him a link to download CB and give him the BPAVs and let his editor sort it out.

When you're only being paid to shoot, is it your responsibility to educate the client as to the workflow or transcode their files free of charge? That depends on the value of the client to you - and your friendship with your friend :)

[Alex Kanakis]

Thanks for the great information, Brian.

Since I'm only being paid to shoot, it sounds like giving them them the BPAVs and the link to download Clip Browser is the way to go.

The client seems very pig headed. So even if I did try to educate them about the EX1 workflow and transcoding, they wouldn't listen.

My friend is the photographer shooting the stills for this project. He's also getting fed up with these guys. We are just gonna do the shoot and be done with them.

Thanks again for your advice!

-Alex Kanakis

[Ola Christoffersson]

Just some advice on downconverting. Clip Browser makes a desent downconvert from progressive video to SD. However, downconverting from 1080i to SD will look very fuzzy. I'd recomend you shoot 720P50/60/25 for best results.

[Dave Morrison]

I've been dealing with this very same scenario lately. I have a client who wants my footage delivered to him in 16:9 in either .avi or .dv (he's on a PC) but I haven't been real happy with the sharpness that I'm getting via the Clip Browser down-conversions. I'm planning to do some A/B comparisons using CB and FCP to do the conversions and will post my results.

[Leonard Levy]

Have you guys tried using compressor and adding sharpness to the setting?

I think that's what its for. As I understand it part of the problem is that SD DV normally always has more enhancement added than SD does, so adding some after the conversion might be be kind of normal.

[Craig Seeman]

The problem is compressor doesn't do .avi or .dv.
DV in .mov isn't quite the same as .dv.

MPEGStreamClip will do both .avi and .dv.

I can't understand why anyone would want DV at all. I can understand Standard Def but there are much better standard def codecs than DV.
AVI is a warper, not a codec so it can contain anything but I bet he's thinking dv.avi.
In MPEGStreamClip it can make many types of .avi so perhaps he can use a higher quality standard def codec than DV. DV codec is absolutely the worst choice. Anyone asking for that either doesn't have a clue or has the lowest level consumer NLE.

Heck, iMovie on the Mac (comes free) can handle AIC which it generates from AVCHD or HDV cameras so the file remains HD and it's a decent I Frame codec generate from a GOP based source.

[Leonard Levy]

"DV in .mov isn't quite the same as .dv"
Is that because you may not be on a MAC?

So say you are shooting with an EX-1 and the client asks for SD . In fact if you had another camera they would probably prefer tape. What do you give them ( in a Mac world)?

I haven't faced this yet but I know its coming someday.

I figure one thing I could do would be to use compressor to downconvert to SD .mov files.
What other choices would I have besides DV, DVC25 or SD ProRes?.
At that point I figure I could give them files on a hard drive or could output to a DV camera again and hand them tapes - depending on their preference.

[Brian Mills]

You can deliver SD in many flavors:

8 bit or 10 bit uncompressed, DV50, Pro Res SD, or h264 would all be superior codecs to DV25, and all but Pro Res are universal.

However, Clip Browser cannot export out to these other formats. For really clean and efficient down conversion, I have the camera down convert in real time via SD SDI and capture it via my AJA LHe card to whatever codec I wish (I use DV50 for good compromise in space vs quality). Great looking SD footage - unfortunately it has to happen in real time, so not great for long form projects.

As for sharpening, I have noticed when editing EX footage in a SD timeline in FCP, I use a sharpen filter at 8% to get it looking right.