filmlook choices

[Dion Dee]

Hi.
Just thought I'd say what an absolutely mind blowing site this is! There's an amazing amount of wealth of knowledge and talent knocking around here.

Anyway, I am from the UK and I'm making a music video for my final year project at university (I am studying music technology, hence my newbie video questions!) and am wondering a few things.

I will be using Vegas Video (of course) and a Canon XL1.
Now I have read up about whether to shoot using frame mode on the Canon, or to try and emulate the film look in post.
I will be trying both to see if I can get THAT look.

1) I have read numerous articles on how to get a film look during post but am a little bit confused still. I am currently trying the fantastic JETDV script with not bad results. However, I want to shoot 16:9 (PAL) but if I choose NTSC Widescreen (2-3 pulldown) in JETDV's script, the whole film stretches and shrinks rapidly. If I choose the normal NTSC (2-3 pulldown) it seems okay. Is this okay, even though I have been filming and want to keep widescreen?

Another way of getting that film look was touted by DSE, whereby you import your footage and render it but choosing progressive (non scan) and blending both fields. This is where I am not too sure of the settings.

2) If I have 16:9 (PAL) footage, what would I set my new project settings BEFORE I import my video?
Also, when I do import my video to the project, do I right click the properties of my video once it's on the timeline and change the field order to progessive scan (none) too?

3) After all of that, once I am ready to render, am I right in thinking that if I want to keep it PAL Widescreen that all I have to do is to change the field order in the render options to progressive scan (none) and obviously leave the video format as PAL DV Widescreen?

I realise that there are a multitude of things I can do in post to give it that more of a film feeling using colour correction, blur et al and I am on to that at the moment but one final thing.

4) Many videos, adverts & films have that blue tint to them. Music videos especially (Chris Cunningham's Aphex Twins videos especially.) Is this done with good lighting, gels and a good colourist, or can something similar be done solely in post? I have tried with colour correction, curves and such, but to me it looks too bluey, if you know what I mean? I was told that Cunningham split the RGB channels of the video, greyscaled the blue channel and remuxed them back together with the orignal footage to give it that look. Does this sound right?

Anyway, I really am sorry for the massive first time post but these are a few things that I need to get off my chest before I commit to filming my video.
Many thanks

Dion Dee

[Joe Sacher]

>>
4) Many videos, adverts & films have that blue tint to them. Music videos especially (Chris Cunningham's Aphex Twins videos especially.) Is this done with good lighting, gels and a good colourist, or can something similar be done solely in post? I have tried with colour correction, curves and such, but to me it looks too bluey, if you know what I mean? I was told that Cunningham split the RGB channels of the video, greyscaled the blue channel and remuxed them back together with the orignal footage to give it that look. Does this sound right?
<<

You can do quite a few things. You can white balance the camera on a warm card (almost pure white, but with a little red). This will push the colors more towards blue. You can obviously put a filter on the camera, but you can also play with a "filter" in post. Throw a solid blue color on the top track and change the Compositing Mode to Add (the button under the "!" solo track). Then set the opacity of the track to taste.

[Glen Elliott]

My favorite way to alter color whether it be introducing a color cast or removing one has always been the color balance filter.

Re: Progressive Scan- to my knowledge the only way to get progressive scan output is to shoot with the DVX100 and work and render with the vegas 24p template. Once the mp2 is output DVDA will add flags for the progressive scan dvd player to decipher.

[Joe Sacher]

Going from 30i NTSC to 24p is a better conversion than 50 to 24p, as there is more data and things line up a little more often. You might be better off for music videos to convert the music to a little sped up version. Such that when you slow 25 fps progressive from the XM2 down to 24p, the music is in sync. Then record the video against the sped up music and slow down the video to sync with the music. Voila.

If PAL is exactly 25 fps, then you need to speed up the music by 25/23.976, I guess.

[Rob Lohman]

I've moved the thread and renamed it to better reflect what
you are looking for.

Since you are in PAL land I would stick with 25p instead of going
to 24p unless it is necessary for a film blowup. No-one will notice
the difference between 24p and 25p.

I also shoot with an XL1S and Vegas and I shoot in frame mode
*AND* do post work like color correction.

To see an example, watch my Lady X episode 14 and then visit
this thread to see some answers on how I did the look etc.

To see what is possible go watch episode 21 and part 2 episode 22

[Dion Dee]

Thanq all for your replies. I am indebted to your knowledge!
Diond