Shooting in 30P for reception

[Billy Mallari]

I am planning to shoot my next wedding with 30P using my dvx100 and DVC30--(I wish I had another DVX100 instead to save time for color correction).

Do you guys have any experience shooting under this mode especially during reception?

[Robert M Wright]

I haven't used either camera, but I believe the way they produce progressive scan video is different. That could make for a much bigger difference in visual appearance than just color balance differences.

[Daniel Runyon]

The following is assuming you're editing in Vegas...if not then I have no idea how another NLE would handle mixed footage, but I would just shoot 24p on the DVX up front and just cut to the 30p from time to time as a full wide shot from the rear (we're talkin ceremony right now). Sure, the footage will look a bit different, but the differences in shot angles will draw more attention than the subtle differences of aesthetic. You'll find that most DVX shooters use 60i for wedding work because of the low light issues, but asside from one ceremony I've shot all of my stuff 24p and unless you get into a very dark situation (an outdoor poolside reception was one for me) you can handle it quite well by boosting the brightness and contrast in post.

Vegas allows for multiple framrate footage to be edited on the same timeline with no need to make manual adjustment...then when you render it out just render to a DVD Architect 24p file and the 30p will be converted for you. To me, the beauty of 24p is worth the slight sacrifice in low light unless it gets to be too low light...and I'll let it get pretty dang low!

This is just my opinion, but it is indeed what I would do.

[Mike Oveson]

I've shot 24p and 30p, depending on the situation. My last wedding (http://www.silentmountainstudios.com/collings.wmv) was shot in 30P because of the amount of motion in the shots. I wanted to do slow motion and went for the higher frame rate for a bit smoother slo-mo because I had to do the slow motion in Vegas this time. I had to have this segment of the video edited for display at the reception that night, so I went with 30P because Vegas handles the slo-mo better if it is 30P. Vegas doesn't do that great with slowing down 24P footage (at least in keeping it clear).

If you do shoot 24P footage and want to slow things down very much (I'd say beyond a 25% reduction of speed) I'd use something like Twixtor or Retimer to handle the frame interpolation. That's what I do and it works great, but when pressed for time I go for 30P. If it is just a standard wedding I'd shoot in 24P. You don't lose that much light and it looks GREAT. =)

[Billy Mallari]

and do you guys use lens filters by any chance when you shoot under 24p or 30p? I am planning to use my next wedding under 24p or 30p. I am prepared regarding the lighting situation. But I am not sure if I should use a soft diffuse filter to use in the reception just to give it that cinematic look. Do you guys have any recommendations specially for the dvx100 and dvc30? Its just that I have not used a filter before except for the UV one. I was thinking about the Gold diffusion fx from Tiffen but I do not know if it will come out too yellowish.

[Mike Oveson]

I shoot with a UV filter but no other effects/color filters. I like to shoot as clean as I can and alter things in post. You can always add a bit of diffusion to your shots, or color correct things the way you want them in post. But if you shoot it that way to begin with you're limited to what was actually shot. There are some effects (say a star filter for example) that are very difficult to replicate in post, so if you want something like that I would do it. Usually I leave most filters alone. That's just one man's opinion.

[Mike F Smith]

I would not use a diffusion filter without a lot of testing. Only very good filters will perform evenly through the entire fstop and zoom ranges. Do your effects in post on a paying gig.

Mike

[Peter Jefferson]

hmmm..

with slowmo, i put up a post about vegas and its supersampling routines somewhere in this wedding forum. I think it was in response to a clip Glen Posted... either way this is what i do with 2 DVX100s (1 being a 100a the other being an original release)

As gamma and lux fluctutate with progressive, i only shoot progressive when i know BOTH cameras can handle the luminiance of the environment.
One thing you'll notice with the DVX, as opposed to the DVC, is that the DVC WILL NOT CHANGE its luminance readings when shooting in frame mode. The DVX WILL, only bacuase the DVX is shooting native progressive, while the DVC isnt.

I shoot 25p throughout any preps. When i know i want a slow motion, i will turn my scene file to 2 and run an identical config, the only difference being that this time im shooting interlaced. More fields offers more data for te slowmotion conversion.. (bring on the HVX for n cam full frame slow mo.. lol)

from here the ceremony is al progressive.

when we get to the reception, i uually suss out the lighting and have a chat with the staff about wher ethe light control panels are. Somtimes venues chop and change lighting throughout the day and i ask them to not mess with the settings. I usually stand by the panel, camera open checking my requirements while tey tweak the lighting to as dark as they would "normally" get the lights. Usualy i would say stop or hold it there for a second. I would then ask them to keep the lights at that level and no lower. THeyre usually good with this kind of request and by doing this with them, they feel special.
Also by doing this, it may be 1 or 2 stops difference but the guests wont know that ive asked for a lil more light. The camera might pick up the difference in luminance, but the guests wont. Theyll still see it as being fairly dim.
From there, i shoot the reception in interlaced mode across both cameras.

In Vegas, i run a progressive project, so the 50i footage is deinterlaced there. u DO lose some sharpness, but vegas is good with conversions so the differences will be very mininal.
In turn however u end up with footage of a decent colour and exposure from within the recpetion venue, albeit slightly soft due to the progressive conversion in post.

I returned my DVC30 simply becuase that irrespective of what gamma setting i had the camera, and irrespective of how i colour balanced, it just couldnt cut it with difficult clours like Orange, and hot pinks. I took a DVC30 on a Beta test to a wedding where the bridesmaids wore hot pink, but the dresses looked red. Then the bride changed to an Orange slinky dress and it looked blood red. For this reason i returned the camera. the lens is absolutey kick arse, and the form factor of it is perfect for run and gun..
Price, well lets jsut say that i paid the same cash for my MX500 2 yrs prior to this cameras release and now im spewing. If it wasnt for the colour factor i would have kept it. Oh also the Iris Auto/manual button dial was weak as piss and was loose as a baby tooth.
I like the camera, i like its price and i like ites performance. But side by side a DVX, it jsut doesnt cut it for me im afraid. Too many hassles in post.

[Billy Mallari]

Originally Posted by Mike F Smith

I would not use a diffusion filter without a lot of testing. Only very good filters will perform evenly through the entire fstop and zoom ranges. Do your effects in post on a paying gig.

Mike

IC...I guess I have to stick with Magic Bullet for Premiere. Its just that it takes too much hours to render in post. Last wedding I took I applied a soft diffuse filter on each clip just to enhance the look and color. It took 2 days to render the whole thing. I guess next time I'll just apply the filters for dramatic shots.