May 2010 - Videomaker.com

Transcription

Editing for the Future: The Mercury Engine page 64
Straight from the box
to box office quality
YOUR GUIDE TO CREATING AND PUBLISHING GREAT VIDEO
®
MAY 2010
Pro Cams
How to
Buyer’s Guide
Make a
Documentary
home video editing
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Nikon D3S DSLR Camera
ATI Video Card Comparison
LaCie 724 LCD Monitor
NewTek TriCaster TCXD300
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Get access to 100s of training videos!
www.videomaker.com/training
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Contents
MAY 2010
www.videomaker.com
Features
WORKSHOPS
The Basics of
Video Production
April 23-25, May 21-23,
August 13-15, October 15-17,
December 10-12.
More popular than ever, our Basic
Production workshop takes you
from outset to upload as you work
in small groups creating a completed video in 3 days. Learn the
entire production planning process,
using shooting, lighting, and editing
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techniques. Classes are small, so
sign up today!
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plan, shoot and edit your own
professional quality videos.
NEW!
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April 23-25, May 21-23,
August 13-15, October 15-17,
December 10-12.
This 3-day, hands on course is for
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multi-camera editing and more. Classes
are small, so sign up today!
24 Pro Cams Buyer’s Guide
38 How to Make a Documentary:
Story Development
Better, cheaper, more advanced
by John McCabe
In this three-part series, we will first look at Story
Development, then Funding, Financing and Budgeting
and finally documentary Shooting and Editing.
by Morgan Paar
31 Workstation Buyer’s Guide
Is your workstation just not fast enough to do what you want?
Perhaps it is time for a new computer or maybe just an upgrade.
Your workstation is something you have to live with, so you should
take a few things into consideration before making a purchase.
by Lance Olinger
21
43 How to Buy Gear (and Not Regret it)
ON THE COVER
• Panasonic AG-HCK10G & AG-HMR10P
• LaCie 724
2 Viewfinder
No Space
by Matthew York
46 Basic Training
Analog to Digital Converters
by Kyle Cassidy
50 Directing
Talking the Talk
by Peter Biesterfeld
54 Editing
Getting the Job Done
by Mark Montgomery
59 Audio
Internet Audio Encoding
by Hal Robertson
64 Tweaks
Moving to 64-Bit Video Production
by Douglas Dixon
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CALL 800-284-3226
or go to www.events.videomaker.com/2010
Cancellations: Cancellations must be received in writing (faxes acceptable) to Videomaker Customer Service. Notification must be received at least 21 calendar days prior to the workshop start date to receive a full refund (less $20 registration
charge). A substitute workshop date may be requested in lieu of a refund. For cancellations received between 21 and 7 calendar days prior to the workshop start date, a 50% refund applies. No cancellations, refunds or substitution dates will be
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P.O. Box 4591, Chico, CA 95927-4591. Fax: 530-891-8443, Attn Customer Service.
Unfortunately, purchasing video gear is not like buying
new shoes at the mall.
by Julia Camenisch
38
31
Columns
• ATI FirePro V8750
• Nikon D3s
Volume 24 • Number 11
50
54
Departments
4
6
8
10
55
In Box Reader Letters
Quick Focus Topical News
New Gear Hot off the Presses
Reader Profile Behind the Lens
Ad Index
Reviews
12 Panasonic AG-HCK10G and AG-HMR10P
POVCAM and Memory Card Portable Recorder
by Mark Holder
14 LaCie 724
Color Correct LCD Monitor
by Lance Olinger
16 NewTek TriCaster
TCXD300
by Bohuš Blahut
19 ATI Video Card Comparison
ATI FirePro V8750, ATI Radeon HD 5870,
ATI FirePro V5700
Next Month
Video Compression for YouTube
Day-for-Night Tricks
Make Your Own Sound FX
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by Lance Olinger
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21 Nikon D3s
On Sale May 11, 2010
DSLR Camera
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by Tom Cunningham
V I D E O M A K E R > > > M AY 2 0 1 0
1
VIEWFINDER
Videomaker empowers people to make video in a way
that inspires, encourages and equips for success. We
do this by building a community of readers, web visitors,
viewers, attendees and marketers.
by Matthew York
No Space
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When space was limited to just one
roll of film or a videocassette tape, we
learned to use that space succinctly
and efficiently. What happens when
space in the sky is literally the limit?
When moving images and sound
were first captured, the medium was
film. An hour of film was stored on
a reel that weighed several pounds
and was the size of a pizza box. In the
1950s, a new type of magnetic recording tape was invented for something
called video. The moving images and
sound were now stored on a reel of
videotape. An hour of film was stored
on a reel still weighing several pounds
and larger than a pizza box.
In the early 1980s, consumers
could record video on videocassettes,
which weighed less than a pound and
were the size of a box of crackers.
Over time, researchers devised ways
to store an hour of video on smaller
and smaller videocassettes. Sony’s
MicroMV was about the size of two US
quarter coins and weighed about an
ounce. By 2010, video can be stored
on SD cards. The smallest is microSD,
the size of one US dime and weighing
a few grams. A 16-gigabyte microSD
card can hold 16 hours of video.
Just when you think it can’t get any
smaller, the Flip video camera changes the paradigm. The video is stored
with internal memory. To charge the
battery, the user plugs the camcorder
into a computer. While the battery
is charging, the video automatically
uploads to “the cloud.” At this point
it seems that video is consuming no
space. What happens when video
requires no space? Users stop worrying about the resources required to
capture and keep video. How does
moving from a mindset of scarcity to
abundance affect their use of the tools
of moving images and sound?
Certainly, people record more video,
but this is not necessarily a good thing.
As more video is shot, more time is required to screen, log and edit the video.
publisher/editor
associate publisher
Some people may tend to edit their video
into longer presentations, which consumes more of the viewers’ time.
It is certainly possible that video
creators can misuse video by recording too much or editing out too little. As
the cost or overhead of capturing and
storing video approaches zero, this is a
good time to consider the opposite. How
can you shoot and edit video in the most
concise way possible? Even if you do this
just as an exercise, it is a valuable lesson
to convey your point with as few minutes or seconds of video as possible.
Sometimes this exercise reminds
us of our most basic responsibility as
communicators. What exactly are we
trying to convey? Are we just spewing
information because it makes us feel
good? How can we best serve our audiences? What do they need to be taught
or how can we best entertain them?
Making video isn’t about you; it is
about your audience. Some of you will
reach millions of people with your
videos. If you are not fastidious about the
use of their time, you will waste lots of it.
Video creators need to be careful about
using too much of a good thing.
Matthew York is Videomaker's Publisher/Editor.
FEEDBACk
For comments on this article, email us
at [email protected], use article
#14541 in the subject line.
Matthew York
Patrice York
executive editor
managing editor
technical editor
associate editor
associate editor
editorial assistant
Scott Memmott
Jennifer O’Rourke
Derek Sine
Tom Skowronski
Dan Bruns
Julie Babcock
contributing editors
Kyle Cassidy
Mark Levy
Mark Montgomery
Hal Robertson
production director
art director/photographer
Melissa Hageman
Susan Schmierer
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telephone (530) 891-8410
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Isaac York
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Joseph Ayres
Kent Hinesley
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Andy Clark
director of finance
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customer service
Stephen Awe
Sandra Wells
Michelle Vinay
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VIDEOMAKER >>> MAy 2010
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IN BOX
Address your letters to In Box, c/o Videomaker, P.O. Box 4591, Chico, CA 95927.
Videomaker is unable to process personal replies; however, questions of interest to the Videomaker readership will appear in print. You can also submit In
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Publication of In Box letters is at the discretion of the Videomaker Editorial staff
and does not represent the opinions of Videomaker, York Publishing nor any of
its advertisers or representatives.
From Home Movies to Pro
contents
In your January Viewfinder column,
Matthew York asked, “Should Videomaker serve those who want to make
home movies or the professional videographer?” As a brand-new subscriber, I can tell you what motivated me to
subscribe to Videomaker Magazine.
I am a “home movie” guy who is
trying to make the transition to professional videographer. For 30 years I have
worked in a non-video industry. I am in
medical product sales; however, as my
children have grown up, I have taken
many home movies over the years:
births, baptisms, graduations, etc. Several years ago I decided to move my old
VHS tapes to DVD. Since I love computers and technology, I decided to do it
myself. I bought Pinnacle Movie Maker
and entered the world of video editing.
I was hooked. Since then, I have bought
Adobe Premier Elements, Sony Movie
Studio, etc. I have experimented and
learned, and have encountered all the
basic problems of making movies and
editing on lower-level equipment.
Now that I am 54 years old and
looking to retirement, I decided to step
things up, get more professional and
perhaps start a little business doing
wedding videos, events, etc., or if not,
just have fun with better equipment.
I have a good knowledge of basic
consumer video stuff but very little
knowledge in the professional world.
As I researched, I stumbled onto your
website, loved it, found it very helpful
and then decided to subscribe to the
magazine. (Sometimes I just like to sit
in a warm cozy chair with a cup of
coffee and flip through the magazine
rather than watch a computer screen.)
I like the magazine very much, find
it a good mix of amateur and profes-
sional information and it has helped
me plan for the future. I imagine there
are many people like me who are just
trying to transition to the next stage.
Thanks. (Great magazine. I’ll be a subscriber for many years to come.)
Steve Bonaccorsi
Philadelphia, PA
Thanks for reading, Steve. We have
been thinking along the same lines as
you and have created a new column
for 2010 called Projects that Pay. This
column will run every other issue,
beginning with the February 2010 issue that featured a wedding business
(www.videomaker.com/article/14790)
and the April 2010 issue featuring commercial advertising (www.videomaker.
com/article/14806).
The column will be written by the
experts in the field in each subject we
focus upon. Making money making
video isn’t a new concept, but with all
the affordable gear available right now,
many people are looking to get their
feet wet. But, as we always preach,
you really need to have the right skills
to hone your craft, and we hope that’s
where Videomaker comes in. Keep up
the good work!
—The Editors
Betamax vs. Betacam
I was just looking over the Format
Terminology article (www.videomaker.
com/article/14072). I have to comment about the section on Betamax.
It states, “Eventually, this format was
turned to pro use only...” This is a little
off base; the pro format was called
Betacam. It’s an analog component
format, and the next generation, Betacam SP, had 340 lines of resolution.
The only thing Betacam and Betamax
had in common was the actual
cassette tape. The higher-perhttp://videomaker.com/community/forums
formance BetacamSP used
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4
VIDEOMAKER >>> MAY 2010
metal tape and is not backwards-compatible for recording.
CW2 George F. Young
VI Manager/MA Webmaster
Massachusetts National Guard
Thanks for catching that goof, George.
We know better!
—The Editors
ON
Videomaker Instructional DVD Series
Buy one or mix and match your
specific interests.
Or get the whole series
$24.95 each
and save!
• Intro to DVD Authoring
• Advanced Shooting
• Light it Right
• Basic Shooting
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• Advanced Editing
• Introduction to Digital Video Editing
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• Set of 8 Instructional DVDs $139.95 -
Save 30%
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Helping the Videomaker
Community
I’m a computer technician, and I would
like to help Lew Louraine, the reader
that is having a hard time with Gateway’s support (In Box, “Outsourcing
Tech-Support Woes,” www.videomaker.
com/article/14123). I suggest he forget
about support from his computer company. I had that problem too, with the
vendors that sell computer parts to the
computer technicians here in Puerto
Rico. How much memory does his machine support? I use crucial.com. They
ask you to authorize them to scan your
computer and then they will tell you
how much memory your machine has
and how much you can add. They even
tell you the type of memory your computer has, if it is DDR2, for example,
and the model number, like DDR 667
or 800. They show you everything. And
the service is free! They sell memory,
but if you decide not to buy from them,
you can get memory elsewhere.
Roberto Lopez
FEEDBACK
Videomaker Tips and Tricks DVD Series
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• Outdoor Videography
• Field Audio
• Video Lighting Tips
• Special Effects
• Green Screen
• Online Video
• Makey Money With Video
• Creating Action Video
Also included on the DVDs are many related PDFs
of our best articles and other bonus materials.
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• Set of 8 Instructional DVDs $139.95 (regular price $199.60)
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Documentary
Production
• Video Camera Techniques
• Editing and Continuity Tips
From developing your characters,
• Audio for Video Tips
to dealing with legal issues, learn to
create compelling documentaries.
Puerto Rico
Thank you, Roberto. We’ve heard of
Crucial and have purchased products
from them, too. We’ll pass this info on
to Lew. Thanks for being such a great
Videomaker Community Member!
—The Editors
DVD
Bonus material included!
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• Set of all 4 Instructional DVD-ROMs $139.95 (regular price $199.80)
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• After Effects - Part 1
• After Effects - Part 2
• DIY Jib and Crane
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QUICK FOCUS
Vimeo Launches Advanced
Statistics for Plus Members
by the Videomaker Staff
For Members Only:
Videomaker Plus
Videomaker has launched our website’s newest feature, Videomaker
Plus, which allows members access to premium content unavailable
to casual browsers.
Videomaker is often considered an online video school, due to
the many online tutorial videos, article content and downloads that
teach you about all areas
of the video production
PLUS process from planning to
shooting to editing to delivery. We now offer Plus
members even more…
more exclusive access to thousands of articles, tips and videos and
unlimited access to the Videomaker Tips & Tricks video series.
We’ll also be starting up contests and monthly drawings that
only members can participate in, and you will receive priority status
for our events. One of the nicest features will be an Expert Hotline.
Members will have direct e-mail access to the Videomaker editors,
those hard-working souls that spend their days researching, studying, fine-tuning and teaching every level of video production.
You can sign up for a 14-day free trial, and, if you decide to stay,
it’s only $24.99 for a year, the cost of a few lattes at your favorite
java hangout. Check it out, become a premium member and join the
coolest club in town. www.videomaker.com/membership
by Jennifer O’Rourke
Macworld 2010 Wrap
A handful of the
Videomaker staff
attended Macworld
this year in beautiful San Francisco
at the Moscone Center. We didn’t know what to expect, as
this is the first year Apple completely pulled the plug and did
not attend the event. We had heard a lot of speculation leading up to Macworld, about a possible uninhabited show floor.
Macworld was definitely smaller than years past. Only 250
exhibitors were on hand, down from 400 last year – a direct
result of Apple’s decision not to attend. Most of what we saw
at the event were accessories for iPods and iPhones, nothing
really groundbreaking in the video industry. Certainly after this
event, Macworld’s future remains in question, if we look at
other events – Apple has pulled out of other Macworld Expos,
and they ultimately came to a screeching halt.
Regardless, we spoke with several exhibitors, including
Sennheiser about their wireless rebate program and Data
Robotics, Inc. about their Drobo storage solutions and how they
can increase productivity in Final Cut Pro. Watch our Macworld
Wrap video report here: www.videomaker.com/r/414
by Derek Sine
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6
Vimeo has also launched a Plus members service.
Vimeo’s new Advanced Statistics, Plus Stats,
provides Vimeo Plus members with detailed information on the
playback of their videos. Plus members can now see video analytics
broken down by date range, geography and embed location.
“Better analytics has been one of the most requested features of
all time,” said Andrew Pile, Vice President of Product and Development. “We wanted to give our Plus members detailed insight in a
clean, easy-to-use format.”
The new statistics feature includes a variety of new tools, including granular visualizations of video loads, plays (by geographic
location and website), playback quality (HD vs SD), video finishes,
likes, comments and downloads. Any data point can be graphed over
any timeframe on individual videos or across all of a user's uploads.
It also includes new social tools like biggest fans, commenters and
running Top Performer charts.
by Derek Sine
PMA 2010 Wrap
CES was set on 3D,
and Macworld was all
about iPod and iPhone
accessories. However, at PMA (The Photo
Marketing Association
Event), with what little
video there was on
hand, the primary focus
seemed to be on waterproof
and generally overall rugged cameras. It looked as
if every major exhibit had
a little demonstration area
with camcorders submerged underwater and various camcorders
sprinkled around in miniature desert landscapes.
It was very apparent that both industries are merging and the
lines between videography and photography are beginning to blur.
Products once marketed strictly to videographers are now being
marketed towards photographers. Although there was talk about
video and stills coming together in one platform, rough, rugged
cameras were the talk of the town.
Similar to Apple pulling out of Macworld, Canon was a no-show
this year at PMA, which was quite a surprise. Hopefully, this does not
become a consistent trend at these events, because it is definitely
contributing to dwindling event attendance.
Eliott Peck, Canon USA’s Vice President and General Manager,
stated, “We find that product life cycles are moving so much faster
and that product introductions are happening in such shorter time
frame that we needed to be much more agile, and we find that trade
shows are very locked into specific times which somewhat limits
what we want to do.”
For more on PMA, check out the forum for additional coverage:
www.videomaker.com/r/415
by Derek Sine
Intensity Pro introduces professional HDMI
and analog editing in HD and SD for $199
Intensity Pro is the only capture and playback
card for Windows™ and Mac OS X™ with HDMI
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you to upgrade to Hollywood production quality
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Learn more today at www.blackmagic-design.com
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THE ULTIMATE IN VIDEO SHOPPING:
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CAMCORDERS
Barber Tech
SteddiePod is the evolved version of a device developed over 20
years ago by multiple Emmy Award-winner Eddie Barber. This piece
of equipment aids in getting some amazing shots with over eight
functions all in one device, which works as a camera boom, handheld stabilizer and body mount, just to name a few. A great tool for
any video producer.
FS300
VIXIA HF R100
VIXIA HF M300
VIXIA HF S200
• Flash Memory Camcorder
•37x Optical Zoom,
• 2000x Digital Zoom,
•2.7” Widescreen Color LCD, USB 2.0,
Available in Silver, Red, Blue
• 20x Optical Zoom,
• 2.7” Widescreen Color LCD
• 2.7” Touch Panel Color LCD Screen
• 3.5” Hi-Res Touch Panel Widescreen Color LCD
DCR-SX44
DCR-SR68
EVERIO GZ-MS230BUS
EVERIO GZ-HD620BUS
• 4GB Flash Memory Handycam Camcorder,
• Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar Lens,
• 60x Optical/2000x Digital Zoom Lens,
• 2.7” Touch Panel LCD, Silver
• 80GB HDD High Def Handycam Camcorder,
• 2.7” Touch Panel LCD
Available in Silver, Red,
Blue
• 8 GB Flash Memory Camcorder
Available In: Black, Blue & Red
• 120 GB HD Hard Drive Camcorder
• 3.3 Megapixel,
Available In: Black
HDR-CX110
HDR-XR150
EVERIO GZ-MG750BUS
AG-HCK10
• HD Handycam Camcorder,
• 2.7” LCD,
Available in Silver, Red, Blue
• 120GB Hard Disk Handycam Camcorder,
• 2.7” Display,
• 80GB Hard Drive Camcorder
•39x Optical Zoom,
•800x Digital Zoom
Available In: Black
• 1/4.1” 3.05 Megapixel
• 3-MOS POVCAM Full HD Camera Head
The ultra-compact, mountable AG-HCK10 HD camera
head (POVCAM) teams with the AG-HMR10
AVCCAM handheld recorder to offer a low-cost
Full HD camera recording system
for a wide range
of applications
HDR-AX2000/H
MHS-PM5/L BLOGGIE
ULTRA HD
ULTRA II
• High-Definition AVCHD Handycam Camcorder,
• 3.2” Xtra Fine LCD Display
• High Definition MP4 Video Camcorder,
• 2.4” LCD
• Full-Screen Playback,
Available in Blue, Pink,
Violet, White
• HD Camcorder
• 120 Minutes Capacity
• 2.0 LCD
• 8GB Internal Memory
• 2x Digital Zoom
• Built-In FlipShare
Software
Available in Black, White,
• HD Camcorder
• 120 Minutes
Capacity
• 2.0 LCD
• 8GB Internal Memory
www.barbertvp.com
Suggested Retail Price: $500 (Fluid Head and
Swivel Handle included)
Sony
Sony’s Bloggie MHS-PM5 records high-definition MP4 video clips,
shoots five-megapixel still photos and is small enough to fit in
your back pocket. The Bloggie comes standard with a 270-degree
swivel lens; the kit includes a 360-degree video lens adaptor that
lets you shoot high-quality panoramic video with a full 360-degree
field of view. Videos are stored on Memory Stick PRO Duo and
SD/SDHC memory cards, depending on your preference.
www.sonystyle.com/bloggie
Suggested Retail Price: $190 (360-degree accessory lens + 4GB
Memory Stick PRO Duo - Kit)
Noise Industries
FxFactory is a free plug-in management system that lets you install
and try hundreds of plug-ins for Final Cut Pro, Motion and Adobe
After Effects. Some plug-ins are even free; others are available in
trial mode and may be purchased as needed.
FxFactory also capitalizes on your graphics card in your current
system to provide hardware-accelerated previews and rendering.
contents
Available in Black, White,
Pink & Yellow.
www.noiseindustries.com/fxfactory
Suggested Retail Price: Free
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web site for
a full line of:
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GPS
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INC.
42 West 18th Street New York, N.Y. 10011
[email protected]
Order Toll Free USA / Canada - 800-223-2500
Orders & Information - 212-741-0052
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More Than Just I/O
READER PROFILE
Behind the Lens - Mikel Estes
Video creation is sometimes a singular business, but video producers are
a social lot. Our curiosity about our readers has inspired us to create this
new column to introduce you to your fellow video producers.
Name: Mikel Estes
Camera: Canon FS100
Computer: 15" MacBook Pro
Editing Platform: iMovie '08/Final Cut Express
Microphones: Audio Technica Pro70 lavalier, Sennheiser e835, AKG D1000E
Support Gear: Tripods: Sunpak 7575, Sunpak 9002TM; Lighting: Mole
Richardson 2351 Midget Solarspot, (3)stock halogen industrial lights;
Soundtrack: Yamaha DGX-305 keyboard, Tascam DP-02 Portastudio
Inventions: (2) camera stabilizers, clapperboard, (3) reflective screens
Website: www.youtube.com/armeeuff1 and (forthcoming)- www.yogatlanta.com
The beginning. November 2008. I
knew nothing. I owned nothing. Let
me rephrase: I knew nothing about
filmmaking and owned absolutely no
equipment. Now I have about 17 videos online, plus a short movie trailer
and most of the footage to self-produce an 18-minute film. I'll soon
enter this into festivals and shop for
executive producers ($) to further my
pursuit to make an expanded fulllength feature. Here’s how I did it.
The catalyst. The idea came about
when my girlfriend said she had a
job with a private contractor and was
leaving soon for Iraq. She had recently
left her job at a yoga studio, here,
outside Atlanta. She had been sharing
the daily drama/comedy of how that
business was going (under), and I had
toyed with making a movie or theatrical production of her tales. When she
left, I decided I needed a major diversion in my life and head to keep my
sanity. The idea hit me like a…bomb: I
would become a filmmaker!
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Research and Development. A few
trips to the bookstore didn’t produce
the spark I needed. I really needed
shorter articles. In the magazine section, I looked for something interesting and came upon Videomaker. I
immediately subscribed, as the articles were short, concise and mostly
geared for any beginner/intermediate
to understand. Perfect!
From there, I started studying
soundtracks that had inspired me
– Dances with Wolves, Braveheart,
Legends of the Fall, Gladiator, etc. After
about a month, original compositions
were spilling out of my head. In fact, in
listening to one of my recorded songs
just before bedtime for several nights,
images emerged from deep within me
and my short video wrote itself. I just
filled in words under the pictures that
I “saw” in my head. The entire movie
idea came to me in this way and the
audition script was written quite easily.
Acquiring Equipment. I picked up
my first camcorder and tripods when
a major chain was closing its doors.
Then I "craigslisted" and auditioned
about a dozen actresses for the two
major parts in my movie. Soon realizing this would be impossible without
funding, I decided to do a short version
that would tell a complete story and
use that as a promotional tool.
Also during this time, I bought Pinnacle Ultimate 12, but finding my PC
couldn’t handle video well, I turned
to eBay and bought a MacBook Pro.
Soon I ended up getting Final Cut
Express, as well as a 1TB external
drive. Whatever else I couldn’t afford,
I made, including two camera stabilizers and other equipment and props.
The Shoot. I started to contact
people for locations and was blown
away with their generous offers. So,
with my two actresses and truckload
of equipment, I started shooting my
first project in early 2009. For the
most part, it went beautifully, and
what didn’t I simply chalked up to a
learning experience and got on with
it. As of this writing, one more shooting day is scheduled to tie up loose
ends before I go to post production.
One thing that helped me do a
better job was offering to videotape musicians and bands for free,
providing them a DVD and giving me
experience on my own equipment.
I’ve certainly found that, in spite of
trying to read all about how to do
something, there’s no better teacher
than to just get out there and do it. In
my case, I simply needed the spark of
an idea…well, that and my loved one
going to a war zone.
Fast H.264 encoding too!
Take your input, output, monitoring, and encoding toolbox with you wherever you go – in the studio, on set,
and on the road. Use it with a laptop or desktop, Mac or PC. Work with virtually any camera, codec, monitor,
or deck. Streamline editing with your favorite applications including Final Cut Pro, Adobe Premiere Pro,
Photoshop, and many more.
Turbocharge your H.264 encoding with Apple Compressor, Telestream Episode, and
Adobe Media Encoder using the unique Matrox MAX technology. Deliver files for
Blu-ray, the web, and mobile devices faster than ever before.
For the ultimate in quality, convenience, and flexibility, choose the Matrox product that is right for you.
with Matrox MAX
$84900
with Matrox MAX
$1,39500
with Matrox MAX
$1,99500
$2,39500
Available now at
Mikel Estes, aspiring filmmaker
Interested in telling us about your video-producing
passion? Send us your profile, in 500 words or less,
to [email protected], using “Reader Profile”
in the subject line. Please send us usable photos
and tell us about your gear. For more details, go to
our website and follow this link: www.videomaker.
com/r/371.
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Matrox is a registered trademark and Matrox MXO and Matrox MAX are trademarks of Matrox Electronic Systems Ltd. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
10
with Matrox MAX
I/O hardware also available without MAX
reviews
reviews
Panasonic’s POVCAM
Panasonic’s POVCAM
and Memory Card
Portable Recorder
Eye in the Sky
b y M a r k Holder
Panasonic Broadcast
One Panasonic Way
Secaucus, NJ 07094
www.panasonic.com
strengths
•Excellent full HD recording
•Versatile
•Great for one-person production
crews
weaknesses
•Port covers on the recorder are stiff
and difficult to open
•High cost for limited budgets
POVCAM Full HD Camera Head
(AG-HCK10G): $1,800
Handheld AVCCAM HD Recorder/
Player (AG-HMR10P): $2,600
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As tested, including camera,
recorder, 3m cable, 8GB SD
memory card and soft carrying
case: $4,915
12
I
f your next project requires maximum camera placement versatility, while capturing beautiful full HD
images, then Panasonic’s two-piece
video recording system may be just
the ticket.
Picture Perfect
news, observing nature, involved in
law enforcement surveillance (court
order not included) or just trying to
get that crazy, cool shot at your kid’s
next sporting event, the POVCAM can
help get the job done.
The unit uses three 1/4-inch 3MOS imagers to capture 1920x1080
high-definition video in the AVCHD
format. The camera head also features
12x optical zoom and optical image
stabilization. When mounted upside
down, using a standard 1/4-20 socket,
the image flips automatically to the
proper orientation.
What can be mounted virtually anywhere (including strapped or suction-cupped to any part of a vehicle’s
surface, suspended from the rafters
of your favorite sports venue or even
bungeed to your bicycle or skateboard),
records the crunch of wheels on pavement through its built-in 2-channel
microphone and allows you to capture
Old School
stunning HD images to boot? Why, the
In a bit of a retro move back to the days
Panasonic POVCAM Full HD Camera
Head, of course.
AG-HMR10P Recorder I/O connections
Small in stature and weighing less than 2/3 of a pound,
this camera can go almost
anywhere and capture pretty
much anything. The point-ofview applications are endless.
Whether you’re gathering
Vi s i t
To see test video go to
www.videomaker.com/article/14626
of yore, when cameras recorded to a
separate deck, the POVCAM requires
the Panasonic AVCCAM HD Recorder in
order to achieve its full potential. (For a
blast to the past – see www.videomaker.
com/r/410 and www.oldradio.com).
The recorder is a battery-powered
handheld unit. It supplies power to
the camera head and combines a
built-in 3.5” LCD screen for viewing
and playback functions, HD recording
to low-cost SD memory cards and a
plethora of menu-driven controls. HDSDI in/out ports allow it to function as
a standalone recorder for any HD-SDI
capable camera.
It records full HD images at 1920x
1080 in three recording modes. The
highest quality, PH mode, records an
average of 21Mbps for up to three hours
on a single 32GB SD card. A fourth
recording mode, HE, records at 1440x
1080 at approximately 6Mbps for up
to 12 hours on the aforementioned
memory card.
Versatile
Eager to check out the
camera and recorder,
I packed them into
their soft case,
hopped in my car
and cruised over
to an area favored
by a wide variety of
waterfowl. Much of my
work as a video producer is of the
one-man production team variety, and
I thought this would provide a good
test of the equipment.
I mounted the POVCAM camera
head to the roof of my car, using the
Fat Gecko camera mount by Delkin
(see the August 2009 issue of Videomaker or online at www.videomaker.
com/article/14442). Next, I attached
the camera to the recorder via the
three-meter (nine-foot eight-inch)
cable. An optional 20-meter cable (65
feet) is available if you need the added
length: it's $600 – useful, but ouch.
TeCH sPeCs
CAMerA
HeAd - AG-HCK10G
Image Sensor: 3MOS (three 1/4"
MOS-type solid-state image sensors;
progressive modes supported)
Picture elements: Effective – approx.
2.51 megapixels x 3 (16:9)
Lens: Optical image stabilizer;
motorized 12x zoom; f/1.8 to f/2.8
Filter diameter: 43mm
Nd Filter: Auto on/off by IRIS
Minimum Luminance: Approx. 1 lx
Weight: 275g (approx. 0.61 lb)
POrtAbLe reCOrder - AG-HMr10P
recording Format: AVCHD
Compression Method: MPEG-4 AVC/
H.264
recording Media: SD memory card
(512MB, 1GB, 2GB); SDHC memory
card (4GB – 32GB)
Signal Formats Include: 1080/60i,
1080/30p (over 60i), 1080/24p (native),
720/60p, 720/30p (over 60p) and
720/24p (native)
transmission rate: PH mode: approx.
21Mbps (VBR, max. 24Mbps); HA mode:
approx. 17Mbps (VBR); HG mode: approx.
13Mbps (VBR); HE mode: approx. 6Mbps
(VBR)
Video In/Out: SDI input, SDI output,
AG-HCK10G 20-pin dedicated input,
HDMI output
Audio In/Out: AG-HCK10G 20-pin
dedicated input, external microphone
input (stereo mini jack), HDMI output
(2-ch linear PCM, 5.1-ch Dolby Digital),
headphone, built-in speaker
LCd Monitor: 3.5 inches, LCD color
monitor (approx. 210,000 pixels)
Weight: Approx. 691g (approx. 1.52 lb.),
including battery
V I D E O M A K E R > > > MAy 2 0 1 0
AG-HMR10P Recorder card slot
I positioned myself with my feathered friends in the background and
switched the unit on.
To say that the handheld unit is
convenient would be a gross understatement. Watching the LCD screen,
I could adjust my position for proper
framing, set the white balance, observe
the zebra settings and adjust the iris,
zoom and focus – all without the need
of an assistant or endless trips back to
check the camera’s viewfinder. Once
I completed my ramblings before the
camera, I was able to select from several thumbnails of the clips I had just
recorded and review them with ease.
It’s easy to see that the creative
possibilities are endless. Working with
these items was a joy, to say the least.
sUMMArY
If you’re a one-person camera crew,
or just need the versatility these products afford, the Panasonic POVCAM
and AVCCAM HD Recorder/Player may
be the right choice for you.
Mark Holder is a video producer and trainer.
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LaCie 724 Color Correct LCD
LaCie 724 Color
Correct LCD
TeCH sPeCs
Diagonal: 24 in. / 61 cm.
Monitoring Color
b y L a n c e Olinger
E
ver put two different LCDs next to
each other? Usually the colors or
brightness are different. Most LCDs
will very have limited color adjustment, and trying to achieve color
accuracy can be impossible. For this
problem, LaCie produces color correct
monitors with a calibrator to get just
the look needed.
What Makes It So Special?
The LaCie 724 is a 24" LCD with a wider
range of displayable colors than a standard LCD. The color range is achieved
by using an S-PVA LCD with an RGB-LED
backlight. S-PVA LCDs are more expensive and have a slower refresh rate than
standard LCDs but have the bonus of a
higher contrast ratio. A higher contrast
ratio means darker and lighter colors
can be displayed at one time. For instance, if there is a shadow in an image,
LaCie UsA
22985 NW Evergreen Parkway
Hillsboro, OR 97124
www.lacie.com
strengths
•Nice adjustable stand
• Very adjustable color
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weAknesses
•Expensive
full screen
print
$2,200
14
but the rest of the image is bright, a
low-contrast LCD would show a brighter
shadow than a high-contrast LCD. To
help increase the image quality, the
RGB LED comes into play. Most LCDs
with LED backlights are just a white
color source. RGB LEDs help increase
the contrast ratio, since the color of the
background can be changed in gradients of red/green/blue, instead of just
turning the white LED on and off. The
end result is a high-contrast LCD with
a variable backlight that can display a
wider color range than standard LCDs.
Design
The LCD has two DVI inputs. One DVI
is DVI-I (analog/digital) and the other is
DVI-D (digital). This lets the monitor utilize higher-quality graphics cards with
only DVI output while still supporting
older graphics cards with VGA output.
The LCD stand is very adjustable. The
bottom of the base can spin, making it
easy to turn the LCD around to show the
screen to others. The LCD can be tilted
forward, backward, left and right on
the stand, while the stand can raise and
lower the LCD. The side of the LCD has
a 4-port USB hub with USB input in the
back of the screen. The overall design is
very sturdy, but it is much thicker than
a standard LCD. Considering that the
LCD’s primary function is image quality,
the thicker frame is easy to overlook.
Color Features
At first glance, the differences between
the LaCie 724 and a regular LCD are apparent: the colors are very vibrant and
there are many configuration options
available. There are five color presets
available on the LCD: emulation, Adobe
sRGB, sRGB, calibration and custom.
Calibration and emulation modes are
for use with the Colorimeter to automatically adjust the display settings.
Emulation mode, by default, displays
more vibrant colors, while calibration
mode displays very even colors. The
AdobeRGB preset is made specifically
for the Adobe RGB colorspace and allows quick adjustment with the click of
a button. The sRGB preset is the generic
mode and makes the picture look more
like other LCDs. The custom mode
needs to be used to allow access to the
manual fine-tuning display features.
These features include brightness, contrast, color tone (warm to cool), color
Blue Eye Pro Colorimeter
Display Area: 20.4x12.75 in.
Max Resolution: 1920x1200 @ 60Hz
Color: 16.77 million
Video Inputs: DVI-I 29-pin; DVI-D
24-pin
Color Gamut: 1-CIE 1976: 123%
Adobe RGB, 125% NTSC
Color Gamut: 2-CIE 1931: 116%
Adobe RGB, 111% NTSC
Gamma Correction : 14-bit lookup
table (14-bit processing)
Luminance: 250 cd/m2
Contrast Ratio: 1000:1
Response Time: 6ms, 16ms (blackwhite-black)
Viewing Angles: H: 178ª / V: 178º
Weight : 15.4 lbs. / 7 kg
control (RGB balance) and gamma.
These presets make it quick and easy to
change the image quality to see how it
would look on other displays.
The Colorimeter
The LaCie 724 LCD has a lot of color
customization built into the monitor.
For that extra bit of customization, the
Blue Eye Pro Colorimeter is used. The
Blue Eye Pro configuration utility is
easy to use. The program just requires
selecting the gamma, white point,
luminance and blackpoint before
auto calibration can begin. Once the
calibration is finished, the settings can
be saved to a file for easy use in the
future. The need to try to manually
configure colors is eliminated, and
many headaches are avoided.
Should I Buy This?
Not everyone needs a color-accurate
LCD. The technology is still new and
expensive. If you just want to have a
pretty picture, you may want to wait
until the prices come down. For those
who require a color-accurate display
(publishers or video editors), take a
look at some of LaCie’s LCDs. The price
may seem high compared to cheaper
Monitor Hood
LCDs, but you get what you pay for. If
the cost doesn’t fit your budget, LaCie
also offers reconditioned LCDs on its
website for almost half the price.
The Bottom Line
The LaCie 724 LCD has a wider range
of colors to display than standard
LCDs. The displayed image can be adjusted to look like another LCD monitor or to reproduce accurate color for
print or video production. The image
can be quickly adjusted with the five
available presets or it can be finetuned with the colorimeter. The price
is high compared to other LCDs, but
other LCDs lack good color control.
This product is designed to help
professionals make better-looking
products without having to compare
the quality to printed paper or a TV.
It's an important feature, considering you need color-accurate imaging
for broadcast, print publications and
other delivery methods. Without it,
you’re working in the dark.
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LaCie’s 724 LCD is a high-quality
product with a wide color range to
allow accurate color reproduction.
Lance Olinger is Videomaker's IT Assistant.
FEEDBACk
V I D E O M A K E R > > > MAy 2 0 1 0
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) 0(+#,>/7$? ) 0(+#,)
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15
reviews
reviews
NewTek TriCaster
TCXD300
Mix
Lone Wolf Production
b y B o h u š Blahut
C
overing an event as a live multicamera production used to be the
exclusive turf of the networks, but
today we can see good-looking live HD
video content streamed into people’s
homes created by more people than
ever. Now, video producers are finding
NewTek, inc.
5131 Beckwith Blvd.
San Antonio, TX 78249
www.newtek.com
sTreNgThs
•Friendly interface
•Compact, portable, sturdy - ready for
use on location
•LiveMatte keyer makes it easy to pull
a key in less than ideal conditions
•Integrated virtual sets and graphic
elements included
•Live in-country tech support daily
weakNesses
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•Can use only 3 cameras
•No rackmount version available
•Not as intuitive as prior models
•Requires knowledge of LightWave
3D (not included) to create custom
virtual sets
$15, 000
16
ways to join in the live TV revolution
through the internet. NewTek has been
making waves over the last few years
with its TriCaster family of products,
and we had a chance to look at the
newest HD incarnation, the TriCaster
TCXD300. This TriCaster is a compact
HD production studio turnkey system
that fits in a backpack. It includes a
multi-input switcher, greenscreen
keyer, virtual set generator, real-time
streaming system and more tools to
make TriCaster an all-in-one production center.
Getting Started
To get started in a hurry, there is a
quick start guide in addition to the full
manual. You also get a box of various
adaptors, a TriCaster Crew T-shirt and
a training DVD starring NewTek Director of Worldwide Training Don Balance. Not
Virtual Set
only will this get old and
new users of TriCaster
up to speed on the new
interface, but it’s also
a great way to rapidly
prep a crew that’s new
to live video production.
At $15,000, the
TriCaster TCXD300 is
positioned as a professional device, though
its jargon-lite workflow
increasingly finds it in non-pro video
environments. At its root, TriCaster
is a live production tool, heavily
optimized for operation by a single
person or small team. Within minutes
of opening the box, I was switching among three cameras, adding
overlays and even successfully keying
talent (using a hastily-lit greenscreen)
into a live virtual set.
Additionally, you can create layered
combinations of multiple inputs and
overlays and save these as a “virtual
input.” Virtual inputs are an important feature. On past jobs, I’ve set a
live split-screen effect between two
cameras, but I was not able to neatly
switch to and from each input. Virtual
inputs allow you to set up effects
ahead of time and tie them to a single
switcher button.
Any of the video assets you mix together can be either SD or HD resolution. TriCaster will scale those sources
up to HD in real-time using 32-bit
floating-point precision, 4:4:4:4 video
processing and component (YCbCrA)
color (well beyond industry-standard
10-bit). Besides three live cameras, you
can mix in the input of other computers on your network, still graphics,
video clips from the built-in Media
Players, and pepper it all with graphics from the built-in CG program,
using a pair of downstream keyers.
Every one of these inputs has its own
proc-amp for color correction, as well
as controls for sizing and positioning
each source. This is a crucial addition,
especially for positioning keyed talent
into place on a virtual set without
having to adjust the physical cameras.
Making corrections like this while on
set during production can save hours
of post-production work. There is also
MAKING CORRECTIONS ON
SET CAN SAVE HOURS OF
POST-PRODUCTION WORK.
a final proc-amp stage to adjust the
master video output.
Customize
All of these special settings, including
CG pages and other customized project elements, can be saved as a preset
within a project bin on the TriCaster
screen. This is especially beneficial in
an environment where many different
shows are being made on the same
TriCaster. In order to maintain each
project’s specific look, you simply
click on a bin to quickly recall all of
your settings.
Even with 18 hours of HD video
storage space built in to the TriCaster
TCXD300, you’ll eventually need to
back up all that data. The TriCaster
TCXD300’s backup utility automatically collects all the elements associated with a project (including media
clips, CG pages, stills, etc.) into a single
ZIP file for archival purposes. The
TCXD300 has an eSATA hard drive port
on the back, allowing you to connect
to an external high-capacity hard
drive for backing up projects.
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V I D E O M A K E R > > > M Ay 2 0 1 0
17
ReviewS
REviEwS
ATI Video Card
Comparison
Keyboard Interface
For those of us who work on
budget-challenged projects, one of
the greatest challenges is creating a
visually pleasing set. Greenscreen
chromakey effects and virtual sets are
a good solution, but there have always
been significant technical challenges to
getting a greenscreen to work right and
pull off the illusion of a virtual set.
Key
The TriCaster TCXD300 has a very
forgiving keying system. It is not using
legacy chromakey technology, but
an all-new version of the proprietary
LiveMatte keying system. Lighting has
always been crucial in greenscreen
work. Using TriCaster’s LiveMatte feature (a separate LiveMatte key is available for every video input), I got a very
good composite after carelessly throwing a green backdrop cloth against
the wall and using poor room lighting
for illumination. The green backdrop
had wrinkles and ugly shadows, but
the TriCaster didn’t flinch. TriCaster
has included virtual sets in the past,
but this model
introduces virtual
camera zooms
while your talent
is keyed into
the scene. This
addition adds a
greater sense of
dimension and
realism, aided by
a real-time blur
effect to simulate camera optics while
you zoom. This is all real time and
can be streamed or broadcasted live.
Switch
One curious choice is to have the
LiveText CG program run entirely
separate from the switcher environment. The switcher has an extensive
list of templated lower thirds and
titles in a variety of styles that can
be easily customized on the fly by
resizing text and choosing new fonts.
To create your own templates for
projects or for more elaborate CG
design and control, you have to exit
TeCH SPeCS
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print
Weight: 20 lbs
Dimensions: 17.5"D x 8.5"H x 10.4"W
Recording Capacity: 18 hours in 1080i
HD
Video Input: 3 simultaneous inputs in
any combination of HD-SDI, HD Component, SD-SDI, SD Component, Y/C (BNC)
and Composite
Audio Input: 2 balanced combination
XLR/phone jacks, 2 x 4 balanced phone
jacks, 3 x 2 AES3/EBU BNC connectors 3
x SDI embedded, phantom power option
Video Output: 3 HD/SD-SDI, 3 HD/SDcomponent
Audio Output: 4 balanced phone jacks
(program out), 4 balanced phone jacks
(auxiliary out), 2 AES/EBU (program out),
2 AES/EBU (auxiliary out), 3 SDI embedded, 1 stereo headphone jack
18
SuppORTeD FORmATS:
Standard: 1080i59.94, 720p59.94,
480i59.94 (16:9 and 4:3) - $15,000
multi-Standard: 1080i50, 720p50,
576i50 (4:3 and 16:9) - $18,000
mix HD/SD Sources: Yes
Video Ingest: 1, 6-pin IEEE FireWire
Webcasting: Yes; Adobe Flash and Push
or Pull Windows Media with VC-1 support
Waveform monitor: Yes
Vectorscope: Yes
Render Outputs: AVI, DV, MPEG-2, DVD,
QuickTime, MP4 (iPod and PSP)
File Formats: AVI, DV, MPEG-2, QuickTime, HDV, JPG, PNG, and more
ATI FirePro V8750
3 to Compare
by Lance Olinger
the switcher to launch the LiveText
character generator. NewTek’s current solution is to offer LiveText as
a standalone program to run on a
separate computer networked to your
TriCaster, but, at nearly a thousand
dollars, it’s an expensive proposition.
I would like to see LiveText simply
open as a window on the TriCaster’s
switcher interface.
Deliver
Over the years, different hardware and
software solutions have all promised
a “studio in a box.” The TriCaster
TCXD300 is one of the few that actually delivers on that promise through all
of its facilities and also quite literally
through the virtual set system. At this
price, we’ll likely see a new breed of
video entrepreneurs become internet
impresarios controlling both the live
production and broadcast of their own
shows. (TriCaster has other models
more modestly priced around $5,000.)
The TriCaster TCXD300 is a versatile
all-in-one solution for community media centers, local television, corporate
webcasting, schools and more.
SUMMARY
Tightly integrated system that works
right out of the box. The portable TriCaster TCXD300 offers unprecedented
power, pound for pound.
Bohuš Blahut owns and operates a film and video production company and is an independent video producer,
filmmaker and educator.
FEEDBACk
ATI FirePro V5700
ATI Radeon HD 5870
C
ommonly, when one thinks of
building an editing computer, a nice
workstation card like an ATI FirePro
comes to mind. Not everyone knows
when a workstation video card is needed and when a regular gaming video
card would work just as well. Let’s take a
look at some of the differences between
a gaming card and a workstation card.
The Video Cards
Three ATI video cards were tested on a
Polywell x5800A running Windows 7
with an Intel Core i7 965 (4 x 3.2GHz)
processor with 6GB of RAM. Detailed
specifications of this unit can be found
in our article on the Polywell x5800A
www.videomaker.com/article/14387.
The Radeon HD 5870 is currently
one of ATI’s best gaming video cards,
while the FirePro V8750 is ATI’s best
workstation card. The FirePro V5700
is ATI’s midrange workstation card.
ATi
Advanced Micro Devices
One AMD Place
P.O. Box 3453
Sunnyvale, CA, 94088-3453
www.amd.com
As seen in the detailed specifications, each card is very different and
provides a good basis for comparison
without having to benchmark all of
ATI’s video cards.
It is noteworthy that ATI sells the
FirePro V8700 at a much lower price
than the V8750, when the only difference is less video RAM. This means
slower performance at higher resolutions. Since the average user wouldn’t
work on projects over 1080P, the
V8700 is all most people will need.
3D Editing Benchmarks
SpecViewPerf10 is a free benchmark
utility that tests real-time performance
inside programs like Maya and 3D
Studio Max. The test rotates the view
around 3D objects and records the
frame rate. A faster frame rate results
in a smoother experience for the user
while creating and moving 3D mod-
BENCHMARK COMPUTER SPECS
2 x 147GB Seagate Cheetahs
Drives:
CPU: Intel i7-965 4 x 3.2GHz
RAM: 6GB DDR3 1333MHz
OS: Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit
Motherboard: Asus P6T Deluxe
els. Without a fast workstation card,
complex 3D objects can bring the
modeling program to a crawl. As seen
in benchmarks, if you are going to do
3D modeling, a FirePro video card is a
must. The FirePro V5700 is a great fit
for those who want to do 3D modeling
and special effects on a budget.
Gaming Benchmarks
3DMark Vantage was used to test
video game performance. It runs multiple video game demos and records
the frames per second (FPS). The FPS
ATi FirePro v8750
ATi FirePro v5700
ATi Radeon HD 5870
STRENGTHS
STRENGTHS
STRENGTHS
• Top of the line at 3D modeling • Good at 3D modeling
• Decent gaming performance • Well-priced
wEAKNESSES
wEAKNESSES
• Expensive
• Not good for gaming
$1,799
$599
V I D E O M A K E R > > > MAy 2 0 1 0
• Top of the line at gaming
• Capable of 3D modeling
• Cheaper than most workstation
video cards
$399
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19
reviews
reviews
ATI Video Card Comparison
Nikon D3S DSLR
Benchmark software
specviewPerf10
Model
3dsmax-04
Catia-02
Ensight-03
Maya-02
Proe-04
SW-01
Tcvis-01
Ugnx-01
RadeonHD 5870
26.34
20.21
36.33
61.13
17.97
42.89
11.33
18.81
FirePro V8750
60.12
54.11
55.08
246.97
52.37
130.24
42.11
57.14
FirePro V5700
38.01
41.18
41.19
174.32
54.31
105.61
35.86
43.97
3DMarkvantage
Model
Adobe Media encoder Cs4
Score
Model
AVI Encoding Time MPEG Encoding Time
RadeonHD 5870 17327
RadeonHD 5870 4.6s
31s
FirePro V8750
9477
FirePro V8750
5.1s
31.1s
FirePro V5700
3677
FirePro V5700
5.1s
31s
is then used as the basis for a numerical score. By default, it can be assumed the Radeon HD 5870 is going
to win the gaming benchmark. The
FirePro V5700 is not within acceptable FPS to play a new video game,
but the FirePro V8750 can handle
new games without a problem. For
those looking to play games on their
computer and do 3D renderings, the
FirePro V8750 is a good way to go.
Adobe Benchmarks
As seen in the benchmarks, the time it
takes to encode video doesn’t change
much with any of the video cards.
Currently, Adobe doesn’t offer any
video card acceleration for its product.
There are plug-ins available to boost
performance inside Adobe Media Encoder, but otherwise a fast video card
will yield little benefit. Adobe's new
Mercury Playback Engine will solve
some of these issues.
TeCH sPeCs
V5700
Processing Units
320
Clock Speed
-
HDMI Outputs
0
DVI Outputs
1
DisplayPort Outputs 2
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Stereo 3D Output
0
Memory Size
512MB
Memory Bandwidth
28.8GB/
sec
Memory Speed
DDR3
Direct X
10.1
20
A Powerful Shooter for
the Power Shooter
ATI Stream
ATI is developing a plug-in, ATI
Stream, for Adobe Media Encoder CS4
that allows the card to be used for video encoding acceleration. The plug-in
is still in beta and is available only for
Windows Vista computers running
both an AMD processor and an ATI
video card. One of the best attributes
of this plug-in is that it will work with
an ATI gaming video card or a FirePro/
FireGl video card. Once this plug-in is
finished, a cheap ATI card will provide
better encoding performance without
breaking the bank.
Workstation vs Gaming
Video Cards
Keep in mind there are a lot more differences between the two video card
lines besides just benchmark speeds.
Some workstation cards have Stereo
3D output to allow use of 3D glasses.
Workstation class video cards offer
better support for
30-bit color and
V8750
HD 5870
some specialize
800
1600
with 40-bit to
64-bit color. More
750MHz
850MHz
colors allow for
0
1
more realistic
images and video.
1
2
ATI also boasts
2
1
better support for
1
0
its workstation
class. There’s a
2GB
1GB
multitude of other
115.2GB/sec
153.6GB/sec
special features
that are added
and a full list is
900MHz DDR5 1.2GHz DDR5
available at www.
10.1
11
amd.com.
by Tom Cunningham
What Should I buy?
Which card you should buy depends
on what the computer’s intended
use is. If your computer is going to
be used only for gaming, the obvious
choice is a gaming video card. For 3D
modeling, any FirePro card will work
great. For a gaming/modeling computer, the higher-end FirePro cards
are a better choice.
If the computer is going to be used
only for Adobe CS4, then no expensive video card is needed. For those
using other video-editing programs
like Avid or Sony Vegas, there is little
bonus in buying an expensive video
card as well. ATI has a large selection
of available video cards for whatever
your needs.
As of the date of this review, only
Adobe After Effects in Production
Premium CS4 supports video card
acceleration. There is not a need to
buy an expensive workstation video
card for Adobe Production Premium
CS4. However, Adobe has publicly
announced that upcoming versions
of Premiere Pro will include a new
video playback engine but for now, it
will only support a few video cards
with plans to add additional support
in the future.
sUMMArY
For 3D modeling, a workstation video
card is a must. For Adobe CS4, any
video card will do. For gaming, a topof-the-line workstation video card
will work, but a gaming video card is
a preferred.
Lance Olinger is Videomaker's IT Assistant.
FEEDBACk
Lens not reviewed
N
ikon has a new iteration of the
very popular D3, its professionallevel DSLR. It’s called the D3S, and
it is the latest Nikon camera to add
high-definition video to its repertoire.
This 12.1-megapixel, full-frame camera can be coupled with many fullframe lenses for numerous creative
possibilities. It shoots 720p HD video
and stills at up to nine frames per
second. With so many video DSLR
choices on the market, how does the
Nikon D3S hold up?
First Impressions
When we pulled the D3S out of its
box, it became immediately clear
that Nikon was packing as many
features as it could into this large
frame. At 2.73 pounds, the body is
significantly bigger and heavier than
most DSLRs. With the addition of the
24-70mm f/2.8 Nikkor lens at just
under 2 pounds, it becomes quite a
hefty camera. (Note: DSLR cameras
don’t usually come equipped with a
lens, as those are choices each user
makes; however, Nikon sent our
review camera along with the Nikkor
lens pictured. We did not review the
lens.) Throw on an external microphone or flash, and it becomes
massive for a DSLR. Part of the large
body is a horizontally-mounted grip
and shutter release on the bottom
of the camera. For videographers,
this is a feature that will receive very
little use, though for photographers
who are used to awkwardly dangling
their cameras sideways for portraits,
NIKON HAS PACKED AS MANY
FEATURES AS IT COULD INTO
THIS LARGE FRAME.
or having to purchase add-on battery
grips, this is a comfortable solution.
Fans of Nikon will be happy to
know that the button layout of the
D3S is almost identical to that of the
older D3 and similar to the D700
and D300S. Buttons and switches are
fairly easy to reach, as are the control
wheels for aperture and shutter speed.
Changes come in the form of an info
button on the bottom left of the bright
V I D E O M A K E R > > > MAy 2 0 1 0
3-inch LCD screen and a live view
button on the bottom right. On the left
side are weatherproof seals, hiding
audio and DC inputs, as well as AV and
HDMI outputs. A flash sync terminal
and a remote terminal are located
just in front of these. Like many other
video DSLRs, the recording functions
are controlled mostly within the Live
View of the camera. Most adjustments,
Nikon
1300 Walt Whitman Road
Melville, NY 11747-3064
www.nikonusa.com
streNgths
•High-quality photos
•Incredible low-light capability for
video or stills
•Excellent build quality
weakNesses
•Video autofocus is loud and slow
•HD video in 720p 24fps only
•Low video resolutions
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$5,200 body only
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21
rEviEwS
reviews
Nikon D3S DSLR
this, the overall build quality of the
camera feels extremely solid.
Still Image Quality
At first glance, the D3S looks to be an
older D3, with the added capability
of shooting HD video. Nikon, however, has made some very important
improvements over the previous generation. The most notable is the new,
super-high sensitivity, 12.1-megapixel, full-frame sensor. It features a
groundbreaking ISO of 102,400 at the
D3S Video
The same high ISO settings that make
the D3S a versatile, still-image camera allow it to record video at incredibly high sensitivities, with less noise
than most any other video DSLR.
When combined with an extremely
capable lens, such as the very sharp
24-70mm f/2.8, a lot of creative possibilities open up. Scenes that were
too dark in the past are now possible.
Colors are vibrant and smooth, con-
TECH SPECS
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22
In Conclusion
As a still camera, the Nikon D3S
Two Compact Flash card slots
trast is accurate and the 24 frames
per second give a cinematic feel to
the footage. On the other hand, 24p
is the only frame rate supported on
the camera. Unlike many competing
DSLRs, the D3S cannot shoot in 25,
30 or 60fps, and therefore it is hard
to rely on for fast action or television
production. On top of this, the resolutions are limited to 720p, 640x424
and 320x216. This again falls short
of many competing cameras, some at
lower price points. The video on the
D3S looks best when exposure and
focus are adjusted manually. Autofocus is enabled in record mode, but
noise from the lens and jerky, inaccurate focus make it mostly useless.
The mono microphone is adequate
for basic audio recording, but the
microphone input on the side of
the camera is a much better option.
I/O ports
receives a wholehearted recommendation. It’s great for professional
photographers looking for a toplevel camera that thrives in a variety
of difficult shooting situations. As a
standalone video camera, the D3S is
difficult to justify. While the quality of the video is good, it doesn’t
have enough features to make this
latest Nikon effort stand out from
the crowd. It’s hard to ignore lowerpriced DSLRs that have more robust
video features and higher video
resolutions, even when you consider
the impressive low-light capability.
Without the ability to shoot 1080p
or frame rates above 24p, the D3S is
a still camera that can shoot video,
but not a video camera in its own
right. Like its predecessors, the D3S
is aimed squarely at the professional
photographer. Incredibly sharp pictures with amazing color, all taken in
lighting situations you never thought
possible. It lacks the serious features
to make it a competitive camcorder,
but for the sports, wildlife and wedding photographers out there, the
Nikon D3S is an intelligent choice.
sUMMArY
The D3S is aimed at the professional photographer or video producer. Combining crisp pictures
with amazing color and the ability
to shoot in any possible lighting
situations changes the rules from
ordinary video capture.
Tom Cunningham is a video enthusiast and photographer
working in the video and still camera retail industry.
FEEDBACk
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contents
Video Out: Composite/HDMI
Mono/Stereo Recording: Mono
Microphone
Microphone In: Stereo
Manual Audio Level Controls: Yes
Headphone Jack: No
Speaker: Yes
Still Shot Media: Compact Flash
Memory Card Included: No
Flash: No
Wireless Remote: No
External Battery Charger Provided:
Yes
Battery Type: Lithium Ion
Onboard Video Light: No
Accessory Shoe: Yes
Overall, the D3S video is good, but it
can’t take the place of a full-featured
video camera or some of the competing video DSLRs.
r
de
Format:
Compact Flash
Number of CCDs: 1 CMOS
Size of CCDs: 36mm x 23.9mm
Pixels on CCD: 12.87 million
Effective Pixels: 12.1 million
Focus: Auto/manual
Shutter Speed:Auto/manual
Maximum Shutter Speed: 1/8000
Minimum Shutter Speed: 30" or bulb
(open shutter)
Image Stabilization: None
Manual White Balance: Yes
Viewfinder: Still images only
LCD Monitor: 3-inch
Progressive Scan: Yes
HD Modes: 720p
Video In: No
Live view and mic buttons
al for Vide
eci
om
p
S
NIKON HAS MADE SOME
IMPORTANT IMPROVEMENTS
OVER THE PREVIOUS
GENERATION.
highest setting. Simply, this means
high shutter speed in very low light.
The ability to take handheld shots
in a dimly-lit room with minimal or
no flash cannot be overstated. For
sports or wildlife photographers, this
incredible ISO range in conjunction
with the nine frames-per-second
burst mode means 82 shots in a row
of crisp, fast-moving action. With two
Compact Flash card slots, you won’t
run out of memory or mix up your
pictures and video. The second card
slot can be used to separate RAW
from JPEG or stills from video. It also
can serve as a safety backup or as
overflow when your first card gets
filled up.
743DUPLICATIONCOM
such as metering, ISO and exposure,
are shared between video and still image mode, allowing for fast transitions
from one to the other. The buttons,
dials and switches all have a solid feel
to them, with the exception of the
directional pad, used to navigate the
standard menu system. It feels somewhat mushy and has a lot of travel
before registering an input. Aside from
Nikon D3S DSLR
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23
2010
Buyer’s Guide
BY JOHN MCCABE
Better, Cheaper, More Advanced!
I
f you’re reading this article, it means that you are probably in the market for a new video camera or are at least considering the possibility.
Perhaps, If you are lucky, you are able to attend the National Association
of Broadcasters annual tradeshow in Las Vegas every April, wandering
around the NAB show floor looking at the various professional cameras
on display, trying to determine the best features for the money. But let’s
face it, when it comes to features, best is an incredibly subjective term.
The fact is that we all have our preferences, and some features are far
more important to one shooter than they are to the next. In this Buyer’s
Guide, we will list many of the features available on professional and prosumer cameras. It’s your choice to decide which features of the cameras
within your budget are the most important to you.
Feature Rich
The 2010 model cameras are offering more great features in every
price range than ever before. Benefits such as tapeless media and
interchangeable lenses have become more common. It’s all about HD
this year – there is no such thing as an SD-only camera within the
prosumer and professional markets. Besides HD, every camera on
the grid allows you to use external mics, whether your needs call for
lavaliers or boom mics. And single-sensor camcorders? No such thing
on this level of professionalism – nothing but three-sensor cams here.
Of course, it’s your choice as to whether to go with CMOS (Comple-
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24
V I D E O M A K E R > > > M AY 2 0 1 0
25
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1/3"
Yes f/1.6
20x No
Yes 2
2.4" 16x9
1/8" 3
XLR
Yes
Yes Sh
8.8 lbs.
XL H1A
$5,999
SDHC memory card, Mini-DV
HDV, DV
Composite, S-video, component,
FireWire
CCD
1/3"
Yes f/1.6
20x No
Yes 2
2.4" 16x9
1/8" 3
XLR
Yes
Yes Sh
8.8 lbs.
XH G1S
$6,999
Mini-DV
HDV, DV
FireWire, SDI
CCD
1/3"
No
f/1.6
20x No
Yes 2
2.8" 16x9
1/8" 3
XLR
Yes
Yes Std
5.4 lbs.
XH A1S
$3,999
Mini-DV
HDV, DV
FireWire
CCD
1/3"
No
f/1.6
20x No
Yes 2
2.8" 16x9
1/8" 3
XLR
Yes
Yes Std
5.2 lbs
XL2
$3,999
Mini-DV
DV
Composite, S-video, FireWire
CCD
1/3"
Yes f/1.6
20x No
Yes 2
2"
4x3
1/8" 3
XLR
Yes
Yes Sh
7.8 lbs.
GL2
$2,799
Mini-DV
DV
Composite, S-video, FireWire
CCD
1/4"
No
f/1.6
20x No
Yes 2
2.5" 4x3
1/8" 1
Yes
Yes Std
2.7 lbs.
GY-HM100
$3,995
SDHC memory card
MPEG2
Composite, component, HDMI,
CCD
1/4"
No
f/1.8
10x No
Yes 1
2.8" 16x9
1/8" 3
XLR
Yes
Yes Std
3.1 lbs.
GY-HM700
$7,995
SDHC memory card, SxS, hard drive
MPEG2
Composite, component, FireWire, SDI
CCD
1/3"
Yes f/1.4
14x No
No
2
4.5" 16x9
XLR
2
Yes
No
Sh
8 lbs.
GY-HD250U
$7,495
Mini-DV, hard drive
HDV, DV
Composite, component, FireWire, SDI
CCD
1/3""
Yes f/1.4
16x No
No
2
3.5" 16x9 or 4x3 XLR
2
No
No
Sh
8.3 lbs.
Weight
Wireless Remote
CCD
Form Factor
USB for Transfer
Number of Microphone Inputs
Microphone Input 1/8" XLR
LCD Monitor Aspect Ratio
Interchangeable Lenses
FireWire, SDI
LCD Monitor Size
Sensor Size
Number of Internal ND Filters
Sensor Type
Optical Image Stabilization
Video Output
HDV, DV
Optical Zoom Power
Data Format
SDHC memory card, Mini-DV
f-Stop
Recording Media
$8,999
Price
Model
Miscellaneous
XL H1S
mentary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor) or CCD
(Charge-Coupled Device) chips. Each type of
chip has its advantages and disadvantages and,
again, it is a matter of how you shoot, what you
shoot and what results you are accustomed to
getting when you shoot.
FEATURE HEADINGS
Recording Media The media onto which the camcorder records.
Data Format The type of data recorded by the camcorder.
IMAGE SENSOR(S)
Sensor Type Whether the camcorder uses CCD (chargedcoupled device)
or CMOS (complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor) image sensors.
Size of Sensors The diagonal measure of the sensor(s), in inches.
OPTICAL SYSTEM
f-Stop The largest aperture setting of the camcorder’s iris.
Optical Zoom Power The maximum magnification of the camcorder’s lens
without using digital zoom modes.
VIDEO FEATURES
LCD Monitor Size The diagonal size of the camcorder’s LCD viewscreen,
if so equipped.
LCD Aspect Ratio Whether the LCD monitor display is 4:3 (standardaspect) or 16:9 (widescreen).
AUDIO FEATURES
Standard Mic Input Whether the camcorder includes a mic input, and, if so,
how many jacks are provided and whether they are 1/8" or XLR. Some camcorders allow accessory microphones to be connected only via the camcorder’s shoe, but those capabilities are not considered here.
MISCELLANEOUS
Wireless Remote Whether the camcorder comes with a wireless remote. (y/n)
Form Factor Whether it rests on the shoulder (sh) or is held-in-front-of-user
design (std).
np Information not provided by manufacturer.
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26
Audio
Features
Canon
JVC
Professional
contents
Video Features
Manufacturer
Pro Camcorder Manufacturers
Optical System
Electronic Image Stabilization
Image
Sensor(s)
Sensors
The differences between these two types of sensors is minimal under most situations for the
casual videographer, but for those who shoot
in low-light conditions or in conditions where
they could be shooting into bright lights (such
as wedding receptions and outdoor sporting
events at night), sensor choice can be critical.
The rolling shutter of the CMOS chip can cause
problems in very low light situations, but can
be advantageous when shooting at night in a
brightly-lit stadium or racetrack. CMOS sensors
also use less battery power than CCD sensors,
and that can be an advantage when operating
in the field. Sony is well known for it's low light
capabilities, their camera's capitalize on the
CMOS sensor. All of the cameras on this grid,
whether they use a CCD system or CMOS, are
three-sensor units. The single-sensor prosumer
contents
Canon
http://www.usa.canon.com
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V I D E O M A K E R > > > M AY 2 0 1 0
27
Image
Sensor(s)
5.95
lbs.
Yes 3
3.5" 16x9 or 4x3 1/8" 3
XLR
Yes
Yes Std
3.7 lbs.
13x No
Yes 3
3.5" 4x3
1/8" 3
XLR
Yes
Yes Std
4.19 lbs
f/1.6
13x No
Yes 2
3.5" 16x9 or 4x3 1/8" 3
XLR
Yes
Yes Std
5.5 lbs.
No
np
10x No
Yes 2
2.7" 16:9
1/8" 2
np
Std
Sh
6 lbs.
CMOS 1/3"
No
f/1.8
10x Yes No
2
2.7" 16:9
1/8" 2
XLR
Yes
Std
Std
1.4 lbs.
Composite, component, S-video,
HDMI, FireWire
CMOS 1/4"
No
f/1.6
20x No
Yes 2
3.2" 16:9
XLR
2
Yes
Std
Std
3.3 lbs.
HDV, DV, DVCAM
HDMI, FireWire
CMOS 1/3"
No
f/1.6
20x No
Yes 3
3.2" 16:9
XLR
2
Yes
Std
Std
5 lbs.
Hybrid (Mini-DV, CompactFlash)
HDV, DV, DVCAM
HDMI, FireWire
CMOS 1/3"
Yes f/1.6
12x No
Yes 3
3.2" 16:9
XLR
2
Yes
Std
Std
5.2 lbs.
$8,700
HDV, DV, DVCAM
HDMI, FireWire, SDI
CMOS 1/3"
Yes f/1.6
12x No
Yes 3
3.2" 16:9
XLR
4
Yes
Std
Sh
13.9
lbs.
$7,790
SxS, Memory Stick ProDuo
MPEG-2, HDV, DV, DVCAM
HDMI, FireWire, SDI
CMOS 1/3"
No
14X No
Yes 3
3.5" 16:9
XLR
3
Yes
Std
Std
7 lbs.
Recording Media
Data Format
Video Output
Sensor Type
Interchangeable Lenses
f-Stop
Optical Zoom Power
1/4"
No
f/1.8
12x No
Yes Progressive 2.7" 16x9 or 4x3 XLR
AG-HMC70
$2,495
SDHC memory card
AVCCAM/AVCHD
Composite, component, HMDI
CCD
1/4"
No
f/1.8
12x No
Yes np
3"
AG-HMC150
$3,995
SDHC memory card
AVCCAM/AVCHD
CCD
1/3"
No
f/1.6
13x No
AG-HPX170
$5,695
P2 memory card
P2 - DVCPRO HD/50/25, DV
Composite, component, HMDI,
FireWire, SDI
CCD
1/3"
No
f/1.6
AG-HVX200A
$6,310
P2 memory card, Mini-DV
P2 - DVCPRO HD/50/25, DV
FireWire
CCD
1/3"
No
HVRHD1000U
$1,950
HDV, DV
HDMI, FireWire
CMOS 1/3"
HVR-A1U
$2,750
HDV, DV, DVCAM
HDMI, FireWire
HVR-V1U
$4,230
HDV, DV, DVCAM
HVR-Z5U
$4,950
HVR-Z7U
$6,850
HVR-S270U
PMW-EX1R
Professional cameras have recently begun converting to tapeless media (and not a moment too
soon, if you ask me). This new media can hold
many advantages over videotape, including Mini
DV tape. Although Mini DV has been a wonderful
development for the industry, it still has some of
the drawbacks that tape inevitably has. Fortunately, Mini DV tape has never had the problem with
dropouts that most other forms of tape do, but it
is still subject to getting stretched or caught in the
mechanisms of the tape player and camera.
Solid-state media, on the other hand, can’t get
caught in mechanisms. And it has two other ad-
28
LCD Monitor Aspect Ratio
Price
CCD
vantages: it makes reviewing and uploading easier.
Because they are non-linear, reviewing a P2, SD,
SDHC or SXS card is a simple matter. There is no
tape to shuttle through; therefore capturing video
is faster, too. Solid-state media also uses less energy than tape-based systems, thus making these
cameras even better when being used outside a
studio environment. The major disadvantage to
recording to this type of media remains the expense. However, this has also begun to change. If
you would like to get a glimpse of what the future
holds, you can look to digital photography as an
example. Four years ago, a 4GB CompactFlash
card would cost around $200. Today, you can get
a 16GB card (with significantly higher read and
write speeds) for less than $100.
Sony has several cameras that offer the Com-
f/1.9
LCD Monitor Size
Model
Sensor Size
Manufacturer
AVCCAM/AVCHD
pactFlash option as recording media if you already
have invested in CompactFlash for your Photography Setup, Sony is definitely worth a look.
Transferring video to your hard drive is also
made easier by solid-state cards. Mini DV tape
capture is limited to a speed of 1:1, so every 60minute tape that you record will take you an additional 60 minutes to capture. And let’s face it,
if you even think of getting up for a cup of coffee
or a shower (an absolute necessity during video
editing), your capture will have an issue within
minutes and sit there waiting for you to show it
some love until the moment you get back.
Final Cut Pro editors will be particularly fond of
JVC’s GY-HM100 and GY-HM700 cameras, as they
are now capable of recording directly to QuickTime (.mov) files, eliminating the extra time-con-
16x9
Weight
Wireless Remote
Yes Sh
SDHC memory card
Form Factor
USB for Transfer
Yes
Microphone Input 1/8" XLR
1/8" 3
XLR
Number of Internal ND Filters
2.16 lb.
Optical Image Stabilization
Yes Std
Electronic Image Stabilization
Yes
$2,295
Tapeless
print
Miscellaneous
3
AG-HMC40
camcorder, just like the single-sensor pro camera, is now a thing of the past.
full screen
Audio
Features
Panasonic
Sony
contents
Video Features
Number of Microphone Inputs
Pro Camcorder Manufacturers
Optical System
JVC Professional
http://www.pro.jvc.com
contents
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V I D E O M A K E R > > > M AY 2 0 1 0
29
Workstation
Buyer’s Guide
suming step of converting the files after transfer.
These cameras also record in .mp4, so users of Premiere Pro and Avid can relax. Most of the professional camera's on the grid offer tapeless solutions,
it defintely will be standard like 3-sensor units.
Sony
http://pro.sony.com
Lenses
Another important criterion, as it has been since
the days before soundtracks existed, is the camera lens. In the very-recent past, interchangeable
lenses were affordable only to studios and others
with large budgets, but not any more. Today, a
high-quality camcorder capable of interchangeable lenses can be yours for less than $6,000.
Although the extra lenses are not included in the
prices listed on the accompanying grid, this is a
great place to begin.
As those of us who’ve graduated from the still
camera field know, purchasing the body is the
beginning of a journey that will cost you lots of
money and give you great joy in exploring the
capability of each new lens. We are also aware of
the fantastic lenses that Canon creates. Canon’s
XL-H1A and XL-H1S come equipped with 20x HD
lenses with an f-stop of f/1.6 as standard equipment. JVC also utilizes Canon’s 14x lens with an
f/1.4 f-stop lens as the factory lens on its powerful
GY-HM700 professional camera. Panasonic’s highend AG-HPX500 also offers a Canon lens as its
standard model. All of these cameras are capable
of shooting in native 1920x1080 HD video.
One other benefit to using a camera with
interchangeable lenses is that, if your production
is in need of a lens that you don’t have, you can
Mics
Nearly all of the pro and prosumer cameras now
have XLR inputs built right into them, sometimes
along with 1/8" inputs. Digital XLR microphones
give a sound that is vastly superior to analog
recordings and certainly superior to the sound
quality that was the status quo in older models
and significantly better than using the onboard
microphone. For those who have yet to convert
to XLR mics, don’t fret: most of the offerings
from Canon and Panasonic also come with standard 1/8" jacks for analog recording.
Budget
One final criterion that you should take into consideration when purchasing a new video camera
is your budget. Unfortunately, we can’t all afford
to get the exact camera that we desire, but take
a good look at the Buyer’s Guide. You will see
that top-quality camcorders are becoming more
affordable than ever. Thanks to the technological leaps forward that have been taking place
over recent years, video cameras with features
that were once available only to large studios
are making their way deep into the public arena.
In fact, a $5,000 camcorder in 2010 is vastly
superior and richer in exciting features than studio cameras from less than a decade ago – and
significantly lighter, as well.
John McCabe runs a small production company that is as dedicated to
giving hands-on experience to students as it is to creating video.
contents
FEEDBACK
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rent them for much less than the cost of purchasing one; this is also a great way to determine
the lenses that work best for your needs. Interchangeable lenses are a new and rapidly-developing area, so please keep an eye out for information in upcoming issues of Videomaker.
Panasonic
http://www.panasonic.com/business/provideo
30
By Lance OLinger
Is your workstation just not fast enough
to do what you want? Perhaps it is time
for a new computer or maybe just an
upgrade. Your workstation is something
you have to live with, so you should take
a few things into consideration before
making a purchase.
contents
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31
Mac or PC?
The first question you should ask yourself is
if you are a Mac or a PC user. For those on the
fence, here’s a brief overview. In recent years,
the distinction between a Mac and a PC has
blurred. Both a Mac and a PC use the same
hardware with the distinction of a chip on the
motherboard that allows Mac software to run.
The Mac and Windows OS were both unstable
in the past, but are now reliable. Mac will run
Windows with its unique Bootcamp software,
increasing the available software a Mac can
use. Both Windows and Mac have copied popular program features from each other. You can
even modify your Windows layout to look like
a Mac. Essentially, if you can do it on a PC, you
can do it on a Mac and vice versa. There are,
of course, some exceptions, where programs
like Adobe CS4 may be more stable on a Mac.
There is also the popular Final Cut Pro, which
is available only on a Mac. The big difference
between the two, however, is the price tag. A
Mac, with the same hardware as a PC, can cost
up to double. If you’re on a tight budget, a Mac
may not be right for you. If you’ve got money
to spend and like the Mac design, then it may
be worth a shot.
Desktop or Notebook
As technology has been progressing, the performance difference between a notebook and
desktop has narrowed. Workstation graphics
cards are now available in notebooks, along
building it from pieces. It is a lot easier, though,
to have a computer assembled and delivered to
your front door. If you are on a budget, there are
great sites like www.newegg.com and www.pricewatch.com that will help you find the parts you
need to build your computer. All new parts and
PCs are covered under warranty, so if it breaks,
you can always return it. Building a PC is not
hard, but if you have never done it before read
some tutorials first.
with some of the fastest quad core processors. The main bottleneck with a notebook is
the hard drive. The obvious distinction is that
a desktop hard drive can hold more data. The
not-so-obvious difference is the read speed. A
standard 5400rpm notebook drive can transfer
60MB/s. More expensive 7200rpm notebook
drives can get up to 90MB/s. A standard desktop drive, however, can get over 100MB/s. This
will affect how long it takes Windows to boot
and programs to load. An otherwise fast notebook may appear slow just because of these
load times. The final difference, and sometimes
the most important, is that hard drives are not
meant to be moved around. Dropping a notebook or carrying it around can cause damage
to the hard drive that can result in loss of your
data. If you do video editing, you will most
likely need an external hard drive to back up all
of your data. Desktops are faster, cheaper and
more stable than laptops. However, laptops can
still get the job done.
To Build or Not to Build?
There are a lot of great companies out there that
will build a PC for you. Some specialize in making custom gaming and video editing PCs, like
iBuypower and Polywell. Other companies, like
Dell, HP and Sony, have less specialization but
will still get the job done. All of these companies
are out to make money, so it will cost more than
contents
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Apple
www.apple.com
print
32
1Beyond
DV411
Polywell
123DV
DVGear
Puget Systems
ADK Video Editing
Falcon Northwest
Safe Harbor Computers
Alienware
Gateway
Samsung
In the past, Windows has had a few blunders
in its operating system releases. Windows 7
is the OS that fixes a lot problems of the past.
There is a lot that can be said about it, but if
you are getting a new PC, all you really need
to know is to get it. Both 32-bit and 64-bit
versions of Windows 7 are available. 32-bit
Windows 7 is faster but only supports up to
4GB of RAM. 4GB may currently be acceptable,
but future programs will use more and more
memory; for this reason, 64-bit Windows is
the best choice for a workstation computer.
If you have an older PC and want to upgrade
to Windows 7, make sure to have over 1GB of
memory. The biggest drawback to Windows 7
is it forces users to use the Vista style layout.
Everything from Windows XP is still there, but
it may take some digging to find it.
Apple
Guy Graphics
Shuttle Computers
Asus
Harris
Sony
Biway Media
HP
Systemax
Boxx
Hypersonic
Velocity Micro
Canopus/Grass Valley
iBUYPOWER
Video Hardware Services
Cerise
Lenovo
Viewsonic
Compaq
MainGear
Xi Computer
Central Processing Unit
Core Microsystems
www.coremicro.com
MaxVision
Dell
NLE Systems
The Blue Screen of Death
Harris
www.broadcast.harris.com
Workstation Buyer’s Guide Manufacturers
Everybody enjoys bragging rights about having the newest and greatest computer. Those
bragging rights come with a hefty price tag,
and the performance-to-price ratio may not
always provide the best value. A cheap $400
quad core computer with onboard video is all
a person really needs in order to edit video.
For those who want bragging rights about how
fast their editing computer is, there are a few
things to know.
First off, a lot of people seem to think that
the most expensive processor must be the best.
The most expensive processor that Intel makes
is its server grade Xeon processor. Keep in mind
that Xeons were designed for servers, not for an
editing computer. In video editing and gaming
benchmarks we have performed, an Intel Core
i7 is not only faster but also cheaper than a
www.1beyond.com
www.123dv.com
www.adkvideoediting.com
www.alienware.com
www.apple.com
www.asus.com
www.biwaymedia.com
www.boxxtech.com
www.grassvalley.com
www.cerise.com
www.compaq.com
www.dell.com
www.dv411.com
www.dvgear.com
www.falcon-nw.com
www.gateway.com
www.guygraphics.com
www.broadcast.harris.com
www.hp.com
www.hypersonic-pc.com
www.ibuypower.com
www.lenovo.com
www.maingear.com
www.maxvision.com
www.polywell.com
www.pugetsystems.com
www.sharbor.com
www.samsung.com
www.shuttle.com
www.sony.com
www.systemaxpc.com
www.velocitymicro.com
www.videohardware.com
www.viewsonic.com
www.xicomputer.com
Compiled by the Editorial Department
www.nlesystems.com
comparable Xeon processor. In short, if you want
a fast computer, buy an Intel Core i7. If you want a
cheaper fast computer, buy an Intel Core 2 Quad or
an AMD Phenom quad core.
Memory
RAM or Random Access Memory has been exponentially increasing in size. Samsung currently makes a 16GB DDR3 memory stick but just
because the grass looks greener on the other side
doesn’t mean it is better. To quickly check how
much RAM you really need, load up all the programs normally used in Windows. Press Ctrl-AltDelete and start the Windows Task Manager. Once
V I D E O M A K E R > > > M AY 2 0 1 0
contents
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33
bloggie
Dual Flash Memory HD Camcorder
tFlexibility recording & playback
(1080, 720, or 640x480)
tRecording onto Memory Stick
Pro Duo, and SDHC media
t1/ 2.5” 5MP CMOS sensor
tw-$%TDSFFOtYEJHJUBM[PPN
tQuick-on rotating (270°) lens system
tSteadyShot image stabilization
tFace detection
tBuilt-In Picture Motion
tRecord to 8GB internal flash memory
& SD/SDHC memory
t3.89
3.89 Megapixel 1/4” CMOS sensor
t2.7” Touch Panel LCD
tCanon 15x HD video lens
tEye-Fi compatible
tOptical image stabilization
t24p and 30p frame modes
tDIGIC DV III image processor
tMicrophone and headphone terminals
#SOMHSPM5*
inside, go to the Performance tab. You will be
able to see the total Physical Memory and how
much is free. If you have free memory, then
there’s not much need to upgrade. If most of
your memory is being used, upgrading to more
memory may be beneficial. Having a lot of
unused memory doesn’t benefit system performance at all. A typical video-editing computer
shouldn’t need over 8GB of RAM with 4GB being acceptable.
Data Consistency
External backup hard drives
have become increasingly popular over the years. The most
important thing to remember is
that these are backups. External
hard drives are sensitive – one
drop and the drive may never
turn on again. If you don’t have
HP
www.hp.com
Polywell
www.polywell.com
room on your computer’s hard drive to store
everything, an extra DVD or Blu-ray Disc backup
may be a good idea. For those who are more advanced, setting up a RAID 1 or 5 can be a faster,
more reliable decision. The RAID ensures that, if
one of the hard drives fail, there will be a backup
drive with all the data on it. This gets rid of all the
headaches of having to back up your data, but it
limits how much data you can have by how big
your hard drives are.
The Bottom Line
A good editing computer should be running a
quad core processor, not a Xeon, with 4GB to
8GB of RAM. The operating system should be
either Windows 7 64-bit or Mac OSX. It should
have 1TB or more of hard drive space for storing
video and an equally-sized backup drive. An
expensive video card is not needed for editing,
but it does boost performance in 3D modeling programs like Maya. Desktops are preferable to notebooks for editing computers, due
to decreased cost and increased performance.
Notebooks can still make good editing computers if you are willing to pay extra.
FEEDBACK
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34
Available in Violet,
Blue, White and Pink
HDR-CX550V
tRecord 1920 x 1080 HD resolution video
onto internal 64GB flash memory, Memory
Stick PRO Duo or SD/SDHC media
t1/2.88” 6MP “Exmor R”
CMOS sensor
t10x optical zoom Sony G lens
t3.5” Xtra Fine TruBlack LCD
tGPS receiver and map index
tMic and Headphone inputs
#FLM2120M
#SOHDRCX550V
bhphotovideo.com
12
Mega
Pixels
VIXIA HF S20
Flash Memory HD Camera
t1080p/720p high-definition
resolution recording
t128MB internal memory
tSD/SDHC card slot (up To 32GB)
t1/2.5” 5MP CMOS sensor
t4x digital, (6.3mm f/2.8) zoom lens
t2.5” LCD
tImage stabilization
tMicrophone input
tSwing-out USB
t32GB internal flash memory
tDual SD/SDHC memory card slot
t1/2.6” 8.59MP CMOS sensor
t3.5” Touch Panel LCD
tEye-Fi compatible
tOptical image stabilizer
t8MP still image capture
tNative 24p, 24p Cinema,
30p frame modes
5
Mega
Pixels
Available in Blue,
Aqua and Raspberry
8
Mega
Pixels
#CAHFS20
800-947-9925
212-444-5025
GZ-HD320
VPC-CS1
Xacti HD Flash Memory Camcorder
Everio Hybrid HD Hard Drive Camcorder
tHigh-definition 1920 x 1080
SFDPSEJOH.1&("7$)
tSDHC/SDXC memory card compatible
t10x advanced zoom lens (38-mm wide)
twXJEF-$%t%JHJUBMJNBHFTUBCJMJ[BUJPO
t"QQMFJ'SBNFDPNQBUJCJMJUZ
tEye-Fi card compatibility
tFace Chaser & high speed
Sequential Shot modes
tFull HD 1920 x 1080P Recording
tInternal 120GB HDD
tmicroSD card slot
t,0/*$".*/0-5")%YPQUJDBM
zoom lens
t1/4.1”, 3.05Mp CMOS sensor
t2.7” LCD screen
t.CQT"7$)%SFDPSEJOH
tBuilt-in auto Illumi-light
tOne-touch export to iTunes, or upload to YouTube
8
Mega
Pixels
#SAVPCCS1
Fax:
212-239-7770
8
Mega
Pixels
#JVGZHD320B
FS300
Consumer Video ............#813
Pro Video ...................... #821
Pro Audio .........................#91
Video Editing ................ #831
HDC-HS250K
Flash Memory Camcorder
3-CMOS HD Hard Drive Camcorder
tSD/SDHC flash memory recording
t41x advanced, 37x optical zoom
tVideo Snapshot & Dual Shot
t2.7” widescreen LCD
tDynamic image stabilization
tDIGIC DV II image processor
tPre-record “pre-roll” mode
tBuilt-In Video Light
t16:9 Widescreen HR capture
t-FWFMBOE(SJE.BSLFSTt"VUPNBUJDMFOTDPWFS
tRecord 1920 x 1080 HD resolution
video onto 120GB HDD or
SD/SDHC media
tThree 1/4.1” CMOS sensor
tLeica Dicomar 12x optical
zoom lens
t"EWBODFE0QUJDBMJNBHF
stabilization
t2.7” wide LCD screen
t5.1 channel surround recording
Available in Blue,
Red and Silver
#CAFS300*
Store & Mail Order Hours:
Sunday 10-6 t Mon.-Thurs. 9-7
Friday 9-2 t Saturday Closed
10
Mega
Pixels
We Buy, Sell and Trade
Used Equipment
#PAHDCHS250K
VIXIA HF R10
HDR-XR550V
AVCHD Hard Drive Camcorder
tRecord to 8GB internal flash memory or SD memory cards
t1/5.5”, 2.39Mp CMOS sensor
with RGB primary color filter
t2.7” LCD Display
tCanon 20x HD optical zoom lens
tEye-Fi SD memory card compatible
t24p and 30p frame modes
tPre-Record “3-sec. pre-roll” mode
tRecord 1920 x 1080 HD resolution video
onto internal 240GB hard drive,
Memory Stick, or SD/SDHC media
t1/2.88” Exmor R CMOS sensor
t12MP still images
t3.5” wide Xtra Fine LCD
tFace Detection and Smile Shutter
tGPS receiver built-in
#CAHFR10*
Mega
Pixels
Flash Memory HD Camcorder
tSleek design 2nd Generation
t8GB internal flash memory
(120 minutes of HD recording)
tYQ)%tw-$%TDSFFO
t2.2 Megapixel 1/4.5” CMOS sensor
tMulti-step 2x digital zoom (0.8mm f/2.4)
t4UFSFPNJDSPQIPOFt)%.*DPOOFDUJPO
tBuilt-In Flip-Share software
(flip-out USB arm)
#KOZI8*
4
#CAHFM30
Zi8
Lance Olinger is Videomaker’s IT Assistant.
contents
Mega
Pixels
M2120M
The type of video card you put in your computer is dependent on what type of work is
done with the workstation. For pure video edit-
ing with programs like Adobe CS4, a nice video
card is not required. When using programs like
Maya, Lightwave and 3d Studio Max, an editing video card like the ATI FirePro or NVIDIA
Quadro will greatly improve performance. For
an in-depth look at how video cards affect
workstation performance, take a look at the ATI
Video Card Comparison article on page 19.
5
MinoHD Camcorder
Video Card
JUST BECAUSE THE GRASS LOOKS GREENER ON
THE OTHER SIDE DOESN’T MEAN IT IS BETTER.
VIXIA HF M30
Flash Memory HD Camcorder
Available in Black,
Red and Silver
#SOHDRXR550V
contents
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12
Mega
Pixels
Page 1
HDR-HC9
HVR-HD1000U
HDV Camcorder
Pro Shoulder-mount HDV Camcorder
tw$MFBS7JE$.04.FHBQJYFM*NBHF4FOTPS
t$BSM;FJTT7BSJP4POOBS5-FOT
t0QUJDBM*NBHF4UBCJMJ[BUJPO
tYW$PMPSUFDIOPMPHZ
tGSBNFiGJMNMJLFw$JOFNB.PEF
t)%7%7'PSNBU3FDPSEJOH
t.JDSPQIPOF*OQVU)FBEQIPOF+BDL
t.FNPSZ4UJDL130%VP.FEJB4MPU
t#VJMUJO*OUFMMJHFOU'MBTI
t)%.*5FSNJOBMt-"/$5FSNJOBM
t)%7JBOE%741-1
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Page 3
How to Make a Documentary:
Story Development
By Morgan Paar
In this three-part
series on How to Make
a Documentary, we
will first look at Story
Development, then
investigate Funding,
Financing and Budgeting
and finally look at
the nuts and bolts of
documentary Shooting
and Editing.
D
ocuCraze: This last decade found
us in a documentary craze – Super
Size Me (2004), Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004),
March of the Penguins (2005), An
Inconvenient Truth (2006) and Earth
(2007), just to name a few. But do you
need to be Michael Moore or Al Gore
to make a non-fiction movie? No!
First-time documentary filmmakers
have a much better chance of getting a
wide audience than an unknown narrative filmmaker. First-time filmmaker
Barbara Sonneborn had no idea that
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V I D E O M A K E R > > > M Ay 2 0 1 0
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39
Story Development
she would have to go out and buy a fancy dress
to attend the 1999 Academy Awards ceremony
when she set out to make her documentary
Regret to Inform (1998). How about the twentysomething brothers, Adrian and Roko Belic,
who won the 1999 Sundance Audience Award
and also received an Academy Award Nomination for Genghis Blues (1999). But what is our
first step on this journey to preparing our Oscar
speech for Best Documentary Feature (or Short
Subject)?
Developing Ideas
All films, all works of art for that matter, start
in the same place: with an idea. However, one
thing that separates documentary work from
ALL WORKS OF ART START IN THE SAME PLACE:
WITH AN IDEA. BUT ONE THING THAT SEPARATES
DOCUMENTARIES FROM FICTION FILMS IS ACCESS.
fiction filmmaking is access. If James Cameron
wants to set his next multibillion-dollar film
on the planet of Venus, he can hire an army of
special-effects artists to “get him there.” This
is usually not the case with documentaries.
Likewise, if I want to make a documentary on
nuclear submarines, I will be greatly challenged, as I don’t know anyone in the military
and don’t have the financing to “get to know
someone there.” So, it helps if you have access
to your subject matter.
You’ll also need something you can’t buy
or rent: passion. I’ll let you in on a little secret:
Making a documentary usually takes much, much
longer than you can even imagine. Three to ten
years is not uncommon for a feature documentary. You will need true passion for your subject
matter to get you through the long days and
nights, the doubt, the hardship, the financial difficulties, the equipment problems, etc.
Still want to do this? Ok, lets get down to it. You
have your idea and you are passionate about it.
Good. Now I want you to ask yourself this: Will
someone other than you care about this film? Is
this a compelling story? Will it make your viewers
laugh and cry? Will your viewers relate to your
story because they somehow experience a similar
situation? I find the mold that periodically grows
in my toilet interesting, but would anyone else?
Probably not, but maybe you could tell the story
in a compelling, humorous, creative way that
makes people think of their own relationship to
the mold in their own toilets. Again, probably not,
but you know where I am going.
The first real work in story development consists of establishing a story arc. Ah, you thought
story arcs applied only to narrative films. Nope.
We need to see growth and change in our character as they confront obstacles. Traditionally, this
is done in three acts, more commonly known
as a beginning, middle and end to our story. It’s
also referred to as dramatic structure. The beginning introduces the character(s) and establishes
their goal(s). The middle, or second act, is the
character(s) struggling to accomplish these goals
and the obstacles that stand in their way, ending
in the climax, which shows if they accomplished
Showing the characters in both sides of the story is crucial. A story on a banker who used fancy financing to trick
homeowners into foreclosure wouldn’t be as powerful without showing the life of the families he has victimized.
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40
VIDEOMAKER >>> M Ay 2010
Act 2: Tension & Conflict
Developing Story
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Act 1: Introduction
Act 3: Resolution
their goals or not. Act three – the end, resolution
or conclusion – shows the growth or change of
the character(s) due to the journey.
In the Academy Award-nominated documentary Murderball (2005), we meet quadriplegic
Wheel Chair Rugby Team USA in the first act and
learn about their difficulties with their disabilities and the joy they have in playing their sport.
In act two, we learn they will compete against
Team Canada in the 2004 Paralympic Games.
Team Canada is coached by a former teammate
of theirs. The tension mounts. Can they win? In
act three, we see what becomes of each of them
after the big game.
Another part of the story to think about in story development is the emotional center. All good
documentaries have it. You want your audience
to relate, empathize and care about someone
in the work. If you are making a documentary
on an evil bank that stole money from everyday
struggling families, don’t show only the conniving bankers, but show the impact on the
single mother who works three jobs and just got
evicted from her tiny home. Remember, make
In the documentary Murderball, the
story arc follows the introduction of
members of a paraplegic team as they
discuss their difficulties in the first act,
the rising tension and conflict in the
second act and finally the resolution
of the outcome of the game. All good
stories follow a story arc.
them laugh and make them cry. We’ll investigate
this further in the next section.
Developing Character
Similar to story arc and with obvious parallels
is character development. Videomaker has come
up with five steps to assure you have completely
developed your character(s). Unlike in narrative
script development, you are not making these
characteristics up. Instead, you are looking to
identify them and to show them to the viewer, if
they are an integral part of the story.
Step #1 IntroductIon. How is your audience
going to identify with the main character? There
needs to be an emotional connection so we
care about what happens to the main subject of
the documentary. What are the basic personality traits? Focus on scenes or prepare interview
questions that will allow the audience to empathize with the main character.
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Step #2 MotIvatIon. What are the needs and
wants of the subject? What will the character
V I D E O M A K E R > > > M Ay 2 0 1 0
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41
Story Development
gain or lose if they do not achieve their goals?
Are the goals realistic? How does the character
change in trying to attain these goals? How does
the character’s environment change?
Step #3 BarrierS. The obstacles our protagonist, or main character, is up against adds the
much-needed tension and conflict to the story.
Actually, they are the story. The barriers shape
how our character develops before the camera.
Step #4 action. Now that we know our main
character(s) and we know what they are trying
to accomplish, let’s see how they deal with their
challenges. If the actions don’t unfold naturally
DEVELOPING THE STORY IDEA IS JUST THE
BEGINNING, ALTHOUGH IT IS ONE OF THE MOST
IMPORTANT STEPS.
before the lens, prepare interview questions
and fortify them with B roll or reenactments.
While capturing this relationship between
subject-obstacle-resolution, we may even see
the cinematographer’s or director’s perspective,
as their talents and choices will dictate how the
audience experiences the story. Remember these
three things: show, show and show it. Otherwise,
if you shoot 90 minutes of a talking head, you
really are just making radio.
Step #5 reSolution. What is the exact moment that ends the character’s journey? What
is the turning point? You might not know in
preproduction, but you should be thinking about
it, looking out for it, prepared to capture it. Did
our protagonists overcome their obstacles and
achieve their goals? How have they grown? How
have they changed?
Developing Style
Most good documentaries have all three acts,
though they are not always told in chronological
order. Which brings us to tone and treatment.
How do you tell your story? Will you follow a
chronological timeline? Will you use voiceover?
Talking heads (people explaining a situation
on camera), actors, reenactments, still photos,
animation? Your choices are many. How you tell
your story might come from the subject mat-
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42
ter itself. A documentary on Speed Heavy Metal
will most likely not be slow and mellow. If you’re
not sure about which visual style or theme you
might peruse and the story itself is not dictating
a style, think of a film – narrative or documentary – which you would want to emulate. Again,
stay true to your characters and their situation.
Is your story dark, damp and unpredictable like
Blade Runner (1982), directed by Ridley Scott?
Use it as inspiration. Is it bright, campy and
sarcastic, such as Ma Vie en Rose (1997) by Alain
Berliner? Study the movie and imitate it.
How to Buy Gear
BY JULIA CAMENISCH
(and Not Regret It)
Develop Now
There you have it: idea, passion, compelling
story, story arc, emotional center, character development and tone/treatment. Sounds like work,
and it is, but anything worth its salt takes time
(yes, there is a documentary called Salt). Develop
these concepts in your non-fiction video, whether it be a two-minute short on dung beetles or an
Oscar-nominated feature on a tightrope walker
crossing between the Twin Towers (Man on Wire,
2008), and you’ll most likely have developed a
compelling story.
Developing the story idea and direction is just
the beginning, although it is one of the most
important steps. Coming up in a future issue:
Part 2, where we look at Funding, Financing and
Budgeting, followed by Shooting and Editing.
Until then, here’s your homework assignment: Start working on your story development.
Think about how you can play it out in three
acts. And finally, watch movies. A lot of movies.
And documentaries, lots of them. Watch how the
directors used the first act to bring you in, and
find where the story arc peaks and ebbs. Find the
point of conflict and resolution. And above all,
when you start planning your own story, think
about if you’re going to lose your audience in
act two because your audience can’t stand your
subject. Remember, you need to understand that
your audience wants to know about your subject,
or you have no story to tell. And if you have no
story to tell, you won’t get the financing that is
so important. We’ll tell you about that marvelous
part of documaking in Part 2. Get watching!
Morgan Paar is a world-traveled documentarian and wrote this article
while shooting a documentary in Ghana, West Africa.
FEEDBACk
You’d think it would be a straightforward
decision: you need a new light, you go
out and buy one. End of story. Unfortunately, purchasing video gear is not like
buying new shoes at the mall.
Cameras, mics, editing systems – within each category
are many choices and, for each choice, there’s a wide
range of vendors from which to purchase. To save you
from despair, here’s our “buyer’s guide for buyers,” a list
of six principles to aid you in the purchasing process.
1. Research is Vital
On paper, a particular piece of gear may look amazing,
but real-world use truly proves its value. Simply put,
technical specs do not make a great product. That’s why
research is so vital.
Read trade magazines, browse forums and ask other
professionals. A good place to start is looking at the
Buyer’s Guides grids offered by Videomaker. Also, it
never hurts to get your hands on the item you’re looking at purchasing. This advice especially holds true if an
item is quite expensive. It is probably worth renting the
gear for the day in order to put it through its paces in a
real-world environment. Manufacturers are often overly
optimistic in their descriptions!
2. All Sellers Are Not Created Equal
You type the software’s name into a search engine, and
voilà! A list of vendors offering the program appears.
The intuitive next step is to find the lowest-priced offering and buy it, but that’s probably not the best choice.
Be aware that scam artists abound in this industry.
You’ll avoid being burned if you do a little digging first.
Search for the store’s name online. Unhappy customers tend to be vocal. Contact the Better Business Bureau
to see if the company is in good standing with them.
Also, call and talk to a customer service representative.
If they’re rude to you now, just wait until you have a
problem with one of their products.
V I D E O M A K E R > > > M AY 2 0 1 0
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43
(and Not Regret It)
Do your research.
Check out the Videomaker Buyer’s Guides
grids to start, then go
to user forums and
manufacturers’ sites
to see what others
think of the company
and products before
you buy.
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producer from North Carolina. He won
some video lights off eBay that were
being sold at a seemingly unbeatable
price. It didn’t take long to discover that
the fixtures were unreliable and didn’t
work well. Before long, he realized that
the “great price” was actually a waste of
money. Lesson? Be willing to pay more
to insure quality. A few extra dollars well
spent is always a good investment.
recouped 1/3 of your monetary outlay and, at
this rate, it will take three years to make the
money back. A good investment or not? It all
depends on what your goals are.
The point is to consider carefully before
plunking down the credit card. Even if you’re
not into financial equations, at least differentiate
between what’s really needed and what’s just a
cool toy. Nothing brings regret like an expensive
piece of equipment gathering dust on the shelf.
4. Buy What You Need
5. Used Is (Sometimes) Better
It’s the American mentality. Bigger is
always better. Following that theory,
though, might mean you’ll pay more
out of pocket than you need to. A
better way to evaluate a possible gear
purchase is to consider the return on
investment. The standard formula
is as follows: Savings/Investment =
Return on Investment (ROI).
For example, if you shoot weddings
occasionally, it might seem like a good
idea to invest in a second camera.
After all, having that alternate angle
would sure make the edit a lot easier.
But, if you pull out the camera only
three times a year, is it really a good
purchase? Renting might be a more
cost-effective option.
The ROI formula could look something like this: you’d save $600 buying
the camera versus renting if you
needed it four times this year. So $600
is your savings number. The purchase
price of the camera is $3,000. Plug
that into the “investment” slot. The
result? By the end of the year, you’ve
with illegal wireless mics. See FCC
Wireless Laws, in the April 2010 issue,
www.videomaker.com/article/14614).
Second, make sure everything is
included. Stories abound regarding
vendors that sell a camera for several
hundred less than the competition,
but doesn’t include the power supply
or batteries. If you
those included,
DIFFERENTIATE BETWEEN WHAT’S NEEDED want
they charge a premiAND WHAT’S A COOL TOY. NOTHING BRINGS um, making the total
price more than from
REGRET LIKE EXPENSIVE EQUIPMENT
a reputable vendor.
Your new camera
GATHERING DUST.
should be boxed in
its original packaging
system that their editing software and
and have the company’s warehouse
computer hardware didn’t work well
seal affixed and unopened.
together. (See sidebar.)
Finally, some low-priced items aren’t
a great deal because they truly aren’t
3. Cheap Is, Well, Cheap
worth much. Take the case of Daniel, a
It’s been said once, but it’s worth saying again: don’t let a low price pull
you in. Before you get too attached to
One User’s Nightmare
a great deal, examine the fine print
Recently, an attendee of one of our Videomaker workshops expressed anger and fruswith a magnifying glass. Here are
tration with the new computer and editing system purchased to edit video with. The
some particulars to watch out for:
salesperson at the big box discount store assured our attendee that this new computer
First, beware of the grey market. A
was the “latest and greatest” and that ALL newer computers nowadays can handle
grey market item was meant for sales
ANY editing software. Obviously, he did not know his product. The attendee purchased
overseas. Thus, it rarely has a US wara low-level bare-bones netbook, good for word processing but very little else, and then
ranty, so the dealer can sell it for an
purchased a very high-end (too high-end for a beginner) software online, because the
extremely low price. You’ll save monworkshop attendee was told “the biggest is the best.” Several members of our staff
ey, but if the product malfunctions,
spent a good part of their class time trying to help our attendee out, but the bottom line
you’re out of luck. Make absolutely
was the attendee needed a new computer… again. Research is more than just asking
certain what you’re purchasing has a
a salesperson about the latest gizmos, but about knowing your needs and being able to
full US warranty. (As an example, due
articulate them.
to the new digital TV changeover, the
grey market arena might be flooded
Next, make sure the vendor stands
behind the product. Always important,
but especially so when buying turnkey
editing systems. Make sure the dealer
is offering authorized systems that
are absolutely guaranteed to work.
There’s been more than one purchaser
who discovered after receiving the
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(and Not Regret It)
44
Used equipment can be significantly less expensive than its brand new counterpart. Conversely,
it can also have problems and issues that the
new item wouldn’t have. If you’re considering
purchasing used gear, go into the transaction
with both eyes open.
When Mark, a Washington videographer, saw
a used camera advertised for one-third of its
factory price, he jumped on the deal. But first he
needed to verify the camera’s condition. He had
it checked out by a local repair shop, and the
WYSIWYG? What
you see is NOT
always what you
get. Some bargain
sites are cheap
for a reason. You
might still need to
pick up essentials
like a charger,
batteries, cables,
even the manual.
inspection turned up a cracked viewfinder housing. The cost of repairing the camera was reasonable, so Mark bought it. The purchase saved
him several thousand dollars. But take note that
it wasn’t a straightforward transaction.
Like Mark, you can bag some great deals
by purchasing used. Just keep some things in
mind. First, carefully read the item’s description. Does it clearly state that the item works? Continued on page 63
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45
basic training
BASIC TRAINING
Analog to Digital Converters
by K y l e C a s s i d y
There comes a time in nearly all
editors' lives when they have to
dump old technology into their newest systems, and don't have the
means to do it. What now?
Recently, when Great Aunt Whinnie
was named the Explorer of the Year
by the St. Elkings Dog Sled Club, she
asked if I’d help with a video of her
acceptance speech. She planned to
be in the Antarctic during the awards
banquet tagging macaroni penguins,
but she wanted to personally thank
some of the members and torment
various others. I brought my video
camera and some lights over, but no,
she said she’d already recorded her
speech, and she handed me a box of
VHS tapes.
“It’s in there somewhere,” she said,
“along with footage of me wrestling
a walrus. You should put that on
YouTube.”
“You already recorded your acceptance speech?” I asked.
“Of course,” she replied, “in 1987.
Those dopes have taken their own
sweet time giving me this award.” And
with that, she loaded up her dogsled
Keeping Your Footage Relevant
Analog requires much less sophisticated equipment than digital – Edison
made his first analog recorder out of
and was off, leaving me wondering
how to get her speech to Oslo and her
walrus wrestling onto the internet.
Legacy Equipment
It’s always a good idea to have legacy
equipment that will play every format
you still have footage in – which
means don’t throw out that Hi8
camcorder if you still have a closet
full of birthdays recorded from it. You
can still get VHS players new, but that
won’t always be the case. It’s better
to spend $45 now on something new
that sits in a box in the basement than
it is to fight for something used on eBay
in ten years. Family
tapes that may seem
dull now will be
priceless when your
children are grown
up and moved out.
Transferring your
old footage to digital
medium is not only
As an example, we can all agree that this digital clock says
a good idea from a
7:00, but the analog might appear to be 7:00 or closer to 7:01.
preservation point of
Dubbing analog signals can often be skewed by just a few
view, but it’s essential
frames or by several seconds. Every dub might be different due
if you want to edit
to generational loss.
your footage.
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46
be duplicated again and again without
error; each copy is exactly the same
as the original.
But digital’s strength can also be
its weakness. If the sampling rate is
too slow (imagine a digital clock that
displays only hours and minutes but
not seconds), analog media can be
more accurate. You can try outputting
audio tracks on your non-linear editor
at various sampling rates and see for
yourself when you begin to notice a
degradation in sound quality.
Analog vs. Digital
We use the terms analog and digital a
lot, but some people may be unclear
as to what they mean and why one
is better than the other. The easiest
example of the difference between
analog and digital is the most familiar
– a clock. An analog clock is one that
measures value across a continual
scale, with the hands moving from
1 to 2 by proceeding through all the
space in between, whereas, in digital,
things are expressed by a discrete
value – 1 turns directly into 2.
Because copying analog values is
inexact (you look at the clock and see
five minutes past three, while someone else might read it as four and
another as six), each time copies are
made, errors are introduced. Looking
at a digital clock, everybody agrees on
the number.
Generational loss occurs each time
an analog tape is duplicated, because
the values are not read back exactly
the same way every time. Imagine going into a room, looking at an analog
clock, then manually setting another
clock based on the first. Each time you
do this, there will be a slight error in
one direction or another. Digital can
YOU MUST PLAN AN UPGRADE STRATEGY FOR ALL
YOUR EXISTING DIGITAL
FOOTAGE.
little more than a pin, a horn and a bit
of tin foil. Digital playback and recording requires microprocessors and, as
digital technology is advancing at such
an incredible rate, formats change rapidly. The format you digitize into your
computer today might not be useful
tomorrow. This means you must plan
an upgrade strategy for all your existing digital footage and, when practical,
keep important analog masters.
How Much Digitizing Do You
Need to Do?
One thing to take into consideration
when shopping for an analog-to-digital (A/D) converter is the amount of
footage you need to convert. Will you
be using short bits from your analog tapes, or do you want to convert
everything? Will this be part of your everyday video-editing system? Are you
currently shooting an analog format
with no plans to upgrade? Do you need
to support balanced audio (XLR) in?
Do you want the ability to move digital
video back to an analog media?
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V I D E O M A K E R > > > M Ay 2 0 1 0
47
basic training
MAY 2010
From a low-priced A/D
converter like the Pyro
AV to the high-end
type, a broadcast
studio might use, Grass
Valley's ADVC700 or
Elgato's mid-range Eye
TV 250, your conversion
quality will depend on
many factors.
• Set your camcorder to playback
(rather than camera) mode.
• Select Capture from your editing
software.
• Press Play on your camcorder or
VCR.
• Select Stop on your capture software
and press Stop on your camcorder
when done.
Other Less Orthodox Methods
Types of Analog-to-Digital
Converters
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There are many analog-to-digital converter boxes that interface between
legacy equipment and your computer with a wide range of prices and
features. These can either be cards,
that fit internally into your computer
and provide a permanent solution, or
boxes that attach via USB or FireWire,
that are more easily removed and
stored when not in use or shared between computers.
The Pyro AV Capture Express
USB, for example, connects to your
computer via USB. It’s about $60 and
will convert your analog signals to
720x480 NTSC digital. It has both
S-video and composite in and comes
with basic editing software.
Things get more complex from
there, depending on what your
needs are. Elgato’s Eye TV 250 Plus
Digital/Analog TV Receiver and Video
Converter, for example, which sells
for less than $200, adds a whole host
of other features. It will allow you to
play and receive broadcast TV signals,
as well as analog and digital cable on
your Mac computer, included with
built-in hardware compression for
capturing video from the air, even
exporting it to your iPod or iPhone.
Still more sophisticated converters
are professional devices such as the
ADVC700 from Grass Valley, which
is designed to be used in broadcast
studios. It costs just under $2,000,
but it has a host of features lacking
in most consumer-grade products. It
48
includes both XLR and unbalanced
audio inputs, as well as component,
S-video inputs and on-the-fly image
enhancement.
Connecting and Digitizing
Your Video
Regardless of what type of device you
get, some of the steps will be similar.
• Connect the device.
• Install the software that comes with
your capture device.
• Connect video-out cables on your
analog camcorder to analog inputs on
your capture device.
• Determine the format you would
like to capture video in – this can
vary from device to device and might
include AVI, WMV, QuickTime or a
variant of MPEG (MPEG-2, MPEG-4).
There are several other ways in which
video can be digitized that you may
want to consider.
Digitizing through a Camcorder:
Many Digital8 and DV camcorders
have analog inputs which will allow
you to use them as an analog-to-digital converter, either as a play-through
device or by re-recording your analog
footage on Digital8 or mini DV. The
latter is not a bad idea, as Digital8 and
mini DV are both easier to store than
VHS. If you have one of these camcorders, you may be able to use it to
capture your video without purchasing additional equipment.
The Most Inelegant Solution: If you
find yourself in a panic to get something on the web quickly and you are
without an analog-to-digital converter,
you can actually just play your source
on a television in a quiet darkened
room and then re-record it from the
screen with a digital camera mounted
on a tripod. If you’ve ever seen a
pirated movie, you’ll know that the
downsides of this involve bad sound
(including room noises), the imperfections of the television screen, reflections and color desaturation. You might
also see scan lines if you don't set your
record speed correctly. But for getting
Aunt Whinnie’s walrus-wrestling video
onto YouTube with a minimum of fuss,
that’s what I did. Don’t tell anyone.
Contributing Editor Kyle Cassidy is a visual artist who
exhibits regularly and has written books on technology
and photographic art.
The quickest and easiest way to capture analog
video is using your camcorder as a passthrough from your VCR. Quality may suffer.
VIDEOMAKER >>> M Ay 2010
FEEDBACk
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Directing
Directing
SubScriber
Alert!
Talking the Talk
by Pet e r B i e s t e r f e l d
Long shot, wide shot and medium
closeup are just the beginning of
communicating to the DP - your
Director of Photography. Talking the
talk takes a lot more steps.
If you’re working with even one other
person on your video project, you
need to have a basic understanding
of the lingo, so you can communicate
your needs. The first job a camera
department trainee typically lands is
as a grip. Grips are the crew technicians who hustle between “the truck”
and the set with work gloves flopping
out of their back pockets, making sure
that the DP (director of photography)
gets the right fixture, gel, camera rigging, scrim, net, diffusion, half blue,
extension, scissor mount, gator grip,
reflector, whatever, and right now, if
not sooner.
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tea lady knows the meaning of “Let’s
shoot it cowboy” (frame up the shot at
holster level) or “I want it shallow focus” (with the background soft). Does
this mean that as a director you need
to keep pace with the DP’s mastery
of image control and start speaking
in f-stops? Not at all, that’s the DP’s
I Want It “Cowboy”
job. It also doesn’t mean you have to
Camera department jargon is the
impress your cinematographer with
language of a unique tribe on a film
your knowledge of and enthusiasm
set. It won’t be long before even the
for gear. DPs like
it best when directors put their attention on script,
actors and action.
But in truth,
effective visual
storytelling in a
film is the collective responsibility
of director and
craftspeople in
both camera and
art departments.
In film and video
production, when
we refer to the
A shallow focus tells your DP that you want the focal point on a parhead
of the camticular subject with the rest of the elements soft. The reverse would be
era department,
a deep focus, which has all elements in the shot in equal focus.
these terms are
50
May 2010
generally understood to be interchangeable: film cameraman/woman,
cinematographer, lighting cameraman/
woman and most typically director of
photography (DP or DOP). Cinematographers are expected to be more than
camera placers, lens changers and
camera movers. The most valued DPs
are visual consultants who can exe-
EffEcTivE visual sToryTElling is a collEcTivE
rEsPonsibiliTy.
cute camera direction from the director to achieve the desired emotional
effect of a scene. The basic categories
of camera direction include motion,
focus, angle, speed and composition.
Moving It
It’s almost too obvious to say, but one
of the main objectives in motion picture photography is motion. Well-executed camera movement is a powerful
storytelling tool that enhances not
only the visual experience of a scene,
but also its emotional impact.
• If you want vertical camera move-
ment, ask for a crane up
or a crane down shot.
• Directives for lateral
camera movement are
expressed as truck left
and truck right.
• A counter-move to
action is a dynamic
lateral move where the
camera glides against
the flow of the action
accelerating the pace of
a shot.
Camera angles can change the overall emotion of the shot and
• For camera moveadd impact to your scene. This is an example of a high angle; it
ment front to back
looks down on your subject.
(along the z-axis), ask
for a dolly in or a dolly
nearest the camera, back to front.
out. Leading is a dolly shot where the
Gregg Toland’s innovative techniques
camera leads the actor, shot from the
allowed him to achieve the ultimate
front. A follow is a dolly shot or trackdeep focus movie, Citizen Kane.
ing shot where the camera follows the
actor from behind.
• Maybe you just want a short dolly
move for dramatic effect; push in and
Selective focuS directS
push out are the directions.
• A director who wants something
the attention to where
shot on the mag or on the boom is askthe director wantS it.
ing for camera orientation to be in line
with the action axis.
Focus Critical
Focus is another obvious cinematography requirement. Selective focus
directs the attention to where the
director wants it in the frame.
• If you want to go soft on the center
of attention in the shot, ask for a
simple in or out.
• Split focus, also called rack focus, is
achieved by “pulling” focus from one
object to another, from foreground to
background or the reverse.
• Shallow focus is usually shot on a
long lens (zoomed in). Shallow because only a selective short depth of
focus draws the eye to the important
object or person in the shot while
foreground and background elements
remain soft or blurry.
• A director who wants to shoot a
scene deep focus is asking for everything to be in focus, from the furthestaway object in the shot to the item
Angling for the Best View
Angles figure into the language of
camera direction in two very different ways. One has to do with camera
placement, the other with lens optics.
• If you want the camera to look down
on a subject or on a scene, simply ask
for a high angle for a bird’s-eye view.
If you want the camera to look up at a
character for that powerful, dominant
view, ask for a low angle placement of
the camera.
• But when the director wants to use
the lens for a specific angle of view,
he will ask the DP to shoot it on a
telephoto, zoomed in, or on a wide,
with the lens zoomed out. Zoomed-in
or telephoto shots are good for a soft
look, where the background is out of
focus. Wide shots usually have a lot of
depth of field, and all elements in the
shot are in focus.
• When directors want the camera to
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51
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May 2010
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Videomaker Magazine
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This fully updated 4th
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Composition
A good POV, or point of view, shot is sometimes difficult to explain. You need
to convey what the subject is actually seeing from his own eyes, not the
camera’s eye.
assume the point of view of a character, they
will ask for a POV. This is also known as subjective camera. An example is the shooter’s view
down the barrel of the gun or the view through a
pair of binoculars.
Getting Cranky
Undercrank and overcrank are film terms from
the beginning of cinema, when camera operators hand-cranked the film through the camera
gate. Cranking it faster (overcranking) than
normal speed (at the time 16fps) produced slow
motion when played back on a regular-speed
projector. Cranking more slowly (undercranking)
produced accelerated motion.
Control over film rates arrived with variable
speed motors on film cameras, which allowed
operators to set the film speed precisely and the
iris as required.
Today’s professional video cameras can shoot
in variable frame rate mode to produce overand undercranking effects.
Composition can be about designing the shot.
Where is the emphasis or weight, and what does
the director want the audience to be looking at?
Is the composition pleasing?
• The language here will be about “do you want
it balanced, unbalanced” and about how much
negative space (empty space around shapes) to
include in a composition.
• Or, composition can be about the variety of
shot sizes needed for coverage.
• When ordering up shot sizes, the director will
use the familiar film language conventions of
wide shot, medium shot, medium closeup or head
and shoulders. Shooting a conversation of two
characters across the table, the director can ask
for a master, where we see both people act out
the main action of an entire scene.
• Cover shots will include over-the-shoulder
shots of both of the characters as they repeat the
scene. For over-the-shoulder shots, the options
clean or dirty (with or without foreground) may
be used.
• Most likely the director will also ask for answering closeups, where each actor will perform
the scene once more, this time in a more tightlyframed composition.
• An extreme closeup example is when one eye
fills the entire frame.
Visual storytelling is about the mood and tone
the director wants to achieve to support the dramatic content of a scene. And the DP gives it to
him. The DP will design the shot and the director
will respond to the DP’s visual interpretation of
the screenplay or to the director’s storyboard.
Visual storytelling is most effective in a film
when director and DP are collaborators, both
trying to achieve the look and feel of a film. The
celebrated on-set relationship between deep
focus legend Gregg Toland and wunderkind
Director Orson Welles comes to mind. Understanding the emotional content of every scene
is probably more important than being able to
understand the on-set chatter, although that’s
a good start and that’s a subject for an entirely
different story!
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An over-the-shoulder (sometimes called OTS) shot is often called clean
or dirty, depending on whether there is foreground in the shot.
52
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May 2010
ABE’s Of Maine |__________________ 58
Getting the Job Done
Adorama |_________________________ 9
by Mark M o n t g o m e r y
puter repair as well. That, too, may
come in handy. Shops that put these
systems together can be found all
over the internet by doing a Google
search for “video editing workstation.” Also, Videomaker compiles an
annual editing workstation buyer’s
guide (see the Workstations Buyer’s
Guide on page 31 or online at www.
videomaker.com/article/14801),
which is a good place to search for
companies that make these systems.
Many major computer manufacturers offer similar solutions, but they
may not have the same level of
experience when dealing with videoediting sales and support questions.
Video editing can happen on all
sorts of modern-day personal
computers – a fact that was not
true when digital video editing was
in its infancy. However, the computer you use might not be powerful enough for the editing program.
Nowadays, editors of different abilities and ambitions can put together
an effective video-editing computer at
a fairly low cost. This article looks at
some of the options you have in the
current marketplace and examines
what makes a video-editing computer
ideal for each type of editor.
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Trustworthy Macs
about what kind of hardware is
required to run the software. If you
don’t pay close enough attention to
Research Tech Specs
these details, you may be returning
Many times, videographers need to
your computer for the next step up
start their computer search by first
in the product line. Always review
assessing their software needs. If
the “recommended” specifications,
you want a full-blown video-edittoo. Adhering to just the minimum
ing software suite (e.g., Apple Final
requirements allows you to install
Cut Pro, Adobe Premiere, Sony
the software, but the user experience
Vegas) or a powerful editing system
may be poor, because there won’t
like Avid, you’ll want to check the
be enough system resources for the
technical specifications for details
software to run smoothly.
Further adding to the complexity of your specifications,
different video formats may
require more robust hardware.
Generally speaking, high-definition video requires faster-performing hard drives, significantly more RAM (in some cases at
least 4GB) and faster processor
speeds. Be certain to consider
what type of footage you’ll be
editing. That can make a big difference in the end. Basic videoediting applications (e.g., MicroWhile anyone can edit anywhere nowadays, not all
soft MovieMaker, Apple iMovie,
computers, especially laptops, can handle all editing
Adobe Premiere Elements) may
programs. Do your research on the editing application
not require as many resources
first, before buying a computer.
to run, but processor speeds
54
and plenty of RAM are still ideal to get
the job done.
Pre-Configured, Please
Editors who wish to relinquish their
responsibilities of researching the
technical specifications may find
relief in providers of Turnkey Video
Editing Workstations. There are a few
companies in the marketplace that
provide entry-level and semi-professional video computers complete
with the video-editing applications
pre-installed and pre-tested. These
systems have been configured with
the video editor in mind and have
been typically built with more than
the mere basic specifications. These
systems are ideal for editors who do
not have interest in configuring their
own systems, or perhaps don’t feel
confident that they can marry the
hardware with the software. The truth
is that it can be a complicated ordeal
setting up a system, even when you
do all your research.
You will end up spending more
money on a pre-built system, but
it may be just the right fit for you.
Typically, these companies offer
reliable customer support and com-
Macs have long earned trust among
video editors as being a very reliable
and stable system for video editing.
The iMac product line has been a
good fit for amateurs and students
who need an all-in-one system (monitor and computer are one unit). These
machines are not as powerful as the
Mac Pro line, but they usually are
equipped to handle Final Cut Pro right
out of the box.
The Mac Pro systems are workhorses that can chew through a lot
of data processing with their eight
core processing capabilities. Many
professional video-editing studios cut
major films and TV shows with these
systems. You’ll pay a pretty penny for
a Mac Pro, but it may be worth it if
you plan on attending film school or
making a feature-length film.
Of course, the other side of the
Mac coin is that many people are
not familiar with the Mac interface.
It may take some getting used to if
you’re new to the Mac OS. The price
of the hardware and the investment
of time required to get acquainted
tend to scare off quite a few folks.
Find an Apple Store and take one for
a test drive. Most users know whether
they love it or hate it within the first
few minutes. Overall, many Mac users are loyal users, as their worksta-
Anton Bauer |_____________________ 47
Avid Technology |_________________ C4
Azden |___________________________ 15
BC Media Inc. |____________ _______ 23
B&H Photo/Video & Pro Audio |__ 35-37
Blackmagic Design |________________ 7
A custom-made system from a reliable source
gives you all sorts of options for video editing
that you won’t get from an out-of-the-box
computer made for the average consumer.
GlideCam Industries Inc. |__________ 47
Kino Flo |_________________________ 17
tions perform admirably throughout
the years with little to no downtime.
Litepanels |______________________ 57
Big Box Options
Studio 1 Productions, Inc |_________ 45
Computers from big-box retailers
offer great savings and competitive performance marks, too. While
you might not find the staff to be as
knowledgeable about your video editing needs, you’ll find a treasure trove
of options and reasonable prices (you
might even find yourself walking out
the door with a free printer). Systems from commonplace computer
manufacturers like HP, Sony Vaio,
Gateway, Acer, Dell and others can be
compared and contrasted right before
one’s eyes. Be careful of the misinformed sales agent who assumes a
good gaming computer will make a
good video-editing computer. It’s usually not the case.
USB 3.0
With speeds up to 400MB/s, one of
the great features of USB 3.0 is that
a 25GB file can be transferred in just
under 70 seconds, essential when
transferring large HD assets from one
hard drive to another. Keep an eye out
when buying your new editing suite;
you might want to have at least one
USB 3.0 port, if not several.
V I D E O M A K E R > > > M Ay 2 0 1 0
The Tiffen Company |_______________ 3
TriLab |___________________________ 57
Video Guys |______________________ 11
Video Guys |______________________ 49
Videssence |______________________ 45
WTS Duplication |_________________ 23
Videomaker Book |________________ 53
Videomaker Digital Downloads |_____ 62
Videomaker DVDs |________________ 5
Videomaker PLUS Members |______ C3
Videomaker Subscription Alert |_____ 51
Videomaker Tutorial DVD-ROMs |___ 63
Videomaker Workshops |__________ C2
55
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May 2010
%SBNBUJDBMMZ#FUUFSXJUI-JUFQBOFMT .JDSP

The Micro’s inte
grated dimmer
just the right am
ount of light fo lets you dial up
r any situation.
Computers That Grow With You
Desktops are generally considered the more
economical choice, as many of them are capable
of scaling to your needs. You might not be editing 3D video today, but what about three years
from now? Desktop components can easily be
upgraded or replaced, making them much more
useful as new video formats arise and software
demands more resources from the computer.
Monitors: Eyes and Ears
Upgrades are necessary for pro editors. When researching a new system, you might
want to check that it has the inputs to add pro speakers and dual monitors.
What Makes a Good Video-Editing Computer
We can take a look at some of the components
that make a good editing computer to see what
might be the best fit for you. Think about what
type of content you’ll be editing, the type of editing you’ll be doing and if you want your editing
computer to do more than just edit video.
Mobility: Work from Anywhere
Are you shooting documentaries? Are you shooting them in Brazil, then China and then off to
Madrid? Consider a laptop if you need to take
your editing work with you. A laptop can double
as a field video monitor too! Because they can
follow you just about anywhere and provide
more help when you need it (booking travel,
e-mail, etc.), laptops make great companions for
the nomadic video editor. Of course, there are
some drawbacks, such as limited screen sizes,
quickly depleting battery life, risk of damage or
theft and a limited capacity for upgrades and
add-ons. There are lots of solutions and workarounds that allow laptops to do more; however,
they all seem to be peripherals to the system.
Next thing you know, you’ve got more equipment than a desktop.
Laptops also work well for folks who don’t
want to meet clients at home or at the office.
More often these days, business happens anywhere but the office. Consider a laptop if you
want to be able to meet your clients anywhere,
on the fly. It’s always nice to show your video on
your laptop and make changes to the edits with
the client right there.
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56
It’s ideal if you’re going to do a lot of editing
to have two good monitors working in unison, giving you plenty of screen real estate.
Dual monitors are key in professional settings
where time is money. Look for a computer that
has a video card with two outputs that work
together. Or, it’s not unlikely to have two separate video cards that work together. A lot of
editors don’t want to spend the extra cash on a
second monitor, but it’s incredibly convenient
to edit video this way.
A good pair of speakers is also necessary for
editing audio. Most computer speakers that
ship with a computer are not adequate. These
cheap speakers won’t reproduce quality audio
and should not be used as a reference for
making audio edits. If you can’t afford a good
set of speakers (which are also called monitors
in the professional audio world), then at least
get a good pair of headphones and occasionally suffer with the cheap speakers when you
have to.
Additional Connectivity
As general rule of thumb, make sure your
computer has plenty of USB 2.0 jacks. These
are incredible useful for all sorts of devices
— printers, scanners, digital cameras, camcorders, cell phones, hard drives, Flash drives,
mouse, keyboard, etc. These are all tools of
the video editor and most of them connect via
USB 2.0. One of the downsides of a laptop is
that you usually have a limited supply of USB
2.0 jacks.
FireWire is a very common connection type
for video editors. Make sure to have at least one
FireWire 400 jack on your machine. Most modern camcorders use this jack to transfer video to
and from the computer. FireWire 800, a faster
connection, is also available, but you won’t find
it on any camcorders. For the most part, it’s useful only for connecting hard drives, but USB 2.0
tends to rule here.
64-Bit
Adobe has let us know the new CS5
suite will be a 64-bit application only.
We expect other software manufactures to soon follow. 64-bit provides
optimized code, greater stability and
more performance. It’s the most logical choice, especially when producing HD or higher-resolution content,
where the future of video is headed,
perhaps even 3D. Good news: if you
bought your PC after 2005, chances
are it’s capable of running 64-bit software, if it’s not already. Find out more
here: videomaker.com/r/398
Look for eSATA connectors for
ultra-high performance throughput
with external hard drives. If you’re
certain that you’ll be adding external
hard drives at some point, consider
an eSATA jack for your machine. It
works with many different hard drive
housings and an increasing number
of common hard-drive models that
emphasize high performance.
Also, look for HDMI inputs/outputs
on your computer. This can be used as
an alternative video capture input and
also to connect a computer directly
to an HDTV. This would be ideal for
showing your work to a client.
Extra PCI slots are ideal for expanding your system, as well. You
never know what new technology
will be released, promising faster
performance. Having some spare
slots means that you can embrace
these new technologies and make
good use of the computer system
you’ve purchased. It’s great to get as
much out of your computer as you
can, as we all know it won’t be long
until it’s obsolete.
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Contributing columnist Mark Montgomery is a web
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57
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transformed by the digital
revolution.
It’s an understatement to say that the
internet has changed pretty much
everything in our daily lives. Digital
audio was one of the first forms of
media that really took off on the internet. Today, we buy our music online,
listen to radio and download podcasts,
which was all impossible just a few
short years ago. As digital video overtakes audio as the popular internet
media, there are still many things a
video producer can do with digital
audio online. There are several digital
audio formats floating around on the
internet, and each has its strengths
and weaknesses. Let’s take a look.
WAV
WAV Files
The uncompressed WAV file – and
its Mac cousin, the AIFF file – are
reference standards when it comes
to digital audio. As uncompressed
formats, they are perfect digital
copies of the source and have no
peer when discussing quality. Unfortunately, they’re also huge; a CDquality stereo WAV file is roughly
10MB per minute. With today’s
broadband connections, that’s not
as big a barrier as it once was, but
that’s still a lot of bandwidth to
move a single file. Regardless, WAV
files are still found on the internet.
You’ll see them on sound effects
sites, product demos and, occasionally, as a music download when
quality is more important than file
size. If you need to send a WAV file,
don’t plan on e-mailing it. Even
with the generous 20MB attachment
limit of many e-mail services, it’s
hard to squeeze an uncompressed
file into the average inbox. Instead,
IT’S AN UNDERSTATEMENT
TO SAY THAT THE INTERNET
HAS CHANGED PRETTY
MUCH EVERYTHING IN OUR
DAILY LIVES.
post it for downloading on a hidden
page of your website or use one of
the large-attachment services like
DropSend.com or YouSendIt.com. If
sound quality is important, the WAV
file is the only way to go.
MP3
MP3 Format
MP3 is the granddaddy of compressed internet audio, and it has become the de facto standard for online
audio distribution. MP3s are often
1/10 the size of their uncompressed
V I D E O M A K E R > > > M AY 2 0 1 0
counterparts, which makes them
perfect for passing around on the
internet. A typical song – compressed
with MP3 encoding – might be only
three or four megabytes in size. Of
course, the decrease in file size comes
with a price. MP3 stands for MPEG1, Layer 3 Audio and is a part of the
MPEG-1 compression standard. It
relies on perceptual coding to reduce
the amount of data required to play
music. The encoding algorithms scan
the original source to decide what
parts of the program are important
and what parts aren’t and then compresses the audio to achieve its small
file size. MP3 bitrates are adjustable,
so that, when you encode audio,
you decide the quality level by the
bitrate that you allow. For instance,
the iTunes MP3 encoder works at a
default value of 160kbs, which makes
a pretty nice-sounding file. The massive popularity of MP3 indicates that
most people can’t hear the difference
(or don’t care), but MP3 is only one
of many compressed sound formats.
Regardless, it’s all over the internet.
Your editing software likely supports
it, both for input and output, and it’s
not going away anytime soon.
59
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AUDIO
audio
MAY 2010
Classified Network
mAY 2010
Black & White Rates
1"
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3"
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$199
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$577
3x
$187
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6x $175 $341
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$149
$291
$433
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$237
$463
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6x $222 $433
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$550
Color Rates
AAC
Ogg Vorbis
Ogg Vorbis
If you’re not familiar with Ogg
Vorbis, that’s OK. It’s not exactly
mainstream yet, but it has some
benefits over MP3 and many of the
other encoding formats. Ogg is actually an open-source media container
that houses audio and video. Vorbis
is the audio portion and is also
open-source, meaning that there
are no license fees or royalties to
pay for implementing this encoding
technology. In blind listening tests,
many people find that Vorbis-encoded audio sounds cleaner and more
natural than other formats. For instance, a 96kbs or even 64kbs Vorbis
file holds up nicely against a 128kbs
file using another encoder. This
means higher quality and smaller
file size. While it’s unlikely that Ogg
Vorbis will dethrone MP3 or any of
the other technologies, it is used by
many recordists on the Freesound
Project (www.freesound.org) – a free
audio effects site. Ogg Vorbis is also
popular with some independent music composers, those creating media
on the Linux operating system and
is built into many of the popular
video games.
AAC
The Advanced Audio Coding format, or
AAC, is a standardized part of MPEG-2
and MPEG-4 and was designed as an
upgrade to the MP3 format. It lived
in obscurity until Apple started using
AAC as the encoding format for iTunes
and the iTunes store. AAC is truly an
OPEN-SOURCE, MEANS
THERE ARE NO LICENSE
FEES OR ROYALTIES TO PAY.
advancement over MP3. It supports up
to 48 audio channels (MP3 is limited
to 5.1), along with many streams of
data and other information. Until recently, the only widespread use of AAC
was with iTunes downloads. Because
AAC can contain Digital Rights Management information, it was deemed
ideal for distributing music online. Of
course, today DRM is almost a thing of
the past and AAC has come more into
its own. In the last year or so, AAC has
become the preferred audio format
for videos uploaded to video-sharing
sites like Vimeo and YouTube. Along
with h.264 encoded video, AAC audio
Online Collaboration
Imagine you’re a media producer
somewhat isolated in the Ozarks
(like me). You’re creating a commercial that will show on three
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60
different cable networks and you
need the best voiceover artist you
can afford. There’s nobody close,
so what do you do? Through
some connections, you find The
Voice in a major city hundreds
of miles away. You e-mail him
the script, meet over webcam to
discuss the particulars and, in
a couple of days, he sends you
the perfect voiceover as an email attachment. This is just one
simple but valuable way to leverage the power of modern media
formats and the internet.
makes a nice, high-quality bundle and
can minimize the effects of the heavy
compression applied to distribute
video projects to the masses. If your
NLE doesn’t support output to AAC,
there are alternatives. The freeware
program Handbrake has encoders for
most of the popular formats and can
easily convert your finished video
from a standard format to an internetfriendly version, leveraging the clarity
and flexibility of AAC audio.
WMA
WMA
The Windows Media platform includes its own, proprietary audio
format, called WMA or Windows
Media Audio. However, unlike most
proprietary formats, WMA is fairly
widespread and supported by most of
the major audio and video software
packages. Obviously supported by
Microsoft’s Zune and Xbox platforms,
WMA is also included in unrelated
programs like Google’s free Picasa
program. As a lossy encoding format,
it shares the pitfalls of all compressed
audio. At higher bitrates, the audio
quality is excellent, but it falls apart
quickly at lower bitrates. WMA is
excellent for passing rough mixes
around via e-mail, but make sure
your listeners use Windows computers. Macs and Linux machines often
have trouble playing Windows Media
formats. If you prefer Windows Media
Player to iTunes, WMA should be your
encoding format of choice.
FLAC
FLAC
Possibly the best of both worlds, the
Free Lossless Audio Codec, or FLAC,
is a bit like ZIP files for audio. With
FLAC, audio is encoded offline like any
other compressed format but, unlike
the others, FLAC files play back as
identical copies of the original. They
are uncompressed on the fly from
the playback software. FLAC is a great
way to squeeze some extra storage
space for your audio masters. A typical
FLAC-encoded audio file is 60-50% of
its original size. DAWs (digital audio
workstations) like Adobe Audition,
Reaper and even Audacity all include
some support for FLAC files. There are
even a few portable media players that
support the format. With its popularity
growing in recent years, look for widespread FLAC support in the near future.
Options Galore
Encoding audio for internet distribution might seem like an easy task,
but, as you can see, there are several
format options. If size is no barrier,
choose WAV, AIFF or FLAC. If bandwidth is an important consideration,
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Grab the headphones
and do some critical
listeninG.
a compressed format is in order, but
consider your audience and application. If it’s for an online demo, MP3 is
universal. However, if the file will be
used in a production, make sure you
send the best quality possible with an
eye to compatibility for the recipient. Try this test: find a favorite piece
of music and encode it in various
formats and bitrates. Grab the headphones and do some critical listening.
You may be surprised at the difference
you'll hear in these internet audio
encoding formats.
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Contributing Editor Hal Robertson is a digital media
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Chromakey
Lighting Basics
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(and Not Regret It)
Continued from page 45
While this might seem obvious, it’s
easy (and dangerous) to make assumptions. Second, make sure you
trust the dealer or can verify the
claims. If there’s any doubt, it’s better to be safe than sorry. Third, just
as with new equipment, check out
6. Buy Later, Not Now
Once you know what you want, it’s
tempting to buy the item as soon as
possible. Don’t be too hasty. If you truly want a good price, you have to take
the time to shop around and compare
deals. When you know the average
selling price, then
you can accurately
TECHNICAL SPECS DO NOT MAKE A GREAT
gauge whether a
PRODUCT. THAT’S WHY RESEARCH IS SO VITAL. deal is truly too
good to miss.
This rule is espethe proffered warranty and the recially useful when you’re buying used
turn policy. What kind of guarantee
gear. There’s no set price for previousdoes the seller provide? What if the
ly-owned items. The price difference
product wasn’t up to your expectabetween sellers can easily be several
tions? Sometimes there’s a restockhundred dollars. The key is to have the
ing fee if you return the product and
time to let one OK deal go by so you
that fee could be as much as if you
can jump on an excellent deal later.
rented the gear instead.
Set a reasonable target purchase price.
Then when that piece of gear comes
up for sale at your target, you can go
for it with confidence. That’s truly the
time to “buy now!”
That’s My Final Price
Adding a new tool to your video arsenal is exciting, but only if you weren’t
burned in the process. To protect
yourself, keep this one rule in mind:
a good consumer is an informed
consumer. As you shop around for
your next purchase, remember that
knowledge is power.
Julia Camenisch is a freelance producer and stock
footage shooter from the Chicago area.
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1. The Pan and Scan Effect
2. The Burning Building Effect
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1. Realistic Muzzle Flashes
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Editing
1. Chromakey
2. Sound Compression
3. DVD Motion Menus
4. Dynamic Chase Scenes
5. Shooting Day for Night
6. Natural Transitions
7. Using Loops to Create Original Music
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Editing for the Future:
Moving to 64-Bit Video Production
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Are you ready for 64-bits? Like the
American westward expansion, it’s
about opening up new vistas and wide
open spaces, but this time for video
editing tools, which have become
cramped and slowed by the demands
of working with more applications, using higher resolutions and applying a
ton more layers and streams.
Current 32-bit systems can address
a maximum of 4 gigabytes of memory
– paltry now, even for a memory card.
64-bit addressing expands beyond
terabytes to 16 exabytes (16.2 billion
GB). Besides room to handle more and
bigger frames, 64-bit also allows you
to run more programs simultaneously
and switch quickly between tasks.
Video production tools from companies including Adobe, Avid and Sony
have been making this transition for
several generations. Then, in October
2009, Adobe pre-announced that its
next major release of After Effects
and Premiere Pro will complete this
process, to be optimized only as 64-bit
applications, which will no longer run
on 32-bit systems.
One result of this optimization
is what Adobe has dubbed the new
Mercury Playback Engine for rendering
video in Premiere Pro. This combines
four key elements: 64-bit native code,
greater memory addressing, additional
CPU (Central Processing Unit) optimization, plus off-loading visual effects
to the graphics processor (GPU). Adobe
reports that you can open projects
faster and scrub and play in real time,
applying multiple color corrections
and effects across many video layers,
even on complex HD timelines with
thousands of clips. In addition, as more
processing is off-loaded to the GPU,
the CPU can be significantly freed up
64
for additional background processing,
such as exporting clips in the Adobe
Media Encoder.
Upgrading to 64-Bit
In fact, 64-bit is already here. You
don’t need to buy a new system – your
current workstation is probably 64-bit
ready, as computers have been shipping for years with 64-bit capable
processors, including the Intel Core 2
Duo and Xeon. (You can verify your
system’s capabilities with the Intel
Processor Identification Utility.)
On the Macintosh, OSX comes in
one version that runs both 32-bit
and 64-bit applications. And in Snow
Leopard, new 64-bit applications can
still work with your existing hardware.
On the PC, you will need to move to
a 64-bit edition of Microsoft Windows
7 (or Vista). This requires a custom install, including re-loading your applications. You also will need to upgrade to
new 64-bit drivers for your hardware.
(Use the Windows 7 Compatibility Center to check your system for hardware
and software compatibility.)
Then you can finally expand your
system with more memory. Adobe
recommends 8GB for running individual video applications, 12 to 16GB
for running the full suite on typical
projects and stepping up to 32GB for
working with the intensive higherresolution projects. The result is a big
performance improvement for your
applications and more elbow room for
working intensively in multiple applications – for a lot less than the cost of
a new system.
Buying a New 64-Bit System
If you are interested in purchasing
a new system for video production,
the software companies continue to
partner with manufacturers including Dell and HP to provide recommended system configurations. For
example, Adobe is using the HP Z800
Workstation for 64-bit development,
with Xeon Quad Core processor and
upgradable to 192GB of memory.
Notebooks, however, often have limited memory expansion, so check for
at least 8GB.
Adobe has been working with systems including the Apple MacBook
Pro, HP EliteBook and the Dell Precision M6500, with the Core i7 Quad
Core processor and up to 16GB of
memory. Today’s new video production tools are well capable of taking
full advantage of these new processors
from AMD and Intel, especially spreading processing across multiple cores
for better parallel operation.
In addition, Adobe has optimized
its new applications for the NVIDIA
CUDA technology, beginning with a
few specific graphics cards for PCs
and Macs. You can start out with the
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 285 for around
$400. Or you can step up to the
NVIDIA Quadro FX line, designed for
industrial performance and reliability
and for prolonged use, without fixed
limits. Priced around $1000 to $2000
and up, depending on interfaces, these
support from HD to 2K to multi-stream
4K production. They also can utilize
the Elemental Accelerator plug-ins for
further off-loading high-speed encoding to the GPU.
Doug Dixon covers digital media at Manifest-Tech.com.
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