Podcast Video: Download

At NAB 2008, Ikan showed off a unique doorway dolly solution that packs down into a lightweight and compact travel case. We get a look at the design in this video segment, as well as a rundown on the latest HD LCD monitoring solutions. Watch via the attached download link or at FreshTV.

FreshDV’s coverage of NAB 2008 is made possible by the support of the following companies:
Cinevate | DSC Labs | Imagineer Systems | Letus | Redrock Micro | Videoguys | Zacuto

 Podcast Video: Download

In the last six months, Letus has solidified their stance in the 35mm adapter market with the introduction of the Letus Extreme. At NAB 2008 they were also showing their brand new Letus Ultimate, a high-end system that utilizes a spinning ground glass design to deliver improved bokeh rendering. In this interview, you’ll get one of the first looks at the new Letus Ultimate as we talk to the engineers behind the design. Watch via the attached download link or at FreshTV.

 Podcast Video: Download

With Sony’s introduction of two new SxS camcorders in recent months, solid-state media is obviously a big topic for NAB. Indeed it was a theme we saw throughout the show…whether it’s P2, SxS, or CF, it is clear that flash-based media is here to stay. This video segment is a behind the scenes look at the robust nature of Sony’s SxS media. FreshDV spoke with shooter Alister Chapman about his experiences with the tapeless media in the Arctic. Watch via the attached download link or at FreshTV.

FreshDV’s coverage of NAB 2008 is made possible by the support of the following companies:
Cinevate | DSC Labs | Imagineer Systems | Letus | Redrock Micro | Videoguys | Zacuto

 Panasonic Varicam 2008 NAB Video Podcast [10:59m]: Download

At NAB 2008 Panasonic was showing off two brand new Varicam models with P2 and a variety of other improvements. This video segment is a walk-through the new feature set and ergonomics of the new Varicam P2HD camcorders, the AJ-HDC2700 and 3700 series. Watch via the attached download link or at FreshTV.

FreshDV’s coverage of NAB 2008 is made possible by the support of the following companies:
Cinevate | DSC Labs | Imagineer Systems | Letus | Redrock Micro | Videoguys | Zacuto

 DSC Labs Calibration and Test Gear [11:42m]: Download

At NAB 2008, DSC Labs was showing their latest series of charts and test patterns for video professionals. Michael Kent gave us a walkthrough of their offerings, and talked about who uses DSC patterns and why…from law enforcement, to HD and DV shooters, to VFX applications. We hope that this segment impresses on shooters the need to routinely work with reliable calibration equipment, whether it be for testing or daily shooting in the field. Download the attached video or watch online at FreshTV.

 Zacuto Support Systems and Accessories [14:25m]: Download

Zacuto was showing a lot at NAB 2008, there are a number of new products and updates in their line. In this video segment, Zacuto’s Steve Weiss takes us through the latest gear and accessories they are bringing to market, including the new 19mm support system for RED One shooters. Download the attached video or watch online at FreshTV.

Yesterday Sony announced their latest camera in their hand held Xdcam lineup the PMW-EX3. It looks to be a very promising camera however perhaps a touch high in price. The unofficial word from the press conference places the price somewhere just under $13,000 for the package. We will be at Sony’s booth this morning getting the official word on features and price. You can check out an advanced video posted by Philip Bloom.

Here is a press release via camcorder info.

April 13, 2008 – Sony announced the release of a new camcorder in its XDCAM EX series, the PMW-EX3 ($13,000 MSRP). This is the second model from Sony to use the SxS media format, a flash memory card similar to Panasonic’s P2 card. It is a step-up model from the PMW-EX1. Most of the body is similar in design to the EX1, but the new PMW-EX3 features a removable lens system. At the same press conference, Sony also announced a prototype 32GB SxS card. (View photo gallery)

The PMW-EX3 is 1080i/720P switchable. There are connections for Genlock and Time Code, making it suitable for multi-camera shoots. The camcorder ships with a kit lens, though the initial press information does not offer much information. The photo indicates that it has a maximum aperture of f/1.9, with control rings for zoom, focus, and aperture.

Also included with the PMW-EX3 is the Clip Browser Ver.2.0 software, which will allow XDCAM EX video files to be used in a DV editing workflow. There are optional plug-ins for exporting XDCAM EX files on SxS cards to Professional Optical Disc, and another to allow for simple upload to the web.

Sony clearly has plans to expand and popularize the SxS solid state format. In conjunction with the PMW-EX3 camcorder, they announced the PMW-EX30 recorder/player deck. It features two SxS card slots, HDMI, FireWire (iLink), and HD-SDI in/out ports, along with a color LCD monitor.

To extend recording times beyond the capacity of the SxS cards, Sony rounded out their XDCAM EX announcements with the PHU-60K hard disk recording unit. This 60GB storage device connects via USB, and offers recording times of up to 200 minutes in the highest quality (35Mbps) and 260 minutes in SP mode (25Mbps). The HDD unit features drop protection technology, along with a salvage function that allows content restoration damaged by power or connection disruption. The PHU-60k is powered by battery.

The adoption of the XDCAM EX format appears to be going well for Sony. According to the company, Adobe is set to announce native support for the format on Premiere Pro CS3. Avid is also expected to have support for 35Mbps 1920×1080/60i and 1280×720/60P.

The Sony PMW-EX3 camcorder retails for $13,000. The PMW-EX30 recorder/player unit retails for $30,000. The PHU-60K hard disk recorder price has not been announced. All products are expected to be available in the third quarter of 2008.

FreshDV’s coverage of NAB 2008 is made possible by the support of the following companies:
Cinevate | DSC Labs | Imagineer Systems | Letus | Redrock Micro | Videoguys | Zacuto

From Gefen comes an interesting solution to ad additional monitors to your system via USB ports instead of traditional graphics cards:

msrp: $129.00

The USB to DVI Graphics Adapter allows you to use your computer’s USB port to connect extra monitors. The extra monitors can be configured to either mirror your primary screen or extend the Windows desktop, allowing visibility of more applications. The USB to DVI driver uses little computer resources and offers a vast array of screen resolutions and color depths. This ensures that there is little difference in performance between a directly connected screen and a screen connected through the USB port.

How it works

This product is compatible with all 32-bit versions of Microsoft Windows ™.

Up to six USB to DVI Graphics Adapters can be connected to a PC at a time. If you attach more adapters to a PC, subsequent ones will not be active.

Minimum hardware requirements for the PC are:

• PC with 1.2GHz or higher processor clock speed required. Intel Pentium/Celeron family, or AMD K6/Athlon/Duron family, or compatible processor recommended
• 512 megabytes (Mb) of RAM
• At least one USB 2.0 port
• 12Mb of available disk space
• SuperVGA (800 x 600) or higher-resolution video adapter and monitor
• CD-ROM or DVD drive

Note: Apple OS X drivers are now available.

Features:

• Up to 6 VGA to DVI Adapters can be used on one computer.
• DVI-I output, connect both a VGA display and or a DVI display.
• Output resolutions up to 1600×1200

Specifications:

• Compatible with all 32-bit versions of Microsoft Windows
• USB connector: mini-USB female
• DVI connector: DVI-I 29-pin female
• Dimensions: 3.2″ W x 0.8″ H x 2.2″ D
• Shipping weight: 1lb.

FreshDV’s coverage of NAB 2008 is made possible by the support of the following companies:
Cinevate | DSC Labs | Imagineer Systems | Letus | Redrock Micro | Videoguys | Zacuto

While this wasn’t mentioned in the press release at all from Panasonic I attended. I was shooting some pre-show segments in the hall and picked up a 2008 Panasonic Catalog and sure enough there was listed an HVX200a right before my very eyes. I thought perhaps something goofy was going on and then sure enough it was tagged as “NEW” for 2008. Not sure where Panasonic is going with this but they mentioned new CCDs with improved S/N and smear. First thing tomorrow we’ll be stopping by the booth to get the scoop on this one guys. Stay tuned to the FreshDV home page video coverage starts tomorrow morning.

FreshDV’s coverage of NAB 2008 is made possible by the support of the following companies:
Cinevate | DSC Labs | Imagineer Systems | Letus | Redrock Micro | Videoguys | Zacuto

Continuing with Panasonics announcements from their press conference the newly announced HPX-170. I’ll reserve any thoughts on these cameras until I can get my hands on them tomorrow, but my initial response is that this camera will not be the HVX200a or HVX200 replacement. Anyone else vote for a new form factor??

PRESS RELEASE

LAS VEGAS, NV (April 13, 2008) – Panasonic unveiled here at NAB the AG-HPX170, a fully solid-state P2 HD handheld camcorder. A full production quality tool, the solid-state handheld camcorder enables high definition and standard definition recording, the widest zoom lens in its class, and a HD-SDI interface for connection to baseband production and distribution infrastructure, all in a lightweight 4.2-pound body.

Fully solid-state, the two-slot HPX170 is a 1080p capable camcorder that offers the compelling advantages of P2 technology including: no moving parts unlike tape, hard disk drive, or disc-based systems; instant random access to recorded HD or SD content; a faster IT compatible file-based workflow; and the ability to operate in harsh environments with resistance to temperature extremes, shock and vibration.

Building on the success of the AG-HVX200, the HPX170 is equipped with new advanced 1/3-inch 16:9 3-CCDs and a high-performance digital signal processor with 14-bit A/D conversion and 19-bit processing to deliver broadcast-quality, independent frame recordings. The HPX170 offers a 13X Leica Dicomar zoom lens with a 28mm wide-angle setting (the widest in its class) and a cam-driven manual zoom for smooth, easy and precise operation. For added flexibility, the camera provides auto or manual focus and iris.

The multi-format camera records in 20 HD and SD formats; in a variety of 1080i and 720p formats in DVCPRO HD, in 480i in DVCPRO50 and DVCPRO, and in 480i in DV. It’s switchable between 16:9/4:3 aspect ratios. The HPX170 offers a 20-step frame rate selection in 720p mode for variable-speed shooting in the 12fps to 60fps range to acquire fast- or slow-motion in-camera effects. For added creative flexibility, professionals can select from a variety of advanced gamma functions and settings including a CineGammaTM mode.

With its two P2 card slots, users can record up to 64 continuous minutes of the highest quality DVCPRO HD recording using currently available 32GB P2 cards. Record times will double with the release of Panasonic’s 64GB P2 card in the fall. Other user-friendly recording modes include hot swapping for non-stop recording, loop record, pre-record, interval and one-shot recording. A time/date stamp function makes it ideal for use in law enforcement environments.

The HPX170 is equipped with an HD/SD-SDI output standard for live feed productions as well as for editing and monitoring. It also has IEEE 1394 and USB 2.0 interfaces for fast P2 content transfer into NLE systems, and offers a composite output, component output (mini D-terminal) and a time-code setting via IEEE 1394. The camera also features a built-in stereo microphone and two-channel XLR audio input terminals supporting 48V phantom power supply with a selectable mic/line; and manual audio level volume (two-channel). Other convenient operational features include clip preview on the camera’s 3.5” color LCD monitor; instant recording startup, scene files, assignable user buttons, focus assist and a camera remote function.

The AG-HPX170 will be available in fall 2008. It will be covered by Panasonic’s five-year limited P2 HD warranty*.

About P2 HD

P2 HD all solid-state products offer high-definition recording without the mechanical wear and environmental limitations of tape, hard disk, and optical disc based systems. P2 HD ensures the highest
reliability, especially in challenging conditions of extreme temperature range, shock, and vibration. P2 HD products provide a significant reduction in maintenance costs, longer useful product life, and immediate access to recorded video (no need to digitize, ingest or create proxy video files) and metadata. P2 HD provides the reliability of solid-state production; the immediate connectivity to existing IT infrastructures; the speed, ease of use and portability of P2 cards; and interoperability with leading NLE systems.

About Panasonic Broadcast

Panasonic Broadcast & Television Systems Co. is a leading supplier of broadcast and professional video products and systems.  Panasonic Broadcast is a unit company of Panasonic Corporation of North
America. The company is the North American headquarters of Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. (NYSE: MC) of Japan, and the hub of its U.S. marketing, sales, service and R&D operations.  For more information on Panasonic Broadcast products, access the company’s web site at www.panasonic.com/broadcast.

*To lower total ownership costs, Panasonic offers a five-year limited warranty (Panasonic Broadcast’s normal 1-year basic warranty plus an extended warranty for years two through five upon product registration).

FreshDV’s coverage of NAB 2008 is made possible by the support of the following companies:
Cinevate | DSC Labs | Imagineer Systems | Letus | Redrock Micro | Videoguys | Zacuto

Well gang the madness has started i just stepped out of the Panasonic Press Conference where they announced two new P2 based AVCintra Varicams, and two handheld cameras the HMC150, which we all new was coming and a newly announced HPX-170 which I will detail more in depth later. We will try and have video footage of these cameras up as soon as possible on Monday their press release is below:

LAS VEGAS, NV (April 13, 2008) – Recognized worldwide as the industry’s premier digital cinematography camera, Panasonic’s VariCam HD Cinema has established itself as an indispensable acquisition tool delivering the distinct, prized look of film. Here at NAB 2008, Panasonic takes a quantum leap forward with the introduction of two advanced tapeless VariCam implementations in the new VariCam 3700 (model AJ-HPX3700) and VariCam 2700 (model AJ-HPX2700) P2 HD camcorders.

Much more than a marriage of Panasonic’s popular solid-state recording technology and VariCam capabilities, these new 2/3” P2 HD models greatly advance digital filmmaking with features including master-quality, full-resolution 10-bit 4:2:2 AVC-Intra 100 recording; variable frame rates in 1-frame increments; HD-SDI output of 23.98PsF/24PsF; and a multi-gamma function including Film-Rec for the prized VariCam look, which closely matches the latitude of film stocks.

The benefits of P2 HD solid-state acquisition assure exceptional reliability and a faster, file-based workflow in any shooting environment in which the VariCam 3700 or VariCam 2700 is utilized. Moreover, both P2 HD VariCams are backed by Panasonic’s industry’s leading five-year limited warranty*.

A fully solid state implementation of the highly-regarded DVCPRO HD VariCam, the VariCam 2700 offers  2/3” native HD resolution 3-CCDs and produces cinema-quality, independent-frame 1080 and 720 images with 4:2:2 10-bit sampling in AVC-Intra 100. The camera also supports recording in a more bandwidth efficient AVC-Intra 50 compression as well as the ubiquitous DVCPRO HD. Designed for sports, documentaries, independent films and other projects where versatility is essential, the VariCam 2700 offers intuitive operation with advanced gamma setting, variable frame rates (from 1 fps to 60 fps in 720p mode), as well as two separate HD-SDI outputs.

The new flagship model of the P2 HD VariCam line, the VariCam 3700 offers full native 1920×1080-pixel acquisition and independent frame recording with 10-bit/4:2:2 sampling. The HPX3700 2/3” 2.2 megapixel 3-CCD camera also offers a 4:4:4 RGB dual-link live output to deliver pristine images ideal for composition of visual effects even while recording. Tailor-made for feature films, television episodic and commercial production, the VariCam 3700 records in full-raster 1920×1080 resolution in AVC-intra 100, and records in AVC-Intra 50 and DVCPRO HD as well. Its variable frame rate function has a range from 1fps to 30 fps in 1-frame increments, and it is equipped with three HD-SDI outputs (dual-link plus monitor).

Both the VariCam 3700 and VariCam 2700 are switchable between 59.94-Hz and 50-Hz recording. Five P2 card slots allow continuous recording, card selection, hot swapping, loop rec, pre-rec, interval rec and one-shot recording. With five 32 GB P2 cards installed, operators can record up to 200 minutes in AVC-Intra 100 at 1080/24p, 400 minutes in AVC-Intra 100 at 720/24p, 320 minutes in other AVC-Intra 50 formats, and 160 minutes in other AVC-Intra 100 or DVCPRO HD formats. Recording times will double with the release of Panasonic’s 64GB P2 card later this year.

Additional image-enhancing features found in both camcorders include 14-bit A/D processing, Chromatic Aberration Compensation (CAC) to maximize lens performance, Dynamic Range Stretching (DRS) for wide variations in lighting, unique shutter angle settings, built-in scan reverse, and full control of matrix and color correction for precise image matching.

- more -

The VariCam 3700 and VariCam 2700 share a high sensitivity of F10 at 2,000 lx. The new P2 HD VariCams incorporate 48-kHz/16-bit, four-channel digital audio recording.  Text memos and shot markers can be added. Proxy data recording is possible (with the optional AJ-YAX800G board). Other valuable features include scene files, user buttons, user menu and focus assist functions, and newly-designed two-wheel (ND and CC) optical filters. A new color viewfinder, model AJ-CVF100, designed for both P2 VariCams is planned to be developed for release at the beginning of 2009.

The AJ-HPX3700 and AJ-HPX2700 will be available in fall 2008.

About P2 HD

P2 HD all solid-state products offer high-definition recording without the mechanical wear and environmental limitations of tape, hard disk, and optical disc based systems. P2 HD ensures the highest
reliability, especially in challenging conditions of extreme temperature range, shock, and vibration. P2 HD products provide a significant reduction in maintenance costs, longer useful product life, and immediate access to recorded video (no need to digitize, ingest or create proxy video files) and metadata. P2 HD provides the reliability of solid-state production; the immediate connectivity to existing IT infrastructures; the speed, ease of use and portability of P2 cards; and interoperability with leading NLE systems.

About Panasonic Broadcast

Panasonic Broadcast & Television Systems Co. is a leading supplier of broadcast and professional video products and systems.  Panasonic Broadcast is a unit company of Panasonic Corporation of North
America. The company is the North American headquarters of Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. (NYSE: MC) of Japan, and the hub of its U.S. marketing, sales, service and R&D operations.  For more information on Panasonic Broadcast products, access the company’s web site at www.panasonic.com/broadcast.

*To lower total ownership costs, Panasonic offers a five-year limited warranty (Panasonic Broadcast’s normal 1-year basic warranty plus an extended warranty for years two through five upon product registration).

Rumor has it that today Sony is announcing a successor to the XDCAM PMW-EX1. The EX3 is supposed to offer a pro viewfinder, shoulder support (ala the Canon XL1), and various Genlock/timecode i/o options. Here’s a smattering of links, blogs and pictures on this camera…we’ll be covering the announcement this afternoon. Stay tuned.

FreshDV’s coverage of NAB 2008 is made possible by the support of the following companies:
Cinevate | DSC Labs | Imagineer Systems | Letus | Redrock Micro | Videoguys | Zacuto

From the Apple Press Release comes the following information regarding the long awaited Final Cut Server:

Final Cut Server Now Shipping
CUPERTINO, California
April 8, 2008

Apple® today announced that Final Cut® Server, a powerful software solution for media asset management and workflow automation, is
now shipping. A scaleable server application, Final Cut Server automatically catalogs large collections of assets, allows searching across multiple disks and SAN volumes and enables viewing, annotation and approval of content from anywhere using a PC or Mac®.

“Whether producing a 30-second spot, the nightly news or a major motion picture, Final Cut Studio is the choice of editors around the world,� said Rob Schoeben, Apple’s vice president of Applications Product Marketing. “With the introduction of Final Cut Server, collaboration just got a whole lot easier for millions of editors, producers and clients who work with Final Cut Studio.�

“For the past few months we’ve been using a beta of Final Cut Server to manage our entire workflow pipeline, 24/7, and it held up beautifully,� said Evan Schechtman, CTO of Radical Media. “Best of all, Final Cut Server integrates seamlessly with our home-grown solutions so it’s actually adding new value to systems we’ve relied on for years.�

Final Cut Server automatically catalogs media and generates thumbnails, poster frames and low-resolution clip proxies for quick browsing in user specified formats. A cross- platform client enables a PC or Mac to use Final Cut Server’s broad search capabilities, which extend from simple keywords to complex combinations of IPTC, XMP and XML metadata. Final Cut Server also configures a range of highly specific access controls that define user permissions on an asset or project basis.

Final Cut Server scales to support workgroups of different sizes, ranging from a two- person post house to a multi-national news organization and can automate as much, or as little, of the production pipeline as needed. A configurable event-based response model tracks job status, monitors media changes, and automates review and approval notifications and complex sequences of tasks—all through a series of simple menu selections.

Tightly integrated with Final Cut Studio® for a seamless extension of the workflow, Final Cut Server includes Compressor 3, Apple’s industrial strength digital encoding and compression tool, which delivers pristine format conversions for publishing to DVD, broadcast television, the Internet, Apple TV®, iPod®, iPhone™ and other mobile phones.

Pricing & Availability
Final Cut Server is available immediately through the Apple Store® (www.apple.com), Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers for a suggested retail price of $999 (US) for one server and 10 concurrent client licenses, and $1,999 (US) for one server and unlimited client licenses. Full system requirements and more information on Final Cut Server can be found at www.apple.com/finalcutserver. Apple ignited the personal computer revolution in the 1970s with the Apple II and reinvented the personal computer in the 1980s with the Macintosh. Today, Apple continues to lead the industry in innovation with its award-winning computers, OS X operating system and iLife and professional applications. Apple is also spearheading the digital media revolution with its iPod portable music and video players and iTunes online store, and has entered the mobile phone market with its revolutionary iPhone.

As you know we are gearing up for our NAB 2008 video coverage. This year we are offering more coverage and we want you to join the FreshDV team. Let us know what you would like to see or what questions you would like to have answered and we will do our best to get those answered for you. Go ahead and start compiling those wish lists now and email them to kendal@FreshDV.com and mjeppsen@FreshDV.com, and we will do our best to get the coverage you want. Also if you will be in Vegas keep an eye for us and make sure you say hi, we would love to meet you.

In the past we have walked through how to setup and calibrate a light meter with a given video camera, but once that’s done now what? Just walk around and randomly spout f-stops? While that may appear cool its not a very productive approach. As I mentioned in the original tutorial metering is mostly a carry over from film and while video cameras over much more intuitive tools such as histograms, waveforms, and other such tools to make setting exposure arguably more accurate for video systems, light meters in my opinion still have a lot of value on set. Determining precise contrast ratios, pre-lighting a scene to certain stop before the camera is setup, or working ahead of camera dept lighting the next setup, matching a scene shot on a previous day, and other task become much more precise with the aide of a light meter.

For example if you will notate meter readings for a given setup and you need to relight that setup later on in the week or you need pickup shots, it becomes much simpler to relight it using meter measurements than just eyeballing it. A meter is also a great communication tool between DP and Gaffer. A DP can give a gaffer a contrast ratio based on a look he wants acheive at a certain exposure range and the gaffer can light a scene to those exact specification rather than just using his eye and seeing things differently than the DP does.

I found several great articles that may help guide you in the right direction in getting familiar with using your meter on set.
Excerpt From the Full Length Primer:
Exposure Meters and
The Cinematographer
by
Gerald Hirschfeld, A.S.C

Published by Temple University and available for download here:

The Incident Light Meter and the Key Light
Using an incident light meter with a flat disc receptor, the
director of photography positions the “key light� (main light),
setting it at 40 fc. at the position of the main action. For this
reading the meter is pointed at the light source, not the camera.
The DP already knows the lens stop selected for that 40 fc light
level is f/4. Since all meters are factory calibrated to offer the
correct exposure for average mid-tone brightness, (18%
reflectivity from a standard gray card) the incident light
reading will be perfect for a normal “look� of average sub-
jects. The stage the DP is working on may be large but he need
only to read the one key light with the meter, all other lights
are set by eye.

There is another big difference between cine and still
photography. The motion picture cameraperson uses a “view-
ing filter� to judge light balances. When working with color
emulsions the viewing filter, sometimes called a contrast
viewing glass, is basically a “neutral density filter� which
reduces the sensitivity of the eye to more closely match that of
the film emulsion. When viewing the scene through the view-
ing filter the cinematographer can judge the relative brightness
of any part of the set, or actors, by visually comparing it to
who, or whatever, is in the key light. Looking through the
viewing filter the DP can discern dark areas that may need to
be brightened or overly bright areas that need reducing. The
viewing filter is held to the eye for a relatively short period of
time so the eye does not acclimate to the lower light level and
thereby cloud the purpose of the viewing filter. Many profes-
sional motion picture cameras have viewing filters built into
the camera’s eye piece for convenience. It does take practice
and experience to learn how to properly interpret, or judge, the
lighting contrast of the scene.

Excerpt From Fimmakers.com on Metering:
Full Article

Lighting ratios are another concept cinematographers must adapt to. It is important before lighting a scene to be able to visualize the lighting ratio they are going to use. A lighting ratio is the figure given to a measured relative difference in brightness two parts of a scene. It is very time-consuming to have to change the light ratios after it was thought that the lighting on the set was finished. The way films are funded these days, with often a significant amount of the production’s capitalization coming up front from television rights and video sell-throughs, it is important that the cinematographer knows when shooting a scene exactly how it will look when delivered on the two, quite different, media. The key to this is the lighting ratio. The first thing to realize is that the tonal range of the television version is going to have to come from within the tonal range of the cinema version. The most common use of light ratios is in the control of how the human face is lit. If the cinematographer successfully lights a face and is looking for the simplest way of noting their success, the easiest thing to do is to record, or simply remember, the lighting ratio. One way to keep track of you notes, like cinematographer Daryn Okada does, is to use a powerbook. “How did I get hooked on this method? I got into using a powerbook because I hated having to write my notes again and again. At each script revision and schedule came in, I had to find a better way to manage and keep track of photographic details with visual references and the means to accomplish them. At first, I made a lot of lists. Lists of visual ideas relating to the story, if camera movement, lighting, equipment, etc. I’m always writing some idea on some piece of paper. Soon, I began copying them into a notebook but thought it would be great to be able to always refer to the script and schedule, except as we all know, those elements keep changing during the pre-production process. So, I began to try programs and compartmentalize everything.” If the idea was to light a rather light piece with say, a leading lady aged perhaps late forties but playing a part written as thirty or so, a lighting ratio of 2:1 would be very flattering. This is because with the brighter side of the face only twice the brightness of the darker side the shadows in the smile lines by her eyes would only be half the brightness of the lit side of the face.
In order to establish the correct aperture to set on the lens, take a reading (using a spot meter) on the most important subject in the scene.
As there would be little difference in brightness between the smooth skin and the lined skin the lines would hardly show- all very flattering. If, on the other hand they were lighting a more dramatic piece, say a thriller, then they might let the lighting ratio on the leading man rise to 8:1 or three stops difference. The night scenes for the same film might rise to 16:1, but this is very dramatic- the detail in the shadowed side of the face is going to start to disappear soon and will almost certainly show as black on television.In order to establish the correct aperture to set on the lens, take a reading (using a spot meter) on the most important subject in the scene. As this will usually be the main character in the scene, their lit skin tone is generally used. If they are Caucasian then the reading on the spot meter used will be one stop over the setting for an 18 percent gray card. The only other caveat is that all the readings for this technique must be taken from in front of or very near to the lens, for only then will the reflectance of all the surfaces in the scene be the same for the spot meter as for the film. The second most important part of filming a scene (to cinematographers) is the shadows, and measuring these correctly is crucial. If the cinematographer finds that there is an important part of the scene which has read a little above the maximum white but wishes to photograph it, one relatively simple solution is to light the subject’s face a little brighter. This will enable them to stop down enough to bring the highlight within the recordable tonal range. After doing this, they will need to recheck the shadows to make sure none of them have now fallen outside the film’s tonal range. More simply, if there are some shadows that fall below the recordable tonal range then simply adding a little more fill light will bring them up to a recordable level. On an exterior this might simply be done with a reflector.