Art Adams has posted the results from a very informative test with the Red camera. The results indicate that Red One tungsten-lit greenscreen footage can be improved if you use an 80D blue filter over the lens. This helps clean up noise in the recorded Blue channel, which isn’t nearly as clean as the Red and Green channels. With a blue filter, edges are improved and noise and digital grain is reduced, theoretically leading to a better chroma key in post. In fact, Art even goes to far as to suggest shooting with an 80D filter all the time, given enough light. One reason you wouldn’t want to shoot with the filter is that it cuts 1/2 to 2/3 stop of light transmission, which may be an issue depending on your light kit or scene limitations. It’s an informative writeup, and Art has included some very telling footage framegrabs that illustrate the issue. Definitely check this one out if you are working with the Red, or intend to.

Confused by some of the rendering-related terminology, behavior, and settings available in Final Cut Pro? This article at Ken Stone’s FCP tutorial site is the most extensive treatise on the topic I’ve ever seen. This is a must-read for FCP editors both new and experienced.

If you were to ask me what the difference between an amateur and a professional was, I would have to say the biggest determining factor is consistency in producing stellar results, regardless of the occupation.  For example, in our industry it is possible that over the course of an Indie film project, a budding director would have several brilliant scenes most often interspersed with some dismal failures. A truly professional director would have much higher degree of consistency in achieving those same results.

Lets look at the job of an assistant cameraman. Who is more professional in your opinion, the AC who can consistently perform his job in any set of variable and challenges routinely hitting marks and pulling focus? Or the AC who is pretty good occasionally blowing focus and getting thrown by challenging shots, and dolly moves? How about the makeup artist, do you want someone who can do good makeup regardless of face, skin tone and effects required of them? How about DPs; do you want someone who can light any of the sets you throw at them, and technically handle any camera system required? For me, these are areas I look for in whether someone is worth their pay scale on my crew.

1) Consistency and Promptness Pays
If you have a large crew working on a budget, you can’t have individual crew members performing their jobs inconsistently. One crew member mis-staffed can blow an entire shoot and derail the project from day one. I recall an instance where a makeup artist on a particular project I was on nearly cost us the project. We were on a one day commercial shoot that was tightly scheduled, we had allocated half an hour for a makeup artist to do some touch up. After showing up late, she took around 45 mins to do the same job, throwing our already tight schedule off by nearly an hour we absolutely didn’t have. This leads me to another area of consistency, promptness on set. A professional will be consistent in arriving on time. They realize their job description is a part of a larger machine that requires them being on time and ready to work. Showing up late one or two days and being on time the rest of the time is one of the most frustrating things. I will not hire crew I cannot count on to show up on time consistently, there is too much potential for problems. Learning the discipline of being prompt and consistent is one easy way to set yourself apart from the crowd.

2) The Well: Drawing from Experience
Whether you have ever thought of it this way or not, consistency in producing stellar results is a major trademark of a true professional. In my opinion this is true for several reasons. First, a professional has a deeper well of experience to draw from in solving problems on set. When a problem is encountered, rather than guessing and trying multiple solutions that eventually lead to stumbling upon a solution that works, a professional can cross-reference the problem with a library of solutions that they have already proven to work in the past and immediately choose a workable solution. Experience in and of itself gives a working professional a vast headstart in creating consistency.

3) Learn to Learn, and Do Your Homework
The second thing true professionals do is homework. No experience level can be comprehensive, especially in our creative field. A professional will seek to expand their areas of consistency by filling in their experience gaps and doing their homework. For example, a DP unfamiliar with a particular film stock will probably shoot several tests to flesh out his experience level in order to know how to work with the stock on set. An actor or actress, who really needs to be consistent on set, may perform extensive character research to know exactly how to pull off a performance consistently throughout a range of scenes. It is always amazing to me that the people with the least experience to draw from often seem the most reluctant to do their homework. You would think it would be the other way around, seeing as their library for problem solving isn’t as deep.

4) Know Your Role and Be Aware
Consistency in performance can be increased by knowing your job description and learning to listen on set. No director or department head enjoys constantly giving orders, reminding someone of what their job is. A true professional learns how to hear what is going on, and realizes what his or her job in the big picture is. For example a DP may mention to the camera op that the next shot is moving to a dolly. A good dolly grip would hear that and immediately begin moving the dolly into position. Meanwhile the AC overhearing the same comment would begin to move the camera off the sticks. There is nothing more refreshing than turning to call for a piece of gear only to have it placed in your hand by an attentive crew member who knew their job and was listening. A career AC once told me you can tell a seasoned crew by watching them on short breaks; they always face into the set so they can still see what’s going and be immediately ready to move quickly.

5) Taking it All Personally: Advice for Indies
“Well,” you say, “That’s great! I would die to work with a crew like that, but I’m on a tight budget and I can’t afford to hire professionals on set. So I guess I’m stuck working with non-professionals.” Okay so let’s figure out what we can do to work most efficiently with non-professionals. The first thing is to realize that working with non-professionals will undoubtedly equal inconsistency in job performance. This is not by itself a bad thing, it just means you have to plan accordingly. When scheduling, you must schedule time for errors and mistakes. It’s that simple, inconsistency doesn’t mean something cannot be accomplished, it often just takes significantly longer to reach the end goal. Don’t put a professional schedule and demands on a non-professional crew. You will start your project by setting them up for failure, which erodes trust and creates all sorts of crew issues. Instead, start by compensating for lack of experience by giving ample time for your crew to work. If it’s your first time scheduling, I would say figure the longest time you could see a shot taking and add 20%. Ironically this will also help compensate with your lack of experience in the scheduling department. This goes for crew call times as well; assume some people will show up late and plan for it accordingly.

6) Say What?
Another consequence of working with non-professionals is that people tend to not know their jobs and responsibilities on set. In addition Indie productions are often forced to have crew members cross departments and work in multiple roles. The director has to make even more of an effort to be a great communicator on set. Assume nothing, make sure orders are given clearly and often, provide the guidance needed to facilitate the lack of experience on set. To facilitate communication on set when people are crossing department lines, try to communicate through clear channels from the top down.  If orders are given from just anyone and people are crossing departments you wind up very quickly given the same person multiple jobs. Few things are more frustrating then being given multiple jobs on a short staffed crew, only to be dressed down for overlooking something you had to drop to do something else for another department. Try and establish a chain of command and a priority for departments and try and stick with this throughout the production as much as possible.

It is even more important that you to do your homework and prepare yourself. The tone for a production is set from the top down. If the director is unprepared and not communicating clearly, those problems will often ripple down to the rest of the crew. This is especially true with a less experienced crew. They will all be looking to you to help guide them so your level of preparedness is critical in successfully completing the project. You owe to yourself, your cast, and your crew to be the as prepared as you can possibly be.

Whether you are managing a production set or working on one, I hope the aforementioned tips will help you avoid common pitfalls and help you achieve your goals. And if you enjoyed this article, please take a moment and pass it on to a few friends. Thanks for reading.

Here is the eighth installment of our continuing series on the role of a Director and Assistant Director both on and off a production set. This part 8 segment deals specifically with an AD’s job on set, general set etiquette, and how an AD can take the load off a Director during production. There’s also a basic introduction to the order of commands and “calls” an AD makes during a take.

Watch all eight segments in the playlist below or at FreshTV, and please stay tuned for the next installment of this extensive series. Detailed descriptions follow the video playlist…

If you enjoyed this tutorial series, please tell a friend or post the link in your favorite forum. Thanks for watching.

Part 1 was a 15-minute introductory video that discusses the basic qualifications, job description and overall tasks a director is responsible for in a production.

The Part 7 segment delves into working with your cast and crew on a production set. Joe speaks to why a director should ensure equality and respect across all castmembers, and how to approach correcting an actor without making a scene. Finally, Joe offers practical suggestions on handling the inevitable unseen challenges and hurdles that will arise.

Director and editor Paul Del Vecchio has created a fantastic video tutorial on how to convert 4:3 SD footage into 16:9 widescreen footage. He first shows how to accomplish this using Adobe After Effects, then later in Sony Vegas and other NLE’s using his free aspect ratio overlays. There’s quite a few handy tips along the way, and I personally found this to be an informative and helpful video tutorial.

We wanted to help host an HD version of the tutorial, and Paul has agreed to share it here at FreshDV. You can watch at FreshTV, or download an iPod version via the podcast feed. There are also 720p HD WMV and MP4 options linked below.

 720p HD Quicktime Tutorial Video [14:22m]: Download
 720p HD Windows Media Tutorial Video [14:22m]: Download

For more info on Paul Del Vecchio, check out his blog and production website.

Recently FreshDV launched the first part in an exclusive multi-segment training series on directing. These intensive FreshDV Film School Director’s Course video tutorials delve deep into what is required of a director and assistant director, both on and off set, and what areas those on that career path can concentrate on to achieve their goals. The discussion is hosted by FreshDV’s Kendal Miller, and Chicago filmmaker Joe Martin brings his unique perspective in teaching the role of a director.

Part 1 was a 15-minute introductory video that discusses the basic qualifications, job description and overall tasks a director is responsible for in a production.

Part 2 deals with the script revision process, both in pre-production and on set. Whether a script change is sparked by a creative choice, a budgetary concern, or to fix a shooting problem, the Part 2 video segment covers the basic protocol and tangible essentials of how you can handle this in your next production.

Part 3 digs deep into the pre-production responsibilities of a Director and Assistant Director. Joe and Kendal discuss the process of breaking down a script by scenes and shots, assigning scene numbers, and building the day to day schedule. They show a sample script breakdown sheet and other necessary forms. Independent filmmakers by and large seem to have the attitude that planning doesn’t matter…but as Joe says in the video, pre-production should be 80% of a project. These tips and techniques will help you get a handle on the planning and pre-prod process, and help you come in under budget and make your shooting schedule.

Part 4 deals with daily production schedules, timesheets and the venerable callsheet…Joe’s “most beneficial information you can generate.” Joe and Kendal discuss planning, accountability, and working with the other members of a filmmaking crew to effectively reach the common goal…completing the project on time and budget.

In Part 5, the discussion transitions to the role of a Director and A/D in the casting and auditioning process. Joe talks about how he likes to run an audition and help faciliate the process, as well as what to look for in an actor’s audition. They also talk about making the offer to your actors, further table reads, and what to look for in the performances. These tips and concepts will help you better cast the roles in your next production.

In Part 6, Kendal and Joe talk about the specific roles and responsibilities of a Director and his DoP. The discussion centers around both the positive and the negative ways that a Director can interact with the camera dept, and how to avoid some of the common pitfalls on set and keep your production running smoothly and efficiently. They also talk about when to bring the DP into the pre-production process, to get the Director and DP on the same page creatively and practically. The discussion delves into using Overhead diagrams to visualize and help plan each scene, as well as the oft-overlooked yet critical location scouting process that can save time and money when it comes time to shoot. Finally, Joe and Kendal speak to the need to develop visual rules, style, and guidelines to help creatively guide a production.

This Part 7 segment delves into working with your cast and crew on a production set. Joe speaks to why a director should ensure equality and respect across all castmembers, and how to approach correcting an actor without making a scene. Finally, Joe offers practical suggestions on handling the inevitable unseen challenges and hurdles that will arise.

Watch all seven segments in the playlist below or at FreshTV, and please stay tuned for the next installment of this extensive series.

If you enjoyed this tutorial series, please tell a friend or post the link in your favorite forum. Thanks for watching.

PVC contributor Art Adams has posted comments on the workflow for a recent HD project. His workflow article offers a good introductory guide for those just digging into the Red camera and it’s associated tools, RedCine and RedRushes. The subtitle “I might be just winging it, but darned if it don’t work!” should be a good indicator as to how Art approaches the article. He also offers a great universal tip on slating:

“…it is immensely helpful to have the slate in the frame when the camera first rolls. That first frame becomes the thumbnail for your clip, and it’s handy to have the scene and take number sitting right there in your bin.”

I’d recommend this read for those who are new to Red or considering making the jump soon. You can find it at ProVideoCoalition. And while you are there, check out the new FreshDV PVC channel.

Recently FreshDV launched the first part in an exclusive multi-segment training series on directing. These intensive FreshDV Film School Director’s Course video tutorials delve deep into what is required of a director and assistant director, both on and off set, and what areas those on that career path can concentrate on to achieve their goals. The discussion is hosted by FreshDV’s Kendal Miller, and Chicago filmmaker Joe Martin brings his unique perspective in teaching the role of a director.

Part 1 was a 15-minute introductory video that discusses the basic qualifications, job description and overall tasks a director is responsible for in a production.

Part 2 deals with the script revision process, both in pre-production and on set. Whether a script change is sparked by a creative choice, a budgetary concern, or to fix a shooting problem, the Part 2 video segment covers the basic protocol and tangible essentials of how you can handle this in your next production.

Part 3 digs deep into the pre-production responsibilities of a Director and Assistant Director. Joe and Kendal discuss the process of breaking down a script by scenes and shots, assigning scene numbers, and building the day to day schedule. They show a sample script breakdown sheet and other necessary forms. Independent filmmakers by and large seem to have the attitude that planning doesn’t matter…but as Joe says in the video, pre-production should be 80% of a project. These tips and techniques will help you get a handle on the planning and pre-prod process, and help you come in under budget and make your shooting schedule.

Part 4 deals with daily production schedules, timesheets and the venerable callsheet…Joe’s “most beneficial information you can generate.” Joe and Kendal discuss planning, accountability, and working with the other members of a filmmaking crew to effectively reach the common goal…completing the project on time and budget.

In Part 5, the discussion transitions to the role of a Director and A/D in the casting and auditioning process. Joe talks about how he likes to run an audition and help faciliate the process, as well as what to look for in an actor’s audition. They also talk about making the offer to your actors, further table reads, and what to look for in the performances. These tips and concepts will help you better cast the roles in your next production.

In this Part 6 segment, Kendal and Joe talk about the specific roles and responsibilities of a Director and his DoP. The discussion centers around both the positive and the negative ways that a Director can interact with the camera dept, and how to avoid some of the common pitfalls on set and keep your production running smoothly and efficiently. They also talk about when to bring the DP into the pre-production process, to get the Director and DP on the same page creatively and practically. The discussion delves into using Overhead diagrams to visualize and help plan each scene, as well as the oft-overlooked yet critical location scouting process that can save time and money when it comes time to shoot. Finally, Joe and Kendal speak to the need to develop visual rules, style, and guidelines to help creatively guide a production.

Watch all six segments in the playlist below or at FreshTV, and please stay tuned for the next installment of this extensive series.

If you enjoyed this tutorial series, please tell a friend or post the link in your favorite forum. Thanks for watching.

Engadget tipped us off to an Instructables article that shows you how to add a CCD eyepiece to a set of binoculars. The parts list seems relatively inexpensive, the CCD camera module is probably the most costly item on the list.

Recently FreshDV launched the first part in an exclusive multi-segment training series on directing. These intensive FreshDV Film School Director’s Course video tutorials delve deep into what is required of a director and assistant director, both on and off set, and what areas those on that career path can concentrate on to achieve their goals. The discussion is hosted by FreshDV’s Kendal Miller, and Chicago filmmaker Joe Martin brings his unique perspective in teaching the role of a director.

Part 1 was a 15-minute introductory video that discusses the basic qualifications, job description and overall tasks a director is responsible for in a production.

Part 2 deals with the script revision process, both in pre-production and on set. Whether a script change is sparked by a creative choice, a budgetary concern, or to fix a shooting problem, the Part 2 video segment covers the basic protocol and tangible essentials of how you can handle this in your next production.

Part 3 digs deep into the pre-production responsibilities of a Director and Assistant Director. Joe and Kendal discuss the process of breaking down a script by scenes and shots, assigning scene numbers, and building the day to day schedule. They show a sample script breakdown sheet and other necessary forms. Independent filmmakers by and large seem to have the attitude that planning doesn’t matter…but as Joe says in the video, pre-production should be 80% of a project. These tips and techniques will help you get a handle on the planning and pre-prod process, and help you come in under budget and make your shooting schedule.

Part 4 deals with daily production schedules, timesheets and the venerable callsheet…Joe’s “most beneficial information you can generate.” Joe and Kendal discuss planning, accountability, and working with the other members of a filmmaking crew to effectively reach the common goal…completing the project on time and budget.

In Part 5, the discussion transitions to the role of a Director and A/D in the casting and auditioning process. Joe talks about how he likes to run an audition and help faciliate the process, as well as what to look for in an actor’s audition. They also talk about making the offer to your actors, further table reads, and what to look for in the performances. These tips and concepts will help you better cast the roles in your next production.

Watch all five segments in the playlist below or at FreshTV, and please stay tuned for the next installment of this extensive series.

If you enjoyed this tutorial series, please tell a friend or post the link in your favorite forum. Thanks for watching.

Back when ProAppTips was a free resource, broadcast editor Shane Ross recorded a screencast video tutorial on how to use Apple Compressor to uprez Standard Definition footage to 16:9 720p HD. The steps he lays out will leave you with the best possible quality without using third party tools like Red Giant’s InstantHD. You can watch that tutorial here (direct video link). The steps shown in this tutorial can be used to uprez any other type of source, and not just to DVCPROHD. Compressor’s intelligent motion estimation engine generally does a pretty good job at these tasks, so don’t be afraid to try it out the next time you need an uprez. You may be pleasantly surprised at your results.

For more cool tricks that you can do with Compressor, check out our previous coverage of various post-production slow motion techniques.

Finally, it looks as though some of the original ProAppTips video tutorials are now hosted over here. Check it out for Apple/FCP specific tutorials on Sub-Frame Audio Editing, saving Bins/Favorites, tips on mixing Multi aspect ratios, Editing non-standard FCP codecs and more.

 AJA IoHD Production Set Case Study [4:02m]: Download

Earlier this year, FreshDV conducted a week of intensive HD camera reviews. We comparatively tested the Panasonic Varicam, HPX-3000, HVX-200, Sony F900, XDCAM PDW-350, and XDCAM PMW-EX1 in a real-world production set environment. Additionally, we shot these cameras next to a RED One camera, with a 35mm Arri for baseline film stock comparison. It was a grueling production schedule to complete all our tests in the short allotment of time we had, and to further complicate matters we wanted to capture each HD camera in a high-quality master codec as well as it’s native media/format. This would allow us later to compare the two and rule out differences in codec/compression artifacts vs. sensor/processing noise. For that task, we opted for Apple’s ProRes 422 HQ codec, which was close enough to lossless for our needs. AJA was kind enough to provide an IoHD unit to handle ingest and ProRes capture, and it greatly simplified our workflow. In addition to ably handling all the ingest duties, the IoHD was very useful for monitoring on our Panasonic BT-LH2600W HD broadcast monitor. You can read a case study article over at B&H that outlines our workflow on set, and we shot some behind the scenes footage from the set as I worked with the IoHD.

View the video embedded below, or high-res at FreshTV. You can also download an iPod/iPhone compatible version via the attached link, or simply subscribe to our Audio/Video podcast feed.

Thanks for the following companies for their support in making this test possible: Resolution Digital Studios, Zacuto, Schumacher Camera, Fletcher Chicago, Abel Cine NY, Lakeview Productions, and Midtown Video. Stay tuned at FreshDV for our test results.

We recently mentioned that Adobe was soon going to announce native support for RED One footage. Over at Adobe Labs, they released a sneak peek at how the workflow looks. Here’s an excerpt:

“To get to the Red Importer dialog box, you simply double click on any clip in the Premiere Pro Project Panel and the Red Importer Dialog window will open (normally double clickin on the Project Bin sends that clip to the Source Window). There are various settings, but the one that you will use most often is the Global Settings. Here you select your Frame Size like 2048×1152 and then tell the importer how you want it to treat that video. You have various settings like Full, ½, ¼, 1/8, and so on. For my 17” MacBookPro , using ¼ for 2K and 1/8 for 4K as a “working res” was an excellent editing experience for a laptop dealing with 2K files. Remember, these are not proxies, since Red uses a different encoding method for their R3D files, scaling down the video still keeps the picture very clean - not the typical scaled artifacting you would normally see with other encoding methods.

For example, once you select “Apply Global settings” , this will tell the Red Adobe Importer that whenever it sees a 2048×1152 clip to treat it as 512×288. You’ll need to set up a Preset in Premiere Pro and set your frame size to 512×288. Again, when you export, you simply tell the Exporter to change the Frame Size to 2048×1152.”

You can watch a 2-minute intro video (QT link) or a 20-minute overview of the entire workflow (also QT). There are obviously certain caveats and limitations, at this point the importer plugin is a beta. But this is very promising stuff both for spot-checking shots in the field and editors back at the studio.

(Tweet via Jason Diamond)

Over at ProVideoCoalition, Art Adams has a few tips for your first day on the job as a 2AC or camera assistant. He talks about the essentials of set etiquette, what your responsibilities may include, and explains the typical order of events.

“After the lighting is completed the actors come back and rehearse with the camera, and then the scene is shot. Once the director has the takes that he/she wants, the crew should immediately drop into blocking mode to block the next shot. The sequence should always be:
(1) Block
(2) Light
(3) Rehearse
(4) Shoot
(5) Repeat until wrap
Find out which actor marks are in the shot and pull them before the camera rolls, or replace them with tiny pieces of black tape so the camera won’t see them as marks.”

He also discusses how to properly slate a shot, the proper way to handle lenses, and why you should never run on set. This is a good primer for those learning the role of a camera assistant.

For more information on the role of a First AC (and focus puller), watch our three-part series entitled The Art of Pulling Focus. One, Two, Three. In it, career 1AC Bob Sanchez talks about the tools and techniques he uses on the job, and wraps up with a fly-on-the-wall demonstration of his unique method of pulling focus with a speed crank.

Recently FreshDV launched the first part in an exclusive multi-segment training series on directing. These intensive FreshDV Film School Director’s Course video tutorials delve deep into what is required of a director and assistant director, both on and off set, and what areas those on that career path can concentrate on to achieve their goals. The discussion is hosted by FreshDV’s Kendal Miller, and Chicago filmmaker Joe Martin brings his unique perspective in teaching the role of a director.

Part 1 was a 15-minute introductory video that discusses the basic qualifications, job description and overall tasks a director is responsible for in a production.

Part 2 deals with the script revision process, both in pre-production and on set. Whether a script change is sparked by a creative choice, a budgetary concern, or to fix a shooting problem, the Part 2 video segment covers the basic protocol and tangible essentials of how you can handle this in your next production.

Part 3 digs deep into the pre-production responsibilities of a Director and Assistant Director. Joe and Kendal discuss the process of breaking down a script by scenes and shots, assigning scene numbers, and building the day to day schedule. They show a sample script breakdown sheet and other necessary forms. Independent filmmakers by and large seem to have the attitude that planning doesn’t matter…but as Joe says in the video, pre-production should be 80% of a project. These tips and techniques will help you get a handle on the planning and pre-prod process, and help you come in under budget and make your shooting schedule.

Part 4 deals with daily production schedules, timesheets and the venerable callsheet…Joe’s “most beneficial information you can generate.” Joe and Kendal discuss planning, accountability, and working with the other members of a filmmaking crew to effectively reach the common goal…completing the project on time and budget.

Watch all four segments in the playlist below or at FreshTV, and please stay tuned for the next installment of this extensive series.

If you enjoyed this tutorial series, please tell a friend or post the link in your favorite forum. Thanks for watching.