Better than ever.

Sporting events greatly benefit from slo-mo replay. Slow motion playback can be achieved in two ways.

You can shoot at regular frame rate and replay at a lower frame rate from a disc based recorder.

You can use a high frame rate camera like Sony HDC3300 which is capable of simultaneous high frame rate feed and nominal frame rate feed. The high frame rate output can be fed to a disc based recording device for slo-mo replay while the nominal frame rate output is fed to the switcher.

The nature of increased frame rate allows you to slow playback down while maintaining a fine degree of temporal resolution. Ever seen a shot of a bullet flying through an apple? Well, maybe not quite as slow as that but you get the picture.

Click here for slow motion in post production.

You can create tapes or you may be able to deliver digital files.

There are both high end and low end solutions that utilize tapeless production approach. Shooting straight to a hard drive device can have benefits but it has one major drawback. Networks typically require that you deliver camera masters. What if you never had the masters?

Some networks will accept copies of the data on drives. Others may insist that you deliver tapes regardless of your acquisition method. Both scenarios will add additional cost to your production.

An additional consideration needs to be taken into account if delivering tapes. The time code on tapes should match the time code in your sequence. Depending on the system you used on the set each recorded clip could have time code starting at the same number such as 00:00:00:00. This would render the whole process of output to tape with meaningful time code nearly impossible to accomplish.

Maybe yes, maybe not.

To answer if something is “better” we need to define the criteria for judging. For example: is HD better for shooting interviews? Well, yes. The main advantage being the length of an HD tape load which will give your interviewee fewer interruptions.

Film may offer better image quality while HD will counteract with somewhat lower production cost. Setups for a film shoot will take less time while shooting on HD will allow your editor to start cutting the scene almost immediately after it was shot. The list goes on and on.

It is important to define the parameters of your production and then take a look at advantages or disadvantages of shooting tape vs. film.

Do I need one? Yes, if you can afford one.

If you can’t afford one then make sure your DP knows HD well and can provide the technical quality you need.

Shooting quality HD is a bit harder than shooting film. DITs role is to ensure the quality and integrity of recorded signal. DIT position is similar to video utility position in a SD multiple camera shoot but often goes well beyond.

A knowledgeable DIT can work closely with the DP and post production colorist in creating a custom look for the production. A DIT can get inside the camera and adjust things the rental company would rather leave untouched. By doing so the camera can be forced to respond to light in a unique way and create the specific color you want.

If you can’t afford a DIT but are still concerned about signal integrity hire a camera assistant who can read a waveform monitor. Make sure you are getting all you think you are getting. Monitors on the set can be very deceiving. Trust a measuring instrument only.

Lots of detail will show.

High definition video shows a greater amount of detail than SD video. At it’s best the frame size is just a bit smaller than frame size of 2k digital film scan. Such resolving power will show more unforgiving detail.

Complexion imperfections, poor makeup and damaged costumes may all be visible in the frame. Every working practice which applies for motion picture costume and makeup is viable in HD production. More attention to detail is necessary.

Check your output in both HD and SD.

Ever seen a man in herring bone pattern jacket on TV? The annoying artifact is called

moiré pattern and is most often seen in fine detail textile patterns and motion control camera moves on magazine and book photographs.

The interference pattern is caused by a specific mathematical relationship between the sampling sizes of video raster, monitor and the fine, repetitive detail in thr photographed subject.

Avoiding moiré in SD is fairly straightforward. You could have a wardrobe change for example and the ugly interference will go away. SD is what-you-see-is-what-you-get.

Avoiding moiré in HD edited masters is not a simple matter. Because HD can and will get downconverted to SD or crossconverted to another HD format even if you don’t see the moiré now in HD it may appear in subsequent versions.

To add insult to injury, moiré is dependent on the pixel count of the display device. The proliferation of LCD monitors has made it impossible to account for every eventuality because LCD monitors come in variety of different pixel dimensions.

So, how do we avoid moiré? Avoid clothing with fine repetitive detail. Avoid using printed images unless they are continuous tone images such as optically developed photographs or better quality digital prints.

You don’t have to shoot HD to deliver HD.

You certainly can shoot using an HD video camera. If you chose to do so you will be faced with a number of options. The most popular formats include HDCAM, DVCPRO HD, HDV, XDCAM HD and Panasonic camcorders which use P2 memory cards. In addition there are also higher end digital cinema cameras that shoot HD or higher than HD size video straight to hard discs.

Shooting on 35 or Super 16 film and transferring to HD video is a viable option. High cost film stock is a commonly quoted disadvantage of this approach. There are other considerations to take into account when deciding whether to use film or video.

23.98 is 90% of the look already.

The special look of film is typically associated with quality dramatic narrative productions.

There are two main groups of factors that define the “film look.” One has to do with properties of the photographed image while the other has to do with temporal cadence of film.

The image related group includes many properties. Some of the more significant ones are a greater dynamic range and shallower depth of field than that of most video cameras.

However, it is the temporal properties of 24fps film that most people identify as the quality that sets film apart. 1080 59.94i or 720 59.94p high definition formats display roughly 60 discreet pictures per second. Like in NTSC standard definition video this frame rate creates smoother rendition of motion but fails to deliver stylized look of 24fps film.

The quickest and cheapest way of creating the look of film is to shoot at 24fps. 1080 23.98 is a good choice. You can also shoot 720 59.94p standard as long as you’re using Varicam or similar method which simulates the look of 24fps within a 59.94p structure.

Camera built in film look methods which simulate but do not actually deliver 23.98 discreet frames per second are not the best way to achieve the film effect. These features are typically found in HDV cameras and less expensive standard definition cameras.

23.98p is the way to go if you’re going for a theatrical release.

For dramatic narrative production 1080 23.98p HD video is the best choice. It most closely resembles traditional 35mm film shot at 24 frames per second (fps). This standard allows for relatively easy transfer to film for theatrical distribution.

While using true 24p instead or 23.98p would make sense for a project intended for a theatrical release, there are cost advantages to using 23.98p. The frame rate of 23.98fps is generally easier to handle in post production.

720 59.94p and lately 720 23.98p suffer from smaller frame size and in most cases higher data compression ratios. Editing these formats as true 23.98 progressive HD can be harder than working with 1080 23.98p.

Work backwards from your delivery specs, check your budget, repeat.

Networks generally allow only one standard. U.S. broadcasters use only 1080 59.94i or 720 59.94p. Therefore, all you got to do is examine the delivery specs and see what they are calling for. Remember that you are not limited to shooting in the delivery standard. For example, if you shoot and master to 1080 23.98p you can deliver both standards networks use without loss of quality.

There are four production standards to chose from in the U.S.:

1080 59.94i

1080 23.98p

720 59.94p

720 23.98p

Screen size of 1080 standards is larger than the size of 720 standards. 1080 is better suited for transfer to film because it can capture more detail.

Interlaced “i” vs. progressive “p” is also an important consideration.  23.98p frame rates will make it easier to transfer the project to film and crossconvert or downconvert to PAL.

Cost can also be a determining factor as many cameras are not able to shoot multiple standards. More expensive cameras tend to shoot 1080 size.

If delivering 720p you can use any of the four acquisition standards to shoot and post.

If delivering 1080i you can use 1080 23.98p and 1080 59.94i. You may be able to use 720 59.94p only if the network allows crossconversions (really an “upconversion” in this case).

You still can get excellent results with inexpensive cameras but you need to understand disadvantages of consumer formats. Tapes shot with more advanced cameras will give you more freedom in post.