Doubling Data And Interlace Info

Shoot extra frames and fix it in post? Plus, interlaced versus progressive is still a thing—tips for when only half the resolution is required!

By Michael Guncheon

Interlaced video saves a lot of bandwidth. What do you need to be concerned about with interlace capture? DATA CREEP Q Recently I was working on a project where I wanted to shoot some B-roll shots. I was thinking I’d like slo-mo. The camera I had access to allowed for shooting at 60p. My camera operator and I were of differing opinions on how to work.... Read more

Off The Charts

Shooting charts to communicate with your colorist, plus set-it-and-forget-it won’t cut it for exports

By Michael Guncheon

CHARTS A couple of columns ago, I answered a question for someone who wanted to be properly prepped for an upcoming color-grading project. I mentioned that it was important to make sure the colorist had the right information about the footage. This led to a discussion of formats, camera types, profiles, etc. What I didn’t mention was that you can... Read more

Shutter At The Thought

A little more on time-lapse, plus pushing in with 4K capture

By Michael Guncheon

TIME-LAPSE AND SHUTTER COUNTS Q I’ve really gotten into shooting time-lapse for some of my projects. While I’ve done so with regular video cameras, I’ve also been shooting more and more of it on SLRs. I like how small they are, and I don’t have to work as hard on rigging them and supplying them with power. I’ll admit it, I can be a bit... Read more

My Friend Flicker

Correcting flicker in time-lapse, plus more on working with a colorist

By Michael Guncheon

Q I’ve been experimenting with shooting time-lapse. My success rate has been pretty good, but there has been a lot of trial and error (emphasis on the errors). There have been some obvious issues that I’ve fixed, like not having my camera as secure as I’d like and making sure something isn’t going to come in and block the shot (two hours of... Read more

Share The Speed

Plus, working with a colorist

By Michael Guncheon

SHARING YOUR DRIVES Q I’m really enjoying the speed I’m getting with the Thunderbolt on my new Mac. What’s also refreshing is that it seems a lot more reliable than what I was using before. I was using SATA connections and it worked pretty good—when it worked. Now I have a project where I’d like to share my drive between... Read more

Proper Data Wrangling

Plus, whether to shoot 4K or 2K, and explosion-proof cameras

By Michael Guncheon

A CAUTIONARY TALE Q This really isn’t a question, but a way for me to shout from the rooftops about making sure you pay attention to how your data is handled. I recently had a project with a short time frame and a tight budget. I didn’t have real control of who was going to be on the shoot and what their responsibilities would be. That... Read more

Short, But Sweet

Or emptying the mailbag

By Michael Guncheon

When I compile questions from the Video Assist email inbox, sometimes, I just respond via email because the question can be answered so quickly. I mentioned this to a friend. He said that just because a question has a short answer doesn’t make it any less important. He was right. It got me thinking that some questions others ask may not be... Read more

Embedded LUTs

Plus, correcting bad fades, and final mix deliveries

By Michael Guncheon

I LOOKED IN AMIRA AND ALL I SAW WERE LUTS Q I noticed that the ARRI AMIRA allows you to embed LUTs into ProRes files. With one project, I knew there wasn’t time to do a full grade, so I thought it might be appropriate to use an embedded LUT. They’re editing using Adobe Premiere. Good idea or not? B.J. Via email A First, I think it should... Read more

Log Jam

Logging in the field, plus data wrangling

By Michael Guncheon

KENNY’S LOGGING Q I’ve been on a few independent productions trying to do whatever I can to help. Since they’ve had no real budget, they’ve welcomed my participation, but I get the feeling I need to do a better job. Recently, I was responsible for taking log notes for use in the edit, but I heard that the notes weren’t... Read more

Calibrating Your Display

A hue and cry about color?

By Michael Guncheon

Q I’ve been struggling with trying to get a handle on how things look in various situations. I look at something when I’m shooting and have an idea of what I’m getting, but then things seem to go south once I start editing. When I have the opportunity to use a camera that gives me RAW or some sort of flat output, I still look at the... Read more

A Streamlined Workflow

Copying files, and staying organized in dual-system sound

By Michael Guncheon

WHEN IS A COPY NOT A COPY? Q As I’ve been working up in my skill level, I seem to be trusted more with the day’s files for a shoot. There seem to be certain ways that people think are best for dealing with all of the data. I think I’m pretty good with making multiple copies of each file and making sure those copies are on separate... Read more

Blurred Lines

Checking and adjusting back focus

By Michael Guncheon

Q I was lucky enough to get to NAB this year and was happy I did. It was great to be able to get my hands on (or at least see under glass) a bunch of new products. After a while, I started getting overloaded with all the new stuff. Seeing new lighting, new camera rigs, gimbals, drones, batteries and recorders was a bit overwhelming. Did I mention drones?... Read more