I don’t work in or for a newsroom as such, but I do cover live events.
Archive for the ‘logging’ Category
Adobe Prelude – Usage in Newsroom Context
Monday, August 27th, 2012Training: Den Lennie’s “Music Video” Experience
Thursday, October 27th, 2011I attended, working on one of the camera units. Had a great time, learnt lots, at all sorts of levels. Even how to make good use of the Movie Slate application on my iPhone! Link: http://www.fstopacademy.com/
iPhone 4: LightMeter (app) & Theory
Sunday, October 2nd, 2011iPhone app: “Light Meter”:
- Uses iPhone-4’s cameras (front or rear), displaying image with overlays reporting framerate (can specify fixed e.g. 1/60), f-stop, ISO.
- Usage with my Sony XDCAM EX3 video camera:
- In settings, I set Stops to Halves, as that’s what the camera uses.
- I typically use an EX3 with a Tiffen T1 IR-blocking filter. What’s the ISO for this arrangement?
- I’m unsure in this area, but here’s my stab at it anyway, possibly flawed:
- EX3 ISO varies with mode, but 400 ISO is a reasonable estimate.
- CreativeCow post says: ISO 400 in 1080p modes, ISO 500 in 720p modes, ISO 800 in 1080i modes
- Filter loss is 1/2 stop (http://www.tiffen.com/userimages/T1_IR_Charts_SS.pdf)
- I think that implies corresponding equivalent ISOs of 1080p:320, 720p:400, 1080i:640 (based on data from http://c710720.r20.cf2.rackcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/ISO-Shutter-Speeds-Fstops-Copyright-2009-2011-photographyuncapped.gif)
- What do the EX3’s ND filters do to the ISO?
- EX3 has ND1=1/8, ND2=1/64
- (From EX3 user manual, page 50)
- I think ISO is linear, so if Camera is 320 ISO, they imply equivalent ISOs by simple division:
- 1080p: Clear=>320, ND1=>40, ND2=>4.5
- 720p: Clear=>400, ND1=>50, ND2=>6.25
- 1080i: Clear=>640, ND1=>80, ND2=>10
- Alternatively, for ND1 filter you can leave the app’s ISO setting as Clear (no filter) and instead adjust the app’s Correction Factor to -3 EV (though it’s maybe better reserved for simulating lighting variations e.g. due to weather, as in the Exposure Value Table further below).
- I guess from this one off case that EV is logarithmic, since 2^-3=1/8 as per ND1.
- That guess was later confirmed by further web research (further below), stating that EV is an “additive system”, i.e. operates in the logarithmic domain, base 2.
- Caution: being an ISO/EV newbie, I can only hope this is is all correct!
- Nevertheless, when I tried my naive settings they worked just fine – I was successfully able to use the iPhone Light Meter to obtain a sensible camera configuration for good exposure level and (given the ND filters) the kind of shot I want (e.g. degree of DOF). When tested on the camera, they all worked out as expected. Cool!
- EX3 has ND1=1/8, ND2=1/64
- The Light Meter app optionally displays EV400, EV100, Lux, FootCandle. Latter units are explained in great detail at at [johnlind…] link below.
- The app can also “log” readings – in the form of jpg images of the screen and overlays including geographical location – to a DropBox account. For example, when I clicked the [Log] button, a jpf file appeared on my MacBook in the folder [ /Users/davidesp/Dropbox/Photos/Pocket Light Meter].
Exposure Values & Exposure Theory:
- http://johnlind.tripod.com/science/scienceexposure.html
- <<The full name for Exposure Value, or EV, is the Additive Photographic Exposure System. Exposure Value has two equivalent definitions. The first defines how much light will be admitted to the film by the combination of lens aperture and shutter speed. The second defines how much exposure is required by the combination of subject luminance (e.g., how bright it is) and film speed. Setting a combination of aperture and shutter speed on a camera with an EV that equals the EV for the subject luminance and film speed should result in a properly exposed photograph>>
- (The article continues at length. For example the “Additive” element reflects the fact that this system operates in the logarithmic domain. The article also distinguishes luminance from illumination, explains units such as point-source intensity in candelas, flux in lumens, light illuminating a surface in foot-candles, light radiated from an area in foot-Lamberts, luminence in candelas per area (square foot or square metre)
- An EV (Exposure Value) table is presented. I guess (?) this is useful for the iPhone app, where EV can be shifted up/down by a control, to estimate what would be needed should the lighting conditions vary:
- -1 EV: light sand or snow
- 0 EV: bright or strong hazy sun (distinct, sharp shadows)
- +1 EV: weak hazy sun (soft shadows; distinct sun outline in clouds)
- +2 EV: cloudy bright (no shadows; sun creates bright area in clouds)
- +3 EV: heavy overcast, but not “black” (no shadows; sun location cannot be determined)
- +3 EV: open shade (in shadow but 60% sky not obscured)
- +4 EV: deep shade (in shadow with obscured sky; under forest canopy)
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exposure_value
- Exposure value is a base-2 logarithmic scale
- (This article has a more comprehensive table of EVs and weather conditions etc. than the above)
f-numbers
Avid Media Log
Monday, August 15th, 2011Avid Media Log is a standalone app supplied with Avid systems enabling assistants on non-Avid machines to select and log raw (as opposed to RAW) footage in a manner that can easily be transferred into an Avid session/system elsewhere, where the result appears as an Avid Project. Apparently, Media Log is much like the digitize tool on Media Composer. But I’ve never used that either…
{Voice from 2011-12-08: Installing Avid MC 6.0 to Mac, under “Helper Applications”, the MediaLog option has text saying”Avid recommends installing your Avid MediaLog on a separate system from your Avid Media Composer”. That makes sense.}
Example Usage:
- Enter the Time Code numbers in the start and end fields and then click the log button.
- Type in your slate number followed by your shot description.
- Once you have completed all of your shots, break the main bin down into scenes, with a new bin for each scene.
- Now you can organize shots in order by either slate number or order in which it was shot with the click of a button.
- Once complete, drag the folder with your project into “Composer Projects” on the AVID’s hard drive.
- Then, when you launch AVID .. your project will automatically appear as one of the projects and you are ready to digitize.
ALE – Avid Log Exchange
Monday, August 15th, 2011Avid Log Exchange (ALE) is an Avid log file format that has become a de facto standard in the post industry. It is a text-based metadata exchange format used in applications from telecine to standalone logging applications, and is supported by many NLEs. The ALE format is based on a Comma or Tab -delimited file format.
FCP, Spreadsheets & XML: Some web-links
Tuesday, August 17th, 2010Wondered whether there was a way to integrate spreadsheets with media logging and importing (transferring) etc. in FCP.
- Google: [fcp media spreadsheet]
- http://documentation.apple.com/en/finalcutpro/usermanual/index.html#chapter=15%26section=2%26tasks=true
- Ways to Log and Capture Footage in Final Cut Pro
- Logging: In a spreadsheet or database application, enter the clip name, reel name, Media Start and End points, and other logging information, save it as a tab-delimited text file, then import this batch list into Final Cut Pro.
- Ways to Log and Capture Footage in Final Cut Pro
- http://zachfine.com/blog/category/media/filmmaking/finalcutpro/
- Lots of advanced stuff – gone off-topic but hey…
- http://www.echochamberproject.com/collaborativefilmmaking
- Collaborative Media with Drupal + Final Cut Pro XML
- “I can use an open source content management system like Drupal to collaboratively edit my film.”
- Collaborative Media with Drupal + Final Cut Pro XML
- http://documentation.apple.com/en/finalcutpro/usermanual/index.html#chapter=15%26section=2%26tasks=true