HD Video FAQ
- Why would I pay to take my film to Chicago HD for post production when I could buy a Mac and Final Cut Pro and edit my film myself?
- I
want to finish my next film in HD, but do not have a current relationship with a HD post house. What should I be looking for in a HD post facility?
- What are some of the advantages of shooting HD over film?
- What information do I need to provide Chicago HD with to get an accurate post-production estimate?
- What elements do I need to bring for a conforming/finishing session?
- What are the differences between DVCPro HD, HDCAM, HDCAM-SR, and D5?
- How do Chicago HD’s capturing and mastering services differ from competitors?
- Do you offer Blu-ray authoring and replication?
- I have a QuickTime file of my movie. Can you lay it off to tape?
- Do you deal with Red One footage?
- Considering that Hi Def files are significantly larger than standard definition files, does it take much more time to add an effect or composite images in HD?
- Does it make any sense to transfer from one HD format to another?
- If I shot in a non-HD format like Digibeta, is there an advantage to upconverting to a HD format? What will that do to my picture?
- I’m finishing my film at your company. Can I provide my own tape stock?
- I know what HD means. What does SD stand for?
- What HD format do most film festivals request?
- Should I format my downconverted HD to SD master as letterbox, anamorphic, or center-cut?
- Do you allow self-service capturing?
- Do you rent your suites to independent editors?
- Do you do PAL standard conversions?
- Do you rent cameras, lights or other production equipment?
- Does Chicago HD do audio mixing?
- I'm doing my own mix and am unsure about the audio levels for my program. Where should they be?
- Can Chicago HD generate a closed caption file that I can use when I lay off to tape from Final Cut Pro?
- How will television's switch from analog to digital change the finishing workflow I am used to?
- What format should I use to capture my HD tape?
- Do you accept credit cards?
1. Why
would I pay to take my film to Chicago HD for post production when I could buy a Mac and Final Cut Pro and edit my film myself?
A smooth HD post-production workflow is made possible by combining experience with the necessary equipment. If you plan to work on your own, a computer and editing system only scratch the surface the tools you will need. Chicago HD has all of the HD editing systems, players, recorders, monitors, scopes and converters needed to ensure that the finest product is created for distribution. We have concentrated our post- production efforts in High Definition for over 6 years. Our experienced eyes are adept at spotting problems and solutions.
The fact that we own our own equipment is a major benefit for our clients. Unlike many of our competitors, we don’t have to preoccupy ourselves with equipment return deadlines or worry about equipment rental costs and logistics. We are therefore able to be more flexible when it comes to billing. Working with our gear on a daily basis gives us an understanding of HD workflows that cannot be learned overnight. This means that we can focus on what is really important—the quality of our customers’ programs.
2. I
want to finish my next film in HD, but do not have a current relationship with a HD post house. What should I be looking for in a HD post facility?
Consider the following questions:
• Do you like the people and the facility?
• Do they have what it takes to get the job done?
• Do they understand the workings of the various HD formats both from a production point-of-view and from a post-production point-of-view?
• Do they have experience with broadcast, commercial and independent films in a variety of distribution methods – from offline and finish to tape mastering to film-out?
• Can they support your film with the necessary broadcast-grade HD and SD machines, monitors and other tools necessary to prep and finish an edit session?
• Do they own their own HD gear or do they rent machines, converters, etc.? Is their equipment broadcast quality?
• Are they flexible and able to offer multiple scenarios to finish a project?
• Are their rates reasonable?
3.
What are some of the advantages of shooting HD over film?
• HD stock is cheaper than film stock
• HD does not require lab processing and transfer to tape or scanned as image files
• HD can be edited immediately after shooting
•Iin the field, what you see on the monitor is what you get
4.
What information do I need to provide Chicago HD with to get an accurate post-production estimate?
Please be prepared to answer the following questions:
• What services do you want us to perform (creative editorial, color correction, finishing, mastering, down-converting, DVD authoring, duplication, encoding, etc.)?
• What source format(s) and quantities will the project will be created from?
• What format(s) and quantities do you require for deliverables?
• Do you need both HD and SD?
• Will you provide us with your materials on a hard drive, on tapes or both?
• What is the total running time (TRT) of the project?
• What duration of time will we have to complete the project in?
• Is your deadline flexible?
• Do you plan to supervise the session?
• Do you require either superless sub-masters or sub-masters with an alternate audio layout?
• Do you need us to create titles and/or a credit roll?
• Do you need us to distribute your program?
5. What elements do I need to bring for a conforming/finishing session?
These elements may vary from project to project:
• source tapes and/or QuickTime source files used to create the project
OR
• complete, full-resolution, non-color-corrected QuickTime movie of the entire program
• Final Cut Pro project file
• final audio mix in stereo and 5.1 surround (if applicable)
• low-resolution, self-contained DV reference movie of the picture-locked program
• CMX3600 format EDL of each video track
• still or animated graphic files
• finished titles and credit roll or title/credit roll information
• subtitle information (if applicable)
• list of final deliverables
6. What are the differences between DVCPro HD, HDCAM, HDCAM-SR, D5?
DVCProHD is Panasonic’s 8-bit 4:2:2 HD image acquisition and mastering tape format. It has 8 channels of audio and is capable of 720p or 1080i HD. This format is allows filmmakers to shoot from 4-60 fps, allowing for fast-motion and slow-motion photography. It is not used often for mastering and we recommend our other formats for creating final deliverables.
HDCAM is Sony’s original 8-bit 4:2:2 HD image acquisition and mastering tape format. It has 4 channels of audio and is capable of interlaced and progressive 1080 HD. Some folks argue that HDCAM’s color sampling is closer to 3:1:1. It is not a great format to shoot chroma key elements with.
D5 is Panasonic’s 10-bit 4:2:2 HD mastering tape format. Image acquisition is less common because D5 decks are only available as rack mountable studio machines. D5 accommodates 8 channels of audio and can handle both interlaced and progressive 1080 HD and 720p HD. There is a modification available for D5 machines that allow them to record 2K data. Our machine does not include this modification.
HDCAM-SR is Sony’s direct competitor to D5. It is a 10-bit 4:2:2 HD image acquisition and mastering format. SR is also capable of recording and playing back dual link 4:4:4 color sampling or dual stream 4:2:2 color sampling, along with true 1080p HD running at 60fps. It has 12 channels of audio and can handle interlaced and progressive 1080 HD and 720p HD. Some people refer to this as “HDCAM Senior” but it is more accurately called “HDCAM-S-R”. Our machine includes the option boards for playing and recording HDCAM and 4:4:4 video. Our machine does not play back Digibeta tapes at this time.
Mastering to either D5 or HDCAM-SR is slightly more expensive than mastering to DVCProHD or HDCAM and tape stock is about twice as expensive. As far as image acquisition is concerned, these 10-bit formats contain more color data than HDCAM and DVCProHD. They are much better suited for shooting chroma keys- where the additional color information is invaluable.
7.
How do Chicago HD’s capturing and mastering services differ from competitors?
Unlike some duplication houses that have begun offering editorial services like capturing and mastering, Chicago HD is a post house that looks at these services from an editorial standpoint, with a critical eye on detail. We watch closely for problems. If they are there we address them and fix them.
Chicago HD is staffed with experienced editors rather than duplication assistants. We are confident in our performance and if you require a specific service that we haven’t executed before we will be happy to do the advanced work that may be required to accomplish it. We do not automatically state a “yes” answer to every request and we will work with you on a personal and professional level.
8.
Do you offer Blu-ray authoring and replication?
We offer Blu-ray authoring, but only limited replication. The BD-R discs that we author are created on a one-off basis. If you require a quantity of Blu-ray discs we would be happy to take care of subcontracting the job for you and see that it gets done properly.
We do not author BD-ROM discs. BD-R discs are playable in up-to-date Blu-ray players.
We also offer HD-DVD authoring to DVD-R discs as well as standard DVD-R authoring.
9.
I have a QuickTime file of my movie. Can you lay it off to tape?
Yes. Our company is set up to help folks who lack the necessary hardware to get their program laid off to tape. Please refer to our list of supported tape formats.
10. Do you deal with Red One footage?
Yes. We can process Red One footage for post and perform the editing, color-correction and finishing. The time ratio to process RED footage, relative to workflow and the size of the acquired images, currently ranges from 3:1 to 13:1. Since Chicago HD invests in the most powerful computers available and utilizes Raid storage instead of FireWire, we are able to process Red One footage at the fastest speed possible.
11. Considering that Hi Def files are significantly larger than standard definition files, does it take much more time to add an effect or composite images in HD?
Yes. Larger HD file sizes dictate longer rendering times. As far as billing is concerned, rates may be higher when working in HD. Often times the bill is more expensive simply because what would have taken one hour to compose and render in SD will take three hours to complete in HD. Non-linear editorial demands that all effects be rendered before laying off to tape. The same is true when working in Shake or After Effects – rendering is required. Always consider your processing power when bidding projects with heavy renders and be sure to budget your project accordingly.
12. Does it make any sense to transfer from one HD format to another?
Yes—depending on what your needs are.
For example:
You may acquire your footage shooting 720p with a Panasonic Varicam, but your distributor needs a 1080i master for broadcast. In this case we would cross-convert the source footage to 1080i when we digitize and conform the program in 1080i.
OR
You may be a filmmaker requiring a 35mm film print, having shot in both Panasonic 720/24p and Sony HDCAM 1080/24p. We would edit your program in 1080/24p, converting the Panasonic footage to 1080/24p. We would then lay off the master to D5, HDCAM-SR, HDCAM or export as files, depending on the requirements of the film-out facility.
13. If I shot in a non-HD format like Digibeta, is there an advantage to up-converting to a HD format? What will that do to my picture?
The advantage to up-converting SD to HD would be to incorporate the footage into an HD project or to screen your program in a venue that utilizes HD playback. Up-converting SD footage enables you to incorporate it into an HD workflow and it does not affect the quality of your footage. Up-converting your SD footage will not, however, magically add more resolution to your images.
It is easy to up-convert a standard definition 29.97, 720 x 486 source to 1080i or 720p. Up-converting to 1080/24p is trickier because of the drastic difference in frame rate. If you don’t have the luxury of employing an expensive Teranex or Snell & Wilcox converter to handle a 30 fps to 24 fps conversion, the large percentage of dropped frames in the conversion causes a great deal of "skipping" and "snapping", which interrupts the fluidity of natural motion.
On the other hand, Panasonic DVCPro (DV25 & DV50) SD formats are capable of 24p. The progressive frame and superior color sampling of these SD formats enable up-conversions to 1080i, 720p and 1080/24p HD with fabulous results.
14. I’m finishing my film at your company. Can I provide my own tape stock?
Yes. However, Chicago HD does not accept responsibility for dropouts or tape errors that may occur on stock provided by sources other than our own.
15. I know what HD means. What does SD stand for?
HD stands for High Definition and refers to a video with a frame size of either 1920x1080 or 1280x720 (1440x1080 and 960x720 for anamorphic HD formats), with a resolution of 72 dpi.
SD stands for Standard Definition and, in the NTSC world, refers to video with a frame size of 720 x 486 with a resolution of 72 dpi. Beta SP, Digital Betacam and DVCAM are considered examples of standard definition formats. PAL can either be HD or SD.
16. What HD format do most film festivals request?
The most popular delivery format for film festivals is 1080i HDCAM although lately more events have been accepting 1080/23.98PsF masters.
17. Should I format my down-converted HD to SD master as letterbox, anamorphic, or center-cut?
It depends on how you want your program to appear to the viewer or the requirements of your distributor. For broadcast spots you should center-cut your down-converted SD masters so they fill the screen on SD sets and present themselves as pillarboxed on HD sets. Most distributors require HD masters to be center-safe in the first place, so you have likely already shot and created graphics with center-protection in mind.
For down-converted independent films, letterbox should be used for broadcast and anamorphic for projection, assuming that you’ve utilized the entire 16:9 frame.
The following images are examples of HD to SD down-conversion aspect ratios:
Letterbox (aka H-Fit)
Center-Cut (aka Edge-Crop, V-Fit, Center-Extraction, Full-Screen)
Anamorphic (aka Squeeze, HV-Fit, Stretch)
18. Do you allow self-service capturing?
Yes. We will set your editor up with a deck and an editing suite so that he or she can capture to your hard drive or to our RAID. Please contact us for rates.
19. Do you rent your suites to independent editors?
Yes. Please contact us for rates.
20. Do you do PAL standard conversions?
We do not do tape-to-tape standard conversions (NTSC to PAL or PAL to NTSC) but we can create video files, convert them using software and lay them back to tape. This method is practical if the piece is shorter than an hour in length, however the process can produce mixed results. For longer programs or programs containing graphic animations, a tape-to-tape conversion is a must.
Although we do not do tape-to-tape NTSC to PAL or PAL to NTSC conversions in house, we would be happy to subcontract the job for you to see that it gets done properly.
21. Do you rent cameras, lights, or other production equipment?
No. We can, however, direct you to local companies that do.
22. Does Chicago HD do audio mixing?
No. Fortunately we share offices with high-end audio post-production facility Bam Studios. Bam offers a wide-range of stereo and 5.1 surround services including mixing, sweetening, voice over recording, ADR and ISDN. Our studios are networked together and the workflow between them is seamless. Although our edit suites offer stereo audio monitoring only, Bam Studios rooms enable us to screen our work in 5.1 surround when necessary.
23. I’m doing my own mix and am unsure about the audio levels for my program. Where should they be?
In simplest terms, for a broadcast mix you want your reference tone to be at -20 db and your digital audio peaking at -10 db. Final Cut Pro defaults their tone level to -12db, which is +8db higher than the SMPTE standard. We recommend having a professional audio mix done whenever possible.
24. Can Chicago HD generate a closed caption file that I can use when I lay off to tape from Final Cut Pro?
Yes. If you have Final Cut Pro and an AJA Kona card, we can make you a file that will enable you to master in house with closed captions. All we need from you is a reference movie of your entire timeline (including all color bars and black) and a transcript. We will send you a .mov file based on these elements. You can preview the subtitles in the QuickTime player (“Show Closed Captioning” in the View menu must be selected).
In Final Cut Pro when you Edit to Tape or Print to Video, go to the Mastering Settings panel. Here you can check the box “Insert closed captioning data from file” and navigate to the file on your hard drive. You can then assemble or insert as you normally do. If your project is HD, the VANC box in the Formats panel of your Kona Control Panel must be checked.
25. How will television’s switch from analog to digital change the finishing workflow I am used to?
It won’t. Digital television isn’t identical to HD. If you haven’t started working in HD yet what better time than now to start?
26. What format should I use to capture my HD tape?
Capturing your footage uncompressed will give you the highest quality, but the large file sizes limit workflow options. The files can be used for anything, including compositing, but they can only be played back in real time from a RAID.
Compressed formats like DVCPro HD and ProRes HQ are commonly used because they are high in quality but relatively small in file size. ProRes HQ is a newer compression scheme that uses square pixels (as opposed to the rectangular pixels used by DVCPro HD), but it can only be used by Final Cut 6 or later.
27. Do you accept credit cards?
Yes. We accept Visa, Mastercard, and American Express. We also accept PayPal
Top
|
