Mastering Multicamera Techniques from Preproduction to Editing and Deliverables
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Mastering Multicamera Techniques From Preproduction to Editing and Deliverables Mitch Jacobson AMSTERDAM • BOSTON • HEIDELBERG • LONDON • NEW YORK • OXFORD PARIS • SAN DIEGO • SAN FRANCISCO • SINGAPORE • SYDNEY • TOKYO Focal Press is an imprint of Elsevier 01_K81176_Prelims.indd i 3/18/2010 8:20:45 PM Focal Press is an imprint of Elsevier 30 Corporate Drive, Suite 400, Burlington, MA 01803, USA The Boulevard, Langford Lane, Kidlington, Oxford, OX5 1GB, UK First edition 2010 Copyright © 2010 Mitch Jacobson/Category-5 Publishing. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Details on how to seek permission, further information about the Publisher’s permissions policies, and our arrangements with organizations such as the Copyright Clearance Center and the Copyright Licensing Agency, can be found at our website: www.elsevier.com/permissions . This book and the individual contributions contained in it are protected under copyright by the Publisher (other than as may be noted herein). Notices Knowledge and best practice in this fi eld are constantly changing. As new research and experience broaden our understanding, changes in research methods, professional practices, or medical treatment may become necessary. Practitioners and researchers must always rely on their own experience and knowledge in evaluating and using any information, methods, compounds, or experiments described herein. In using such information or methods they should be mindful of their own safety and the safety of others, including parties for whom they have a professional responsibility. To the fullest extent of the law, neither the Publisher nor the authors, contributors, or editors assume any liability for any injury and/or damage to persons or property as a matter of product liability, negligence or otherwise, or from any use or operation of any methods, products, instructions, or ideas contained in the material herein. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Jacobson, Mitch. Mastering multicamera techniques : from preproduction to editing and deliverables / Mitch Jacobson. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-240-81176-5 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Cinematography — Technique. 2. Video production. 3. Motion pictures — Editing. I. Title. TR850.J32 2010 778.5 3 — dc22 2010005532 British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. ISBN : 978-0-240-81176-5 For information on all Focal Press publications visit our website at www.elsevierdirect.com Typeset by MPS Limited, a Macmillan Company, Chennai, India www.macmillansolutions.com Printed in China 10 11 12 13 14 5 4 3 2 1 02_K81176_Itr1.indd ii 3/18/2010 8:21:38 PM Dedications To my wife Jennifer , for her unconditional love, boundless patience, and incredible inspiration. You are my amazing muse. To my parents Bennett and Judith, who taught me to work smart and dream big. To my grandparents George and Eve Jacobson and Bernard and Helen Greenwald, for their love, encouragement, and early gifts of a guitar and an 8-mm movie camera, which sparked my lifelong passion for music, fi lm, and technology. To my professional mentors Guy Bickel, who introduced me to the entertainment production industry as a concert stagehand working on all the big shows. Ken Cheek and Mike McKown, for two decades of network TV work on live sports broadcasts and for nurturing my growth from production assistant to producer/director. Mark Haefeli, who gave me the multicamera editing projects of a lifetime: cutting feature-length concert fi lms for the world’s great- est musical artists. Without all of you, this book would not be possible. 03_K81176_Ded.indd iii 3/18/2010 8:22:35 PM 03_K81176_Ded.indd iv 3/18/2010 8:22:35 PM CONTENTS V CONTENTS Acknowledgments . xii Category-5 Publishing Credits . .xiii Foreword . xv Introduction . xvii Everybody Has an Angle . xviii What You’ll Learn . xviii Companion DVD . xix The Gist . xx My Qualifi cations . xx Part 1 Preproduction . 01 Chapter 1 Preproduction . 03 Organization . 04 The Editor’s Role in Preproduction . 05 Fix It Before Post (for a Change) . 10 Acquisition Formats . 11 Tapeless . 14 Looking Ahead Toward Postproduction . 17 Testing Saves Money and Time . 17 Chapter 2 Tape Labeling and Scene Numbering Systems . 21 Prelabeled Tapes . 21 Reel Naming Systems . 22 Talk Shows . 25 Sitcoms . 25 Tapeless Clip Nomenclature . 26 Slates, Scenes, and Takes . 27 Scene Designations . 28 04_K81176_Prelims1.indd v 3/18/2010 8:36:22 PM VI CONTENTS Part 2 Production . 31 Chapter 3 Types of Multicamera Productions . 33 Studio Systems . 33 Mobile Television Systems . 36 Film Production . 52 Cutting A-B Cameras . 55 The Two-Sided Single . 56 Chapter 4 The Multicamera Shoot Day . 57 Truck Park and Power . 57 Crew Positions . 58 Building and Matching Cameras . 67 Setting up the Tape Room . 73 Monitoring . 77 Audio Considerations. 77 ESU: Equipment Setup . 79 In the Moment: The Late Show with David Letterman . 79 Part 3 Timecode and Sync . 83 Chapter 5 Timecode Basics . 85 Multi-Expert Approach: Audio Department Handles Sync . 86 The Timecode Generator . 87 Frame Rates . 88 Record Run Timecode . 91 Free Run/Time-of-Day Timecode . 91 Jam-Syncing Timecode . 92 Compensating for TC Drifts: Portable Timecode and Sync Boxes . 93 Recording Timecode Tracks . 95 Preshoots and Shooting over Two Nights or Two Days . 98 04_K81176_Prelims1.indd vi 3/18/2010 8:36:22 PM CONTENTS VII Chapter 6 Sync Methods . 101 Traditional Sync Methods . 101 Auxiliary LTC Timecode . 106 Double-System Audio . 108 iPhone Digital Clapper Boards . 108 Chapter 7 Syncing the NonSynchronous . 113 Concert Slate or Open Clapboard Display . 114 FireWire Sync . 114 Remote Control Timecode . 115 Manually Syncing with Audio Waves . 116 Auto-Syncing Software . 116 LTC TC Makes a Comeback . 120 Part 4 Postproduction . 123 Chapter 8 Computers, Bandwidth, and Speed . 125 Choking the System . 125 Bandwidth and Data Rates . 126 Editing Codecs . ..