Shooting in High Def: You need to know about this

[Muppet]

Ok my post here is twofold; and is part shameless promotion and the other part you really should know about so I?ll bullet the contents:

1) If you shoot in High Definition for DVD then unless it?s done right you?ll have 2 sets of editing, and BBFC certification charges eventually when HD-DVD and possibly blue-ray high definition porn becomes established in the UK.

2) I work closely with DVM Enterprises and we are looking for feature length movies and shorts for a new high definition project early next year. Outright purchase or revenue sharing. Get in contact if ya want to know more we will also be providing High definition download theatres you can add to your own site in your own house style if required.


Back to High definition thingy. I was sat here and something just hit me like a ton of bricks. Nearly all UK producers of adult DVD?s created from footage shot on High Definition, down sample or capture the video to PC in DV format for editing and authoring to DVD or that?s the feedback I?m getting if ya know different please feel free to put me right. This has huge cost implications for the future, and basically works out like this. When in the future you have a great back catalogue of shot on HD films to release on HD-DVD or any other HD media type, If you?ve downsampled to DV first you don?t have an high definition version to release. It needs to be recreated from the original cam material and it is absolutely impossible to exactly duplicate your original DV edit that you submitted to the BBFC so you will have to re-submit your new edit for certification which means 2 x editing costs and 2 lots of BBFC charges.

So here is the shameless plug bit of my post: As an independent DVD author and editor I do not down sample I actually edit in High definition even create the menus as high definition videos if motion menus and all extras are created also as HD video. Only after this do I transmute the files to a suitable format for DVD authoring. This allows me to archive the full High Definition Movie and extras for future release in High definition format and it is identical to the content submitted to the BBFC for classification. there should in theory then be no need to re submit for classification for HD DVD release. The editing is already taken care of so no further charges for editing either.

The only other charges you would incur to bring out an HD-DVD version of your product would be HD DVD authoring and unit production costs.

If anyone is interested in talking to me about this all my contact details are in my signature including my telephone number. Office hours are 12 mid day till 8 PM

For any Editing or DVD authoring my charges are very reasonable and you?ll get a superior product. Anyone wanting to verify that I am as good as I say I am if ya know Mike at DVM Enterprises give him a call and ask him about me we?ve worked together since they started. I even fill out the BBFC form part 2 for you.

[Easter Egg]

I think everyone out there with just a little bit of common sense will shoot/edit/create/master/backup in the original HD format, as well as backing up their original project files and storing the original camera tapes, just in case something needs to be re-edited, and will only downscale to SD at the very end of the process for delivery (SD DVD).
!wink!

[Muppet]

Hi Easter Egg. It doesn't seem to be the case from my own feedback. But don't get me wrong I would love to here from anyone who does edit the final work in full HD before Submitting to BBFC and authoring to DVD, because we would really like to talk to companies who do it this way about our new High Definition web service that we will be launching in the coming year. Not only that but it's always great to here from other people adopting new technology to its fullest extent.

[Tequila_Woods]

Muppet - Can i ask where you are bsed with that 013 number please.

[Muppet]

Hi Tequila

0131 is the code for Edinburgh and I'm located a little south of Edinburgh.

The telephone number goes straight into my PC which it seems these days I'm permanently chained to and when I set up the service I chose the closest main city to me as the dialing code.

I'm sure some people probably think I've lost the plot openly posting a landline std based telephone number on the forums but my system unlike a normal BT landline type phone can block any number if things go awry

[PKAY]

Hi Muppet,

I don't think this is the case.

I cut in DVCAM mode as you say but I can always export my EDL (edit decision list) and do an autoconform with an HD system in the future. This will create a frame perfect HD replica of the original cut. It would be just the same as in the early non linear days when we had to do offline edits and take the EDL to an online AVID suite.

Anyone using a proper edit system will NOT have to re edit and resubmit their material.

[Muppet]

That's a brilliant solution you have definitely got it covered. And it's very interesting to find out tech info like this that shows the different ways of dealing with the situation so thanks for sharing how you do it. Funny thing is there is so much to know in this business and the technology is constantly evolving. I don't think I could have figured out how to do it your way myself so my solution was to find out how to edit in the HD framework and archive the edits that way. But I do think it?s important for anyone who currently produces BBFC submitted work that may want to take advantage when the various HD formats gain wider use that they have some way of retrieving their identical edits. I do believe there is a good opportunity to get a second wind from material now being shot in HD to re release it in the near future in HD DVD format or perhaps even blue ray but I have my reservations about Blue Ray. Certainly the unit production costs of HD DVD are becoming more attainable.

Can I ask you what plans you have for future HD release of your current archive. I would be extremely interested to know.

Certainly your comments about anyone not using a proper edit system (or perhaps better to say High end dedicated editing work station) is interesting because that probably includes me and many others that work in adult not just in the UK but elsewhere too. I have the facilities to work with EDL but like many I suspect I adopt a more linear approach to editing more like the old time film editors, for some reason I can visualize the end result easier that way.

[PKAY]

Hi

I don't have an archive, I edit for other people. I do, however, tend to future proof my work so whenever I do an edit for anyone I make sure that they can always come back with their master tapes and reproduce the edit with frame accuracy.

I guess this is the way I trained, after learning to cut on film and then tape to tape (linear), I trained on Avid and FCP. Honestly, always work with edls and make sure you can always come back to an edit, you'll thank yourself for it in the future.

Best of luck!

[Ron T. Storm]

I always shoot in HD and release my content as HD not downsized on my site. Apart from some early videos all my stuff is at 1080 HD. Just preparing for the future and providing it now,

sc69

[CandiceParis]

Hi Muppet

I noticed your post re HD & editing.

I do understand the point you are making, however if one inports HD into your Off Line Edit, then save the edit into DigiBeta or a compressed DogiBeta format, save the EDL. When you import into the On Line Edit Suit, at the same time one can inport the EDL which means any & all outputs in whatever format will be the same. Hence no need for re editing or editing in HD.

HOWEVER it is important that when cloning the tapes that the Time Lines are kept the same.

This is what we would do for any Broadcast Materail/Captured materail. Obviouly if you do not save the EDL then a new edit will be required which will not be exactly the same, hence your point a BBFC re submission.

James