t2i and h4n production logging

dlevanchuk

dlevanchuk

we shooting with dslr, and my sound guy has boom mic with h4n.

what would be the best way of us working together on good useful shot list / audio log??

When time comes to edit, i get a mountain of video and audio files, that takes LONG time to go through, picking and choosing the correct one.. especially when it comes to mixing sound. Thats just hell..

I was trying to go off t2i file number, corresponding with time code/file number on h4n, but in the end, we re still end up tossing away our log sheet, and start hardcore grinding though editing..


So, how do you log your dslr with audio? Maybe you're willing to share your logsheet template, eh? :-D
 
Sort by date Sort by votes
Use a slate for each and every shot. Have the slate marked properly and ensure that it is in the camera frame and in focus. Roll camera, roll sound. Have the person slating the shot call the shot by reading the info from the slate. Now the first few seconds of the camera roll contain the scene and take info visually, and the audio file contains the scene and take as well.
Have the scriptie annotate the script with the scene and take info, as well as any notes provided by camera and sound at the end of each take.
As a sound person, at the end of the day, or during breaks, I dump the audio to my lapop, and using Sound Devices Wave Agent, rename all the audio files to scene and take.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
There are several versions of movie slate apps for smart phones too that you can use. It may cost less than getting a slate. I believe the one for the iphone can be sync'd to other iphones and ipads so that all are operating on the same time code for better and faster assembly in post production.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
I kinda think a slate is outdated, to be honest. At least for DSLR purposes, anyway.

In the old days, the slate was needed to visually match the moment the slate claps, with the moment it makes that loud clapping noise on the audio. And you needed to have a visual record of the shot and take #, so that you could match it up with the audio that recorded the slate-person saying it.

But nowadays, there's not really any need for the visual recording of that info. Not if you're working with DSLR. Since the camera is also recording audio, and you're presumably going to use that as your scratch-track, all you have to do is say out-loud, the shot and take. No need to record it visually.

I find that a loud noise, like the clap of a slate (or the clap of a hand) is useful for matching video and audio, but not in the way it used to be used. Back in the day, the loud clap on the audio recording was matched with the moment the slate closed, and that's how you synced audio. That's totally not necessary, now. Each line of dialogue, for the most part, is really easy to sync, without ever using the clap. I do it manually, but many people profess it is even easier, with pluraleyes. So why even clap at all? Well, let's say that you clap your hand after every time you announce the shot and take -- on a 2-minute clip, for example, you don't want to have to listen to the entire clip, just to find the moment when that announcement is made. But if you've got that loud clap, when you're looking at both the audio and video clips, from within your NLE program, there will be a huge spike, and you'll know to immediately go there, to identify that clip.

That's how I do it, simply because I don't have the luxury of having someone take extensive notes on set, and I've already got too damn many things to do. Presumably, though, if your note-taking is detailed enough, you shouldn't even need to log footage (at least, not for the purposes of matching video with audio).
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Slate every shot, have a good Asst Editor dumping the footage who logs it correctly
On the hard drive from my last film there was a folder DAY1, Inside DAY1 were folders CARDA, CARDB, CARDC. Inside folder CARDC was all the video files AND all the audio files (we always dump sound when we dump cards, and the sound guy names his files so he can tell which ones go with which card) for the shots on Card C. From the extensive script supervisor notes the editor will know that CARDC contains Scenes 3 and 4, and which takes are "Good". From the naming convention the editor knows that the lowest number video file in that folder goes with the lowest numbered audio file.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
A visual slate is still the way to go, even with DSLR. When you start the recording with the camera already looking at the slate, it becomes the thumbnail. It's easy to browse then. You know Scene 3D Take 2 was good, it's easy to grab.

Pluraleyes really makes the process a breeze though. I usually take all the clips in a scene (or the entire production depending on length) and lay them out in a timeline. Hit go, and a few minutes to a few hours later (again depending on length) every clip is nice and organized and synced. Considering what editors charge and what I charge to edit, the $150 for the software is totally worth it.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Sorry, didn't address logging exactly.

With the H4n, I'll usually ask the PSM to change folders for different scenes. With a bit of practice, when you call ready both the camera and the audio will start recording about the same time, and when you call cut the both stop around the same time. With slated video you see the scenes written in the first frame and can organize it that way. Then for audio you know that scene 1 is in folder 1, scene 2 in 2 etc. By the time you make it to 10 you've probably needed to dump footage/audio anyway haha.

Then, once organized, the first video file for each scene matches the first audio and so on.

If you're really worried about logging, reset your camera count after each dump and start a new folder on the H4n, then file 0001.MOV matches 001.wav.
 
Last edited:
Upvote 0 Downvote
PaulGriffith said:
A visual slate is still the way to go, even with DSLR. When you start the recording with the camera already looking at the slate, it becomes the thumbnail. It's easy to browse then. You know Scene 3D Take 2 was good, it's easy to grab.

Pluraleyes really makes the process a breeze though. I usually take all the clips in a scene (or the entire production depending on length) and lay them out in a timeline. Hit go, and a few minutes to a few hours later (again depending on length) every clip is nice and organized and synced. Considering what editors charge and what I charge to edit, the $150 for the software is totally worth it.
Click to expand...

Thumbnail, nice. Clearly, I hadn't thought of that. Okay, changing my vote (and future practices). Always use visual slate, and be sure to start the shot with slate in front of camera (for thumbnailing). :)
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
taking time to try and synch the time on both devices can be helpful as is taking a moment to set meaningful filename suffixes (by the time lighting is ready you should have loads of time).
Personally I fill in my own sound report, recording scene and take number against my file name and notes and hand that to the script supervisor or DA. I've only ever been on one shoot that didn't use a slate and it was chaos. You remove the slate you also remove a lot of the 'ritual' that helps the whole process run smoothly IMHO. I still filled in my report with my own scene and take numbering though hoping to give the editor at least half a chance.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
PaulGriffith said:
A visual slate is still the way to go, even with DSLR. When you start the recording with the camera already looking at the slate, it becomes the thumbnail. It's easy to browse then. You know Scene 3D Take 2 was good, it's easy to grab.

Pluraleyes really makes the process a breeze though. I usually take all the clips in a scene (or the entire production depending on length) and lay them out in a timeline. Hit go, and a few minutes to a few hours later (again depending on length) every clip is nice and organized and synced. Considering what editors charge and what I charge to edit, the $150 for the software is totally worth it.
Click to expand...

That is more than a little brilliant! I am so stealing this.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top