I can’t really think of anything to prep this with so here’s some random thoughts on the Cairo post-production.

• Si-2K/Cineform workflow was really easy. The network connection freaked a couple times to the Cinedeck so the clip didn’t close out properly, but SI has a utility to fix that so no issues
• You need a really good lens for the SI. Nobody’d really tried what I was doing so there was no information on the EF mount for it. I took a risk and it didn’t work out so in a pinch I used primarily the Sigma 10-20…it was all I could get my hands on. It wasn’t good…obviously.
• The Ziess 50mm is really soft. I ran it F/1.8 but it didn’t sharpen up until around 2.2 or so. Back focus issue? I don’t know anything about that. The images weren’t as sharp as I wanted.
• The SI/Cinedeck Extreme color was dead on accurate to reality.
• The T2i color, even with the profile set way down was harsh, forced and well, colored improperly.
• 10 bit is the way to go. I don’t care how awesome your 8 bit camera is; 8 bit sucks balls in post. Not to mention you have banding and absolutely no gradients (comparatively speaking). Budget might keep you at 8 bit though and that’s understandable.
• I’m really bummed I don’t own the SI2K/Cinedeck combo. Financially it doesn’t make sense right now although I’d use it for absolutely everything.

…and speaking of color. Here’s a selection of before/afters on the first Cairo short:

Tags: cameras, cinedeck, cineform, color correction, documentary, SI2K, workflow

Let’s talk workflow for a second on using this Cindeck. The entire system runs on Windows and the Cineform .MOV files record to NTFS formatted SSD drives. I work on a Mac. So here’s what I do:

Drag files from SSD to CalDigit VR Mini via e-SATA.
Plug the CalDigit into my Mac and start editing.

Yes, that easy. When I get home, I’ll transfer the files to a Mac-writable drive, but for now that’s it. I run Parallels on my machine as well so when I offload the SDHC cards from the T2i, I just pull them from my OS finder over to the appropriate folder open in Windows Explorer.

Parallels will only boot from USB, so I use FW to power the drive, and USB to boot the drive. When I’m done in Windows, I unplug the USB and the drive loads in OSX.

Now this next point is probably for all of us using this combo like, ah, me and Danny Boyle. The overheating issue I had was due to the fan dropping RPMs when I hit record (and hot stinkin’ Cairo temps mid day in the sun). The fan is controlled by the SI software and will override any existing fan control software (like Speed Fan)- at least this is what I discovered. The remedy:

The SI software includes a prefs.xml file. In there about 1/3 of the way down, you’ll find a FanSpeed preference with a value set to either 0, 1, or 2.

0 = high RPM all the time
1= high RPM when not recording, low RPM when recording
2= low RPM all the time

So simply reset the value to what you desire and save the file. Incidentally, this little snafu helped the guys at Cinedeck discover a problem with one of the inputs on the power board (there are 2 which is how I got mine working- I swapped inputs) so they’re remedying that in all models that go out from this point forward. (This is a good time to plug issue/error reporting even if you’re not on any Betas and if you are, then you should be smacked if you’re not reporting regularly).

The second problem I had was the SI software not recognizing the 2K Mini sensor when I received it. If, for some random reason, you happen to receive this set up in a way other than HD Camera Rentals and it doesn’t connect up right away, it’s your NIC settings. To fix this you’ll want to access the Binaries folder in the main SI software folder. Inside you’ll see find the EBDriverTool.exe file (or something like that). Run that and change the settings to GigE on the appropriate port. This information is also on the bottom of page 12 of the installation manual (section 2.4.2).

One final tip to controlling temps: if you carry yours in a bag or pack while using it, like I’ve been doing and it’s wicked warm out, throw in some frozen water bottles. It’ll keep the box much cooler and if it’s that hot, you can drink ‘em when they start melting away.

How do I feel about this combo? Well, the camera’s the size of a lunch pail juice box, the Cinedeck replaces 4 different things and I can stand out of the way in a hall, stick the camera through the window and grab all sorts of funky angles while monitoring without contorting myself into all sorts of painful positions. I can’t do that on even on the DLSR. This combo rocks.

How do I feel about the Cinedeck? I love it. I was running around all day in villages, rooms, stairs, buildings, hallways, around corners, inside windows, cars and churches and about everywhere else you could think of. It held up and it held up well (like it should). I would shoot an entire doc solo on this box any day- camera of choice. A studio situation would be an even greater no-brainer. The monitor, histograms, focus checks, color previews and guide overlays at the touch of a button (literally) are about as nice as it gets. All in one sweet little package.

www.cinedeck.com

Tags: cameras, cinedeck, SI2K, tech

So nobody’s actually used this combo in this capacity to my knowledge. So here are my brief thoughts followed by a few photos.

It’s really portable. This rig is small. I’ve had lots of admiration for a professional setup as small as this. Before this shoot in Cairo, we talked about the rules on filming without a permit since I don’t have one and didn’t care to get one. It’s frowned upon in Cairo to look like you’re producing a film but not have paperwork to back it up, but I was reassured that my set up would not cause any issues and it hasn’t: see next item.

1. It’s wickedly stealth. I drew no more attention to myself beinga 6′+ westerner in Egypt than my dad did with the DSLR. In fact, in my hands, the SI, lens, and mattebox were smaller than the DSLR my dad was carrying. I was dismissed after casual observations by both law enforcement officials and normal passers-by.
2. It’s stinkin’ fun to use. The SI feels like a gun in your hands. You can hold it like a pistol, in your palm, move it, twist it and it feels good all the time. I set the SI up on the tripod during an interview and just held the Cinedeck in my hands, playing with color while it was recording checking out different looks. I did some more coloring in the car between shoots. Massively fun to use and touch and watch while I’m filming- it just feels good.
3. It’s ridiculously easy to use. This version has the Silicon Imaging DVR software on it, but I can say from experience that the Cindeck DDR software is just as easy to use, prettier, and packed with more goodies you can use, abuse and pre-vis before, during, and after a shoot.
4. Cineform RAW and Cineform compressed 4:4:4 files. Whoa. Can you say spoiled? I can do so much with these files in post it’s amazing. The depth and latitude in color just blows me away. You can get this with RAW, and R3D files but I think that’s about it. It makes the quality of the other file/codec options look like mere plastic generics. Yes, I transcode my stuff to Cineform but I still don’t have nearly the room to work the color in post.



5. It overheats like a beast. I talked with Cinedeck about this in the recent hours and we’re pretty sure it’s due to a fan issue of it kicking off when you hit ‘record’ (and probably 100+ degree weather). I poked around and found the SI preferences file that adjusts the fan speed. I’ll have a couple of those tips up later.
6. It’s a little hard to see. Only in direct sunlight. I built a makeshift hood out of duct tape for the “in my bag on the street” moments. Ghetto, cheap and functional. The obvious fix is to connect a secondary small monitor (say the SmallHD?) to it as the external output. Mount that right behind your camera and you’re set.

Would I recommend this box? Absofrakinlutely. So while everyone pines away for Scarlet’s release, quit whining, rent a an SI-2K and Cinedeck from HD Camera Rentals (who provided my SI for the trip) and get addicted. They happen to be the only people supplying this combo right now as an FYI.

Most projects don’t have this kind of need- especially if they’re web-based. But if you’re looking at a doc film or projection of any sort, this might be worth looking at. I don’t have enough projects that justify this set up to own right now. But if I did own this setup, I’d shoot everything on it. I don’t have aliasing or rolling shutter issues, I can shoot 2K, I have a whole host of pre-vis options, the camera is the smallest form factor you can get, and well, you get the idea. This set up is easily worth it’s just south of $20K price tag- you can’t get more bang for the buck, much less any nicer of a set up in the industry with these features.

I’ll have more photos and thoughts as I continue using it.

Tags: cameras, cinedeck, cineform, downtime, Production, tech, tools