Blackmagic Forum

Hi guys..

I'm about 130 on the CVP list for a Cinema Camera so will not be needing this advice for -- o -- about 6 months!! (grin)

Now i'm going potty about the camera and can't wait to play with it. I intend to offer it for high-end weddings as well as my corporate stuff alongside my Sony Z5 & Atomos Ninja setup. So it'll mostly be working in ProRes guise...

Of course I'd like to experiment with CinemaDNG, but have completely forgotton that i only have a late 2007 iMac and a late 2011 Macbook Air..

So, Resolve seems out of the question.. What options do I have for grading the Cinema DNG footage? I have Final Cut Studio 3, CS 5 Master Suite and Lightroom available to me... I'm reading about these being used but have only used Photoshop etc in a static image environment...

Obviously I'm a poor student.... well, ok, no... but a poorer filmmaker, so no big bucks answers please!!??

Cheers

Simon Knight
MediaHound Films

Though I'm not particularly sure about CS5, you can still experiment with the files in adobe after effects. In CS6, when you import the cinemaDNG sequence files, it first opens it in a color metadata window, where you can set things like white balance etc. before it imports. Then you can grade with whatever plugin you comfortable with. Not tested in CS5 but try it and hopefully, you can share your findings with others who similar advice.

good start.. thank you..

Again, unfortunately by the time I actually get my hands on a camera I'm sure all the answers will be known...
Suppose i should just wait really! (grin)

Cheers

SK

your system may not run like the wind with Resolve but you can still use if for base grading and heck even full on grading. you just cant watch playback in real time with multiple nodes.
with the 6 month or so waiting, why not work with the free version and get used to the workflow.
it never hurts to have more than 10 workflow options in this business

thanks for that... i'll try immediately!!

good plan there..

SK

splice+post wrote:Though I'm not particularly sure about CS5, you can still experiment with the files in adobe after effects. In CS6, when you import the cinemaDNG sequence files, it first opens it in a color metadata window, where you can set things like white balance etc. before it imports. Then you can grade with whatever plugin you comfortable with. Not tested in CS5 but try it and hopefully, you can share your findings with others who similar advice.

the raw worklfow works also on aftereffects cs5, cheers

ok, after effects is looking good.

I have tried both MacAir and iMac (2007) and both throw up the "no OpenCL card detected" error and right-royally crash both machines... I've budgeted for another £2k for a new iMac but the cost is rising.. Now £6k for the camera, couple of decent lenses and then a mac...hmmm.. oh well..


Cheers

SK

simonkn wrote:I have tried both MacAir and iMac (2007) and both throw up the "no OpenCL card detected" error and right-royally crash both machines... I've budgeted for another £2k for a new iMac but the cost is rising.. Now £6k for the camera, couple of decent lenses and then a mac...hmmm.. oh well..

SK

Welcome to the club. I'm in the same situation with my iMac (late 2009). Resolve used to work. But not on the Resolve 9 beta. Perhaps it will with the final release of Resolve 9 but I think my lowly graphics is just not good enough for some of the functions they're using in the 64-bit Resolve 9. I'm debating on getting a new iMac or waiting until the next Mac Pro in 2013 which could be more than a year away. Oh well need time to save up for the expanding invoice for that next computer, BM cinema camera and gear, Rokinon (Samyang) cine lenses and ND filters, a couple of SSDs and dock (Sandisk 480GB or Plextor M5 Pro when they are approved for use). Just hoping my Manfrotto tripod/fluid head are good enough since I only bought it last year. I'm sure I've missed something. Oh yes, some external audio since my Canon boom mic isn't going to work with the BMCC! Yikes, could be approaching $10k especially if I included a monitor like the Flanders. Or an SDI EVF when there's some competition for the Alphatron.

Maybe it should be in a new thread but it's occurred to me that BMD could include a FAQ or a few web pages of third-party accessories they recommend. It's a blessing that the camera bundle is very good value; it's a curse that so much of what goes with the camera is not quite as affordable as one would hope. Perhaps the success of the BMCC will entice more suppliers to target those users with complementary accessories that have the same ideology of design: simple, open, affordable. I suppose for many beginning down this path, much of what they buy to accessorize this camera will still be good for their next camera. But this camera is enticing to new users that never thought they could afford a quality cinema camera. For those people, including me, it's challenging to step up to this level of quality. But the rewards await those who do it. By rewards, I mean the satisfaction at having achieved something beautiful that others will enjoy.

It's a blessing that the camera bundle is very good value; it's a curse that so much of what goes with the camera is not quite as affordable as one would hope.

I bet you Rik, we'll start to see the prices of these accessories drop in price... As you said, who's willing to pay $1k for a 7 inch sdi screen when the camera was only $3k.. filmmakers aren't broadcast people. Having come from the BBC where money was (in the 1990's) no object, it was the norm... But modern low budget filmmakers just wont stand it... I'd rather crane my neck around the bad of the bmcc to check focus - or take my chance with an Chinese ebay special screen for a couple of hundred bucks... that is filmmaking to me...

I hark back to Mike Figgis's Digital Filmmaking book that teaches you hard lessons about "making do"...

good luck with the finances Rik... I'm selling horses left right and centre to fund the 3.4ghz 16gig imac i'll need to run Resolve... What the heck.. i'll ride the pony...

Simon K