My friend has an old working beta camcorder. I'm gonna make a film with it! I'm pretty sure I can edit it betamax to vcr.
Can anybody tell me advantages and disadvantages of working with this system... or is it basically the same as vhs?
way better quality than vhs
(I edited 3/4 decks once in film school -- a nightmare, that)
Quote from: SoNowThenway better quality than vhs
(I edited 3/4 decks once in film school -- a nightmare, that)
Heh, welcome to my life. We have DVC Pro that we normally edit on, but we have a client that ONLY wants segments and shows editted in 3/4. So on some of my days I get carpal tunnel from shuttling the inputs.
do I need some special considerations? Do I make the lighting the same as if I was using my hi-8?
in theory it should have greater definition of color and lighting contrast than hi-8...
It's a professional format, and is certainly much better than VHS, and depending on the camera, possibly even better than many miniDV cameras. Do you know what model it is?
Beta... hrm... as in old-school Beta? Or Digi-Beta? When was the camera made? Technically, the old-school Beta is better than VHS, and about the same as Hi-8... it'd be an interesting experiment to see how good it looks!
It's a relic. it hasn't been used for 3 years but then it worked fine and it had not worked for 10 years before that (I hope I was clear).it's been kept in good conditions so I don't think there's a problem with dust or anything.
I know a store that still sells beta tapes, so I'm gonna buy one and try it out.
Beta! Rock on! Another example of human stupidity. They were out at the same time as VHS, and everybody knew they had better quality. But they cost a little more. So everybody opted for VHS.
It's this camera: http://www.palsite.com/bmc100ovi.html
It still works! I shot a few minutes on it yesterday, the quality is very poor with a lot of grain and there was a black dot in the middle of the picture when I played the tape, must be a dirty head because I wiped the lenses. But the sound is good, and considering that it was abandoned for thirteen years, it's one hell of a good camera.
I'm going to make a documentary about my friend's (the owner) rock band. The quality is shit but I don't care.
hopefully the tape itself will clean the head as it rolls so I can get a better picture.
Quote from: rustinglassIt's this camera: http://www.palsite.com/bmc100ovi.html
It still works! I shot a few minutes on it yesterday, the quality is very poor with a lot of grain and there was a black dot in the middle of the picture when I played the tape, must be a dirty head because I wiped the lenses. But the sound is good, and considering that it was abandoned for thirteen years, it's one hell of a good camera.
I'm going to make a documentary about my friend's (the owner) rock band. The quality is shit but I don't care.
hopefully the tape itself will clean the head as it rolls so I can get a better picture.
You can still find head cleaners for Beta cameras. I reccommend this... the overall picture quality might improve as well.
I haven't started shooting yet. They (the band) are still completing their drum set (cash problems). I thought it would be silly to make a documentary about them if they still don't have all their instruments.
I looked for some assistance at my school's audiovisual club, they said i could edit it there but i have to bring the betamax to school because they don't have any.
I'm going to use a dusty Panasonic Digital AV Mixer WJ-AVE7. I never worked with a simular thing before, they have misplaced the user's manual and the lady in chage is a total iliterate when it comes to film technology, so I'm flying solo on that one. PLEASE HELP ME! the only thing I found on the internet was this (http://vjcentral.com/hardware/show/360), can anyone point me to a manual? what the hell is luma?
Is it alright if I keep this thread as a sort of diary for this project? Its my first filmaking experience and I need all the help I can get.
On another note: I've been going to that school for 3 years and never did it crooss my mind what an amazing video collection it has, I mean great films! fellini, antonioni, kurosawa.... The lady is kind enough to copy them for me because they can't leave the school, so I'm buying a shitload of blank tapes! Getting la strada, la dolce vita and rosetta on monday!
QuoteI thought it would be silly to make a documentary about them if they still don't have all their instruments.
Are you kidding? That's just what would make a great documentary. That's real life man. I'd much rather see that kind of documentary than than the blah blu blah blah blah.
Quote from: metroshaneI'd much rather see that kind of documentary than than the blah blu blah blah blah.
yes, rule of thumb: always avoid the word "blu" when when making a documentary
So anyone know what kind of computer it takes to edit full resolution DigiBeta material?