Three of the cameras we have at Integrity Productions are capable of shooting in Hi-Definition resolution. (two are technically HDV compressed coming from tape) At this time, there is not really a wide-spread distribution medium for HD until Blu-Ray DVD players come down in price. Even local television stations to which we deliver ads, broadcast commercials in standard definition although they may currently offer hi-definition programming. It will probably be at least a couple of years before HD content is the norm for consumer and professional uses. So, the question confronting many video production houses and clients who wish to utilize their service is, why shoot video in Hi-Definition today?
I admit to having struggled with this question for the last few months. The short and simple answer is, in many cases shooting in HD is not warranted as most likely the final product will be delivered in standard definition. However, there are some important factors that must be taken into consideration before deciding on an acquisition format. It is not quite as easy as looking at what the final output resolution will be.
The factors that we must consider when starting a project are:
- What is the anticipated shelf-life of the footage?
- Are there significant sharp details in the image that I would like to maximize and preserve?
- Will there be a lot of post-production, i.e. chromakeying and compositing?
- Can I forsee any need to reframe or scale the shots?
- Do I see a need, now or in the future, to mix these clips with other hi-def footage?
These considerations will help you decide on the appropriate format for your project. I will briefly touch upon each one.
The first question concerning shelf-life is the one that takes the most foresight. There is no doubt that any footage that you shoot today and wish to archive and reuse will most definitely need to be shot in HD if possible. The crossover to HD is upon us and it is the future standard. It makes no sense at all if you will be using this footage again and again to shoot it in standard definition. You will thank yourself down the road for choosing HD when your project requires you to use some of these clips two years from now . They will match without upconversion.
The second question revolves around artistic considerations that require you to look at the subject matter you are filming. It is easier to understand the need to shoot in higher resolution than you will output if you compare it to photographing with a 12 megapixel camera when you are only printing a 4×6 picture. That added detail in the initial shot translates to sharper details in the final image even though many pixels are dropped. This is a very common practice in digital photography and now we have the option to take this approach with video. At Integrity, we shoot a lot of jewelry and this is a good example where shooting in HD initially really pays off in the final video.
In planning for shots that will require significant post-processing you will want to consider shooting in HD for a cleaner, more detailed series of frames with the added flexibility of scaling and reframing. These ideas cover questions three and four.
While HDV is certainly not the perfect format for chromakeying as it uses MPEG compression which does have artifacts, it is certainly better than DV. As always, chromakeying involves very careful lighting to acheive excellent results. The problems are almost always along the outline of the subject and the increased resolution of HD is very helpful to clean up troublesome edges.
In the interim between shooting in HD and delivering in SD, the editor also has the great luxury of reframing the shots by scaling and cropping due to the difference in resolution. You have the ability to do digital pans and zooms without losing quality as well. This is an awesome capability and I use it a lot. This is a true revolution and makes for amazing control of the final composition. Frankly, I will sorely miss it when we do start delivering in true HD. I suppose by that time I will shoot in 2K film resolution or above using a camera like the Red.
There is a price to pay however. Shooting in high resolution, editing, then down converting to SD increases render times and drive space usage. It may not be the wise choice if deadlines are tight and extra editing time is not in the budget.
Lastly, I would like to touch upon the fact that for projects where clips are coming from several sources or may do so in a future edit, you have to consider if there will be a mix of HD and SD resolution. In these types of scenarios if the bulk of the footage is SD then regardless of whether you have HD clips or not, the final product should be output in SD. Upscaling SD, even on expensive hardware based systems, causes loss in quality. It is unavoidable. For a few clips it may not affect the overall look of the project, but many SD clips in an HD program will take a toll. There are of course creative editing tricks such as picture-in-picture effects that will mask this. The point is to look ahead and plan wisely for the crossover to full HD delivery.
Video acquisition is in a transitional phase at the moment and this causes producers and content creators to educate themselves on the benefits and risks of the format choices they make. I hope this article has helped you to consider various options to create the best video possible for your needs.
