[MacDV] Re: Glorious Black and White

[Richard Brown]

Very low resolution black and white imagery from a real toy video 
camera, specifically the Fisher Price Pixelvision, was used to good 
effect in the 1994 film "Nadja" which was nominated in the 1995 IFP 
Spirit Awards for direction and cinematography. It is otherwise shot in 
35mm black and white, and is available on DVD.

As to black and white on the cheap, it might be interesting to look at 
some of the more extended tonal range mid level DVCAM cameras, like the 
PD150, for black and white purposing, using the excellent tonal 
controls of FCP 3+, and then maybe reprocessing the field-based video 
to progressive frames with Marcus van Bavel's DVFilm, which does a very 
nice job with its clever algorithm.

It's important to realize that a compelling story will outweigh 
technical limitations, so long as there is a professional consistency 
in the look of a project. Paying close attention to lighting, camera 
mounts (even for handheld), and perhaps most important, quality sound 
will pay off in the long run regarding a microbudget DV originated 
project.

If stuck with a consumer MiniDV camera, which rarely have manual 
exposure, the trick might be to to use keyframe based tonal control at 
the end of the edit, again with FCP 3+. The real problem with consumer 
cameras is varying exposure and focus. Exposure, you might be able to 
correct in post, but any focus "swimming" should immediately dictate 
another take. Focus, or, rather the automatic lack of focus, would be 
the doom of any production, save perhaps for a documentary.

Richard Brown