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Author
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Topic: Beta SP Questions?
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Melvin
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posted 02-05-2000 10:14 PM
I am planning on shooting my film on beta SP and I have a few questions about it. First, how good is it compared to film? Does it look like a soap opera or does it still havesome of that hollywood edge to it? Second, How much is the tape for a camera like this? How heavy is the camera? And how much is it to rent? I am looking for it cheap. |
funkymunkey
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posted 02-05-2000 11:11 PM
What do you mean does it look like a soap opera? You know most soaps (as well as sitcoms) are shot on 35mm don't you? |
Actor
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posted 02-06-2000 01:38 AM
Actually I think most soaps are shot on video and sitcoms are shot on 16mm. What is your source? |
JBPro
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posted 02-06-2000 02:03 AM
Ok, let me tell you a few things about the Beta SP format. It is a fairly old format that used to be the broadcast standard for TV. A Betacam SP camera will weigh anywhere between 8 and 25 pounds depending on the type. Their prices range from $7,000 and as high as $30,000. (I'm not sure how much they cost to rent) Their quality can be compared to most daytime soaps since that's what they used to always use for them. Now they use dockable Digital Betacams configured for studio use. And just incase you're curious, many prime-time sitcoms, soaps, TV series will film on 35mm film.(Panavision is used on almost all of those.)You can't really compare Beta SP with film because they are 2 completely different mediums. Your best alternative to making your Beta SP footage look and move like film would be to process your footage through Cinelook and Cinemotion.(They are plugins for Adobe After Effects which can be obtained at www.digieffects.com) Hope this helps. |
funkymunkey
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posted 02-06-2000 12:09 PM
A while back I saw a making of these things on TLC. It had Seinfeld, Friends, Days of Our Lives, and Fraiser. They were all filmed in Panavision. Also, if you watch a lot of those behind the scenes shows, you'll see the 35mm casings. I'm pretty sure at least.Also, to give you a better look at the quality of Beta, watch MTV. The show "Global Groves" was shot entirely with Digital Beta (those cameras cost about $60,000 though). But, if you ever get the chance, MTV's "Undressed" was shot in BetaSP then run through Film Look. [This message has been edited by funkymunkey (edited 02-06-2000).] |
sp70mm
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posted 02-06-2000 02:20 PM
Sitcoms on 35mm, Soaps on Video (Beta or Beta SP) My aunt was a producer for "One Life To Live" (ABC) and They had to use video (Beta at the time) because the episodes usally aired about 4 weeks after they were shot. |
ebrigman
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posted 02-07-2000 08:46 AM
I would assume that Soaps would be recorded on 1 inch, being an older, but considerable better tape format... and of course the cameras are not camcorders... but studio cameras routed through a switcher which is turn routed to the recorderThere are a fair number of Prime Time shows that were shot on 16 mm though... "Dr. Quinn Medicine woman" and a Fox cop show(not Cops) come to mind... I've heard good things about DigiBeta... but even that is now being replaced by another digital betacam format (DSX?) |
Ale
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posted 02-07-2000 12:35 PM
Soaps look like soaps because of the way that they are shot, the lighting, and the acting. The "Hollywood edge" comes from the cinematography, acting, and lighting. Good scripts also help.Ale
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funkymunkey
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posted 02-07-2000 03:35 PM
I think the only the thing that's going to replace Digital Beta will be HDTV. |
Feederbird
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posted 02-07-2000 04:05 PM
Almost all TV sitcoms and hour long dramas are shot on 35mm film. Soaps and the stuff you would find on the WB are always shot on video. 1-inch is better but very dead, just like 3/4 I think most soaps are shot on Digital beta, M2 or D2. |
Actor
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posted 02-07-2000 09:00 PM
I read a book recently which rated video formats on a scale of 1 to 10. Beta SP was a 10. VHS and Video 8 were 2. Hi8 and S-VHS were 4.There was no mention of digital formats. |
funkymunkey
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posted 02-07-2000 10:13 PM
Check the copywrite, it was probably an old book. Digital formats (esp. MiniDV and DigiBeta) are relatively new, I think they're less than two years old (in the US). |
ebrigman
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posted 02-08-2000 08:32 AM
I have seen D-2 equipment ... very unwieldy... but since it is uncompressed digital I would think that it would be far superior to digibeta or DVCpro (I despise DVCPro).... and I can understand why it would be used fro studio work.Since very little editing is done on soaps I don't see the advantage of going to a digital format anyway. I've heard incredibly bad things about MII. |
