Camera Operation and Post Production Guide for Final Cut Pro.

As a new Sony PMW-EX1 owner, I was jazzed to receive my copy of Call Box Live’s Guidebook to the EX1, an in depth look at Sony’s first mass market CineAlta™ HD camera. For independent film-makers this camera has been causing a bit of a stir. One reason might be that CineAlta™ is the same technology found in Sony’s motion picture camera line, including the 250K F35. With multiple frame rates, full 1920×1080 24p acquisition mode and HD-SDI output, Sony was clearly looking at putting a dent in Panasonic’s dominance of this part of the market, and they really loaded the camera with features pretty much beyond comparison in the price range. The hubbub continued at NAB 2008 when Sony announced a new sibling to the EX1 the EX3, which sports several additional innovations, and has interchangeable lenses.

The Guidebook was created and is hosted by Noah Kadner, one of the original admins over at 2-pop.com. Noah is a guy who has been sharing his knowledge of digital tools since the earliest days of the FCP revolution and if you’ve ever read any of his articles, you know that he knows his stuff. In this 3-plus hour instructional DVD he gives detailed, feature by feature explanations of every menu item, button, nook and cranny of this groundbreaking new camera and how to integrate the material you shoot with it into a Final Cut Pro tapeless workflow. The DVD, packed with 36 chapters of information, is divided into four main sections: Overview, Camera Operations, Advanced Camera Operations and Post-Production.

The Overview covers topics that will be of interest to anyone wanting to learn the fundamentals of the camera. This includes information about the XDCAM EX recording format; the EX1’s HD-SDI output connection, which gives users the ability to capture 10-bit uncompressed 4:2:2 media; 1080 vs 720 camera resolution basics; an introduction to the tapeless workflow; the advantages of using a mirrored raid with EX1 files, and the camera’s audio capabilities.

In the Camera Operations section Kadner details each of the EX1’s menu functions. These include an overview of controls; the onboard menus; direct menu mode where you can quickly adjust many of the cameras major settings through the LCD or viewfinder; an overview of timecode options and media playback mode, where you can view, mark, split and manage your shots and essentially start to rough out edit ideas even before you finish shooting. He also covers TLCS Mode, a user programmable group of settings that help you manage the camera’s semi-automatic assist functions, and finishes by going over the mechanics of storing and backing up your camera settings to SxS cards and other storage devices.

For more seasoned shooters, the Advanced Camera Operations section will be of much interest. Here the program takes us through topics such as: using the camera’s exposure and focus assist tools for more image control; gain settings, and ND filters. Next he shows us the in’s and out’s of creating custom picture profiles; shutter speed and angle settings; multiple white balance settings and functionality; the EX1’s unique shot transition mode; gamma settings and finally, using the cameras slow and quick (S & Q) variable frame rate features.

The final section of the DVD covers post-production, specifically as it relates to editing in Apple’s Final Cut Pro. Don’t be confused, the camera integrates with pretty much every major NLE on both Mac and PC including Avid, Adobe’s Premier Pro and Sony Vegas (of course). However, being an FCP aficionado, Kadner gives us some clear insights into working with this particular software. Topics covered include an introduction to the tapeless workflow of shooting on the EX1 and cutting in Final Cut Pro, as well as SxS card management. He takes us through some equipment basics for setting up a Final Cut editing workstation, data archiving solutions, ingesting, (no more digitizing!) and using FCP’s Easy Setups for XDCAM EX. He also provides information about FCP’s Open Format Timeline for mixing different camera resolutions in a sequence; export options and information on outputting to DVD, to the Net, to Final Cut Studio’s color correction software Color and even prepping for output to a 35mm film recorder. If I would have any criticism of the program it would be this final section on post. Not because the information isn’t useful, it is, but the topic is so deep it could fill several DVD’s. In fact, Call Box has an entire DVD specifically dedicated to Color.

The Call Box Guidebook to the EX1 is an informative and enjoyable instructional DVD on this powerful new Sony HD camera and Noah Kadner’s experience and easy going manner make it fun to watch. Being a visual learner myself, I was able to comprehend some of the more complex subject matter much more quickly than slogging through the typically dry user manual. The DVD is well organized, easily navigable, and provides in-depth instruction that will enable aspiring shooters to be both more creative and productive. If you’re going to be working with the EX1, it would be to your advantage to check it out.