Anyone use a notebook for field production?

musman wrote on 7/8/2004, 2:59 PM
I'm thinking about getting a notebook to complement my workstation. The thought was to get a good sound card and record audio directly into Vegas or Sound Forge and also to use Vegas's video scopes to check out the video setings before rolling.
I haven't really heard people talk about doing this kind of thing much and am wondering what the shortcomings might be. Also, could I use the notebook to set up network rendering?
Thanks for any thoughts!

Comments

Spot|DSE wrote on 7/8/2004, 3:07 PM
Religiously. I take notes because my handwriting is notorious. I don't record notes, just use Wordpad.
Zulqar-Cheema wrote on 7/8/2004, 4:24 PM
Very funny Spot.
I use a notebook/laptop to do field work is fine apart from the slow render (1600 amd)
just like the home PC, I would recommend a separate mouse and keyboard if space allows
vicmilt wrote on 7/8/2004, 5:05 PM
I just finished editing a "field cut" of a 5 day commercial for NIKE (Olympic spot with Serena Williams) using Vegas and a Sony notebook. It was as close to a "live edit" as you can get.

They fed me an analog video track which I used the Canopus ACDC converter to input into my laptop and an analog sound track, as well.. I used my standard Firewire outboard HD setup to capture to. As they shot - I edited.

It was great fun.

v.
musman wrote on 7/8/2004, 8:04 PM
Very cool! But was that an offline edit or online edit with the analog stuff?
What I was really looking to do was use a laptop (okay DSE, try to play with that) to record field audio and maybe also check the video on the waveform scope. But mostly just to record audio. Figure if I can get a decent laptop for around $1000 or so and add a good soundcard with xlr inputs, it might be a more versatile choice than a DAT or Flash recorder at around the same price.
How practical an idea is this?
Spot|DSE wrote on 7/8/2004, 8:53 PM
Very. I recorded the opening sequences of part of the Olympics with the world's most famous choir using a MONA and a laptop. Only additional gear besides my BK 4011's was my John Hardy mic pre's. This is more and more common. Search old EM magazines, you'll find an article on me with my VAIO, Oxygen, on a mountain.
Ray Charles was a HUGE fan of recording this way. Rod Stewart's vocals on his last CD were recorded on a laptop in his home. More and more common every day.
musman wrote on 7/8/2004, 10:49 PM
Good deal. Part of what I was thinking about was even doing ADR stuff so I could do it where the audio was originally messed up and get the same room tone. I've got a ton of folly sound to do on my last project, which if anybody cares to read about, has an article on moviepoopshoot.com here:

http://www.moviepoopshoot.com/shootitself/index.html

Does $1000 sound reasonable and can anyone suggest a good place to buy one. Also, is there anything I should look out for, like noisey models that wouldn't work for my purposes?
Thanks again!
johnmeyer wrote on 7/9/2004, 11:24 AM
If you don't need to be mobile, you can also capture to the laptop in the field. You can purchase dedicated hard disk units that do this, and which can be attached to your belt or to the camera, and therefore are more mobile. However, the laptop can do the same thing, and let you do the editing as well. Also, if you ever need to do timelapse, you can capture to the laptop using Scenalyzer.
apit34356 wrote on 7/9/2004, 12:46 PM
victor, its great to see you are back doing commercials!



AJP
RexA wrote on 7/9/2004, 11:58 PM
> and maybe also check the video on the waveform scope.

I asked a while ago if there was anyway to use the scopes on realtime video and was told no.

I wish there was. I think that would be really great. If this has changed since I last asked I'll be really happy. To use scopes, you will have to capture some stuff and put it in Vegas (as far as I know).

Maybe the issue is that the software can't always keep up with real video and if it is on the timeline that isn't a problem, but you can't slow the camera. That is just my guess. If so, a few lost frames of bars shouldn't matter much as long as you know the limitations.

It is true that scopes can't do any realtime signals, guys, isn't it? Musman, is that what you were planning? Were you also a wishful thinker? Maybe you had more realistic goals in mind.

cyrille wrote on 7/10/2004, 2:25 AM
http://www.evological.com/videoscope.html

a software scope (for mac i know) maybe it helps use an (old mac powerbook with firewire)
musman wrote on 7/10/2004, 3:10 AM
No, that sounds pretty much like what I wanted to do. But, I was thinking about just a quick clip to check levels. For that it would still be hold up to capture it then put in on the timeline, then apply the scope- but shouldn't take too too long I wouldn't think.
I don't have a laptop yet, so I was just curious if anyone else did this on a regular basis. Seems like the answer is no, but I guess I just don't understand why.
farss wrote on 7/10/2004, 3:59 AM
I think, ah maybe it was Serious Magic who are about to release a full rack of instruments as software to run on a laptop. Waveform, vectorscope, audio levels and shot logging. Looks nice, right down to having the same knobs as the Tektronics gear.
Basically you just feed firewire from the camera into the port on the laptop and you're away.
On their site you can sign up to get the free demo when it's released.
vicmilt wrote on 7/10/2004, 12:44 PM
Re: NIKe - definitely off-line - but I blew the production team away with Vegas effects and (especially) variable speed renders.
On the other hand, last year I cut a fully finished video for GE on my laptop - I was out on location, and it "had to be done". Laid it back to dv on a cheapo mini cam and shipped it as finished work. Told everyone that gave a crap, that I had replaced my $120k AVID with a $2k laptop.

IMPORTANT: It's not that hardware that makes the movie... it's the editor. These days, everything is possible.

So:
It's definitely "do-able" - just not as easy as on a full desktop rig (ie, my laptop has 1.6GigMhz vs. 3Gig with HT (and better) on desktop, plus (and this means a lot to me) - two screens to work with vs only one.
Is it do-able - ABSOLUTELY.
Is it fun? Well, yeah, but not as easy.

Aside- AJP (apit34356 ) - who are you - please write me at vicmilt@interpubco.com
Interestingly (if anyone cares) - it's gotten EASIER for older director's like myself to get work these days. In the early 90's I just couldn't get arrested for "big" TV Commercial work - and it hurt! If I were a doctor or lawyer, well I was at the top of my game. But at that time, a lot of the work was going to "youngies" from the MTV movement (and they were damn good too!). But "white hair" sort of guaranteed you an "out of it" status and I couldn't get the boards (concepts) that help get the big prizes, and the big production bucs... Now all that has once again changed. You see, the folks that were giving out the work in the 90's were in their late 20's and early 30's. To them, and guy older than mid 40's was OLD - and thereby - out of the loop. Today the same people have grown up and are in their late 30's and 40's. They seem to respect experience and delivery, once again. Well, to tell the truth, I survived the many fads of advertising through the years (MUST be South African, MUST be Hollywood, MUST be a woman, etc.) ans welcome the chance to party again. Let's face it... any day on set, is a good day!