Switching from playback to live feed effect

[Charles Angus]

Hi there,
I've got a shoot coming up, and in several scenes the character needs to flip through channels, finally landing on a live feed of himself. Anyone have thoughts on how to get a convincing channel flip effect from a pre-recorded source to change to a live feed? The director is adamant that the changes between channels have that blanking error or whatever it is that makes for a brief discontinuity when changing channels on analog cable.
A little more info - it will be a 90's model CRT television, and we have ruled out doing screen replacement for aesthetic reasons.
So, I guess I have a few questions in this somewhat rambling post:
1) Any ideas on how to create a convincing channel changing artefact, either a baked-in effect on the playback source, or live?
2) How to switch from the playback reel to the live feed and get the same artefact?
3) What would be the best way to practically achieve the switch from playback to feed?

Thanks in advance for the advice, guys.

 

[Tony Rudenko]

How many channel changes are there going to be & do they require the channel # to be displayed?

 

[Andrew Gentle]

I would make the channel changing effect into a video file, grab the Output Levels adjustment and change it so that the darkest colour is about 3 instead of 0 except for the section which you want to be the live feed which is true black.

On set, connect a vision switcher or some other kind of compositor which can do a luma matte to your TV and superimpose your channel changing over the live feed. When the section of pure black comes up, the live feed should show through.

-Andrew

 

[James Bender]

It's complicated but you could make the video on the tv be a blue or green screen and just key it in post.

 

[Eric Rainey]

Edit a QuickTime of channels being changed. Play it out of final cut into a canopus box that changes the FireWire feed into a composite(RCA) signal. Run a composite cord to an RCA switcher...http://www.cablestogo.com/product.asp?cat_id=3116&sku=28750.

Then run your live feed into the RCA switcher... Then just push the button on RCA switcher to change from your QuickTime in final cut to your live feed. You can record the static from the switcher changing feeds and edit it into your QuickTime... If you want to match the look.

If your live feed is from the Red you might need to shoot 30fps(not sure about this). And. Some TVs or receivers can take your hdmi signal and convert it to RCA.

 

[Charles Angus]

I would make the channel changing effect into a video file, grab the Output Levels adjustment and change it so that the darkest colour is about 3 instead of 0 except for the section which you want to be the live feed which is true black.

On set, connect a vision switcher or some other kind of compositor which can do a luma matte to your TV and superimpose your channel changing over the live feed. When the section of pure black comes up, the live feed should show through.

-Andrew

What an interesting solution - I never would have thought of that!

 

[Charles Angus]

How many channel changes are there going to be & do they require the channel # to be displayed?

There will be about 10 or 15 channels, and the channel # does not need to show up on the screen.

 

[Tony Rudenko]

There will be about 10 or 15 channels, and the channel # does not need to show up on the screen.

In that case I would pre-build the footage with black frames in between with your last clip being the longest. Get a hold of a PANASONIC WJ-MX50 Production Switcher, or if your on the cheap, Radio Shack switcher with at least 3 video inputs. You can put you footage in the first input, leave the second input empty (for black), and finally the live feed in the third input. Then quickly switch form the first input the the second for the black, and then to your live feed.

Hint: Also if you are shooting tungsten lighting, if you set the monitor color temp to a warmer (redish) color the monitor to make it look more natural, unless of course the DP/Director like the bluish look. If the TV doesn't have controls for this you could add about 15% opacity redish orange to your footage & set your live camera to a warmer color temp too..