Reference: StudentFilmmakers Magazine, November 2007. Moving it Up: Turning Your SD Footage into HD Material: How to Successfully Integrate Standard Definition Footage into Your High Definition Production by Julia Camenisch. Pages 40 & 41.
“The people were short and fat and the quality was terrible…” – Anonymous TNT HD viewer
It was supposed to help. When TNT ‘s high definition channel began using what’s been dubbed as “Stretch-O-Vision” to up-rez SD content to HD, it was in response to viewer complaints. Some customers with plasma screen were experiencing side bar burn-in with the 4:3 standard definition content. To fix this, TNT began stretching the 4:3 content to 16:9. Unfortunately, this new aspect ratio couldn’t hide the fact that standard definition footage simply isn’t HD quality. For some TNT HD viewers, the difference was glaringly obvious, and needless to say they were less than happy.
TNT isn’t the only one dealing with standard definition content needed for high definition deliverables. While the easiest route is to capture all project elements in the format needed for the end product, many filmmakers and documentarians either don’t have that option available or choose to go a different route. Some examples include:
• Producing a documentary using archival footage. Whether the show is about fast cars in the 50s or the Vietnam war, it’s likely that the available historical footage is going to be relatively low quality.
• Shooting in volatile situations. Sometimes the camera needs to be small and unobtrusive, such as when shooting in the Iraqi war zone. The need for a compact form factor rules out many HD cameras.
• Trying to capture the moment when it happens, not when the HD camera is available. Some indie productions get off the ground because someone sees a story, begins to capture it on DV or HDV, and realizes this project is bigger than they initially thought. They may switch to full high definition, but still have important lower resolution content to deal with.
So how can you integrate standard definition footage into your high definition production successfully? There are a number of different options available, depending on when you begin to deal with the issue and what your budget can handle. Those options can be loosely divided into three categories: Camera, Software, and Hardware.
Camera:
If you know that high definition is your end goal before you begin to shoot, there are at least two things you can do to make the transition easier. First, shoot progressive. When upconverting standard definition footage, you are likely to get better quality from a progressive source than from an interlaced source. Also, being able to skip the deinterlacing process in post will speed up editing and save you from some potential headaches.
Second, use an anamorphic adaptor instead of the camera’s letterbox option. The “squeeze” option offered by the camera decreases your available resolution, while the adaptor can increase it by 25%. Just watch out for vignetting when your zoom is set to wide.
Software:
Several companies have software available which can do the standard definition upconversion with (hopefully) minimal problems. But remember! Using software means rendering. And rendering often means waiting. And waiting. And waiting. If you’ve got time on your hands, here are some options:
• Red Giant’s Instant HD is available as a plug-in for After Effects, Final Cut Pro and Premiere Pro. At $99, the price is easily within the range of even very limited budgets, but if you’ve got interlaced footage, beware! Instant HD can only deal with progressive, so you’ll have to find another way to deinterlace the footage.
• Digital Anarchy’s Resizer is a bit pricier, but in exchange for the higher cost, you get a built-in deinterlace tool. Reviews say the software does a great job, but similar to its competition, it requires substantial render time. Resizer is available for After Effects, Final Cut Pro, and Premiere Pro.
Hardware:
There are various hardware solutions, offering “on the fly” upconversion as you capture your footage. I’ve listed two options in this category:
• On the expensive, high-end front is the Teranex Mini. With it, you can do real time SD-to-HD, HD-to-SD, and cross conversion between 720p and 1080i. And while it may be pricey, it’s also powerful, giving the user needed image manipulation control and aspect ratio conversion.
• Another option is the AJA Kona 3 for Macs. It supports full bandwidth 4:4:4 RGB at 10-bits for 1080i, 1080p and 720p, as well as a host of other features. It’s only for Macs though. On the PC side, AJA has released the Xena 2K at a similar price point.
Quality is important. You don’t want your audience distracted by blocky edges or squinting at fuzzy images when they should be concentrating on your film. Yet when all is said and done, remember that story is king. If you’ve got a compelling narrative, the audience will tend to overlook visual flaws. Conversely, if the story ain’t there, it doesn’t matter how good the footage looks. You still won’t connect with your viewers. As you take your next project down the production pipeline, pay attention to details, strive for quality. But above all, focus on your story as though your feature depended on it…because it does.
Julia Camenisch is a producer and editor with EyeReach Productions, based in Charlotte, NC. Her work has been seen in venues ranging from a national TV special to local promo videos and everywhere in between. She is currently working as a freelance stock footage producer.
