CompuServe Messages

I thought that I would share a few thoughts that I had regarding you message. I am an Architect doing modeling, rendering and animation and have been in a similar ( yet different ) situation with a client wanting to broadcast an animation. Unfortunately, I couldn't even get to VHS then, so it became a moot point. But now, I can, and have learned that I really wish I could do even better, but oh well… Anyway. I digress. >I have a 26 sec. animation… I also wonder why the studio can't do the dub. >(1) can a Betacam SP dub of a VHS tape… The dub will will indeed be "broadcastable", but the real issue is whether or not the client ( and equally as important, you ) will be happy with the final result. I would guess that the dub will show little generational loss if it is played on a high quality source deck when recorded to SP – a higher quality format anyway. >(2) if the client should call … Again, its as much a matter of what you will be pleased with. If you had originally rendered to TGA files, it would be an easy thing to do; but if you're like me, its a FLC from the very beginning. So, the question might be, would it get any better in 24 bit color? You could render a few widely spaced frames, compare them, and perhaps it will still look as good as intended. I would definitely compare the two before comitting to re-rendering. >(3) is the 640×480 size a problem … You might check it on a 13" TV as well, just to see what a smaller screen is going to crop. If it is ok on the VHS tape, it shouldn't change when it gets dubbed. The "safe zone" can be considered to be about 10% fo the screen area – which didn't mean a thing to me when I read that. But, I have been ultra-conservative and limited it to about 25 to 30 pixels all the way around. So, say 580 x 420 as the smallest working area. >As you all may have guessed … There is a color palette for NTSC in AniPro in the asoft forum, it should be a good starting point. Finally, I would at least try to mention to the client that the SP format is an additional service, and try to encourage them to spend a little more _if_ it is in their best interests – the quality of single frame recording to an SP deck is undeniably better, but it is an excessive (+-) cost. I wish you the very best and hope that it opens up avenues to more exciting work!