inherently compromised, as most scenes cannot be optimally lit Multi-Angle Bitrate Constraints from multiple vantage points at the same time. For this reason, Number Practical shooters often resort to a flat and uninteresting “sitcom look.” of Angles Maximum Bitrates DVD shooters looking ahead to a multi-angle DVD title should 1 9.0Mbps ideally shoot each angle sequentially—with a single camera—so the 2–5 7.0Mbps lighting may be tweaked appropriately for each vantage point. Due to time and money constraints, however, such resetting of the light6–8 6.5Mbps ing is seldom done for low priority “extra value” content. Instead, 9 6.0Mbps producers will typically opt for a second or third camera to cover Figure 10.35 The maximum the same action, the optimal lighting required for each angle bebitrate of multiplexed video, ing the least of the filmmakers’ concerns. audio, and subpicture The notion of total running time on a DVD is less clear now in the streams for standard definiface of multi-angle DVD titles. Toss in an additional white rabbit8 feature tion DVD is 9.8Mbps. When and other bifurcations, and suddenly your two-hour movie could easily employing a single video contain 50 percent more “story” than is immediately apparent in the prin- angle, a maximum rate of 9.0Mbps ensures adequate cipal program. headroom for the accompaClearly with this increased content, the DV-to-DVD storyteller must nying Dolby AC-3 audio. develop an efficient modus operandi. Good shooting craft is now more When encoding for multiimperative than ever, as the penalty for overshooting or indecision can be angle, each video stream must be encoded at a recareer killing given the greater productivity required. duced rate, resulting (possibly) in a loss of image quality. The figures indicate the maximum bitrates for multi-angle content. Video for multi-angle use should always be encoded CBR.
Figure 10.36 When shooting multi-angle with Panasonic DVX cameras, the syncing of time-code is facilitated via FireWire. This capability was added in the Panasonic DVX100B.
8. The “white rabbit” feature introduced in the original The Matrix ushered in a new era of extra value DVD content. A clickable rabbit icon appeared on screen from time to time in the course of a movie, allowing the viewer to access additional story material.
The DV-to-DVD Storyteller
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