need advice for filming stage productions

[vcmc]

Hello from a REAL newbie—I’m not even sure I’ve made it to the right website, let alone the right forum! Warning—I know I will be asking for a lot, because I don’t know any better, so I am looking for any suggestions so that I can learn!

I work for a nonprofit org that collaborates with theatre companies and blindness community members to make live theatre accessible to blind and low-vision audiences through audio description (AD). AD the way we do it is a scripted and rehearsed narration of the visual aspects of a performance delivered in a concise and timely manner live through an FM transmitter to blind audience members who wear receiver/headsets. AD provides objective insight into plot, character development, relationships among characters, and special/unique visual effects.

As part of our prep work, we make a video recording of a dress rehearsal performance—with full costume, sets and stage lighting, and give the recording to the describer to use to write the narration. Recently, we just received a grant to purchase equipment, and I am looking for a digital camcorder with these capabilities:

1. As best as possible, be able to accommodate a wide range of lighting conditions—when using regular cameras, the image often washes out when stage lights are up full. And yet, there are often times when the lighting is fairly low. Describers need to be able to see facial expressions and other visual details.

2. At least a 90-min recording time on one tape so that we don’t lose anything before an Act ends. We typically only get one shot to record, if that! Yes, we do get authorization for this, but all recordings are returned to stage management to be destroyed after the audio-described performance.

3.Easy way to connect (firewire? USB) to a Mac or maybe just directly to a DVD burner to copy tape to DVD for the describer to use/watch. I’m guessing we would be able to transfer onto VHS via a VCR pretty easily from any camera.

4.Ability to provide live streaming video/audio to either a TV monitor or laptop (is such a thing possible?). In the ideal situation, a describer delivers the audio description live from a booth that has a live view of the stage and auditorium. In some venues, such a space is not available, and the describer must work from a video image from a monitor and sound from an audio monitor or through a headset. Again, the video image is often terrible in these cases, so if we could use our camera to get a better quality picture, we would be able to provide better service to our blind patrons.

While we will probably use the camera to shoot footage and edit them for training new describers—inserting an additional audio track and then putting onto DVD, we probably will NOT be concerned with transferring to film. (We are not indie filmmakers!). Also, most of the filming would be done with the camera on a tripod, so size and weight is not a huge factor. The grant will also cover the purchase of a laptop and editing software, and a dvd burner probably, so feel free to offer any suggestions for these as well! For the camera, we could afford one up to $4000.

I’m well aware that there is no perfect solution, but since I am new to this area of technology, I don’t even know where to start. My prelim searches led to me the “prosumer” higher-end cameras, specifically Sony DSR 250 because that seemed to be the only one with a long enough record time. But really, I have no idea! Thanks for any assistance you can offer!

[Tommyknocker]

Actually, you may want to consider staying away from the digital cameras as they are hard to beat in normal lighting while VHS/analog cameras tend to keep up with subtle lighting changes, while maintaining correct contrast, all the way down to lower lighting scenes, which will probably keep them around until the digital cameras can do it.

As for recording, since you are in a controlled environment, you are fortunate here, because almost all cameras can send there video in real time to a VCR. Since you have relatively "deep pockets"as far as a grant goes, you may want to look at a an S-VHS recorder as well, which means up to 4 hours a cassette, along with startling clarity and quality.