As cinematographers add more and more wireless gear into their arsenal these days, crews are discovering innovative new ways to capture and make on-set production workflows more efficient.
Teradek’s Serv Pro is one of those ways. Taking in a camera feed, the Serv Pro allows connected iPads/iPhones to monitor the feed at just 2 frames of delay, and works for up to 10 iOS devices within a 300 ft. range (up to 1000 ft. with Link). Multiview allows up to 4 camera feeds to display simultaneously on a 2x2 screen, with double and single view options too.
But while monitoring is the primary function of the Serv Pro, VUER also features a suite of professional monitoring tools for production crewmembers, and is quickly finding its way into every contributing members’ hands on set. From gaffers to sound guys, everyone benefits from having access to his own personal monitor.
So how do crews like to use VUER? Here’s a list of the most popular features in the app, and which members on set these features benefit most:
Frame Grab
A seemingly simple tool that packs a ton of utility for the right people, Frame Grab is exactly what it sounds like: a screenshot of the camera shot. But what makes this feature especially useful is the ability to frame grab independently on multi-camera setups.
Let’s say your set has 2 cameras both with its own Serv Pro. With 2 screens next to each other and buttons on all sides, you don’t want to screenshot the entire VUER control surface. Instead, Frame Grab allows you to take a screenshot of A and B separately, even with effects like LUTs and Waveforms applied.
Screenshots are saved directly to the iPad/iPhone’s camera roll.
Users: Script Supervisors, Hair & Makeup, Clients
Waveform
Waveforms are helpful for determining exposure and color balance on a graph from top to bottom. The bottom levels are the least amount of saturation and intensity, while the top levels are the highest amounts.
Waveform come with their own menu of customizable options, including opacity, positioning, overlay size and much more.
Users: Director of Photography, DIT
Vectorscope
Vectorscope displays the overall color distribution in your video. VUER’s vectorscope has 2 modes: Chroma Components (Cr/Cb) & Hue and Saturation (H/S).
Chroma Components: color is represented on a circular scale.
Hue and Saturation: displays hue and saturation on a circular scale, with the center representing zero and the outer representing maximum.
Users: Director of Photography, DIT
Look
One of the best features VUER offers is the ability to apply LUTs and CDLs. Select from a collection of preconfigured LUTs and CDLs to apply to the video, create your own in the CDL Editor, or import a CDL/LUT file by sending it to the email associated with your iOS device.
Looks are particularly useful here because they can be applied independently or simultaneously of all video feeds on your control surface. Want to do before-and-after comparisons of a raw and a color-graded image? Or perhaps apply a LUT to every camera feed on your iPad? Look will be excellent for you.
Users: DIT
False Color
False color follows the industry-standard IRE color guide for highlighting correct exposure. This comes in 3 modes: Discrete, Full and Zebra.
Discrete: overexposed elements (above 98 IRE) will appear red, while underexposed elements will appear dark blue (below 8 IRE). Properly exposed video will appear between green (above 43 IRE) and pink (below 58 IRE).
Full: displays one continuous range of brightness and is helpful in improving the detection of certain highlights or shadows that are not evident in Discrete Mode’s color ranges.
Zebra: highlights areas in your video that are overexposed, or “blown out.” Adjusting the Zebra threshold percentage dictates which elements of your video are considered overexposed.
Users: Director of Photography, DIT
Additional Features:
Encryption
Privacy can be a huge concern on film sets, so Serv Pro & VUER come with an added layer of security. Passwords can be set for each camera feed, in addition to the password needed to gain access to the Serv Pro’s WiFi network.
Multitask
Native to iPads with iOS 11, multitasking allows the use of 2 apps simultaneously on a split screen. VUER supports multitasking, allowing users like ADs and clients to monitor the shot and juggle another task at the same time. Check the shot list, send emails, browse the Internet, all while having VUER run smoothly on the side.
LiveGrade Integration
In addition to applying LUTs and CDLs, VUER now allows for remote control of Pomfort LiveGrade and vice versa. Manage your looks using LiveGrade’s advanced look controls and enhance the efficiency of production.
ScriptE Integration
VUER’s screengrabs can be synced with notes taken in the ScriptE app. These screenshots are then automatically assigned to the corresponding scene and take so script supervisors can be more organized on set.
Download ScriptE here.
Conclusion
While Serv Pro gives every single member on set his/her own personal handheld monitor, VUER lets those members personalize their own monitors to better assist with their individual roles.
When the DP wants to check exposure using waveform and script supervisor wants to take a photo of a non-adjusted image, there’s no need for every member to crowd around the single monitor at video village and wait for a turn. Simply pull the camera feed into an iOS device and enjoy lightweight, personal and feature-rich monitors at your fingertips.