We begin filming “The Green Machine” on Friday. Should be… interesting.

I just ran a test tonight for syncing sound recorded on the external recorder with the video from the camera. It works pretty easy. The clapboard (slate) is essential.

I also grabbed a frame from last night when Mike and I threw up some quick lighting. I think we made the right choice with this camera. Click on the image to see it in full 720p glory.

I just realized that nobody has mentioned the camera. A quick note is in order. We were originally going to go with the Panasonic DVX100, the original 24p DV camera. However, for a bit more cash, we ended up with the JVC HD100. The JVC is an HDV camera which is high definition. It records in 720p30 and 720p24, as well as DV modes of 24p, 24pA, and 60i.

For all you non techies out there, 24p is is 24 frames per second, which is the rate that film is shot at. 60i is normal TV video; it’s what makes the news look different from movies (or at least one of the big things). DV resolution is 720×480, whereas 720p is 1280×720. The JVC records in 16:9 widescreen in the HD modes and is capable of 4:3 or 16:9 in regular DV mode.

It’s a shoulder mount camera and it has a detachable broadcast style lens. When Mike ordered it, he also got a free $800 professional battery system. It’s a pretty amazing device. Hopefully we can live up to a fraction of it’s potential.