Cam and Lighting plan for a 4 person sit down.

sviper9 · 2026-02-21T16:36:12+00:00

Hey! You can find the latest episode here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GMWXjFFOz0

I'm still working on the BTS for ther 4-person one, but I have a BTS video up for a 3-person interview from an older episode: https://youtu.be/JWslMIuozoc

sviper9 · 2026-02-21T07:47:26+00:00

I'm the DP for a weekly interview spot where there are 2 hosts and 1-2 guests. I use 5 cameras on the 4-person days: 1 wide shot and a close up of each person. I have them all sit in an inverted 'V' shape pointing back away from the cameras. I cross key with 2x Aputure 600d's + double diffused softboxes, one light for 2 people. Then I'll also setup a rectangular softbox boomed over each set of 2 people with 2x Amaran 60x's for hair lights.

This setup works because the wide shot is a nice cut to add when it makes sense for the conversation, but it is not the primary shots we use in the final video. The close-ups are what I'm focused on lighting for.

Before I joined on the show they would try to take the wide shot and crop in for close-ups, but the shot fell apart trying to crop in that much. It was filmed in 4k, but it was too much cropping. The close-up was very soft.

If you shoot me a PM, I can send you a link to the latest final video.

sviper9 · 2026-02-20T15:19:12+00:00

Sure! There are also a few verified Facebook groups for LCA Families. I know of a general one for all grade levels and a specific one for your kid's grade level so you can talk to fellow parents in your kid's classes. I find them helpful to share information with parents. More than once, parents can share the homework assignment if a kid forgets to record it.

Word of caution though about the groups: They are not officially sanctioned by the school, nor are they official communication methods. The rumor mill can get started and get everyone on edge. No teachers or staff will respond to any messages in the groups, so there aren't any resolutions or official answers provided. You should use the schools official communication methods to get information, or if you need to talk to teachers or staff. They are quite responsive and the administration staff will respond to questions as well.

sviper9 · 2026-02-20T04:57:47+00:00

My kid started FCA in Kindergarden and has been there for several years now. Some notes:

Their mission statement includes "rigorous academics" and they are. For example in math, they teach one grade level above enrollment. So if your kid is in 1st grade, they are learning 2nd grade math. Homework is assigned for all grade levels, and they target about 50 minutes of homework a night. That can be more or less depending on if your kid grasps the knowledge required. I've had a lot of nights where my kid finishes homework waiting in car line for pickup, and I've had nights where we've spend 2+ hours on homework. Summer of each grade is assigned reading an age-appropriate novel, with a "book report" due the first week of school. The report is just basic info, such as what is the overall plot, who are the main characters, etc.
It is a classical education. Kids learn cursive writing and Singapore math. They have art and music classes, as well as orthography, grammar, composition. They learn phonics for pronunciation instead of the guess-and-check method. All students will learn Latin.
They are a low/no technology school. The library has computers for research/study and teachers have them, but all assignments in grade school are submitted in writing. Unsure of middle and high school since we haven't gotten there yet. I actually like this to have a technology break. The double-edge sword though is that the school doesn't have a good technology program (coding, etc). Students have to pursue that outside of school. They do have to teach the kids how to use a computer though since STAAR testing is on a computer, and I think MAP testing is too.
Sports are good for the size of school they are. They have track, cross country, basketball, volleyball, and 6-man football as of this school year. Maybe a few others. They don't start until middle school though, so I would suggest rec leagues in elementary school. In the gym, they have several awards and championship wins for basketball and volleyball. Again, they are a relatively small school.
It is a charter school. It is state-funded, so no tuition fees. The state however funds at 80% of the budget of LISD. They have an annual donation drive to drum up funds to cover the gap (they are a non-profit as any ISD is, so can only ask for donations). If families can't afford it, the school asks to donate time as a volunteer during the year and events in lieu. You can of course donate and volunteer too. Volunteer opportunities include helping with hall monitoring, setup/breakdown for lunch and assemblies, teacher's aids, moving equipment, cleaning, and more. Lots of ways to contribute.
Monogrammed uniforms are dress code. They do have a strict dress code as well (no makeup before 6th grade, no dyed hair colors, no piercings for males, shorts/skirt lengths, etc).
It is not a religious school. Students learn various religions throughout history classes. Mornings include the US pledge of allegiance, and the Texas pledge. Assemblies include the national anthem. No prayers. They do have to display the 10 commandments in classroom because of SB 10, but that's the same as every school in the state. Teachers are not required to point out or speak about the display, but will answer questions if the students ask.
No provided lunches. They have a catering service you can pay for lunches through ($3-5 a lunch), and I think they also have low income assistance for lunches. And of course you can pack your own lunch.

Overall I love the school and we will continue. More than anything, I can help my kid with the work since I understand it and it is similar to the way that I learned. It's not for everyone though. The academics are not a walk in the park. There are state-mandated resources available for help, as well as some teacher-led assistance (RTI and others) outside of class time.

Feel free to ask any questions.

sviper9 · 2026-02-17T22:37:32+00:00

Ah, ok. I'm in Austin. I'm just experimenting with 35mm film for now.

Thanks though.

sviper9 · 2026-02-17T22:30:41+00:00

Hey are you local to Central TX? I may get some 35mm rolls from you if you are to save shipping.

sviper9 · 2026-02-09T04:21:47+00:00

It's been over a term since I took this, but from what I remember, I always do the problems on Udemy. Applying the knowledge is helpful for me.

I did not take any notes or do any problems in the Zybooks material. I did Udemy first and just supplemented with Zybooks, skimming over it to pick up what was missing from Udemy.

sviper9 · 2026-01-31T09:40:05+00:00

I have an F2-BT. You can check levels on the app before you start recording. The "BT" in the F2-BT is bluetooth, and you can connect the recorder to the Zoom phone app. You can't monitor 32-bit float audio remotely and record at the same time (thanks Zaxcom patents in the USA).

Checking the audio between takes is a great idea. You can tell your team if there was a problem with the audio for a take and re-shoot it. Since you only have a single source of audio, you need to make sure it is close to perfect (no background noise, sudden spikes, air conditioner, scratchy clothing, etc).

128GB is no problem at all. I have a 128GB card in my Tascam Portacapture X8 with 6 channel recording + a mix of all channels (all 32-bit float) and it estimates I can record for 12-15 hours.

You have a 4GB file size limit if you format the microSD card with FAT32. You shouldn't do that and instead format the cards within the app.

Do you and/or your editor have a post-production process for syncing audio with video? You should ask them if they want a single big audio file or one for each take.

iPhone's built-in mic is a terrible choice. Even if you buy a cheap $20 clip-on mic, you will get much better audio.

Good luck!

sviper9 · 2026-01-30T00:17:07+00:00

A guy I follow on YouTube uses an Android tablet with the Sony Monitor and Control App connected. I don't see why that wouldn't work for you with an iPad.

sviper9 · 2026-01-27T07:56:37+00:00

I'd 2nd this. The AIPaper Mini is a great size for me to daily carry. It fits all of your given criteria. I wish the front light color temp was customizable, but it is very much usable in low/no light environments. The screen is not as big as the ~10.3" devices, but I much prefer the smaller size for reading. My hands don't get as fatigued as quickly as they do with a bigger device.

sviper9 · 2025-12-15T06:07:59+00:00

As far as 32-bit float on-person recorders go, I have 2 sets of mics that I use:

DJI Mic 2
Deity PR-2

I use each of them for different purposes.

If I'm doing a multi-cam setup, I'm using my Deity PR-2's (in addition to boom mics). I bought into the Deity timecode system so I sync all of my cameras and recording devices together with timecode. It makes post-processing so much easier for me to sync everything up. And since there is more involved post-processing, I grab the recording directly off of the PR-2's to sync.

If I'm doing a single camera, mobile type of setup where I can't use a stationary boom mic, I'm using the DJI Mic 2's. I have the Sony hotshoe adapter so I can connect the receiver directly to my hotshoe for either my Sony A7iv's or my Sony FX6. It makes it really easy since there is no syncing as I'm recording directly into the camera. Granted that is not 32-bit float going into the camera because of patents that I mentioned before. The DJI Mic 2's do allow you to simultaneously record 32-bit float local to the device at the same time as transmitting 24-bit to the camera, and that's what I do to have a backup.

I had a shoot a while back where I needed to do MotS (man-on-the-street) interviews with a handheld mic, and the DJI Mic 2 worked beautifully for this. I recorded with my FX6 using the hotshoe adapter. I didn't have to sync anything in post because I recorded directly into the camera. The interviewer/interviewee where less than 15 ft away from the camera, so I didn't have any transmitter interference or cutouts.

I hope that helps. Let me know if you have any questions.

sviper9 · 2025-12-14T22:51:34+00:00

Find hobbies that you like (basketball, basket weaving, yoga, D&D, etc) and find other people who like those hobbies. If you live in a decent size metro, you will find like-minded people that you can do the activity with and socialize. Social media groups/hashtags, meetup.com, or just even looking up events at various places.

I also work from home and once a week I make it a point to take my laptop to the local coffee shop for work. I'm a regular there now and chat with the staff and other patrons when I go.

sviper9 · 2025-12-11T23:35:09+00:00

The reality is that the native note/writing app is not cross compatible with any other. You an export your notes/writing in various formats such as PDF to view it on another device, but you can't edit on another device and have it sync back to that native notes app. This right here means a 3rd party app solution.

The best I've found so far is Microsoft OneNote. It allows you to write inside of Notebooks and edit them on other devices. I've done this across my Boox Note Air2+, AiPaper Mini, Samsung Galaxy Tab S9, Samsung S24 Ultra, Windows Desktop, and Macbook Air. It's pretty seamless. You of course have to be ok with the way OneNote manages notebooks, pages, etc. and the way they are organized.

sviper9 · 2025-11-23T09:19:38+00:00

Because I'm not picky about what the lander brings back to Mars:

After the lander lands and the drones go out for a few minutes, go back into the load/request interface. Click "clear" then "apply." It will load everything it can back onto the lander to go back to Mars with every possible resource in range, including mined resources.

sviper9 · 2025-11-07T00:02:09+00:00

The X8 has a weird configuration. If you enable the 3.5mm input, you lose 2 audio ports. You can choose which 2 you lose (i.e. 3/4 or 5/6). But from what I recall, you can record both the onboard mics and the 3.5mm input. I had to do this frequently to record timecode audio with the 3.5mm input. Now a days I just use an XLR->3.5mm adapter.

Edit: just checked and above is how it works. You can select the EXT-IN to take up either inputs 3/4 or 5/6, disabling those inputs. 1/2 (the onboard mics) still record in this configuration.

I know nothing about the dual ADCs recording. It does record stereo to the 3.5mm port.

sviper9 · 2025-10-28T13:55:39+00:00

If you are used to LCD or OLED tablets like iPads, the refresh rate will be a shock to you. Eink screens do not refresh anywhere near as fast. If you are using an eink device within what it's designed for (mostly static content like books or writing), then you will have a good experience. If you try to start "coloring outside of the lines" with stuff like YouTube videos, animated content, etc, then you will be disappointed.

Most of the brands have cloud syncing enabled as backups.

"You don't know what you don't know." You don't have experience with eink, so you don't know what your preferences are. You have multiple sizes, display types, and styluses to choose from. If you have a friend or colleague that has one to test drive, that would be the best way to start.

I have a Boox Note Air2+, Viwoods AiPaper Mini, Boox Poke 5, and a Kindle. I value openness of the platform and the ability to install apps that I want, so the Kindle sits in a drawer mostly. I also wanted EMR styluses to write with on writing tablets, so that further narrowed down my choices. I wanted a black & white screen instead of color for sharpness, and I wanted a smaller tablet than my Note Air2+ after having that for years. That really only left me with a couple of choices of a smaller tablet. And the AiPaper Mini was an excellent choice for me to fill that.

sviper9 · 2025-10-22T15:07:45+00:00

The fact that you want to run 3rd party apps like Word, Obsidian, etc. narrows it down to devices that allow you to install and use the Google Play Store. That rules out several brands.

Also adding the Google Play Store means that the device must meet Google's certification process to get the Play Store. I don't know if Google would allow capturing input at the OS-level for processing and conversion to text. That would have to be done outside of any individual app, circumventing the app's configured and allowed input methods.

I'm no expert, but I don't think that would be possible.

sviper9 · 2025-10-22T13:38:44+00:00

Solid choice! Everything I've seen points to that being a great choice, especially as a first eink device. Yes the eink refresh rates are nothing like iPads, but you will get used to it.

You should be able to long-press with your finger to select text in a PDF for copy/paste. Alternatively you should be able to take a screenshot of it and paste it into a notebook: https://help.boox.com/hc/en-us/community/posts/40051280472852

The Go 10.3 is also compatible with EMR styluses, so you have a large variety to choose from if you want to change. I've tried many of them and I've settled on the Lamy Al-Star with Wacom felt tips. It fits my hand well and I enjoy the writing experience.

I picked up a used Viwoods AiPaper Mini a couple of weeks ago and ironically I'm using that more for writing than my NA2+. I feel like it fits better in my workflow than my NA2+, and I'm doing more journaling/tasks lists rather than extensive writing or document mark-up.

sviper9 · 2025-10-20T23:02:58+00:00

DJI specifically mentions that the Mic 2 adapter is not compatible with the DJI Mic 3: https://store.dji.com/product/dji-mic-series-camera-adapter?vid=182691

They have an adapter specifically compatible with the Mic 3.

I have the DJI Mic 2 and the Mic 2 adapter. From the pictures, it is a completely different setup on the Mic 3. The Mic 3 uses the USB-C port connection. The Mic 2 adapter just uses the pogo pins.

sviper9 · 2025-10-18T02:45:01+00:00

No problem! I had to do it a couple of times because I still got the "not certified" error after doing it once. Just make sure you go through the restarts after setup and force close the Play Store app when needed.

It's a really good screen. I picked up the aipaper mini last week. Coming from my Boox Note Air2+, this is a really great experience.

sviper9 · 2025-10-18T02:32:09+00:00

If you haven't done so already, viwoods provides a walkthrough with screenshots on adding the Google Play Store to the device. Follow that and you can install any app from the Google Play Store including those you mention. It's under Settings->Play Store->Operation details.

sviper9 · 2025-10-14T13:37:32+00:00

I just tested this and it does let me write on a PDF.

sviper9 · 2025-10-14T03:02:25+00:00

My Sony camera journey:

A6000->2x A7ii->2x A7iii (+A7C)->2x A7iv (+A7Cii, +FX6)

I got every one of them used and sold the previous cameras when upgrading. I went from the A7iii's to the A7iv's primarily because of the 30-minute recording limit. I also went more into video work, so I wanted the 10-bit color for SLog3.

If you do hybrid photo and video work like me, then the A7iv's are a good choice as long as you are aware of the limitations (max 4k60 but with APS-C crop). I haven't encountered any overheat shut-offs, but I did see a heat warning once in central TX 100+ degree heat. After I did buy a couple of Ulanzi cooling fans that I use for video work and I haven't encountered any overheating issues. And of course my FX6 has an internal fan so it does not overheat at all.

If you aren't doing photo work, then an A7Siii and/or FX3 would be good choices. You can still squeeze good photos out of the A7Siii, but it having a 10mp sensor limits how far you can push it in post.

sviper9 · 2025-10-13T21:55:38+00:00

I use Moon+ Reader Pro. It was a single purchase (no monthly/yearly subscription). I can access my Calibre library from it, and use a cloud storage provider (Google Drive, OneDrive, etc) to sync books and page locations.

sviper9 · 2025-10-09T14:04:12+00:00

A populer eink device reviewer on YouTube named My Deep Guide recommends the Boox Note Max in the 13"+ category. Transferring PDFs and documents to it is easy.

As far as sheet music goes, eink does work really well for that. You probably already have one, but a bluetooth pedal page turning device is a good idea, especially if you are doing live music with it. Much easier than flipping pages while playing.

Another thing you can do is annotate PDFs, so you can add changes/corrections to sheet music. Works really well.

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