client wants to shoot 10 bit uncompressed

[demalibu]

I know this is THE format for high end stuff, but we are shooting a TVC with lots of greenscreen. Wouldn't 1080i or p be sufficient. I think it's overkill unless it's a big cinema release TVC or feature. Any thoughts???
The costs of cameras for this are ridiculous.
Ta, chris

[Chuck Engels]

I always say, give the customers what they want
If they will pay and it won't compromise the results (this will probably bring better results), then do it.
Besides, you should be able to charge a pretty nice fee for that job

Once they realize the cost, compared to the advantages, they may change their mind.
It sure doesn't hurt to give them a couple of options and let them see the differences, then they can choose.

[Bob]

10-bit uncompressed isn't the same as resolution. It has to do with the capture bit depth and compression. You can use it with various resolutions including 480 as well as 1080. The idea is a higher quality capture and no compression artifacts which should make for smoother post processing involving green screen, motion video compositing, etc. Whether you can actually see that benefit is another argument entirely. It's similar to the 8bit vs 16bit argument you see with Photoshop and still photo processing. You probably aren't gaining much if you aren't doing a lot of post processing with it. You pay a price, of course. The bitrates are astounding: 101 GBytes/hour for 480 and 717 GBytes/hour for 1080. In addition, that puts a tremendous stain on your processor and disk subsystem. You need very high end equipment to handle any substantial quantity of this.

I don't know whether the client actually needs 10-bit uncompressed, but he thinks he does. You can rent the camera (probably isn't cheap either, but better than buying for a one-time job) and buy a 10-bit codec. Work up an estimate for the 10-bit and another for what you would normally use and see if that affects his decision.

[demalibu]

Thanks Chuck and Bob,
Yes overkill I'd say. I think HDcam on FCP should more than do the job.
I'd like to try it though and see what the fuss is about.
Cheers, Chris