Question about a feature shot on XH A1...

Greetings COW BRETHREN!!!

Here is my question…

I am working on a feature that I have shot on XH A1 @ 1080 24p… and now I am starting post production.

I have spent the past two weeks digitizing 50+ interviews using the camera as a deck over firewire.

The problem is that I have gotten the impression that if I had digitized footage using an HD capture card I might be seeing better looking footage.

(for the record I am a professional shooter and editor who usually shoots Varicam and F900 as well as my own HVX200.

At any rate this is my first really long-term foray into HDV.

Everything is lit well and shot well… yet, now that I am looking the footage from FCP it looks like there is so much compression that there is a wired grain all over almost every shot.

So is it true that if I capture in a different way that I will get better results?
If so, how should I capture? By the way… I am on the verge of getting a blackmagic HD Extreme capture card.

Now the real question… can I edit the film using the existing captures as an off-line and then Batch Capture only the clips I am using in the film for my final online (including color correction). The thought of having to re capture “everything” now makes me sick.

Can anyone help me out on this? I am in semi-uncharted waters here.
For me anyway.

Tony



this interview is over