VIDEO RECORDING UAPs/UFOs

At Farsight, we have investigated how to reliably make video recordings of UAPs or UFOs. They are ever present everywhere. One only has to know how to set up the camera and process the footage on your computer in order to create great videos of the phenomena. The essential elements are to record using infrared, and then to shoot 4K video at 120 frames per second (fps). One can also shoot 1080p video, but the resolution will be better if you shoot in 4K, which will help if you want to zoom in to see the UAP/UFO more closely. The fast frame rate is needed because the UFOs almost always fly crazy fast, often faster than 20,000 mph (or 32,000 kph), and you need a fast frame rate in order to capture their movements across the screen. IR is useful since nearly all the crafts use stealth technology to hide their presence.

To shoot 4K video at 120 fps, a lot of information needs to be written to the camera's memory card. Full frame cameras (typical DSLR cameras) have 35 mm sensors, and that is often too much information to write on the memory card if you are shooting 4K and 120 fps. So a micro 4:3 camera is better. At Farsight, what we use and how we do it is described below.

Camera: Panasonic Lumix GH6 & GH7

Camera conversion to a full spectrum camera: LifePixel.com. LifePixel can also sell you a new GH6 that has already been converted. Once you have a full spectrum camera, you need to use an IR filter on the lens.

Lens: At Farsight we most often use the Panasonic Leica DG Vario-Elmarit 12-35mm f/2.8 ASPH. POWER O.I.S. Lens (Micro Four Thirds). We normally set it at wide when shooting. Other lenses will work well also. Wide angle is best since the UAP/UFO travel across the sky really fast, and your goal is to capture their movements. If you are shooting 4K footage, then you can zoom in whan you process the footage later.

IR filters for full spectrum cameras: Super Color (590 nm) and Deep BW (830 nm). When shooting with one camera, we tend to favor the Super Color filters since they also pick up some visual light to blend in with the IR image. When we use two cameras, we use a different filter on each camera.

Tripod: Always use a good tripod when shooting UAPs/UFOs. Don't hand hold the camera. You only want the UFO to move in the picture, not your hands.

Camera Settings:

• Standard video (not monochrome or log)
• Frame Rate: 119.88 fps
• Frame size: 4096x2160 or 3840x2160
• For the record quality setting, we use: MOV, Full 4096x2160(17:9),119.88p 420/10bit/LongGOP,LPCM 300Mbps. That is a single setting under Rec Quality.
• Under Rec. File Format, we use MOV
• For the dial at the top of the camera, we set it to M (with the picture of the movie camera next to it, NOT the M without the picture of the movie camera).
• To help focus, we turn Focus Peaking On.
• We always do manual focus.
• For Exposure Mode, we use M.
• Shutter speed: typically 500 or 1000
• Photo Style: Std
• We record on a 512GB CFexpress card.
• We normally turn the IOS off on the lens. That is useful for handheld video recordings, which we almost never do. We always use a tripod.

Video Editing Software Choices

• Adobe Premiere (This is what we use at Farsight.)
• DaVinci Resolve (DaVinci Resolve Studio can handle 120 fps and is preferred. DaVinci Resolve is free, but it can handle only 60 fps. Both work, but Studio is better.)

Using Adobe Premiere, set your sequence to match the original footage settings. To do this, first create a new sequence using the preset for AVCHD 1080p30, then drag the footage into the timeline and accept the popup option to change to sequence settings to match the footage settings. That will give you a 120 fps sequence.

Add the Lumetri effect to the footage (find it under Color Correction in Effects), and then add LUTs to the footage to maximize the visibility of the UAPs/UFOs. You can add two LUTs at a time with one Lumetri effect. The LUTs and other Lumetri settings change the visible elements of the footage. You are trying to maximize the how the UAP/UFO phenomena appear on the screen so people can see it more easily. Remember, you are not trying to make a pretty picture. You are trying to make the UAP/UFO visible. There is no single solution to this. You have to experiment with what works best with your particular footage. The LUTs are intended for use with log footage, but you are using them in a different way to change all sorts of settings at once. Never use log footage to capture UFOs. Use standard video, and then apply the LUTs to that.

To get you started, highlight your clip by clicking on it. Then in the Effects Controls window of Lumetri, go to Basic Correction, and try adding the ARRI_Universal_HD LUT. We have also had great luck using the BandW HiCon 33 E-E LUT that is distributed by Panasonic for use with their cameras. And then in the Creative section, try adding the SL BLUE DAY4NITE LUT, which is a standard for us. You can also try using the CineSpace2383sRGB6bit LUT. Try different LUTs, sometimes one, sometimes two (one in Basic Correction, and one in Creative). Different UFOs will apper with different LUTs or combinations of LUTs. Sometimes the UFOs disappear completely with some LUTs. When that happens, switch to a different LUT or collection of LUTs. Panasonic also offers free downloadable LUTs to use with its cameras, and you can try some of those. Experiment. Try changing the exposure and contrast. Try dropping the saturation to zero.

To scrub through your footage to find the UAPs/UFOs, use the bar at the bottom of the timeline to squeeze the ends together. That will allow you to zoom in on the timeline. Then, starting at the beginning, and after zooming in all the way, use the right and left arrow keys on your keyboard to scrub through the footage so you can see the UAP/UFO instances. If you are fully zoomed in on the timeline, it is sort of a slow process, and you have to keep your eyes glued to the screen, which is why we rarely shoot for longer than 10 minutes at a time. Place a marker (press the M key) wherever you find a UFO so you can find it again later.

Sometimes it is a timesaver to simply playback the footage on the timeline at normal speed while looking for the UAPs/UFOs. You really need to keep your eyes glued to the screen when you do this since the crafts move crazy fast. You will see something flash by. If you blink you might miss it, so stop the playback with the spacebar when you need to blink. Keep your finger on the spacebar of the keyboard so you can stop the footage as soon as you see something suspicious. Then use the arrow keys to go back a bit, and see if you can find the UAP/UFO that moved in the screen. Be sure to put a marker (click the M key) each time you find a UAP/UFO. If the clip is highlighted, Adobe Premiere will put the marker inside the clip, which is convenient if you move the clip around. If the clip is not hightlighted, Premiere will put the marker on the timeline instead, which is not so good if you move the clip.

Once you find the UFO instances, you need to prepare them for rendering so other people can see them when you post them on social media. Clip them out using the blade tool (press the C key) and copy them to a higher track so you can work with them indivually (by holding the Alt key down when you drag). Then right-click each instance and pick Duration. Change the duration from 100% to something between 2% and 20%. (10% is a good starting point.) The smaller the number, the slower the footage will play back.

Then render the short clips to save them for posting on social media. (Change the In and Out points on your timeline prior to rendering so you render only one instance at a time (by clicking the I and O keys). Render the short clips at a slower frame rate, such as 30 fps, 1080p, which has dimensions of 1920 wide and 1080 vertical. At Farsight, we always render our final products at 30 fps, which is optimal for YouTube and social media. Short clips (less than 60 seconds) are best for social media, and social media does not need or want 120 fps in your final product. Once you have slowed down the footage with your final render, you don't need 120 fps any longer. Try to give each rendered clip a nice name so that you know what each one is when you look at the name.

If you are posting stuff to YouTube, then you are done. HOWEVER, Instagram is often better for showing people short clips on their phones. To do that, you need put your rendered footage (that you made as described above) in a new sequence that has the dimensions 1080 wide and 1920 vertical to give you a vertical picture rather than a horizontal picture. So this is the last step. Make your new sequence using the preset for AVCHD 1080p30. But this time you are not going to change the frame rate. You will continue to use 30 fps as describe above for your final render. You are only going to change the dimension of your picture. To do that, click on Sequence (at the top), and then Sequence Settings. You will see that the frame size is 1920 horizontal and 1080 vertical. You need to reverse that so that it is 1080 horizontal and 1920 vertical. For Editing Mode, click on Custom. Then swap the vertical and horizontal dimensions, and then click OK. You should then see a vertical sequence in your program monitor.

Now you need to insert your rendered clip into the vertical sequence, and then rotate the clip so that it fits in the vertical format. Start with your rendered footage that you obtained as per the instructions above, and insert that footage into the timeline. This time when the popup asks you if you want to change the sequence to match the footage, say no, you want to keep the sequence as it is. Then click on the clip in the timeline to highlight it, and then click on Effect Controls. You may have to show that window if you don't see it (click on Window at the top, and then Effect Controls). Then rotate the footage 90 degrees so that the clip fits in the vertical format. Render again using the Preset: Match Source - Adaptive High Bitrate. If the file size becomes too big, you can use the Preset: Match Source - Adaptive Low Bitrate. But you should not have a problem with file size with short clips. Send the footage to your phone using email. Then receive the footage from your email with your phone, and post it to Instagram. Make sure it is less than 60 seconds long.

REPEAT AND SHARE with everyone you know. It is often useful to share these things with young people since they use social media a lot. If something goes viral, it is the young people who do it.

Some examples of Farsight's UAP/UFO footage posted to social media can be found at our Director's Instagram page, courtneybrownfarsight.