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outputting for Beta digimaster dub
Hi guys, I come to you again. I have been going around and around with Technicolor about a digi Beta Master dub. I sent them a hard drive with the movie in FCP format. They have said they have had all kinds of problems. One after the other but the reality is they want to charge more. Finally there latest is they could not find all the render files. Anyway I told them to send the drive back. NOW they are telling me to output a Quicktime movie for them to make the master? Am I wrong or would this mix the Dialog and M&E tracks together? The whole point of the dub is to give the foreign market a master to be able to remove the dialog? Also, isn’t a Quictime lower quality than the FCP file? Please help? WHY they can not output from the hard drive is beyond me. If I dub off to a Mini DV would that keep the tracks separate and the qulity intact. Quicktime just does not sound right?
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8 Replies
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I’m not surprised they want to charge more — after all they have to pay their tech for tinkering around, looking for renders and trying to solve the issue, never mind trying up the machine.
Having a 3rd party layback to tape from FCP project file is more often than not a nightmare. You should resupply a rendered uncompressed QT (ask them in what codec: blackmagic, aja?) and 3 stereo WAV mixes.
Max
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Blu-ray producer
New York
Area4.tv -
Hi Max, I understand what you are saying BUT, no one else has ever had a problem finding the render files or anything else. The problem began when they tried to charge me 5 times what the agreed price was. Before I said no to the price hike (they tried to sell me everything (HD, re-mastering, multiple dubs, re-mixing,etc) after we had a agreed price quote) there was no problems at all. Anyway, they said they want a Quicktime file. My question still stands. Won’t a Quicktime file defeat the idea of seperate M&E tracks? That is the whole reason to have the dub done?
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I do have layoff to tapes done all the time and if YOU send them the right way they are straight forward. Sending a FCP project file with all the edits/graphics/renders is NOT the right way. You have to do a Export to QT SELF-CONTAINED movie and if the facility has FCP (same version or higher then me) I make a ETT project with this solid QT file. If there is a problem the facility can use this file in what ever they need to. But the reason I do the ETT project file is I what to be in control of the bar/tone and slate and not incur any extra time on their part to do the setup.
As for the exports a QT file can have as many audio tracks as you need. You just need to set the export setting to 4 tracks.
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Separate your audio from video and give them the elements separately: video QT, stereo WAV of the mix, dialogue stereo WAV, m&e stereo WAV. They will put it all together on a timeline and layout everything to tape.
Max
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Blu-ray producer
New York
Area4.tv -
Thanks Michael, I will do that. So when I export to the QT self-contained I output that to tape? They asked for the hard drive. I will output to tape on mini-dv in two sections 1 hour per each. Would this be the steps you would use? Is there a step by step you could point me to. I hate to sound like a moron but I want to do this by the numbers as it is holding up a very important project to us. I really do appreciate this.
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Hi Max, thanks. Everything was separted. 1 video track. two dialog tracks. 2 music and effects. they siad they could not find the render files although they had just been tested by another facility? I will try to lay off a Quicktime. Thanks again
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Definitely not, to get 4 channels of audio on a DV tape you have to lower the quality (from 48 to 32) plus dealing with 2 tapes might be more trouble then what it is worth. Also do you have a DV timeline?
If your original timeline problem was missing render files you must have exported a NON self-contained files. I always set up my ETT project timelines myself. WHY, I want to save a buck. I get charged $150/hr to make tape layoffs (normally going to HD CAM) so I do all the prep work myself. But I also took the time to find out exactly what they need and I give them the cleanest files possible.
When ever I’m dealing with a new service facility I always have a short conversation with them to make sure everything is compatible and I understand what makes their lives easier. A 5 min conversation up front can save a bunch of time and money in the end.
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Thanks, again though I don’t like to sound like a moron, but I am when it comes to this! So, I need to reencode the entire timeline into a self-contained Quicktime. Then make a new file on the hard drive and save it on the hard drive. Then send them back the drive with only this file on it and all the pieces? Is there a step by step?
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