• Apple Final Cut Pro Legacy

  355 feature telecine & sound questions (23.98 vs 29.97, etc)

  Posted by Michael Fix on March 5, 2011 at 6:50 pm

  Hello,

  I have read all of the posts here related to my subject (along with a variety of posts on the wider web) and although they were helpful I wanted to post a message specific to my situation to confirm what I have learned and also ask a few questions.

  Background info – we are in the final stages of pre-prod for a 90min feature shooting in Brasil. We’re shooting on the Penelope, 35mm, 3 perf (so we can use cinema tools), Kodak 5219 500T & 5207 250D. We will be editing the material on latest FCP and then doing a 2k scan and outputting back to film.

  Unfortunately we have not locked with an editor or post production manager yet so I am filling this role and would appreciate any assistance/opinions on the questions related to telecine and sound listed below.

  Sound:
  1) Timecode – Options being 29.97fps, 23.98fps, 25fps, 30fps or 24fps

  Telecine:
  1) Drop frame vs non-drop
  2) TC standard: 29.97 fps or 25 fps
  3) Format: Digi Beta, DVCam, miniDV, DVD, etc (HDCam is not an option apparently)
  4) TC for: Camera roll, lab roll and/or tape. (If tape – what sequence 1:00, :30 or :15)
  5) Choices for info included in TC burn-in: Audio Date, Aux TC, Daily Roll, Key Code, Pull Down, Video TC, Audio TC, Camera ID, Foot & Frame, Lab Roll, Video Tape.
  6) We were also given the option for a Flex File – Frequency choices: roll, day, week, month, final.

  Based on what I know my plan is to request the following:
  Sound:
  1) 29.97

  Telecine:
  1) Non-drop
  2) 29.97
  3) MiniDV and then I get hazy…
  4) No clue.
  5) Was going to ask for: Daily Roll, Key Code, Pull Down, Video TC, Audio TC – but very uncertain what to keep in/out.
  6) Plan to request Flex File but was not certain of frequency.

  I would greatly appreciate any insight you wise folks have to offer. This is our chance to get it right from the beginning… If you need more details let me know. Thanks in advance.

  Matt Lyon replied 15 years, 6 months ago 3 Members · 2 Replies
• 2 Replies

• 

  Michael Gissing

  March 5, 2011 at 11:13 pm

  Given the limited choices from telecine, I would recommend shooting 25, telecine 25 to digi beta. Sound timecode would also be 25.

  Working in NTSC type timecode and frame rates is always going to mean your camera speed to edit speeds will need a sync correction. If you could get true 24 frame quicktime files from the telecine, then work in 24 all the way.

  If you work at 25 then all you have to do is make a pitch correction to the final audio mix so that the final file can be conformed to 24 before scanning to film or making a digital projection master.
• 

  Matt Lyon

  March 7, 2011 at 2:56 am

  I agree with Michael, if you can get straight quicktime files from the lab, that saves a lot of hassle in digitizing, removing pulldown, etc.

  If you go with tape, at minimum go with DVCAM. No DVD or min-DV. These don’t have real SMPTE timecode.

  [Michael Fix] “5) Was going to ask for: Daily Roll, Key Code, Pull Down, Video TC, Audio TC – but very uncertain what to keep in/out.”

  Sounds good to me. Make sure you check with the lab doing the 2K scan and verify that the burn in includes all the info they need to do the conform. This will be in the flex file too, but it’s good to have the visual backup.

  [Michael Fix] “6) Plan to request Flex File but was not certain of frequency.”

  If you’re going with a tape based workflow, you should get a flex file at least as often as you have rushes delivered to the edit suite, since you’ll use the flex file to make a batch capture list.

  Matt Lyon
  Editor
  Toronto

Reply to this Discussion! Login or Sign Up