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HDV>DV down-converted workflow
Hi all,
Here’s my issue: I have a feature-length doc project that consists of like 8 tapes of HDV interviews shot 1080i cine24 on a Z1U, 4 of which I down-converted to DV a while ago. I have a few other DV source tapes, as well as a ton of jpegs. I will also likely have some graphic elements created and will be shooting some additional footage in a yet-to-be-determined format (most likely full HD). The project was initially cut on an Avid, and is now on my FCP7 system (MacBook Pro 2.66, Intel i7 with 8GB Ram). The sequence was converted perfectly through Automatic Duck. All the audio is there, and all the video is offline.
So…I’m gearing up to recapture the footage in FCP and finish the edit. I’ve consulted with several FCP gurus and I’ve been given a different answer from each person about potential workflows. Some say ProRes, some native, some suggest a weird conversion thing…I find it all very confusing and without a consistent answer I’m left feeling like it’s a shot in the dark – and I really don’t want to experiment. I just want a stable edit workflow that makes sense and won’t cause me to lose my mind.
So forgive me…but why oh why can’t I just down-convert the other 4 HDV tapes (and anything else I shoot – I doubt more than another 4 hours) to DV, cut everything in a consistent, “low-res” DV-NTSC setting until I lock, and THEN re-capture in native HDV/HD or ProRes or whatever flavor format? A traditional old-fashioned on-line…
Is there something inherently wrong about doing this in FCP? Are there any workflow issues? Like, what would happen to all of my jpegs in the timeline? Will they just “upconvert” to the settings in the new sequence?
To me, the advantages are this: I’m not taking up humongous amounts of drive space with ProRes clips, and I’m also not editing in a mishmash of native HDV and HD and DV formats, which I’ve heard can have awful render times. Further, when I lock the cut I can have a super duper experienced FCP editor/colorist make certain that everything is being loaded in the proper settings.
Any thoughts on this would be great and thank you for your advice!
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3 Replies
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[Gretchen Morning] “why oh why can’t I just down-convert the other 4 HDV tapes (and anything else I shoot – I doubt more than another 4 hours) to DV, cut everything in a consistent, “low-res” DV-NTSC setting until I lock, and THEN re-capture in native HDV/HD or ProRes or whatever flavor format? “
HDV and DV have the exact same data rate. So the space savings is nil. So why go through the hassle of an offline/online when you don’t conserve space?
[Gretchen Morning] “s there something inherently wrong about doing this in FCP?”
It’s not as smooth as Avid. And unless you really know what you are doing, things can mess up. Timecode will slip, no matter what, a few frames on a few clips, so you will need to adjust the edits. Firewire capture is not the most frame accurate.
[Gretchen Morning] “Are there any workflow issues? Like, what would happen to all of my jpegs in the timeline? Will they just “upconvert” to the settings in the new sequence? “
Nope. You will have to redo each and every picture move….because you went from 720×480 to 1920×1080. The scale will be all wrong, so you will have to adjust every move on every still.
[Gretchen Morning] “I’m not taking up humongous amounts of drive space with ProRes clips, and I’m also not editing in a mishmash of native HDV and HD and DV formats,”
Mismash of HDV, HD and DV? HDV is HD? There are a good DOZEN or more formats of HD out there: HDV, DVCPRO HD, XDCAM HD, XDCAM EX, AVCHD, AVCINTRA, HDCAM, HDCAM SR, D5, H.264 (canon DSLR), RED…etc. So what do you mean by “HD?”
Mixing formats, especially when it comes to GOP formats like HDV, is messy. But so can mixing SD and HD. It might be wise to edit offline, in DV…and make SURE that all your frame rates match. Then hire someone with experience to do the online. Onlining mixed formats isn’t easy. And even us pros have issues with them sometimes. But then you need to deal with the stills issues. SO…why not spend a little $$, get more hard drives, and edit ProRes…convert EVERYTHING to that format before you edit so you have all the clips the same size, the same codec, and the same dimensions for the still moves? Doesn’t that sound easier?
Shane
GETTING ORGANIZED WITH FINAL CUT PRO DVD…don’t miss it.
Read my blog, Little Frog in High Def -
Thanks, Shane, for your response. All things being equal, do you think that a project like this is better suited for Media Composer 4?
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With all those stills? I dunno. If you do all the moves on them in a separate application, like Motion or AE, rendering them out as the HD size files, then you can use them in the offline project, and then just remove the attributes to make them full size again when you online. I don’t like how Avid does moves on stills…Pan and Scan seems clumsy to me.
But it does mix frame rates and formats very well. Up to you. Whatever you’re most comfortable with.
Shane
GETTING ORGANIZED WITH FINAL CUT PRO DVD…don’t miss it.
Read my blog, Little Frog in High Def
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