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A tip to avoid broken time-codes
Hi all,
A simple tip I learned while I was shooting some footage is to let your tape record with the lens cap closed for its duration before you go out on a shoot. This way you have a consistent time-code, and thus you reduce the chance of running into time-code breaks or errors when you go into the editing room!
Just a suggestion…
PaLaCe. -
11 Replies
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To my knowledge, cameras crash record so you are going to break control track the moment you start your first recording. You need to make sure you have your camera set up to correctly pick up the TC with each time you hit record.
“Blacking” a tape is what we do a lot in Post, but for a camera tape, that really doesn’t work.
Walter Biscardi, Jr.
Editor, Colorist, Director, Writer, Consultant, Author, Chef.
HD Post and Production
Biscardi Creative Media“Foul Water, Fiery Serpent” featuring Sigourney Weaver coming soon.
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If you’re shooting using free run time code, you’ll get timecode breaks, regardless, and that’s not always bad thing since FCP and Avid will break up the clips at timecode breaks. Granted, it becomes a pain in a multicam shoot, if camera A cuts, but camera B continues shooting all takes in series.
Striping time code is beneficial for tape edits, not so much for shooting.
Richard Sanchez
North Hollywood, CA“We are the facilitators of our own creative evolution.” – Bill Hicks
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Walter beat me to it!
Richard Sanchez
North Hollywood, CA“We are the facilitators of our own creative evolution.” – Bill Hicks
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The way to avoid TC breaks is never shoot TOD and always cut into the last take if you’ve powered down the camera or put it into stop etc… Otherwise Pause works OK. That way you avoid them, and you don’t use your equipment to record a black tape wearing a camera or deck out more.
Jerry
Apple Certified Trainer, Producer, Writer, Director Editor, Gun for Hire and other things. I ski. My Blog: https://blogs.creativecow.net/Jerry-Hofmann
8-Core 3.0 Intel Mac Pro, Dual 2 gig G5, AJA Kona SD, AJA Kona 2, Huge Systems Array UL3D, AJA Io HD, 17″ MBP, Matrox MXO2 with MAX Cinema Displays
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great…I wasnt aware of this…thanks!
Excuse my ignorance, but what is TOD?.
Jerry -
Walter is right, and not. A lot of cams crash record on the initial recording, and ‘assemble’ on subsequent record start/stop cycles as they lay down some post roll, and then back up onto the post roll. During the next call to record, the camera picks up the TC from that post roll, as long as it is set for continuous, and not free run.
The idea of striping a camera tape ahead of time to simulate the post roll recorded by the camera may seem like a good idea, but may just cause confused TC, since the camera will sync to previous code on the tape, and most likely won’t come to a stop in sync with the striped TC.
This is also just putting more hours on the heads, that isn’t generating revenue.
The best way to avoid broken TC, is to either be meticulous about recueing the tape after in camera reviews, or avoid reviewing the footage in the field until tape changes.Scott Sheriff
Director
SST Digital Media
https://www.sstdigitalmedia.com -
Tape?
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TOD = Time Of Day.
-Andrew
3.2GHz 8-core, FCP 6.0.4, 10.5.5
Blackmagic Multibridge Eclipse (6.8.1) -
The other tip that seems to help HDV cameras to reduce timecode breaks is to start timecode from zero on all tapes and do not set specific timecode or user bits.
Old habits like making tape one have 1 hr code etc is not helpful with HDV.
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Gads HDV is the bain of this forum… LOL Sony stated in the press release when then unleashed HDV on the world that it was a CONSUMER FORMAT. Too bad no one read that years ago… Ki Pro makes things a lot better with HDV for sure.
Jerry
Apple Certified Trainer, Producer, Writer, Director Editor, Gun for Hire and other things. I ski. My Blog: https://blogs.creativecow.net/Jerry-Hofmann
8-Core 3.0 Intel Mac Pro, Dual 2 gig G5, AJA Kona SD, AJA Kona 2, Huge Systems Array UL3D, AJA Io HD, 17″ MBP, Matrox MXO2 with MAX Cinema Displays
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