Alexa Footage – Media Manager Error 34

[Jeremy Garchow]

Thanks, Andreas.

[Eddie Kesler]

Thanks Andreas. Sounds like there’s more to work out with the Alexa. I just wasn’t sure if it was FCP or ARRI being the culprit. I guess we’ll go through the same growing pains as we have done with the RED and every other new digital camera.

Along with the new non-linear Color Correctors and just finishers like Flame, etc.. using Media Manager would be an asset for this workflow. I hope we can get it to work.

Please post if you hear of any developments with the Alexa. We are strictly a post house and aren’t always brought in the mix for on set technology until it’s too late. If the producers would understand how much smoother the process would be if we could just have an extra conference call or two up front. In the film to SD only world we used to live in, things were much easier!

Thanks,
Eddie

https://www.jamedit.com

[Andreas Kiel]

Hi Eddie,

I talked to the ARRI guys today because of your issue and some other issues. As said there will be a firmware update very soon and they are willing to help. Also other things seem to come up soon.

Another thing is to understand the QT file structure and the way FCP (or any other NLE) does handle these files.
Unfortunately not all of the options or rules are documented which make a QT file a good QT file or do make it a good QT file for FCP (or anything else). With QT there are – like with any container format – some headers which are used do describe how the content should be handled or anything which might be used for anything else. There might be subtitles, markers, chapters or something like an iXML with audio.
Jeremy does know a bit about how I handle for example P2 MXF and that files can be prepared upfront to contain the right data.
It’s like juggling — sometimes this is done well, sometimes not (even within the Apple programming teams).

One thing (as I said above) you always can do is to strip down a QT file to its basics via simple AppleScript and a bit of reading and logic. That’s why I learned AppleScript and the basics of QT.
You also may try to use the ‘Batch Export’ or maybe Compressor to ‘flatten’ the files to the basics.

Andreas

Spherico
https://www.spherico.com/filmtools

[Andreas Kiel]

The new firmware V3 should be out soon or is already.

Andreas

Spherico
https://www.spherico.com/filmtools

[David Jahns]

Just tried to Media Manage an Alexa v3 project – same issues.

I’m transferring the ProRes 4×4 QT files with 2 sec handles to a finish facility – wound up having to manually set ins & outs and export shot by shot.

Next time, I’ll try Batch Export of all used clips and relinking to those, then try the Media Manager again.

David Jahns
Joint Editorial
Portland, OR

[Ben Watts]

We got the same error message when we were trying to media manage an entire feature film shot on the Alexa for our colorist. When we simply tried to “Copy” using Media Manager, the files wouldn’t work at all. However, we figured out that we could use “Recompress” to ProRes 4×4, and it worked just fine.

The only problem is, everything doesn’t seem to be fine. All the files were there, but not as QT movies, as others have stated. Solution? Batch rename everything (free download from anywhere on the web) so that they all ended in .mov, and problem solved. Brought everything back into FCP, pointed to the media managed folder, and everything lined up perfectly.

Hopefully this will help with some of your issues.

Ben
Final Frame Post

[Bjarki Gudjonsson]

Hi guys.

Just had the same problem here. Couldn’t copy or recompress, getting error numbers 34 and 14 respectively. Duplicated the timeline, removed all audio and everything worked. Strange one.

B.

[Christopher Travis]

Hey all,

I’m having this problem and it seems to be a problem with the length of the clip names generated by the Alexa. It copies all the clips but they end in “-v”.

I found a solution on the Apple discusion forums that seems to work though. If I media manage as normal, and “skip” all the errors, then, in Finder, manually replace “-v” with “.mov” the clips reconnect fine. It gives an error message on reconnection but a quick comparison showed that everything linked perfectly.

Hope this helps.