Avid – Alexa, RED, and LUT question.

[Michael Hancock]

Job ter Burg has a great post about this here:

https://forums.creativecow.net/thread/45/884148

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Michael Hancock
Editor

[Michael Phillips]

Just make sure you settle on how you want to interpret the REEL info – you can use what is embedded (8 characters) or the entire filename. This is set up in Resolve on the configuration page. If you start with embedded, and then choose later to relink via AMA to the “un-lUT’d” files for conform and color correction it may not work due to differences in REEL ID assignment. So make sure you decide how you want to finish and master and work backwards from there.

Michael

Michael Phillips

[Michael Phillips]

And the reason it worked for RED R3D is that Media Composer supports the RMD file, RED’s version of LUT in the sense that it contains all the color metadata that gets applied to the RAW image. This is done via the RED SDK that is part of the R3D AMA plug-in. Media Composer does not yet have a generic LUT support for different camera formats at this time.

Michael

Michael Phillips

[Andrew Thompson]

Thanks for this very valuable and helpful information – It’s much appreciated!

[Oliver Peters]

Hi,

There are a number of ways to deal with this. You can convert in Media Composer or convert externally for editorial. To apply LUTs, you can use SpeedGrade, Resolve, Redcine-X Pro (RED only) or FCP “legacy”. My own recipe would be this:

RED – use Redcine-X Pro to convert file
ALEXA – use FCP 7 to apply a LUT filter to source clips and then batch export (renders on export) edit-ready files

I’ve blogged a fair bit about ALEXA workflows. Info here:

https://digitalfilms.wordpress.com/2010/11/04/arri-alexa-post-part-1/
https://digitalfilms.wordpress.com/2010/11/12/arri-alexa-post-part-2/
https://digitalfilms.wordpress.com/2010/11/18/arri-alexa-post-part-3/
https://digitalfilms.wordpress.com/2011/05/21/arri-alexa-post-part-4/
https://digitalfilms.wordpress.com/2011/05/27/arri-alexa-post-part-5/

Cheers,
Oliver

Oliver Peters Post Production Services, LLC
Orlando, FL
http://www.oliverpeters.com

[Andrew Thompson]

Hi Oliver,

Thanks for the links to your blog. Before it slips away I wanted to ask about another method we came across. Are you familiar with either of these devices; Sound Devices PIX 240 or an AJA Ki Pro Mini? From what I understand they can attach as ‘camera sidecars’ that simultaneously record REC709 and LogC. Is that correct? If so, can we edit with REC709 and make EDL’s from Media Composer that reference the LogC clips?

[Michael Phillips]

That is certainly a solution to consider. Since the HD-SDI uses a REC.709 LUT for monitoring, then it is already applied when recording to DNxHD in the recorder. It also eliminates the transcode step as it happens in real time during the recording process.

Michael

Michael Phillips

[Andrew Thompson]

Michael, do you know if there is any way we can double check that the LogC material and the Rec709 are mirrored exactly? Are there any scenarios that include a total meltdown we when go to do the DI when using one of those camera components?

[Michael Phillips]

I’ve only done workflow conform verification with the PIX240 and R3D files – I have yet to get sample files for PIX and Arri – the one step you need to absolutely do is conform the timecode match with a quick test on-set. The PIX240 allows you to enter an offset to make sure it matches for whatever delays might be introduced from sensor to LUT over HD-SDI. So while the first frame of recorder file may not be the same (~1-3 frames), the timecode of the first frame of the DNxHD proxy should be the same frame in the Arri/RED file (for example, the clap frame).

I also don’t know for Arri whether it sends the 8 character Reel_Name or the entire Filename – either way, as long as you conform system works with either one, then you’re good.

Michael

Michael Phillips

[Andrew Thompson]

I get what you’re saying about the REEL ID but I’d like to clarify what I think i’m reading about matching timecodes.

We would run a camera test and check to see if sync points on both LogC and Rec709 footage have matching time code. If they don’t then we would apply an offset on the box.

Is that correct?