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Activity Forums Apple Final Cut Pro Legacy Batch add tape names to QT files?

  • Batch add tape names to QT files?

    Posted by Karel Voners on August 8, 2014 at 10:10 pm

    Hello,

    I’m working on a big documentary production that relies heavily on found footage, the entire footage library is about 30TB at this point. Most of this footage has found it’s way to FCP at this point in Pores proxy, coming from internet, dvd, vhs…

    The assistant editor never gave any tape names to the footage because it was never captured from tape or memory cards. This is becoming a problem towards the online where we want to do a consolidate for example. (FCP7 does not consolidate without tape names).

    Is there a way to batch change tape names to lots of files? Perhaps with an external application? To perhaps put the filename as tape name?

    I found MetaCheater but this is for creating shot lists and what not, I don’t think it alters any source file metadata?

    Any help more then appreciated!
    K.

    Karel Voners replied 11 years, 8 months ago 3 Members · 5 Replies
  • 5 Replies
  • Shane Ross

    August 8, 2014 at 10:15 pm

    I don’t know of any, but a question I have is…how was this converted to ProRes Proxy? If you did this OUTSIDE of FCP, then onlining will be very tedious and tricky. See, the only way to “batch capture” only the sections of shots used in the cut (with handles) is if you used Log and Transfer. If you converted outside of FCP, then you’ll have to do the full res conversion outside of FCP as well, and manually cut the footage back in. Because the timecode may not match, and for sure you’ll have the same issue with REEL NUMBERS.

    Shane
    Little Frog Post
    Read my blog, Little Frog in High Def

  • Nick Meyers

    August 10, 2014 at 12:56 am

    ditto what Shane says.
    do all your archival clips start with zero TC?
    then there’s a problem.

    do all of them have burnt in TC?
    then your assistant has some work to do!

    BUT to answer your question:
    i believe QT CHange will batch change reel#s

    you can *sort of * do it within FCP, too.

    change one clip to the reel# you want,
    select all the clips you want to have that reel# (including the one you just changed)

    RIGHT CLICK on the reel# of the one you just changed in the reel column of the browser,
    and you get a list of all see#s in your project,
    chose the one you want, and all will change.

    good luck
    nick

  • Karel Voners

    August 11, 2014 at 3:07 pm

    Hi,

    Thanks for the feedback, yes all clips have been converted outside FCP. Compressor, Mpeg Streamclip etc…

    The film will be 70% archive material in different frame rates, formats etc… I was expecting to have to online manually and having to re-cut from scratch but that’s okay.

    The only issue at this point was consolidating to hand over roughcuts to archivists who need to clear the rights.

    But I’ll try the suggested tricks.

    Also, changing the reel names, will it have consequences anywhere else? A lot of the footage lives on different timelines, previous cuts, thematic selections… I’d hate to change the source file and see unexpected things happen. FCP warns that you are about to change the original file.

    Thanks for the suggestions!

    Karel.

  • Nick Meyers

    August 11, 2014 at 3:11 pm

    “Also, changing the reel names, will it have consequences anywhere else?”

    those clips will come up as offline in other projects.
    it’s a pretty easy re-connect, as FCP will find them.

    a way around that is to have as many projects open as possible while you change the reel #s
    if the project is open, the changes will be registered.

    nick

  • Karel Voners

    September 5, 2014 at 4:27 pm

    I ended up using QT CHange but did have a few hiccups.

    The media in FCP did not go offline but stayed online and the reelname just appeared.

    However in the following weeks the project started to behave strangely.

    All of a sudden completely unrelated audio clips started to get linked together. Sometimes on complete opposite sides of the timeline.

    In other instances the sound was off sync by 30 seconds.

    But all issues have been resolved, they have gradually disappeared. (sometimes completely overnight).

    Bottom line, get an assistant who adds reelnames to all media upon ingesting –> you will have less sleepless nights.

    Cheers!
    K.

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