Blackmagic Cinema Camera – edit workflow using 12 bit RAW CinemaDNG

[Juan Salvo]

The answer is no today for sure. When it’s released… Probably not. The camera comes with a resolve license, and the thinking is that you should use resolve to process dailies. So you would open the DNG files in resolve, render out with a lut for 709. Edit in your nle of choice, then recon form in resolve with the raw files, do your final grade. Then render out for delivery.

Could they make a plugin for direct support in fcpx? Probably. Will they? I dunno, don’t think you need it personally,

online editor | colorist | VFX | BD author

https://JuanSalvo.com

[Rick Lang]

Thank you for your answer. At least that’s one feasible and reasonable approach if the NLE doesn’t provide native access. And relying on DaVinci Resolve and Media Express will ensure compatibility.

Rick Lang

iMac 27” 2.8GHz i7 16GB

[Tim Schultz]

What I’m most curious about is the true round tripping. So I shoot RAW, I go into Reslove to pre-process dailies because no client wants to watch grayed footage while cutting, I then edit with my producer/director but this isn’t the final “grade” we really want simply processed dailies. So when I finish, how in AVID or FCP do I then take my timeline referring to those processed files that I’ve been cutting with (in DNxHD or ProRes) and tell Resolve to look at my master RAW files with the pre-processed grade information that should be saved some how so that I can do the final color timing quickly and efficiently from my final edited timeline but still retain all of the quality of the original RAW files I’ve kept around for mastering? Cause shooting in DNxHD or ProRes if I’m in a pinch is great but I don’t think that’s what high end pros are going to want to do with this camera, I think the workflow, if it can be done, would be the norm.

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Mac Pro 3,1 2.8ghz 8-Core, Nvidia GTX 285 (S1), BMD HD Extreme 3D (S3)

[Juan Salvo]

In resolve you just force conform to the folder containing your raw media. Done. Assuming you didn’t change TC & reel info in the qt dailies you made.

online editor | colorist | VFX | BD author

https://JuanSalvo.com

[Tim Schultz]

But that’s just going to get me back to the unprocessed files. If my pre-grage was acceptable for even 20% of the final product I’d want to retain that information. I’m wondering how that is saved? XML for FCP and AAF for Avid? Do those NLEs have the ability to pass on that kind of non-destructive information back to Resolve if I do this force link you speak of?

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Mac Pro 3,1 2.8ghz 8-Core, Nvidia GTX 285 (S1), BMD HD Extreme 3D (S3)

[Juan Salvo]

The raw to 709 is a standard lut. You can easily apply it in resolve.

Or if you did more complex grades, you can save them in resolve and then reapply them into the session, or use the color trace function.

The answer to your question is yes… In various different ways. its almost as of resolve was specifically designed for just this kind of work. 😉

online editor | colorist | VFX | BD author

https://JuanSalvo.com

[Tim Schultz]

Thanks Juan. Good info.

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Mac Pro 3,1 2.8ghz 8-Core, Nvidia GTX 285 (S1), BMD HD Extreme 3D (S3)

[Rick Lang]

Juan, apparently it is designed for this kind of work! Cinema Camera RAW
-> log with Media Express
-> Resolve for quick edit for dailies
-> render 709 for FCPX for final edit using a ProRes proxy
-> XML back to Resolve for conform and final grade using RAW
-> render desired final forms for distribution.

Thanks for the help! Perhaps release 9.0 will assist or simplify the actual steps required but will still follow this approach.

Rick Lang

iMac 27” 2.8GHz i7 16GB

[Juan Salvo]

I think you can skip the log with media express part. You can add metadata on the camera, that metadata gets carried through in resolve to the qts.

Don’t think v9 will change steps, but the interface is a bit easier.

online editor | colorist | VFX | BD author

https://JuanSalvo.com

[Pat Horridge]

I know it’s going to be hardware dependent but what sort of processing time is the Resolve dailies going to take?
Also it’s an expensive setup for just processing offline footage isn’t it?
With the move towards direct access to media for immediate selects are their plans for an Avid AMA plugin?

Also if you offline in FCPX or Avid and you do any grading how will this go back to Resolve (and would it even mean anything as it’s based on a pre 709 LUT having been applied?).
Can Resolve read and understand an FCPX or Avid color correction effect? No point baking them in by rendering if you then link the sequence back to the RAW media.
Seems to be any grading in the offline should be seen as viewing grades only and will be lost when going back to resolve for the finishing grade.

Pat Horridge
Technical Director, Trainer, Avid Certified Instructor
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