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Cross Dissolves
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I’m not sure how film is linear. It may not be computerized, but it is random-accessed. In fact much of editing in FCP uses film editing methodologies, though a whole lot faster, if not as tactile. IMHO.
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Boyd,
The definition of “non-linear” is that media can be accessed and played back from disk by heads that can move at random to any point on a disk instantly. Film and tape must be shuttled or run in a straight line (i.e. linear) past a stationary head in order to access different parts of the tape or of the film. This is why you need to wait while the tape in your camera rewinds in order to see the bars and tone at the head of the tape, but once it digitized you can instantly access the head, tail, or any point in between. The same is true of film, it must be run backwards or forwards in a linear fashion to view or access different parts of the film on a reel, and you must wait for the part that you want to access while the rest of the material passes by.
Does that help you to understand the difference?
David Roth Weiss
Director/Editor
David Weiss Productions, Inc.
Los AngelesPOST-PRODUCTION WITHOUT THE USUAL INSANITY ™
A forum host of Creative COW’s Apple Final Cut Pro, Business & Marketing, and Indie Film & Documentary forums.
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A nonlinear system is a system which is not linear, i.e. a system which does not satisfy the superposition principle. Less technically, a nonlinear system is any problem where the variable(s) to be solved for cannot be written as a linear sum of independent components. A nonhomogenous system, which is linear apart from the presence of a function of the independent variables, is nonlinear according to a strict definition, but such systems are usually studied alongside linear systems, because they can be transformed to a linear system as long as a particular solution is known.
Colin McQuillan
Van. B.C. -
DAVID!!!
Another thread hijacking, and you’re right in the middle of it! ;>)
Have a wonderful day.
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Film has always been linear, just like tape to tape editing.
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Just out of curiosity, do you know how Film is digitized?
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Ryan,
As long as you’re in on this hijacking, fine. Film is digitized on a machine called a telecine, and it can either be laid to tape or to a digital file. This is done by a colorist, people who may have a great set of eyes but make absurd amounts of money to make it look the way their clients want it.
This is done a post houses such as Complete Post in LA, if you visit their site you can see what it all about.
Have a wonderful day.
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Ok, thank you. I was just inquiring about dissolves and my question is answered.
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David,
If you want to go by technical definitions, I know “an NLE” refers to one of the current crop of computer-based editing systems such as FCP, AVID, etc. Also, by the strict definition, “linear editing” refers specifically to a tape-based editing system that uses one or more source decks that then record to a VTR. In these cases, film-based editing occupies its own niche.
However, in a broader sense, what constitutes linear and non-linear goes beyond just being able to instantly place your playhead at some point. It’s not about “scrubbing” through footage in a linear fashion. What makes tape-based editing systems linear is that cuts must be made sequentially. The most common example would be making an insert edit. You would need to reconstruct in some fashion all the edits that came after the inserted footage. In non-linear editing, the footage after the insert is just pushed down the timeline and doesn’t need to be recreated.
As for random access, film is random accessed, if not to the same degree, speed, and precision of a computer-based NLE. In film editing, footage is broken down into discrete clips and organized into bins (a lot of the nomenclature for FCP comes from film editing). In film editing, you don’t need to scrub through Takes 1, 2, 3, and 4 to get to Take 5. You grab Take 5. In a tape-based system, you would need to scrub pass the first 4 Takes to get to Take 5. At that point, all editing takes on a linear quality, even in “an NLE”, while you look for the exact in and out points to make a good edit (aesthetically, etc.).
One could even make an argument that film is the original “digital” format. One frame is one frame. It’s either on or off. (yes, I being somewhat humorous and realize that film isn’t really digital and doesn’t meet most, or even all, the criteria for being digital. In the same way that I understand the difference between film editing and computer-based nonlinear editing.)
The point of my original comment was that film editing has a lot in common with today’s crops of NLEs and the way we edit today has its roots in film editing, hence me saying editing film was the “original NLE”. Anyways, for those that want to view film/film editing as being “linear” that’s fine. I disagree, and won’t belabor the point.
Regards,
Boyd
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