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Documentary – What format for Canon/AVID pairing?
Hey there.
I am doing my first documentary and want to make sure it’s shot in the right format, etc.
I am filming with both a Canon XF 300, Canon 60D and Canon 5D… and am going to be cutting on AVID MC 5.5.
What should my shooting format be? 1920, 1280, 1080, 720… interlaced or progressive… 24 or 23.97 or 60i or 60p?
I got the following info off the Canon site: “Clips that were recorded using the 50Mbps (4:2:2), 1280×720, 24P video configuration cannot be used with Avid Media Composer 4.0.5/5.0.0 & NewsCutter 8.0.5/9.0.0” – is this information still correct with AVID 5.5?
Any additional hardware or software/drivers that I need to have in place before digitizing begins? Any other issues to beware of before that time, either with shooting format or AVID stuff?
Based on the recommended format, how many CF cards do you recommend for doc shooting? What’s the recording time for the cards? What reader do you recommend for the CF cards to get the footage into the AVID? What size drive(s) do you recommend for this type of project? Raid or no? (I am planning to get a G-Tech drive as opposed to a LaCie.)
How do the files come in off the CF card (in what camera format)? Do they automatically default and come in as MXF files when digitizing into the AVID?
Basically, I just want to make sure my workflow is good “go” to save everyone a ton of pain and expense down the line. Filmmaking is hard work and a lot can go wrong but this is one area that I have control over to make sure it’s right from the get-go.
Wow. That’s a lot of questions. Thanks for all your help!
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1 Reply
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Frame rate:
If your intention is to go international and your prime audience is NOT in NTSC world, shoot 23.976
If it is mainly for the cinema, shoot 23.976
(23.976 is always progressive)If it is mainly for broadcasting in europe / pal world, shoot 25 interlaced.
Amount of CF cards is up to you. It highly depends on the amount you are shooting.
But in any case, you should offload during the shoot, or at least at the end of each day.
This to make backups and free your cards. Make 2 backups, one an exact copy of the card, and two, media ready to work with.
A tool for that is here:
https://www.videotoolshed.com/product/15/offloader/3
(creates Avid MXF ready to edit with, either in offline or online quality)The card reader is unimportant, it is just transferring the data as it is. Buy a good one, or you will have broken / bended pins.
And bring 2 for safety / speed. (They are dirt cheap)And they do not come off the card ready to edit, you need to do a bit more.
Most important, start testing the entire workflow before day one.
And the testing will take you two days…Bouke
https://www.videotoolshed.com/
smart tools for video pros
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