Edit at 29.97 – Capture 29.97 – Convert 29.97 Edl to 23.976 – Reconnect Workflow

[Sean Oneil]

I don’t believe there are any workaround other than what you are doing. The EDL has been “media managed” (can’t think of a better term) so it’s only using footage that was in the edit (plus handles). So every clip requires it’s own piece of media.

Also, when you do get it all done, some of your edit points will be shited a frame sooner or later. This is due to non-film-safe edit points being during the 29.97 editing. And when you get it all sorted out, God help you if there are were speed changes, freeze-frames, etc.

This is why it’s so much better to run the footage through Cinema Tools before you edit anything. I wish more Avid editors were up to speed on this.

Sean

[Sean Oneil]

[Dave LaRonde] “You may not even have to futz with pulldown. Here’s a list of reasons why you’d need to remove pulldown and edit at 23.976:

• You’re doing a film-out
• Your goal is to make a 24p DVD
• You’re doing motion graphics or effects work whose motion has to absolutely, positively match the motion of the film frame rate

If you’re doing NONE of the above, I don’t know of any compelling reasons to remove the pulldown. If there are, I’d like to know.”

That’s all good and true if this were 1998. Nowadays televisions are almost all progressive scan/HD now, and footage is often viewed online as well. You need to have clean 3:2 pulldown cadence in your SD deliveries so that digital TV decoders can know how to deinterlace it properly.

Sean

[Dominik Bochenski]

Besides the point that Sean made, I am doing motion graphics and effects. My system, works, but is frustrating because FCP should recognize all the missing clips in that folders (filenames and timecodes match)… Instead, it relinks one and stops the process. I have to go through the relink process once per cut.

[Sean Oneil]

[Dominik Bochenski] “FCP should recognize all the missing clips in that folders (filenames and timecodes match)… Instead, it relinks one and stops the process. I have to go through the relink process once per cut.”

See if they have different reel names. If so, try making them all the same. That might solve the problem. I can’t help you too much as I have never done an EDL conversion. When I’ve found myself in that situation, I usually go a different route. I was busy earlier and didn’t think to explain this.

First off, one thing you might not realize is that you can assign 29.97 timecode to 23.98 video. Use the “Modify->Timecode” feature in FCP to your advantage. What this will allow you to do is bypass the need to convert a 29.97 EDL to a 23.98 EDL. You can simply just recapture your source footage and run it through Cinema Tools. Then you import those “.rev” clips into a temp FCP project and modify the timecode so that it’s 29.97 again. Close the temp project and open your real one. Reconnect the sequence to the new .rev media, fix any flash frames, and you’re done. You’ll get a warning that the reel name, rate, and length are different. Just ignore it.

Sean

[Dominik Bochenski]

The modify frame rate feature does sound useful…. but I don’t think it solves my issue. You see, I have to match my online precisely to the 29.97 edit. (Understanding about a frame off here and there)

If I use your method, won’t that mean that my scenes play back faster and show more of each shot?

[Sean Oneil]

[Dominik Bochenski] “If I use your method, won’t that mean that my scenes play back faster and show more of each shot?”

No it doesn’t. “Modify-Timecode” doesn’t change the frame rate or the playback speed. All it does is change the timecode format. It’s just like changing drop-frame to non-drop frame. The video is not altered at all.

This isn’t some weird theory. I do this all the time.

I understand your confusion on how this works. It tough to explain. Trying it out is the best way. Take a 23.98 clip that came from Cinema Tools. Use “Modify Timecode” and change the timecode format from 24 to 30. Now jog through the clip in the viewer or a timeline and watch the source TC numbers. You will then understand 100% what I’m talking about, and you will then realize how you can now reconnect to your 29.97 sequence while using 23.98 footage and everything will match up and your edited piece will now playback at 23.98 (after you copy and paste it to a 23.98 sequence that is).

Sean