FCP 4.5 dropping frames

[Kyle]

Yeah I thought this would have been a problem from the beginning too but, just by looking at the footage it did not look like 24P which is why I shot it on that camera. Upon looking at the logging info and watching the timceode it is 29.97 so somehow that little dial did not stick on the f6 setting to shoot 24p. So I’ve used a DVX to digitize originally and it didn’t work any better than my consumer DV camera. So, I’m not sure what the problem is exactly other than a problem with the recording? I originally set up my sequence for 24p but I then realized it did not shoot that way. I guess I could try a pulldown but the footage actually is 29.97 so I wouldn’t think that would do anything!

Thanks

[Don Greening]

Nope you’re right. If the footage is 29.97 then trying to remove a non-existant pulldown won’t do a thing for you. So you just need to make sure you import your footage @ 29.97 into a DV NTSC 48K 29.97 timeline, edit using the same preset and output the same as well. Without looking over your shoulder to see what’s happening I don’t have any more help or ideas to offer. You said that once the footage is on the hard drive it playse back just fine, so it can’t be a transfer rate problem. Has to be a preset within FCP that’s giving you trouble or an issue with running a tape recorded with your other camera in the DVX-100A and there’s a tape alignment issue. But I’d say no to that as well because you said that you had the same trouble with your consumer cam connected with FW.

I just dunno.

– Don

[Keith Mann]

Hey,

The pull down menu of utility lets you turn off journaling. No need to re-format. Really bad design on the radio button that only lets you turn it on – but not off.

[Kyle]

If the re-renting the camera does not help do you think changing the pulldown on the sequence and upon capture may help?? ie 3:2 or 2:3???

[Don Greening]

Thanks. Wasn’t aware of that. I just noticed in the toolbar at the top of the Disk Utiliy window is the option to click on “Turn Journaling On” and “Turn Journaling Off”.

– Don

[Don Greening]

Even though you said you were pretty sure the footage was recorded at normal 29.97 all I can suggest is that you try the two 24p ways. Obviously the 29.97 capture preset isn’t working for you. If one of them transfers from tape to computer without issue then you’ve found the actual framerate of your footage, whether it be 24p or 24pA. If your footage was indeed captured at one of the 24p settings it won’t matter what you’re using for a deck because 24fps footage is recorded with imbedded flags that tell FCP to remove pulldown on the fly during transfer. FCP will also put back the pulldown on the fly when you print back to tape.

But read this first:

https://www.kenstone.net/fcp_homepage/24p_in_FCP_nattress.html

– Don

[Kyle]

Thanks I might try that,

But, I wanted to know any and everyones ideas on some specific problems now that I’ve tried a few things: I originally digitized the footage with someone elses DVX100 other than the one I shot it on. After everyhing, I re-formatted my drives and started over, this time digitizing with a nice consumer Panasonic DV camera (and it was recorded with Panasonic stock). The footage seems to freeze the hard drive now in different spots than it did when I initially captured it and I’m having a hard time even getting the client (luckily just my brother’s friends…although it is their wedding) a rough edit of everything to DVD. It seems to me that if I try and keep capturing the same spots over and over I might be able to get a “good capture” once in a while, although I can’t feasibly do this with 4 hrs. of footage though. I have tried what FC and other sources tell you to do as a troubleshooter such as: lowering real time audio tracks, closing open sequences, not having the viewer, canvas windows overlapping, turning off journaling, making sure sequence and capture setting are for the same and correct frame rate, lowering real time rendering to safe etc. etc.

Do you ( or anyone) think it’s the camera having a bad alignment that only occasionally causes dropped frames althought it does it in both the same spot every time along with new spots occasionally Or is there some function of FCP that is causing this or could it just be a capture problem, ie a bad connection between the firewire cable and computer? Like I said before it plays back on the camera just fine and it always shows 29 frames before it goes back to zero and not 24. I still haven’t figured out why the camera “sees” a “timecode break” and stops digitizing when there is no apparent zeroing of the timecode, no stutter in the video and or timecode…it always seems to be smooth although most of the breaks are between shots, meaning going from the camera being turned off to on or from standby to on. I’m trying to get the camera to re-rent it to see if it’s a camera issue and I’ll try and see if I can get some help from work from a FCP editor as well. Does anyone know if Apple has any free technical support for their software or can you only talk to someone for their $800 Professional Video support fee????

Thank you all

[Kyle]

Let me reply to myself again,

I rented the camera I shot the footage on and yes it still has the timecode breaks at the same time as before, no big deal. I then decide to make a new sequence based on the 24P advanced mode of the DVX100A. Without rendering it seemed great, no clicking of the hard drive no dropped frames, until I rendered and same old problems!!! It seemed to work better with drop frame turned off???? and the sequence set to standard video which is all that’s needed if you shoot in 24p normal, unfortunately I don’t remember what preset I shot on but no matter what settings I use in FCPHD it doesn’t seem to help. So, as a last result I decided to try and import into IMovie HD just to see, upon digitizing and not playback (as in FCPHD) I hear the hard drive click and see the video freeze. Remarkably, upon playback there are no dropped frames and the hard drive does not lock up and everything seems fine….ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!!!!! IMovie can figure this out but FCP can’t???????? I haven’t gone further into this but this seems like a quick fix to at least get the raw footage out before the holidays, which is my goal. Anybody out there who has had similar success with Imovie being less finicky or picky than FCP when it comes to digitzing and/or playback????? It seems the camera just recorded with glitches or the tape stock was bad because no setting I come up with on FCP helps although somehow Imovie has no problem with it and it has kept everything in sync!

Perplexed

[Graeme Nattress]

iMovie captures the DV stream as is, FCP captures it and wraps it up as a .MOV – very different!

Now, for any 24p material that’s causing bother, I suggest capturing with the most basic NTSC DV preset (no pulldown stuff) and see if you can get that in ok. And then try the remove pulldown tools in FCP and cinema tools once you’ve got it in ok.

Graeme

– http://www.nattress.com – Film Effects and Standards Conversion for FCP

[Don Greening]

There’ll be a little extra something in your stocking this christmas for your trouble 🙂

– Don