FCP altering the duration of original files

[Simon Arnold]

Because of the sheer number of shots and people we have rendering we it has to be an automated system. We have multiple versions for internal use, client sends etc. FCP is only used for managing and updating cuts and this is where we are noticing the discrepancies. Besides its not the audio that is causing the issue as it happens with or without it also the problem is only noticed and made worse when the files go in to FCP so that would never work. It seems to be the different way in which applications write the timebase in quicktime. FCP seems to be finicky in reading this data and rounds down were ever possible loosing the last frame, were as quicktime itself seems to leave it all alone.

[Jeremy Garchow]

[Simon Arnold] “FCP seems to be finicky in reading this data and rounds down were ever possible loosing the last frame, were as quicktime itself seems to leave it all alone.”

I can’t believe that FCP would ‘recalculate’ this data. Very odd.

[Simon Arnold]

I Know, why it can do this is shocking. You never want your original source messed around with but it does and I have tried it on all our systems and it does it on our clients systems as well. We have found however that it does seem to be files made from quicktime library or quicktime itself that cause the issue in FCP compressor is fine and conformed files from CT are fine. Just did another test. Had a clip that missed off the frame, we recreated it and then conformed in CT. All was fine in FCP with it. We then decided to rexport this file again from QT and low and behold it makes the problem reoccur.

Its a shame we cannot use compressor but it really is not up to the load we will put through it and it will not report back to our other systems like our current system does. Also they did try it before and vowed never to use it again in our general pipeline.

[Jeremy Garchow]

I was thinking more about this (sorry, just trying to help). When you use Quicktime, do you set the frame rate to 23.98 or ‘current’?

I found when using current, QT doesn’t actually use 23.976 properly, but when setting to 23.98 it’s fine.

Jeremy

[Christopher James]

I’ve had the SAME problem. What we wound up doing was dragging the clip into Cinema Tools and clicking the “Conform” button on the bottom, changing the settings to 23.98, and clicking “Conform.” Then, the last frame magically appeared in Final Cut. Sooooo weird…