FCP X support added to Movie*Slate app

[Gerry Fraiberg]

FCP X support is added to Movie*Slate app for iPad and iPhone in v3.6 update, released July 10.

– History reports – added Final Cut Pro X FCPXML report. MoveSlate exports its timecode-stamped notes as FCPX clip markers, and automatically generates FCPX keywords using History meta-data. Chooses which keywords will be auto-generated from MovieSlate’s Settings > Shot Log History > Final Cut Reports > FCP XML Keywords. During a shot, you can manually add shot-splecific FCPX keywords by tapping the keyword button in the Slate’s shot-in-progress screen. You can also manually add FCPX keywords to existing shots by tapping the keyword button from a shot’s History details screen.

– Camera Optics & History – added a new Resolution field for use in Final Cut Pro X XML, CSV and HTML reports.

– Slate – Added FCPX Keywords Note button to the shot-in-progress screen.

Disclosure: I have no affiliation with PureBlend Software other than that I bought the MovieSlate app.

[Jeremy Garchow]

Nice.

How do you attach this info to footage?

[Gerry Fraiberg]

I haven’t tried this yet, but the MovieSlate app generates reports, which are then emailed from the iPad to your Mac. The files are in Final Cut Pro X XML format, and are ingested into FCPX. You can read more on the MovieSlate web site, although it has not been updated for the new FCPX features:

https://www.movie-slate.com/Reports/

Gerry

[Gerry Fraiberg]

It looks like it’s done by keywords.

In the iPad MovieSlate app, go to Settings, and select Shot Log History. There is a section for Final Cut Pro Reports, which includes:

– FCPX XML Keywords – 7 fields
– FCP7 XML Markers – in shots
– FCP7 XML Export – everything

When selecting FCPX XML Keywords, we find: “MovieSlate can auto-generate Final Cut Pro X keywords using content from the fields you choose below.”

Preselected fields which are check marked include: Keyword Notes, Marker Notes, Picture (ratings), Sound (ratings), Producer, Roll. These can be deselected. Other available fields include DIRector, DP, CAMera, SLATE, Scene, Take, Circled Take, False Take, Title, six fields labelled DATA, INT, EXT, NITE, MOS, UBITS, State/Province, Date, Duration, FPS.

Gerry

[Jeremy Garchow]

Fcpx has such a specific reconnect method, I am wondering how this will work with cameras that don’t shoot QT media, and even with those that do.

If you get a minute to test, please let us know how it goes.

Thanks, Gerry.

Jeremy

[Gerry Fraiberg]

I believe that MovieSlate is camera agnostic. The FCPXML is generated on the iPad based on timecode, not codec. I will try to find tome to run a test, but strangely enough things have gotten busy this summer.

From the MovieSlate web site:

Save time and money.

This professional film and video production tool is the easy way to log footage and take notes as you shoot— saving you valuable time later when capturing/editing, and creating reports. All at a mere fraction of a bulky digital clapperboard’s cost.
How MovieSlate can help you.
MovieSlate is a slate and clapper board— traditional movie-making tools for syncing picture with sound, and photographing shot/production info when starting and ending takes.
MovieSlate logs notes and info effortlessly as you shoot. With accurate notes, you’ll save time by capturing only the good footage during post production.
MovieSlate exports notes and logs to files of various formats— so you can:
Generate Daily Shot Reports
Maintain long-term History Archives
Ingest shot data into Apple Final Cut Pro 7, Avid Media Composer, and Adobe Premiere

WiFi Sync with other MovieSlates.
Send timecode and data via WiFi from one iOS device running MovieSlate to another..
Remotely control MovieSlate iPads.
Using a WiFi sync connection, remotely trigger an iPad’s MovieSlate clap from another iOS device running MovieSlate.

[Jeremy Garchow]

[Gerry Fraiberg] “I believe that MovieSlate is camera agnostic. The FCPXML is generated on the iPad based on timecode, not codec.”

Right. But you can’t reconnect in FCPX via tc.

Maybe it’s just a “keyword creator” and you can drag your footage to them once imported.

If shooting say, P2 for example, this slate and the imported report have nothing in common, except tc.

[Tony Brittan]

The app alloows for a cam to be plugged into it via the headphone input and you can use it to sync the slate to the cams TC. I think that’s what you’re asking?

[Andreas Kiel]

[Jeremy]

[Gerry Fraiberg] “I believe that MovieSlate is camera agnostic. The FCPXML is generated on the iPad based on timecode, not codec.”

Right. But you can’t reconnect in FCPX via tc.

Maybe it’s just a “keyword creator” and you can drag your footage to them once imported.

If shooting say, P2 for example, this slate and the imported report have nothing in common, except tc.

Using XML you can do pre-editing-keywords. To import this XML flawless you probably need some little third party app.
So the issue is to find the right clip. The iApp has to know on which drive/volume the event will be stored and on which drive/volume the clips will be stored. With clips it also needs the exact name of the clip to make it work flawless. Latter one can be painful.

In case the event volume can’t be found the event will be created on the boot drive. In case the clips aren’t found they are offline but can be relinked. And there the trouble with names come up.
That’s no workflow I like.

Depending on the camera type you’ve to edit scene, take, note, angle etc additionally and that’s another part of the workflow which is no fun.

Jeremy’s P2 example is a good example for the long way FCPX and 3rd party developers still have to go.
With P2 the P2 XML is recognized by FCPX and many metadata will be imported, but it takes way to much time to wrap these clips into containers and to copy them (in my opinion). But at least you got some metadata – if they where present. But you also get a kind of messy data as the camera name is retrieved from the P2 card name, makes no sense at all, also reel names are made from the P2 card name which makes even less sense in the ages of file based workflows (spanned clips will in theory have two reels)

Anyway, now if you want to use the described iApp you have to merge the metadata of the P2 files with the metadata of the FCPXML – and there is the dead end.
You can import the FCPXML and relink the files, but then your files metadata are lost, but you have markers and keywords. You can build a new XML (in theory) which will have both the keywords and the original metadata, but no metadata like reel, scene, take, comments are supported by FCPX with XML.
And now imagine you want to use external audio and merge the metadata of the audio with a clip – you’re back again with everything to zero.

It wasn’t possible with FCP as well, but the structure of legacy FCP XML left the door open for a big truck, FCPX XML gives you a mouse hole.

So the app is a nice gadget for FCPX for those who only care about keywords. FCPX is not ready for this app, as well as for the apps the company has created.

Andreas

Spherico
https://www.spherico.com/filmtools

[Jeremy Garchow]

That’s exactly what I mean Andreas. Thanks for explaining.

It will be hard to attach the report to the footage, so for now it looks like we import the report, and attach the footage to the report.

I’m all for useful metadata. I hope that someday FCPX opens this up a bit more up allow some real work to get done outside the app and brought back in.

I’m glad there’s at least a mouse hole. That means we can still have some cheese. Looks like we have to wait a little longer for the wine.