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FCS for filmout, shot on RED – a humorous diary…
Hi.
I may have done everything wrong on this production, that’s partly why I post this, but I think this might be informative.
Mission
Small short, shot on RED, to be posted for filmprint @ 2k.Mission hurdles:
FCP’s non-handling of 10-bit RGB material, COLORs dis-love for 25fps dpx sequences. A ton of speedchanges and (really simple) multilayered clips + a lot of really short cuts…Tools:
RED, Crimson, Redline, FCP, Color, Gluetools, AJA DPX to QT wrapper, AJA QT to DPX unwrapper.Workflow:
1. jump into a helicopter and shoot the wilds.
2. Back up footage
3. Make prores proxies for offline
4. Cuts.
This is where I started to get the shakes 🙂
The director wanted a lot of speedchanges and layering (which is fine!. But I realized already then that I’d have saved a ton of time down the line if I could have had the whole project online from start to finish, but at the same time I knew that wasn’t possible with the mentioned hurdles…
5. Preparing the sequence for online
Which means to take all the cuts and put them on one layer without speedchanges. My 5 minute short, was now more than 30 minutes…
6. Batch processing one-light in RedLine via Crimson to DPXs.
I’d have loved to use RedCine for this, but exposure was generally good and the light conditions were sorta consistent, so Batch I went…
7. Re-assembling
With Gluetools FCP sees the DPX sequences as 10-bit 4:4:4 YUV, which is nice. Only problem is that Color craps on 25 fps DPX sequences…
Solution: Wrap each clip (ca 100) with AJA’s qt wrapper…
Re-assemble the 30 minutes in FCP
Send to Color
8. CC
Can colors scopes be set to 0-1024 “graphics” levels? That would have simplified the process further…
9. Call the film-out house… (YES, I KNOW!!! But still 🙂 )
The house wanted the files either as 2k log files with a 0-1023 colorspace or 1080 with REC 709.
The batch processing was done @ 2k… 🙂
we agreed on 1080 REC 709
10. Send to FCP
So now comes the funny part.
Color behaves well with the AJA wrapped DPXs and renders the AJA files just fine.
FCP hates 10 bit rgb if rendering is needed, and we were to stay in 4:4:4
Thus:
11. Use AJA QT –> DPX unwrapper to get back the DPXs… 🙂
12. Re-assemble the sequence as cut with speedchanges and all
13. Export master. (DPX or AJA)The fun part is that what was essentially a days work, baecame 4 due to the workflow.
The result is very good, though.
And on tuesday I’ll get Scratch…Thoughts?
Gunleik
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6 Replies
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Hi
I dunno, to me it sounds like just another day on the bleeding edge, no?
“I like video because its so fast!”
Bob Flood
Greer & Associates, Inc. -
Yup…sounds like the usual stumbing about one does when figuring out new workflows. Similar experience here with P2. But without all the HIGH END stuff the RED does. But it had it’s own issues.
Shane
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Our process has been cut in Avid from Proxies, export EDL, batch process with REDline, then take EDL and DPX sequence to Baselight.
While I haven’t graded any in Color yet, I have been able to import and relink the DPX sequences against the EDL in Color at 25fps without any obvious errors. No speed effects and anything complex though.
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Hi.
I have had some projects where material is sent out to colorist to use with SCRACH and he always asks for TIF or DPX so i have no way to send him speed effects. Always same shot with extra “handle” material. It does not make your life to easy but it gets done if you have worked out the work flow. Yes it is not fun to have extra material for 30 minutes but it is still possible to do it.
But as Shane sayed it is normal to have some “play” time with new work flow.
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Margus
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Actually I don’t mind the DPX’s at all. I rather like them. Once you’ve started to grade DPXs, there’s really no way back.
What I do mind is that I have to switch formats between Color and FCP to keep the files @ 10bit 4:4:4
The best would be
a) RAW all the way until final render
or:
b) One step into DPXs, and stay there untill finish
Because of gamma-bugs, FCPs non-handling of 10 bit RGB material and colors dislike of 25fps image-sequence based projects, I end up with an extra set of (uncompressed) material for each step, and the process takes days instead of hours…
Cheers!
GunleikIt’s gonna be a Red Hot Year
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Most EDL formats support basic motion effects – I haven’t tried in FCP, but I know simple speed effects make it through, I would assume the same should be true of FCP.
Even the early 90’s Accom controller I was using a few years ago could manage with speed effects (in conjunction with the three ‘realtime disc’ units, each capable of 30 seconds of video).
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