-
feature film VFX management in FCP
Hi,
I’m currently assistant editing on an visual effects heavy feature film cutting on FCP 6.0.4. I’ve developed my own workflow for creating EDL’s of plates for DPX pulls, data management in a VFX log that I share with our VFX vendor, and the creation of reference quicktimes for each shot. It all works fine but just feels so painfully manual. I have had some similar (though lesser) experience on VFX-heavy shows cutting on Avid Media Composer and feel that the latter platform is more geared towards this type of work. This seems to be in tune with the common consensus among assistants that I know who cringe at the thought of using FCP in a scenario such as this. Though at the same time, it seems that VFX management from the editorial standpoint has long been an absurdly manual process regardless of the platform.
I’m just wondering if any assistants out there have had any luck automating any part of this process. Is there an easy way to export an EDL with handles for example? Or one that will take into account overlap or an assigned threshold of proximity between the source footage referenced by it and consolidate events accordingly? Is there a quick and accurate way to copy multiple events’ worth of timecode information etc either from FCP or an EDL into a spreadsheet or database software? I’m thinking that automating the export of reference quicktimes with their own burns and handles etc is a lost cause. Would I have better luck with any of these if we were using a media share system like X-Serve or FCP Server?
I know this is kind of a broad question. Any insight would be greatly appreciated!
Cheers,
Aynsley -
8 Replies
-
Ran into similar issues the last feature I did. I found this product – haven’t tried it myself but check it out.
https://www.vfxtracker.net/Index-1.htm
————————-
DK Davis / Editor/ Post Super
————————- -
Coooooool. This looks worth checking out. Thanks for the tip!
-
You might also check out XM|edit’s Traffic. Not exactly what you’re asking for, but a useful tool none the less:
https://www.xmedit.com/case-studies/case-studies-visualfx.html
-
Whew, you are way out of my realm! I can’t recall a similar thread.
Hope you find some good advice and please come back and tell us about the product you selected or how you worked out your automation snags.
Luck and thanks for starting the thread.bogiesan
-
I may get it for my next project. Doing everything manually sucks, even my assistant didn’t want to touch the VFX tracking process so I was stuck doing it all myself… many, many late late nights generating scan lists and databasing and all… not much fun.
Good luck.
————————-
DK Davis / Editor/ Post Super
————————- -
I am refering to getting VFX tracker for feature film projects.
From what I can tell, XM|edit’s Traffic doesn’t really apply to requirements of feature film workflow.
————————-
DK Davis / Editor/ Post Super
————————- -
I actually checked out the demo version and the jury is out for me. It seems good in theory, but I’m not convinced that it’s robust enough or allows for enough user control to be reliable or all that useful. It seems like it might be great for transferring info from FCP to a database, which is a large part of the battle. Worth noodling, I suppose. But it’s hard to tell from the demo version as they’ve disabled some key functions.
On the subject of this onerous task, here’s an interesting article that the editor on this show discovered today:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_editing
“One current controversy is that assistant editors are increasingly responsible for planning, managing, and checking the visual effects of a feature film, yet cannot receive credit for it. Technically, this task is assigned to a visual effects editor. However, many mid and low-level films will save money by putting the responsibility on the assistant editor, an idea that makes great sense since the assistant is closest to the footage and the cut. However, the Motion Picture Editors Guild does not allow assistants to receive more than one credit, so they never get credit for the vast amount of visual effects management that they do. (Unless, of course, they give up their assistant credit.)”
It appears that both our software and our departmental/union infastructures are behind the 8 ball! I swear, someone’s going to solve the former problem and make a lot of money. As for the latter… I have less hope!
Aynsley
-
To clarify, the software I tested was VFX Tracker. I agree with Daryl that Traffic isn’t really appropriate for feature film VFX management- though it is also an intriguing piece of software.
Reply to this Discussion! Login or Sign Up