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ingesting EX3 Files
Working on a large doc project, shooting 70-80 hours a week, I have a question about workflow for ingesting EX3 SxS cards. In the past I have used Clip Browser to copy files to a hard drive, then made an archive copy of that, then imported the files into FCP. Is there any disadvantage to simply importing the files into FCP from the cards, then making an archive copy of those files? Is there an advantage of storing the “raw” XDCAM files. I think it’s very very unlikely that I will ever need to import them into an Avid or other NLE. Wise and well considered opinions would be much appreciated.
Thanks,
Bob Schneiger
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3 Replies
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[Bob Schneiger] “Is there any disadvantage to simply importing the files into FCP from the cards, then making an archive copy of those files?”
Yes. You will then not have the “tape masters”. Meaning that all that footage is tied to FCP, period. No taking it to another edit system and using it, without transcoding. Do you capture footage from tapes, then throw away, or reuse the tapes, and archive the imported footage? I don’t think so. PLUS, archiving the masters will take up less space than archiving the imported footage… unless you aren’t bringing them in as ProRes.
[Bob Schneiger] ” I think it’s very very unlikely that I will ever need to import them into an Avid or other NLE. “
YOu say that now…but I have seen many a person who imported footage on an Avid and now needs it on FCP, or imported the footage in FCP and needed it on an Avid, or Premiere. You never know.
Shane
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Hi Bob,
No risk at all.
When I go to the field, I work like that. I download the .mov to two HDs and I forget about MP4, BPAV’s etc. I don’t use even FC, just the Transfer tool.
If you have the .mov, you can go back to the MP4> BPAV and if you need to MFX.
The only you loose is the camera info.
rafael -
Late in thanking you for you comments, but… thanks. After thinking about it I realized that a) hard drives are cheap and b) digital assistants are fairly cheap and c) footage can sometimes be priceless. So I opted to archive BPAV files. Since then I’ve realized another really really really important reason to do this: the process of ingesting this stuff is not infallible. We’ve discovered several instances in which importing files to FCP through log and transfer MISSED SOME FILES. Even with double checking to make sure that all the files were checked. So if we had not archived the raw files, we would have been hosed. This has happened to 3 of about 1500 clips.
Not sure what the problem is with import is… some EX3 files actually needed to be transferred from archive drive to a newly reformatted card, then re-import. We are using e-Film cards and readers. I know sometimes, if the camera is turned off and on, it switches cards of its own accord, so I suspect the problem might me that some clips that extend over 2 cards get “orphaned” if they are not imported at the same time. In any case, we now check to make sure that we have sequential file names after importing, then retrieve the archive and reimport anything that was missed.
So thanks for saving my ass on this one.
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