Mixing framerates

[Richard Sanchez]

I’m playing around with MC 5 to get up to speed with the Media Composer workflow, and I’m importing footage of varying framerates and formats to see how they play together.

My project format is 1080p 23.976. I used AMA to link to some Alexa footage that I’ve transcoded to DNx36 for a typical offline workflow. I’m now trying to import some dv footage as a test. The footage was shot on a GL2 and is most certainly 29.97 but once Avid converts it to MXF, it shows up as 23.976. I’ve noticed that if I change my format to 23.976 NTSC and then import it, it will fast import however when I open the FPS column, it’s still being tagged as 23.976.

I’m glad this is a test as opposed to having to learn this on the job, but am I going about this incorrectly? Is there an import setting I’m missing? I turned on clip colors in the timeline to show different framerates, and it labeled it yellow to denote it was SD versus HD, but not in the specified color to denote it as 29.97 versus 23.976

Interestingly, the timecode in the source window goes up to 30, and when I step through frame by frame, I can see that stepping 24 frames increments the timecode through 30. It just seems weird that the format column calls it 23.976.

Richard Sanchez
North Hollywood, CA

“We are the facilitators of our own creative evolution.” – Bill Hicks

[Richard Sanchez]

I can create a separate project at 30i, import the clip. Close the 30i project. Open my 23.976 1080p project, then open the bin with the 30i clip. This process seems clunky, but works. Is there a simpler way? Likewise, will this cause issues for online, for example if I were to use a piece of DV footage in offline, but upconvert it to HD for online?

Richard Sanchez
North Hollywood, CA

“We are the facilitators of our own creative evolution.” – Bill Hicks

[John Pale]

[Richard Sanchez] “I can create a separate project at 30i, import the clip. Close the 30i project. Open my 23.976 1080p project, then open the bin with the 30i clip. “

This is the way it is done.

[Richard Sanchez] “This process seems clunky, but works.”

Yes.

[Richard Sanchez] ” Is there a simpler way?”
No.

[Richard Sanchez] “Likewise, will this cause issues for online, for example if I were to use a piece of DV footage in offline, but upconvert it to HD for online?”

If you batch recapture from the same clip in the same bin in HD it should work fine wherever that clip was used.

[Richard Sanchez]

Thanks John! I appreciate it!

Richard Sanchez
North Hollywood, CA

“We are the facilitators of our own creative evolution.” – Bill Hicks