offline/ online workflow for file based media

[Shane Ross]

You use the Media Manager. This is fairly simple with P2 and AVCHD…and RED. I have tested the first two, and I know others who have done RED a lot.

You import at your lower resolution. Cut until you are locked. Then you Media Manage and CREATE OFFLINE, with handles. Then you use the BATCH CAPTURE feature and choose the format you want to online with…FCP will reload only the media in the timeline, with handles, from the original tapeless backups (you might first have to point FCP to them by loading one folder in Log and Transfer, but then quit out of that. FCP will remember). THen you sit back and watch it load. Fairly easy really. Because you don’t need to swap out tapes, if your tapeless backup folder structure stayed the same.

Shane

GETTING ORGANIZED WITH FINAL CUT PRO DVD…don’t miss it.
Read my blog, Little Frog in High Def

[Rob Nairn]

It is me! That’s good.

How does batch capture know to transcode the files on drive rather than capture from tape? Do they need to have gone through the log and transfer window before the offline?

Cheers,
Rob

[Shane Ross]

[Rob Nairn] “How does batch capture know to transcode the files on drive rather than capture from tape?”

Because it’ll know the footage was imported via Log and Transfer opposed to captured from tape. It’s part of the metadata.

[Rob Nairn] ” Do they need to have gone through the log and transfer window before the offline? “

Yes…that’s how you get the footage into FCP in the first place.

Shane

GETTING ORGANIZED WITH FINAL CUT PRO DVD…don’t miss it.
Read my blog, Little Frog in High Def

[Michael Gissing]

Depending on the resolution of your source material, there may be no good reason to capture ProRes and then recapture ProRes HQ. You might as well just work in ProRes depending on source material and final deliverables.

[Rob Nairn]

The problem with log and transfer is you can’t specify frame sizes (can you?).

I want to do do a really low bandwidth offline and edit at SD frames sizes, I think L&T only creates files at one HD frame size.

If thats right, can I transcode original media from camera through compressor to my desired offline specs then use L&C to online later? Will that set the correct metadata?

( I think a saw a another thread about altering that metadata – can it be done?)

I also need to create dvd and .mov wild reels with TC burn, which is neatly done through compressor so others can do paper edits.

Cheers,
Rob

[Michael Gissing]

The time taken and the potential problems of breaking the metadata chain by downconverting to SD compared to the cheapness of big external FW800 drives that can run ProRes HD frame sizes makes me wonder how big the cost disadvantage of a potentially messy offline/ online process is.

[Rob Nairn]

Yes, that’s a fair call.

But leaves me feeling as though the L&T capabilities are a little lacking. If its possible to change codecs that you can transcode to, why not be able to chance other clip parameters too?

Cheers,
R

[Shane Ross]

YOu can encode to ProRes PROXY…that’s a nice DV data rate codec. And it is full raster full size. Why would you want that? Have you had to deal with resizing graphics and pictures going from an offline to an online? I have…It is a pain. Takes a LOT of time to resize.

But, if you want to, you can L&T at full res, then use the Media Manager to recompress to Offline RT or soemthing, then you can reconnect to the full res when you are done editing. But what’s the point of that? You already took up the space by importing at full size, so why now go and add MORE space by recompressing to an offline codec, and then have to deal with reconnecting and resizing and all that?

But if you want to, you can do this. I know several professional post facilities and production companies that still offline and online, due to an enormous amount of footage. But whatever you can do to simplify post, the better.

Shane

GETTING ORGANIZED WITH FINAL CUT PRO DVD…don’t miss it.
Read my blog, Little Frog in High Def

[John Heagy]

[Shane Ross] “I know several professional post facilities and production companies that still offline and online, due to an enormous amount of footage.”

That would be us…

Another reason is the need to have a large number of systems access the same media: i.e. bandwidth. Delivering multiple streams of ProRes to 70+ systems gets expensive and complex.

FCP’s filename/path file linking relies on the two things that are easiest to change in a file system. We use a “home brewed” system that totally ignores both of these, and links solely on embedded metadata: “Reel” and timecode. It allows us to link to media FCP has never “seen”.

Reel and framecount, the same metadata Edison would have used when NJ was “Hollywood” and where the term “cliffhanger” was born… anybody?

John Heagy
NFL Films

[Rob Nairn]

Hi all,

Thanks for the replys, I’ve got my head around what I need to do now.

Shane I think I will give the PR-Proxy a go and keep things simple that way.

Michael / John with each FCP update I hope apple make some improvements to the core file management etc. issues but alas….

Cheers,
R