On set dailies from the Alexa using PIX 240 or Gemini 4:4:4:

[Michael Phillips]

For starters you have to ensure the file names match and then adjust timecode to compensate for any delays in the workflow.

From there make sure color space on output is correct and take it from there. Audio is a different issue – if the camera is recording a mix scratch track it will be on the recorded proxies but will have no reference to the original BWF files if needed for the ISO’s.

I would suggest you still need to backup, archive and verify all the original camera masters anyway which is part of the dailies process when transcoding.

Michael

[Raymond Tarry]

Thanks Michael, very good advice.
According to this recent article – https://www.arri.com/news.html?article=938&cHash=798406a55c7190f6f0c0b5a83eae2de5 Pro Res 4444 recorded to SXS Cards in Camera is plenty adequate for theatrical, so Arri Raw is probably not worth the extra trouble and expense (leave RAW for the big guys)
Thanks again for your thoughts –
Raymond

[John-michael Seng-wheeler]

On a recent project we shot ProRes444 in camera and made H.264 dailies in Resolve on a Retina Mac on set.

The Retina Mac was able to render medium quality full res H.264 Quicktimes at about 21fps, or slightly less then real time. At the end of the day we usually had all the dailies made for the director to take home.

The Dailies were frame accurate with matching TC and file names. We also had sync audio since the sound mixer fed a scratch track to the Alexa wirelessly during the shoot.

[Michael Phillips]

It depends on what the NLE is best optimized for, editorially speaking. We tend to make H.264 for screening purposes only as a lightweight data rate codec. When sending a mix scratch track to the camera, and “if” there are ISO tracks being recorded by production audio, how are those managed in the dailies if the H/264 is used for editorial? Or when you say “director’s” dailies, those were just viewing dailies as well?

Michael

[Raymond Tarry]

I suppose my next question would be, if I’m the director viewing these dailies and they’re going to be used by editorial, what quality do they have to be to be sent as an EDL to a post house for online edit?
Again, I suppose it depends on your end product and how much color grading is needed, etc. etc.
Please forgive my obvious lack of understanding on all this and thanks again –
Raymond

[John-michael Seng-wheeler]

In my case the Dailies were transferred to the director’s iPad, so H.264 was the only option.

If you’re planing to edit with the dallies you should make ProRes or DNxHD files although Premiere and FCPX can handel H.264 just fine as well.

The quality doesn’t mater. You conform back to the ProRes444 for the online, you never color or finish using the dailies. This is why the Timecode and Filenames need to match, so that the dailies can be replaced by the original files. As long as the quality is good enough for the director/editor to see the shot properly that’s all you want (otherwise they might not be able to see that a shot is slightly out of focus for example).

Also, you don’t have to be locked into one format for dailies. Two formats (one for editing [ie. ProRes LT], and one for lightweight viewing [H.264]) may suit your workflow better.

[Raymond Tarry]

Thanks John –
Now I’m getting a much clearer picture of what’s possible. Things were probably simpler back in the days of film, but of course, more limited. I’m really glad to have this forum to come to to get answers.
Thanks again – Raymond