Reconnecting and organizing an offline edit using media manager (Uprez from Proxy to HQ)

[Matt Lyon]

Hi Amberlie, I have been through this a few times and have some tips that might help:

[Amberlie Bankoff] “I have completed my media manage, but it dumped everything into one bin called master files”

This implies you are doing the first step wrong. You need to set the media manager to “create offline” mode, not to “copy” or “move.” Use the “create offline” mode to create a trimmed version of your final timeline, with handles, that is ready to be onlined using the “capture” command.

[Amberlie Bankoff] “1). With media manager, can you set it to move the original structure of the bins into the new media managed project?”

No you can’t. This is annoying for sure, but it isn’t really a huge deal, since onlining is theoretically the final stage of your editing. So does it really matter if your newly captured clips are all in one bin?

[Amberlie Bankoff] “2). Is there a way I can recapture all the footage I used in batch capture in segments?

You can break your movie up into reels, which are usually around 20 minutes (2000 feet of 35mm film). This is a good idea to do anyway, especially if you hope to show your movie in theatres. Then you can batch capture each reel, one at a time. This will give FCP less to think about at once, so it will hopefully be more stable.

You should also definitely delete all the audio from your timeline before you re-capture. Duplicate your timeline, lock your video tracks, then delete all the audio. Now run the media manager and then batch capture your material. After it is done, you can marry picture and sound together again. In my experience, this makes the process MUCH more stable.

Also, watch Shane’s tutorial if you haven’t already:

https://library.creativecow.net/ross_shane/tapeless_online/1

hth,

Matt Lyon
Editor
Toronto

[Amberlie Bankoff]

Hey Matt- Thanks so much for your reply. I actually did use offline edit in the media manager, so I am still not sure what’s going on with the batch capture. I have been doing a bit of research and I have a feeling that I may have incorrectly captured my footage when I logged and transfered it.

This is my first time really working with HDSLR video footage and I am fairly new at FCP. So I really wasn’t sure what I was doing when we first started filming and capturing the footage. Basically I have been learning as we go. So here is where I think the error occurred…Please let me know if you think this is it…?

I used the EOS Plugin-E1 and transcoded everything to Prores Proxy 422, I added the shot and scene number to each file and had the file in FCP renamed (not renamed in finder), but now when I open my original mov files in log and transfer they do not have the shot and scene saved as I previously entered (I believe I only have a few files that saved correctly). Could this be the problem?

I have also come across some other forums that mention needing a .THM file? I am not sure what that is about. I also have heard that the 60D doesn’t work well with the EOS Plugin-E1. Only with the 5D and 7D cameras.

So my last resort is to re-transfer the files manually and then reconnect them (in the media managed new file). I would hate to do this, but I will do what needs to be done to get this project complete.

So this is as much as I had found out. Thanks again for your response.

——-
My Life
Meet Jerry

[Matt Lyon]

I haven’t used the 60D, but it is listed as a supported model for the EOS plugin.

But I’m not sure exactly what your issue is, can you elaborate? When you go to “batch capture” your footage, you get an error message? Does FCP prompt you to load the volume that contains the original footage? Do you have this material archived, with the original card structure intact?

Most importantly, did you follow Shane’s workflow when you first ingested:

https://library.creativecow.net/ross_shane/tapeless-workflow_fcp-7/1

Do your clips have timecode and reel names? If not, that is a sign of trouble.

Also, did you rename your files during ingest, in the Log & Transfer window? That is fine, FCP should be able to conform to the camera original files, which will still have their original names (MVI_9856.mov, for example, in the case of the 7D). But once you’ve ingested footage, it is a bad idea to rename them in the browser window. Asset names in FCP should always match the file name in the finder, IMHO. I don’t know if something you’ve done here screwed things up … it’s possible, I guess.

I know it sucks to hear this, but you really should test your workflow in its ENTIRETY at the start of your project. Use the first day’s footage and test your process from start to finish. As it stands now, there are a number of things that could have gone wrong and troubleshooting is gonna be tough.

Try running some tests on a three or so clips and see if you can get the re-capture to work.

Matt Lyon
Editor
Toronto

[Amberlie Bankoff]

When I batch capture it just says that there were no files to be captured. I did actually follow those guidelines when I captured footage. Batch Capture does ask me to load the volume and says it can’t find it even though I am looking directly at the files that should be transcoded. I didn’t change any of the original files names either.

I did a bit more digging and got in touch with a FCP genius who does this professionally. He basically said that he doesn’t use the batch capture and log and transfer in FCP because it always gives him errors. He also mentioned having better quality using 5DtoRGB. It also is great with the color shift problem I have been hearing about. So I dug up an old hard drive that I thought was full and started transcoding to ProRes HQ. I’m just going to transcode everything in one batch and reconnect the files manually and then later delete all the unnecessary ones. I am on a deadline of December 1st so I just want to make sure that I have this completed in time.

Thanks so much for your help. I wish I would have found both videos you posted before I started shooting. They are very clear and easy to understand unlike a lot of videos out there. I am definitely going to put together a solid workflow for the next feature. Cheers!

——-
My Life
Meet Jerry

[Matt Lyon]

[Amberlie Bankoff] “Batch Capture does ask me to load the volume and says it can’t find it even though I am looking directly at the files that should be transcoded.”

are you sure you’re pointing the program at the right folder? You need to select the parent folder of the original card, not the subfolder that contains all the .mov files.

[Amberlie Bankoff] “He basically said that he doesn’t use the batch capture and log and transfer in FCP because it always gives him errors”

I can’t speak to his situation, but there are lots of people on this board, myself included, who successfully use Log And Transfer all the time, and rely on it professionally. The main thing is to not do anything else on your computer while it is transferring. But in any case, everyone needs to find a system that they are comfortable with and gets your show done on time.

Good luck finishing the movie!

Matt Lyon
Editor
Toronto

[Matt Lyon]

Hey Amberlie,

There is another issue with the EOS plug-in I was just made aware of. I’m not sure if it applies to your situation. Basically, if you’ve transferred your footage from your cards, then moved the data to a new location, recapturing via the L&T plugin won’t work, because the absolute file path is now different:

https://blogs.creativecow.net/blog/4109/a-few-words-of-warning-for-the-eos-movie-plugine1-for-final-cut-pro-users

If you read the comments, they discuss some ways to prevent this from happening.

hth,

Matt Lyon
Editor
Toronto