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Timecode trainwreck- a cautionary tale. (or why you should log & capture)
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I did (subtly) reccommend that they no longer use the editor who captured the media. I’m pretty sure that no lockbox was used. They didn’t even have a clapper slate (or, for that matter, an $8 dry erase board) to write scene numbers on & use for camera synch!.
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[Arniepix] “They didn’t even have a clapper slate (or, for that matter, an $8 dry erase board) to write scene numbers on & use for camera synch!.”
That is so low tech, yet so important to have on set. One of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned working on “Good Eats.” They always use a clapper slate before every take and it really comes in handy from time to time.
It was a huge help on our movie set last year.
Walter Biscardi, Jr.
https://www.biscardicreative.com
HD Editorial & Animation for Food Network’s “Good Eats”
HD Editorial for “Assignment Earth”“I reject your reality and substitute my own!” – Adam Savage, Mythbusters
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[Herb Sevush] “Enabling “create new clip on break” works sometimes, crashes other times and is totally ignored still other times. I”
So how come, then, this has NEVER EVER happened to me? After 200+ hours using this feature, why haven’t I had one crash or any other kind of problem???
I’ve also used Media Manager countless times, to move sequences and projects to other machines, to consolidate, WITHOUT ONE SINGLE PROBLEM.
What’s my secret, then? Am I just lucky? Nope. I’ve never won the lottery and if there’s ever any room for something to go wrong, it will for me. But I don’t leave any room for anything to go wrong.
If you’re having these problems, I suggest:
1) you reinstall your system and FCP from scratch
2) take more time to understand FCP and the way it likes to do things
3) read the manual before using Media Manager
4) maintain your system regularly
5) go back to your software that works better FOR YOU.
Nobody will ever convince me of what you’re saying and the reason is simple: it’s worked for me time and time again.
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We did a long-form tv pilot last year with the same exact problem.
They shot with timecode UB set for time of day.
The client ended up going through and re-logging all the tapes (15 of them i think) he didn’t want us to do it as the budget was already over a little.
What irritates me the most is editors or rather people who call themselves editors that have no technical experience. These editors have caused more stress for me than anything else when dealing with them. They create roadblocks to success simply because they don’t know any better or don’t follow instructions on how to keep things beautiful to the end with the final product.
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I forgot to mention, also…
Some of the things you’re blaming on FCP are probably limitations of your deck. If your deck isn’t very robust, then your crappy tapes are going to cause you even more problems.
This isn’t an FCP problem, although that’s another reason FCP gets a bad rap: so many people using flaky hardware.
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[Borjis] “What irritates me the most is editors or rather people who call themselves editors that have no technical experience. These editors have caused more stress for me than anything else when dealing with them.”
I have come across many editors that dont have any technical knowledge at all. One instance I recall an editor having to call in his assistant to bring up the timecode reader window on screen. Now in his defense he was an amazing editor. His story telling skills were great. So an editor does not have to be technically minded. That is why they should have assistants that can handle the technical and practical issues with their NLE’s. Editing is an art form. Yes there are many editors that can handle both.
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[reel2reel] “FCP handles TC breaks wonderfully. Problem is, hardly anyone knows it does! “
I agree! FCP, by default, will simply make a new clip, and sometimes adjust the reel number. If your TC gets reset or jumps backwards (ToD tapes that go past midnight), you know by looking at the reel number that there’s an issue with the tape & may have to cue it by hand.
Arnie
Now in preproduction: Peristroika (Cosmological Congress), a film by Slava Tsukerman
https://www.arniepix.com -
[reel2reel] “So how come, then, this has NEVER EVER happened to me?”
I’ve onlined a couple of dozen industrials in the last couple of years, most of them fairly complex edits, and I’ve had very few problems, none of them serious. The biggest problems I’ve had has been with using some older stock footage, where the TC changes in the middle of a shot! Thank you, Getty Images.
Arnie
Now in preproduction: Peristroika (Cosmological Congress), a film by Slava Tsukerman
https://www.arniepix.com -
Yep, exactly! I’m so glad they improved this. It works great now and can be a HUGE timesaver. It’s saved me a LOT of grief.
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[Frank Nolan] “So an editor does not have to be technically minded.”
I don’t agree. A good editor must be both an artist and a technician. It’s OK to be better in one department of the other, but you really have to wear more hats.
I would say that the multitude of bush league editors out there suck because:
1) Taught themself with “bail out” help from places like the cow.
2) Bootlegged the program
3) Never read the manual
4) Never went through pro training
5) Never did an internship
6) Never spent time as an assistant
7) Have little or no knowlede of engineering issues
8) Never learned how to troubleshoot
9) Operate with crappy gear
10) Undercut the real pros who call us to bail them out
11) Never log and capture
13) Don’t know what the Media Manager is for
14) Don’t label tapes
15) Are poor story-tellersI could go on. 😉
And I totally agree with the rants above.
I feel for ya Arnie.Kevin Monahan
Take My FCP Master’s Workshop!
fcpworld.com
Pres. SF Cutters
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