Workflow Proxy question

[Michael Gissing]

Lucky for you Shane Ross has doen tutorials on tapless workflows and online/offline.

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

Don’t forget to send Shane a nice letter of thanks for making it all so clear and easy.

That said, perhaps using Premier Pro would be a smarter workflow, sticking to h264 native.

[Enrico Lappano]

Thanks Michael.

Since I have 7D and HDV footage, for earlier 422 projects I was capturing HDV in FCP that converted it to ProRes 422. Now, editing in a Proxy timeline, what is the best format to capture HDV footage to give it similar flexibility since HDV in FCP capture doesn’t have a Proxy option?

[Michael Gissing]

HDV native works. Lots of people claim long GOP is hopeless but the HDV to Prores capture broke the timecode link back to the original footage. It would then require that the ProRes is the master and then make proxies from the ProRes. This saves nothing for space. HDV is a small easy to manage file. I have online & graded over 50 docos in HDV. I sometimes just go straight to Color if it is a total HDV sequence and then render the grades back as ProRes422. The HDV horrors that some report are due to complicated mixed timelines and rendering. Using ProRes as your sequence setting tends to make HDV and other mixed codecs work OK.

In your final timeline, you recapture the 7D footage and you can either leave the HDV as HDV or use Media Manager to make a ProRes version of the HDV in the timeline with delete unused media and set handles. This means that just the material in the cut is made into ProRes files the length of the shots plus handles. Recapture the 7D and marry the two sequences back together. Send to Color etc.

Only recapture picture. The sound is the uncompressed (sure of that with HDV but not sure about Proxy so check). Audio goes out as OMF which consolidates plus handles as well.

[Enrico Lappano]

Thanks Michael.

I am using the HDV primarilly for audio and as a B camera with the 7D. It seems from your response that in regards to memory space, I should capture in native HDV and then consider recapturing HDV in ProRes later (with handles). I appreciate the detail of your response.

One last thing. When I capture the HDV, I was told to use Sony HDV Firewire as Device Control Preset. I’m using a Canon HXA1s at 29.97 capturing w firewire. Not sure why the Sony preset was suggested over the Basic HDV Firewire setting in FCP 7. What do you think? Does it make a difference?

[Michael Gissing]

Yes too capture as HDV via firewire. There is no need to recapture the HDV as ProRes via firewire. You can’t do this as far as I know, becasue that process doesn’t feed the timecode through to the ProRes file and there is no need. Just use Media Manager to do the conversion to ProRes422 and consolidation in one pass as I mentioned.

I do know the Canons sometimes need a bit of fiddle to connect via firewire. I used to capture from an H1 via SDI but use firewire basic for machine control. A search of this forum may shed more light on the best forewire settings for your camera.

[Enrico Lappano]

Thanks again Michael. I’ll use Media manager.

I’m wondering whether the Device Control Preset can affect potential quality.

I have been reading different responses whether to go with HDV Firewire, HDV Firewire Basic, or Sony HDV Firewire. There seem to be inconsistencies re a sure fire consistent response to this question. If there is one answer using the Canon XH A1s with FCP 7, 29.97 fps I’d really appreciate that.

I’ve included an image of FCP Audio/Video Settings with HDV Firewire Basic for now. Does it look right?

[Enrico Lappano]

I just did a test of the HDV Proxy to 422 upres through Media Manager and because the XHA1s is 1440×1080, when it scaled up to 1920×1080 it didn’t do it proportionally so I’m not sure of the go around for that in Media Manager, why it didn’t adjust for the size configuration as say Mpeg Streamclip or Compressor?