[Alex Elkins]

[moody glasgow] “FCP doesn’t use the extra cores, so for FCP the choice is irrelivant”

This is currently true, but I think the consensus is that when Apple finally release FCS3 and Snow Leopard, this could/should be a different story. Plus we can already make use of multiple core processing with Compressor, and I don’t know an FCP user who doesn’t use Compressor.

Personally I’d want to be buying the machine that I know will hold up better in the months and years to come. As people have said here before, spending a little (or quite a lot) more on hardware isn’t a bad thing because our business should be covering those costs long before they’re replaced. If it won’t then it probably makes more sense dry hiring a top suite as and when it’s needed.

All the best,
Alex

[Alex Elkins]

Hi Daniel,

Don’t do the down-conversion using FCP. Just export your sequence in HD as either ProRes or Uncompressed, as a self-contained Quicktime. (File>Export Quicktime Movie).
Then you import that file into Compressor. I would again suggest setting the codec in Compressor to either ProRes or Uncompressed, then adjust the Frame Controls settings as I mentioned above.

A quick note also about ProRes – this is a 10bit codec whereas XDCam is 8bit, so remember you can set your video processing to “render all material to YUV in high precision”, as you mentioned. It’ll take longer to render, but you’ll get better quality if you’ve added any effects to your shots.

All the best,
Alex Elkins

[Alex Elkins]

[chadwick Chennault] “I would like to know if you have any neat tricks to determine how many hours you bid”

Surely this comes down to how well you know your own skills and the services you can offer.
I’m an editor, and I know it usually takes me X hours/days to cut a product promo/music video/whatever else. Based on the understanding I have of my own abilities and speed, the next step is to make a judgement as to what the client expects – i.e. do they need something quick and simple for internal use, or will they want a really nice grade, some effects shots etc. Or better still, ASK THE CLIENT what they want!

P.S. If you need to get a better idea of exactly how long different jobs are taking you, I’d recommend buying ‘Time Equals Money’. It’s a simple, concise way to track the time you spend on a job. I use it for every job now, and it’s amazing how quickly I realised I was undercharging.

[Alex Elkins]

Hi Stephen,

Compressor does a really good job of frame rate conversions as long as you turn on your frame controls and set your Rate Conversion to ‘Best (High quality motion compensated)’.
Your Resize filter set to ‘Better (Linear filter)’ should be enough.

Last night I ran a 50 minute conversion from 25fps PAL to NTSC (for DVD) and it worked excellently. It took about 5 hours on our 8-core Mac using Compressor’s cluster capabilities.

Or you could try rendering out the uncompressed file as a self-contained Quicktime, then feed THAT through the Kona card, rather than playing out via the source files on your timeline.

Good luck,
Alex

[Alex Elkins]

Never heard of this problem, but have you tried the usual cures – trash preferences, repair disk permissions, remove new hardware etc. I’d try all of those standard fixes before admitting being beaten by a machine!

[Alex Elkins]

Hi Carlos,

[carlos castro] “Is that something that is default when purchasing a model or is it adjustable and you can choose which way to use the drive?”
This tends to be dependent on which RAID card you have installed. Or, if you have none installed, then the Mac can configure either RAID 0 or RAID 1. This takes a toll on your computer’s performance, which is why it is recommended that you get a card.

Best,
Alex Elkins

[Alex Elkins]

There aren’t so much RAID ‘drives’ as RAID systems. That is to say that a single drive does not a RAID make. ‘RAID’ stands for redundant array of independent disks, which means that you have a number of disks working together. It will show up on your desktop as a single drive. The benefit of this is that your drive will run faster than a single drive, and [certain types] allow for failure of a drive without losing all your data.
I would suggest you speak to someone who sells RAID units, as they will explain everything to you and will be able to put together a really good system. Depending on budget though, you can always just buy three harddrives and install them into your Mac Pro. Then create the RAID set using Disk Utility, which is a free utility that comes with the Mac. Pretty simple to use, and plenty of info online.

Good luck,
Alex Elkins

[Alex Elkins]

Can they supply you with files, rather than tapes? That would be the simplest option if getting hold of a suitable deck isn’t possible. I’m sure you can hire a deck in Bangladesh though??

Also, why not just shoot 25fps yourself and save the hassle of standards conversions? You’re shooting to a tapeless format so it’s an option for you.

[Alex Elkins]

It’s down to how much you want to spend. For what you’re after I would recommend using a camera that records to some type of media card rather than tape. It will save you time and in my opinion tapeless is the way the industry is going in the long run – jump on the bandwagon!
There are loads of different cameras out there and it’s difficult to suggest something without knowing how much you expect to spend on them.
Laptop-wise, just get the most powerful one you can afford along with the relevant software – Final Cut Studio, possibly Adobe Creative Suite too. You should look further into your external storage though, as you shouldn’t be editing with files on your internal system drive. A minimum is an external drive with firewire 800, but have a look at e-SATA and different RAID options.

[Steve Gill] “Can someone recommend a good setup. I am more of a user and less of a technical person so any info would really help.”

Ok, here’s my suggestion, without the technical stuff above:
3x JVC HM700 (when they come out) – they might of course turn out to be terrible but if they do what it says on the tin then I think they sound great
Macbook Pro with the most RAM and fastest processor, standard internal drive.
e-SATA express card
2 drive SATA/e-SATA enclosure + 2x 1TB harddrives in RAID 0 (for editing)
2 drive enclosure + 2x 1TB harddrives in RAID 1 (for backups)

With a tapeless workflow you must remember that the files the camera creates are essentially your master tape – lose them and lose clients! You have to back these up and be sure that you don’t wildly delete things while you’re running out of harddrive space in the field.

Good luck,
Alex Elkins

[Alex Elkins]

It works fine with FCP. You do need a couple of free plugins from Sony though. It’s also worth noting that due to the long-GOP nature of XDCAM I always render to ProRes or ProRes HQ for final render and output.

I read an article about a JVC camera that is being released around NAB time that records to the XDCAM format, but the files are automatically wrapped for use in FCP. This means that ingesting is literally a case of drag and dropping from the card into your scratch disk. No re-wrapping as you have to do with the Sony XDCAM files. Might be worth looking into as I think it’s about the same price as the EX1, maybe a bit more but it has detachable lenses too, which is a huge plus for a lot of people. It’s called the JVC GY-HM700.