[Andrew Fraser]

A friend of mine offered a Music Video special to ten new clients at the end of 2008 to generate some cash flow. A rock-bottom no-frills, one-day, one-location music video shoot for $1,000 (all-in). Editing and equipment included.
(Go to https://www.undergroundplanet.com to see his amazing work!)

Anyway, as he was showing me his videos and bragging that several of his new clients want more videos, I asked how he invoiced the band/manager for the video. He said he invoiced them for $1,000. I shook my head and suggested that he should have written an invoice for the full rate: shooting day; equipment rental; X hours of editing; delivery media; etc. and then subtracted the net difference to get the invoice to $1,000. Ideally with the words “once-in-a-lifetime discount”. His face drooped as he agreed.

Many folks in creative businesses (not just video production) have a hard time communicating the value of their work to their clients.

Not so with Creative Cow-hands like yourselves, of course. I often refer my colleagues to articles, discussions, and forums on this board for business advice.

Andrew Fraser
Freelance Producer/PM
Freelance Editor

[Andrew Fraser]

(Thanks for the info re: QT6 v. QT7.)

Hypothesis: Upon opening (a copy of) a FCP 4.5 project file (in which all the audio tracks are mixed down to 1 track) with FCP 5.1, I should see separated audio tracks in all their glory.

Given: DVC Pro HD footage originally captured using FCP 5.0.4,
AND Asst. Editor is using FCP4.5 w/ QT6.

Procedure:
1. Mount external work Hard Disk.
2. Copy 4.5 project file to 5.1 system.
3. Open and convert FCP4.5 file with FCP5.1
4. Reconnect offline files, if necessary
5. Open new HD 24p sequence with 1V,4A.
6. Drag clip into sequence.
7. Examine timeline for multiple audio tracks.

My FCP system isn’t too complicated. I’ll dismount all other scratch disks and set up my preferences to point to the external “work Hard Disk.” Anything else I’m missing?

Regards,
Andrew Fraser
Austin, TX
“learning more about FCP every day”

[Andrew Fraser]

Steve,
I am currently experiencing the same problem as the original poster. Our Director offered the services of a volunteer “Asst. Editor” with a FCP 4.5 system (G4 tower) to log and file into bins all clips for final edit by Editor using 5.1 system. I protested, but not too strenuously

1. Captured (DVCPro HD)using 5.0.x (Dual 2.0GB G5 PowerMac)
2. Copied footage to G-Force external hard drive.
3. Asst. Editor started working.
4. Director peered over shoulder and noticed only single track of audio.
5. Barrage of phone calls to me to fix/reassure/investigate.

I checked the original captures and saw multiple audio tracks on many files.

So I just want to get my story straight.

Is the one track of audio issue due to FCP 4.5, or Quicktime 6, or both?
Furthermore, Is it correct to assume that the Asst. Editor CAN continue to log clips and file into bins and that when the Editor mounts the hard drive and opens/converts the FCP 4.5 file with FCP 5.1, the Editor will be able to see the separated audio tracks in all the neatly organized folders.

Andrew Fraser
Austin, TX
Editor/Producer/PM

[Andrew Fraser]

My read on that statement in the HDX-900 documentation was in regards to capturing directly to an NLE or other VTR (or Firestore) DURING acquisition, not afterwards by recording off tape.

-Andrew

[Andrew Fraser]

The books mentioned, “On Editing”, “In the Blink of an Eye”, “The Eye is quicker” are all good books to read at arm’s length. By which, I mean read them as if you are sitting in a lecture with the author, but keep in mind the earlier reply that editing is an ART. Learn from those more experienced but think about how YOU approach a scene.

It’s interesting that in America they say an Editor “cuts” a film while in Europe it’s common to say that an Editor “assembles” a film.

I’ve edited many short form projects and am finishing my first feature length project. So I’m not an expert by any means. I prepared myself for the feature project by reading the books listed above and then going back and watching some of my favorite movies, paying close attention to the editing. Also, I prefer to hear the story of the movie from the Director’s mouth rather than by reading the script. The script is always there for reference, but a two-hour chat with the Director will really plant in your mind what he/she feels is important.

By the way, the book about Walter Murch editing Cold Mountain on FCP (“Behind the Seen…”) was IMHO disappointing. Too much in there about getting the systems working. Not enough about the editing process.

-Andrew

[Andrew Fraser]

It’s called the Optimus LCD Keyboard, scheduled release date is “End of 2006”. I found some pictures here.

https://www.artlebedev.com/portfolio/optimus/

[Andrew Fraser]

[David Roth Weiss] ” However, since the project has already been compressed 5 to 1 toDV I’m not certain there’s a big benefit there. Is there something else I’m missing?”

Probably not. Thank you for all of your responses.

[Andrew Fraser]

[Saguaro] ” When I recapture, is it possible to recapture to a 24 fps timeline?”

[DRW]”Why? What is it you wish to gain?”

The original material was on 16mm film at 24fps. On MiniDV (3:2 pulldown) it is at 29.97fps.

Shouldn’t I want to do import it at 24 fps? Is there an advantage to leaving it at 29.97?

[Andrew Fraser]

UPDATE: I reviewed all the tapes (I played them back in my camera and watched on the LCD screen) and they are all crystal clear with sync’ed sound and everything. The defects occured in the capture.

1.)I’ve taken the JVC deck out of the loop.
2.)I’m going to purchase a disk utility software package to look at my hard drives and probably defrag.

Since I’m going to recapture all of the material, should I just reformat my scratch drive? I’ll park all the clips to another drive temporarily until the “Capture Project” is done. Any advise/warnings about this procedure?

On another note. The footage was originally shot on film 24fps and digitized with a 2:3 pulldown onto BetaSP to 29.97fps. These were dubbed to MiniDV with 29.97fps. This was my first project that originated on film so I didn’t think clearly about the timeline considerations. When I recapture, is it possible to recapture to a 24 fps timeline? My Director said that FCP should automatically detect and correct for the pulldown but that seems a bit far fetched. I realize this will probably mean a lot of rework for me. On the upside, I know that I’ll never make that mistake again!

I’m using FCP v4.5 HD.

[Andrew Fraser]

Clarification:
I searched the web for the correct terms to characterize the “video artifacts” that I’m seeing.

1.)Primarily, I am seeing “dropouts” or perhaps “sparkling” (though mostly this was referred to HD)
In the literature I saw, this is related to digital signal degradation, possibly caused by hardware. I scanned several articles that suggested that this was more common with digital-to-analog conversions. (such as BetaSP to MiniDV?)

2.)The second defect I get is “Banding”. This is attributed to defects with the tape head, tape head pre-amp, or the tape itself. It can also occur with dirty tape heads.

Did I miss anything regarding these types of defects?