[Andrew G.]

I’ve had this problem before. One workaround I found was to launch FCP, create my favorites (if they disappeared), open a project, close it, then exit FCP. Once you re-launch, the Favorites should still be intact.

Alternatively, you could create a project “template,” and drag your Favorites folder from the Effects tab into the Browser of that template. This way, you’ll never lose your Favorites, although they can only be found inside that specific project template.

[Andrew G.]

A note on capturing from a cheap deck/camera: If you plan to batch capture tapes, make sure the MiniDV “deck” you plan to purchase has multiple playback speeds going forward and reverse. I’ve regrettably purchased a $200 Samsung MiniDV camcorder, and it only had one speed going both ways. My NLE (Final Cut Pro) was always going past the logged in/out points of my clips.

[Andrew G.]

FYI, I was able to cut down the processing time down to 6 hours for a 2-step process. Overnight encoding…

I agree that it would benefit me showing clients my work. I can even output the content to a TV, with little or no visual compression artifacts.

[Andrew G.]

I second the Eartec. Did a show in the Masonic Center in San Francisco with the TD-900s. Although my sets came with smaller headgear, I swapped them with my dad’s old heavy-duties. Worked like a charm.

Skipno

[Andrew G.]

Yup, I agree with Doug. I got my business set up in ONE day. It took about 200 miles of driving, but ONE day. This included everything previously listed, except the setup time needed for my domain name to clear. It’s actually pretty easy, as long as you get all your ducks in a row.

On top of that, it only cost me less than $200. Of course, this also depends on your location…

Hope this encourages you to set a day or two aside to set up your business the right way.

Andrew

[Andrew G.]

Thanks for the ideas. I’ve begun my first shoot in the O.R. to videotape him performing surgery. Here’s how it went:

*Audio

During the op, wired/wireless lav mics weren’t allowed, so I couldn’t get him talking about how that knee cap looked like what he had for dinner last night. I tried to set up a boom mic…they said no. I was to stay outside of the sterile field and rely on my camera mic (Sony VX2000).

*Video/Lighting

Since he also wanted me to get the guts on camera, I was having to iris up and down due to their extreme lighting on the patient. When zooming in on the guts, I was at F9-F11 with the on-camera ND filter#1. Zooming out, I turned of the ND filter and was set to about F4.

*Coverage

Got some good shots of all the assistants in the O.R. Closeups, preparing tools, laughing, etc. I also got a wide-shot of an empty O.R., and the same shot with everyone in the room. I plan to transition the full room to an empty room during closing. After the op, I took the surgeon aside and had him briefly describe the op, and how he thought his assistants performed.

I had a chance to speak briefly with his family to get an idea of his personality, and tried talking them into getting at least three people to interview just to spice things up with multiple perspectives. Looks like they’ve taken the bait.

Luckily, he’s a real joker, so this won’t turn out to be a boring retirement video after all. It’s for his grand-children! Right now, we’re trying to schedule the office shoot. I’ll keep everyone posted. Again, thanks for the ideas!

Andrew

[Andrew G.]

Well,

My brother is a Notary public. He can officially “legalize” contracts, which can hold up in court. Isn’t that all I need, or am I missing something?

[Andrew G.]

Thanks for the ideas. The surgeon’s daughter also told me that they might not even do interviews at all for this video. If I don’t have interviews, what else can I do with the b-rolls, as it would now be my a-rolls! I can only think of photos to cutaway to. This client is the type that doesn’t know what they want….saying “can you make us a video of my dad?” No script, no direction. Just 4-5 hours of raw footage, with no motivation to cut.

What the heck, any other suggestions?

Andrew

[Andrew G.]

Silly me…..thanks.

Andrew

[Andrew G.]

Mario,

There’s a whole article on offline-online procedures at wwww.kenstone.net.

Anyway, here’s what I’d do, assuming your using FCP 4 or later:

1. In your offline project, highlight all of your footage clips and sequences in the Browser.
2. Ctrl-click the selection and choose “Create Offline”
3. In the Media Manager window, select “Create Offline” and choose the online resolution you would like the selected clips to use (i.e. NTSC DV)
4. Select the checkbox at the bottom to create a new project, which will contain the new clips and sequences, and hit OK. Name the new project.
5. FCP will automatically open the new project. In the Browser, you will notice that all of the footage clips are now offline(not offline rez, but offline “missing”). Select all your clips and sequences once again.
6. Ctrl-click the selection and choose “Reconnect Media”
7. Make sure your FW drive is plugged in and Browse for the first clip that FCP looks for. You are now looking for the DV-rez version of that clip. Also make sure that “Reconnect all files in relative path” is checked, so you won’t have to reconnect for every single clip in the same folder.

That should do it. I’m not in front of my desktop right now, so forgive me if some terms are a bit vague.

Andrew