Brad Hurley
Forum Replies Created
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Hmm, that’s strange. My cameras all shoot Prores files so when I open a camera file I don’t see any folders at all, just the Prores .mov files and the FCP metadata file.
I’m pretty sure all your files would be inside that big AVCHD package.
Try this:
Right-click (or control-click if you have a one-button mouse) the AVCHD package.
Choose “show package contents”
In the package contents, look for another package called BDMV.
Right click the BDMV package and choose “show package contents.”Now you should see all your files. They were in a package inside a package inside a package!
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“No, that won’t work because the FCP cam archives are only readable by FCP, but thank you for the reply.”
That’s not true. Right-click (or control-click) on the camera archive and choose “Show package contents.” You can then view those files in QuickTime or drag them out of the archive (I would drag copies out of the archive rather than moving them, just so you don’t mess up your archives).
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Tripod mode is only available when you’re stabilizing via InertiaCam and when the analysis indicates that a lock-down mode is feasible. See https://support.apple.com/en-ca/guide/final-cut-pro/verbacf92b/mac (look in the section on Adjust Stabilization Settings).
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Apart from the advice on getting a separate grading monitor and ultrastudio if you want a valid reference (which is spot on), I wanted to address this issue: “but in FCPX, if I import the Da Vinci render into FCPX, I get the whole clip with unpredicted gamma shift, looks washed out.”
Resolve has a lot more settings for your input color space, timeline color space, and render color space than FCPX does, and your choice of gamma in the rendered file can make a large difference in contrast and saturation. For viewing on a computer screen, you’d want gamma 2.2 (which is higher contrast, since it’s assumed to be viewed in a lit room like an office); for viewing on an HDTV you’d want gamma 2.4, which is lower contrast since it’s going to be viewed in a darker room. For cinema I think it’s gamma 2.6, which is even lower contrast since that’s being viewed in a completely dark room in a controlled viewing environment.
As an experiment, what happens if you import some of your source footage directly into Resolve without cutting it in FCPX first, and use optimized media (Prores HQ) for all of it?
The weird behavior you’re seeing in playback vs. pause is most likely due to the limitations of your Mac Mini’s integrated Intel graphics; an eGPU will help but based on all the reports I’ve seen the 2018 Mac Mini is not a very capable machine for working with Resolve even with an eGPU.
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Does this previous thread shed any light?
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It sounds like you’re using dual-system sound, which of course would be preferred for best quality, but there are some on-phone options to consider.
For example there’s the Shure MV88 (which I personally find disappointing; it’s designed for recording loud sounds like rock concerts and you really need to boost the gain for quieter sources). There’s also the Sennheiser Ambeo binaural ear-worn mics. Much better sensitivity and sound quality.
For run-and-gun I’ve found ear-mounted binaural mics to be a pretty good solution; the stereo effect is amazing but you have to remember to always be looking where the camera is pointing. If you turn your head for a moment to look at something else, it’ll be noticeable in the recorded audio. There are miniature dead-cat ear muffs you can use to reduce wind noise outdoors, which work well although they make you look funny (especially in summer).
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“Then when you think of news and documentaries, especially with filming in conflict zones, ‘the camera that you have with you’ is more important that no camera at all. ”
Exactly. That’s where smartphones fill a valuable niche, both for stills and video. I also think they’re a great learning tool, too, especially with inexpensive apps like Filmic Pro and possibly a few add-on lenses such as telephoto, for people who want to learn to shoot and work with video.
There were quite a few shots in that film that looked fantastic, but many others that had a plastic-y feel, especially on people’s faces which is exactly where you don’t want that kind of look.
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I watched these when they were released and my impression then (and now) was that it’s very impressive footage from a phone but it doesn’t yet tempt me to give up my “real” cameras. It’s hard to judge based on compressed youtube footage, and it’s hard for me to articulate exactly what I feel is missing, but it probably boils down to a lack of subtlety and depth.
That said, the little bit of smartphone video shooting (on a Google Pixel, which arguably beats the iPhone for stills but is pretty far behind in the video department) I’ve done felt refreshing and liberating; I love shooting smartphone video even if I don’t love looking at it.
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Getting back to figuring out the source of the problem, you wrote:
Looking further, I discovered that sequential clips out of 1 camera have timecode that doesn’t match the order of progression :
AA0134 – 20:22:40 – 20:51:03
AA0135 – 20:30:11 – 20:40:33How did you sync timecode (i.e., were you using individual Tentacle Syncs, or genlock, or something else)? What timecode mode were you using (e.g., free run vs. record run)?
It does sound like one camera might not be maintaining proper sync, but it could also be a glitch in how you set up the timecode syncing. I’m far from an expert on timecode sync myself (I generally use a slate, but will be facing some situations this year where that’s not practical so am investing in a set of Tentacle Syncs for my cameras and recorder).
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One fairly simple way to test whether this is a bug in Final Cut is to use the free version of DaVinci Resolve to see how it handles the files. You might be reluctant to learn how to do multicam in another NLE, but fortunately the free PDF, “Advanced Editing in DaVinci Resolve 15” (which is still a good guide for version 16) has a clearly explained step-by-step guide to setting up and editing a 2-camera interview timeline in Resolve.
Following those instructions, it shouldn’t take long for you to test to see if it works in Resolve, which would then suggest that Final Cut is the culprit in this particular case. The “Advanced Editing” PDF is available in the Training section of the Resolve website, here: https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/davinciresolve/training. Scroll down to the “Training Books” section of that page to find it. The 2-camera multicam workflow is described in that book using example footage, but you can apply the same workflow to your own footage. As you tried in Final Cut, it might be worth trying to sync by audio in Resolve instead of timecode (which is the workflow used in the book as well). And maybe start with only the clips from your first shoot before the break to see if those sync properly. Then you could set up a separate multicam clip for the clips for your second shoot (after you took a break for media management), and so on.