[Chris Wyatt]

Hi Aldo
If you are using Final Cut Pro 7 I would suggest
exporting the OMF of your sequence directly from Final Cut Pro
and then exporting a text list of the markers for use in Pro Tools.
This feature is only available natively from Final Cut Pro 7.
To my knowledge scoring markers will not appear via Automatic Duck
or from direct export as either OMF1 or OMF2.

Best Regards
Chris Wyatt

[Chris Wyatt]

Hi Matt
please be aware that you will need to sit for and pass the FCP7 Certified Pro Level One exam
before attempting the Level 2 (advanced) exam. This FCP101 exam is tough – Prometric pass rate for my last set of students in Sydney Australia in December 09 was 80%. It is a closed book exam. The current peachpit book Final Cut Pro 7 by Diana Weynand is your best resource for study. The FCP7 advanced editing book has just been released and would be worth going through as well.
There are plenty of AATCs in London who can help you with this.
Probably the most central is soho editors: https://www.sohoeditors.com/uk
There is a sample test available. There are no ‘train the trainer’ books.
Becoming a certified apple trainer in FCP means sitting for a T3 exam in FCP7. This course is run by an FCP trainer and involves delivering training from the current resource set in front of your class (other trainers), being assessed on your training performance and passing a closed book T3 exam at the end of the course. The current exam covers workflows including formats like Digital Betacam and P2 media among others.
It is not laptop biased in my opinion.
This information is all directly availabe from the apple website.
I think that Zane and Shane are right however – being able to tell a story is what makes you a valuable editor. Getting experience editing different formats helps as well – a music promo, sports show and documentary for example. And of course a short film or two.
And yep, I’m an Apple Certified FCP7 trainer. But I still line up for freelance edit/production gigs like everyone else and I’m only as good as my last edit which I will laminate into my current showreel or proof of competency package.
This qualification may be of direct use with some broadcasters like the BBC or Channel 4 because many of their current staff have this certification and it means one less thing to check off on their skills matrix list in job applications. As stated earlier in this thread having your certification will not hurt your job chances and it is proof of some knowledge of FCP.

Best regards
Chris Wyatt
Apple Certified Trainer in Motion 4, FCP7, Final Cut Server.

[Chris Wyatt]

Hi Tangier
are the .WAV files you received in BWAV format?
If they are you can get sync drift as FCP or QuickTime unsuccessfully tries to chase the embedded timestamp sample information.
Heres a few recent COW links to look at:
https://forums.creativecow.net/thread/8/1031111
https://forums.creativecow.net/thread/8/1022132#1022140

Best Regards
Chris Wyatt

[Chris Wyatt]

Amen to that Gary.

Best Regards
Chris Wyatt

[Chris Wyatt]

Hi scott davis
I have worked with this codec as recently as last year. Its the MPEG1 of mobile phone video…
Its a 3GPP format codec and the annexes you refer to are the later profile settings. I think your client just wants the baseline profile – which although not pretty looking will play on most mobile phones supporting any sort of video. Even clunkers.
The best Apple product to encode it in is Telestreams Episode Pro version 5 or above.
My final setting for my client ended up being cooked with 3GP version 3GPPv5, Video Encode H.263,
Audio Encode AMR narrowband.
You will find the help inside Episode Pro of immense value with this.

Hope this helps

Best Regards
Chris Wyatt

[Chris Wyatt]

Hi Rafael
I have used VITC to complete complex edits from sources with unreliable LTC. These sources were digital betacam and created unusable Quicktime media. I’m not saying it does make sense embedded in a Quicktime file.
I posited that the actual sample bits (represented by the video codec inside Quicktime) and a method of deriving timing information from them would.
BTW you can’t currently play a Quicktime file “at a slow speed” at the moment and get usable timing information from it.
If that helps explain my comment.

Regards
Chris Wyatt

[Chris Wyatt]

Hi Chrispy
I am not sure that any codec wrapped in the current Quicktime iteration would support or hold vertical interval timecode. Its pretty fast and I dont think the current timing structure has any method of holding the bits in the necessary pattern. In an ideal world QuickTime X which may fully support timecode to AES EBU specification – that is down to the sample level – may.
Heres hoping anyway. If I find anything that does I’ll post here.
I have a nostalgic fondness for VITC – it has saved my online butt on more than one occasion.

Best Regards
Chris Wyatt

[Chris Wyatt]

My 3 favourite training resources for Motion 3 are
Mark Spencers Ripple training DVDs and the Peachpit
Motion 3 apple certified book. Theres a lot to learn in Motion 3
and I think its like the fast/good/cheap triangle – you know
pick any 2….

Best Regards
Chris Wyatt

[Chris Wyatt]

Hi Michael
I can recommend Mark Spencer’s Motion 3 Deep Dive into 3D DVD product
from Ripple training. It is definitely intemediate to advanced.
Extremely useful workflow tips.

Best Regards
Chris Wyatt

[Chris Wyatt]

Hi Lisa
the quickest way would be to simply drop your source PAL HDV clips into an NTSC standard def sequence
in Final Cut Pro 6 and then export as normal to compressor for your NTSC DVD. If you had more time you could transcode the clips with compressor to standard definition NTSC and then edit NTSC native within Final Cut Pro 6. If you had even more time you could transcode them with a Teranex converter to preserve field integrity. I suggest avoiding transcode to any Intermediate codec like ProRes without a lot of time to check field integrity. Go straight to NTSC from your PAL HDV material. FYI all HDV material is upper field dominant and NTSC is lower field dominant.

Hope this helps