[D. scott Dobbie]

Unfortunately this is as I thought. And there are enough shooters “suffering” in this economy that they’ll take whatever work they can get. And when the economy is good again, and those shooters move on, college kids whose parents bought them the latest HD toy will be around to fill the bill. Less quality, but no one really cares.

I’m still amazed at all the craigslist postings asking for free services, and then they want to see IMDb credits and reels with quality work. Funny that the quality work often comes from quality budgets.

Reminds me of a very funny 2-panel cartoon many years ago: The producer, screaming on the phone that he wants it faster – he wants it cheaper. And the second panel has him holding up the completed film and asking, “How come this stuff always looks like crap?”

Oh well…

[D. scott Dobbie]

In a word, “No.”

I’m fortunate in that the HVX200 is small enough to carry on. I normally keep the camera in a Pelican case with the matte box, batteries, wide angle adapter, etc. But I pull the camera out and put it in a soft Porta Brace case for carry on. Then I send the Pelican case through with the others.

On the other hand major production companies ship larger cameras, lenses and gear all the time. Many times you’ll see the familiar square Panavision and other production cases (not Pelican) at LAX (Los Angeles Int’l). If there was an issue, they wouldn’t be doing it.

While I’ve got production insurance, down-time with the camera would definitely hurt. Just don’t need to take the chance – yet.

-Scott

[D. scott Dobbie]

Southwest Airline has a production deal where they charge $25 per case, regardless of the weight. You need to let them know it’s for a production. Easier for me to do that and use my own Arri light kits than pay $125 and more to rent a kit (aside from time involved to pick up and return, and that assumes a location where they’re even accessible).

Other airlines may offer similar deals – especially with the economy.

Everything else I have is in Pelican cases, which are great for shipping.

-Scott

[D. scott Dobbie]

All good ideas, however, my gut tells me these “clients” are along the same lines as those ads you see looking for freelance shooters for some cheap work. They charge a minimal amount to “their” clients to put the local businesses online, and then pay a small amount to the shooters.

These sort of guys aren’t interested in upgrading their equipment or spending any cash at all. And if Scott balks they’ll just move on to another shooter.

Scott, what you can take away from this is confirming the workflow before you accept a job. Most of your “real” clients will be familiar with P2 or have the system to handle it. You’ll also find some “tape lovers” who are willing to try to upgrade if you can walk them through it – they’ve heard the advantages and this is a perfect opportunity.

Then there are those like you’re dealing with – “give us tape.”

So, in the future, let them know you’re shooting onto P2. Asked if they’ve worked with those files before and if they have the capability to deal with them.

-Scott

[D. scott Dobbie]

Dave, that’s great! Did not know this all went back to the square pixel idea. I’ve just never had to mess with it before, so never fully understood. But now I do.

Thanks!

-Scott

[D. scott Dobbie]

I’m not sure I understand your question.

Using FCP, you perform the Log & Transfer function on each card in the exact same way, without regard for what is on the card or if there are spanned clips. These spanned clips will be assembled as one when you view them in FCP.

Now, if you erased the first card BEFORE you did a Log & Transfer, that footage is gone.

When you say that you can watch the file but you are unable to transfer it, what are you watching it on?

[D. scott Dobbie]

“Cheap” makes me think it will lack quality. And if there’s no quality, why waste your time?

I don’t know what budget range you would consider inexpensive.

I use the Panasonic BT-LH1700W 17″ Widescreen HD LCD Monitor, and I’ve got the Porta Brace field case to go along with it. Excellent viewability in bright sun with the wrap that the field case provides. Being HD, your focus is dead-on. Had it for a couple years and its been a great workhorse.

[D. scott Dobbie]

For future reference, you shouldn’t go “deep” at all – you should be copying everything, even if a particular folder is empty. You should also invest in a program such as ShotPut P2 or ShotPut Pro, which will copy your files for you (and in up to 3 locations simultaneously) and perform a verification check.

You still need a “Contents” folder that the other 6 folders will reside in.

As for the LASTCLIP.txt file, that would normally be next to the Contents folder.

Check out “Shane’s Stock Answer #38,” by Shane Ross, for the way to recreate your LASTCLIP.txt file:
https://library.creativecow.net/articles/ross_shane/fcp_faq3.php

-Scott

[D. scott Dobbie]

That looks clean, Jeremy.

Chris, have you worked with that post house previously? Can you upload a shot showing the jaggies?

[D. scott Dobbie]

Unless my eyesight got really bad all of a sudden, I don’t see a problem with the footage. Looks clean except for when talent throws his arms forward at the end. Even “double-size” in QuickTime looks pretty good – though no longer sharp. But I don’t see jaggies.

Perhaps it’s not being viewed at full resolution on FCP.

Is your post house merely reporting this to you or have you actually seen it on their system?