[Galen Summer]

Thanks, Bob. And yes we are going to CO3. We usually do, but the typical workflow for us is to have them make HDCam master and DV dubs, and then things are smooth. However, for this shoot we made our offline tapes in Argentina after the shoot, and now I just want to make sure all will sync up with our film. Sounds like it should be ok if I follow those steps.

best,

-g

[Galen Summer]

Also wanted to add that this is what the transfer facility is looking for from us. I know that FCP cannot do C-Mode EDLs, but I have heard there is a workaround which is to drag all clips to a new bin Then sort those clips, within the bin, in ascending TC order. Then select all the clips and drag them into a new sequence. That sequence will be in ascending TC order – cmode. Then I would make a regular Amode list made from that sequence. Is this what you guys do?

1. Rough cut with timecode burnt in – on tape or as a QuickTime

2. One A-Mode edl emailed to nyedl@company3.com. This edl should be ‘clean’ and not contain any dissolves or speed changes. Adjust in and out points to ensure entire clip will be in the conform. Layers for split screens, composite shots or any kind of alternative passes should be supplied and emailed as an additional A-Mode edl.

3. One C-Mode edl of all needed scenes for this project.

The timecode that we will have burned in to our edit is at 29.97, so hopefully this won’t be an issue. I don’t think I can do anything about that. Again, Bob or anyone else, I appreciate you taking the time to pass on your wisdom!

[Galen Summer]

Thanks, Bob. That is helpful. Let’s just say that in terms of framerate, this project was undertaken against my recommendation. We deliver PAL, so I thought it made sense to shoot the film at 25fps, make offline tapes at 25fps, and deliver at 25fps SD. However, the director wanted to shoot 24fps, which meant we had to make 29.97 offline dv tapes, and then finish at HDcam 23.98, for an eventual PAL conversion. Oh well.

Anyway, I will need to convert my EDL to 24p land because that is what we are getting as digital files from our telecine session. In terms of pulldown, I don’t have the info, but I am assuming I can look at the footage and determine myself by counting frames. Right?

Am I also right to assume that I can leave the keycode out of this whole process? I really hope so.

Thanks!

[Galen Summer]

Yes we do. That is burned in as well to the dv footage. I am a little fuzzy on reading keycode, but I am sure I can figure that out. So I am guessing I will need to input those numbers manually to an EDL or perhaps create a cinema tools database? I am happy to do some reading to get more clear on this, if anyone can suggest what to read. This must actually be a fairly common workflow: cutting offline NTSC footage to match back to film. How do people normally do this?

[Galen Summer]

Thanks for the feedback guys. Shane, I agree with you 100%. I did not create this workflow I am just trying to live with it. I appreciate your bluntness, but there is really nothing I can do about it. At the facility where I am working I do not have a deck (except for DV). We get all HD material captured for us at another place and then it is used for multiple purposes (at least for this project). That means that I can’t just have them upres my sequence. I have to work with chunks of footage that cover my sections as well as what other people need.

Anyway, I think Sean’s method is a little better than what I have been doing so I will try that. I am interested to check out that app. Does it do something different than what cinema tools does when it reverses telecine, or is it just better at it?

Thx,

g

[Galen Summer]

I tried the EDL convert approach, but soon realized that the clip names for my 29.97 material do not match the clip names for my 23.98 material. For example, my 29.97 footage comes from clips that are whole camera rolls, while the 23.98 stuff is arriving as individual clips corresponding to different shots from the edits. For example, with my 29.97 material I have just one clip for roll 1 (TCR_1), while my 23.98 stuff may have TCR1_1,2,3, etc. Since I have no control over this part of the process (I receive footage on a drive that has been captured and clips named by someone else) I need another way to approach this. There is also burned in timecode on the DV footage. If I just copy and paste my clips from my 29.97 timeline into my new 23.98 timeline, what is the best way to match up and cut in the HD shots? Would it be better to export a QT of my 29.97 timeline, reverse telecine it, and then use that as a reference to conform my 23.98 sequence?

Sorry if this explanation has gotten confusing. I know I can fumble through this and get it done, as I have done that for a couple sequences already, but I am looking for the best way to approach this and learn something for the future as well.

thx,

g

[Galen Summer]

Hey Shane, Thanks. Any tips on dealing with speed changes? I will probably just match up by eye, but if you have anything you’ve learned in this respect I’d love to hear it. What do you think would be a good way to bring over some reference to the SD material? I would love to be able to have a ref layer QT to see that things are still lining up. Obviously this would be 29.97 and I would need to convert. Is doing a Cinema Tools reverse telecine to a an export of my 29.97 sequence a good option? These are short pieces (:30 spots) so I am more concerned with accuracy than dealing with large chunks of media.

thx,

g

[Galen Summer]

Thanks for the opinions. I know that it is easy to add pulldown in AE on render (although, Dave, your explanation is nice and clear for anyone that has never done it), but we were trying to stay away from adding ugly interlacing to our project files.

moldyboot(?) – as you mention, it would confuse anyone who tried to edit with the files, but in theory no one will do that. They will simply put them on to airmasters etc, they won’t be cutting them at all.

I think I will stick to adding pulldown in the future because it is safer, but I wanted to see what people thought of this method.

[Galen Summer]

Hey guys,

So is this a bug you have found to be associated with the 6.0.1 update only? I am just now researching to see what problems people have encountered updating from FCP 6, and will probably hold off until this one is fixed. Sounds freakin’ irritating. Currently running 6.0 and have not run into this problem yet.

[Galen Summer]

I think I created confusion with my use of quotes there. I know it isn’t the only codec it supports, but it is the highest flavor of HD that it supports, which I’m sure is great for editing HD and amazing that it can be done on a laptop, but we need to be able to view and occasionally output 10-bit uncompressed.