[Gary Goldblum]

Thanks for the responses. This is going to take some getting used to as I often use waveforms to make cuts when editing video (I do a lot of music video work). I really wish there was a way to view waveforms the way I’m used to vs “rectified”.

One other question,

When I import footage from a P2 card (HD setting) I always had four separate audio channels in FCP7. 2 from the XLR ins and 2 from the built in mic. I recently filmed a show and need all four channels (The XLRs were a stereo feed from a mixing board and I need the 2 internal ones for crowd noise ect).

How do I do this? In FCP7 it always imported all 4 tracks when I did a log and transfer.

Thanks again!

Thanks!

Gary

[Gary Goldblum]

Thanks! I totally get it now. Back to editing…. Computer flying!

Thanks!

Gary

[Gary Goldblum]

It looks like the movies I am working with are .mpeg4s with a square pixel aspect ratio (what is that vs NTSC-CCIR 601?) I have brought the original files into Compressor and made them into Apple ProRes422 files. FCP seems happier. I guess this is a limitation regarding how I imported the movies (my only choices are .mov or .mpeg4s)

Hopefully this will help.

Thanks again,

Gary

Thanks!

Gary

[Gary Goldblum]

Hi Shane,

I am running FCP 6 and I often see (spanned) after the name of the file. I just filmed an hour long movie (no stops whatsoever) AND I only had one P2 card in my camera.

Is this anything to worry about, since it imports correctly as one movie?

Just curious what Spanned means.

Thnaks,

Gary

Thanks!

Gary

[Gary Goldblum]

Hi Mark,

Thanks for the reply…. I was able to look at the hyperdeck shuttle, but I do not have SDI or HDMI on my HVX-200…. Can you post a link for the other products? I couldn’t find them.

Thanks,

Gary

Thanks!

Gary

[Gary Goldblum]

Shane,

I have Adobe On Location CS4, but have never used it (HA)… I do not see any tutorials on the web, and do not see any preferences as far as capture settings…. Can I make h.264s or MPEG 4s on the fly?

Sorry for my ignorance.

Thanks!

Gary

[Gary Goldblum]

Is there any application where you can compress/encode a file on the fly?

I want to capture HD video, but do not want it to be insanely huge. I would love to capture video directly from my camera and record it as a H.264 file or MPEG 4 or MPEG2.

I know I am losing quite a bit of quality, but am just wondering if it is possible.

Can Adobe On Location do this?

Thanks!

Gary

[Gary Goldblum]

Thanks guys…. This is a case where a company has hired a videographer, and he is sub-contracting work to me. From my understanding his client is adamant about this workflow. He is shooting on a XH-A1 to mini-dv tape in “HD” (encoded as an MPEG-2?). The project is numerous depositions all around the country and could potentially put some serious $ in my pocket. Below is my response. Remember in the world of depos they are mostly interested in a product that requires no editing, must be delivered quickly, and is usually 7-8 hours long.

Gary 😉

Thanks for spending some time with me this morning. I do have a few questions which will allow me to assist you better. As you can imagine there are a few ways for me to tackle this. I guess the bigger looming question is how many jobs will be sent my way, and how many of them involve traveling.

(1) Are you the only videographer working on this project? If I rent/buy a Sony camera, will our tapes be compatible regarding playback? I have heard this can be an issue.

(2) My least expensive option would be to buy this Sony blue-ray HD recorder. It is portable and I can record to both DVD and Blue-Ray DVD in “HD”. Can I deliver a DVD as the master?
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=NavBar&A=getItemDetail&Q=&sku=751796&is=REG&si=rev#costumerReview

(3) Another option is to buy more P2 cards. At the end of the day I would need to transfer the data to a hard drive. The benefit here is you would have full HD and would not need to import them later. Can I send a hard drive full of data to whoever is editing it? Can I film in 720p?

(4) I am also considering a new HD recorder. My normal workflow is I use my P2 cards as my backup, and I use a stand alone HD recorder/DVD writer (most of my clients are satisfied with DVDs as a masters (I can also film to dv, but only in sd mode). The unit I own is great, but I have never had anyone approach me wanting High Def. for depos. This $2000 beast might do the trick, and I am certain it would look quite a bit better than the Sony unit.
https://tascam.com/product/bd-r2000/overview/

(5) Can I bill for travel time? What is included when I travel? (hotel, car rental, per diem)

(6) Normally I charge $? per hour with a 3 hour minimum. Am I billing you/your company, or can I bill slightly higher to recoup some of the investments/rentals that I will incur? Are my charges appropriate and what do I do if I travel half way across the country and it is cancelled?

Thanks again for your time.

Gary

Thanks!

Gary

[Gary Goldblum]

The client wants HD on a tape….and as always, the client is always right. (Someone else is doing all the editing and I am only getting paid for filming). I am meeting with them tomorrow to discuss options, but It looks like I will need to rent a camera for this gig (d’oh). I think I found a Sony for $125 a day, and I will just pass on the expenses.

Thanks,

Gary

Thanks!

Gary

[Gary Goldblum]

Wow… well I must claim a bit of ignorance here…. I have always believed (and read) that FireWire400 is slightly faster that USB 2.0 and doesn’t have the consistent data transfer. I am an old school Pro Tools guy, and have read that this is the reason that Digidesign/Avid does not support USB audio interfaces….

If I switch to the USB mode on my HVX-200a, and transfer that way, it is easily twice as fast!!

yee hah!

Thanks Creative Cow!!

Thanks!

Gary