Kai Cheong
Forum Replies Created
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What’s that you say? Quicktime is non-standard? In some settings it is. Know your client.
True that. Most of the time, my clients need .WMV – Quicktime just doesn’t come pre-installed in their workstations and they don’t have the system access to install any kind of software. Apparently workplace IT admins are not big on employees adding stuff they would find useful [though I can understand where they’re coming from, esp. in a big organization].
It it were up to me, I would definitely prefer they take Quicktime. I can do quick cluster encoding in Compressor but can’t do the same for .WMV encoding in MPEG Streamclip – speeds things up so much. Plus, I find H.264 .MOVs give me better quality.
I do the upload to our server and dropping a note to the client to ‘right click’, too. It’s usually pretty foolproofed.
Kai
FCP Editor / Producer with Intuitive Films
https://kai-fcp-editor.blogspot.com
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Now ‘LIVE’! Check Out The Intuitive Films Blog @ https://intuitive-films.blogspot.com
At Intuitive Films, We Create: TV Commercials, Documentaries, Corporate Videos and Feature Films
Visit us @ https://www.intuitivefilms.com
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MacBook Pro 2.4GHz | 4GB RAM | FCP 5.1.4 | Mac OS X 10.5.78-Core Intel Mac Pro 2.26GHz | 8GB RAM | FCP 6.0.2 | Mac OS X 10.5.6 | 3.0TB CalDigit VR | 2 x 24″ Dell S2409W
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More often than not, we do not put our logo/company name [let alone cast and crew] at the end of the corporate videos we make.
BUT for certain videos when the clients request for their own credit ending [when they are obliged to thank the people/departments/sponsors who helped out] and when it’s a video that has a wide audience reach [eg. screened as part of an event/roadshow], we do have a quick 3-4 secs of ‘Produced by [logo] Intuitive Films for [name of client]’. Nothing that overwhelms the client’s name/logo, of course.
This is always with the explicit approval of the client. Most of the time, we’ve built really good relationships with our clients and they’re happy to help us get the word out – verbally or with the video.
Kai
FCP Editor / Producer with Intuitive Films
https://kai-fcp-editor.blogspot.com
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Now ‘LIVE’! Check Out The Intuitive Films Blog @ https://intuitive-films.blogspot.com
At Intuitive Films, We Create: TV Commercials, Documentaries, Corporate Videos and Feature Films
Visit us @ https://www.intuitivefilms.com
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MacBook Pro 2.4GHz | 4GB RAM | FCP 5.1.4 | Mac OS X 10.5.78-Core Intel Mac Pro 2.26GHz | 8GB RAM | FCP 6.0.2 | Mac OS X 10.5.6 | 3.0TB CalDigit VR | 2 x 24″ Dell S2409W
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I get the powerful sneezes & sniffles once in a while… most of the time it doesn’t amount to anything serious, but it clouds my mind and pretty much kills my day.
That’s why I’ve started carrying 2 kinds of Vitamin C’s in my messenger bag – one’s a lozenge-like candy and another dissolves in water [makes for yummy orange-flavored drink]. When I feel tingly, I go for them. Usually helps.
It’s been pretty wet and rainy over here, so I also see it as my personal/professional responsibility to not get caught in the rain. Always pack an umbrella, that’s what I do.
Kai
FCP Editor / Producer with Intuitive Films
https://kai-fcp-editor.blogspot.com
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Now ‘LIVE’! Check Out The Intuitive Films Blog @ https://intuitive-films.blogspot.com
At Intuitive Films, We Create: TV Commercials, Documentaries, Corporate Videos and Feature Films
Visit us @ https://www.intuitivefilms.com
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MacBook Pro 2.4GHz | 4GB RAM | FCP 5.1.4 | Mac OS X 10.5.78-Core Intel Mac Pro 2.26GHz | 8GB RAM | FCP 6.0.2 | Mac OS X 10.5.6 | 3.0TB CalDigit VR | 2 x 24″ Dell S2409W
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I’m with Marcello on this – break the task down into something very rational and organized. It’s really a mental game – you just have to accept this is not an inspirational, life-changing, creative edit. Though what you’re working on is sort of meaningful – since it’s going to be something to help the elderly.
Often, I find that even though THINKING about an icky/long-drawn out edit makes me feel demoralized and frustrated, once you get into the actual task of cutting and splicing, it gets pretty mechanical and automatic. Then time passes and your videos gets built – slowly but surely.
Sometimes, I do get left alone to make certain edits on my own time. And in all honesty, the spirit AND flesh can get pretty unwilling. But it all boils down to knowing you have a job to do and the faster you start it, the quicker you get through it and the more time you get to enjoy [without having the silly edit haunting you at the back of your mind].
Get into the right frame of mind, build up your ‘mental set up’ time [you can be doing some form of procrastinating here but you know you’re just setting up for the job ahead] then fire up your NLE and go at it!
Kai
FCP Editor / Producer with Intuitive Films
https://kai-fcp-editor.blogspot.com
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Now ‘LIVE’! Check Out The Intuitive Films Blog @ https://intuitive-films.blogspot.com
At Intuitive Films, We Create: TV Commercials, Documentaries, Corporate Videos and Feature Films
Visit us @ https://www.intuitivefilms.com
—
MacBook Pro 2.4GHz | 4GB RAM | FCP 5.1.4 | Mac OS X 10.5.78-Core Intel Mac Pro 2.26GHz | 8GB RAM | FCP 6.0.2 | Mac OS X 10.5.6 | 3.0TB CalDigit VR | 2 x 24″ Dell S2409W
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The other bunch of files you might like to delete would be the render files – space hoggers that they are.
Personally, I wouldn’t delete the project file. It takes up very little space & you never know when you’ll need to revisit the project somewhere down the road. With the project file, your edits are all in place & if you were working with tape media (that has been properly captured with timecodes), you could easily recapture them again with the project file.
Kai
FCP Editor / Producer with Intuitive Films
https://kai-fcp-editor.blogspot.com
—
Now ‘LIVE’! Check Out The Intuitive Films Blog @ https://intuitive-films.blogspot.com
At Intuitive Films, We Create: TV Commercials, Documentaries, Corporate Videos and Feature Films
Visit us @ https://www.intuitivefilms.com
—
MacBook Pro 2.4GHz | 4GB RAM | FCP 5.1.4 | Mac OS X 10.5.78-Core Intel Mac Pro 2.26GHz | 8GB RAM | FCP 6.0.2 | Mac OS X 10.5.6 | 3.0TB CalDigit VR | 2 x 24″ Dell S2409W
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Assuming that your 16:9 footage is also SD (if it’s HD, you might be able to drop it into a 4:3 sequence and resize accordingly such that you can get a full-screen center crop going without losing resolution)…
If you drop an anamorphic 16:9 SD clip into a 4:3 sequence, you will get the letterbox. It’s got to do with how the pixel aspect ratio allows you to shoot 16:9 SD footage.
If you want the 16:9 footage to fill up the 4:3 screen, you’ll need to blow up the footage by increasing the size. But this means you’ll lose resolution/quality.
Since you’re going to DVD, why don’t you continue working on a 16:9 anamorphic sequence, output to compressor & author through DVD Studio Pro. You’ll be able to burn a DVD that’ll fill the screen on a widescreen TV or automatically letterbox itself on a 4:3 TV.
Kai
FCP Editor / Producer with Intuitive Films
https://kai-fcp-editor.blogspot.com
—
Now ‘LIVE’! Check Out The Intuitive Films Blog @ https://intuitive-films.blogspot.com
At Intuitive Films, We Create: TV Commercials, Documentaries, Corporate Videos and Feature Films
Visit us @ https://www.intuitivefilms.com
—
MacBook Pro 2.4GHz | 4GB RAM | FCP 5.1.4 | Mac OS X 10.5.78-Core Intel Mac Pro 2.26GHz | 8GB RAM | FCP 6.0.2 | Mac OS X 10.5.6 | 3.0TB CalDigit VR | 2 x 24″ Dell S2409W
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I’ve read a few books on editing… but I don’t think I’ve come across something that fits what you’re looking for exactly. Probably because editing, being so diverse and dynamic, is really hard to pin down with hard and fast rules. Doing the same kind of cut in one piece might give a different effect in another piece. Sometimes I wonder why I make certain edit decisions… but find it hard to really explain myself because it all seems so intuitive! [not trying to pimp my company here!].
I kept a short list of what I’ve read [not updated in a while though] on my blog: https://kai-fcp-editor.blogspot.com – to summarize:
In the Blink of an Eye – by Walter Murch
The Conversations: Walter Murch and the Art of Editing Film
Behind the Seen: How Walter Murch Edited Cold Mountain Using Apple’s Final Cut Pro and What This Means for Cinema
First Cut: Conversations with Film Editors
POST: The Theory and Technique of Digital Nonlinear Motion Picture Editing
The Technique of Film and Video Editing, Fourth Edition: History, Theory, and Practice
’twas interesting reading about the process of editing which varies from editor to editor, and project to project.
Some interesting sharing from editors here about how they work:
https://www.mewshop.com/mew_media/vault/Kai
FCP Editor / Producer with Intuitive Films
https://kai-fcp-editor.blogspot.com
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Now ‘LIVE’! Check Out The Intuitive Films Blog @ https://intuitive-films.blogspot.com
At Intuitive Films, We Create: TV Commercials, Documentaries, Corporate Videos and Feature Films
Visit us @ https://www.intuitivefilms.com
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MacBook Pro 2.4GHz | 4GB RAM | FCP 5.1.4 | Mac OS X 10.5.78-Core Intel Mac Pro 2.26GHz | 8GB RAM | FCP 6.0.2 | Mac OS X 10.5.6 | 3.0TB CalDigit VR | 2 x 24″ Dell S2409W
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I’ve not heard of any software or plugin that does it, so perhaps you might want to consider going the longer route of using ‘Print Screen’ and then printing out the screen shots?
You can go to Sequence Settings > Timeline Options and choose ‘Thumbnail Display > Filmstrip’ and also ‘Show Audio Waveforms’. Then on the timeline itself, expand it as big as possible. Just keep adjusting your timeline across the screen and doing ‘Print Screen’. If you want to tidy things up, you could crop out what you don’t need in Photoshop.
It might not be ideal and it’ll be easier if you’re working with a bigger monitor, but it could give you what you need.
Kai
FCP Editor / Producer with Intuitive Films
https://kai-fcp-editor.blogspot.com
—
Now ‘LIVE’! Check Out The Intuitive Films Blog @ https://intuitive-films.blogspot.com
At Intuitive Films, We Create: TV Commercials, Documentaries, Corporate Videos and Feature Films
Visit us @ https://www.intuitivefilms.com
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MacBook Pro 2.4GHz | 4GB RAM | FCP 5.1.4 | Mac OS X 10.5.2 -
I told myself that if and when I finally become a ‘true editor’ (I am not worthy… Yet), I’ll tattoo an FCP logo – because it’s the EDL of choice that enabled me to get into editing, on my own terms.
Looking at the trend of things, perhaps I’ll tattoo the FCP logo to commemorate its RIP day – even before I attain the Holy Grail of Editorship.
Kai
FCP Editor / Producer with Intuitive Films
https://kai-fcp-editor.blogspot.com
—
Now ‘LIVE’! Check Out The Intuitive Films Blog @ https://intuitive-films.blogspot.com
At Intuitive Films, We Create: TV Commercials, Documentaries, Corporate Videos and Feature Films
Visit us @ https://www.intuitivefilms.com
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MacBook Pro 2.4GHz | 4GB RAM | FCP 5.1.4 | Mac OS X 10.5.2 -
Are you expected to do the audio post as well [either within FCP, Soundtrack Pro or something else] – as well as the color grading? Do you think you could manage on all fronts?
How many previews are you to provide? How is that done? Do you need to burn and send out DVDs, or upload a .MOV or invite everyone over for a screening?
Who holds the final decision on making edit changes – the director, producer, EP, the director’s mother? ;]
JUST to be sure – all the footage is coming in one format? Or is it all mixed up? Would you be required to capture from tapes [deck rental or possibly post house transfer costs]? Or is everything already captured for you? Even so, would you be required to transcode to a an editable-in-FCP format [eg. from P2 .MXF] – depending on how much footage there is, it could take massive computing hours.
Are there log sheets? [I took up a freelance TV editing gig once – only when I turned up was I informed that there wasn’t any log sheet or script; in fact, I had to capture all the tapes as well… didn’t figure to ask all these BEFORE I agreed on the project-basis rate]
Now that we got the nitty gritty out of the way…
Maybe you’d like to see if you could have a short chat and discussion with the director to just have a brief idea of what he envisions this film to be. Depending on your personal preference, you might or might not want to know too much before doing your ‘editor’s cut’.
Kai
FCP Editor / Producer with Intuitive Films
https://kai-fcp-editor.blogspot.com
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Now ‘LIVE’! Check Out The Intuitive Films Blog @ https://intuitive-films.blogspot.com
At Intuitive Films, We Create: TV Commercials, Documentaries, Corporate Videos and Feature Films
Visit us @ https://www.intuitivefilms.com
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MacBook Pro 2.4GHz | 4GB RAM | FCP 5.1.4 | Mac OS X 10.5.2