[Kai Cheong]

The way I work is: if I\’m compressing immediately after I export a QT, I\’ll just make a reference file.

However, if it\’s something that will be kept around for a while, even a day, it\’s much safer to have it as a self-contained QT.

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 10.5.2

[Kai Cheong]

The way I work is: if I’m compressing immediately after I export a QT, I’ll just make a reference file.

However, if it’s something that will be kept around for a while, even a day, it’s much safer to have it as a self-contained QT.

[Kai Cheong]

Hi Erik, although I’m still on FCP 6 and haven’t really gone into the details of 7, I refuse to believe that ProRes for FCP7 is ONLY for 30fps!

I’ve been happily using ProRes for my 50i HDV projects thus far and I firmly believe you could too.

The marketing blurb is probably a generic spiel targetting the main market 🙂

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 10.5.2

[Kai Cheong]

Hi David, to piggy back on your post (I’m one post below yours, mulling over monitoring options as well): would a SD CRT TV connected via an Intensity Pro card be a possible downconverted preview monitor for checking interlacing?

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 10.5.2

[Kai Cheong]

Hi Walter, thanks for your tips. Just to find out a little bit more about your last paragraph… Does it mean the Panny pro monitors (am looking at the 37″) would make a fairly decent preview HDTV for interlacing checking?

Budget is one thing but not so much as to scrimp on a fistful of dollars to buy a dubiously cheap HDTV that doesn’t do the job. Looking at a few Phillips & Samsungs now, so a Panasonic is definitely within good company.

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 10.5.2

[Kai Cheong]

Thanks, Mario. The MXO2 Mini is looking mighty tempting, too. And the portability is also a plus point – being able to do mobile editing with it and my MacBook Pro!

After some more intensive research, this Plasma TV seems to come highly recommended by our forum leader, Walter:
https://panasonic.com.sg/web/pid/439/Spec

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 10.5.2

[Kai Cheong]

Hi Preston,

If you’re using stuff from Digital Juice, you should be able to tweak the settings in Juicer to best match your sequence. Juicer is their free software available on their website for download.

I use a lot of DJ, too and it definitely saves a lot of time if I render out [from Juicer] a QT file that matches my FCP settings. This is especially so for background plates. Looking at your settings, I guess the issue was the dimensions. Good to hear it’s solved now.

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 10.5.2

[Kai Cheong]

Hi Jason,

I don’t think there’s ‘one best codec’ though I’m liking ProRes very much, too. I transcode, via Firewire, HDV to ProRes and it makes for good visuals and smooth editing.

As much as possible, I’ll work with the native format. But when it comes to formats like H.264, which are not designed for editing [more like a delivery format], I’ll transcode it first. If it’s a SD project, likely to be DVCPro50 [better color space for graphics than basic DV]. If HD, ProRes.

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 10.5.2

[Kai Cheong]

We do a lot of work with government agencies & every single one of them has to go through an online tendering system similar to what you’ve described
here. Often, the exec put in charge of managing the tender has no experience dealing with video projects & not much understanding of the technical specs they sometimes put into the brief. We usually make a phone call & ask all ther pertinent details needed to make sure we can quote reasonably. If there’s enough time, we also try to meet the clients face to face – this is where the clients sometimes realize they don’t really know what they want and the things they copied & pasted into their brief is probably going to cost more than they have (“Full HD Video In HD DVD”).

A company I used to work with many years ago had a construction project of such epic scale… But a non existent project management system. Shoots were not documented & tapes are hastily labelled. There wasn’t a dedicated producer on it-whoever was the AP/Producer with the time went for the shoot. I would hate to be the editor & producer doing the edit!

So perhaps that is something you should cost properly for (project management & proper archival) – and highlight it as a USP in your proposal.

Other than that, thanks for the post: Ive learnt some great tips all round. We’re trying to add more non-government private clients to our mix but I don’t see being able to shift away totally from this
imperfect & sometimes way-too-time-consuming tender process.

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 10.5.2

[Kai Cheong]

Social Media has worked quite a bit for us. We have a fairly small market with many players – a mix of experienced production houses that have been in he business for more than 10 years and run by people well-connected to he industry and also many tiny startups and one man bands doing work of all quality.

Where we stand size-wise is on the tiny side but quality-wise, I’m fairly confident we’ve been punching above our weight.

I’m kind of in-charge of all our web activities but unfortunately, my web building skills are stuck in the 90s, when HTML just came out. So our website
is still… Under construction.

BUT it seems like having a blogspot blog is giving us even more exposure than a traditional website would have. We’re getting pretty good hits (I’ve been tracking with a counter) and has received calls from potential clients who googled. We also have production stills up on Flickr and a regularly updated YouTube channel. I’ve also begun uploading our recent works on Facebook, tagging my cast and crew.

If anyone searches for ‘Singapore production house’ on yahoo or google, we’re within the 1st two pages. Same term on Youtube finds us filling up the first page.

I’ve never really read up intensively on SEO but just relied on many years as a net geek to pull these things together… Seems to be working!

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 10.5.2