[Mark Suszko]

Preach it, Brother Shane!

[Mark Suszko]

Sound like something FFMPEG might be able to do? Ask their forum?

[Mark Suszko]

I might try breaking all the links in the DVD project and then re-establishing them. You might have a link that goes someplace it shouldn’t. Did you import an asset twice somewhere?

[Mark Suszko]

At least some small part of this is not a 64 bit issue but a business issue, in that Apple is cutting some codecs they had to pay licensing fees to use, as I understand it.

Keeping some older OS systems and it’s host hardware around is an option, but not as “simple” as it may seem, since, you’re now counting on that machine never breaking down. (And eventually, they will…) …and on there being a replacement for it if it does.

I have a gorgeous $3k iMac in my garden toolshed, stuck on a shelf since the graphics card melted down one day, well after Apple stopped replacing the bad units. I *could* spend as much as the computer was worth to get an OEM replacement, and find someone to put it in… or try to do it myself… but it’s not financially prudent. And that’s going to happen to everybody who keeps an older model in a “Bell Jar” for handling these deprecated codecs. I had one of those here at the office until last month or so, humming happily along, when the IT dept. suddenly and unilaterally ordered them all sent to the boneyard, no reprieves, no exceptions. I lost m FCP-7 and DVDStudio Pro workstation on that day. (sniff) You’ll have the ability to still work with them, until suddenly – you won’t. And I guaran-damn-tee you, it won’t happen at a convenient time.

The opportunist will see in this a chance to make some money; helping people evacuate/transcode their files. Bob Z, if you’re listening, this could be a great side business, setting up a transfer workstation hooked to big storage. Maybe make it a rentable fly-away package you plug into the local system, vacuum everything up and transcode it thru an automated script… move on to the next shop.

I think it might also be a small profit center for some developers writing transcoding tools, but then again, if they have to pay a lot in licensing, they might not be able to break-even.

As I understand it, currently Apple has a transcoding scheme set up in Compressor to help you move your stuff when FCPX or Motion detect a codec on the “endangered list”.

[Mark Suszko]

They’re pretty basic, but thanks. I’ve been doing this a while. The “Save This Script” tutorials I co-authored with Morley are handy for new commercial writer-producers and I think they are written in a fun, accessible style.

[Mark Suszko]

There are a hundred ways to go on this, creatively. Can you answer a few questions first?

What is the budget?
Where will this be shown: Broadcast TV, web, Facebook, etc. ?
What is the deadline to shoot, to show the client a first draft, and to get the spot aired?
Does the client business have advertising materials, a brand identity, graphics, logos, etc. that need to be in the spot?
Does the spot need to match or integrate with any of their other advertising?
How much access to the facility do you have, in terms of showing other people using the service, examples of what you get with the desk/room?
Do you have actors available for this?
Are you able to take over a space for enough time to really shoot it well?
What kind of gear do you have access to for shooting this, in terms of lighting and camera?
What is the space like in terms of size of the space, number and type of windows, what kind of lighting?
Are you wanting to tell a story within the framework of the spot, or is this more of a meat-and-potatoes announcement that there is this service available?
Will you be recording testimonials from happy users or the facility management?

For someone beginning to do this kind of work, there is a really fun and informative documentary you should watch, called one, ten, hundred, on Amazon’s streaming service. It shows a production company making a promo spot three times: same commercial, but three different budget ranges, and what creative and logistical solutions they use for each version. It’s not always about how much money you throw at a project, but how you creatively solve a problem or meet a need. Study in particular the low and mid-budget examples and note the changes.

https://www.amazon.com/One-Ten-Hundred-Adam-Lisagor/dp/B07K3ZJPN7

You will want to actually write a script and make a storyboard before the shoot, to really know what you’re doing and get the client on board with it. It’s the most important organizational tool you have.

You might also want to browse the COW for the series of tutorials I did, called “Save This Script!”

[Mark Suszko]

I knew it wouldn’t give any real depth cues and that it was just a gimmick. I mean, with time and skill and some great roto work and compositing, I probably could break it into 2 or 3 layers. That just wasn’t needed for the particular application.

They were just looking for a different way to present what’s eventually just going to be put up on a flat screen anyway. The right way to do the job of course is to shoot it 3 d from the start, but with my kind of clients this kind of approach is often an afterthought. What I really need is a time machine so I can go back a year and shoot what the clients have only just now considered doing.

But learning how to apply the VR stereo mono conversions in PPro won’t necessarily be wasted. I just have to figure out now how to do it in FCPX/Motion/Compressor, then I can apply it to some fun home projects for my own amusement and that of some friends. My next Sci Fi role playing game session needs a graphic intro upgrade, lol.

[Mark Suszko]

I seem to have found something to make it happen in PremierePro cc, Was hoping to find similar functionality in FCPX

[Mark Suszko]

That’s not an option in this case, so I will ned to try something else.

[Mark Suszko]

Well, this is embarrassing. The Fusion software seems to be limited to pulling files from the camera directly, and all I have are mpeg 4 files that were transcoded and archived onto our server. The GoPro Fusion software can’t “see” that stuff; it’s grayed-out. It also looks for 360 files, which I don’t have.

What I was looking for was more of a template for making a “side-by-side” from the original, single-view fisheye shot, that will play okay in, say, a youtube playback. Not much of a jump from an old Viewmaster.