[Matthew Sonnenfeld]

Manfrotto 504HD. Do the floor spreader and you’ll get a midlevel included. You could also opt for carbon fiber sticks if you want to shave weight.

But seriously, it’s a great tripod. I use it for my HPX170 with a mattebox, rails, etc.

Panasonic HPX170 P
2011 Macbook Pro 17″, 2.3 Ghz Quad Core, 8GB RAM
Matrox MXO2 mini with MAX
Adobe Premiere Pro CS5.5, Final Cut Pro Studio 3, Avid Media Composer 3.5.4
The College of WIlliam and Mary

[Matthew Sonnenfeld]

I also thought I found that keyframe editor on the first day FCPX came out. Then I realized it didn’t really work and marking keyframes and moving them is a far cry from actually editing them.

I have not gotten rid of my Apple products alltogether as I like the build quality, the technology under the hood, and I like OSX… Guilty. I have however made the switch to Adobe Premiere Pro CS5.5

I could not agree more with Premiere Pro being what FCP8 should have been. There are still afew things that I would like to see, but overall, I’ve been very pleased. Also, I feel a lot better in Adobe’s hands than in Apple’s. When Apple ditches the pros, they feel nothing… If Adobe ditched the pros, that’s the end of Adobe. I have the confidence that Adobe will listen and make the adjustments necessary to get Premiere to really shine.

[Matthew Sonnenfeld]

Yes! Those are the words I was looking for! How do I export a digital master of my finished work?

Panasonic HPX17 P
2008 Unibody Macbook Pro 15 inch, 2.8 Ghz, 4GB RAM
CalDigit VR, G-RAID mini, G-DRIVE mini
Final Cut Pro Studio 3
Adobe Premiere Pro CS5.5
Avid Media Composer 3.5.4
The College of WIlliam and Mary

[Matthew Sonnenfeld]

[Buddy Couch] “Digital is where its at…even hollywood is understanding this now.”

You forget, HDCAM/SR tape IS digital. And you’re right, Hollywood is understanding this now and that’s why a lot has been/will be/is being shot on digital HDCAM/SR tape. But you can’t get an HDCAM/SR deck into the system. So, goodbye HDCAM/SR users.

[Buddy Couch] “Seriously though just for my knowledge, why not Solid state drive system like Red?”

Maybe if FCPX did in indeed accept RED footage, your argument might hold water. In its current state, FCPX does not accept RED or Alexa footage that is not in ProRes.

[Buddy Couch] “PS Do not take my sarcasm as an insult, I am just having some fun with the negative nancys on here.”

A lot of people spent money on a product from a company that told them over and over again that it would be a massive step forward, that would vastly improve their field. A lot of people feel like they have been deceived.

I personally have not bought FCPX and have decided not to for now. Eventually I will probably move to Premier CS5.5. Until then I will happily continue to work in FCP7.

Panasonic HPX170 P
2008 Unibody Macbook Pro 15 inch, 2.8 Ghz, 4GB RAM
CalDigit VR
Final Cut Pro Studio 3
Avid Media Composer
The College of WIlliam and Mary

[Matthew Sonnenfeld]

Sorry, here’s the screenshot!

Panasonic HPX170 P
2008 Unibody Macbook Pro 15 inch, 2.8 Ghz, 4GB RAM
CalDigit VR
Final Cut Pro Studio 3
Avid Media Composer
The College of WIlliam and Mary

[Matthew Sonnenfeld]

Hi All,

So after toying around with it, I have found the keyframe editor and I find it to be incredibly fast and easy…

There is a small icon on the top left of every clip in the timeline that opens up to a small menu with the option for Vido Animation. Select that and then you get, essentially the motion tab from FCP7, directly in your timeline. It is the keyframes that correspond to the parameters in the inspector. Attached is a screenshot that will show the expanded keyframe editors for opacity and the Bokeh Random effect. Note the parameters of the Bokeh Random effect in the Inspector on the top right and how they correspond to the editor in the timeline. To mark a keyframe in the Video Animation editor, simply hold Option, and click where you want to mark it.

Again, it is super fast and super easy. A vast improvement over navigating through multiple windows and tabs to do simple things.

Panasonic HPX170 P
2008 Unibody Macbook Pro 15 inch, 2.8 Ghz, 4GB RAM
CalDigit VR
Final Cut Pro Studio 3
Avid Media Composer
The College of WIlliam and Mary

[Matthew Sonnenfeld]

[Nico Be] “Are there any tips for matching settings on the cameras before shooting scenes for color, dof, detail etc?”

I’d say that you’re most important thing from the start is to match codecs. The HVX200A shoots DVCproHD to P2 cards whereas the HPX370 has the capabilities of shooting AVC-Intra 100. There is no doubt that AVC-Intra is the superior compression, but if you are looking for matching and seamless timeline editing without rendering or transcoding everything to ProRes 422, then setting both cameras to record DVCProHD will be the way to go.

Supposedly the transcoding issue will be resolved in Final Cut Pro X but I’m afraid to put any weight behind that because 1) it’s good to know these things anyway instead of relying on software, and 2) out of the fear of starting yet another FCPX chain/fight on the Cow. But if you aren’t shooting/editing for another couple weeks, that may be something to keep in mind. Efficiently mixing codecs on a single timeline without rendering/transcoding does sound like a nice idea. But for FCP7, match codecs.

Next, you need to decide your resolution and your frame rate. In DVCProHD, you can record 720 and 1080 to P2 cards. If you choose 720, you can do 30P or 24PN. Both of these will give you true progressive footage. If you want 1080, then you are looking at 30P or 24P. 24P in 1080 requires the use of 3:2 pulldown, which while it gives you the same cinematic motion of 24PN, does utilize interlaced fields which can effect your editing. Pulldown can be removed using Compressor but that will be another few steps. Remember though, 3:2 pulldown is not a bad thing and plenty of people use it every day for very high end productions.

I’d make sure that your scene files are the same as well. I.E., use Cinelike D on both cameras, or whichever you decide will be best for your project. Barry Green’s book has a great outline on what each of them do and when to use them. And Google knows too, of course.

[Nico Be] “or for in post production editing in Final Cut Pro 7 to help match?”

Always know your workflow. This video is extremely important: https://library.creativecow.net/ross_shane/tapeless-workflow_fcp-7/1

[Nico Be] “Do you reccommend shooting certain types of scenes with one camera over the other (ie. closeup interviews versus wideangle setting shots)?”

The low light sensitivity of the HPX370 is superior to that of the HVX200A so that’s always something to keep in mind. Beyond that, the glass on the 370 is better as well so I’d use it really as your A cam. Closeups and interviews would be better suited to the 370 and the HVX is great for out and about. It’s also less conspicuous than the HPX370 so that may or may not be a plus for you.

I hope that helps. Good luck with your project!

Panasonic HPX170 P
2008 Unibody Macbook Pro 15 inch, 2.8 Ghz, 4GB RAM
CalDigit VR
Final Cut Pro Studio 3
Avid Media Composer
The College of WIlliam and Mary

[Matthew Sonnenfeld]

Neal,

I have used both Blu-Ray and RAID 1 arrays as backup for P2 cards and I do happen to like using Blu-Ray. Hard drives are nice but in the end, they will fail. Every hard drive will fail as a rule of thumb. Not to mention the wasted disc space.

LTO tape is probably the best and most reliable way to go but that also will wind up costing you.

The scratch resistant coatings on Blu-Ray discs are quite nice and the data that they can store is ever increasing (soon to be 128 GB’s on a single BDXL Quad Layer disc). Of course, you need the burner to burn that size disc and to my knowledge, the discs are not yet available.

Blu-Ray discs are not cheap and a bundle of 50 BRDL discs (50gig discs) will cost you 330, but that would give you 2.5TB of pretty reliable storage so it’s up to you if you think that’s worth it.

The bundles from videoguys.com are really excellent and you can find an internal or an external bundle for Mac or PC that can fit your needs. Just remember, if you’re on a Mac you will need software, such as Toast, in order to burn a Blu-Ray data disc like a P2 archive. This is all included in the Mac Blu-Ray bundles.

In response to your question, there are no Blu-Ray drives specifically designed for this purpose so there won’t be any that can take a P2 card directly. But honestly, the Pioneer Blu-Ray burners are the only way to go. I have the Panasonic AJ-PCD2 card reader and for the money, it’s a rip off for USB 2.0, but it works every time and having come from the notoriously unreliable Duel Adapter, it’s worth every penny if you ask me.

Links to what I’m talking about:

Videoguys Blue-Ray Bundles: https://www.videoguys.com/Specials/Money%20Saving%20Bundles.aspx

Pioneer BDXL Burner: https://www.videoguys.com/Item/Pioneer+BDR-206MBK+BDXL+Blu-ray+Burner+w-+software/35B424D4630323254424.aspx

BRDL Spindle: https://www.tapeonline.com/products/verbatim-blu-ray-50g-bd-r-6x-datalifeplus-white-inkjet-hub-printable

Panasonic Card Reader: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/683343-REG/Panasonic_AJPCD2GPJ_AJ_PCD2GPJ_Single_Slot_P2_Memory.html

Hope this helps. Cheers!

Panasonic HPX170 P
2008 Unibody Macbook Pro 15 inch, 2.8 Ghz, 4GB RAM
CalDigit VR
Final Cut Pro Studio 3
Avid Media Composer
The College of WIlliam and Mary

[Matthew Sonnenfeld]

I’ve got the 504HD for my HPX170 and I use it with a mattebox and a rail system. It really does hold the weight well. Manfrotto stepped up their game on this one. The FSB4 is a fine tripod and it is a Sachtler but at that level of tripod I don’t think you’re getting what really makes Sachtler great. Above that, the FSB4 only holds 8.8 pounds as compared to the 16.5 pounds that the 504HD can handle.

In the end, a tripod can seriously outlast your camera if you treat it well and you look ahead. If you ever decided to add weight to your rig or upgrade your camera, the 504HD will give you significantly greater flexibility over time.

Panasonic HPX170 P
2008 Unibody Macbook Pro 15 inch, 2.8 Ghz, 4GB RAM
CalDigit VR
Final Cut Pro Studio 3
Avid Media Composer
The College of WIlliam and Mary

[Matthew Sonnenfeld]

[Sam Cole] “International delivery specifications require an EDL with the masters.
No EDL means reject. If FCPX no longer supports EDL then we can’t use FCPX to create international masters.”

This is very true. In all of my experience at broadcast networks we have used EDLs for both Footage and Stills Logs and Music Cues which have always been a requirement for every Production Bible we have ever created to be delivered with the masters. Without EDL, Final Cut Pro X cannot be used in a broadcast setting.

Will this change? Probably, but something’s gotta give somewhere. Most networks that I’ve worked with will still require masters to be delivered on tape but this may be changing too. It’s a mad world we live in today.

Panasonic HPX170 P
2008 Unibody Macbook Pro 15 inch, 2.8 Ghz, 4GB RAM
CalDigit VR
Final Cut Pro Studio 3
Avid Media Composer
The College of WIlliam and Mary