[Rendertainmentllc]

Here’s an alternative workflow you may consider, though what everyone above this post has suggested is equally viable, it just depends on what you want to do.

I would shoot it all in 1080i on the FX-1. Since the final output is going to be 4:3, allow for that during shooting. Don’t leave anything important near the edge of the frame. Keep all your action in the middle. You’ll get a sharper looking image shooting 1080i than DV, even after the 1080i is downconverted to DV.

Bring it in to FCP via firewire with your project setting being the Easy Setup for HDV 1080 60i. Edit the HDV natively in the sequence. When your commercial is complete, export it as a Quicktime movie using Current Settings. Don’t yield to the temptation to export it as DV-NTSC.**

Import the new file into your browser. Create a new sequence and change the sequence settings so that they are identical to a regular DV-NTSC sequence. Drag the new file into your DV timeline and make sure your Canvas is set to image + wireframe (one of the drop down boxes at the top of the Canvas window). The video will be letterboxed at this point. You may have to change the viewing option in the Canvas from Fit to Window to a smaller % to see the draggable edges of the video. Now, put your cursor on one of the corners of the video and enlarge it so it fills the screen. Now you have your full-frame 4:3 video. Before you render, go through each shot and make sure your main action falls within the action safe boudary. If it doesn’t for a particular shot, you can cut (razor tool) it at the first and last frame of the shot, put your cursor over it, and move that particular shot a little left or right so you can see the correct action taking place.

When you’re satisfied with everything, render it out and output it to your DV tape.

***The reason you don’t want to export it as DV-NTSC at this point is that your are going to be enlarging it in the DV sequence, since it is going to come in letterboxed and you’ll lose resolution by enlarging it.

[Rendertainmentllc]

Another thing you can do that won’t move anything else in your timeline is to use the “Fit To Fill” function. For example, let’s say you have 3 seconds of footage that you want to fill a gap in your timeline that is 7 seconds long. You want it slowed down but you also want all of those 3 seconds in there and figuring out the math is a pain in the butt. Here’s what you do:

At the beginning of your 7 second gap in the timeline, place the 3 second clip. At the first frame of the 7 second gap, set an in point. Go to the end of the 7 second gap and set an out point. In the timeline, double click on your 3 second clip so it appears in the Viewer. Then, drag it from the Viewer window to the Canvas window and into the Fit To Fill box. Viola! The clip is slowed so the 3 seconds of footage fit perfectly into the 7 second gap and nothing else in the timeline moves.

[Rendertainmentllc]

In your Effects tab, it will automatically let you know which filters/effects your system is capable of playing in realtime and which are not. If it’s bolded, your system should play it realtime. If it’s not bolded, then it will require rendering when you apply it to your clip.

Depending on the system’s processor(s), RAM, and probably some other stuff, what is realtime on one system may require rendering on another.

[Rendertainmentllc]

I’ll second that reccommendation. I recently did a timelapse of about 20 minutes of footage to a 5 second clip in an HDV timeline and didn’t have any problem. If trashing prefs doesn’t work, maybe try exporting the speeded up footage to its own quicktime file. Good luck.

[Rendertainmentllc]

I would think the easiest thing to do would be to copy your project file and take that one home with you, rather than copying the individual sequences and clips from your bins. Your project file contains all that information anyway. You’d still need to copy all your source media to the drive to take home.

Then when you get home, transfer your project file to your drive where you normally keep your other project files, open it up from there, and reconnect your media.

After you’re done editing at home, and before you head back to the office, save your project file (maybe call it “YourProjectName Version 2” or something like that, so you’ll still have your original on the Mac at work), then transfer the project file back to your work Mac and reconnect the media again.

I’m going to be doing this myself within the next month or two, so I’d be curious if this works, though logically it appears it should. Maybe someone else could confirm this or not?