[Steven Gonzales]

If all your clips have the same center value, you could set one clip up the way you need, then copy and paste attributes to all the others.

If all your clips have different center values, maybe you could nest the whole track, and then apply the scale and distort to the whole nested track

[Steven Gonzales]

Cinema Tools also has a feature called Export-converted EDL. This can take your 30 (actually 29.97) EDL from the Final Cut sequence, and convert it to a 24 fps EDL to match an HD master.

This might be a helpful thing to get them close before “eyeballing”, assuming there’s some relationship between your Timecodes and the Master’s Timecodes.

[Steven Gonzales]

You could put your source clips in their own bin. Then export final cut pro batch list. Create a new database in Cinema Tools. Import that Final Cut Pro Batch List into Cinema Tools. Then link your source quicktimes from their hard disc locations to your Cinema Tools data records within Cinema Tools.

Then back in Final Cut Pro you can got to File – Export – Cinema Tools Film Lists, and you can get a listing with feet and frames.

All of this is a little odd if you don’t have the original film’s edge codes (also called keycodes). But you can get timecodes and feet and frame lengths this way, and maybe that will help if someone has a timecode to keycode translation list.

EDL’s are not in feet and frames because they’re a video thing (so they’re in timecode). Film pull lists and cut lists are in feet and frames, because they relate to film, but they don’t relate very much if you don’t have the keycodes.

[Steven Gonzales]

So I had a long DV capture that I wanted to break into smaller quicktimes for individual shots. I made subclips using DV start stop detect, exported them as self contained quicktimes, then brought them back in to compare to the original subclips. The timecode was shifting in an inconsistent manner on almost all the clips. This is with FCP 5.0.4 and Quicktime 7.0.3 on OS 10.4.3

Here’s a way to give the new clips the correct timecode to match the original: export a batch list from the subclips bin to Cinema Tools to create a database for these clips. Export that database as an Avid Log Exchange file from Cinema Tools. Get Sebsky Tools utility. Use Sebsky’s Batch Add Timecode function, which will use the ALE file (with correct timecodes) and overwrite the timecode tracks on the exported subclip quicktimes.

I suppose there’s also a way to do this with an Applescript, but Sebsky Tools is already written.

[Steven Gonzales]

I’m talking with a fellow about a doc right now, and I tried to tell him that I couldn’t predict accurately how much time until I knew more about the material.

Your answer is so helpful (especially whether they are LOGGED or not) that I’m tempted to paraphrase it in an email to him. It’s amazing how many independent documentary makers just run and gun, then show up with 60 hours of footage and no notes.

Anyway, thanks for the clear and cogent explanation of assessing documentary timetables.

[Steven Gonzales]

You should create one sequence with only the photo, and create all the motion you need.

You should then bring this sequence on to higher video tracks in the sequence which is the background. Then shrink this whole nested track to the picture in picture size you want.

Here’s an article all about nesting. It’s old, but the ideas are still the same.

https://www.kenstone.net/fcp_homepage/basic_nest.html

You can’t beat Kevin Monahan’s book “Motion Graphics and Effects in Final Cut Pro” for learning all about this area of the program.

[Steven Gonzales]

The guidelines that I’ve seen for fair use of motion media in an educational setting allow 10% or 3 minutes, whichever is less.

Penalties can run up to $100,000 for each act of deliberate or willful infringement.

A casual understanding of copyright law restraints is common, but dangerous.

Violations of the DMCA, such as circumventing CSS protection encryption on DVDs, can bring criminal penalties up to $250,000 and five years in prison.

This is the law, and ignorance of it is not a defense. f you don’t think this is right, contact your elected officials, and support groups such as the Electronic Frontier Founcation ( http://www.eff.org )

[Steven Gonzales]

Using the scenes may or may not be legal under Fair Use doctrine. However, defeating the copy protection on the DVD is definitely illegal.

[Steven Gonzales]

If you need to batch process with Quicktime, you could use applescript (maybe Automator — I’ve not toyed with that). Maybe one of these scripts in Apple’s collection will do what you want. If not, they are easily modified.

https://www.apple.com/applescript/quicktime/

[Steven Gonzales]

You may want to take your footage to another codec before compositing. That’s the impression I got reading this article on chroma by Graham Nattress:

https://www.lafcpug.org/Tutorials/basic_chroma_sample.html

Nattress has a plug in to help with this, called G Nicer, part of Film Effects package:

https://www.nattress.com/Products/filmeffects/G_Nicer411.htm