techniques for prepping fcp timelines for export.
by Blase Theodore
on
Jun 26, 2008 at 10:53:52 pm
I'm trying to streamline my technique for prepping fcp timelines before color export. Please comment on inefficiencies or alternatives.
1. A client brings me a drive. I skim through the timeline in FCP, looking for time-remapped footage. I choose:
--1A: Work direct from orig project, accept obscene rendering times on time-remapped clips. (color bug)
--1B: Work from orig proj, render out any time-warped clips. (copy shots to a temp bin, sort by speed, select variable speed shots and copy to new sequence, render, integrate)
--1C: Media Manage trim to a new sequence. Deal with MM problems incorrectly creating/linking time-remapped clips (fcp bug)
2. Collapse dup'd timeline to fewest tracks.
3. Scan for jpg stills. (hi-res stills in a timeline crash color on import)
4. deal with filters.
--4A: Ask client: Did you add color filters? (3 way and color corrector ok, but rgb-balance is not automatically removed on re-import)
--4B: Ask: Did you have non-color filters? If yes, scan through shot by shot, note these clips (TL markers work). remove any color fx from them.
--4C: Select all other clips on timeline, right click, remove attributes, filters.
5. Send to color, grade.
--5A: Remember not to touch geometry
--5B: Remember to add split interlacing techniques to interlaced footage if using fx.
6. Send to FCP. Scan through for time remaps and stills.
--6A: Export bad clips as individual QT's.
--6B: Re-import them to fcp, send to color, paste grade, render, send back plug.
Re: techniques for prepping fcp timelines for export. by walter biscardi on Jun 27, 2008 at 2:11:51 am
I duplicate any sequence that is given to me so I don't mess up anything in the original timeline.
I review that entire timeline for filters, motion changes, speed changes, etc... and remove all filters from my timeline. If anything is needed again for the timeline, I simply copy and paste them from the original timeline.
For Speed changes I simply look at the names of the clips in the timeline as FCP always tells you when there's a speed change. Sometimes it's tough to tell if it's just a few percentage of change in speed. I bake all the speed changes back into my duplicated timeline.
I bake all still images and their movements back into my duplicated timeline.
Then I send the timeline to Color, Grade, Render and Send Back to FCP.
I watch the entire Graded timeline roll down to ensure I have not missed anything that throws off Color. Fix as necessary or tweak shots as necessary, add the filters back as appropriate.
Either Media Manage to harddrive or master to tape for the client.
As Stuart noted in another thread he spends up to 4 days prepping timelines before he even starts grading. I generally spend 1 to 3 days per project prepping the timelines before going in to Color. It's just part of the
The one thing you do that I never do is use Media Manager to manage anything in the project before it goes to Color. I see absolutely no reason to do this.
As my Color Grading charges are by the hour or by the day, I do not worry about how long it takes to complete the work so long as I ensure I get the work done correctly the first time.
Walter Biscardi, Jr.
Biscardi Creative Media HD and SD Production for Broadcast and Independent Productions.
Re: techniques for prepping fcp timelines for export. by Blase Theodore on Jul 2, 2008 at 2:16:49 am
Fred,
My tendency would be to always use media manager if it wasn't for the fact that it often destroys a timeline. It seems that anything involving speed changes that goes through the media manager (variable or constant) will randomly result in speed changes, shortened and time-rolled clips. There doesn't seem to be a pattern to it either.
