I will be shooting in Tokyo either 50i or 60i on a Panasonic HVX900 (Sony HDX-F900R and tapes are beyond the client budget). It is to "localise" 15 minutes of a 52 minute edit in German, already redone in Spanish, Italian and English. I'm also helping them arrange AVID HD editing here in Tokyo. We'll likely shoot 60i, even though their original edit and clips are 50i DigiBeta. We're asking the German production company to provide the raw AVID edit data from the 52 minute programme, and also the ProTools raw data (they offered 8-track DARS-60 tapes).
This brings me to my question. In Germany they log from the tapes (not 100% wise, IMHO) using AVID Log Exchange, delete whatever they don't need, and bring the data to the edit suite on a USB stick to control digitising of the tapes. This is a pretty efficient work flow, and they are up against a tight deadline in Japan (added to by language and cultural issues, which is partly why I've been hired).
I have never worked with AVID Log Exchange. Nor has the edit house ( it may be bundled with their DS Nitris, but AVID hasn't yet translated the software into Japanese). I'm trying to arrange a test in advance of the director's arrival, hoping the edit place will be able to handle the USB stick and capture only the selected cuts. With 2.5 Terabytes, there's no way everything can be digitised.
Would you have any advice? Tips? Potential problems or things to avoid? I'm mostly concerned about how to use it AFTER the USB stick with the AVID Log Exchange EDL is brought in, i.e, in the digitising part of the process.
Michael Goldberg
IVW (International Videoworks)
Tokyo, Japan
www.ivw.co.jp
Re: AVID Log Exchange by Job ter Burg on Apr 14, 2009 at 10:12:01 am
I doubt they are using Avid LogExchange to log footage. Likely, they are using MediaLog. Avid LogExchange is a conversion utility that performs conversions between various logging formats (like FLEX from Telecine) into ALE (Avid's shot log format that will easily import into Avid).
MediaLog is in the MC installers. It runs without a dongle. It is basically the capture tool without the ability to capture, just log. It produces Avid bins, which you can use to batch capture in any Avid.
Re: AVID Log Exchange by Michael Goldberg on Apr 16, 2009 at 12:23:49 am
Job, thank you for responding to my questions.
AVID Japan has agreed to show my edit house how to use Log Exchange before the client arrives from Germany (mid-June), so there's time to figure this out and test it in the edit suite.
From your comment, I take it Medialog is all we need? I may have incorrectly assumed Log Exchange was the software involved. It sounds like it might be, if the EDL were another format such as Sony or (in the old days of linear) CMX. I used to use those to interface my BVE-910 controller with downloaded edit scripts long after I'd erased from the Sony controller memory, to re-do some of the edits.
Going back to my initial question, the director brings a software program (I'm now assuming it is Medialog), and uses it to command the drive VCR in order to capture only those parts of the tapes he needs for the edit. Can you step me through the process of automated capture when it is done using Medialog? From your experience, are there any problems or bugs to be avoided? Tips for best / fastest digitising?
Michael Goldberg
IVW (International Videoworks)
Tokyo, Japan
www.ivw.co.jp
Re: AVID Log Exchange by Job ter Burg on Apr 16, 2009 at 6:27:31 am
MediaLog won't allow capture, it is meant for logging. You assign a tape name, and create master clips in an Avid bin. Take the bin to MC, open it, select the master clips you need to work with and choose Clip->Batch Capture.
If they use any other type of logging software, they might be able to hand you over an ALE file, or a file that you can convert to ALE using the Avid Log Exchange application. Then you import the ALE into a bin in the Avid and batch capture the clips you need to work with.
Re: AVID Log Exchange by Michael Goldberg on Apr 16, 2009 at 8:17:24 am
Job, much thanks for your help. I realise now that I had better find out exactly what logging software the Director is using. The producer could only say it is "some kind of AVID software."
All best,
Michael
Michael Goldberg
IVW (International Videoworks)
Tokyo, Japan
www.ivw.co.jp
