Convert CMX 3600 EDL to Spreadsheet?
by Robert Esmonde
on
Nov 26, 2008 at 5:51:26 pm
I'm trying to get a CMX 3600 EDL into spreadsheet format.
I've got the EDL of a finished programme which reads OK in TextEdit or Apple Pages, but what I need is to have much less info in table or preferably spreadsheet form.
I want to create a Log of the content of the finished programme with Shot Details, In and Out Timecode, Duration, and Source Tape fields (preferably with timecode info too). I'll need to expand or modify the Shot Details cells and add extra spreadsheet columns for additional notes.
Just being able to get the EDL field info into column format in Numbers or some other spreadsheet would be a great start. Then I could delete, modify, or add to the info as necessary.
Is there a utility to achieve this? I've searched the web but can't find a solution. I have Final Studio 2 (although the EDL comes from an Avid) on my Mac but I don't think I can use FCP to achieve this.
Re: Convert CMX 3600 EDL to Spreadsheet? by Robert Esmonde on Nov 26, 2008 at 7:17:56 pm
Thanks David.
I don't have Excel I'm afraid. However I have tried the EDL file in two equivalents - Apple Numbers, and the Spreadsheet component of NeoOffice for OS X - and neither opened the file in a useful way, or in anything approaching separate columns for the EDL components.
I'll ask a friend with Excel to try it for me and let you know how I get on.
Re: Convert CMX 3600 EDL to Spreadsheet? by Bob Flood on Nov 26, 2008 at 8:54:35 pm
Robert
Good Name!
Does the edl have "notes" ie comments or text under or over each edit?
If so, excel wont work for you because the notes dont break the same as the edits, so you get peices of each note across several columns. The way
an EDL is written it uses tabs for the column breaks on each edit THEN a carriage return for the note, and I do not know of any spreadsheet programs that can deal with that.
All IS Not Lost, However:
One thing you can try is to import the EDL into FCP
Open a New Project. Settings dont matter, Import the EDL into that project. it should import as a Sequence and a bin full of clips. Now you can do a Batch List export of the bin, which WILL give you a file that has everything in columns.
Heck, why not do this logging in FCP one you import the edl?
Re: Convert CMX 3600 EDL to Spreadsheet? by Andreas Kiel on Nov 27, 2008 at 1:43:25 am
Just to confirm Bob's reply - import the EDLinto Final Cut Pro and then export either the clips from the 'sequence' or he new 'EDL BIN' as 'Batch List' and you'll get everything you can get out of an EDL for working with a spreadsheet.
Taking Bob: "I like moving pictures, because I can control the speed" :)
Re: Convert CMX 3600 EDL to Spreadsheet? by Joe Murray on Nov 27, 2008 at 12:21:29 pm
I use Excel to import EDLs when I have to do a Cmode list (sorted by source reel and timecode, not sequence inpoint) and I use the File>Import feature rather than just the File>Open feature. Import allows you to select your line breaks based on the information in the source file (your EDL) but I guess it still may not work with the Notes due to issues noted in previous posts.
There are some really great deals on Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac right now. I just bought three licenses for $79 each at Tekserve - this is the full suite of Office apps at a massive discount from normal price. Although you can use the free Open Office for a lot of the same tasks, if you want to interface with the rest of the world you really need a copy of Office, even you snag the previous version off Ebay. Here's the link to the sale at Tekserve:
Re: Convert CMX 3600 EDL to Spreadsheet? by Robert Esmonde on Nov 27, 2008 at 4:24:06 pm
Thanks to all who offered help - I've got some good news and some bad news.
I've tried the FCP EDL import and Batch List export. I renamed that output file with the .txt suffix and it opened fine in Apple's Numbers spreadsheet with apparently all of the FCP column headings and data replicated.
However in the process there were two problems -
1) I lost my timecode information for the finished programme. It's in the EDL text file but not in FCP's Master Clips Folder list after the Import, so missing from the Batch List export too. I have Name, Duration, In, Out, Media Start, Media End, and lots of other columns I'm not that interested in. But no sign of the Programme Timecodes that were in the EDL.
I do have In and Out columns after the Duration Column but they are full of 'Not Set' information for all of the shots except for some Rostrum Graphics. I'm guessing that this is where the Programme In/Out timecodes should be, but for some reason they have not made the journey across from the EDL to FCP.
2) The resulting spreadsheet is ordered alphabetically by the Source Clip name given by the programme editor. That could prove useful when I need to see the total durations from e.g. archive sources, but I would also need to have the content in programme timecode sequence. Even if there is a way to get that programme timecode from the EDL via FCP to the Batch List export, I'm not sure if Numbers, or Excel, or whatever application I use for the spreadsheet, will be capable of ordering the sequences by programme timecode.
I'm hoping someone can suggest a method of getting the programme timecode into FCP and then ordering the resultant spreadsheet by that timecode.
Thanks again for all the help - as you will have gathered by now, I'm new to all this and was really struggling until I got the above suggestions.
And thanks Joe for that tip on the Microsoft Office for Mac deal. I'll check it out.
Re: Convert CMX 3600 EDL to Spreadsheet? by bob flood on Dec 1, 2008 at 4:43:17 pm
Robert
I guess I misunderstood your post. I thought you wanted to make a database or extensive logging info on the stuff you used in the show, as such i did not think the actual ins and outs on the master, or what you are calling the "programme" (luv non american terminology!) were necessary, so it would be my bad
As this is the way the bins function, Importing an EDL into FCP would not give you the master times in the bin, what you will get are media start and media end times, and they would all be inclusive of any "handle" you specified on import. (forgot to mention you should import that EDL with NO handle, sorry)
Re: Convert CMX 3600 EDL to Spreadsheet? by Robert Esmonde on Dec 1, 2008 at 5:16:41 pm
Thanks Andreas and Bob.
And thanks Andreas for that kind offer.
However, from what Bob said it doesn't seem as if the EDL I'm starting off with can be imported/exported from FCP to give the info I needed.
Maybe I should have made my earlier post clearer - I'm the producer, and didn't edit the original programme (yes, we do call them Master here too, Bob :-)) but asked the editor to provide me with the EDL when the job was finished. I need to produce a shot list of all the material used in the programme, including the source tapes/media, with the timecode and durations of the shots. From that list I'll also have to add up the durations of shots from various archive sources for final accounting. Since all the information is in the EDL, I'd hoped I could avoid having to manually go through the master/programme shot by shot and type in the timecodes etc. I hoped I could extract that information from the EDL in such a way that I could use it in a spreadsheet or table, and then add in any extra details at that stage myself.
The original programme was edited on an Avid system (Media Composer, I think) and the CMX 3600 EDL was exported from there.
Re: Convert CMX 3600 EDL to Spreadsheet? by bob flood on Dec 1, 2008 at 6:17:07 pm
Robert
I think you still may be able to do this.
Follow the procedure Andreas and I Outlined for importing the EDL inot FCP. When prompted to choose recapture or reconnect, choose recapture, and set handle length to zero ie no handle.
when you import the edl, the media start and media end in the "master clips" bin will be the same as the edl, and the duration will be accurate. you wont know the position in the show, ie your master, but you will have everything else
Re: Convert CMX 3600 EDL to Spreadsheet? by Robert Esmonde on Dec 2, 2008 at 12:31:17 pm
Thanks Bob.
I'll try that again, but I think that's the method I used to get the info in my current Batch List export. I did set handles to zero.
What I really need is to get the two timecode figures at the end of the EDL line below 'FROM CLIP NAME:' into my final spreadsheet. These appear to be the timecodes for the 'In' and 'Out' in the master programme. At the moment they appear as 'Not Set' in the 'In/Out' columns of the FCP Browser.
Seems like I need a different program (application) to extract this info from the EDL.
As you can see, the EDL has all of the shots sequentially ordered by the timecodes of those 'In' and 'Out' timecodes, allowing me to work my way down through the programme shot content. But FCP's Browser orders shots alphabetically by 'Clip Name'.
As I said in an earlier post, even if I could get this timecode info into FCP, I'm not sure if it could/would order it in similar timecode order. And, even if FCP could do it, I don't know if the resulting Batch List export could then display in timecode order in e.g. Excel or some such spreadsheet.
Re: Convert CMX 3600 EDL to Spreadsheet? by bob flood on Dec 2, 2008 at 2:40:00 pm
yeah
the in/out in the bin refers to a marked inpoint and marked outpoint within the clip. since the bin is a listing of media files to be editied into a sequence, it simply has no way to list where the media clips appear in your master timeline. just the nature of the beast.
to get to where you want to be what most people are using is some form of video asset management program. Imagine products makes something like that, i think its called LogHD. there is a product (from the UK?) called CatDV which does the same.
In short, these programs take EDLS or Text files or XML files and convert them to a more usable format.
They aslo allow key word indexing, multiple search parameters, capture and compress (for browsing) and many other functions to allow you rapid access and easy inventory of stills, video clips, tapes, sound files, music, whatever media you desire
if you are going to be doing this a lot, its a worthwhile investment,
also, maybe someone on this forum (unfortunately not me) has a one of these programs and would be willing to translate your edl into a more compatible text file?
