Multiclip Upres Batch Capture Problem
by Steve Price
on
Jun 24, 2008 at 1:04:06 pm
When I try to batch capture the contents of my collapsed Multiclip sequence. FCP wants to capture everything I originally digitised, rather than just the shots I've used in the timeline.
Given that I've edited my footage from 10 camera angles and the show is 3 hours long, FCP wants me to digitise over 30 hours of footage, when all I want to do is digitise the bits I've used.
I originally digitised all the material at AJA Kona 625 DV 25, and I need to redigitise my timeline sequence at AJA Kona 10 Bit.
I hear that Apple have had problems with batch capturing of Multiclip sequences and they haven't quite got that one sorted yet. Am I experiencing a common problem, or am I doing something wrong? I hope I'm doing something wrong...
Re: Multiclip Upres Batch Capture Problem by Steve Price on Jun 24, 2008 at 2:32:36 pm
Yes, it is. I select 'Create Offline' from the drop down list.
'Include Render Files' is greyed out and unchecked.
Set Sequences to: AJA Kona LH: 625 25 10 Bit.
Include master clips outside selection - checked.
Delete unused media from duplicated items - checked.
Use handles - checked (1 second).
Include affiliate clips outside selection - checked.
Base media files names on - existing file names
Project:
Duplicate selected items and place into a new project - greyed out and checked.
Include nonactive multiclip angles - unchecked.
I am then prompted to save, which I do, then I get several "Reconnect Media Failed" warnings like this;
"An unknown error occurred while trying to reconnect clip Camera 8 Tape 1 to the new offline file".
I just tried that again actually and I had 18 such warnings.
I then open the new "offline' sequence, but only one of the clips is offline, all the others are still there.
So, I select Batch Capture by right-clicking the sequence in the browser and I select Capture: Offline items only.
Used log clip settings is checked.
Add handles is not checked.
Capture preset is set to AJA Kona LH: 625 25 10 Bit.
Total Media time is 04.40.04.06
I click OK and a box comes up with a blue progress bar and the names of around a dozen or so different sequences I've been working on flash by.
Then I get another box "Additional Items Found" telling me I need another 1.3Tb of space for these items.
I press continue.
The 'Insert Reel' box appears. Only 4 reels are listed, amounting to over 6.5 hours of time.
If I press continue I embark on the useless pastime of digitising the whole of these tapes.
So, I take a deep breath, lay down for a bit, relax, and have another go. This has been going on for 24 hours. I can't tell you how wired up by this I am!
This is quite worrying - the mainstay of my busiiness is films of concerts, and the very facility I bought the suite for won't work properly. It's very frustrating. If you can shed some light on this I will be eternally grateful.
Re: Multiclip Upres Batch Capture Problem by Steve Price on Jun 24, 2008 at 2:54:48 pm
Thanks for the suggestion Jeremy - unfortunately it's not the answer - this time there were literally hundreds of reconnections that could not be made and now there are just a couple of tapes offline. For example - I'm getting 'Media Offline - Camera 9 Tape 137' in the canvas window.
I am way out of my depth with this, it just gets more and more confusing as I go on.
Maybe the problem is in the way I originally set up the Multiclip? I doubt that though - the Multiclip editing facility is just about the only thing that has worked efficiently on this computer so far. I am trying very hard to embrace FCP and the Apple way of life, but my experience of it thus far hasn't been too good.
Re: Multiclip Upres Batch Capture Problem by Jeremy Garchow on Jun 24, 2008 at 3:09:00 pm
[Steve Price]"this time there were literally hundreds of reconnections that could not be made and now there are just a couple of tapes offline. For example - I'm getting 'Media Offline - Camera 9 Tape 137' in the canvas window. "
That's right! Now you have to recapture the clips @ 10 bit. What are you trying to reconnect to? Your media should be offline.
Re: Multiclip Upres Batch Capture Problem by Steve Price on Jun 24, 2008 at 3:16:39 pm
Righto, thanks for this Jeremy, we're starting to get somewhere now...Camera 9 is offline, and each shot from camera 9 appears as a different tape number. The same applies to one of the other tapes too.
However, all the other media is still online! Only about 2% of my timeline has a red line at the top indicating it is offline, the rest of it is green and online.
I'm digitising from a DVW-A500P Digi Beta machine. I've had it on hire for 2 days already with no progress...
Re: Multiclip Upres Batch Capture Problem by Steve Price on Jun 24, 2008 at 3:32:27 pm
Seems to be a different tape number. My original tapes are numbered and logged as Camera 1 Tape 1, Camera 1 Tape 2, Camera 2 Tape 1 etc etc.
The show was 3 hours, so each camera used 2 x 90 minute Digi Beta tapes.
So, I've digitised 2 x tapes that start with 'Camera 9', but the canvas window displays the red Media Offline image with 'Camera 9 Tape 137' below it. A few shots later I get another Media Offline image with 'Camera 9 Tape 138' beneath it.
Looks like it's giving each clip a new sequential name.
Re: Multiclip Upres Batch Capture Problem by Jeremy Garchow on Jun 24, 2008 at 3:41:48 pm
Okay, after you media manage you should get a project with a folder that says 'master clips' and a timeline.
In that folder should be a list of clips, anything with a reel number should be offline, anything without a reel number should be online. In the reel column, do the reel numbers cycle like you said? If you named your clips Camera 1 tape 1 and then captured them as one huge bunch in your original project, then you edit and split those clips up and are now capturing them as separate clips; in theory, you now have a bunch of clips that are all named Camera 1 Tape 1. FCP has just incremented the name of the clip because it can't capture 137 clips all named the same. Make sense?
FCPs clip name based database system is really screwed up for this reason. It usually does work, even though it's painful sometimes.
Re: Multiclip Upres Batch Capture Problem by Olivier aubut on Jun 24, 2008 at 3:53:14 pm
hey Steve
I had the same problem a while back and that thread did the trick:
http://forums.creativecow.net/readpost/8/957767 The trick is to get rid of the multiclip.
Let us know how it works for you.
Cheers
Olivier
Re: Multiclip Upres Batch Capture Problem by Steve Price on Jun 24, 2008 at 4:41:33 pm
Hi Olivier,
What a nightmare, seems I've started my FCP life by dealing with a quite shocking inefficiency of the system.
Thanks very much for posting your thread - I tried a few things suggested in the posts, but to no avail. All I've done is lost 2 days of edit time and much of my confidence with Apple and their FCP software.
I'll let you know if Apple contact me with a remedy.
Re: Multiclip Upres Batch Capture Problem by Mark Raudonis on Jun 24, 2008 at 9:38:13 pm
Steve,
Here's an update to this thread: The latest version of FCP (6.0.3) seems to have fixed this "no shedding" multiclip problem. While your "EDL" approach certainly works, sometimes it's not practical with complex timelines.
So, if you haven't upgraded to the latest version, this is an incentive to do so. Give it a whirl and let us know how it goes.
Re: Multiclip Upres Batch Capture Problem by Steve Price on Jun 24, 2008 at 3:59:12 pm
Yes, I have the master clips folder open and the clips from Camera 9 Tape 1 are indeed broken into short sections and are offline. However, all the other tapes are in that folder as online clips, each one appearing as a whole tapes worth of footage at around 90 minutes in duration.
My reel names are the same as my tape names - should I change the reel names so that they are numeric, such as 001, 002 etc?
Re: Multiclip Upres Batch Capture Problem by Jeremy Garchow on Jun 24, 2008 at 4:06:59 pm
[Steve Price]"My reel names are the same as my tape names"
Steve, you are confusing me. Your reels names should be Camera 1 tape 1, etc. If they are that, isn't that correct? You tell me. All of camera 9 Tape 1's REEL (not clip) names should be named Camera 9 Tape 1.
Your CLIP names are the ones that will increment.
If you still have footage online, the media manage did not work. It might have to do with the fact it's a multiclip.
Re: Multiclip Upres Batch Capture Problem by Steve Price on Jun 24, 2008 at 4:32:08 pm
Sorry Jeremy - I think I'm confusing myself too! I had a look at the logging info of my tapes and the same name appears next to 'Name' as it does next to 'Reel'.
Yes, it's the clip name that gets incremented, but it only happens to one or two clips each time I try it. It seems a bit random when MM decides which clips to put offline and which to keep online.
Given my deadline for this project I think the only way forward is for me to digitise all of my footage from scratch at 10 Bit and then reconnect to the new higher res files. This doesn't bode well for the future though, I bought this suite specifically to edit concerts and it's not letting me do that efficiently.
It seems the problem is in killing the multiclip - I thought the Collapse Multiclip function was supposed to deal with that...subsequently my fist impressions of FCP are a bit tainted.
I shall keep investigating though, I'll let you know how it shapes up.
Re: Multiclip Upres Batch Capture Problem by Michael Gossen on Jun 24, 2008 at 5:54:46 pm
Another thing to do is to make sure you 'Make Sequence Clips Independent...' before you media manage. This sheds the master to affiliate clip relationship, creating totally new, independent clip info for upres. Just an idea.
Re: Multiclip Upres Batch Capture Problem by Steve Price on Jun 24, 2008 at 8:26:07 pm
Thanks Michael, I tried that too but alas still no joy.
I'm actually very disappointed with Apple about this. If it's true, as seems to be the case, that FCP has a bug which won't allow me to recapture my timeline at higher res after multiclip editing, then my system is of little use to me.
Also, if this is true, then surely Apple must know about it. I have made a great investment in this system, yet the last couple of days have just been one big headache and a waste of time and money, and as my deadline approaches I am still no further down the line. Yet what I am trying to achieve is so basic that it's unbelievable they haven't sorted it out.
I thought Apple were the antithesis of this culture. Should've bought an Avid I guess...
Re: Multiclip Upres Batch Capture Problem by Olivier aubut on Jun 24, 2008 at 8:50:16 pm
Hey Steve
I understand your pain. Media Manager is not apple's best tool... I can't wait for an update.
I don't know if you tried these steps but they worked for me. It's not the fastest workflow but it got me through 40x half-hour multiclip shows. (Although I was using 5.1.4... I didn't try it with 6.x)
First, copy your final sequence into a new project. (I don't know why but MM likes it.)
2. then right your sequence and click media manager
3. choose create offline, deselect "delete unused media..." and click ok
4. You'll have a new project with your sequence and all your master clips, reconnect them all manually.
5. Now you get a sequence without multiclips (that's what MM doesn't like)
6. Now you can recapture or delete unused media with media manager
Hope this helps
sorry if I misunderstood your problem... this might help others.
cheers
Olivier
