HDV Workflow - VAST amount of footage - Need Recommendations

Question

I searched the forum and found some useful information, but I wanted to post this with my actual workflow for specific recommendations. I am in development for a new reality-based show that will shoot HDV 1080i. Each show will shoot for 4 days, 10 hours a day, 3 cameras totaling an average of 120 hours of footage per show.
I currently work mostly with DVCProHD footage shot either Varicam or P2 that stays in that native codec throughout the entire post process. I have worked a bit with HDV footage and agree with most that the render times are horrendous!
I do have a capture device, a Matrox MXO2 that I can use to capture the HDV footage outside of the native HDV. I am looking for the most efficient workflow throughout the editing process. What is the best workflow for rendering? Editing response? Etc. Hard drive space is not a big issue since there will be drive sets allocated for this specific series. Thanks in advance.

Answer 1

ElasticPictures wrote:
Thanks for your reply. It seems that this is definitely a possibility, although I think it will take a vast amount of storage for 120 hours per show to capture at ProRes. Would it be better to capture DVCProHD since the storage required is similar to HDV? Thanks again in advance.
1. Don't capture in ProRes. It will take up gobs more space, and although it does have a better color space, it can't just include color space info that wasn't recorded onto the tape.
2. How would you capture straight into DVCProHD? Can the MXO2 do that?
What I've heard suggested is to RENDER in ProRes. That's a setting in...I don't remember where, but it's default is to whatever format the project is (HDV project would render in HDV, DVCPro in DVCPRO etc.).
What's your deck that you're hooking up to the MXO2? I did a project where it was four angles of DVCProHD that I needed to multicam so I used compressor to make DV files so I could play them all back in realtime, edited those, then Media Managed back to the DVCProHD files. What you could do depending on the deck and MXO2 is downconvert to anamorphic DV, edit those, then Media Manage like you were talking about doing. Of course make sure that all the tapes are labeled and cataloged precisely or you'll be screwed at the end, and if you think you'll be using at least some footage off each tape, then Media Managing would be a big pain in the butt as well.
G'luck,
-Brian