Organization approach re: capture, logging, independent clips

I'm learning FCE to edit my showreel from DVcam source tapes via a deck with device control. The media sources are existing montages, individual commercials and VFX shots/scenes. Ultimately, the edited montages or exerpts will become distinct chapters of a DVD, some clips or sequences showing up in different montages (ultimately DVD chapters).
Based on what I read in FCE Help and Lisa Brenneis' manual, I'm beginning to think I should use either "capture now" or "capture project" to import, then convert all to independent clips and subdivide/rename & log after the fact. (I'd back up on DVD-ROM.) Two reasons this seems to be the way to go...
1.) The capture session is at a facility and I need to minimize time spent there in capture. And 2.) The master/affiliate clip relationship seems to bring a level of complication I'm not sure I'm ready to handle yet.
I'd appreciate any advice, given the nature of the source media and eventual use, regarding the best capture method and any drawbacks to working with independent clips. Thank you.
ibook G4 Mac OS X (10.4.6) LaCie hard drive

Changing the name of a master clip after the capture is sort of a no no in FCP. There's other columns for information if you need to add it to the clip.
You can rename subclips all you want but not master clips, because FCP uses this captured QT media file name for reconnection (must match name of clip in browser if it's a master clip).
You can reimport all the master clips in a flash... would that help?
If you select a sequence, with the clips, it will still reconnect BTW.
Jerry

Similar Messages

Log & Transfer Captures Every Other Clip

Mac OS 10.6.7
FCP 6.0.6
Trying to Log & Transfer AVCHD footage from a SDXC card. When I batch "Add the Selection to Queue", the status bar goes through the process as if it was capturing all the clips. However, only every other clip shows up in the FCP bin and on the Media Drive.
Would appreciate any help as in the middle of production and need to off load some video so I can reformat for more shooting.
I shot the footage on a Panasonic AG-AF100 (5). Log and Transfer worked beautifully the first several imports. Just noticed this yesterday for the first time.
thanks,

Did you ever reprt this as a possible bug?
You should use the "Feedback" page : http://www.apple.com/feedback/finalcutpro.html
or better still, the Radar Bug reporting page (preferebale because it affords you some degree of feedback from Apple on the status of the bug investigaion, but you'll need to create free developer account to use the system) : https://bugreport.apple.com/

Save independent clips from main capture

Hello there,
I have just captured all of my video with Final Cut Pro, but now I would like to go through the material and select the "best off". I would like to create independent clips, that I can use later on for my project, which will allow me to get reed of garbage. How can I save independent clips, from my main 2 hour captured file?
Thank you

I am able to export it by setting my cursor at the end and beggining of the clip, selecting the clip, to then export it as a Quick Time Movie, on a folder so I can use it later on.
Bad idea. Doing this you lose all vital clip information, including source timecode and reel name. If you lost your media drives (not uncommon) then re-building the cut would be VERY time consuming...if you could even do it. With reel number and timecode, simply recapturing the footage would rebuild the cut, if you kept the project file.
What you should do is subclip your captured file, make those subclips independent clips, then either use the MM to copy them as separate files, or manage them as separate clips so that you can recapture them properly.
Shane

Subclips of Independent Clip all have the SAME audio

I have a bunch of DV streams I want to edit in FCP, but I discovered that the audio is out of sync in most of them. Each stream has multiple shots in it, each of which I want to make into a subclip. Here's how I approached the problem:
1. I gave the out-of-sync DV stream a reel name in the Browser.
2. I opened the clip in the Viewer, set In and Out points to the extremes, and dragged it into the timeline.
3. I unlinked the video and audio, shifted the video to get it in sync, cropped the ends of the video and audio to start and end at the same time, and relinked the video with the audio.
4. I selected Make Independent Clip from the context menu.
5. I dragged the synced clip back into the Browser and changed its name.
6. I opened the new clip in the Viewer, selected the individual shots with In and Out points, and made each into a subclip.
For each clip, the first subclip I created in this way worked perfectly, but for some reason the subsequent subclips all have the same audio as the first subclip. What am I doing wrong?
~ Joel

I had the sync problem when capturing DV footage until I found and deleted the FC preferences file. I found this worked for several FC problems so I found a utility that saves the prefs before a problem starts. Then you can just replace the corrupted prefs file with the saved good one and you're fixed. I posted this problem to the forum and never found an answer as to why the capture sync gets hosed so I went with what works. I would work on why the captured footage is out of sync in the first place as described above.
Sorry but I do not have an answer for your sub-clip problem, just questions. Did you capture your DV tape as one individual file? Is the audio recorded on tape 48k and captured as 48k? I know I used to do the same thing as you to correct the offset... unlink the video & audio and bump the audio track until the sync was corrected. As long as I edited the clips on the timeline, everything stayed in sync and I just worked around the problem. For me, the prefs file was the answer.

DVCAM capture, but no clip

Finally got FCP to control the DVCAM deck (it's a rental, settings were off). Log my clip (a 15 min movie on DVCAM), set in and out points, but it will not capture.
'Capture now' worked (or seemed to). After stopping, I went to my logging bin, only the clip wasn't there. So, I checked my capture scratch folder, and it was there (as a quicktime movie - wasn't the FCP/Quicktime icon i'm used to seeeing).
BUT, FCP will not open/import/play this quicktime movie.
Anyone experience anything similiar? Thank you.

trashed my preferences. guess that just about fixes everything.

Digitizing Whole Tape vs. Logging Specific Clips and Batch Digitizing Them

For the last couple of years I have always gone through each of my (HDV) tapes, logged the clips I thought I might use, and batch-digitized them.
Is there any reason I can't digitize whole tapes all at once and then create subclips? I do have the room on my media drive.
Thanks.

Is there any reason I can't digitize whole tapes all at once and then create subclips?
No reason at all.
How I capture depends on the nature of the project. For most script based projects, I usually only capture individual clips that I think I may use. For event type projects (seminars, meetings, etc), I log and then capture the entire recording as one clip.
-DH

Logging individual clips with ProRes/AIC

I'm loving the quality of both codecs, and normally my lazy self wouldn't bother to log each clip, but if I were to want to, is it possible? If I have my Audio/Video settings set to either codec it seems as if it's an all or nothing situation, leaving me with a "Clip 1, Clip2...etc." bin.
Maybe I'd like to label one clip 'SOT 1," and another "Interior 2," as I can if I'm using the normal 720p30 Sequence preset.
Any way to do this with these otherwise awesome codecs?

Hey Michael
A clip's codec has nothing whatsoever to do with its name. Can you better describe what difficulty it is you are having with logging your footage? Are you capturing from HDV perhaps? In that case, are you not able to log/ name the captured clips after capture?
Best
Andy

Connect Independent Clips (Play All)

Hello,
I am new to DVD Studio -- have a fairly simple question I think:
I am making a DVD that will contain a number of short vignettes/films. Each film is independent of the other but I would like a "Play All" option so a viewer can easily watch one after the other after the other.
I know I can accomplish this by compressing all the clips into one big movie, making chapters, and having the chapters selected return to the main menu, but I don't want to have to put all the clips into a single mpeg file (I would rather do subtitles and everything independtly on a clip by clip basis as I work on them).
So, is there an easy way to make all the independent clips play back to back ? Is that the "story" feature ? I played around with it but couldn't figure it out.
Thanks,
Damon

Stories would be the easiest approach and the easiest way to do the stories would be to place them all on one track with chapter markers between each clip
The Play All Story would include all Chapter Markers
If you want just to play a section you add just the marker to the section
For instance if there are 3 clips, with Markers 1,2,3 - PLay All Story would have markers 1,2,3 - Just section 1 would have just marker 1, etc.
http://dvdstepbystep.com/passelections.php
http://dvdstepbystep.com/stories_details.php
There are also other approaches, for instance you can make two stories for each seperate track, so track 1, 2 & 3 would each have a Play All Story and a Play Sol story (each would be identical with one marker, the difference being the end jumps for the stories would be either set to the next track you want to play (Play All) or return to the Menu (Play Solo)
And the last way would be scripting.
Button action would be to a script
mov GRPM (whichever you want) SPRM 8//this sets the GRPM to the button that was pressed. Buttons are in increments of 1024 so easier to divide by 1024 to keep track
div GPRM (whatever), 1024 //makes it 1-4
//assumes button 1 is play track 1, button 2 is play track 2, button 3 is play track 3, button 4 is play all
Jump Track 1 if GPRM = 1
Jump Track 2 if GRPM = 2
Jump Track 3 if GPRM = 3
Jump Track 1 if GPRM = 4 //both selections 1 and 4 will go to track 1 to start
Then the end jumps for each track (could be rolled into one script but you can make a few may be easier to follow)
So for track 1
JUMP Menu, if GPRM = 1 //(play all was not selected so return to menu)
Jump Track 2
So for track 2
JUMP Menu, if GPRM = 3 //(play all was not selected so return to menu)
Jump Track 3
Track 3 will always return to menu since it is last in either event, so just set end jump

Capturing log files from multiple .ps1 scripts called from within a .bat file

I am trying to invoke multiple instances of a powershell script and capture individual log files from each of them. I can start the multiple instances by calling 'start powershell' several times, but am unable to capture logging. If I use 'call powershell'
I can capture the log files, but the batch file won't continue until that current 'call powershell' has completed.
ie. within Test.bat
start powershell . \Automation.ps1 %1 %2 %3 %4 %5 %6 > a.log 2>&1
timeout /t 60
start powershell . \Automation.ps1 %1 %2 %3 %4 %5 %6 > b.log 2>&1
timeout /t 60
start powershell . \Automation.ps1 %1 %2 %3 %4 %5 %6 > c.log 2>&1
timeout /t 60
start powershell . \Automation.ps1 %1 %2 %3 %4 %5 %6 > d.log 2>&1
timeout /t 60
start powershell . \Automation.ps1 %1 %2 %3 %4 %5 %6 > e.log 2>&1
timeout /t 60
start powershell . \Automation.ps1 %1 %2 %3 %4 %5 %6 > f.log 2>&1
the log files get created but are empty. If I invoke 'call' instead of start I get the log data, but I need them to run in parallel, not sequentially.
call powershell . \Automation.ps1 %1 %2 %3 %4 %5 %6 > a.log 2>&1
timeout /t 60
call powershell . \Automation.ps1 %1 %2 %3 %4 %5 %6 > b.log 2>&1
timeout /t 60
call powershell . \Automation.ps1 %1 %2 %3 %4 %5 %6 > c.log 2>&1
timeout /t 60
call powershell . \Automation.ps1 %1 %2 %3 %4 %5 %6 > d.log 2>&1
timeout /t 60call powershell . \Automation.ps1 %1 %2 %3 %4 %5 %6 > e.log 2>&1
Any suggestions of how to get this to work?

Batch files are sequential by design (batch up a bunch of statements and execute them). Call doesn't run in a different process, so when you use it the batch file waits for it to exit. From CALL:
Calls one batch program from another without stopping the parent batch program
I was hoping for the documentation to say the batch file waits for CALL to return, but this is as close as it gets.
Start(.exe), "Starts a separate window to run a specified program or command". The reason it runs in parallel is once it starts the target application start.exe ends and the batch file continues. It has no idea about the powershell.exe process
that you kicked off. Because of this reason, you can't pipe the output.
Update: I was wrong, you can totally redirect the output of what you run with start.exe.
How about instead of running a batch file you run a PowerShell script? You can run script blocks or call individual scripts in parallel with the
Start-Job cmdlet.
You can monitor the jobs and when they complete, pipe them to
Receive-Job to see their output.
For example:
$sb = {
Write-Output "Hello"
Sleep -seconds 10
Write-Output "Goodbye"
Start-Job -Scriptblock $sb
Start-Job -Scriptblock $sb
Here's a script that runs the scriptblock $sb. The script block outputs the text "Hello", waits for 10 seconds, and then outputs the text "Goodbye"
Then it starts two jobs (in this case I'm running the same script block)
When you run this you receive this for output:
PS> $sb = {
>> Write-Output "Hello"
>> Sleep -Seconds 10
>> Write-Output "Goodbye"
>> }
>>
PS> Start-Job -Scriptblock $sb
Id Name State HasMoreData Location Command
1 Job1 Running True localhost ...
PS> Start-Job -Scriptblock $sb
Id Name State HasMoreData Location Command
3 Job3 Running True localhost ...
PS>
When you run Start-Job it will execute your script or scriptblock in a new process and continue to the next line in the script.
You can see the jobs with
Get-Job:
PS> Get-Job
Id Name State HasMoreData Location Command
1 Job1 Running True localhost ...
3 Job3 Running True localhost ...
OK, that's great. But we need to know when the job's done. The Job's Status property will tell us this (we're looking for a status of "Completed"), we can build a loop and check:
$Completed = $false
while (!$Completed) {
# get all the jobs that haven't yet completed
$jobs = Get-Job | where {$_.State.ToString() -ne "Completed"} # if Get-Job doesn't return any jobs (i.e. they are all completed)
if ($jobs -eq $null) {
$Completed=$true
} # otherwise update the screen
else {
Write-Output "Waiting for $($jobs.Count) jobs"
sleep -s 1
This will output something like this:
Waiting for 2 jobs
Waiting for 2 jobs
Waiting for 2 jobs
Waiting for 2 jobs
Waiting for 2 jobs
Waiting for 2 jobs
Waiting for 2 jobs
Waiting for 2 jobs
Waiting for 2 jobs
Waiting for 2 jobs
When it's done, we can see the jobs have completed:
PS> Get-Job
Id Name State HasMoreData Location Command
1 Job1 Completed True localhost ...
3 Job3 Completed True localhost ...
PS>
Now at this point we could pipe the jobs to Receive-Job:
PS> Get-Job | Receive-Job
Hello
Goodbye
Hello
Goodbye
PS>
But as you can see it's not obvious which script is which. In your real scripts you could include some identifiers to distinguish them.
Another way would be to grab the output of each job one at a time:
foreach ($job in $jobs) {
$job | Receive-Job
If you store the output in a variable or save to a log file with Out-File. The trick is matching up the jobs to the output. Something like this may work:
$a_sb = {
Write-Output "Hello A"
Sleep -Seconds 10
Write-Output "Goodbye A"
$b_sb = {
Write-Output "Hello B"
Sleep -Seconds 5
Write-Output "Goodbye B"
$job = Start-Job -Scriptblock $a_sb
$a_log = $job.Name
$job = Start-Job -Scriptblock $b_sb
$b_log = $job.Name
$Completed = $false
while (!$Completed) {
$jobs = Get-Job | where {$_.State.ToString() -ne "Completed"}
if ($jobs -eq $null) {
$Completed=$true
else {
Write-Output "Waiting for $($jobs.Count) jobs"
sleep -s 1
Get-Job | where {$_.Name -eq $a_log} | Receive-Job | Out-File .\a.log
Get-Job | where {$_.Name -eq $b_log} | Receive-Job | Out-File .\b.log
If you check out the folder you'll see the log files, and they contain the script contents:
PS> dir *.log
Directory: C:\Users\jwarren
Mode LastWriteTime Length Name
-a--- 1/15/2014 7:53 PM 42 a.log
-a--- 1/15/2014 7:53 PM 42 b.log
PS> Get-Content .\a.log
Hello A
Goodbye A
PS> Get-Content .\b.log
Hello B
Goodbye B
PS>
The trouble though is you won't get a log file until the job has completed. If you use your log files to monitor progress this may not be suitable.
Jason Warren
@jaspnwarren
jasonwarren.ca
habaneroconsulting.com/Insights

When I capture from tape, express 4 now breaks my captured material into separate shots, an icon in the browser for each. Before it captured the whole clip till I hit escape, and created just one Icon. How to i get back the way it was.

When I capture material from tape with final cut express 4, it used to create one icon for the whole clip. Now, when i capture, it breakes the material down into many browser icons, shot by shot. I dont want that. How to I return to what I ahd before/

What you describe is normal behavior for HDV capture using FCE.
DV captures as one clip or may split the clip if there are timecode breaks on the tape.
HDV always breaks clips at the shot changes using FCE.
HDV cameras can downconvert to DV even if HDV was used to record the footage so it's important to know what the camera outputs during FCE capture.
Maybe this is why you have had mixed results with the differing capture windows?
Al

Why system is capturing Log for Document transfer and Compliance check

Hi All
Although I have removed
TD_MAP Movement Data : Document Replication Mapping (Live)
TD_CCH Movement Data : Compliance check Document (Live)
in custom document configuration , then also system is capturing log for document transfer and Compliance check result.
If my understanding is wrong then what is the use of Log control in customs document configuration for
Document Transfer
Document Check
Thanks
Akhil..

Hi Akhil,
For some situations, GTS allows you some control over the logging by specifying the Profile to use. But if you do not specify a Profile, logging still occurs using the default values in the standard code.
Regards,
Dave

Gamma shift from Capture & Log

I'm getting this dramatic gamma shift from my Capture & Log window. When I hit Capture Now, the preview image is a lot lighter.
Any way I can get the two matched up?

No. It is just a reference so you can see what you have. It isn't in any way a TRUE representation of the image you have. FOr that you use an external broadcast monitor connected via a capture card/device. The computer monitor is the LAST place to judge quality.
Shane

Making an Independent Clip

I am working with still images and want to take an indivudual clip and convert it into a quicktime so that I can use the TimeReMap and have control over timing and ease in/ease out.
When I click on the clip my "Make Independent Clip" is greyed out. I have seen this done but am not getting it. I could make a new project with this one clip in it and make a QT.
Any suggestions?
~Mark

Okay, then you can do what I suggested in my previous post.
You can either take that clip and put it in a separate sequence to export it out and bring it back in (be sure to use "Current Settings" so you don't adjust the quality with compression), OR you can just set an IN at the beginning of the clip on your timeline (cmd + I) and an OUT an the end (cmd + O) and export it right from there (FCP wil only export whatever is between your In and Out point).
Make sure it's fully rendered before you export it.
Figure that'll work alright for you?

How to get/capture log-on user name on PC (work station)

Hi,
Colud anyone give me how to get/capture log-on user name on my PC (work station)?
I need to get the infomation by using a function module.
Kind regards,
Hisao

Hi,
TH_USER_INFO shows me terminal ID, IP address and other information. howerver it does't show me log-on user name of OS.
Kind regards,
Hisao

Batch Capture Log Template

Does anyone know of an app or spreadsheet template that will make it easier to create a capture log--so I don't have type in the repeated colons and semi-colons and will possibly go to the next cell once the required TC numbers have been entered?
thanks

Drop frame and non-drop frame both have the same number of frames. No frames are "dropped". What is "dropped" are some frame numbers.
Think of timecode as frame addresses.
If video ran at 30 frames per second, in an hour 60 * 60 * 30 frames would go by (108,000 frames) and the timecode at the end of that time would be 1 hour, or 01:00:00 or 3,600 complete seconds of 30 frame counting timecode.
However, frames go by at a slightly slower rate (slower by 1 part in 1000, or 1/10th of 1 percent) of 29.97 frames per second. So in an hour of time on the wall clock, only 60 * 60 * 29.97 frames go by, or 107,892 frames. The timecode at that time would be 59:56:12 or 3596.4 complete seconds of 30 frame counting timecode.
This is all well and good, except the clock on the wall says 1 hour, and the clock counting timecode addresses says 59min56secs12frames. If you're running a TV station, this is confusing.
So in order to make the timecode on the tape deck match the clock on the wall, the difference needs to be fixed, so that at 1 hour the timecode reads 1:00:00 even though the frame rate is 29.97.
The difference between the theoretical 30 and the real 29.97 is 108 frames in an hour. To make up that difference in Drop Frame timecode, two frames of the counting (addresses) are skipped each minute on the minute. So at 00:59:29 the next frame is called 01:00:02, skipping two frames of numbering.
This is done on every minute, except the even 10 minutes. So for 54 minutes out of the hour, two frames of counting are skipped. For 6 minutes out of the hour, no frames are skipped. 2 frames times 54 minutes is 108 frames, or the difference we needed.
No frames were "dropped", only some frame numbering addresses were skipped to help the clock on the wall match the clock on the video tape deck or computer.
Drop frame and non-drop frame timecode both play the same number of frames in an hour of real time.
The difference is that non-drop frame timecode has consecutive frame numbering addresses, and drop-frame timecode does not have consecutive frame numbering addresses, as it has dropped 108 frames of the count over the course of an hour, when it skipped 2 frames of count 54 times.

Organization approach re: capture, logging, independent clips

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