Working with Free-Run Timecode

Question

We have a multi-camera event coming up which will consist of 3-4 cameras. There is downtime between each segment that we are covering and I'd like to set each camera to free-run timecode so I can synch them in post. The Free run will be manually set on each camera so they won't be in perfect sync.
Once each event starts, the cameras will start rolling and roll continuously through the event and then stop and wait until the next event.
However, I know that FCP is slow in capuring footage with TC Breaks. Is this the best way to do this, or is there a better way? it looks like I'll be manually syncing anyway, but the TC's will at least get me in the ballpark. We're expecting 12-15 events, some of the cameras are lock down on particular items (clock, crowd, finish) so having a common synch image will be difficult.
Thanks.

Answer 1

Jake,
I don't know what kind of experience you have shooting events like this, but I'll relate some of my experiences for anyone who's interested.
Shooting live events with multiple cameras can be a lot of fun, but many times things have fallen apart for me once the event gets rolling and there's an intense pressure to not miss any of the action, even if it meant forgoing steps that would have helped me later. Preparation was key, or I'd be cursing myself in post. I've repeatedly found that there's no such thing as too much set-up time.
In the past I've used a cable to send free-run time-code from a master camera to a slave camera, but once the cable is disconnected the cameras always drift out of sync. You've stated that you're only using it to get in the ballpark though, so it should serve that purpose reasonable well. I've done a lot of multi-cam event shooting that required extensive post production and the thing that killed me was cameras shutting off and turning on at different times. Try to synchronize your shooting as much as humanly possible and you will be MUCH better off in post. TRUST ME on this! The on's and off's don't have to happen simultaneously, but the more consistent they are (and there less there are of them) the less confusion there will be in post. If a camera has to be turned off unscheduled to change the battery or something, have the shooter shoot into his hand for a few seconds after re-starting it to leave a nice visual cue of the edit point. (Also, don't wait as long as I did to learn about FCP's DV Start/Stop Detect feature!) I should add that I didn't have any problems working with free-run footage in FCP, but it depends a lot on your workflow goals and how you choose to capture it.
Also, I find that the most accurate way to synchronize video tracks in these messy situations is often by listening to their associated audio (even when using a wireless I try to always use one channel for the onboard mic)--unless you use a clapboard consistently it can be much easier to hear when audio is a frame out of sync than by looking at a visual cue in different footage from different angles (assuming the sound is reaching each camera at roughly the same time).
Part of my preparation for these events involved developing a pattern by which the event would be edited, and sticking with it. Most events involve some sort of activity which repeats, and I learned to shoot with each cycle's edit pattern in mind. I'm the first to encourage editing creativity and variation, but there have been so many times where I wished I had shot with a clearly-defined edit pattern in mind as opposed to chasing after creative shots that I then had to struggle mightily to even make use of in post.
I also learned to ensure that each shooter has a clearly-defined role. When everyone would swing around wildly trying to catch whatever eye-catching thing happened next, I'd end up with 4 identical wildly-swinging shots! Also, having one shooter assigned to cover the whole event with only a very smooth, very wide, "as-if-this-is-getting-broadcast-live-right-now" shot will save your butt many times over in post.
Another thing--you can never have too many cut-aways. If you think about it, if you come back with 60 different wildcard shots, and you're producing a 1-hour program, that only leaves you with one cut-away per minute! These are easy to get if there is a crowd involved by moving from person to person and rolling for about 10 seconds on each, but they have to be recorded while an actual event is taking place. When I would try to grab my crowd shots during downtime, it resulted in cut-aways that made it seem like the audience was entirely uninterested in the event taking place. Another thing I never seemed to have enough of were crowd reaction shots, like applause and laughter, because often all of us shooters were too busy frantically zooming in on the bucking bronco or the rodeo clown.
Didn't mean for this to get so long, but post-producing live events can be a real beast and I made a whole lot of mistakes before finally starting to get the hang of it. These days, I think recording live-to-tape with a field switcher is the only way to go, but that's just not always practical.
Good luck!
Zap
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