PAL TO FILM OUT

I am about to post my first edit in the 25fps PAL format.

I will edit at full res, finish to a PAL digibeta generic master and that generic master will undergo a FILM OUT because said project will go to various film festivals.

I'll be using the dual 2.0 G5 with plenty of ram etc. The AJA IO will be used for digitizing to the Apple XRAID 3.5. The AJA IO drivers are all set for PAL, there should be no problems there.

I've got the PAL playback deck (for digitizing) and the PAL reference monitor lined up from a rental house.

The company we will use to scan back to film (EFILM) has told us going from PAL to film is simple because of the similar frame rates.

I hate expecting everything to work right, and I get nervous when people say it'll be a simple process.

Therefore, does anyone have experience in this workflow? If you have info which I am not aware of that saves me tons of hassle downstream then I will pay for your consultation.

I am looking for the kind of info that only comes from one who has practical experience that would not be found in some manual written by software engineers.

Again, I need the little-known tidbits not the common knowledge.

Any info would be greatly appreciated. As usual, thank you all.

Sean

<<<PAL to film is simple because of the similar frame rates. >>>

We have used EFilm before and you should be good to go, however, I would ask about that sentence.

Typically PAL videos are transfered at 25 FPS, not 24. Did either of you make that clear? Are you expecting a 24 FPS filmout?

I don't think it makes the slightest difference to either of you, but you are going to end up with a different length film depending on which way you go.

Koz

Thanks Koz. You are correct, as you usually are.

<<<You are correct, as you usually are.>>>

It appears that way on purpose. All the mistakes stay locked in the basement.

Ask Sean Connery about a movie he made called "Zardoz" <g>.

Koz

the difference will manifest itself most noticably in your final 24fps film version running 4% slower than what you;re used to.

you could of course decide to work at 24fps by conforming your clips in FCP
your playback will be slightly jerky as FCP adds one frame every second to play that 24fps out to your 25fps PAL gear.

this does make your workflow a little more complex so you may choose to work at 25.
i'm assuimg you will capture at an off-line res (DV?) then capture as 10bit uncompressed when fine-cut?

if you decide to go 25, you can export a self contained (and maybe even a reference movie) from FCP, conform it to 24, and watch it to get a feel for the pace at 24.

it might all be a bit of a non-issue.
down here (australia) most of the cinemas run their projectors fast, anyway.
festivals, though, are more particular, one hopes.

cheers,
nick

Sean,

been there, done that a coupla times, so maybe can help.

Your setup for edit and export sounds fine. Getting it onto to film is where the glitches can occur. You also have an issue to resolve with the audio, as it will sound noticeably slower and lose synch if not corrected. Since there are a number or options involved, the best free advice really is to talk with the post guys who are actually going to be doing the work and have them explain the process. Also include your audio guys in the discussion.

Sounds too simple maybe, but rather than pointing out the problems here, I'd recommend just talking it through with your team.

HTH
Clay