how to black tapes for dvcam?

Hi all,

I'm trying to black tapes for use in a production so they don't have timecode breaks.

I already know how to do that if it was ntsc mini-dv, 60 min a tape. My problem is, the DP decided to shoot it in dvcam (in a PD-150), which makes the tape last only 42-43 min (ntsc as well). How do I black the tape so it's conformed for dvcam?

I have G5 2.3dual, 2gig ram, FCP 5, and a DSR-11 deck.

Thanks

You need a deck that records in DVCAM. Do you have such a device?



All the best,

Tom

How does blacking a tape before production prevent broken timecode? This has to be one of the biggest misconceptions out there. Why?

When you black a tape, you are stiping timecode so that you can than INSERT EDIT footage on top of that. You can insert video and audio without writing overthe timecode. This is performed by an edit system. What your camera does is similiar to what is called ASSEMBLE EDITING. That is, it lays down video, audio and NEW TIMECODE...blowing away the timecode that already esists.

Video cameras cannot insert edit...they only assemble edit. DO a test and see for yourself. Black the tape. Record something. Then play the tape back and see for yourself.

The best way to avoid timecode breaks while shooting is to shoot a few seconds of POST ROLL...let the camera roll 5 seconds after you would normally stop recording. This way, after you review, you can that stop playback before the video stops, so that when you start recording again it will pick up where the video left off.

Blacking tapes before a shoot just increases the chance of dropouts on the tape.

Thanks for quick replies!

Tom,
no, I don't have such a device, just the DSR-11 I talked about.

Shane,
thanks for the lesson. I already suspected what you've confirmed. Though I have never done such a test, my guess was the camera would write new timecode.

The reason this misconception is so widespread is, I think, this: the FCP manual does mention Insert Edit, but blacking tapes is also said to "prevent timecode breaks". The text, if you already know the facts, is correct; but for someone searching for the information, it's a bit confusing.

Also, and more reproachable, is the misinformation in Larry Jordan's Final Cut Pro HD, pg 107 "In all cases, it [black and coding a tape] totally solves the problem of timecode breaks during video recording". It's easy to assume that many books out there repeat this error. Jordan's book was one of my main sources of information; alas, not anymore.

And really unfortunate is the fact that no DP I know or heard of really cares about recording those few seconds of post roll and then rewinding a bit before starting to shoot again. Either they shoot straight through (and then no tc breaks) or they stop and shoot (with the tc breaks).

Btw, just want to take the chance to say how much I respect this forum. Few questions of mine go unanswered here after I do a quick search. I also read it daily first thing in the morning. You guys are the best.

Cheers.

You only need to rewind a bit if you are REVIEWING THE FOOTAGE. Simple starts and stops of the camera will not cause timecode breaks (unless the DP is shooting time-of-day code). What also causes TC breaks is when the camera is turned off and the battery changed. But not always. If the tape is ejected, then put back....you will get a TC break.

I respect Larry Jordan highly. But the practice of blacking tapes has never come up in any professional environment I have worked in, and when someone did do it, it didn't work.

I agree with Shane. Preblacking just means your tape has had one pass and you are now on second gen tape.

But the DSR11 will do DVCAM blacking, which you often need to do to get some timecode in at the head of a tape in order to do and Edit to Tape out of FCP. Make sure your deck is connected, and that you are set to Firewire NTSC, or Firewire PAL. Then select Edit To Tape from the File Menu (FCP 4HD).

In the 'Video' tab (where the colourbars appear) at the top, in the middle, there is a pulldown menu that says 'Mastering'. Next to this there is a small button with a filmstrip on it. This is the black and code button.

As long as your DSR11 is set to record in DVCAM (its in the onboard menus), you can just select 'current settings'. Let it run for a minute, and you've got a striped head. And doesn't that sound odd when you write it down...

Shane,

most tapes I get have tc breaks, and I think that's due to reviewing footage on the spot; since, as I said, most DPs I know don't bother doing the post-roll, I'm plagued with tc breaks. But then again, perhaps the DPs I know are not that professional...

I also respect Larry Jordan, I love his book (my very first teacher), so it's all the more unfortunate to find this misinformation in it.

Jude,

thanks for the info, I'll look it up.


And thanks all of you for the help. Lesson learned.

It's a good idea to shoot a few seconds at the start of every tape. I turn the bar code on and that gives me an extra reference point for color, as well as a handle for capturing the first scene.

The only time I recommend pre-blacking tape is for amateurs and people working in schools and other places where easy mistakes, like not post rolling or backing into the post roll, leads to enormous capture headaches.

There is no reason why pre-blacking would cause drop outs. In fact it may reduce blackouts by repacking the tape. This always used to be a procedure for master tapes, spinning them through to the end and rewinding to flake off any loose oxide. With new formulations this probably is no longer necessary, but one pass straight through on the tape head is not going to create any additional wear on the tape, any more than playing it back, let alone jog and shuttling it around in a deck while log and capturing, but that's another story.

You should NOT pre-black tapes with many professional and prosumer cameras as they shoot in record run and do not pre-read timecode, but record continuous timecode. Backing into post roll with many professional cameras, and I think all Sony broadcast and prosumer cameras, though I've been told JVC doesn't work this way, will also create timecode discontinuities because of record run TC. Rather than backing randomly into the post-roll, you need to get to the end of the material with the edit back function. Which itself can cause TC breaks if the camera cue back function isn't properly calibrated. I've seen a number of cameras that don't cue back properly and leave holes in the TC, though because of record run, the TC doesn't reset but continues writing new timecode.



All the best,

Tom

I disagree - minidv cameras that are turned off will start again at 0.00, so they will crash over whatever timecode you've recorded anyway - so what's the point for schools, etc?

Absolutely not. I guess you haven't used a consumer camera in a while. If you turn off the camera, change the battery, whatever, when you press the record button, the camera backs up a frame or two, reads the TC and then does an assemble edit on it. If it reads TC it writes continuously from that timecode number, and unless the camera is malfunctioning, this is a clean assemble edit with TC. If the camera does not see any timecode it starts writing at zero again. It has nothing at all to do with whether the camera is switched off or left on continuously.



All the best,

Tom

Oh OK. You're right that I haven't used any consumer cameras for a while - is this only newer cameras?

That's the way its been as long as I can remember using a DV camera, back to the last century anyway.



All the best,

Tom

Hmm. That's not been my experience.