Time Code Capture Problem

Hello Folks.....I'm learning FCP5 and I'm trying to capture some footage. I logged a bunch of footage from a MiniDV tape. Tried to Batch Capture it. Didn't work.

Problem may be due to the fact that I have two sets of of time code on the tape starting from 00:00:00:01. I'm trying to capture the second set of video with the second set of time code.

When I tell FCP to batch capture, it rewinds my camera all the way back to the beginning of the tape (so it is then stuck in the first set of time code). Is there a way around this? Can I somehow bump all the time code #'s of my second set of video up by the TC of the first set to fool FCP into capturing the second set in batch mood? If that will work, is there a way to add that time code to all the scenes I want to capture? Or is there another/better way around this problem?

Also noted that I should have extra space at the beginning and end of each scene that I want to capture (per the FAQ's)...but I don't have that. In fact I have a bunch of scenes that end and start on adjacent frames. Is that going to give me a headache too, or will it work, or is there a way to make that work too.

Thanks for your time and help!

You just have to cue the second part of the tape to past where the timecode resets to get the Batch Capture to work on that portion of the tape. It will understadably rewind to the beginning of the tape otherwise. It just doesn't know that there could be two physical places on the tape that have the same address. You have to know and guide it appropriately.

If you have viable video before and after, meaning the timecode doesn't break and there is signal, regardless if whether or not the actual video is the same continuous shot, you should be able to capture.

You'll get into issues if you don't have any viable video as pre- or post-roll. You might have to use Capture Now to get those scenes, and Capture Now can nip you in the tushie if you ever need to recapture. You may not be able to recapture, which means you'll have to do a Capture Now again and re-edit the video in by hand. If you don't have good pre- and post-roll on your scenes, you're a little hasmstrung.

A quick solution to all of this is to dub the tapes using a DV deck that can generate new timecode. That will solve both your issues. You'll have to re-log, but if the tapes are really a mess, it'll likely be worth it. It will take less time overall than wrestling with a tape with timecode and pre- & post-roll issues.

deb

> In fact I have a bunch of scenes that end and start on adjacent frames.

Cameraman go boom. There's no way around this unless you attempt to capture across timecode breaks by setting User Preferences - Upon timecode breaks to "Warn after Capture" -- which is a really dubious method. While it can sometimes ignore timecode breaks and give you those seconds around the break, it also means all the timecodes after the break will be wrong because FCP will assign continuous timecode across the break and the part after the break will not match the tape timecode.

Redub the entire tape with new timecode. It's the only way to solve this problem permanently. It's not "quick" (come on, Deb!), but it's a pretty surefire solution. And kick your cameraman's butt. Pre-roll and post-roll are very, very basic videography concepts.


www.derekmok.com

I'm sorry, Derek. I guess I was going for relative...

It's "quick" compared to ongoing wresting with the tapes, and certainly by far less frustrating.

I have had DV tape with shot changes that didn't have timecode breaks that were able to be logged and captured. Depending on the model of camera, stopping recording doesn't automatically mean that there will be a timecode break...

I didn't have much editing choice on the end frame on those tapes, but it did work...so it's not unheard of that the code could be continuous , even though the shot is not.

Didn't want to gloom-n-doom our poor guy when it's possible (although I admit unlikely) that he could get away with using his field tapes.



deb

> It's "quick" compared to ongoing wresting with the tapes, and certainly by far less frustrating.

Sorry, Deb, didn't mean to sound so rude. Shoulda put a smiley after that. I actually don't disagree with you -- in the long run, redubbing will prevent potentially hours, even days of wrestling with misconformed shots, capture failures, Media Manager issues, etc.

> Depending on the model of camera, stopping recording doesn't automatically mean that there
> will be a timecode break...

Usually, stopping recording or even turning the camera off wouldn't do it. Removing the battery, removing the tape, or going into VTR mode definitely would. HDV and HDCam are a lot more finicky, though. Even stopping a take can cause a timecode break.

> Didn't want to gloom-n-doom our poor guy when it's possible (although I admit unlikely) that
> he could get away with using his field tapes.

"Let's fix it in post. Uh-huh. Yeah." Sure, pal!


www.derekmok.com

derekmok Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Sorry, Deb, didn't mean to sound so rude. Shoulda
> put a smiley after that. I actually don't
> disagree with you -- in the long run, redubbing
> will prevent potentially hours, even days of
> wrestling with misconformed shots, capture
> failures, Media Manager issues, etc.

Whew!! I feel better now!!



deb

Would this work? I haven't used iMovie in a while, but as I recall transferring video to the computer doesn't rely on time code, but rather on start-stop scene detection, and loading the video to computer is pretty much automatic.

So, here's a plan - load your video into iMovie, use that application to do a very rough cut (trashing all the bad stuff, re-arranging the sequence, etc.) and then export your stuff back to a DV deck or camera, which would lay down a brand new unbroken time line for log and capture.

(I read somewhere that iMovie 8 wont print to tape, however. Don't know if this is true or not.)

Just a thought, for what it's worth...

> as I recall transferring video to the computer doesn't rely on timecode, but rather on start-stop
> scene detection

Wrong! Timecode is everything. Ignoring it is extremely dangerous -- you could end up losing all your editing decisions.

I'm not up on the latest iMovie, but previous incarnations captured media as DV stream files with no timecode. Not suitable for professional applications.


www.derekmok.com

I wasn't suggesting using iMovie for professional editing. I was merely suggesting that once you have loaded a sequence into iMovie and then print it to tape using a DV deck, the deck will generate a brand new time code with no breaks. From that copy you should be able to do a log and capture without problems, and that copy will then be your archival tape should you ever need to do another batch capture.