35mm fcp workflow

Hi guys. I am editing a 35mm 4p feature on fcp and I have a few questions regarding our workflow. This is what we have so far:

Telecine on DVCAM (525 NTSC) with keycode burn for offline and a clean telecine on D5 for online.
Database in cinema tools with the following settings:
Film Standard 35mm 4p
Video TC Rate: 30 NDF
Sound TC Rate: 30 NDF
TK Speed: 24
Import batch list at 29.97 in FCP
Digitize at DV NTSC resolution for offline.

1) Would you recommend offlining at 29.97 and going through matchback or 23.98 and directly to a negative cut list? What are the advantages/disadvanntages of the above?
2) Before I came on board, some of the footage had been digitized in FCP directly, without creating a database in Cinema tools. If I create the database now, import it in FCP and link the already captured footage to the list, will I run into any problems?
3)Anyone else who has cut features on FCP, please share your work flow if it's not too much trouble.

Thank you all!

Best,
Martin







Import flex files through cinema tools with the following set

Hi Martin,

There are a few details you left off:

Is the D5 tape 24p or 60i?
Is the main delivery going to be an online from the D5 or are you cutting the negative?
Is it important to use the footage that has already been digitzed or are you planning on starting from scratch?

All of this will determine what the best workflow for your project will be.

--Dan

Hi Martin,

I wasn't sure if this came from the forum or direct to me--hope you don't mind but I'll update the forum because other people may find themselves in a similar situation.

> thank you for your reply on the LAFCPUG forum. We are mastering on D5
1080 24p and also getting a negative cut. I will be cutting at 23.98 and will
remove the pulldown in cinema tools.

So far so good. If you do some complicated video effects you could do a film-out from the D5. In fact you might look into doing a film-out of the whole feature, it is sort of a indie digital master workflow.

> I am pulling my hair out- the telecine house (HTV) messed up on some
clips and they don't start on an A frame, can you believe this?

I've seen all sorts of telecine errors. In one case I had to go to a negative cutter and spot check some camera rolls. Sure enough, the telecine logs and burn-ins didn't always match the keynumbers on the film. Hopefully the transfer was done so A frames are always on timecodes 0's and 5's for 29.97 (ending up with 0's and 4's for 23.98). That's what Cinema Tools is looking for when doing batch reverse telecine.

> I have to manually change them in the database and then synchronize with
FCP. And to add to that, some scenes were shot with the same names and inevitably went in the database as such-another thing I have to fix. Oh and this is an independent film so no assistant

I feel your pain. I once did a feature in Mexico City (El Grito, aka Bloody Proof) where I didn't even have the luxury of telecine logs. Maybe it was better having nothing at all than something that can't be trusted!

> One quick question. When I link my database with my 23.98 clips in
cinema tools I still have to link the clips in FCP, right? Is there a more efficient way to do this?

Here is something that many people don't realise--you don't need to have the clips linked in Cinema Tools for it to work. If you have the same clips linked in FCP and Cinema Tools, Cinema Tools will count frames to determine keynumbers. However, if the clips are not linked to the Cinema Tools database, it will use the clip's timecode to create the cut list.

In other words, instead of importing the telecine log in CT, create a batch capture list and make sure everything matches up--you could capture entire tapes at a time, jump right into editing and put off building and checking the CT database until you need to make the cut lists.

One big cavet here--it has been quite a while since I used FCP/Cinema Tools on a film project so I would double check this with someone who has recently worked with it. I'd also read the user guide, you'd be surprised at how much information is in there!