FCP to Nukoda and back

So here we go. My edit is FINALLY done. Shot a musical on 3 HVX 200's (you may have seen my "HELP"! posts along the way with this my first forray into the world of HD. Well DVCPro HD anyway.

My project is an hour and 20 minute musical that is very layered, filtered and stylized- lot's of Sapphire, Natress and CGM filters, multiple layers of video (photos on top of photos, composites, Shake files, Motion files, Photoshop image sequence files etc. My line producer enlisted a post house that is Avid based and uses Nukoda Film Master to color correct. The project is not going to film. My final output will be QT to the post house to make D-5's and all of the other deliverables.

Low budget movie. Need to do an expeditious post. Does this project gain anything MAJOR from moving to Avid? Will it recognize all of my filters (trust me there are many! Sometimes 5 things going on per clip...)

3 camera shoot of a live event. It seems to me like the "raw stock" (QT files) master clips need to be corrected to match each other (camera to camera - angle to angle). If the source media "under" the effects is true, then the effects should be cool on top of them, no? What I am getting at is couldn't I use Media Manager to copy and specify on a new drive my source media. Color correct the source then replace the old with the color corrected version with same name. My FCP project will recognize the new media as the old. Re apply filters etc. then output a full res QT file that could then be brought to spec (broadcast safe etc,) as a whole afterwards. Then remix audio and then output! (I'm sure it's all just that simple too!)... Anyway, this would remove the need to transfer the project to Avid at all wouldn't it? Bringing back my original question- is there a MAJOR upside to using an Avid for final output. Murch didn't. Why should I? Save a step, save time save $$. But maybe this is naive on my part as I am just confortable living in the FCP editing world which is what I am personally familiar with.

My last question is when outputting my full res QT "master" when done, is it best to use Export FCP Movie, QT conversion or Compressor? How can I ensure the I am outputting the best possible final product. DCVPro HD 960 x 720 60p is the format. When I tried to export as they (the post house suggested - QT conversion, native, best , etc.) my image was squished inward. May someone has a tutorial on exporting full res? I usuall do a few tests, tweak knobs and buttons, find the one that looks good and has the right aspect ratio and then go. That has never been for a movie before so I am looking to triple check my method for best best and better output...

Whew, that was a lot I know. Must be the sleepless nights this week trying to finish. My apologies for the long winded question.

Appreciate any advice from out there...

Troy Christian

G5 Quad, 8GB RAM, FCP HD Suite 2 6.0.5, OSX 10.5.6
AJA LHe card

Hi Troy

Firstly you won't gain anything from going to Avid, I've been an Avid editor (on and offline since 1994) and you'll be better off (financially) going to an FCP post house but the quality shouldn't suffer either way. Although that depends on the onliner and facility of course! You'll need to make sure they have all the plugins/FX if you transfer the project and media.

Use automatic duck to take your FCP project to Avid if you have to go this route.

If you are outputting a master for them - just export quicktime movie using current settings and make self contained as per the post house suggestions.

The reason that it looks squished is beacause DVCproHD 720 varicam is akin to an anamorphic format. This means it displays a 4:3 pixel image stretched to a 16:9 when played back. This is normal and the post house will (should) be able to convert it to the correct uncompressed HD format for online with little or no problems.

Good luck and I hope it goes smoothly whichever route you take!

Ben



For instant answers to more than one hundred common FCP questions, check out the LAFCPUG FAQ Wiki here : [www.lafcpug.org]

Thanks for your response Ben. The first confirmation of what I knd of suspected after sitting down and actually thinking the workflow thru. I'm sure we'll hear some other arguments along the way but I am glod to have the input from somebody familiar with both systems. I would imagine I would save $ starting the first day - no day spent automatically ducking and trying to transfer the project to another system- which at times I understand can get testy.... How different is the rate structure between an Avid House and a FCP House. Obviously it varies place to place but I guess I should take it upon myself to find this out asap.

As far as the QT uotput, you are referring to Use QT Conversion, right? I was told that the FCP Movie option uses a codec that some color correction systems can't read. Is that true?

And thanks again,

Troy

> As far as the QT uotput, you are referring to Use QT Conversion, right? I was told that the
> FCP Movie option uses a codec that some color correction systems can't read.

No, not true. Export - QuickTime Movie (or the archaic option you're referring to, Export - Final Cut Pro Movie) simply exports a QuickTime movie which can be identical to the settings of your timeline (unless you change the option). In older versions of FCP, before FCP5, the resulting QuickTime movie is defaulted to open using Final Cut Pro instead of QuickTime Player. But it's still a QuickTime movie, and its settings are determined by what you choose, not preset to "a codec some systems can't read". Just select it in OS Finder, press APPLE-I and change the default application to QuickTime Player.


www.derekmok.com

Is that true if the color correction system is PC?

Your best bet is to call the post house and talk with one of the techies.

Depending on what Nucoda system they are using, they should be able to import the Quicktime into the grading suite as Nucoda supports AAF, DNxHD, MXF and QuickTime Import and Export. I haven't tested this myself so my suggestion (if you are going the Avid/Nucoda route) would be to send them a 10 second clip on CD/DVD and ask them to check before you commit to using them.

Any company worth working with will be happy to test a file import to smooth out the work flow beforehand. They should not charge for this.

Ben



For instant answers to more than one hundred common FCP questions, check out the LAFCPUG FAQ Wiki here : [www.lafcpug.org]

Hey Troy

How did this turn out? Are you happy with the workflow yet? Let us know.

Ben



For instant answers to more than one hundred common FCP questions, check out the LAFCPUG FAQ Wiki here : [www.lafcpug.org]

Hi Ben (& all),

Wow this has been a week! In my other post you saw the challenge of getting Media Manager with those darn psd reference files killing me - wow ... then having to reconnect a gazillion other clips manually to get it to work. No small feat was that. So, project on one drive. On to the post house! Well houses ....

I guess in the high end world this is where you deconstruct, color correct and fix and conform as you reconstruct with your lovely new media. Well not in 3 days as was budgeted by my line producer! Not in the case of a filter heavy and very stylized piece like mine. especially if you are going to try to get it into the AVID or something to finish. Hour and 20 minutes, 16 numbers that are more music video esque as I have said...

I decided that instead of using that $$ on the $300 an hour room for 3 days I would find a colorist to come to my suite and tweak within FCP to the best of its (and the colorists) ability. It is as you know a theater piece so the theatrical lighting offers some forgiveness (as I have said) with inconsistencies.

So that is where I am. Got the QT temp master done with TCG for audio that starts Tuesday. My big issue now is -and I am open to suggestions (Shane gave me his thoughts on it which I always appreciate!) - is getting the absolute best result getting my project out of my system for transfer to D5. Shane said that the Kona 3 can up rez. I have the Kona Lhe though. I was thinking (there I go - working without tools again!) That I would coloer correct but not Broadcast Safe it. Find the best possible way to get the highest quailty version out of my system even if it means rent equipment - take to a Post House for Broadcast Safe, audio inclusion and transfer to D5 and all other deliverables. Does that sound right to you all? Any other suggestion on pulling this thing out of my machine when color crrection is done?

Lastly, how glad am I that I spent my week trying to get media manager to work? DRATS! Oh well - I am expert on that now! What a pain that was for me!

Troy