outputting prores 4444

I'm working with prores 4444 footage at a facility with fcp 6. Since this system can read 4444 files, but not render them, I concluded that I could edit the 4444 material at work in a 422 sequence, then take the sequences home to my FCP 7 rig, which accommodates 4444, switch the sequence settings to 4444 and then output them (as quicktimes), and that there would be no negative impact on the footage.

Is this a safe assumption?

I wouldn't go by word of mouth as I personally have never done that workflow. I would test it if I were you.

When life gives you dilemmas...make dilemmanade.

I don't quite get the logic here. Since you're talking about exporting at your home rig, I assume you have to edit at the FCP6 facility. In which case you'd still have to work with only ProRes 422 or ProRes 422 HQ. So what's the point of running the clips through an extra ProRes 4444 pipeline? Whatever clips you export from your FCP7 system would still be ProRes 4444 -- the same as the original clips. Unless you're talking about converting them to ProRes HQ on the FCP7 system, via a Batch Export.

How were the original clips created? If editing was to be done on an FCP6 system, why not just go to ProRes or ProRes HQ at the original ingest stage?


www.derekmok.com

BG: Footage was shot on an Alexa and converted to 4444 for vfx. The movie's editorial dept sent the vfx facility full length takes, rather than the specific frames needed for the shots, so some trimming was required before work could begin. The vfx facility only has FCP 6, which, thanks to QT 7.6.9, can view 4444 footage but not render it.

Since the vfx facility wanted me to do these trims at their facility, I devised the following workflow: 4444 into FCP 6, trim the takes, take sequences home to FCP 7, switch the seq settings and output the trimmed selects, hand the trimmed selects back to vfx so they can get going.

And, Joe, I did test it, and didn't see a problem, but I thought I'd run it past the quicktime gurus here in case there's something about the qt or fcp pipeline that I'm not aware of.

Thanks.

For trimming clips, you could use QuickTime Player Pro. In, Out, Copy, Paste into new blank QuickTime clip, Save As.

But it might be useful having an FCP sequence that contains the selects so you can always check exactly what was given to the FX artists. I don't foresee any problems with what you were outlining. If you want to be extra careful, make sure you backup the FCP6 project with time/date stamp at the facility, and put the backup out of reach, before you move the project home (since the file will be upgraded, and you can't go back). And if you're extra paranoid, export an XML of it. Since you're talking about timecoded clips that are just being trimmed, and there's no change in clip/file names, they should just reconnect right up. Pretty inefficient that an FX facility wouldn't have updated editing software, but it should work.


www.derekmok.com

Quote

For trimming clips, you could use QuickTime Player Pro. In, Out, Copy, Paste into new blank QuickTime clip, Save As.

You skipped the most important part Derek..."Save As a Self Contained Movie" (NOT a Reference Movie)

When life gives you dilemmas...make dilemmanade.

Oh yeah. I almost never use reference movies. (Maybe twice in the last 10 years) So I take that step for granted.


www.derekmok.com

...there's nothing worse than trying to open a project full of reference QTs when they have been unlinked from their source files. Kiss that edit / composition goodbye.

When life gives you dilemmas...make dilemmanade.

I did some experiments with this on FCP6 and FCP6 doesn't know the new ProRes codecs are realtime codecs so you have to render EVERYTHING. It's not a fun workflow and you should avoid it at all costs.

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I guess you could switch the sequence codec to Prores in the FCP 6 machine and also switch the render precision to 8 bits. You should be able to get full RT, then you can MM and export an XML to Flame when you're done.



www.strypesinpost.com

This doesn't make much sense anyway.

What is the impact of upgrading the work station from FinalCut Studio 2 (Fcp 6) to FinalCut Studio 2009 (Fcp 7) if you are on a budget line that can afford shooting with an Alexa...

You are preparing yourself to waste a lot of time. Compared to the price of the upgrade for the facility it's not worth it.

The facility didn't want to upgrade because their partners are on FCP 6 and they're midstream on a couple of projects. But yes, ultimately we brought in a second system to run FCP 7, and that's proven much more efficient.

Ah. This came back. Yea, what Jon said. I was running some tests, and FCP 6 doesn't know that the additional flavors of Prores are RT.



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