Corrupted data/card?

MBP, OS 10.6, 2.8ghz Core 2 duo, FCP 7.3

The videographer shot the footage on Canon HF S30. He also mailed me about four specific shots that he really wanted in this project.

1. When I mount the card and L&T there are quite a few clips that have no data. I see the duration of the shot but there is no data. No thumbnails.

2. When I try to preview the clip that has no data FCP crashes.

3. The four specific shots which he wants in the project he named them by "Scene 00001" and so on. But in the L&T window they show up as clip #1, #2 and so on.

Is the data corrupted?

Thanks

> I see the duration of the shot but there is no data.

I assume when you play the entry in Log and Transfer, there's no video or audio?

This is a situation I'm not familiar with. Usually when the data is corrupted, the volume wouldn't mount at all, or the clip would be missing.

> Is the data corrupted?

Possible but not definitive. Did he preserve the complete file structure on the original card/drive?

Go into the file structure and describe what you see. If the clips are actually there, they should be under [Root Level] - AVCHD - BDMV. As long as the STREAM folder in the BDMV folder is intact, an alternate way to convert the MTS files should be possible even if FCP can't do it.

Get the card or camera from him directly if possible.

> The four specific shots which he wants in the project he named them by
> "Scene 00001" and so on. But in the L&T window they show up as clip #1, #2
> and so on.

The original MTS files should be called 00000.MTS, 00001.MTS etc. Clip #1, #2 may be the names he gave to the clips in FCP while viewing them. Go by the original file names.


www.derekmok.com

> I assume when you play the entry in Log and Transfer, there's no video or audio?

Yea, its just blank and when I try to play the clip FCP crashes.

> As long as the STREAM folder in the BDMV folder is intact, an alternate way to convert the MTS files should be possible even if FCP can't do it.

Yea, Stream folder is there as well. I tried it with MPEG Streamclip but that didn't do it.

I don't have experience with your specific setup, but I experienced an issue when working with footage from a Panasonic HMC-150 where FCP 6 would crash when I tried to import if I had the Perian plugin installed. Disabled the plugin, and the footage imported just fine. I don't know that the same issue would apply here, but worth a try.

Also, try doing the log/capture from a brand new user account on your Mac to rule out any wonkiness with your current user account.

And maybe before trying anything, make sure you have a backup image of the card(s) in question. Use Disk Utility to image the cards. That way, you'll always have an original version of the data in case you screw up the card or the data on it when working through any of the troubleshooting steps.

[Yea, Stream folder is there as well. I tried it with MPEG Streamclip but that didn't do it.]

You might try ClipWrap. I had to prep several hundred such MTS shots that way. Clipwrap allows you to transcode to ProRes as well.

The only problem I noticed occurred after importing them into FCP. No reel number! You need to add this to each card folder you import, so keep track of them, because each card starts its shot count with 00000. It's easy to have duplicate 00000's-- modifying each clip by adding a reel number avoids this.

What I've noticed is that in some cases, the reel number added then disappears from the Reel column-- feels like a bug. Anyone else experience this on rewrapped MTS?

- Loren

Today's FCP 7 keytip:
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Your Final Cut Studio KeyGuide? Power Pack
with FCP7 KeyGuide --
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> It's easy to have duplicate 00000's-- modifying each clip by adding a reel
> number avoids this.

I don't think that works. Reel Name metadata is supposed to get written into the clip file when you put it into the FCP Browser column, but that still doesn't prevent duplicate file names from replacing one another at the OS level. And it's still a pain in editing to have 50 clips called 00000 in your timeline, all with different content.

If you're going to use a software that doesn't allow for batch lists and renaming media while retaining connections (I've only used Voltaic, not ClipWrap), then you should also run a renaming script/program to add a Reel prefix to the clip names themselves -- for example, 001-00000. Personally, relying on Reel Name metadata in this case wouldn't give me the assurance I need. Putting that information right into the clip name allows you to delineate the reel right away. Without a Log and Transfer batch list, you're not going to be able to re-ingest reliably without losing media connection anyway, so you add the information to the actual file name. And backup the clips.


www.derekmok.com

[Reel Name metadata is supposed to get written into the clip file when you put it into the FCP Browser column, but that still doesn't prevent duplicate file names from replacing one another at the OS level.]

I agree, which is why, at the OS (Finder) level, I assiduously place all clips from a single card into their own named folder, which I treat as a reel. Because the clips from the next card will usually be numbered identically from 00000. Timecode in these series often begins at 00:00:00. Named or numbered folders containing the clips solve this problem.

Given two clips with the same timecode and number name, what else prevents replacement error except for reel number? I mean that as a real question. Love to hear answers.

With a differentiating reel number, in my experience arbitrary reconnection errors are avoided. I had a few errors in the same project I wrapped for, and discovered the reel info had gone missing, even though I put it in.

And while a modification is supposed to be written to the clip when you tell it to write to the clip-- it doesn't always obey you! When you go back and check your bins of these clips and you notice large gaps of no reel info, you start to worry about the joys of reconnecting...

- Loren

Today's FCP 7 keytip:
Summon your Video Scopes with Option - 9 !

Your Final Cut Studio KeyGuide? Power Pack
with FCP7 KeyGuide --
now available at KeyGuide Central.
www.neotrondesign.com

> I assiduously place all clips from a single card into their own named folder, which I
> treat as a reel.
> Because the clips from the next card will usually be numbered identically
> from 00000.

They will. But that doesn't protect the editing decisions: If the clips go offline, FCP will simply ask for 00000 -- if you attempt to reconnect more than one clip called 00000, FCP will not allow you to see the distinction between Reel 001 and Reel 002 unless you reconnect one by one manually. Also, with your method, if you have 100 different reels, then your clips will have to be in 100 different folders and reconnecting will take forever -- and be very prone to human error. Finally, if your Reel Name data does get lost in FCP, then you've lost the only way to identify the location of the clip. You'd have to rewatch dozens of reels of camera masters, potentially, to identify a single clip in the project.

A batch list in Log and Transfer (or any logging software that embeds those relationships into the clips and reel folders -- I haven't used any ones outside FCP) is the best way to generate unique names for the clips. I haven't worked with AVCHD enough to know if my methods are foolproof. But if the batch list has to be circumvented (ie. disrupted file structure on a card), then a rename at the OS level is essential. The prefix method (adding "Reel 001-" to the MTS files) is what I'd recommend because it allows you to distinguish the different files once converted, but still retains enough relationship to the camera MTS files to allow for manual organization and identification. The names of the file folders tell you what the prefix is if you need to redo the transfer and renaming process.


www.derekmok.com

clay Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I don't have experience with your specific setup,
> but I experienced an issue when working with
> footage from a Panasonic HMC-150 where FCP 6 would
> crash when I tried to import if I had the Perian
> plugin installed. Disabled the plugin, and the
> footage imported just fine. I don't know that the
> same issue would apply here, but worth a try.
>
> Also, try doing the log/capture from a brand new
> user account on your Mac to rule out any wonkiness
> with your current user account.
>
> And maybe before trying anything, make sure you
> have a backup image of the card(s) in question.
> Use Disk Utility to image the cards. That way,
> you'll always have an original version of the data
> in case you screw up the card or the data on it
> when working through any of the troubleshooting
> steps.


I tried logging in from the new account and it still did the same thing. I spoke to the videographer and he told me that he first selected the scenes that he wanted edited and then copied them onto the card which I am assuming caused the problem. He will bring me the camera with the footage on it and I am think that will work.