Apple Cinema Tools 4 User Manual

Cinema Tools 4

User Manual

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Welcome to Cinema Tools7Preface

About Cinema Tools7 About the Cinema Tools Documentation8 Additional Resources8

An Overview of Using Cinema Tools9Chapter 1

Editing Film Digitally9 Why 24p Video?12 Working with 24p Sources13 Offline and Online Editing13 Creating the Cinema Tools Database14 Capturing the Source Clips with Final Cut Pro16 Preparing the Clips for Editing19 Creating Cut Lists and Other Lists with Cinema Tools20 How Much Can Be Done from Final Cut Pro?21

Before You Begin Your Film Project23Chapter 2

An Introduction to Film Projects23 Before You Shoot Your Film24 Which Film to Use?24 Transferring Film to Video25 Frame Rate Basics28 Audio Considerations34 Working in Final Cut Pro38

Cinema Tools Workflows41Chapter 3

Basic Film Workflow Steps41 Film Workflow Examples42 Basic Digital Intermediate Workflow Steps46 Digital Intermediate Workflow Using a Telecine49 Working with REDCODE Media51

Creating a Cinema Tools Database53Chapter 4 An Introduction to Cinema Tools Databases53

Deciding How You Should Create the Database54 Creating and Configuring a New Database58

Working with Databases65Chapter 5

Opening an Existing Database65 Viewing Database Properties66 About the Detail View Window66 Settings in the Detail View Window67 About the List View Window73 Settings in the List View Window74 Finding and Opening Database Records76 Settings in the Find Dialog77 Backing Up, Copying, Renaming, and Locking Databases80 About the Clip Window80 Settings in the Clip Window81 Accessing Information About a Source Clip84

Entering and Modifying Database Information85Chapter 6

About Working with Database Information85 Importing Database Information86 Entering Database Information Manually91 Using the Identify Feature to Calculate Database Information96 Deleting a Database Record98 Choosing a Different Poster Frame for a Clip98 Changing the Default Database Settings99 Changing All Reel or Roll Identifiers100 Verifying and Correcting Edge Code and Timecode Numbers101

Capturing Source Clips and Connecting Them to the Database105Chapter 7

About Source Clips and the Database105 Preparing to Capture105 Generating a Batch Capture List from Cinema Tools109 Connecting Source Clips to the Database115 Fixing Broken Clip-to-Database Links120

Preparing the Source Clips for Editing123Chapter 8

An Introduction to Preparing Source Clips for Editing123 Determining How to Prepare Source Clips for Editing123 Using the Conform Feature125 Reversing the Telecine Pull-Down127 Making Adjustments to Audio Speed139 Synchronizing Separately Captured Audio and Video139 Dividing or Deleting Sections of Source Clips Before Editing141

4 Contents

Editing with Final Cut Pro143Chapter 9

About Easy Setups and Setting the Editing Timebase143 Working with 25 fps Video Conformed to 24 fps144 Displaying Film Information in Final Cut Pro146 Opening Final Cut Pro Clips in Cinema Tools150 Restrictions for Using Multiple Tracks150 Using Effects, Filters, and Transitions151 Tracking Duplicate Uses of Source Material157 Ensuring Cut List Accuracy with 3:2 Pull-Down or 24 & 1 Video158

Generating Film Lists and Change Lists159Chapter 10

An Introduction to Film Lists and Change Lists159 Choosing the List Format160 Lists You Can Export161 Exporting Film Lists Using Final Cut Pro166 Creating Change Lists174 Working with XSL Style Sheets189

Export Considerations and Creating Audio EDLs193Chapter 11

About Common Items You Can Export for Your Project193 Considerations When Exporting to Videotape194 Considerations When Exporting Audio194 Exporting an Audio EDL195

Working with External EDLs, XML, and ALE Files201Chapter 12

Creating EDL-Based and XML-Based Film Lists201 Working with ALE Files206

Working with 24p Video and 24 fps EDLs209Chapter 13

Considerations When Originating on Film210 Editing 24p Video with Final Cut Pro211 Adding and Removing Pull-Down in 24p Clips217 Using Audio EDLs for Dual System Sound227

Film Background Basics229Appendix A

Film Basics229 Editing Film Using Traditional Methods234 Editing Film Using Digital Methods236

How Cinema Tools Creates Film Lists241Appendix B

Film List Creation Overview241 About the Clip-Based Method242 About the Timecode-Based Method243

5Contents

Solving Problems245Appendix C

Resources for Solving Problems245 Solutions to Common Problems245 Contacting AppleCare Support247

249Glossary

6 Contents

Welcome to Cinema Tools

Cinema Tools is a powerful database that tracks Final Cut Pro edits for conforming film, digital intermediate, and 24p video projects.

This preface covers the following:

• About Cinema Tools (p. 7)

• About the Cinema Tools Documentation (p. 8)

• Additional Resources (p. 8)

About Cinema Tools

In today’s post-production environment, it’s common for editors and filmmakers to find themselves faced with a confounding array of formats, frame rates, and workflows encompassing a single project. Projects are often shot, edited, and output using completely different formats at each step.

Preface

For editors and filmmakers who specifically want to shoot and finish on film or use a digital intermediate workflow, Cinema Tools becomes an essential part of the post-production process when editing with Final Cut Pro. For example, when working with film you need to be able to track the relationship between the original film frames and their video counterparts. Cinema Tools includes a sophisticated database feature that tracks this relationship regardless of the video standard you use, ensuring that the film can be conformed to match your Final Cut Pro edits.

Cinema Tools also provides the ability to convert captured video clips to 24-frame-per-second (fps) video. For NTSC, this includes a Reverse Telecine feature that removes the extra frames added during the 3:2 pull-down process commonly used when transferring film to video or when downconverting 24p video.

Cinema Tools, in combination with Final Cut Pro, provides tools designed to make editing film digitally, using digital intermediate processes involving Color, and working with 24p video easier and more cost effective, providing functionality previously found only on high-end or very specialized editing systems.

The integration between Cinema Tools and Final Cut Pro makes it possible to perform the most common Cinema Tools tasks directly from Final Cut Pro—Cinema Tools performs the tasks automatically in the background.

About the Cinema Tools Documentation

Cinema Tools comes with the Cinema Tools 4 User Manual (this document), which provides detailed information about the application. This comprehensive document describes the Cinema Tools interface, commands, and menus and gives step-by-step instructions for creating Cinema Tools databases and for accomplishing specific tasks. It is written for users of all levels of experience. This manual documents not only all aspects of using the Cinema Tools application, but also all related functions within Final Cut Pro.

Note: This manual is not intended to be a complete guide to the art of filmmaking. Much of the film-specific information presented here is very general in nature and is supplied to provide a context for the terminology used when describing Cinema Tools functions.

Additional Resources

Along with the documentation that comes with Cinema Tools, there are a variety of other resources you can use to find out more about Cinema Tools.

Cinema Tools Website

For general information and updates, as well as the latest news on Cinema Tools, go to:

• http://www.apple.com/finalcutstudio/finalcutpro/cinematools.html

Apple Service and Support Websites

For software updates and answers to the most frequently asked questions for all Apple products, go to the general Apple Support webpage. You’ll also have access to product specifications, reference documentation, and Apple and third-party product technical articles.

• http://www.apple.com/support

For software updates, documentation, discussion forums, and answers to the most frequently asked questions for Cinema Tools, go to:

• http://www.apple.com/support/cinematools

For discussion forums for all Apple products from around the world, where you can search for an answer, post your question, or answer other users’ questions, go to:

• http://discussions.apple.com

8 Preface Welcome to Cinema Tools

An Overview of Using Cinema Tools

Cinema Tools combined with Final Cut Pro gives unprecedented power to film, digital intermediate, and 24p video editors.

This chapter covers the following:

• Editing Film Digitally (p. 9)

• Why 24p Video? (p. 12)

• Working with 24p Sources (p. 13)

• Offline and Online Editing (p. 13)

• Creating the Cinema Tools Database (p. 14)

• Capturing the Source Clips with Final Cut Pro (p. 16)

• Preparing the Clips for Editing (p. 19)

• Creating Cut Lists and Other Lists with Cinema Tools (p. 20)

• How Much Can Be Done from Final Cut Pro? (p. 21)

Editing Film Digitally

Computer technology is changing the film-creation process. Most feature-length films are now edited digitally, using sophisticated and expensive nonlinear editors designed for that specific purpose. Until recently, this sort of tool has not been available to filmmakers on a limited budget.

Cinema Tools provides Final Cut Pro with the functionality of systems costing many times more at a price that all filmmakers can afford. If you are shooting with 35mm or 16mm film and want to edit digitally and finish on film, Cinema Tools allows you to edit video transfers from your film using Final Cut Pro and then generate an accurate cut list that can be used to finish the film.

Even if you do not intend to conform the original camera negative, as in a digital intermediate workflow, Cinema Tools provides a variety of tools for capturing and processing your film’s video. See About the Digital Intermediate Process for more information.

How Does Cinema Tools Help You Edit Your Film?

Cut list

Original camera negative

Convert

film to

video

Conform

original camera

negative

Create

release

Shoot film

Edit in Final Cut Pro

with Cinema Tools

For many, film still provides the optimum medium for capturing images. And, if your goal is a theatrical release or a showing at a film festival, you may need to provide the final movie on film. Using Final Cut Pro with Cinema Tools does not change the process of exposing the film in the camera or projecting the final movie in a theater—it’s the part in between that takes advantage of the advances in technology.

Editing film has traditionally involved the cutting and splicing together of a film workprint, a process that is time-consuming and tends to discourage experimenting with alternative scene versions. Transferring the film to video makes it possible to use a nonlinear editor (NLE) to edit your project. The flexible nature of an NLE makes it easy to put together each scene and gives you the ability to try different edits. The final edited video is generally not used—the edit decisions you make are the real goal. They provide the information needed to cut and splice (conform) the original camera negative into the final movie. The challenge is in matching the timecode of the video edits with the key numbers of the film negative so that a negative cutter can accurately create a film-based version of the edit.

This is where Cinema Tools comes in. Cinema Tools tracks the relationship between the original camera negative and the video transfer. Once you have finished editing with Final Cut Pro, you can use Cinema Tools to generate a cut list based on the edits you made. Armed with this list, a negative cutter can transform the original camera negative into the final film.

If your production process involves workprint screenings and modifications, you can also use Cinema Tools to create change lists that describe what needs to be done to a workprint to make it match the new version of the sequence edited in Final Cut Pro. See Basic Film

Workflow Steps for more details about this workflow.

What Cinema Tools Does

Cinema Tools tracks all of the elements that go into the making of the final film. It knows the relationship between the original camera negative, the transferred videotapes, and the captured video clips on the editing computer. It works with Final Cut Pro to store information about how the video clips are being used and generates the cut list required to transform the original camera negative into the final edited movie.

10 Chapter 1 An Overview of Using Cinema Tools

Cinema Tools also checks for problems that can arise while using Final Cut Pro, the most common one being duplicate uses of source material: using a shot (or a portion of it) more than once. Besides creating duplicate lists, you can use Cinema Tools to generate other lists, such as one dealing with opticals—the placement of transitions, motion effects (video at other than normal speed), and titles.

Cinema Tools can also work with the production audio, tracking the relationship between the audio used by Final Cut Pro and the original production audio sources. It is possible to use the edited audio from Final Cut Pro when creating an Edit Decision List (EDL) and process (or finish) the audio at a specialized audio post-production facility.

It’s important to understand that you use Final Cut Pro only to make the edit decisions—the final edited video output is not typically used, since the video it is edited from generally is compressed and includes burned-in timecode (window burn) and film information. It is the edit-based cut list that you can generate with Cinema Tools that is the goal.

About the Digital Intermediate Process

As movies become more sophisticated and the demand for digitally generated special effects grows, the digital intermediate process, also known as DI, has become increasingly important to filmmakers. This process often starts with a high-quality scan of the original film. This scan results in extremely high-quality video, often in the form of digital picture exchange (DPX) image sequences whose quality rivals or surpasses that of film. This high-quality video can then be edited, manipulated, and color corrected digitally. The big difference between this process and the telecine-based film editing process described previously is that the DI process does not actually conform the original camera negative—instead, the final digital output is either printed to film or distributed directly.

The term DI is also usedto describe the editing, digital manipulation, and color correction processes used when the source of the video is a high-resolution camera system that does not use film at all, such as the RED ONE camera.

The video clips created most often during this process are referred to as 2K video image sequences. An image sequence is actually a folder containing individual image files for each video frame. Because of the large size of these video clips, they are not generally edited directly. Instead, lower-resolution versions of the files are created, usually based on the Apple ProRes 422 codec, and then edited.

Once the edit is finished, the next step is to use Color to apply any needed color correction. This color correction is applied to the original 2K media. To accomplish this, an Edit Decision List (EDL) is exported from Final Cut Pro. This EDL is used to match the edits to the 2K media, allowing Color to conform and color correct the 2K media.

11Chapter 1 An Overview of Using Cinema Tools

Cinema Tools databases can be used in this process to match the EDL to the 2K media,

EDLOffline

video

Final Cut Pro with

Cinema Tools

Edit

sequence

Scan film

to video

Create

release

Shoot film

Color

Conform and

color correct

DPX

image

sequences

DPX

linking the reel names and timecode of each edit to entries in a database created from a folder of 2K image sequence clips. Using a Cinema Tools database provides powerful tools to diagnose and resolve any issues that occur, such as nonmatching reel names.

See Basic Digital Intermediate Workflow Steps and Digital Intermediate Workflow Using

a Telecine for details about this workflow.

Why 24p Video?

The proliferation of high definition (HD) video standards and the desire for worldwide broadcast distribution have created a demand for a video standard that can be easily converted to all other standards. Additionally, a standard that translates well to film, providing an easy, high-quality method of originating and editing on video and finishing on film, is needed.

24p video provides all this. It uses the same 24 fps rate as film, making it possible to take advantage of existing conversion schemes to create NTSC and PAL versions of your project. It uses progressive scanning to create an output well suited to being projected on large

12 Chapter 1 An Overview of Using Cinema Tools

screens and converted to film.

Additionally, 24p video makes it possible to produce high-quality 24 fps telecine transfers from film. These are very useful when you intend to broadcast the final product in multiple standards.

Working with 24p Sources

With the emergence of 24p HD video recorders, there is a growing need for Final Cut Pro to support several aspects of editing at 24 fps (in some cases, actually 23.98 fps). To this end, Final Cut Pro and Cinema Tools provide the following:

• The import and export of 24 fps and 23.98 fps EDLs

• The ability to convert NTSC 29.97 fps EDLs to 23.98 fps or 24 fps EDLs

• A Reverse Telecine feature to undo the 3:2 pull-down used when 24 fps film or video is converted to NTSC’s 29.97 fps

• The ability to remove 2:3:3:2 or 2:3:2:3 pull-down from NTSC media files so you can edit at 24 fps or 23.98 fps

• The ability to output 23.98 fps video via FireWire at the NTSC standard of 29.97 fps video

• The ability to match the edits of videotape audio with the original production audio tapes and generate an audio EDL that can then be used to recapture and finish the audio if you intend to recapture it elsewhere for final processing

Several of the features mentioned above are included with Final Cut Pro and do not require Cinema Tools; however, this manual describes all of these features because they relate to working with 24p, which is of specific interest to many filmmakers. See Frame

Rate Basics for more information about working with the different frame rates.

Offline and Online Editing

If you are working with a high-resolution 24p format, such as uncompressed HD video, you may need to make lower-resolution copies of your footage to maximize your computer’s disk space and processing power. In this case, there are four basic steps to the editing process:

• Production (generating the master video): Transfer film to or natively shoot on uncompressed 24p HD video.

• Offline edit: Convert footage to NTSC or PAL video (which is generally lower-resolution than 24p) and edit it.

• Project interchange: Export a Final Cut Pro project or an EDL containing your final edit decisions.

13Chapter 1 An Overview of Using Cinema Tools

• Online edit: Replace low-resolution footage and create a full-resolution master.

24p master

source

Capture

video

Online edit

(24 fps)

Edit

clips

24 fps EDL

NTSC or PAL video

24p video

Convert

to 24 fps

Final Cut Pro with Cinema Tools

(offline edit)

Edited 24p

master

See Editing 24p Video with Final Cut Pro for more information.

Creating the Cinema Tools Database

There are a number of issues to take into account when you create your database.

How the Database Works

The database can contain one record or thousands of records, depending on how you decide to use Cinema Tools. These records are matched to the edits made in Final Cut Pro so that the cut list can be created. To be valid in a film workflow, a record must have values for the camera, daily, or lab roll, as well as the edge code (key numbers or ink numbers). In addition, the record must either have a clip connected to it or have video reel and video timecode (In point and duration) values.

When you export the cut list after editing the video in Final Cut Pro, Cinema Tools looks at each edit and tries to find the appropriate record in its database to determine the corresponding key numbers or ink numbers (edge code). Cinema Tools first looks for a record connected to the media file used in the edit. If a record is found, Cinema Tools then locates the file, adds a note to the cut list, and moves on to the next edit.

If no record is found using an edit’s media file, or the file is not located, Cinema Tools looks at the video reel number to see if any of its records have the same number (“001” is not the same as “0001”). If so, it then looks to see if the edit’s In and Out points fall within the range of one of the records. If this condition is also met, the edit is added to the cut list, and Cinema Tools moves on to the next edit.

If a record cannot be found that uses an edit’s clip pathname or video reel number with suitable timecode entries, “<missing>” appears in the cut list and a note is added to the missing elements list. If a record is found but is incomplete (missing the key number, for example), “<missing>” is placed in those fields and a note is added to the missing elements list.

14 Chapter 1 An Overview of Using Cinema Tools

See An Introduction to Film Lists and Change Lists and How Cinema Tools Creates Film

Lists for details about this process and the missing elements list.

A Detailed or Simple Database?

Cinema Tools is designed to allow you to create a record for an entire camera roll, for each take, or somewhere in between, depending on how you like to work. Each record can contain:

• Scene, shot, and take numbers with descriptions

• The film’s camera roll number, edge code, and related video timecode and reel number

• The sound roll and timecode

• A clip poster frame showing a representative frame from the clip

• Basic settings such as film and timecode format

The records can be entered manually or imported from a telecine log. You can modify, delete, and add records to the database as required, even if it is based on the telecine log. You can also merge databases. For example, if you are working with dailies, you can create a new database for each session and merge them all together when the shoot is complete.

The telecine log from scene-and-take transfers, where only specified film takes are transferred to video, can provide the basic information for the database. You can add additional records, comments, and other information as needed.

The telecine log from camera-roll transfers typically provides information for a single record—the edge code and video timecode used at the start of the transfer. Assuming continuous film key numbers and video timecode throughout the transfer, that single record is sufficient for Cinema Tools to generate a cut list for that camera roll.

Importing Telecine Logs

You have a choice of importing the telecine log using Cinema Tools or Final Cut Pro. You can choose either method according to your workflow.

In both cases, you have the option of assigning a camera letter, which is appended to the take entries, to the import. This is useful in those cases where multiple cameras were used for each take. See Assigning Camera Letters for more information.

See Importing Database Information from a Telecine Log or ALE File for more information about importing telecine logs.

• Importing telecine logs using Cinema Tools: To import a telecine log into Cinema Tools, you must first have a database open. The database can be an existing one that you want to add new records to, or it can be a new one with no records.

Once the records have been imported, you can export a batch capture list from Cinema Tools that you can import into Final Cut Pro to automate the clip capture process.

15Chapter 1 An Overview of Using Cinema Tools

• Importing telecine logs using Final Cut Pro: When you import a telecine log using Final Cut Pro, you choose whether to import it into an existing Cinema Tools database or whether a new database should be created.

As records are added to the selected Cinema Tools database, each record also creates an offline clip in the Final Cut Pro Browser so that clips can be batch captured. The film-related information from the telecine log is automatically added to each clip. You can show this information in a variety of ways while editing the clips in Final Cut Pro. See Displaying Film Information in Final Cut Pro for more information.

Manually Entering Database Records

The most common reason to manually enter a record into the database is that there is no log available from the film-to-video transfer process. Some film-to-video transfer methods, such as film chains, do not provide logs.

Each record in a database should represent a media file that has continuous timecode and key numbers. With scene-and-take transfers, each take requires its own record because film key numbers are skipped when jumping from take to take during the transfer.

With camera-roll transfers, because the film roll and video recorder run continuously from start to finish, you require only one record for the entire clip, even if you later break it into smaller clips (that retain the original timecode) and delete the unused portions. This is because Cinema Tools can use an edit’s video reel number and edit points to calculate the appropriate key numbers, as long as the video reel and edit point information is part of a record.

To manually enter database records, you need to know the key number and video timecode number for a frame of the clip. This is easiest when the transfer has these values burned in to the video.

See Creating a Cinema Tools Database for details about creating and managing Cinema Tools databases.

Capturing the Source Clips with Final Cut Pro

How you capture the source clips with Final Cut Pro depends in large part on the actual media used for the telecine transfer.

• If you have a telecine log file and the clips are provided using a tape-based system: In this case, you start by importing the telecine log file into either Cinema Tools or Final Cut Pro. If you import the telecine log file into Cinema Tools, you then export a batch capture list for Final Cut Pro. If you import the telecine log file into Final Cut Pro, you can use the batch capture process to capture the clips.

16 Chapter 1 An Overview of Using Cinema Tools

Note: Capturing video clips from a tape-based device may require third-party hardware. When using serial device control, make sure to calibrate its capture offset. See the Final Cut Pro documentation for more information. Also see Setting Up Your Hardware

to Capture Accurate Timecode for more information about capturing your clips.

• If youdo not have atelecine log file and theclips are provided usinga tape-based system: In this case, you use the Final Cut Pro Log and Capture window to manually capture each clip. Once the clips are captured, you can create a Cinema Tools database based on them using the Synchronize with Cinema Tools command. In some cases, third-party hardware is required.

• If the clips are provided using a file-based system, such as on a hard disk or DVD-ROM disc: In this case, most often you also have a telecine log file. You can import the telecine log file into Final Cut Pro, copy the files to your computer, and connect them to your Final Cut Pro project.

• If your clips are coming directly from a digital acquisition source, such as camcorders using solid-state cards: In this case, you use the Log and Transfer window in Final Cut Pro to ingest the clips. You then use the Synchronize with Cinema Tools command to create a Cinema Tools database based on the clips.

Recompressing the Captured Files

Regardless of how you captured your video, you may decide to recompress the files to make them smaller and easier to work with. For example, taking advantage of the correct codec may allow you to edit on an older portable computer.

About Compression

Compression, in terms of digital video, is a means of squeezing the content into smaller files that require less hard disk space and potentially less processor power to display. The tradeoff is lower-quality images.

It’s important to remember that the edited video that results from Final Cut Pro when used with Cinema Tools is not typically going to be used in an environment where high quality would be expected. The most common use of the edited video is to give the negative cutter a visual guide to go along with the cut list. This means that the quality of the video only needs to be good enough to make your edit decisions and read the window burn values. However, because your edit decisions are sometimes based on subtle visual cues, it’s best not to get too carried away with excess compression.

Important: Do not use long-GOP codecs, such as most MPEG-2, XDCAM, H.264, or HDV

codecs. In addition to being difficult to edit, these files cannot take advantage of the Reverse Telecine feature.

17Chapter 1 An Overview of Using Cinema Tools

Capturing Tactics

There are several approaches to capturing your video and audio. Determining which is right for you depends on a number of factors, including whether you have device control of the source tape deck and the transfer type used (camera-roll or scene-and-take).

Device Control

A primary consideration when determining how to capture video and audio is whether Final Cut Pro supports device control for the deck you use. Device control allows you to capture precisely the video and audio you want in a way that can be exactly repeated, if necessary. You can even set up a “batch capture” that automates the process, freeing you to do other tasks.

Capturing without device control presents several challenges. Clips that are captured manually do not have precise start and end times. If you intend to match start and end times from a telecine log, you must trim the clips after capturing them. Additionally, without device control, a clip’s timecode does not match the timecode on the tape. Final Cut Pro has a provision for changing a clip’s timecode, but in order for that timecode to match the source tape, you must have a visual reference (a hole-punched or marked frame) with a known timecode value.

For more information about device control, see the Final Cut Pro documentation.

Camera-Roll Transfers

Camera-roll transfers require you either to capture the entire tape or to manually capture a clip for each take. As long as the tape uses continuous video timecode and film key numbers, Cinema Tools requires only a single database record showing the relationship between the two.

If Final Cut Pro has device control of your source deck, the best method for capturing the desired takes is to use the Final Cut Pro Log and Capture window and enter the In and Out points and reel number for each. You can then use batch capture to finish the process. It’s not necessary to create a database record for each clip, as long as you do not change the timecode.

Without device control, you must manually capture either the individual takes you want or the entire tape. You may need to trim a take that you capture manually, and you will also have to manually set its timecode to match the source tape. An advantage to capturing the entire tape is that you only have to set the clip’s timecode once (assuming that the source tape had continuous timecode). The drawback is the amount of disk space required, although once the tape is captured, you can use Final Cut Pro to create subclips of the useful takes and then delete the unused material.

See Capturing Source Clips and Connecting Them to the Database for details about capturing clips.

18 Chapter 1 An Overview of Using Cinema Tools

Scene-and-Take Transfers

Scene-and-take transfers generally result in records in the Cinema Tools database that are suitable for performing a batch capture. You can export a capture list from Cinema Tools and import it into the Final Cut Pro Browser. Final Cut Pro can then perform a batch capture (assuming it can control the source device), creating clips as directed by the Cinema Tools list. These clips can then be easily linked to records in the Cinema Tools database.

Finishing with High-Quality Video

If you intend to provide a high-quality video output when you have finished the project, there are several issues you might need to consider.

When capturing video for the initial offline edit, you can capture with relatively high compression and include burned-in timecode and key numbers. The compression makes it easier for your computer to work with the video and requires less hard disk space, allowing you to capture more video to use for making your edit decisions.

After you have finished the offline edit, you can use Final Cut Pro to recapture just the video actually used in the edits, using a high-quality codec and a version of the video without burned-in timecode and key numbers.

See Working with 24p Video and 24 fps EDLs for more information about this process. Also see your Final Cut Pro documentation for more information about offline and online editing workflows.

Preparing the Clips for Editing

Cinema Tools includes two features you can use to help prepare the captured clips for editing.

Reverse Telecine

The Reverse Telecine feature (for NTSC transfers only) provides a means of removing the extra fields added during the 3:2 pull-down process of the telecine transfer. You need to do this when you intend to edit the video at 23.98 fps. See Frame Rate Basics for information about what a 3:2 pull-down is and why you might want to reverse it. See

Reversing the Telecine Pull-Down for details about using the Reverse Telecine feature.

Note: The Reverse Telecine feature cannot be used with temporally compressed video such as MPEG-2-format video.

Conform

The Conform feature is useful both to correct errors in video clips and to change the frame rate (timebase) of a clip. Cinema Tools lets you select the frame rate you want to conform a clip to.

19Chapter 1 An Overview of Using Cinema Tools

In order to understand the Conform feature, you need to know a bit about the nature of QuickTime video files. Each video frame within a QuickTime file has a duration setting that defines the length of time that a particular frame is displayed (normal NTSC- or PAL-based QuickTime video has the same duration assigned to all frames). For example, the NTSC video ratehas a value of 1/30 of a second (actually 1/29.97 of a second) assigned to each frame. The PAL video rate is 1/25 of a second.

Occasionally, captured video clips have some frames whose durations are set to slightly different values. Although the differences are not visible when playing the clip, they can cause problems when Cinema Tools creates the cut list or when you use the Reverse Telecine feature. In these cases, you can conform the clip to its current frame rate.

There are also times when you may want to change the frame rate of a clip. If you transferred 24 fps film to video by speeding it up (either to 29.97 fps for NTSC or to 25 fps for PAL—in each case ensuring a one-to-one relationship between the film and video frames), the action during playback will be faster than in the original film, and the audio will need to have its playback speed adjusted to compensate. You can use the Conform feature to change the clip’s frame rate to 24 fps, making it play back at the original film rate and stay in sync with the audio. See Using the Conform Feature for details.

Note: Make sure to use the Conform feature on a clip before editing it in Final Cut Pro. Also make sure the editing timebase in the Final Cut Pro Sequence Preset Editor is set at the same rate you are conforming to.

See Determining How to Prepare Source Clips for Editing for more information.

Creating Cut Lists and Other Lists with Cinema Tools

There are a number of other useful lists that can be generated at the same time as a cut list. One film list file can contain any of the following:

• Missing elements list: A list of any required information that could not be found in the database

• Duplicate list: A list of duplicate usages of the same source material

• Optical list: A list for the effects printer, describing any transitions and motion effects

• Pull list: A list to aid the lab in pulling the required negative rolls

• Scene list: A list of all the scenes used in your program and the shots used in the opticals

You can also export a change list, useful if your production process involves workprint screenings and modifications. The change list assumes a workprint has been cut to the specifications of a cut list (or prior change list) and it specifies further changes to make to the workprint, based on edits you have made to the sequence in Final Cut Pro. See

When Are Change Lists Used in a Film Workflow? for a flow chart of the workprint and

change list process.

20 Chapter 1 An Overview of Using Cinema Tools

See An Introduction to Film Lists and Change Lists for more details about all the film-related lists that are available.

How Much Can Be Done from Final Cut Pro?

Because of the high level of integration between Cinema Tools and Final Cut Pro, you have several options for each stage in your project’s workflow. For example, should you import the telecine log into Cinema Tools and export a batch capture list for Final Cut Pro, or should you import the telecine log directly into Final Cut Pro? Your situation and preferred working methods will often make this decision for you. Among the Cinema Tools–related functions you can perform directly from Final Cut Pro are:

• Importing telecine log files

• Conforming 25 fps video to 24 fps

• Reversing the telecine pull-down (using the last settings in Cinema Tools)

• Opening a clip in the Cinema Tools Clip window

• Synchronizing a Cinema Tools database to a group of selected clips

• Exporting film lists and change lists

21Chapter 1 An Overview of Using Cinema Tools

Following is a diagram showing an ideal workflow that focuses on using Final Cut Pro

Steps Performed from

Final Cut Pro

How Cinema Tools

Is Involved

Process clips (if needed)

• Reverse telecine

• Conform (25 @ 24)

Synchronize captured clips

with Cinema Tools database

Edit clips

Import a log into the Final Cut Pro project,

creating the offline clips

for capture

Batch capture clips

Export lists

Cinema Tools

creates the lists

Cinema Tools

does the processing

A new Cinema Tools

database is created

The clips are connected to

the Cinema Tools database

Create a new

Final Cut Pro project

methods.

In this workflow, you can focus on using Final Cut Pro, and Cinema Tools performs tasks in the background as needed. You must use Cinema Tools manually if you want to add information to the database beyond what the telecine log provided, or if you have a unique issue with reverse telecine and need to configure its settings.

22 Chapter 1 An Overview of Using Cinema Tools

Before You Begin Your Film Project

Start planning your project early to ensure its success.

This chapter covers the following:

• An Introduction to Film Projects (p. 23)

• Before You Shoot Your Film (p. 24)

• Which Film to Use? (p. 24)

• Transferring Film to Video (p. 25)

• Frame Rate Basics (p. 28)

• Audio Considerations (p. 34)

• Working in Final Cut Pro (p. 38)

An Introduction to Film Projects

Successful film production requires thorough planning well before exposing the first frame. Besides the normal preparations, additional issues must be considered when you intend to edit the film digitally. These issues may affect the film you use, how you record your sound, and other aspects of your production.

This chapter provides basic information about many of the issues you will face:

• Which film to use

• Choices for transferring the film to video

• Frame rate issues between the film, your video standard, and your editing timebase

• Audio issues such as which recorder and timecode to use and how to synchronize the audio with the video

• Issues with Final Cut Pro such as selecting a sequence timebase and using effects

Note: Much of this information is very general in nature and is not intended to serve as a complete guide to filmmaking. The digital filmmaking industry changes rapidly, so what you read here is not necessarily the final word.

Before You Shoot Your Film

Before you begin your project, make sure to discuss it with all parties involved in the process:

• Those providing equipment or supplies used during the production

• Those involved in the actual production

• The facility that will develop your film, create workprints, and create the release print

• The video transfer facility

• The editor using Cinema Tools and Final Cut Pro (if it is not you)

• The negative cutter

• The audio post-production facility

These are people who are experts in their fields. They can provide invaluable information that can make the difference between a smooth, successful project and one that seems constantly to run into obstacles.

Be Careful How You Save Money

There are a number of times throughout the film production process when you will get to choose between “doing it right” and “doing it well enough.” Often your budget or a lack of time drives the decision. Make sure you thoroughly understand your workflow choices before making decisions that could end up costing you more, both in time and money, in the long run. Problems based on choices made early in the process—for example, deciding not to have a telecine log made—could take you by surprise later.

Having professional facilities handle the tasks they specialize in, especially when you are new to the process, is highly recommended. You may actually save money by spending a little for tasks that you could do yourself, such as using an audio post-production facility.

Also, do not underestimate the importance of using the cut list to conform a workprint before conforming the negative. Although creating and editing a workprint adds costs to the project, incorrectly conforming the original camera negative will cause irreparable harm to your film.

Which Film to Use?

One of the first steps in any film production is choosing the film format to use. Cinema Tools requirements must be taken into account when making this choice.

Cinema Tools supports 4-perf 35mm, 3-perf 35mm, and 16mm-20 film formats. See Film

Basics for details about these formats.

24 Chapter 2 Before You Begin Your Film Project

Your budget will likely determine which format you use. Although it’s generally best to use the same film format throughout your production, Cinema Tools does not require it. Each database record has its own film format setting.

Transferring Film to Video

In order to digitally edit your film, you need to transfer it to video so that it can be captured by the computer. There are a few ways to do this, but an overriding requirement is that there be a reliable way to match the film’s key numbers to the edited video’s timecode. This relationship allows Cinema Tools to accurately calculate specific key numbers based on each edit’s In and Out point timecode values.

You also need to make decisions regarding film and video frame rates used during the transfer. These affect the editing timebase and impact the accuracy of the cut list that Cinema Tools generates.

Telecines

By far the most common method of transferring film to video is to use a telecine. Telecines are devices that scan each film frame onto a charge-coupled device (CCD) to convert the film frames to video frames. Although a telecine provides an excellent picture, for the purposes of Cinema Tools the more important benefit is that it results in a locked relationship between the film and video, with no drifting between them.

Telecines are typically gentler on the film and offer sophisticated color correction and operational control as compared to film chains, described in Transfer Techniques That

Are Not Recommended. Another advantage is that telecines can create video from the

original camera negative—most other methods require you to create a film positive (workprint) first. (Although from a budget viewpoint it may be a benefit not to create a workprint, workprints are generally created anyway since they provide the best way to see the footage on a large screen and spot any issues that might impact which takes you use. Even more importantly, they allow you to test the cut list before working on the negative.)

In addition to providing a high-quality transfer, most modern telecines read the key numbers from the film and can access the video recorder’s timecode generator, burning in these numbers on the video output. An additional benefit of the telecine transfer method is its ability to provide synchronized audio along with the video output. It can control the audio source and burn in the audio timecode along with the video timecode and the key numbers.

25Chapter 2 Before You Begin Your Film Project

But What If You Want a Clean Master?

If you plan to conform the original camera negative, the presence of burned-in timecode and key numbers on the video clips you edit in Final Cut Pro may not be a problem, especially if you are working with a highly compressed video format.

The burned-in numbers can be a problem, however, if you intend to use the edited video for screenings or for broadcast. As valuable as they are to the editor, the burned-in numbers can be distracting when watching an edited project. There are two common methods you can use to minimize this problem:

• Letterbox the video during capture using a 2:35 aspect ratio so that there is enough room below the video to show the numbers.

• Flash the burn-in information on the first frame only. Although not quite as useful as a continuous burn-in, this does provide the editor with the ability to ensure that the relationship of the edge code to the timecode is correct.

In most cases, telecines produce a log file that can provide the basis for the Cinema Tools database. This allows you to automate capturing the video into the computer.

Increasingly, telecine facilities can also capture the video clips for you, providing the clips on a DVD disc or FireWire drive, along with the telecine log and videotapes.

Transfer Techniques That Are Not Recommended

There are a couple of transfer techniques that are worth mentioning just to point out why you should not use them.

Film Chains

You should avoid using a film chain if at all possible. Film chains are relatively old technology, as compared to telecines. A film chain is basically a film projector linked to a video camera. Film chains typically do not support features such as reading the key numbers or controlling video recorders, and they cannot create a positive video from a film negative. You must create a workprint to use a film chain.

Using a film chain is usually less expensive than using a telecine, although the cost of creating a workprint partly offsets the lower cost. The biggest challenge is being able to define the relationship between the film’s key numbers and the video timecode. This is usually accomplished with hole punches (or some other distinct frame marker) at known film frames.

Important: Older film chains may not synchronize the film projector tothe video recorder,

potentially causing the film-to-video relationship to drift.

26 Chapter 2 Before You Begin Your Film Project

Recording a Projected Image with a Camcorder

Because of the greatly increased chances for error and the additional time you have to spend tracking key numbers, this method of transfer is strongly discouraged and should not be considered.

Projecting your film and recording the results using a video camcorder is a method that, although relatively inexpensive, almost guarantees errors in the final negative cutting. Telecines and film chains are usually able to synchronize the film and video devices, ensuring a consistent transfer at whatever frame rates you choose. The projector’s and video camcorder’s frame rates may be close to ideal but will drift apart throughout the transfer, making it impossible to ensure a reliable relationship between the film’s key numbers and the video timecode. You will have to spend extra time going over the cut list to ensure the proper film frames are being used. Additionally, there may be substantial flicker in the video output, making it difficult to see some frames and determine which to edit on.

Because the video is not actually used for anything except determining edit points, its quality doesn’t matter too much. As with film chains, you have to create a workprint to project. Being able to proof your cut list before the original camera negative is worked on is very important with this type of transfer.

How Much Should You Transfer?

Deciding how much of your film to transfer to video depends on a number of issues, the biggest one probably being cost. The amount of time the telecine operator spends on the transfer determines the cost. Whether it is more efficient to transfer entire rolls of film (a “camera-roll” transfer), including bad takes and scenes that won’t be used, or to spend time locating specific takes and transferring only the useful ones (a “scene-and-take” transfer) needs to be determined before starting.

Camera-Roll Transfers

Cinema Tools uses a database to track the relationship between the film key numbers and the video and audio timecode numbers. The database is designed to have a record for each camera take, but this is not required. If you transfer an entire roll of film continuously to videotape, Cinema Tools needs only one record to establish the relationship between the key numbers and the video timecode. All edits using any portion of that single large clip can be accurately matched to the original camera negative’s key numbers. A drawback to this transfer method is the large file sizes, especially if significant chunks of footage will not be used.

27Chapter 2 Before You Begin Your Film Project

Additionally, because of the way it is recorded, audio is difficult to synchronize at the telecine during a camera-roll transfer. During a production, the sound recorder typically starts recording before film starts rolling and ends after filming has stopped. You also will often shoot some film without sound (known as MOS shots). This means you cannot establish audio sync at the start of the film roll and expect it to be maintained throughout the roll. Instead, each clip needs to be synced individually. The Cinema Tools database includes provisions for tracking the original production sound rolls and audio timecode.

Once captured, a single large clip can be broken into smaller ones, allowing you to delete the excess video. Even with multiple clips, it is possible for Cinema Tools to generate a complete cut list with only one database record. Another approach is to manually add additional records for each clip, allowing you to take advantage of the extensive database capabilities of Cinema Tools. See Creating the Cinema Tools Database for a detailed discussion of these choices.

Scene-and-Take Transfers

Scene-and-take transfers are a bit more expensive than camera-roll transfers, but they offer significant advantages:

• Scene-and-take transfers make it easier to synchronize audio during the transfer.

• Because the telecine log contains one record per take, it establishes a solid database when imported into Cinema Tools.

• With an established database, Cinema Tools can export a batch capture list. With this list (and appropriate device control), Final Cut Pro can capture and digitize the appropriate takes with minimum effort on your part.

Maintaining an accurate film log and using a timecode slate can help speed the transfer process and reduce costs.

Frame Rate Basics

When transferring film to video, you need to take into account the differences in film and video frame rates. Film is commonly shot at 24 frames per second (fps), although 25 fps is sometimes used when the final project is to be delivered as PAL video (as opposed to the more common technique of just speeding up 24 fps film to 25 fps). Video can have a 29.97 fps rate (NTSC), a 25 fps rate (PAL), or either a 24 fps or 23.98 fps rate (24p), depending on your video standard.

The frame rate of your video (whether you sync the audio during the telecine transfer or not) and the frame rate you want to edit at can determine what you needto do to prepare your clips for editing. You may find it useful to read Determining How to Prepare Source

Clips for Editing before you make any decisions about frame rates.

28 Chapter 2 Before You Begin Your Film Project

Working with NTSC Video

Before (23.98 fps)

A BA B B CC D D D

A B C D A D A B C D A B C D A B C D A B C D

B C

A A B B B C C D D D A A B B B C C D D D A A B B C C D D D A A B BB CC D D D A BA B B CC D DB D

A B C D

A A B B B C C D D D

Field1Field2Field1Field

Field1Field

3:2 Pull-Down

After (29.97 fps)

One second

The original frame rate of NTSC video was exactly 30 fps. When color was added, the rate had to be changed slightly, to the rate of 29.97 fps. The field rate of NTSC video is 59.94 fields per second. NTSC video is often referred to as having a frame rate of 30 fps, and although the difference is not large, it cannot be ignored when transferring film to video (because of its impact on audio synchronization, explained in Synchronizing the Audio

with the Video).

Another issue is how to distribute film’s 24 fps among NTSC video’s 29.97 fps.

The most common approach to distributing film’s 24 fps among NTSC video’s 29.97 fps is to perform a 3:2 pull-down (also known as a 2:3:2:3pull-down). If you alternate recording two fields of one film frame and then three fields of the next, the 24 frames in 1 second of film end up filling the 30 frames in 1 second of video.

Note: The actual NTSC video frame rate is 29.97 fps. The film frame rate is modified to

23.98 fps in order to create the 3:2 pattern.

As shown above, the 3:2 pattern (actually a 2:3:2:3 pattern because frame A is recorded to two fields followed by frame B recorded to three fields) repeats after four film frames. Virtually all high-end commercials, movies, and non-livetelevision shows use this process prior to being broadcast.

29Chapter 2 Before You Begin Your Film Project

Note that there is not a one-to-one correspondence between film frames and video frames after this pull-down occurs. The duration of a video frame is four-fifths the duration of a film frame. Because of this discrepancy, if you tried to match a specific number of whole video frames to some number of whole film frames, the durations would seldom match perfectly. In order to maintain overall synchronization, there is usually some fraction of a film frame that must be either added to or subtracted from the duration of the next edit. This means that in the cut list, Cinema Tools occasionally has to add or subtract a film frame from the end of a cut in order to maintain synchronization. For this reason, if you edit 3:2 pull-down video, the Cinema Tools cut list is only accurate to within +/– 1 frame on each edit.

This accuracy issue is easily resolved by using the Reverse Telecine feature (or third-party hardware or software) to remove the extra fields and restore the film’s original 24 fps rate before you begin editing digitally, providing a one-to-one relationship between the video and film frames. Setting the Final Cut Pro editing timebase in the Sequence Preset Editor to 24 fps (or 23.98 fps—see Synchronizing the Audio with the Video) allows you to edit the video and generate a very accurate cut list. See Determining How to Prepare Source

Clips for Editing for more information about issues related to these options.

What’s an A Frame?

You will see and hear references to “A” frames whenever you are involved with 3:2 pull-down video. As the previous illustration shows, the A frame is the only one that has all its fields contained within one video frame. The others (B, C, and D frames) all appear in two video frames. Because the A frame is the start of the video five-frame pattern, it is highly desirable to have one as the first frame in all video clips. It’s common practice to have A frames at non-drop frame timecode numbers ending in “5” and “0.”

See About A Frames for more information.

Working with PAL Video

The PAL video frame rate is exactly 25 fps. There are two methods used when transferring film to PAL: running the film at 25 fps (referred to as the 24 @ 25 method), and adding two extra fields per second (similar to NTSC’s 3:2 pull-down, referred to as the 24 & 1 method, or the 24 @ 25 pull-down method).

30 Chapter 2 Before You Begin Your Film Project

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