For a documentary project we have native 16:9 footage shot on the XL2. Also we would like to use material shot on a pd150 in letterbox mode. Importing the xl2 material in a fcp anamorphic project isn't a problem of course, but how do we have to handle the material which is letterboxed in this project?
Is there for instance a plug-in which stretches the letterboxed material? So not importing it anamorphic but as normal footage, but later applying a stretch'filter to this 'wrong' source material in an anamorphic timeline ?
In the end everything will be dumped on a digibeta tape (as a native 16:9 project) for exposure on television. Anyone with tips or tricks?

Best,

Martin Maat
The Netherlands

Martin,
I would first try playing with the distort settings in the motion tab. If you don't get satisfactory results then you could search for an anamorphic squeeze plug-in to play with. I think Nattress and Too Much Too Soon both have them, but I haven't used either and don't know whether they would help you.

But do you need to do this at all? I shot dozens of projects with the PD-150 and 170 when I was in school, and I used the 16:9 mode quite often. FCP usually recognized the 16:9 material from the PD as anamorphic and let me use it in anamorphic sequences without rendering or distorting. If FCP is not recognizing it as anamorphic footage then try changing the logging info for one of the clips by checking the "anamorphic" setting and see if that does the trick. I know the PDs don't shoot native 16:9 like the XL2, but FCP should still be able to use it as anamorphic footage (just has less resolution). I have a couple of 16:9 (not letterboxed) DVDs that I've authored from anamorphic material shot with a PD-170.

See this thread, I think it will tell you how to do what you want:

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=44700

Thanx both. I'm gonna try things out!

Best,

Martin