AHCHD question

[Kathy Smith]

How does one deal with the fact that multiple clips end up in this one private folder and they can't be separated? Or I guess the question is whether they can be separated somehow. Can they? I mean otherwise how does one keep track of what clips one has? I like to file my clips in folders or even use a database in the future but I can't seem to be able to separate these clips.

Thanks

[Nate Haustein]

Which operating system and NLE are you using?

[Kathy Smith]

MAC. Final Cut X but I want it to be independent of NLE though, let's say I just want to file the clips in folders on external drive. Quicktime is able to see the multiple clips but still don't know how to separate them.

[Nate Haustein]

I use ClipWrap to re-wrap the MTS files to .mov files. Works great.

[Kathy Smith]

ClipWrap doesn't re-compress the file, right?

[Nate Haustein]

ClipWrap has the option to transcode, but re-compression is NOT necessary, making it a very fast way to re-wrap MTS files into .mov! You can also use FCPX to do this, by simply importing the AVCHD into an event and then copying and renaming the resulting files stored in the "Original Media" folder. A file renaming utility can be helpful when changing the file names from 00001.mov, 00002.mov, etc...

[Kathy Smith]

I was hoping to keep originals so I can use them again.

[Daniel Epstein]

Kathy,
Most file based recordings have footage in named folders which all look the same. In your case PRIVATE. Best way to keep them is to create a folder system to put them in which preserves the original structure but makes it clear what the folder is. In P2 I use terms like Card 01 project name date, card 02 etc. Copying into this folder are the files which mount on the computer. In P2 they show up as CONTENTS and lastclip.txt In Sony XDCAM EX there is the BPAV folder. This is how I preserve original materials while keeping the card structure.
In some cases I even preserve the card structure as it appears on the computer desktop (I use Macs) as some software might look for that structure. So inside Card 01 folder will be the the Card structure as it mounted.
Let the Edit system open up the card media properly and rename clips and organize from there. Many systems don't require you to import things you don't want but it is best to leave the card structure alone.

[Kathy Smith]

Problem with that is that sometimes I have mixed footage from different events on the same card (same private folder) so that makes organizing hard.

If I convert the files using ClipWrap are the files still really good quality?

[Nate Haustein]

I put a comma in the wrong place. ClipWrap does NOT need to convert. The files are identical to the ones stored in the private folder. In my opinion it's a great way to archive.

[Kathy Smith]

Thank you Nate

[Daniel Epstein]

Kathy,
Just think you should not organize footage below the level of the Private folder. If you shoot multiple events you should try using separate cards for each event so you can keep you labeling consistent. Have fun

[Nate Haustein]

Daniel, I see where you are coming from regarding the archiving of P2 cards. I can see that there is more meta data that goes with the P2, and in my experience P2 is a far more fragile file structure when you don't have all the pieces. I've been archiving AVCHD the same way for a few years now (each card contained within a separate labeled folder). However, what issues would you foresee archiving the re-wrapped files as opposed to the Private package files. Timecode and creation date are retained when using ClipWrap with AVCHD, and the MTS files themselves are essentially self contained. There is always the chance of a bad re-wrap from the original MTS, but as long as you keep the PRIVATE folder until you verify the clips, chances of issues seem slim. Best practices aside, perhaps I'm missing something?

[Daniel Epstein]

Nate,
There are no real issues in your method except you are taking an extra step away from the original recording which may mean you skip a shot or discover later on that the rewrapped version acts differently in some edit program than the original. Certainly you then have to treat your rewrapped clips as the original for storage and back up. Checking the accuracy of the backup and all the clips if they have been copied into another form seems like extra work unless it is needed to get into the edit system.
I always want to have duplicates of my original as soon after the shoot as possible as the editing might take place much later and even on a different system than I was planning on at the time of the shoot. Also in case someone screws something up with the labeling I might want to go back to the original card folder.
If you have complete faith in you rewrapped copies and they work for you and are backed up you are fine. I have acted as if the original card recordings are similar to individual tapes or cans of film for a project and figure the organization can start there. If I have an edit system which ingests the footage and organizes it for me then I feel it is a very efficient way to get working.