NLE Mac / Final Cut questions from 2004

[Kurth Bousman]

You should check the customs requirements - some countries don't allow you to bring anything other than laptops- and new or used is also an issue- they're protecting their markets. You would probably hate to lose it at entry !

[Paul Riley]

Hi all,

I need advice on what sort of external hd would suit a PB12 inch

If I want to capture to an external hd...

the only option I can see is to get a USB2 external drive and use the PB's firwire port for the camera...is there any other options?

also - could anyone who's done this/similar setup comment on the performance of this config - including any dropped frames issues etc?



thanks

[Michiel van der Zeeuw]

I am preparing a project that will be shot on an Ikegami HL-DV7AW in 16:9. The project will partly be sponsored by a number of NGO's who will want a b-roll afterwards. And since they can't use 16:9, the b-roll has to be 4:3.
Can I scale up 16:9 footage to 4:3 without quality loss?
I know this can be done with 16:9 digibeta material without a problem, does the same apply to 16:9 on DV-Cam? (the Ikegami has native 16:9).
BTW I know we'll have to think about framing etc, we'll be following the BBC guidelines ie shoot 16:9 with 14:9 aspect ratio framing, this makes the conversion to 4:3 less of a hassle (in an aesthetic sense ;-)
thx in advance
Michiel

[Dave Perry]

I personally would downscale the 16:9 to fit the 4:3 ratio. I much prefer the black bars at top and bottom to the loss of image composition.

[Jeff Donald]

There are several options, but no guarantees that one is better than the other. You can use a FireWire hub and plug both camera and drive into the hub. Capture to the internal drive via FW and then copy the material to your external FW drive. People seem to have the most success (fewer dropped frames etc.) with the later, but it takes longer. The USB2 drive is another option that is problematic. Several of my students try USB2 drives each term. Some have good luck while others have issues with dropped frames and audio sync. Some students have plugged the camera into the drive and tried capturing with some limited success. Lastly there are PCMCIA FW cards that give you another port.

[Michiel van der Zeeuw]

I understand what you mean (and agree), but unfortunately orgs like World Wildlife Fund, with 25 offices worldwide, don't have much use for 16:9 archive. And the broadcaster will want to air the shows in 16:9. Caught between a rock an a hard place here, as they both will be co-financing this project.
I think the trick is to ask for a few extra shooting days on each location in order to secure properly shot 4:3 b-roll footage...;-)

[Rob Lohman]

The other method (besides letterboxing) to convert 16:9 footage
to 4:3 is to do pan and scan where you crop the footage to a 4:3
frame and scan accross the image where needed.

I'm not sure how you would do this in 4:3, but I can't imagine it
would be that hard. It should be easy to do in Vegas on the PC
(what I'm using) and can't imagine FCP not being able to.

I live in Holland as well so in case of trouble (don't own a Mac so
can't help you there, sorry) shoot me an e-mail.

Good luck.

[Mark Sloan]

Unfortunately, the 12inch powerbook does not have a PCMCIA slot (that and only having 1 FW port has prevented me from getting it). Depending on your drive, you might be able to just daisy chain from your camera, to the HD, to the laptop, but I would expect dropped frame problems because the data has to get to the computer and then rerouted back to your HD.

In your case, other than saving directly to your internal HD, a USB 2 hard drive is probably the way to go. The only other option I can think of is a Ethernet HD which I've never tried and is much more expensive. If possible 1) get a drive with both USB 2 AND FW ports and 2) test it out to see how it does before buying.

[Mark Sloan]

Don't forget to factor in the cost of a monitor if you go the tower route (which is probably the way to go).

[Steven Andrus]

Hello,

I've done most my editing with Avid and Vegas, but may get a job using FCP, I know it is similar to Avid, but it has its differences, especially with stuff like effects and titler, is there a good online tutorial site (preferably with video or flash) that can help bring me up to speed? I am by no means a novice editor, so the more advanced the better. Thanks! (whos knows, i may even get a mac for myself)

[Ken Tanaka]

Here's a good place to start your search, Steven.

[Steven Andrus]

nice, but i should have also added the F word (free) ;-)

[Nicholi Brossia]

Ken Stone has some very helpful tutorials on his site.

does anybody know why motion isnt available as a free download like adobe offers AE and such?

JR

[Jeff Donald]

Do you need help with your PowerBook or not?

Apple does not provide free demos, company policy.