NLE Mac / Final Cut questions from 2002

[Erik Selakoff]

If video is shot in NDF mode should it be captured into FCP 3 using the NDF or DF setting? And should video be shot in DF or NDF mode in general (on an NTSC PD150)?

Thanks,
Erik

[Jeff Donald]

What is the intended use of the finsihed product, broadcast, web, VHS distribution or DVD? DF is required for broadcast and DVD. If for web etc. NDF is fine. The easiest way is to do everything in DF and you'll have no worries. Just capture in DF if your work is for broadcast. The timecode numbering won't match but that shouldn't be a big deal unless your working from an EDl.

Jeff

[Blake Barratt]

Hi there.
just read the post about IMovie and it brought up an issue i have.
I need to transfer a DV Promo to CD.
It needs to be as big and as best quality i can sqeeze onto the 600 or so meg.
It also needs to be compatible with most Operating systems as i never know on what machines with what os it will be viewed on.
Can I author the cd in quicktime pro which i have and what is the best codec for highest compatibility i notice there are a few in the file menu under export.
What codec will play on any media player for example.
I also would like to embed a player that runs automatically on any machine if thats possible to do.
I have the technology but am totally unsure how to do this and the only quote for it was 400 euors which i am reluctant to pay if it is as easy as exporting the captured dv from imovie with quicktime.
if any one can shed some light it will save my budget and improve my marketing no end.

The website which contains said movie "The Three Sisters" is at
http://standstill.va.com.au
cheers bb

[Brian M. Dickman]

Quicktime and Real are the only major players to have cross-compatible offerings, and these days I'd definitely prefer Quicktime.

You can download the standalone Quicktime installer (so the client won't need a Net download) for Mac and Windows at:

http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/standalone/

[Jeff Donald]

You've got a tough nut to crack. Quicktime offers the highest picture quality but only has something like a 13% market share (in these players etc). People don't like to download and/or do installs. It's a PC world (hard for me to say as a diehard Mac user) but for maximum compatability you should consider another a program such as Real (it's only in Beta for OS X at this time) or Widows Media Player. Neither offer the quality of Quicktime but your media will probably be seen by a wider audience.

Jeff

[Blake Barratt]

Thanks for the input.
Jeff
I will be sending these out on cd.
I was curious about codecs as i am under the impression that some codecs will play on all players ie mpeg4
I could be very wrong.

You are right problem is not all people use macs, wouldn't that be nice. But for the pc users who will mostly be the clients I need a way to make it happen easily and simply.
If they are getting the video then they have requested it so possibly will take a little more trouble to watch it . I think the imbedded quicktime is the way to go so solves the download problem. Thanks Brian!
However i still would love to find out how to make it start up without having the user to do any more than click once on the file to open it?
I would still be interested in the right codec to use it has so many to choose from and i dont know what half of them are.
cheers
Blake

[Jeff Donald]

MPEG 4 is mostly for streaming on the internet. MPEG 2 is still the standard (if there is such a thing) for DVD, VCD, SVCD etc. The PC files will need an auto.exe command and it will start playing when it is inserted into the PC. I don't do that type of work so I think that's how it is done.

Toast can burn the CD's and Quicktime Pro can export to Video CD or AVI. At this point I can't really advise you any further because of my lack of PC knowledge.

Jeff

[Blake Barratt]

Thanks Jeff and everyone for the help.
It seems i am slightly handicapped here from my lack of authoring knowledge.
I have some freinds doing streaming video and am catching up with them in vienna on wednesday so i will post the solution i find after that.
cheers
blake

[Marcus Farrar]

Greetings

Just to add on. We use Media Cleaner Pro for our conversions. I convert most of our compressed video to AVI for clients. Most of the world is still PC and AVI's will run on both PC and Mac. Quicktime is better quality but if the client does not have it installed it will not run unless they download the program. Any computer from Windows 95 and up will run an AVI file.

Media Cleaner has a feature where you can say I want to compress this video to no more than 600 MB at the best quality and it does all the math for you. You do want to take into consideration how fast there CDRom drive is. Some slower drives can't run big files. If a client has an old 2X speed CDRom you want to keep the KBS in the 200 range. If it is 4X you can get into the 300 KBS range.

How long is your video clip?
Have you considered Media Cleaner?

I know you can put an auto start with cleaner but I am not sure you can do that with quicktime. Anybody who can halfway use a computer knows how to open a file so this may not be a big problem.

[Jeff Donald]

I had forgotten about Cleaner. A new version is due real soon and is supposed to be much faster. The Cleaner output is much better than Quicktime but if cost is a factor go Quicktime Pro ($30 and came with FCP). You will still need a program like Toast to burn the CD. Toast will also burn hybrid CD's that work in both mac and PC (data files etc.).

Jeff

very nice video. i am from chicago (going to college in PA) and it was great to see good ol' chi town for a change. its also cool because ive used those lockers in union station before.

I agree pretty much with everything Dan said about lighting and the quick cuts. i think some of the clips could have been longer, and not as choppy of a cut. thats only my opinion and i'm not a pro, or even studying film. overall i think the video really served its purpose, good job.

brian curtin (native of naperville)

[Mike Rehmus]

I moved this thread because it seems to be drawing more commentary about the editing choices than about the specific use of a VX-2000. All of the comments could be applied to any camera.

[Henrik Bengtsson]

Hi Chip =)

[Disclaimer] these are my personal views as a editor and videographer. They are not necessarily true =) [/disclaimer]

First of all, it looks pretty well shot (even with inconsistencies in the lighting, which a lot of them "might" have been fixed in post :) Composition of the shots looked well planned and considering the timeframe you had it is pretty darn good work imho.

On the editing there are a few pointers that you might look into next time. If you cut the action to match the music in the way you have, make sure the pace of the editing matches the length of the music piece you have. If you have a 2.30 - 3 min fast paced trance/heavy metal piece, then by all means cut it fast. When it goes over 3 mins, this style of editing quickly becomes very tiring to watch. Especially since the music did not do much to enhance the mood of the setting. The editing reminded me of 70's style jump-cut action, where they cut up and mix slow-mo sequences. You also change editing style from the beginning (mostly crossfades, almost 0 straight cuts) to a fast paced sub-rythm jump cuts (with almost 0 cross fades).

Don't be afraid to let your actors do the work for you. On the editing table it feels to much like you cut it up for the sake of cutting it up and not because you had a visual plan to enhance the story. Editing is all about rythm, and just as with playing the drums or another instrument, rythm is not all about banging away. From the video materials shown its evident that you have a lot of material to cut from so you should be able to tone it down a bit, letting the action unfold itself properly before you cut it up.

Now. having said that, your target audience is friends and family who will undoubtly be thrilled to see this in any form. And if you have that pesky uncle going "uh. but you cut it up to much" just refuse him that last drink and cigarr (btw. im usually that pesky uncle :)

Hope you got some constructive feedback from my ramblings =)

Regards,
Henrik

Henrik,

your response was...extremely useful and constructive.
Thanyou so much. It sounds as if you have not only experience, but a passion for this art and science of editing.

I will use your tips in future editing.

Dan and Brian,
I appreciate your responses as well...and I'm always glad to bring a little "Chicago" to the world.

Regards,

- Chip

[Erik Selakoff]

Thanks Jeff much obliged. I'm going to be outputting to DVD without using an EDL. So you've answered my question perfectly.
Erik