Need HM700 and FCP step-by-step "for dummies"

[Jay Kaley]

Hi there dvnet folks, I'm Jay. A brief background because first post, will ramble for just a bit, skip to the end if ya just wanna hear the question.

39 yrs old, was an ENG local news photog for 9 years, but been out of the the profession since 2000. (is photog still proper? I never took to videographer as much as photographer but that gets mixed with the still guys)

I was shooting on sony betaSP digital tape back then, we would dump at like 2x speed into crude, early NLE decks, edit then dump back to tape for air. Short aside, back then I was saying "one day we're gonna be able to shoot right on to little cards and forget all this dumping back and forth with tape", and 9 years later here I am. Said all that to point out that I know the photography part pretty well, but the "new tech" and computer editing is a learning curve for me.


Present day, I'm getting back into the business with a small, one-man production company, weddings, events, commercials is the plan for now. I did my research and last week received my HM700 with sticks and accessories all ready to go.


My problem is the transfer from the camera into FCP. I know its very simple, part of the frustration, but if someone wouldn't mind a simplified "step-by-step for dummies" walk thru of the process I'd be very appreciative, I'm hung up.

I'm on macbookpro, which is contributing to being stuck because only windows until about a week ago also. I hook the camera up to the computer with USB, and was trying log/transfer but I've read I don't have to do that.

USB is fine for transfer or use firewire? I loaded the JVC software, do I use this for transferring from camera or just open FCP?

I also have a card reader, when that is hooked up I can drag into FCP but not sure how to save inside FCP. I can save clips to my MacHD, then into FCP but I've only figured how to do clip-by-clip and it doesn't seem very efficient.

_________________________________

The short version of the above novella:

If someone wouldn't mind to do a simplified, "for dummies" step-by-step of transferring footage from the HM700 into FCP I would really appreciate it.

[Donald Smith]

If you're camera arrived with the latest firmware, then you have a choice of two shooting formats. Choose .MOV.

Before you do anything, run Final Cut and create a new project. My preference (and there are other ways) is to immediately save the new project inside a new folder with names related to your project. Final Cut wants to save inside a Capture Scratch folder inside the drive you told FCP to use as a scratch disk. But you can make that folder anywhere you like.

For best results, use an external drive on your laptop for your video files. Don't make your internal drive, whose head is already looking for OS-demanded files, also play back your video if you can avoid it.

OK. Got your scratch drive, a Capture Scratch folder, and inside that, a folder with your project name and inside that folder is is your project file.

Now connect the card reader, drill down to the files, select all, and drag them into the folder with your project file. Go back to Final Cut, make the Bin active in your new project, do FILE>IMPORT>FILES, navigate to your folder with the files, select them all and import.

Happy editing!

Don Smith
NewsVideo.com

[Lou Caputo]

The version of FCP you're using can make a difference too. For instance, if you're using FCP Express, you'll have to render each clip when you place it in the timeline. With FCP version 7, you just drag the files from the SDHC card into your bin and you're ready to go. MUCH faster than digitizing in the "olden times" of betaSP. As a point of reference, I worked at a facility (remember those?) that had an avid working on AVR 1 or 2!

[Jay Kaley]

yes it is the latest firmware, i do shoot in mov, and am using new Final Cut Studio.

the difference in those two posts is what confuses me. Don described a bit of a process and Lou's "just drag em in from the card" sounds so simple.

I have dragged from the card, and seen the files in the FCP browser, opened in editor, but they aren't saved. Its the saving them to my computer got me stumped.

Also previously I've done about what Don describes, gotten close, but in that FILE>IMPORT>FILES part I got messed up, didn't use a couple of those "bin" steps, and expected to see something like FILE>IMPORT>JVC CAMERA, but thats not the case.

Thanks guys, appreciate any help, its a bit like a semi-foreign language being new to mac and FCP, but I'm workin at it. FCP a little intimidating from scratch.

I wish I coiuld remember the name of the machines we "digitized" into Lou, they were like little cousins to the big avid editor in the production side. You just set in points and outpoints and could insert video and audio tracks, but no onscreen editing timelines yet. Was crude but I could cruise on that stuff lol.

[Jack Walker]

Watch this video by Tim Dashwood about getting MOV files into Final Cut:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlF99tmSHeY

Here's Tim's tutorial on getting MP4 files into Final Cut:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kjng-DtUyA

You can search youtube with "Tim Dashwood HM700" and get more HM700 tutorials.

Watch for the release of Tim's DVD guide to the HM700. (Watch sticky at top of this forum.)
http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/jvc-gy-h...w-24-95-a.html
The HM100 guide is out, and the HM700 guide is expected soon. Definitely will be invaluable to get the most from the camera.

[Jack Walker]

Originally Posted by Jay Kaley

I have dragged from the card, and seen the files in the FCP browser, opened in editor, but they aren't saved. Its the saving them to my computer got me stumped.

Copy the CLIP folder onto your hard drive first. Drag files into FCP then. Dragging into FCP only references files to wherever they exist on the hard drive. See Tim's video linked in other post.

[Jay Kaley]

Jack thanks so much, those kind of videos, onscreen step-by-step, will help me tremendously. Monkey-see and so forth. : ) I've read alot of Tims posts and followed links to his site and even tried contact, but the stuff I saw was past the entry-level type transfer info.

I had gotten to the point of seeing that big CLIP file and the clips, and could edit but saving the big CLIP file is eluding me for some reason.

Do you fellas mostly use a cardreader, or from camera, or does it matter? Does the quality of the reader only matter for speed, or will it affect vid quality?

Thanks alot for going remedial with me, I'm just trying to grasp the basic concepts of workflows and bits and bytes.

I'll be at the computer with the reader and the videos on that page this afternoon, thanks again.

[Jack Walker]

Drag the CLIP folder from the card to the location you want to keep the video on your computer. (Or copy and paste)

Quality is not affected by the reader used. Whatever can be used to transfer files from SDHC card to computer is all the same. It's usually easier to take the card out of the camera and use fe computer's card reader or a little USB card reader (sometimes included with the card).

[Lou Caputo]

Jack is correct I forgot the step of transferring the files to your hard drive first. While you CAN edit off the SDHC card, I wouldn't recommend it.

[Jay Kaley]

Sweet. I got the transfer part figured. It was more of a mac/windows thing, never used mac until a week ago and didn't realize just drag CLIP onto a new folder then bring into FCP.

Do you guys use "Easy set-up" in FCP and select HD and framerates and stuff or just let FCP adjust if needed?

Also if its not too complex, and anyone feels like it...
1. What are the pros/cons of shooting 1080 or 720?
2. What would be the best all-around, or just the solid "base setting" to shoot on?

The camera came set to 1290x1080 60i, and I know what the size means but as far shooting interlaced or progressive in real world situations I'm trial-and-erroring right now.

Being frank I never knew alot about the "inner workings" or set-ups very often, never owned a camera and the rules at the local stations were "take it to the engineers" because they were the big expensive ones.

One last time, thanks again, really is a big help. Glad I found this forum and got approved.

[Jack Walker]

I don't use FCP sonot much help there.

Regarding format, that has alot of answers, none definitive.

It makes most sense to shoot progressive to me with the HM700, since that's the native format. Out of the box I would be iclined to shoot 720p60 at 35mb to get the most out of the native abilities.

However, ultimately it all depends on what you are shooting, the look and other needs, the final delivery format, what other cameras you may be using to cut together, etc.

[Jay Kaley]

I get that 720p is the native format for the camera, where I am lost a little is what the pros/cons of shooting 1080, i or p. I also understand that means there is some type of "pixel-shift", or "upgrade assist" from the computer inside this camera to get 1080.

What I don't fully grasp is the downsides and/or differences in "shifting" to achieve 1080, and what am I missing out on if I just shoot on 720 all the time?

On FCP: I discovered a very cool local media lab, they have tutors and live lessons on MAC and FCP. I'm going in tomorrow for some FCP basics, really looking forward to it.

[Alex Humphrey]

Jay, lets back up. What where you inclined to shoot mostly and for what distribution? My way of shooting is 24p and when I break down and get a HM700 I'll (probably) shoot 720p 24fps at 35mbps. But that's my way. I'll try the 1080p 24fps 35mbps and see how it looks. Depending upon your subject matter and distribution you may consider 60p, though the shutter speed would be a little fast for drama or scripted work (24p standard at 1/48th). 60p can cross convert to 60i (1080i 480i) easily and of course 720p (60 fps) is broadcast norm for 1/3 to 1/2 of all HD channels. 1080i is the other half to 2/3'rds.. (Ugly I know, but there you are). Now... DirecTV and Dish have some 1080p channels. What you say? how cool is that. It's 24p by the way for movies to give BlueRay a run for it's money.

So Jay, what was your subject matter, style, distribution etc. Then we can more effectively make suggestions.. then if 10 of us make the SAME suggestions, it MIGHT be a good advice. :)

I come from a 35mm/16mm background and only used icky 60i video when I had to in the late 80's and late 90's. Before, between and after used 35mm & 16mm film. So I'm firmly in the 24p camp, so anything I say will be colored by that. So keep that in mind when I open my yap.

[Jay Kaley]

Hi there Alex. I think I'll be shooting a combo of weddings/events and local television commercials, so distribute directly to event customers likely on DVD, and local ads on the medium they need. I considered freelance news or sporting events, and would like to have the bigger chips for broadcast, but it will be mostly events, and I figured under optimal lighting conditions I can shoot nice local commercials on the HM700.

My issue is that I shot/edited for 10 years on nice cameras, but it was always deadline oriented, never looked into the settings beyond outside controls. I mean that I can create a nice story and picture, but honestly until about a week ago I couldn't begin to tell you the difference between the 24p and 30p and 60p camps. Now that I own the gear I wanna learn alot more about it all.

I may be in the deep end on this forum, catching up on the i's and the p's and 1080v720 and HQs and fps's and mbps's but I've been reading alot and I know more now than when I started the thread and thats a good thing.

[Alex Humphrey]

for most of what you said I would say try 720p 60fps at 35mbps. It's the most flexible format to start with. most 1080i/p cameras are not really 1080, but 540x960 (panasonics) and 1440x1080i (interlaced Cmos/CCd) for Sony and Canon. So in the $9,000 and below cameras are pixel shifting and uprezzing anyway (including the JVC HM700) so I say let the station uprez and interlace if they need to. Unless you are dealing with bean counters and they want 1080i because then they don't have to do any changes and let your infividual market decide.

commercials, 24p
weddings, 24p or 60p your choice. Mine is 24p. Everyone wants to be a movie start for a day.
sports, 60p. I shoot 24p because my HD110 doesn't do 60p and the 480p 60fps that is my option isn't very easy to work with and import to FCP... so i don't bother. Would be nice for slow motion. If you do sports in 60p, you should do yoour project in 24p (best looking for DVD) and you still have the 60p for slow motion unlike my work.... though the 24p slowed 50% isn't bad.. not as nice as 60p slowed to 24p though.
events, 24p or 60p depending upon potential clients. When in doubt if foing to DVD I always shoot 24p, though 60i isn't too bad from an HD source. SOOO much better than SD 480i to DVD from $4,000 and below SD cameras by the way. So regardless most anything you pick will be a huge step up.

30p avoid. good for web videos. Only reason most consumers cameras shoot it is because of our eletrical cycle rate (60 hz) so it's easy to make. 60p and 24p are better for what ever your doing, except youtube videos. 24p is just as good for web videos.. better probably because of less bandwidth. DVD's dont play 30p correctly because DVD consortium never supported it. 60i and 24p in a 60i data stream. Not bad in HD mind you, but you have to find some way to give it to someone other than playing it off your hard drive.

experiment with your camera (latest version firmware?) and compare the 24p, 30p 60p at 720p and 1080p/i to at the highest bandwidth under different good/bad lighting situations and see what you think. Early adopters complained of bad video noise (even without heavy gain) on the 1080p but seems to be solved with latest firmware upgrade.

Import into FCP cut some scenes, export to DVD and appleTV and apple ipod and other formats and watch them on yor computer and set top DVD player. Also record around man made objects with straight lines... see how the progressive scaned images compared with interlaced and the UGLY 30p when it's on DVD standard. also think about turning down the edge enhancements to eliminate any artifacts from the built in computer tyring to sharpen the edges in camera. My HD110 I like around -4 for instance on 90% of everything. Many people go to minimum (-10) or OFF which looks muddy with my 16x Fujinon lens. But leave the edge enhancments for last.

Then also think about shooting with Cinegama On, and probably at first leave the color matrix to Normal (not cinema) just so you have bright reds and blues to start with. The color matrix is very adjustable, so stick close to factory defaults at first. the cinegama makes the video a more film curve gama curve. (english?) it helps tone down the highlights and seems to extend the dynamic range maybe 1 stop and looks less videoish.

that should be enough to get you going for the weekend to experiment with.

congrats on the camera. which lens did you get with the camera? Fujinon 17x or the Canon 14x? (or what ever the Canon is)