Help needed on XDCAM workflow..

[Mark McCarthy]

Hi there. I am using a F350 with Vegas 7 and transferring the footage in via FAM.

I am finding the whole process so 'urrgh challenging' at the moment. The simple days of didging in DVCAM footage (and labeling it!) seem a long way away.

Once you have imported the full res footage after editing with the proxy versions (if you are lucky and don't get a bag full of blue screen crash errors and Stop 0A000 - type messages, resulting in your system crashing - or the last of many clips fails to load) - you are then presented with a hi-res (MPEG4) version of your project.

I don't seem to be able to make any changes to thhe full res project using any extra proxy files? I can bring in an extra proxy file, but can't get Vegas to just import that in full res on its own. So, if I am right you have to go back to the proxy version, make your changes there and there import all the Hi Def footage in again!

I have all the full res footage on my hard drive, but I only seem to be able to bring in the full res footage from the camera, not in from the footage already sitting on my hard drive- even though I direct my system to it!

Any help would be very grateful. Just finding it all a little stressful at the moment. Also a realy hassle organising media bins with the C0013 etc clip names!

Thanks from a frustrated sparky

sparky x

www.sparkymedia.net

[Greg Boston]

Originally Posted by Mark McCarthy

Any help would be very grateful. Just finding it all a little stressful at the moment. Also a realy hassle organising media bins with the C0013 etc clip names!

You should turn on clip titling in the camera. You can set a Title Prefix and then a numeric sequence. You can also turn on the file naming which will do away with the C***.mxf and use your clip titles as the file names. You can store a list of title prefixes using a simple text editor and then transfer to camera via the memory stick.

It also sounds like you are conforming to full res before you're finished with the edit. I think the idea is to wait until you are absolutely finished with the edit before you conform to full res. However, Douglas Spotted Eagle is the person for answering Vegas questions.

You're in that learning curve that often comes with new technology and methodologies. Be patient and you will eventually not want to deal with another tape as long as you live. (grin)

-gb-

[Mark McCarthy]

Thanks Greg
Will try titling as you suggested.
It is a frustrating process though at the moment.
I'll be editing a project with footage from 12 discs over the summer and I can just see that being a nightmare!

However when playing a hi-def project back through the camera - through blackmagic box- and into my 40'' SOny Bravia - it makes it worth it in the end. Just a shame my clients can't see the full version when they get there DVD's!

Cheers, sparky

[Tim Polster]

Originally Posted by Mark McCarthy

Just a shame my clients can't see the full version when they get there DVD's!

You mean their HD-DVDs!

:)

[Mark McCarthy]

It's a few years away before corporate clients have a HDD DVD player AND a proper HD screen!

I think the best option at the moment is to provide them with a windows media version 9 5Mbps HD 720-25P video, as this should run on most systems. Does everybody agree?

Sparky

[Tim Polster]

It going to be painful waiting for the adoption.

I hope HD-DVD/Blu-Ray is a bit quicker than HD television.

[Uli Mors]

Hi Mark,

I spent the last week to find a Sony Workflow with editing SD / HD vice versa.

The coarse idea is to generate two folders - one "HD" folder containing all original MXF HD files and one "twin" folder containing identically named MXF files in SD. I wanted to have Vegas either use one or the other folder to seamless switch between full-res and SD resolution. This way you can easily use your (DV-)Preview setup, show results or changes to your customer (SD), if it comes to judge a scene in HD simply switch to the other folder.

After days of trying I found a way to realize it - the only drawback is long render time at the beginning of the project and double Harddrive space (HD // SD) - but using my workflow you can even erase all HD files and bring them back from XDCAM disk later.

I will write a thread on that in the next minutes.

ULI

[Bob Willis]

I am curious why you are not using proxy files to rough cut with and then conforming to HD?

[Mark McCarthy]

Hi Bill, hope you're doing well.

I am editing using the proxy files. It just seems that once you conform the project to HD, it is very difficult to go back to the proxy edit and make any changes - without conforming all the HD footage again. I have had to delete the folder with the imported HD footage, and bring it all in . I am unable to just import the HD clips of the new footage I have added. It seems the entire project can only be conformed - not just clips you choose. I have asked Vegas to go to the hard drive to get the HD stuff that has already been brought in, but it just wants to go back to the camera and start again.


I am (clearly!) finding it very difficult to explain this clearly, and looking back over this posting- I almost don't understand it myself!

[Hornady Setiawan]

Mark,
makesure u use latest Vegas 7.
That is version 7.0e.
Huge bugs improvements since 7.0.

[Uli Mors]

First thing is I WANT to edit in SD - my customers are sitting beneath me (in some situations) and I cant show them a stuttering preview.
So I wanted to have my "standard" SD Preview and editing workflow.

This means: no proxy editing (just in the very first step) but downrendering all HD files to SD twins.

Having all files in SD AND HD - even with the same file names - makes it possible to force vegas to use either the SD files or the HD files.

After editing and mastering in SD I can force Vegas to use the HD files instead and do an HD Master of the formerly edited SD timeline.

In the end I will offer (event video) my customers SD work for the std price and have a way to offer an HD upgrade package.

ULI