Am I over my head?

[mainstreetprod]

I am trying to acquire a new client for editing who does some of it themselves butwants to farm part out. I do mostly web work, so when the following email came in , some looked like Greek to me:

I'm interested in a creative video sequence that includes a picon, color bars, test tones (at minus10dBV), and countdown that we use for the weekly espisodes that we supply to the broadcaster.

Then for each espisode, I'd add the on-screen text over the picon while I'm editing each show together.

I'd like this video sequence in two forms: 1) a typical sequence that would be needed by a broadcaster that includes the picon/text screen identifying the content, color bars, test tones, and the countdown; 2) the same things except make individual files for the picon, color bars, test tones, and countdown.

I'd like these things in both MPEG-2 as well as in VOB formats, on separate DVDs, sent to me by surface mail.


My questions:

What is a picon?Is there a countdown in FCP?
Is the project automatically in VOB format when I burn a conventional DVD?
How long would it take you guys to do this project?

Any other thoughts on this appreciated!

[Amr Rahmy]

Picon --- Picture ICON, a thumbnail image of the first frame (or a representative frame) of a clip
yes in print to video you can find bars and countdown, you can also make it as text or from images or make a video file
yes it does
it doesn't take long for the preset print to video, it's a preset, dont know about the rest of the editing work, different people work with different speeds, you can try the first time and reduce the time it took you to experiment,
good luck,

[NoahK]

That sounds like a ton of work for something they can do themselves in their NLE. What's the budget?

-Noah

[Alex H.]

Noah, some versions back, it was discussed that the NTSC bars in FCP were not accurate. I have a reliable still that I have used ever since, but has Apple fixed that issue to date? And I've made a few custom countdowns that I use, just for kicks, which took some work outside of Final Cut... everything from PhotoShop to LiveType to Motion. It's nice when these are pre-produced clips that can be inserted with drag-and-drop and without setting ins and outs.

I also find it interesting that the prospective client wants this in MPEG-2 and VOB, rather than full-rez video files or a master reel.

That aside, I've worked with a lot of post houses and broadcast facilities that have their own custom leaders like this that are more intricate that FCP's built-in mastering tools can do. Fred, what they want is a customized leader with bars and tone, production slate, and countdown. This is a pretty standard set of clips that are placed on master reels before any production, and generally run from 00:58:30:00 - 00:59:58:01 (countdown ends with one frame of video/tone at the "2") and the first frame of program video hits at 01:00:00:00.

The PIcon that they refer to is not a thumbnail, but is a full-screen graphic that will be their production slate. May or may not include their company logo, but is a background over which they will insert text that identifies the series and episode titles, production dates, run times, audio information, etc.

[mainstreetprod]

That sounds like a ton of work for something they can do themselves in their NLE. What's the budget?

-Noah


I also thought they could easily do this themselves, and wondered why in MPEG-2
and VOB. However, I also thought it could be done in a couple of hours and am
hesitant to quote. How long do you think it would take?

[mainstreetprod]

The PIcon that they refer to is not a thumbnail, but is a full-screen graphic that will be their production slate. May or may not include their company logo, but is a background over which they will insert text that identifies the series and episode titles, production dates, run times, audio information, etc.[/quote]


Guess my instincts were right on that one - I thought the Picon was probably their
logo or graphic for the background. This project doesn't seem that time intensive to me, am I wrong?

[Alex H.]

Guess my instincts were right on that one - I thought the Picon was probably their
logo or graphic for the background. This project doesn't seem that time intensive to me, am I wrong?

Depends on how intricate you want to get, or how much detail work they want out of you. This could take an hour, or a day. But then, if they're willing to hire some one to do it, and you think you can give them something they'll enjoy, why not take the client? This can be a good experience, and a chance for you to explore some other aspects of post work that you might not have thought about before.

I'd come up with an hourly rate, and an estimated time frame. And again, that depends on how fancy they want this stuff to be. The PIcon and the Countdown will take the most time. Creating a B&T clip takes no time. Whatever it is, add an hour for the compression and DVD authoring.