Black and Code settings for 24p

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downwithdecaf

New member
Hi,

I'm a new user of the Panasonic AG DVX 100B. I'm about to begin a 24P documentary shoot- and, as I usually do for all my projects, I would like to black and code my tapes. (I use FCP6).

I was wondering if someone could give me the following information:

In Edit to Tape, in the black and code settings do I choose DV NTSC 48Khz- 24, or just DV NTSC 48khz?

This is a really basic question, but I would really appreciate it if someone could let me know which would be the setting to use. (I'm definitely going to be black and coding since I will be shooting a lot on the fly and don't want to take chances with timecode breaks).

Look forward to hearing from folks!
 
Is this where you hit record with the lens cap on for the length of the tape so it will have a consitent time stamp regardless of what you do when actually recording your footage?
 
I'm a wee bit confused as well. Will love to hear the answer, I'm always down with learning something new and further confirming I have no idea what I am doing!
 
To jambredz, "black and code" is the process of recording black (as far as audio and video) and time code to the length of a tape. Typically, it's used for a master before editing to a tape, in order to keep frames from being dropped thus causing TC breaks. Back in the day, tape-to-tape systems like Paltex were notorious for slipping frames, and it complicated things if the record deck was also writing TC at the same time. So by having the code already there from start to finish, the record deck coud use the existing TC and never have to write new. So if an edit got botched, it didn't hose the master reel in the process.

It can help with shooting on miniDV to keep from having time code breaks as well, since during the shoot you'll simply use TC Regen.

To the OP... you'll be wasting your time trying to use FCP to black and code your DVX. And you can only use 29.97 on the DVX, period. And in 24pA, I believe that it's locked to NDF. Your best bet is to set the camera to Preset for first-rec time code, and then set your hour mark for the reel. Then hit record and let her rip. This adds hours to the heads, though... just FYI.
 
Black and Code

Black and Code

Thank you, C2V, for replying. I'm afraid, though, that I didn't quite understand- I really am new to this, so I apologize in advance for asking such basic questions!

Having decided to black and code, and knowing that I would be shooting 24P Ordinary what settings should I use while black and coding?

Or did you mean that the FCP black and code settings would clash with the the DVX's 24P settings? (24P ordinary, by the way, I'm not trying Advanced just yet).

Thanks a lot for taking the time to think about this!
 
Not really needed anymore. With your DVX you really won't any of the issues that this technique was designed to fix. It has been so long that I can't even remember what the big one was called. The weird helical scan and audio hit. Even if you get a timecode break it will be from when you shut the camera off and if you use proper preroll in you shooting this will not effect your shot.

The only reason you may want to do this is if you are reviewing your shots in camera and then shooting again on the same tape. I highly recommend not reviewing in camera.
 
downwithdecaf said:
Thank you, C2V, for replying. I'm afraid, though, that I didn't quite understand- I really am new to this, so I apologize in advance for asking such basic questions!

Having decided to black and code, and knowing that I would be shooting 24P Ordinary what settings should I use while black and coding?

Or did you mean that the FCP black and code settings would clash with the the DVX's 24P settings? (24P ordinary, by the way, I'm not trying Advanced just yet).
Click to expand...

No worries... I did give you what you needed, just not lcearly, I guess. The DVX only records at 29.97, drop frame or non-drop. Even shooting in 24p or 24pA, the camera adds a pull-down that records the signal at 29.97. The cadence of the pull-down is slightly different between 24p (3:2) and 24pA (2:3:3:2), but they both go to tape at 29.97. And again, I believe that when you're in a 24p mode, the camera sets itself to non-drop.

So as long as you b&c your tapes at 29.97NDF, you're fine. You can use your 24P setting or use 60i. It's the same time code stream.

And since the DVX doesn't actually handle any other frame rate, trying to use FCP to send it 24fps, or 23.976fps TC, is a waste of time. The camera won't comply with it.

As kgimedia suggests, we're past the days where striping camera tapes is really all that necessary unless you do a lot of spot checking as you shoot. The more important technique is to use proper heads and tales as you shoot... roll 5 seconds before "action" and 5 seconds after "cut." And if you do go back to review a shot in-camera, use your end-search to recue, then manually back up another second. Also, remember that you'll want to set your first-run time code to PRESET for the first couple of shots, but the moment you either stop to check a shot or power the camera down, you'll need to set your first-run TC to REGEN. If you leave it set to PRESET, it will always start recording at the last TC value it has stored in its memor. With REGEN, it will begin with the TC that it sees on the tape when it starts recording.
 
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C2V and kgimerdia-Thanks from me as well! Although this was not a specific inquiry I had at the moment your answers were most helpful to me. Thanks for taking the time to give such a detailed answer. It is appreciated.
 
Black and Coding

Black and Coding

Thank you so much, C2V and kgimedia, for taking the time to answer my question. The information was very useful!
 
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