FCP 5 newbie: basic question re: timecoding/capture

evolvnyc

evolvnyc

Well-known member
So I have about 40 hours of tape that I need to log, and I haven't opened fcp 5 yet. I was under the impression that I would have to watch all of the footage first, and write (or type) out where things happenned, who syas what etc... via the timecode, however someone told me that I should just do it in fcp 5 to avoid repeating myself, so I'm confused: If I take a tape of 63 mins and I mark each scene and important dialogue, but I only import (onto external hard drive) like 10 minutes of it, will fcp recognize the other 53 mins the next time I put the tape in? Or does it only record timecode info for imported footage? Any suggestions on how to start reviewing everything before proceding? Any help appreciated.
 
I think you're a little confused, because some of the questions are kinda confusing. The tape doesn't change, so if you want to go back and capture anything later, you always can.

The point of batch capturing with timecode is that you can set a bunch of in and out points to define the footage you want to actually capture, then walk away as the computer and DV deck/camcorder automatically do all of the cueing and recording for you.

Check the manual for a step-by-step, if you want one. Hope this helps.
 
yeah, evenm the book i have doesn't cover this as it's for fcp 4 and the fcp 5 books aren't out yet... i guess my question is: if i do what you indicated, like notate what happens where, then let it capture, then say a few days later, i want to go back and capture a different scene from that tape, will fcp have all the info from when i marked it the first time, or will i have to start from scratch? does thi smake sense? Like if i'm not going to capture anything initially, does it make sense to run every tape through fcp 5 and make notes on them, or does it not save the info from each tape (so i would have to do it manually anyway? thanks.
 
Setup FCP (with advanced pulldown or whatever process you want to)
Setup your camera/deck. Rewind tape.
Start up File -> Log and Capture.
You should be able to play, rewind, shuttle, etc the tape and see it on the computer.
If you've shot scenes or sections go to each section. Click the In Marker button. Run forward to end of shot (you can fast forward) and hit the End Point Marker button.
There's a place to name the scene, number of the scene and number the take.
The system will automatically bump the take number after each out section is marked. You can change it but it makes it easy if you have multiple takes of the same scene.
There's also a log notes area where you can type in any comments you have.
And there's a checkbox where you mark if a take is good.
Once you've logged the tape then you can select which takes you actually want to capture. You can sort by good take markers or other things.
At that point select bartch capture and it will run through the tape and capture the sections with the scene names you provided.
If you need other take later jjust select them from the list and do a batch capture of those.
See manual for more info.
 
thanks also scott, taht helps alot, my question, and i'm sorry if i'm not being clear as I'm really new to this... i just am trying to understand how all of that information (ie: marking good clips and typing descriptions) how is all of that information saved for the un-captured footage if I pop the tape back in a week later? or is it? Thank you for your patience and knowledge...
 
FCP's logging area is basically a big database which only saves the information that you provide it. But once the info is in there, it stays there. Let's say you have "tape001" rewound and ready to log. Then you start locating the first clip you want, typing in all of the in/out/scene/shot/take/notes/etc that you want associated with that clip. Then you click "log clip". FCP has just made a record of all that information you typed in for that particular clip, and once you save your project (plus a backup or two... right?) that information will stay there for as long as you need it. You don't have to go back and re-type anything. Then you can capture the clip any time you like.
 
ah, so if i understand this correctly, if i make all my notes on tape 001 then i do the same for tapes 002-005, i can pop back in tape 001 and retrieve the settings/notes (which are saved on my hard drive) even for the clips that were not captured, and I'll have my notes for that tape at hand? Thanks!
 
Your notes are saved for each clip you logged and is always available in FCP since it's saved with the project. it's a list which shows all your scenes and takes. Red lines are through any clisp that you haven't captured.

If a few weeks later you were editing and needed an alternate take you could search your notes and find it was tape 2, 10:32 to 10:58. Pop tape 2 in and hit the batch button and it will load just that take for you to review and edit with.
 
The logging and batch capturing features is one of the many reasons I love FCP. I can't compare it to other programs such as Vegas, but FCP has never let me down.
 
evolvnyc said:
ah, so if i understand this correctly, if i make all my notes on tape 001 then i do the same for tapes 002-005, i can pop back in tape 001 and retrieve the settings/notes (which are saved on my hard drive) even for the clips that were not captured, and I'll have my notes for that tape at hand? Thanks!
Click to expand...

Just remember, all that vital information is stored in your project file, so if you lose that, you're back to square one. Just be well organized and consistent with your naming conventions and always back up your project file. I put one on an external drive, send one up to my dotMac account, etc.
 
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