Giving Raw footage To Clients/Memory card vs. Tapes

ArronC

ArronC

Active member
Every now and then, clients just need a videographer to film an event, and hand in the raw footage at the end...

raw footage was/is usually in the form of handing over DV Tapes

Now that I've purchases an HMC150, this is a concern for me... does this mean I loose some gigs? or is their a standard or accepted way to give clients raw footage?
 
Some people on here buy masses of 8GB cards (I wont name names) and then hand them over... that's an idea but still costs a little - you can charge the client. Or, I have dumped the raw MTS files on a data dvd (4.7GB) and give them to a client... you can do the same with a data bluray (25/50GB) if you and the client both have it.

Some wont know what to do with an mts file (like mac users) and then you need to change your approach. Maybe transcode to whatever they want (I had a customer want MOV files).

You can rent or let them barrow a cheap 100+ gig external HD.

You can also have the client bring their laptop and dump it on the HD...
 
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Bucknfl...MadHMC150...

Giving a client the card seems great in theory, but does it make the videographer the minority in the industry?

The client might not have an editing program that works with the file.
Right now, I'm going to have to transition to Sony Vegas and Edius to work with the camera...

"Some wont know what to do with an mts file (like mac users) and then you need to change your approach."...my sentiments exactly... it seems very proprietary.
 
i've converted to the P2 filesystem a couple of times using the windoze p2 transcoder. but i always check with who ever is doing post to see if they are familiar with avchd transcoding for their specific NLE.
 
Is there any way to transcode on a mac to dvcprohd? I know the transcoder Panasonic links to is only for PC and I haven't looked around in a while to see if there are any new options for mac users.

I have a shoot coming up and I have to deliver the footage to the clients editing system after the shoot. They are not familiar with the avchd workflow and I am not sure how their system will handle it. If there is a way I can transcode it to a more manageable format on my laptop first and than dump it on their external, that would be great.
 
ArronC said:
Bucknfl...MadHMC150...

Giving a client the card seems great in theory, but does it make the videographer the minority in the industry?

The client might not have an editing program that works with the file.
Right now, I'm going to have to transition to Sony Vegas and Edius to work with the camera...

"Some wont know what to do with an mts file (like mac users) and then you need to change your approach."...my sentiments exactly... it seems very proprietary.
Click to expand...

I don't edit, I'm a director of photography, cameraman, and lighting tech so someone is going to end up with the media and its not me. When I first got the camera I went to a lot of my regular clients and explained how to deal with it, final cut- log and transfer, need for modern intel mac, or if they have an older mac then transcode with a different program. The avid people on pc's I steered them to panasonics free transcoding software. It's not a big deal but some people are reluctant to change and if they want to continue with tape then I still have beta sp and a dvx 100. On the rare occassion that a client comes to me that needs production and post then I hand the media off to an editor.
 
What's with the whole "Mac Users" Deal... I choose to use a mac because they're stable and work. And even know how to build them (google hackintosh or go to http://wiki.osx86project.org/wiki/index.php/Main_Page )

Just because they use a mac doesn't mean they're slow. In fact i know slow people on every OS!!!

But getting a little more in track, if you give them the entire "Private Folder" on a DVD-DL or the SDHC Card they should be able to see the footage on iMovie... Now how about that a program that comes installed on the Mac that could play AVCHD (isn't that nice)

Now if you really want to be give them the stream folder only, you could view the clips with toast. Now I don't know about you, but i don't know a single Mac user that doesn't have toast on their computer.

I'm just saying to you guys, just because you don't use a mac, don't bash them either... i have no complains so far =) you don't hear me talking bad about windows!
 
Superfresa66 said:
I'm just saying to you guys, just because you don't use a mac, don't bash them either... i have no complains so far =) you don't hear me talking bad about windows!
Click to expand...

Mac users take windows bashing to a high art form. On this forum and every other place.

No one was bashing Macs in this thread, simply alluding to the fact that MTS files aren't the hot ticket on a Mac. Mac's want MOV or MP4, and FCP is all Quicktime all the time.

No need to be defensive...
 
No need to be defensive...
Click to expand...

All I'm saying is that it doesn't matter what OS you use, there are tricks and apps to get around anything... I just don't like the "picture" people paint about Mac users being some kind of mindless people!

Not really being defensive, in fact i took it lightly... in my head i thought, mhhhh maybe they don't know is really not that hard to play .MTS files on a Mac.

But going back to the tread... I have some people that ask me for the original footage (mostly studios) and the way i deliver it is on a DVD-DL (I usually try to back-up a card on each DVD-DL so i try not to go more than 8GB) and also keep the files on my Hard Drives (just in case something goes bad with the DVD's)
If i was doing smaller projects like some of the members here, i would probably just buy SDHC cards by the dozen... but at the current rate I'm using the HMC150, i prefer to back up and burn!
 
I'm on the mac myself, I burn the complete private folder to a DVD-DL disc along with the panny transcoding app. I capture my events onto 8gig SD cards unfortunately the studios that hire me wont be shelling out for SD cards for every event.
As far as the panny app you can install it on the mac, I have a few windows app running using Darwine (IE, popcorn, etc)
http://www.kronenberg.org/darwine/
 
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Superfresa66 said:
I'm just saying to you guys, just because you don't use a mac, don't bash them either... i have no complains so far =) you don't hear me talking bad about windows!
Click to expand...

PerroneFord said:
Mac users take windows bashing to a high art form. On this forum and every other place.

No one was bashing Macs in this thread, simply alluding to the fact that MTS files aren't the hot ticket on a Mac. Mac's want MOV or MP4, and FCP is all Quicktime all the time.

No need to be defensive...
Click to expand...

Exactly, no one can talk bad about a 'precious' mac... In reality I edit on both - but I don't own both, but i sure know the difference in work flow. When you have a 'not so smart' client that wants raw video, I could see them having more difficulty with AVC on the mac (L&T, Transcoding, having the whole dir structure) rather then drag and drop native files on a PC.

Also it was just recently that VLC/AVC works for mac, and don't some frame rates not work in imovie?

Honestly, with all the new microsoft/mac software and intel chips- they are not as different as they use to be... Macs crash too :) (but far less then a PC)
 
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PerroneFord said:
Mac users take windows bashing to a high art form. On this forum and every other place.

No one was bashing Macs in this thread, simply alluding to the fact that MTS files aren't the hot ticket on a Mac. Mac's want MOV or MP4, and FCP is all Quicktime all the time.

No need to be defensive...
Click to expand...

Actually if you retain the AVCHD file format, intel macs (and iMovie, or FCP 6) will recognize the card just like the camera and import (and transcode) them just fine.

So, basically Macs can recognize the MTS files they just need to be within the AVCHD file structure.

What I normally do on my consumer AVHCD camcorder is create a .DMG file (line an iso) of the camcorder contents. I treat those like conventional tapes mounting them and pulling in clips as I need them.

So, if you are handing raw AVCHD files to a client, keep the entire AVCHD structure so that when connected to a computer it will look no different then the camera itself.

Thanks,

-jr
 
Jamesr said:
Actually if you retain the AVCHD file format, intel macs (and iMovie, or FCP 6) will recognize the card just like the camera and import (and transcode) them just fine.
Click to expand...

Yes I used this workflow a couple weeks ago for a friend with a new MacbookPro, and HF-S10, and a new FCS install. Worked just fine. After piddling for 10 minutes, I had log and transfer working, we were transcoding to ProRes, and all was right with the world.

BUT, unlike on a PC, you can't just hand a MAC person raw files (no structure) and have it work. He asked me why it was so complicated. Then I opened my laptop, opened Vegas, and drag and dropped his files onto my timeline. He sat there slack-jawed and asked me if Vegas was available for the Mac. :)

Grass is always greener...
 
PerroneFord said:
Yes I used this workflow a couple weeks ago for a friend with a new MacbookPro, and HF-S10, and a new FCS install. Worked just fine. After piddling for 10 minutes, I had log and transfer working, we were transcoding to ProRes, and all was right with the world.

BUT, unlike on a PC, you can't just hand a MAC person raw files (no structure) and have it work. He asked me why it was so complicated. Then I opened my laptop, opened Vegas, and drag and dropped his files onto my timeline. He sat there slack-jawed and asked me if Vegas was available for the Mac. :)

Grass is always greener...
Click to expand...

There is a tool on macs which will transcode MTS files to other codec's called Voltaic. It's very slow though..
 
I've heard of Voltaic. But honestly, this is a soccer dad who wanted a decent camera, and a decent computer to edit his kid's videos on. He's not going to dealing with a lot of different video. He just wanted a streamlined workflow to get from camera to edit to DVD/Web.

He's got that, and he's happy.
 
elias neris said:
I'm on the mac myself, I burn the complete private folder to a DVD-DL disc along with the panny transcoding app. I capture my events onto 8gig SD cards unfortunately the studios that hire me wont be shelling out for SD cards for every event.
As far as the panny app you can install it on the mac, I have a few windows app running using Darwine (IE, popcorn, etc)
http://www.kronenberg.org/darwine/
Click to expand...

I never heard of this. So this program will allow me to install the panny transcoder and go the dvcprohd right on my mac? How does this work for? Any hangups in speed or performance?
 
I don't understand this transcode to DVCProHD.

You take 1920x1080 4:2:0 information from the HMC150, and throw away a bunch of resolution to get to 1280x1080 with the same color information you already had.

How is this a good thing?
 
PerroneFord said:
I don't understand this transcode to DVCProHD.

You take 1920x1080 4:2:0 information from the HMC150, and throw away a bunch of resolution to get to 1280x1080 with the same color information you already had.

How is this a good thing?
Click to expand...


1280x1080... I think you mean 1280x720? you shouldn't have to throw away resolution and can stay 1920x1080...

They only need to do this:
A - to avoid transcoding
B - or don't have the file folder structure...
 
VLC on a Mac or PC will play raw mts file.

Include a link to download that free app, and please let's keep Mac and PC issues out of here if possible.
 
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