P2 file names in Premiere

C

carbon3c

Active member
I borrowed an HVX200 and used it for the first time this weekend. The P2 file names show up as cryptic alphanumeric strings. For example: 0001GE, 0010GF, 0017W4, etc. It's difficult to match up the shots with my production report, because we thought the file names were sequential, and that's what we put on the production reports. I had to return the camera, so I can't play with it to figure out a better solution. Is there a way to 1) change the way the file names are generated and/or 2) see the file name on the HVX200 LCD so they can be recorded on the production report as each shot is taken? Preferably I'd like a way to change the name generation to something meaningful. Thanks.

Dan
 
They are sequentail...the first number...0001, 0002...that is sequential. The last two digits are random. This is to ensure that you don't get two clips with the same file name twice. No way to change the file naming, sorry. And you can't see it on the screen either. BUT, you can see timecode so you can note that.

HOWEVER...you can add metadata to this footage before you shoot. Using P2PCM and METADATA UPLOAD you can create custom clip names that will go up sequentially. Raylight will see these names, not sure if Premiere does. FCP doesn't, but with HD Log you can make it so it will. And Avid sees them. But you are on Premiere.
 
That helps. I sorted the clips by "Media Start" in premiere, and now I see that the first 4 digits are sequential, and they restart each time I reformatt the card. Thanks!
 
If this is Premiere Pro CS3, you should be seeing the UserClip Names instead of the XXXXXX.mxf file names -- if they're assigned. If not, the six-digit name will come up.

In the future, assign the UserClip Name. A great way to go is to assign a metadata upload in P2 Viewer for each shot -- say, "Scn 31 Tk " -- and then the camera will assign the take numbers according to starting/stopping recording. So, you end up with a sequential series of UserClip Names -- "Scn 31 Tk 0001," "Scn 31 Tk 0002," and so on. Then, in PP, the clips will show those names and should be easy to reference, sort, etc..

This, of course, only applies to PP 3.1 or later; if you're using Raylight with PP 2 or earlier, you won't have access to the metadata.
 
Thanks to Jan and Nexis for pointing us to the excellent articles. As a relatively new HVX200a owner, I have questions relating to this topic:

1) After a clip is shot, is there a way to change the metadata on the clip while it is in the camera (i.e. change the User Clip Name or Shooter). I know some of the data should not be changed.

2) After the P2 information is transfered to a hard drive, can the User Clip Name be changed, in the clip metadata file, with something like Notepad without causing problems.

3) I use Premiere Pro CS3 on Windows XP to edit. It works great in that files do not have to be transcoded before they can be viewed and it uses the User Clip Name for imported files. After shooting, I transfer P2 files with a laptop. My question is: After files have been transfered to a hard drive, what is the best software to view the footage? I have a desktop with Premiere Pro CS3 for editing. Should I also load it on my laptop so that footage can be viewed on set or is their a better viewing software? P2 Viewer works while the P2 card is in the camera but does not seem to work with P2 files on the hard drive.

Thanks in advance,
Linda
 
lcwarden said:
1) After a clip is shot, is there a way to change the metadata on the clip while it is in the camera (i.e. change the User Clip Name or Shooter).
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With an HPX170, yes. With an HVX, no. But you can change it in the computer by using P2 Viewer or P2 CMS.

2) After the P2 information is transfered to a hard drive, can the User Clip Name be changed, in the clip metadata file, with something like Notepad without causing problems.
Click to expand...
Yes, if you know exactly what you're doing. But it's far easier and far more foolproof to use a program like P2CMS or P2 Viewer to do that.

Should I also load it on my laptop so that footage can be viewed on set or is their a better viewing software? P2 Viewer works while the P2 card is in the camera but does not seem to work with P2 files on the hard drive.
Click to expand...
Looks like the answer to all your questions is going to be the same: P2 Viewer. Yes it'll work to play footage off the hard drive, you just have to establish a virtual p2 card and point to it, and then you can play all your clips off the hard disk.
 
Barry,

Thank you, very much, for the reply. How does one establish a virtual P2 card? Once I've done that, I'll take your advice and use the P2 Viewer to edit metadata and view the files.

Best,
Linda
 
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