PLEASE PANASONIC : give us the availabilty to change and customize the clip name !

One can set up metadata files in advance and load them as needed. I have brought files into FCP and had the user clip name i created in metadata show up in the FCP list. THis takes some planning. It would be fantastic to be able to edit metadata info in the camera... If one is going to make use of meta data, being able to edit same in camera is kind of a no brainer. Till that time comes I'm doing it the way it needs to be done now.
 
Shooter said:
I guess that using the metadata filename is the solution provided.

Personally I would like to be able to just prefix the filename with say a reel (Card) ID eg A, B, C, D... and I would like to do it from the camera. Similar to setting a TC but in the Card Function Menu.

How about we add that function to the Rear Wheel ?
Click to expand...

Great idea, and simple. Not asking for rocket science here.
This is more relevant to the one man band I feel.

Say I've a multi-day shoot, long days, and I'm data handling too.
We wrap at 10 at night as we had night stuff too, for a dawn rise the next day to catch the light.
Back at the hotel with my multi-card reader I offload to my mirrored G-RAID mini.

For my sanity, FCP timeline and my Nuke I do not want 5 clips from my 5 cards all called 'Clip #5'
And because I'm knackered i do not have the time or energy to L&T my footage with custom names (although I have quickly scrubbed through the footage still on the cards to check various shots).

The joy of P2 was that every clip was uniquely named.

Nip the naming of the data at the top of the data pyramid and everything is easier.

Say my client wants a disk of rushes in the morning, I have to have a systemised naming process in place before I can sleep,
as I can't rename the clips after the fact as I'd have to individually link them in the timeline again when the client sends his 'selects' edit through,
(rather than all clips in the folder being re-linked once one is found).

So my sleep suffers, and then the shoot the next day, ad-infinitum.

And working in compositing post-production as I do, many things are command line based, including my Rush renderfarm.
In Unix (the base of OSX) a space is the sign of a new file whereas an underscore is part of the name, so suddenly file pathnames break. and a hash is a wildcard character, which is also bad.
Renders become GUI and local, so productivity goes out the door...
All boring and tedious things to deal with...

All because I didn't have a simple naming convention at the top of the data pyramid.
 
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Here's a suggestion, and it's what I actually do with pretty much all the media I acquire.... I use a batch renaming program called Advanced Renamer. It's incredibly flexible in what it can do, and you can create default naming templates and save them. Then use of the program to rename all your files is just a click or two away. Very useful software and the price is right too - it's free.

Oh, it's Windows only, but I'm sure there has to be something like it for Macs....
 
keylight said:
Here's a suggestion, and it's what I actually do with pretty much all the media I acquire.... I use a batch renaming program called Advanced Renamer. It's incredibly flexible in what it can do, and you can create default naming templates and save them. Then use of the program to rename all your files is just a click or two away. Very useful software and the price is right too - it's free.

Oh, it's Windows only, but I'm sure there has to be something like it for Macs....
Click to expand...

I use an old but fantastic renamer on OSX called R-name. Anything, anyway.
But that's one step down the chain from the top of that data pyramid, and I'd rather not have to do that.

All I want is a very simple way to have custom names recorded in-camera.
Right at the source. User names. Which I thought was meant to be a feature?

Not metadata but clip names. Every clip different for the shoot. No spaces or hashes.
I was honestly shocked with my first 2-card shoot that each had clips on numbered the same way, rather than just continuing the sequence of numbers across the cards.

I expect, but don't like it from my GH-13, but not my lovely new 101.

Computers are good at numbering things in sequence.
Humans when knackered make mistakes.
And same names can easily be written over totally different clips of the same name - the dreaded 'oh-no' second of realisation as you click 'yes' to replace.

Unique names at the top of the stack makes your life simple.
 
Mark Smith said:
One can set up metadata files in advance and load them as needed. I have brought files into FCP and had the user clip name i created in metadata show up in the FCP list. THis takes some planning. It would be fantastic to be able to edit metadata info in the camera... If one is going to make use of meta data, being able to edit same in camera is kind of a no brainer. Till that time comes I'm doing it the way it needs to be done now.
Click to expand...

Really? I've tried this several times, with no luck. The clips always come in as clip1, etc. Are you saying that after you establish a user clip name in the meta data on the cam that FCP will assign that name to the clip when you use log and transfer? Please share your steps if that's the case. This would be a Massive help to my workflow.
 
I work with high school students. Six HMC150s, my AF100, and 11 FCP editing stations. It is IMPOSSIBLE to find offline media. Granted, it would be easier if these students didn't have their projects named "Untitled Copy Copy Copy." But, I totally agree. The file naming system just is not professional. P2 wasn't great, but at least they were unique names.

I've tried many times to think up a resolution, but it all goes back to the camera giving the clips a unique name. Being able to name the clips something meaningful in the camera would be HUGE! But, at this point, a unique name, even a date-code-based name would be sufficient.
 
keylight said:
Here's a suggestion, and it's what I actually do with pretty much all the media I acquire.... I use a batch renaming program called Advanced Renamer. It's incredibly flexible in what it can do, and you can create default naming templates and save them. Then use of the program to rename all your files is just a click or two away. Very useful software and the price is right too - it's free.

Oh, it's Windows only, but I'm sure there has to be something like it for Macs....
Click to expand...


Thanks for this info. I downloaded the program last night and ran a quick test. I really think this is going to work better than trying to setup the metadata in the camera.
 
Hi,
thanks everyone on this forum, who try to help us to find a solution together.
but we don't want to have a new step to do with renaming the clip with "ADVANCED RENAMER".

As electrigpig said "But that's one step down the chain from the top of that data pyramid, and I'd rather not have to do that."

a professional camera as the AF101, with a footage so beautiful, so cinema like (i've tested the SONY F3 this afternoon, sincerely, how a 12000 euros camera can have an aliasing like that ??????...
but ok the definition and the dynamic ranger is better than AF101 !)

why this pro camera manage the files name as a toy ?
please PANASONIC help us !!!
i'm very worried about the no more transcode operation with Final CUt Pro X in June... today i'm managing well the transcode and the renaming with "LOG AND TRANSFERT" in 7.0.3... but in several month... i think the edit and the way to refind the original footage could be a very bad joke for editors...

thanks
Vincent
 
I am not sure why it is difficult to find or refind footage using the file naming as it stands.

Using a suitable and well organised Folder and File naming protocol makes this easier than any tape based workflow and definitely faster than any film based workflow when it comes to editing. This is vital to any media management of digital data.

My editing colleagues and I seem to have no difficulties locating files at all. Especially once they are in a project. Finding additional footage is simply a matter of going to the "well organised folder" that contains it. Folders are searchable and most NLEs have a Media Browser. Even Windows Explorer acts as a browser to a degree.

In saying that...I would like to be able to add a "reel ID" to the files as a suffix / pre fix to create a uniqueness factor. (eg. 4 alpha numerics)


To clarify things ..may I ask:

Are people asking for the abilty in camera to rename every clip with a unique name ( ie john at the beach, girl at the beach, waves at the beach...) or more of a pre fix / suffix addition to the existing file name ?

BTW:Windows Explorer quickly and easily can Batch rename a selection of files should that be what you want.
 
It's all a matter of programming. Give us the source code and the periferial info and every programmmer can modify the firmware to the need of the user. Who knows, we might get lucky with Panasonic.................
 
Shooter said:
I am not sure why it is difficult to find or refind footage using the file naming as it stands.

To clarify things ..may I ask:

Are people asking for the abilty in camera to rename every clip with a unique name ( ie john at the beach, girl at the beach, waves at the beach...) or more of a pre fix / suffix addition to the existing file name ?

BTW:Windows Explorer quickly and easily can Batch rename a selection of files should that be what you want.
Click to expand...
In many shooting situations there is no time to sit and structure everything on a computer, rename files or manage an orderly folder structure. A lot of times it's dump and go, especially at a small but busy shop or with a skeleton crew out in the middle of nowhere.

I am delivering a weeks worth of shooting to an editor this weekend and I don't like that it is a Day01 > Card01 folder structure with every card folder containing 0001.mts, 0002.mts etc. I have no idea how good or sloppy this editor is, and normally I wouldn't be able to sit and rename 1000+ clips to ensure he doesn't accidentally overwrite something or become confused. The ability to have custom generated or sequential filenames by default would remove this entire problem and I believe that is the point of this thread.
 
Vincent Tulasne said:
but we don't want to have a new step to do with renaming the clip with "ADVANCED RENAMER".
Click to expand...

Well, renaming actualy works really well. You'll always have a lot more flexibility with batch renaming. And, here I am guessing, you probably haven't looked at the softwarei mentioned. Once you set up and save a setting, it really does just add seconds. Certainly less time than it takes to change names on the fly in camera using buttons and/or scroll wheels.
 
In many shooting situations there is no time to sit and structure everything on a computer, rename files or manage an orderly folder structure. A lot of times it's dump and go, especially at a small but busy shop or with a skeleton crew out in the middle of nowhere.
Click to expand...

Management of the priceless rushes is of paramount importance at all times if you value them. Maybe you need more cards or to employ a data wrangler.
If you dont even have time to download in an orderly fashion..your rushes are at risk right from the get go and it sounds like you are dumping and re using the cards immediately. ie. NO BACK UPS!

IMHO. The editor should not even be editing source files so that eliminates that risk too ( if you end up with a sloppy editor)

That all said... I would really like the files ( clips) to be named as per P2 protocol ideally. Cryptic as all get out, but "unique" at least.
 
Shooter said:
To clarify things ..may I ask:

Are people asking for the abilty in camera to rename every clip with a unique name ( ie john at the beach, girl at the beach, waves at the beach...) or more of a pre fix / suffix addition to the existing file name ?

BTW:Windows Explorer quickly and easily can Batch rename a selection of files should that be what you want.
Click to expand...

It's a prefix / suffix thing. That would solve everything for me. Batch renaming does not work, because then you break the link between original footage and transcoded footage within FCP, so if you wanted to re Batch transcode, you wouldn't be able to have FCP do it automagically.
 
tacotim said:
It's a prefix / suffix thing. That would solve everything for me. Batch renaming does not work, because then you break the link between original footage and transcoded footage within FCP, so if you wanted to re Batch transcode, you wouldn't be able to have FCP do it automagically.
Click to expand...

exactly. if the clip numbers kept counting untill a reset (like timecode) it would be good. but each card starts the numbering from #1 again, and the numbers are not even padded, coupled with the fact on a mac that all cards mount as 'NO_NAME' (on a system level they become 1,2 etc) but on the desktop they all mount as NO_NAME, same as P2).

which gives you a sameness to everything that I don't find professional.

even using shotput pro, the cards are labelled as per your naming, and you can back upto multiple sources, but clips remain as clip #1,2,3 etc

this is at the top of the data pyramid

if a client needs a copy of the data at this point I'd want to give him the complete PRIVATE card stucture, which automatically contains clip #1,2,3 etc

if I now go back to my studio and log and transfer with FCP and add a logging name system, then I've broken the link with what I've given the client...

happened to me recently, and he kept sending me quick edits based on the raw clip #1,2,3 structure.

I actually had to go back and rename my renamed clips back to the original clip #1,2,3 structure as it became too confusing, and he didn't have anywhere near the tech ability or understanding to relink at his end.

coupled to the fact that a space and a wildcard character (#) is BAD COMPUTER PROTOCOL

clip_0001, clip_0002 - untill whenever I reset the number counter in camera.

that's the most basic I would ask for.

if a constant counter is not possible, then a letter as a card identifier could be added instead of clip as per Shooters suggestion, then atleast everything is unique:

A001, A002, A003
B001, B002, B003

nothing fancy.

if I could change the prefix to a simple 2 letter identifier at the start of the shoot, then coupled with a constant clip counter then i'd have a perfectly logged job, with unique names at the top of the data pyramid, with no renaming required:

wh0001, wh0002 etc

that would be a bonus, but a perfect way to shoot and store. and every clip on my disk at a basic card structure would be unique.
 
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Add me to the list of people who have been wanting this since I got the first of my HMC152s back in 2008. I also second Keylight's tip on Advanced Renamer, its awsome and very fast once you save your tasks as templates :)
 
I tried renaming some sample clips on a SD card with A Better Finder Renamer. Now I have 2 problems: When I L&T in FCP the clips still show up as clip 01, clip 02 Etc in the L&T window instead of what they have been renamed and 2) which I try to bring in a clip, L&T fails ...

Got any Hints? Is there some directory I've missed when renaming?
 
Mark Smith said:
I tried renaming some sample clips on a SD card with A Better Finder Renamer. Now I have 2 problems: When I L&T in FCP the clips still show up as clip 01, clip 02 Etc in the L&T window instead of what they have been renamed and 2) which I try to bring in a clip, L&T fails ...

Got any Hints? Is there some directory I've missed when renaming?
Click to expand...

My undererstanding is that if you are a FCP user, you do the renaming when doing your transcode ( L&T). Its part of the workflow. A renaming application is un necessary because of that.

Otherwise ..any renaming should not be done to the files on the source card!
 
copy that . I know about the FCP rename of course. The most important thing I find is having unique volume names so instead of "Cam SD" as a parent folder, re name the parent folder something significant & unique and that way the clip 001, clip 002 naming convention recedes in importance.

Shot Put Pro is my best friend for handling offloads and renaming of card volumes.
 
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