Stop/start breaks during FCP capture

S

samarkand

Member
Capturing HDV footage via a Sony HVR-M25U deck to FCP 5.1.1 is giving me a new clip each time there is a shot change on the tape. Under User Prefs I have chosen "Warn After Capture" for any time code breaks (though these aren't time code breaks of the 00:00:00 variety), but still a full tape capture will result in as many as 60 or more subclips where the camera stopped and started again. How can I set FCP to simply capture the whole tape without making any subclips?

Najeeb
 
Well by the sounds my friend you are having time code brakes. After the take did you stop and watch what you shot on set. that will do it everytime. The onlything you could really do. It in the prefs select ignore timecode brakes and just do a capture now on the whole tape. Might work. Other way is to dub the tape on another tape.
 
Markers vs. breaks

Markers vs. breaks

To clarify those are not time code breaks but rather shot changes, i.e. where the camera was stopped and started again. There is a reference to this in the FCP manual n which these breaks are referred to as markers where an editor would be able to break a longer segment into subclips after capture. In my case, instead of placing markers there, FCP is creating subclips on the fly.

Should these have been actual timecode breaks - which they cannot be because they match exactly with the end of each shot - I would expect that the full tape would be captured without sub-clips being created since in the User Prefs, under "On timecode break" pop-up menu, the "Warn after Capture" setting is selected.

Is there another setting I'm missing?

Najeeb
 
Warn After Capture works, but only if there are no SERIOUS timecode breaks. But, unfortunatly, a lot of cameras do introduce minor TC breaks when you start and stop recording. It SHOULD not cut it up into seperate cilps if you have WAC selected, and have Abort Capture on Dropped Frames de-selected. Never used the Sony HDV cams before, have no idea if there's an issue with them.

Be absolutly sure you're capture settings match your source exactly.

There is a DV Start/Stop Detect feature in FCP, but it reads time of day metadata, not the SMPTE TC. It's a function you run on a captured file, not during capture.

I do know one videographer who rented a Sony HDV camera and captured to FCP without this problem. I'd also double check the tape in the deck, does it show exact time code unbroken between takes?

Non-Controlable Device may be a capture option that will work around this. It's in the Capture Settings tab in the Log & Capture window, in the Device Control drop down menu. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't if you have major time code breaks on the tape. Contrary to popular belief, this setting does still look at the source's time code, it just ignores any Firewire control the device may or may not have.
 
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