Timecode Calculator

DBoz699

DBoz699

Veteran
Jw...Im not into all technical things when it comes to makin movies...but why is it that people go crazy over timecode? like if it resets or somthing like that? And I was looking through this one website and there was a timecode calculator there..and i was thinking to myself...why would anyone need this? could someone plz explain this to me?

http://www.mediachance.com/dvdlab/freetime.htm
 
Well timecode is your life in post. Everything you do from cut,effects,and sound are all based off of timecode. It is really important to trynot to break timecode so when your doing in online offline situation you will not have any captureing problems. Timecode is just what makes everything work and syncs everything up.
 
Timecode is your map. If it's incomplete, you're lost-and so's your NLE. I use a timecode calculator when working with film to calculate how many feet I'll need based on material to shoot or when I'm logging and digitizing a television show to make sure I'm going to capture the right lengths.

It's usually simple math but when the TC is time of day on a multi-cam shoot and I've got sixteen hours of tape to get through, it's always better safe than sorry as a simple mistake can set me back an hour and a half.
 
hey that's a great find for someone that claims to not understand TimeCode.
Thanks for the link.
Just so you know - timecode is extremely important in the broadcast world where every 1/30th of a second is accounted for in programming.

" like if it resets or somthing like that?" - Timecode doesn't "reset" like the counter on your VHS machine. - That's a control track counter on the VHS that resets if you press the counter reset button or eject the tape. TC is recorded on the tape and stays on the tape so it makes it possible to find a single frame any time you need to even if you eject the tape.

Imagine you have a VHS tape that's two hours long and there is a shot that last exactly 1/2 second that you need to show someone. Now rewind that tape and put it in another machine and try to find that exact 1/2 second image.... not too easy.
With timecode you write down the exact TC which is read in hours:minutes:seconds:frames - 00:00:00:00
rewind the tape and place it in a different machine and cue it right up to the exact point. Voila!

Now don't ask the difference between drop-frame and non drop-frame... that's a whole other discussion.............
 
Sirius_Doggy said:
Imagine you have a VHS tape that's two hours long and there is a shot that last exactly 1/2 second that you need to show someone. Now rewind that tape and put it in another machine and try to find that exact 1/2 second image.... not too easy.
With timecode you write down the exact TC which is read in hours:minutes:seconds:frames - 00:00:00:00
rewind the tape and place it in a different machine and cue it right up to the exact point. Voila!

Now don't ask the difference between drop-frame and non drop-frame... that's a whole other discussion.............
Click to expand...

The DVX uses non-drop frame timecode, but most people use a drop frame timeline when editing. So for the same frame, the time code displayed on the camera will be different from the timecode displayed on your NLE. Just another good use for a calculator.
 
Sumfun said:
The DVX uses non-drop frame timecode, but most people use a drop frame timeline when editing. So for the same frame, the time code displayed on the camera will be different from the timecode displayed on your NLE. Just another good use for a calculator.
Click to expand...
Sorry but that is incorrect.
The DVX will shoot Non-drop or drop frame in regular 60i mode and only drop-frame mode in 24p.
 
Sirius_Doggy said:
Sorry but that is incorrect.
The DVX will shoot Non-drop or drop frame in regular 60i mode and only drop-frame mode in 24p.
Click to expand...

This is also incorrect, well half of it is;

The DVX100 will allow drop or non drop when shooting 30p or 60i and will only shoot non drop when in any of the 24p modes.


Michael
 
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