Varicam + HVX200 + Final Cut Pro HD + 1200A Deck

thefilmaddict

thefilmaddict

Veteran
I just shot my short film using the HVX200 and the Varicam. I shot 24p with the varicam and 720 24pn with the HVX200.

Now it's time to edit. I am using Final Cut Pro HD (5.0.4). I borrowed a Panasonic HDAJ1200A Deck from work and it uses fire wire.

Here are a few questions:

1. What setting should I use with Final Cut Pro? I imagine I want DVCPRO HD 24P, right? A friend told me to digitize small clips and make sure my ins and outs are before cuts on the tape (for pull down removal purposes). Anything else I should know about this process?

2. I plan on doing color correction on the Avid Nitris at work (which will allow me to work uncompressed). I am using FCP at home to do the rough cut. After the rough cut is done do I:

Output from Final Cut Pro to the deck, then redigitize the edited master at work onto the Avid Nitris, then color correct? Will this result in quality loss? If I don't color correct on Final Cut Pro, will the footage be as good as the original tapes?

OR

Export some sort of EDL from Final Cut Pro and rebuild the project in the AVID NITRIS? How do I do this?

3. The DS Nitris does not use firewire. How do I get my HVX200 footage into that system? Should I just dump my HVX200 footage to a tape using the 1200A deck? The system does use HD SDI in, so the varicam footage with the deck will be no problem.

Sorry for all of these questions, I just don't want to make any mistakes when going from one system to the next.

THANKS!
 
Lots of things here...

1) Correct. Use Easy Set Up for DVCPRO HD 24p. You could always remove the pulldown later, but why bother?

Since you are going to a Nitris, the easiest way is simply to use Automatic Duck Pro Export. Per the web page (and you could always email Wes Plate just to confirm this), Nitris should work fine since it can capture at 24 fps.

While AD seems like a somewhat costly solution, it is infinitely cheaper in the long run because (presuming that there is the compatibility with 24p in Nitris which I believe to be true), you will do it fast and right the first time.

You could waste hours laying back to tape, recapturing on the Nitris via SDI and removing pulldown. This way, you will have you entire FCP timeline and all of the media transfered to a hard drive which you can then take to the Nitris and start editing/color correcting immediately.

Ned Soltz
 
Thanks Ned!

What about:

3. The DS Nitris does not use firewire. How do I get my HVX200 footage into that system? Should I just dump my HVX200 footage to a tape using the 1200A deck? I think that the deck records 50 fps. Will that cause pull down issues?
 
If you are using Automatic Duck, you will have avid-compatible files (OMF or AAF). Can you transfer the files over a network? What is the storage medium on that system? I would presume SCSI so you might need to scare up a SCSI drive just as a transfer drive to move it to the Nitris' raid.

Ned
 
NEW UPDATE:

I have the Kona LH card. I think that it does HD SDI. Since this film has no FX, I just need good color correction, would I be better off keeping the edit in Final Cut Pro HD? It would be faster.

If I do decide to do that, should I still capture DVCPRO 720 24P CODEC or something better?

Can my G5 handle the better quality formats (It's Dual 2 GHz PowerPC G5, 4.5 GB RAM). I have about 800 GB of storage and 6 hours of DVCPRO HD tapes to digitize.

THANKS!
 
To use HD SDI with the deck, do I need some sort of sync or can the deck and Kona card work without buying HD sync generator?????
 
Ned, can you please be specific in reference to "digitize small clips and make sure my ins and outs are before cuts on the tape (for pull down removal purposes). Anything else I should know about this process?"
I am working with my son on many hours of varicam / hvx200 integration as well.
Our goal for this weekend is to get it all on a hardrive.
Thanks
Chuck
"I am out for about 3 hours"
 
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