Avid to REDCine workflow bugs

[David_D]

I'm testing out the Avid workflow using Redcine and am getting a bug at the second to last step, which is to render out of Redcine.

Here it is:

1) Load all footage into Redcine, save and XML, convert XML to ALE using TestXSLT and the Avid XSL.
2) Generate _M res proxys in Redrushes and batch import into Avid using the converted ALE from Redcine.
3)Edit a simple 1 min. 30 sec. timeline using dupes and several chunks from the same shot clip, just to make sure it works.
4) Export Master XML in filmscribe, convert to RedCine XML using another Avid XSL.
5) Open up RedCine, load all shots again, then load the new generated XML to get the construct of my edit done. It builds it, however...

It does not seem to like the dupes and using several parts of the same clip. I had done this test last week in v.3.1.5 of RedCine and I'm pretty sure I didn't get this problem, but now all the clips that were dupes or chunks from the same clip render out accelerated, so they don't match my 'offline' timeline when I load them back into Avid for final mastering. The clips from which I had only take a single piece of in my edit render out fine and at the right speed though. One thing I did notice is v.3.1.8 of RedCine doesn't seem to interpret dupes the same way as 3.1.5. They used to mark a (2) the second time a clip would be used, but I'm not seeing this now.

Anyone have any ideas?

 

[MichaelP]

Interesting - perhaps this is something to post in the REDCINE forum as it really seems to be a REDCINE issue. What are you render to as an export format?

Michael

 

[David_D]

I am rendering to QT 1920x1080 in DnX HD.

I have now solved that problem in order to be faced with another. The problem was not with the render from RedCine, but with the output filename settings. I had set it as #F, which is use filename when naming the quicktime. Problem is, if I had two parts from a single clip, it would generate a single Quicktime, with both pieces stuck together with a timecode break in the middle. Then, obviously, Avid would import it as one clip and I think it accelerated it then trying to fit it inside the ALE events overall duration? Dunno. Either way, this is solved by having RedCine generate a seperate folder for each event in the RedCine construct. This is fine for RedCine and the renders, but now I'm not quite sure how to automate the batch import into Avid from the new ALE I will generate. I don't want to link them all one by one, and even if I move all the Redcine generated Quicktimes into a single folder and then batch import, I'm concerned about the very probable mistakes that will be caused by having several quicktimes with the same name. Chances are it will link to the wrong file.

v.3.1.5 used to add a (2), (3) etc. when generating the quicktime names, but this brings up the same problem when I get to batch import into Avid and I want to automate the linking process.

Any ideas?

 

[David_D]

As I expected, moving all the REDCine generated Quicktimes into a single folder allowed to quickly auto link during the batch import, but in most cases it linked to the wrong quicktime. I was hoping it would maybe base the autolink on duration as well as filename, but it does not appear so. The result now is I have some accelerated clips in my sequence relink and some slowed down clips, as if Avid readjusted the speed of say a 30 second clip to fit a 20 second ALE generated master clip and vice versa.

 

[David_D]

Ok, so I finally found a part of the answer through another thread and have now solved my problems.

The trick is to generate the new Hi Res QTs in RedCine using EVENT#Z/#C.mov as the output filename option. This creates a seperate directory for each quicktime file, and also adds a '2' or '3', etc. at the end of quicktimes that came from a shot that was already used.

Then, once all the QTs are rendered, load them up into MetaCheater and generate an ALE. Batch import the ALE into Avid and relink the new masterclips with the original Offline sequence.

 

[MichaelP]

Have you read the Step by Step guide on Avid.com/reed? It shows the steps for REDCINE with naming.

Michael

 

[David_D]

Yep, that's what I've been following. As far as I can tell, though, if I follow it step by step, I still get this issue with dupes. The Step by step guide says to use #C as the output filename option in Redcine, but when working with two or more selects pulled from a single R3D clip during editing (which will obviously happen very often in any edit), Redcine generates a single Hi Res quicktime file with timecode breaks in it for all of the selects that have the same filename (at least it does in RedCine 3.1.8).

The only way I've managed to have it generate new quicktimes for every timecode change and therefore allow a conform back into Media Composer 3.5 is to generate the Quicktimes in Redcine using #C_#Z (filename_event#), then load all the Quicktimes into Metacheater and batch import the metacheater ALE. Using Metacheater avoids having to link the clips one at a time inside the Avid batch import menu, since the ALE will be generated using the new names of the Hi Res quicktime files, unlike the recommended route which uses a converted Redcine XML to generate the ALE, but which will be looking for the standard RED filename. Unless I'm missing something, they should tweak the Avid RED step by step guide.

 

[MichaelP]

Good point - the step by step guide refers to the initial dailies creation. It will need to be updated for the selects process where spans from same clip names are created. That was handled in Monkey and soon ClipFinder by naming the clips with an _001, _002 type designation, but this needs to be defined by the user in REDCINE.

Thanks for the heads up -

Michael