23.98p to 1080i frame rate conversion

[doug@stuncreative]

We're prepping do do our 3rd Red Cam post project. They're shooting at 23.98p. Previously we used Red Alert to do a one light and transcode from the RED raw files to 1080pProRes 422HQ but maintained the 23.98p. We then used Crimson to go back to the raw files and color corrected in Apple Color. It all worked as planned, well, almost. Anyway, we learned a lot.

On this next project we will be blending existing 29.97 1080i footage into the workflow so I want to change the frame rate (add pulldown) during the transcoding to ProRes process so I can work in FCP at 29.97 1080i.
Any advice? I'm planning on using RedCine to add the pulldown but I'm afraid of the render times and it doesn't seem to be an option in Red Alert.

I've searched the forum but can't find anyone working in this workflow but it seems like it would happen all the time, at least in my world of broadcast promotion.

PS. I don't want to let FCP add the pull down because we've never been really happy with that result.

Any advice? Thanks.

Doug Ryan
Director of Post Production
Stun Creative
Los Angeles

 

[NateWeaver]

Compressor can do it, as of the version included in FCS3.

-In the codec panel, specify 29.97 as frame rate (as opposed to "current")

-Turn on Frame Control

-Then specify bottom or top field. Bottom is what you usually want.

If you do all that, Compressor will be smart for a change and actually add correct 3:2 pulldown instead of the frame blending it used to do a couple years back.

 

[Kaku Ito]

to add Nate's suggestion, FCP should be able to insert pulldown, too.

Place your 23.976 clip to 60i timeline, check which pulldown cadence you want (in the RT pulldown menu or in the sequence setup), the export as QuickTime (not conversion).

 

[Tyler Black]

I just finished a large project with this very problem. I thought there might be a simpler one-step process, but what I came up with is what Nate suggested. I converted to 422 ProRes HQ 23.98 first from Red Alert, then took that result and ran it through compressor for the 1080i conversion.

I have a dual quad core and it STILL took for freakin' ever to do about 1.5 hours of footage. And it took quite a bit of free room on the system's hard drive for the buffer. I'd say I had somewhere between 15 and 20 hours of conversion from the raw to ProRes to 1080 when it was said and done. And the resulting footage (I'm not done yet so I haven't tallied lately) looks like it's going to be in the 1.5 terabyte range.

 

[Roy Pearson]

You might try the Nattress standards conversion plugin for FCP:

http://www.nattress.com/Products/standardsconversion/standardsconversion.htm

It will convert 24p to 29.97 using the proper pulldown, and the render times should be faster than using Compressor.

 

[Camilo Ganado]

Try with shake, work with the sequence in 24 fps, just send the final .mov to shake, and do the convert there.