4,5k Final Cut to Scratch Workflow...

[Christoph Heimer]

Hi there,

this is my first time editing of Red files, shot for my latest movie in 4,5k resolution.

I was planning on converting everything to prores proxy files with redrushes, editing in fcp 7, and later send an edl to my color grading artist who is using scratch.

Now i found myself in front of several problems:
1st: The files out of redrushes appear in the right aspect at first, but once using digital cinema preview on my 2nd display, they seem to be 16:9 instead of 1:2.40. Why is that?

The Other question is, what do i have to set in redrushes, so that later, scratch will be able to relink the qt files back to the original redfiles?

Any tutorials about that kind of workflow? Or any knowledge? I thought with the latest Final Cut installer, 4,5k support was added, but while i can watch the clips, the timeline shows them with a red bar above them so i'm not able to playback the clips in the timeline... Please help

 

[Nick Shaw]

The files out of redrushes appear in the right aspect at first, but once using digital cinema preview on my 2nd display, they seem to be 16:9 instead of 1:2.40. Why is that?

Digital Cinema desktop only works properly with standard video resolutions in either 4x3 or 16x9 aspect ratios. Non standard resolutions will 'snap' to 16x9 on playback. That does not mean there is anything wrong with the ProRes files. It is just a limitation of Digital Cinema Desktop.

You might consider rendering your ProRes files in a standard video resolution with the 2.4:1 image letterboxed into it.

 

[Christoph Heimer]

Ok thanks for that one, actually worked.

But what about the time code / relink in scratch issue?

 

[mikeburton]

Scratch can conform both Edgecode and TC. Just render the prores files, edit and send an EDL to Scratch and you'll be fine.

 

[Torrey Loomis]

Scratch can conform both Edgecode and TC. Just render the prores files, edit and send an EDL to Scratch and you'll be fine.

Mike has some firsthand experience with that workflow on a project he did for us. Turned out great.

Torrey
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Torrey Loomis
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[Mark Toia]

Heres a crazy one for you.

We output all our files to 4444 PRO RES PD 265 LOG and or RED LOG. all in 2048x1024 (2k) Via RED CINE X. (all real time)

We then graded everything in FCP to what we liked. (grading from a log base is awesome).

We then sent our final tiff sequence files to the lazer film out people... low and behold.. It was perfect!!!

No scratch, no Base light, no TC at all. We were all shocked with the results, everything was perfect to what we were looking at on our screens.

We did a side by side film out test with our new (evil) PRO RES FCP grading and a BASE LIGHT grade conform output, just to see if there was a difference.
No-one in the cinema could tell the difference in clarity, color and gamma... Quite simply we all got confused wuth which one was which, laughed and left.

We have been told that we are Mad and should be shot, hung, drawn and quartered for our blasphemy.
But hey... I say screw the norm. RED did. Apple did it...
It's just more stuff to upset people with.

 

[mikeburton]

If your good with that workflow, great. But, not everyone feels comfortable working that way and for good reason. For me, it's not about the tool or rocking the post-production boat and upsetting people, it's about getting reliable results each and every time with workflows and experience that clients trust. That workflow may work great for you on your personal projects but good luck sitting in a client session that way. Sometimes a lot of folks really forget around here that just because you can do it yourself doesn't mean you should. I'm all for doing more with less for personal projects but I wouldn't laugh at professional workflows just because you made your one small personal film work out of Final Cut. BTW, how long did it take you to render those files out of Final Cut compared to the Baselight?

 

[Mark Toia]

Yep. Your upset. Tsk tsk.
I don't do personal projects. All are client based and all are very very happy big payers. They are all quite comfitable sitting in our cinema watching it all happened in real time.
Just another option for all to use... and rendering out a 60sec tvc for cinema takes about 2 mins.

Just relax mate. Old ways or new ways what ever works.

 

[Lucas Wilson]

Yep. Your upset. Tsk tsk.
I don't do personal projects. All are client based and all are very very happy big payers. They are all quite comfitable sitting in our cinema watching it all happened in real time.
Just another option for all to use... and rendering out a 60sec tvc for cinema takes about 2 mins.

Just relax mate. Old ways or new ways what ever works.

Mark,

Nobody's upset... if your workflow works for you and you get good results - cool! What you're doing is not really new or revolutionary. I know a bunch of shops that are doing filmouts from Color. If you know what you're doing - it works. Just takes much more time. If you've got the time, it's a great way to work!

Good. Fast. Cheap.
Pick two.

Lucas
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ASSIMILATE, inc.
LA, CA, USA
(currently in Beijing...)