4 terabytes of R3D redcode 36

[George Butterfield]

We have 4 terabytes of R3D Redcode 36 (16x9) on two 2 terabyte drives. This is all the clips (plus coverage ~6/1 ) to make an approx 90 movie. Each clip has from one to 4 tracks of sound. (WE used Red One to capture the sound). Music/Foley etc. will be added during the Edit. What is the workflow Using a Mac and FCS to edit this movie? The hardware requirement is not the issue, we just need to know the complete workflow. The final output is to be a SD DVD 16x9 suitable for projection at film festivals.

thanks.

 

[MichaelP]

My first piece of advice would be that your final output be an HD color corrected master, one with titles, the other textless. From there you can make all the SD and other deliverables as needed.

Michael

 

[George Butterfield]

thanks,
To save bandwidth I'll just read all replies, hopefully many, and try to figure out what they mean :001_smile:

 

[Tom.Wong]

do you intend to go into a finishing suite when the cut is locked? ie. color grading, and do you have VFX to put in, etc?

 

[Marc Wielage]

What is the workflow Using a Mac and FCS to edit this movie? The hardware requirement is not the issue, we just need to know the complete workflow. The final output is to be a SD DVD 16x9 suitable for projection at film festivals.

Gee, this is kinda like saying, "I just bought a camera, a lens, a tripod and a couple of lights. How do I shoot?"

Workflow issues are vast and enormous, complicated and expensive. There's too many variables to account for that would prevent any kind of quick, superficial answer.

I can come up with a few questions: how are you going to color-correct? What's the aspect ratio? Did you use custom LUTs? What are you going to monitor on? How many visual effects will be required? How are you doing your titles? Will there be a film delivery at any point? What is your distributor asking for? How do you plan to mix the sound for the film? Will you ever project in 4K, or only 2K?

I would start by talking to whoever is going to color-time the movie and ask them how they want the source reels prepared, or if they'd prefer to do the debayering and conform themselves. Noah Kadner's book goes into workflow issues to a point, but it's 2 years old now and some things don't apply (or are now done slightly differently).

Generally, what I've advised my clients is to look on post production and workflow as a train. The finish line is represented by the caboose; the locomotive is just the beginning of production. You gotta do whatever it takes to make it to the end. Every step you take is dictated by the final deliverables, the schedule, and the budget. One wrong move, and the whole train falls off the tracks.

Bottom line: my thinking is, have the color-correction person or facility conform each reel, one at a time. Color-correct each reel as 1920x1080 444 HD (preferably on a system that can later reconform the original 4K files if you need it), in Rec709 colorspace. Output these as DPX or whatever format works for the post facility. Take each finished, color-timed reel and line them up for final output to HDCam-SR 444. Don't worry about audio; you can provide a rough guide track if you want. Be aware that any further changes after this point will require more time and money. It's important to lock the film edit and keep it locked.

Create an OMF for the supervising sound mixer and dialog editor. Do a rough mix to get everything as close as possible, and to determine the need for ADR if necessary. Give the sound facility a lower-res QuickTime version of each reel as a picture reference. Mix the movie on a re-recording stage (or room) designed for that purpose, using a lower-res version of the final conformed reels. Take the final 5.1 sound mix and lay it back to the HDCam-SR videotapes. (You may also want to reserve 2 tracks for a Lt/Rt Dolby Stereo mix.) Get the movie QC'd to make sure there are no technical issues that will stop it from being aired on television or pressed as consumer DVDs or Blu-ray discs. Once this is approved, downconvert the HDCam-SR to a longplay standard-def Digibeta tape. Take that tape and have it authored as a DVD. (Better yet, convince the film festival to accept Digibeta.) Be aware that different distributors may have very specific requirements for each video version -- different aspect ratios, video standards, textless material, sound mixes, etc.

This is why filmmakers need to attend the Createasphere Red Post seminars taught by Michael Cioni. That will at least give you the foundation of the basics you need to push a film through post. Because of the potential for wasting time and money, my best suggestion is to hire a post supervisor (or at least a consultant) to guide you through this critical stage. Otherwise, it can wind up like trying to remove your own appendix. Sure, you could do it yourself if you learned the right surgical skills and had the right drugs, but it's a helluva lot easier just to hire a skilled surgeon and get it done right the first time.