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  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

My new Avid workflow

D

Dylan Reeve

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It's still a work in progress... But here is what I've been playing with at the moment (until Michael and Avid cough up their workflow).

1) REDline script to create QT refs in a single directory.
2) REDline script to pull all Metadata from R3D files to CSV
2) Metacheater to create ALE
3) Import ALE
4) Batch import QT reference files.
5) Edit
6) Decompose in Avid
7) Export EDL.
8) Export ALE of Decomposed Clips

I then have written a little program that go through the ALE file and the CSV of metadata looking.. It then generates a script to execute REDline to generate DPX files for each shot (with whatever handles were decomposed in Avid).

So far is seems to work. I've checked it by reconforming 2K in Apple's Color - however I'll be using the same process to send footage to Baselight later on.

The ALE is good, as the Avid decompose function is very good, and a lot easier to parse properly.

Seems to work.

The programming language I'm most familiar with these days is PHP - so maybe I'll make it a web-based thing for others, if there's interest.
 
Are the DPX shots you create put into individual folders, each named with the full clip name? ie A001_C001_080312

If they are, and if we use the new Avid EDL template that allows the full clip name to be the Tape name in the EDL, then this method should work for reconforming on most DI systems.

How are you currently matching the EDL to the DPX files? (since you got this working without the new EDL template, are you relying on the Reel name and the timecode being unique?)

cheers

-Jabez
 
Well I've been exploring a few ideas.

As far as I can tell the 'originator' header in the DPX is just the reel_id (ie. A001) so I've been setting 'Tape' in Avid to simply that, using standard CMX3600 EDL and using a metadata database I build from the clips to search each clip from the reel for matching timecode (given I have duplicate reels this seems to be working).

For each clip I identify I then generate a REDline command to export the target frames from the file. In theory it works, but for some reason I'm not getting all the files I think I should... The ones I do get seem to link up nicely, but the only DPX-aware conforming tool I have is Color and it provides absolutely no feedback at all.

Here's a sample of a few lines from my script:

# Clips from /Volumes/POCKET 01/Annabel Faye/B001_080314/B001_080314.RDM/B001_C010_080314.RDC/B001_C010_080314_001.R3D (14:30:07:00 - 14:30:41:22)
# Footage for event(s): 1, 28 (14:30:07:00 - 14:30:37:22)
/usr/sbin/REDline -i "/Volumes/POCKET 01/Annabel Faye/B001_080314/B001_080314.RDM/B001_C018_080314.RDC/B001_C018_080314_001.R3D" -o B001_14300700-14303722 -w 0 --resizeX 2048 --resizeY 1024 -k 5600 -s 0 -e 772

[...snip...]

# Duration: 8052 frames (00:05:22:02)
# Clips: 85
# Fulfilled Events: 93
# Skipped Events: 0
 
So after fixing my little typo thing, I think I have something that's going to work pretty well.

Essentially I use REDline to generate a metadata database (in the form of a CSV file at the moment) and then parse the EDL (or the ALE of decomposed clips maybe) and look for a R3D file that contains that matches the Reel ID (I strip it down to the Reel ID only from the EDL) and contains the required timecode (which works for my dupe reels as they were shot at different times of day and contain unique timecode).

It builds a pull list from this (adding configurable handles to the shots and combining shots were efficient). Then that pull list creates a shell script to execute REDline to pull the DPX files out.

I could really use an little app that will show me the DPX header data. That would be mucho handy. Any suggestions?
 
You could always skip the decompose stage by doing a pull list in FilmScribe with user defined handles. In either case, you are still doing a merge process back to the R3D files to create the DPX, but it sounds pretty cool.
 
I really like Avid Decompose function - it's what I'm familiar with. Not sure I've even got FilmScribe installed. I will have a look at that next week.

The ALE thing wasn't quite working for me, but that may have been the way I was reading the data. But it does save me having to code my own interpreter for an EDL (a reversed shot had be confused for a while). My EDL parsing is very simplistic at the moment (the edit I was working with was cuts-only).

One advantage I saw in using the EDL, however, was that using Comments in the EDL and locators in the timeline you could automate some instructions (say pull certain shots at a different colour temperature or at 4K rather than 2K for a scale in DI, or even scaling instructions).

That main thing I'm doing it pulling a CSV of all the metadata from the target files, and using that - means I'm not limited if the full filename isn't passing through the process, as long as the timecode and reel number are coming through. However duplicate reels with repeated timecode (say, shot on different days) could still be a problem - not one I have to worry about yet.
 
What is the file format you are creating after the ALE to CSV merge?

Michael
 
I'm creating a shell script full of calls to REDline at the moment. I will also make it able to create a REDCINE XML - but I've been having trouble with them and haven't had a chance to revisit.
 
Sycophant said:
...as long as the timecode and reel number are coming through. However duplicate reels with repeated timecode (say, shot on different days) could still be a problem - not one I have to worry about yet.
Click to expand...

If you use Avid's new EDL template (see other thread) then you can pass the entire filename through as the tape name in the EDL. That will prevent there ever being a chance that two frames are identified by the same tape and timecode combination.
 
Problem is where I have two distinct clips that share a common name (but are in a different physical path on the disk).

I will expand my little script to support both methods.
 
Sycophant said:
Problem is where I have two distinct clips that share a common name (but are in a different physical path on the disk).

I will expand my little script to support both methods.
Click to expand...
I'm assuming you're talking about common name issues created on the same day (it's the same day David! THE SAME DAY! sorry NZ tvc joke...).

You can rename the files quite happily. I had a job last week where they had trouble with the camera resetting the roll# & shot#. they put them into an appropriate numbered folder and we just batch renamed the R3Ds appropriately, worked a treat.

Dylan, let me know if you want me to run the script over anything here,

Cheers

B
 
Brenton said:
I'm assuming you're talking about common name issues created on the same day (it's the same day David! THE SAME DAY! sorry NZ tvc joke...).
Click to expand...

Yeah I shout that out a few times a month... It'll never die.

You can rename the files quite happily. I had a job last week where they had trouble with the camera resetting the roll# & shot#. they put them into an appropriate numbered folder and we just batch renamed the R3Ds appropriately, worked a treat.
Click to expand...

Indeed, but the metadata remains the same I believe (at least it does when I read it with REDline). Still not a huge issue as long as the timecodes are unique on the duped reels and I avoid overwriting one with another during copy.

Dylan, let me know if you want me to run the script over anything here.
Click to expand...

My problem at the moment is not having any effective way to test the conforming of my outputted DPXs and EDL... We've sent some stuff to 'another post facility' where they were going to play with it on their Baselight, but I don't think they tried the EDL conform.

All I can tell is that Apple Color does not conform the EDL properly against my DPX files, but I can't tell why as there is not error reporting whatsoever on that... It just completely ignores some events. I don't know why.

If you or Andew or Paul would be keen to try a simple conform on my EDL and DPXs, that would be mighty helpful. Once I get my drive back from 'the other post facility'.
 
Sycophant said:
My problem at the moment is not having any effective way to test the conforming of my outputted DPXs and EDL... We've sent some stuff to 'another post facility' where they were going to play with it on their Baselight, but I don't think they tried the EDL conform.
Click to expand...
What! You're not using us! Scoundrel! ;)

If you or Andew or Paul would be keen to try a simple conform on my EDL and DPXs, that would be mighty helpful. Once I get my drive back from 'the other post facility'.
Click to expand...
No problems. Come round for a beverage one night and we'll test a conform.
 
Brenton said:
What! You're not using us! Scoundrel! ;)
Click to expand...

I don't make the decisions on those things, sadly.

No problems. Come round for a beverage one night and we'll test a conform.
Click to expand...

In the end, the 'other place' did actually try the EDL and it worked (mostly except a coding error on my part that meant reels with a 9 in them didn't work). I will however revise my script a little more and create some more testy-bits.
 
Sycophant said:
Settle down Scott... We'll star talking about about head and tail handles, or something.
Click to expand...


Referred to by us editors as "in-out duration." ;)

Michael
 
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