Resolve RED Workflow question

[Azzie Scott]

Can someone possibly assist me with a Resolve/RED workflow question. I honestly would like to speak with someone on the phone if they had a quick moment. Its a little difficult to explain in text. If anyone has a full understanding of Resolve 12.5 and can DM me their number for a quick chat that would be amazing.

 

[Marc Wielage]

This is one of those questions that's kind of like, "I'm thinking of building a boat. Can somebody tell me what materials I'll need and how to put it all together?"

Too many "if's" that are part of this scenario. Workflow methods hinge on specific edit programs, file formats, delivery destinations, and so on. It's very edit-software specific, because no two editing programs work exactly the same way.

The general rules of thumbs are:

• when you lock your picture, flatten the timelines down to no more than 2 video tracks

• speed changes, VFX, and size changes may have to be rendered out separately depending on complexity -- they don't as a rule translate well between programs (but there are always exceptions)

• media manage the project so that only the actual used takes are provided on a drive

• if it's a feature, break down the show into reels, typically about 20 minutes each, so that if changes are needed, they won't have to affect a massive timeline

• provide the colorist (or post house) with a reference version of the film with visible timecode to use to check their conform

• organize the drive thoroughly so that camera files, transcodes, VFX, titles, graphics, stock footage, and other materials are all clearly labeled and easily located

• find out now what your deliverable formats will be for the distributor. You might follow different methods if it's only going to YouTube, vs. going to festivals, vs. going to network television, vs. going to theaters. Sound formats can be particularly challenging.

Note that there are always compromises involved with time, money, and available hardware, particularly in terms of very large files. For time and budget reasons, there are advantages to working with transcodes instead of camera Raw files in some cases.