This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
Tapeless Workflows
It used to be that most of the media you dealt with was recorded on tape. The beauty of tape-based formats is that there is a raw tape that can be stored and retrieved as needed. However, most videographers are going tapeless (FIGURE 4.12). The advantage of being able to acquire footage faster than real time is the killer feature.
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Figure 4.12 A Panasonic P2 card.
What makes Adobe Premiere Pro particularly amazing is its ability to work with tapeless formats without any transcoding or rewrapping. Yes, you'll need a robust system, and yes, a system with the GPU-based Mercury Playback Engine is the key component here for system performance. The ease of the workflow on your system to handle media natively means that you don't need to waste time; you can start editing immediately.
Mounting the Card
To load the tapeless media onto your system, you'll need the appropriate card reader or drive. For many formats, this will mean an approved hardware device from the manufacturer (such as a P2 card reader or XDCAM drive; FIGURE 4.13). In other cases you may be able to use a generic third-party device (such as a CF card reader). Some cameras and hard drive recorders will require you to hook up the actual device to transfer the media. In any workflow, be sure that you attach the device to the fastest port and connection protocol supported by your machine.
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Figure 4.13 A Sony XDCAM deck reads XDCAM media.
Creating a Clone and a Copy
Although it's possible to work directly from a card or field disk, it isn't a permanent solution. Because tapeless media is expensive, you'll probably want to reuse it! Therefore, you need to make sure the content on your tapeless media is archived. The footage coming in from tapeless sources should be moved to at least two locations (not on the same drive).
Storing your media can actually be done by using two separate but related methods:
- Transfer the media. Whether it's by unwrapping or simply copying the footage contained on a tapeless media device, the first step in archiving is to make sure that you have a "live" version of the footage.
- Back up the media. After footage has been transferred from the tapeless media, the next step is to create a backup of the tapeless media on your computer. In the world of tape this process is akin to putting tape back on the shelf after you've captured it.
When you make a copy of your media, it's not enough to just drag and drop files. In most cases it's crucial to maintain the file structure of the original tapeless media when copying to a backup device and your media drive. If you discard the metadata and folder structure on the card, you can lose important information and face challenges when importing spanned clips.
We're big fans of cloning the disks. These clones are bit for bit verified copies of the originals. You'll find this capability built into Apple's Disk Utility tool, which allows you to create a disk image (.dmg) file. Unfortunately, Windows 7 doesn't offer the same built-in feature.
If you want a cross-platform tool that's incredibly robust, be sure to check out ShotPut Pro from Imagine Products (www.imagineproducts.com/ShotPut.html). ShotPut Pro allows you to automate copying of tapeless media to up to three separate locations. It also has a great set of tools for verifying copies and creating additional backups to optical formats, and has workflow tools like the capability to reformat tapeless media rather than having to do it in camera.
Spanned Clips
Some formats (such as P2 and XDCAM) will create multiple spanned clips to represent a single video file. A spanned clip divides the material into separate files to keep the length of any one file under a threshold (such as 4 GB). Although spanned clips are physically stored as separate files, they should be handled by Adobe Premiere Pro as a single clip.
Here are some important tips concerning spanned clips:
- Select only one clip. The key to importing spanned clips is to only select one of the clips in the span. If you select more than one spanned clip, you will end up importing duplicate copies of the media.
- Keep the XML. The reason you cloned the entire card was to retain all of the metadata. Without this data, spanned clips typically cannot be reassembled.
- Jumped cards. If the clip spans two P2 or XDCAM cards, it's important to copy the entire directory for both cards to your drive. The copies should be at the same level in a media folder.
- Favor the Media Browser. The most reliable way to import spanned clips is with the Media Browser. However, you can also use the Import command (File > Import) in most cases.
Native Support for RED
The RED One camera has been quite a revolution in filmmaking. The camera and the images it produces rival what's possible with physical 35mm film. Adobe Premiere Pro has also announced support for the RED EPIC camera, HDR RED, and 5K footage (just visit labs.adobe.com).
The unique part of the Adobe and RED partnership is the focus on a truly native raw workflow. This means that the footage stays as close as possible to what was shot on set or in the field. You never need to transcode the footage (which essentially "bakes" the color and exposure into the clips). This lets you freely adjust the look and feel of your footage all the way through post.
The following RED R3D file permutations are supported:
- 2K
- 3K
- 4K
- 4K HD
- 5K (plug-in from labs.adobe.com)
- 16x9
- 2x1
The RED R3D Source Settings dialog (FIGURE 4.14) offers extensive controls over RED footage. You can change color settings, create your own presets, and even modify multiple clips at once. The Source Settings permit you to adjust the RED footage prior to any other adjustments (such as applying the Three-Way Color Corrector) in Adobe Premiere Pro.
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Figure 4.14 The RED R3D Source Settings dialog allows for adjustments on the curve, to the ISO and more. A very short RED clip is available with the Chapter 4 media for you to experiment with, courtesy of Yan Shvalb of and .