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 productions are going tapeless (Figure 4.14). The advantage of being able to ingest footage faster than real time is the killer feature, but other advantages of tapeless workflows include working at higher resolutions than HD, mixing different frame types and rates on a card, and even (on some cameras) being able to access the raw sensor data.
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Figure 4.14. A Panasonic P2 card
When to Transcode?
Some workflows still require transcoding with Adobe Premiere Pro. These mainly include scenarios where you want to hand off your edited material and a project to another system, such as Apple Final Cut Pro or Avid Media Composer. These workflows are discussed in the appendixes of this book on the DVD.
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, preferably, a system with the GPU-based Mercury Playback Engine. 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 a 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; see Figure 4.15). 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 4.15. A Sony XDCAM deck reads XDCAM media.
The following camera workflow guides may be useful:
- RED. http://bit.ly/K72Ih1
- DSLR. http://bit.ly/IIwNCh
- XDCAM. http://bit.ly/K72MNW
- Canon. http://bit.ly/KErmR7
- P2. http://bit.ly/KATgnl
- AVCCAM. http://bit.ly/L5r1JX
- JVC. http://bit.ly/IH2f01
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).
In a Hurry? Don’t Forget to Back Up
If you’re in a rapid turnaround environment (such as news), you may choose to edit directly from the tapeless media. Just remember that neither the Import command nor the Media Browser actually copies the footage to your drive. Before you hand the cards back to a videographer (or erase them), be sure to use the Project Manager to copy the used media to one of your media drives.
That’s how Adobe Prelude fits in. It was primarily designed for copying media from file-based storage systems to multiple locations with the option to transcode.
Storing your media can 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 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, but there are third-party tools that allow creation of ISO files.
For those of you on set, this job is often performed by a digital imaging technician (DIT). Aside from being responsible for the transferring and extra copies of footage, a DIT might also check the footage for exposure and possibly apply a LUT or use a tool like Adobe SpeedGrade to check the footage.
Spanned Clips
Some formats 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 select only 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 meta-data. Without this data, spanned clips typically cannot be reassembled.
- Both 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 and ALEXA Footage
The RED cameras and the ARRI ALEXA have caused quite a revolution in filmmaking. The camera and the images it produces rival what’s possible with physical 35mm film. In the future, there are likely going to be similar new formats. Adobe has a section of its website designed for this; visit http://labs.adobe.com.
The unique part of the Adobe workflow 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
The following ALEXA sizes are supported:
- 2880 x 1620
- 1920 x 1080
The RED R3D Source Settings dialog (Figure 4.16) 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. ALEXA footage also uses the Source Settings menu choice.
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Figure 4.16. The RED R3D Source Settings dialog (right-click a RED clip in the Project panel and choose Source Settings) allows for adjustments on the curve, to the ISO, and more. A very short RED clip is available in the Lesson 04> Imports folder for you to experiment with.