Film Editing on Avid
Edit Better, Edit Faster
 Shooting Instructions
While shooting make sure the film never runs in reverse in the camera. Some trick-shots especially in action sequences use this technique. These shots can always be reversed in the lab. Another thing to watch out for are framing offsets in the middle of a magazine or camera roll. These often happen when the film is unthreaded from the gate mid-way through a magazine either to clean the gate and film transport or when a change of film stock is required (film speed or colour balance). These should be noted down. (Normally also in the Camera Report) and individually punched prior to telecine transfer. That's basically it as far as the preparatory stage goes.
Edit Preparations
First of all check your transfers. When you get your tapes back from the lab, make certain that all your footage has been transferred to your satisfaction. They should have been running at 25 FPS in the Telecine machine. There should have been adequate leader length attached to the beginning and end of each lab-roll so that the reel was running at speed when the punch passes the gate. Please pre-stripe all your tapes and lay on colour-bars and 1000 Hz tone. Preferably use 1- Hour tapes and start the first tape with 01:00:00:00, the second at 02:00:00:00 and so on taking care not to transfer more than one hour of material onto each tape to avoid a change in LTC which might confuse users later on. Make sure the Lab Assistant gives you a sheet of paper with the Frame-edge numbers written down for the punches at the beginning and end of each and every camera magazine-roll. Some labs will also burn-in the Edge numbers and LTC on to the transferred tapes with the Evertz Shot-Log (maybe as a Flex file) on floppy for an extra charge. This makes manual logging unnecessary, as the shot log will contain all the information required. This is optional. This procedure could cost approximately Rs 1,000 per hour but will save a great deal of time during logging and digitizing. It is also invaluable as a safety measure to check for slippage in the VTR. If you have a Telecine Log (either as a Flex file or ALE file) you can straight go on to the digitizing section.
Transfer the Telecine tapes to VHS (optional)
In case you don't have the burn-in on the Telecine transfer, use the 'Super' Composite Out connector on the VTR to transfer the rushes to VHS. This will 'dub' the LTC onto the picture on VHS.
Log your tapes
The reason why you have the window burned VHS dubs made is so that when it comes time to log the tapes, you can do it from the comfort of your home on any VCR. We recommend that you use a higher-end consumer VCR with a jog shuttle or a VHS Industrial deck, though some ordinary models also have a frame-advance button on the remote. Then you can advance frame-by-frame or pause while you write down Time Code and Shot descriptions. Obtain some log sheets or some lined paper with separate columns for
- Scene and Take Number
- Five to Six word shot descriptions
- MOS/Silent or SYNC
- Your own one word evaluations of takes
- Start Time Code
- End Time Code
As you sit down and begin to view your tapes, watch each through once just to get a feel for the footage. Then go through and find the start and end time code of each shot, shot by shot. Fill in the slate number, shot description, MOS or SYNC for your own evaluation of the take. This may seem like a tedious task and it is tempting to take short cuts or delegate the task to an Assistant. You are much better off logging all the information for every single take, even ones you know you're never going to use, including camera flashes and roll out so that you at least have it all on paper as a reference guide later on. It will save time when you're on the clock and your time is precious. You will also get much more intimately familiar and have a better sense of the footage if you log it yourself.
Once you have completed your logs, you are ready to convert them from paper to a log file that the computer can read. This can be done using the Avid's digitize tool.
You can also use MediaLog. It's cheaper, faster and more convenient, but requires a computer.
Medialog
Medialog is companion software distributed by AVID for its editing platforms. Medialog is designed so that you can do your time-consuming data entry of shot information and Time Code on any Mac or PC rather than on an AVID system. This means that you can prepare all your footage ahead of time without wasting precious AVID time.
Medialog is a program that can be installed on any Mac/Windows 98/NT PC. The program comes on a disk that is distributed by AVID with its other products. All you need to do is install the program on your PC from the disk.
NOTE: There are different versions of Medialog that are compatible with different versions of Media Composer and Avid Xpress. Make sure you have a compatible version. Also, Medialog has a lot of bin options like Scene and Take that are available for the Media Composer but not the Avid Xpress. If you enter information into this field, it will not appear when you open up the project in Avid Xpress. Always make a trial transfer before logging.
Medialog is a valuable tool not only because it allows you to create bins and enter all your information, but also because it familiarizes you with the way AVID organizes footage and the interface. Once Medialog is installed, you can use it much like the digitize tool on Media Composer or Avid Xpress. Enter the Time Code numbers in the start and end fields and then click the log button. Then type in your slate number followed by your shot description. Once you have completed all of your shots, you can break the main bin down into scenes, with a new bin for each scene. Now you can organize shots in order by either slate number or order in which it was shot with the click of a button.
Transferring your project
Once you have completed logging, close Medialog. Create a folder "Project Name" on the hard drive. Save/copy your media log files to this folder. Once the folder has copied, remove your floppy disk.
Put your disk in the drive with the project you created with Medialog into the AVID. Before launching the AVID application, drag the folder with your project into "Composer Projects" on the Avid's hard drive. When you launch the AVID application (i.e. Media or Film Composer) your project will automatically appear as one of the projects and you are ready to digitize.
Digitizing for the first time
Section A
If you haven't used MediaLog for this particular project, skip this section and read from section B. If you have, simply copy the Project from your floppy into the 'Composer Projects' folder and launch the application. You should see the projects name in the list of Avid Projects in the first user/project dialog box. If you don't, see if there is a folder with a little star in front of the name in the list. You may have included an extra folder level or dragged the folder into another folder by mistake. The little star indicates that there is another folder within. Double clicking it reveals the level below.
On opening the project, you should see all the bins you had created in Media Log within the Project window. All your logged clips should be within their respective bins. Select all the Master clips logged for each camera roll and batch digitize without Handles.
Section B
Load the first of your transfer tapes into the VTR. In the Project, open a New Bin and name it. Open the Digitize tool or Go to Capture Mode. You should get a Tape name dialog box open out first. Name the tape 'xyz01' where 'xyz' could be the initials of the film's title. Retain the zero, as computers tend to list numbers from left to right resulting in Tape 11 appearing below Tape 1 and so on instead of Tape 2 that will now come after Tape 19. Set the Compression at which you wish to digitize. Using the tape shuttle control, go forward to the start punch mark of the first camera magazine roll. Park on the frame and click the mark-in button to record that as the first frame of the digitized picture. Search forward to find the end-punch of this roll.
You could also use the Avid Calculator to work out the duration (see Using Avid Calculator). In case there is some doubt as to which exact frame has the punch, simply digitize a few frames on either side of the punch into the system, load it onto the source side monitor and check the frame time-code number corresponding to the punch. With the in and out marks entered in their boxes, name the clip, maybe 'Camroll 01'. Digitize this clip. Do this for all the magazine rolls on every tape till you have digitized and recorded all your transfers to the Avid. Conversely, a simpler method will be to log all your camera rolls and batch-digitize them.
Importing Logs
If the Telecine house has given you a floppy with the transfer log as a Flex file (or any other similar type) you have to convert them to Avid Log Exchange files using the application Avid Log Exchange. This will result in the flex file being translated to an ".ALE" file that serves as a Shot Log. After this is done and the ALE file is saved, launch the Avid Editing Application. Open a New Project, Name it, open a New Bin, Name that as well, and then from file menu select import. You can also right click on a vacant area within the bin-window and select import from the short menu list that appears. Guide the dialog box to the ALE file (if you cannot see it, check if the file types menu is on something other than 'All Files' or 'Shot Log') and import it. The Camera Magazine rolls with all the required information should now be in the bin. Select all and batch-digitize without handles. At the end of one roll, stop the process, and make sure the digitized clip starts on a punch frame and the last frame in the Master Clip is the one before the end-punch marked frame. If all's well, continue, if not go through each step of the process to see where the error has occurred before proceeding. A molehill is easier than the mountain it may become before long during editing.
Using Avid Calculator
If you do not have a shot log and you find searching for the out-punch a tiresome process, Avid Calculator can simplify things. Using the footage numbers supplied by the Lab assistant, calculate the footage in each camera magazine roll (End-punch minus Start-punch and you can use Avid Calculator for even this). After marking the in-point, select Avid Calculator from tools menu (if you have not done so before). From the drop-down list pick 16 frames per foot for 35mm negative. In the footage window, enter the amount in feet and frames. Switch the drop-down list to 25 FPS. Enter the duration displayed into the duration box in the digitize tool. Click 'Go to Out-point'. The frame it stops on should have the end-punch. You could use Avid calculator for all your calculations with regard to 25 or30 FPS video, 16 frames per foot 35mm film, 20 or 40 frames per number 16mm film among others.
Using AVID FilmScribe
- In the Avid Application identify the bins containing the reels for which cut-lists are to be generated.
- From the Output menu, select and click FilmScribe.
- Minimize the Avid application, by either clicking the minimize button marked by a bar on the top right corner of the Title Bar or click the symbol on the top left corner of the Title bar and select minimize. You could optionally also exit the application itself if you do not wish to continue editing, as FilmScribeŽ runs independently from Media ComposerŽ.
- You should now see the FilmScribeŽ Application running rather than the PC's Desktop.
- From File Menu, select New Cut-list. The Cut-list window opens.
- From File Menu, select Open. An Explorer-type window opens. Go to Avid Projects, find the required project and open the Bin containing the reels for which Cut-list are required. The bin window opens beneath the Cut-list Window. You should see only the sequences listed in this new window.
- Drag the first sequence onto the Empty panel on the top left corner of the Cut-list window. The sequence appears in that panel. Select the tracks for which you need lists and also select your options in the Global and Assemble list options available on the Right hand panel of the Cut list window. Be sure to select Key Numbers and at least Name (or Scene/Take, if you use that for clap numbers) among the options as the Cut-list is known to contain errors when only the Key Numbers option is chosen. This bug is presently being attended to. Selecting "Show transition f/x as cuts" is recommended as it indicates the transition type next to the cut in the Assemble list itself. Click the top 'Same as Assemble List' button on each of the other list options or should you require individually customize each one.
- Click the preview button. A Cut-list will be generated according to the options you have chosen. If you have forgotten to select a track you will be prompted to do so. Should you want to make any changes in the format, make the changes in the options and simply click preview again. The Preview window will update to reflect the changes required.
- From the File Menu, choose save. The Dialog box can be used to save this Cut-list to any convenient location either on your PC or directly onto floppy. Saving it in your PC and then copying it to a floppy is the recommended procedure. Be sure to retain the ".txt" suffix to any name that you give the Cut-list or windows may not be able to recognize the object later.
- Take the floppy to a PC connected to a printer and take a printout. QED.
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