FCP 7 & AVCHD video

FCP uses LOG AND TRANSFER to convert the footage to ProRes.

Step 1: Archive the SD cards to a drive that is NOT your media drive. This should be an archive drive where you store all your shooting masters

Step 2: Use Log and Transfer to convert the footage to ProRes 422, and import it into FCP.

I have a workflow tutorial here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AhDnyWFAM10

Media drive is where you store your imported/converted MEDIA...your footage. Your project should not be on that drive...it should be on the SYSTEM drive. But you can back up the project to the media drive. And yes, you should have a completely different drive/set of drives where you archive your camera masters.

The point of all of this is safety. If your OS drive fails, you still have your media, and a backup of your project on the media drive. If the media drive fails, you have your project still, and all of your camera originals so that you can reimport and rebuild your project.

When we shot tape...we kept the tapes. Now that we are shooting tapeless, you don't keep the recording media, those SD cards. You re-use those. But you should be backing them up...archiving all the media like you did with tapes...thus the archive hard drives. If your camera masters and imported media are on the same drives, and they die...ALL is lost.

One more note to Mr. Ross' excellent advice - FCP7 was abandoned by Apple several years ago, and has not been updated since. At the time it was abandoned, there was no standard for AVCHD shot at 60P, Log and Transfer will not recognize AVCHD 1080 60p as a legitimate file.

MtD

FCP 7 isn't new. It's 5 years old, discontinued 2.5 years ago. And no, it doesn't support 1080p60.

FCX is the new version that came out in 2011...it does support 1080p60. But it's very different from FCP 7. A free demo is available...

KevinFredericton wrote:

So then are you also saying the new or re-introduced version of FCP7 does support AVCHD 1080 60p?

There is no new or updated version of FCP-7. FCP-7 was abandoned by Apple several years ago. There is FCP-X, which is completely different software, that is based on a completely different editing paradigm. The only thing it shares with FCP -7 is the "FCP" name. It does, however, support all the current flavors of AVCHD and most other modern video codecs.

MtD

It very much matters. What is the end use of the video? Do you want to shoot progressive or interlaced footage? What frame rate do you want to work in?

To work in FCP-7, ingested via Log and Transfer, you could choose any of the frame rates other than 1080 60p PS. Choose 1080/60i FX if you want the footage interlaced, 1080 30p FX or 1080 24p FX if you want the footage progressive.

If you need the 60 progressive frame rate, you can use the 720 60p FX, but your image witll be the 720P 1280x720 instead of 1920 x 1080.

MtD

Note that 1080i60 runs at 29.97fps. The "i" indicates INTERLACED, and then the number that follows is FIELDS per second. 2 fields per frame, thus 30fps...at 29.97.

Confusing, I know

I'm always confused . . . or confusing. One or the other.

MtD

I archive to TWO bare SATA drives...Western Digital BLUE drives. Typically 1TB or 2TB models. And I use a USB SATA dock, like this:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817198054

I archive to TWO drives...basically copies of one another...because drives fail. I don't want to lose my masters.

My workfow is to ingest the files from the camera media via Log and Transfer, then make back up copies of the ingested media on two separate back up drives. One set of the backups go in a fireproof safe. Since these backup copies are not going to be used in editorial, they don't have to be as fast as your Thunderbolt Pegasus Raid. How much capacity does the Pegasus have?

I use removable drives in a Burly enclosure for the back-ups, it lets me add additional drives as needed and load them up for use on a per project basis:

http://www.macgurus.com/store/Item/BurlyPMU

MtD