P2 DVCPRO HD vs. HDV format
The HVX200 has two options for posting:
1. P2 inserted on set to G4 laptop via PCMCIA slot
– Do NOT transcode the P2 media (wrapped as an MXF file) via a G4, as the G5's handle the transcoded wrapper with much less visible compression
– Import into NLE of choice for DV100 editing of P2 (now Quicktime) media
2. Record media to the P2 Card.
– After filling a card (or in between takes) connect a FireWire card to the HVX200 and put the camera in "host" mode. This will allow for the camera to recognize the FW drive as an external storage device and then dump the media from P2 to the FW as the MXF wrap.
– Afterwards, make the QT conversion in a G5 as in option 1.
Because the HVX is already ingested at 100mb/s, it's essentially onlined already. However, the DV100 codec is already subject to heavy compression, which is more and more visible the more you ask of your footage (ie. wipes, dissolves, mattes, keys, repositioning, titles, flops, color correction, etc). Each of these adjustments to the DV100 material further compresses the image and lessens your overall quality with fast falloff. It is best to handle these effects as "offline" or "reference effects" only.
1. Traditional Online
– Remove all FX&Filtration
– Lay to Tape
– Re-Capture uncompressed
– Reconstruct all VFX & Filtration
2. Modern Online
– Force-change the sequence settings/project settings to an uncompressed codec
– This will make ALL MEDIA unrendered, but when re-rendered, it will result in lossless rendering
-Lay to Tape
Like FX work in the online, color correction make HVX200 media (or any media at 100mb/s) suffer quickly. Especially in the reds, the HVX200 has very visible compression in skin tones, warm tones and magic hour daylight. For color correction, the best workflow is:
– Export UNCOMPRESSED QuickTime movie to Color Grader (PlasterCITY uses Silicon Color's Final Touch HD)
– Export XML for edit navigation
– Render back to NLE uncompressed for re-addition of FX work/titles, etc.
After mastering back to tape for broadcast delivery, or film record, the need to archive can be tricky. At this point, it is conceivable that all the onlined material at 100mb/s can fit on most projects in a 1TB FW drive. This makes for good long-term storage of raw material and final cuts for about 7 years. But if you want to archive all the P2 media card-for-card, we recommend burning the media on a 4.7GB DVD-R or 24GB DVD-R. These will allow for longer storage and won't take up much space. The DME will be responsible for managing the media and creating a spreadsheet catalog for where and what is stored.
One final note about the P2 card and tapeless workflows: the growing need for the postion of Data Management Editor, a unique position for P2 and new media jobs which controls and tracks the movement of tapeless content from production through post. Similar to an Assistant Editor, the DME will be more versed in production technology as well as NLE tech support. This new position is critical to any P2 workflow, as the editor will not likely be a part of the set, which, in my opinion, is better for the film anyway.
Sections: Technology
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