FC

Turnover to Resolve

Overview

In the industry, this process is referred to as “Onlining” or “Conforming” because this is where the picture edits made with the lower quality offline media in Media Composer are remade with the highest quality media. An Assistant Editor would normally be responsible for exporting all the necessary elements out of Media Composer. Those elements would then be sent to the facility that handles color grading and finishing. In our workflow, the Editor is responsible for both exporting the necessary files out of Media Composer and conforming to the highest quality media in DaVinci Resolve. This is to ensure that any issues during turnover can be caught immediately and the Resolve project is left ready for color grading.

This step-by-step guide for color turnover covers how to:

Export Reference Video From Media Composer

A reference video of the locked sequence will need to be exported so that it can be used in Resolve as an offline reference video to check the conformed sequence against.

Mount your Show Volume and launch your Media Composer project. Open the Locked Sequences bin. Select your locked sequence and hit “Command+D” to duplicate the sequence.

Rename the new sequence Show#_Locked_Reference_Video and move it to the Color Turnover bin.

Open the new sequence. Mark In and Out for the entire timeline and activate all tracks.

From the task menu select File > Output > Export to File…

Point the export to the Color > Reference Video folder on your Show Volume. Check that the name of the export will be correct. Select the “Reference Video” preset.

Before clicking “Save” to export, double-check the preset by clicking “Options” and make sure the settings are exactly as shown in the example below:

When the export is complete, navigate in the Finder to where it was exported and open it in QuickTime Player to make sure everything is okay.

Export AAF From Media Composer

Duplicate the sequence named “Locked Reference Video” and rename it show#Locked_Color_Turnover as shown in the example below:

Open the new sequence. Mark In and Out for the entire timeline and activate all tracks.

From the task menu, select File > Output > Export to File…

Point the export to the Color > AAF folder on your Show Volume. Check that the name of the export will be correct. Select the “Color_Turnover – AAF to Resolve” preset.

Before clicking “Save” to export, double-check the preset by clicking “Options” and make sure the settings are exactly as shown in the example below:

When the AAF is finished exporting, Media Composer will automatically import it back into the Color Turnover bin as a sequence. If you open the sequence, you will see that the AAF only held information describing the video tracks. That is all Resolve will need.

After you check that, you can close Media Composer.

Open Resolve and Import Media

Navigate on your Show Volume to the DaVinci Resolve folder. Inside should be a project template.

After you open the project template, you will need to rename the project so that it is specific to your show. From the task bar navigate to File > Save Project As…

Label your project as show#_Conform as shown in the example below.

Your project should already have several folders made and labeled inside the Media Pool.

The only folder in the Media Pool that will already have media in it is the Extras folder, which contains the media that is necessary for the online front sequence.

To import the online quality media into Resolve, navigate to your show’s OCF folder in the Finder and then select the OCF folder in the Media pPool.

To import the media, drag the entire folder into the open folder in the Media Pool.

Next, you will need to do the same process for your show’s credits and titles. Navigate to your show’s Credits folder in the Finder and then select the Credits folder in the Media Pool.

To import the credits and titles, drag them into the open folder in the Media Pool.

Finally, you will need to import the reference video you exported out of Media Composer. Navigate to your show’s Reference Video folder in the Finder and then select the Reference Video folder in the Media Pool.

DO NOT drag the reference video into the open folder in the Media Pool. It needs to be imported in a specific way so that Resolve can use it as an offline reference clip. Right-click on the video reference file and then select “Add as Offline Reference Clip”.

Import AAF into Resolve

In the Media Pool, right-click inside the Sequences folder. Then navigate to Timelines > Import > AAF

Navigate in the Finder window to where you saved the AAF that was exported from Media Composer and click “Open”.

Inside the Import AAF window, you will need to make some adjustments before clicking “Ok”:

  • Change the Timeline Name to Show#_Locked_Conform
  • Change the start timecode to 00:59:55:00
  • Check “Automatically set project settings”
  • Check “Link to source camera files”
  • Check “Use sizing information”

Since you did not select “Automatically import source clips into media pool,” it will prompt you to choose which folders in the Media Pool already contain the online media. Select the folders as shown in the example below and then click “Ok”.

Do not be surprised if you get alerts that look like this in the Log after the AAF imports. This is a list of everything that was written into the AAF from Media Composer that cannot be reproduced in Resolve. In most cases this is limited to any use of the Avid Titler+ effect, the timecode burn in effect, or any stabilization that was done.

You should see that your sequence from Media Composer is now imported into the Sequences folder in Resolve.

Prep the Conform Sequence

The locked sequence is now connected to the online media. Before you can check it against the offline reference video, you will need to do some prep work. In Media Composer, Video Track 5 held the aspect ratio matte. Most likely it has come over into Resolve, but often it has become connected to another piece of media. Since Resolve has its own way of handling aspect ratio mattes, you can delete the matte from Video Track 5. The Credits can also be brought down from Video Track 4 to Video Track 2. When you have done this your sequence should look like the example below.

Since you deleted the aspect ratio matte from Video Track 5 you will need to reapply it. Go the task bar and select Timeline > Output Blanking > Your Aspect Ratio Matte. In the example below the 2.39:1 matte is being applied.

Right-click on one of the empty video tracks over on the left and select “Delete Empty Tracks” to clean up the sequence.

Right-click on the 2.0 audio track and select Change Track Type To > 5.1 > 5.1. This will prepare the sequence for eventually accepting the 5.1 audio mix.

Once you have done all of the above, your timeline should look similar to the example below.

Check the Conform Sequence

Now that your sequence is prepped and cleaned up it is time to check it against the offline reference video to ensure it matches your picture lock sequence from Media Composer.

Right-click on your sequence and then navigate to Timeline > Link Offline Reference Clip > Your Reference Video. This will link the reference video and your sequence together.

To take advantage of the link, you will need to switch the source monitor to “offline” mode. When set to “offline” mode, the monitor on the left will no lower behave as a source monitor but instead it will display your reference video. In this mode, the left monitor will play the reference while simultaneously the right monitor will display your Resolve sequence.

Before you check the Resolve sequence against the offline reference video, there is one last bit of prep. In Media Composer, your slate was created using the Avid Titler+ effect. Since that effect does not translate over into Resolve, you will need to apply the Text effect to the slate so that you can recreate the same text in Resolve.

In the example below, you can see the reference video on the left with the text that was created in Media Composer and on the screen on the right the same text that has been recreated in Resolve.

To make the step of checking the Resolve sequence against the reference video easier, you will want to first apply the default node tree to every clip. The default node tree has the LUT inside one of its nodes. By applying this, it will make the Resolve sequence match closer to the Reference Video.

Switch over to the Color page. By default, each clip has an empty node graph and the image will appear in Log like the example below.

Apply the default node template to every shot so that the image will appear in Rec. 709 like the example below.

Switch back to the Edit page. You are ready to begin checking your Resolve sequence against your reference video. If you right-click inside the right screen, you will see different options for Wipes and Overlays. With “No Wipe” applied, both screens should look very similar. However, it would be difficult to tell if they matched perfectly.

To make this easier switch the right screen to “Difference” mode. This will lay the reference video on top of the Resolve sequence on the right. Any pixels where the two line up perfectly will appear black. Play through the entire film this way and make sure that in Difference mode the right screen stays black. If it does then you know that the sequence in Resolve matches the reference video perfectly.

It’s possible that the sequence in Resolve and the reference video won’t match perfectly. This could happen for many reasons: e.g., reframing in Media Composer, speed changes in Media Composer, or other effects. This is not a problem, but it does mean you will need to correct it.

Below is an example of what it may look like if a reframe from Media Composer didn’t translate over perfectly. As you can see from the example, the fix is a simple manual adjustment in Resolve so that they match up.

Another common reason why the Resolve sequence may not match the reference video is if a speed change has been applied. This may need to be tweaked in Resolve to allow it to match.

If you cannot get any shot to match perfectly, mark that shot with a blue marker and name it with a brief description of the problem. After you have made it through the entire film, reach out to the Post Staff and they can help you with any shots marked in blue.

Saving and Exporting Project

Once you have finished checking your Resolve sequence against the reference video and they match perfectly, the project is ready for color grading. Save the project by hitting “Command+S”. Then go to the task bar and select Export Project…

Make sure the project will be named accordingly and place it in the proper folder on your Show Volume:

After you confirm that the .drp file is in the correct place you can quit Resolve.

Congratulations, you are done!

Turnover to ProTools

Overview

This is the process where the editorial department prepares and exports files so that the locked sequence in Media Composer can be turned over to ProTools for the sound department to work with. In the industry, an Assistant Editor would normally be responsible for exporting all the necessary elements to turn over to the sound department. Then the sound department uses those elements to conform the sequence in ProTools. In our workflow, the Editor is responsible for both exporting the necessary files out of Media Composer but importing those files into ProTools. This is to ensure that any issues during turnover can be caught immediately.

This step-by-step guide for sound turnover covers how to:

Export Reference Video from Media Composer

A reference video of the locked sequence will need to be exported so that the sound department has something to watch in ProTools during the sound design phase.

Mount your Show Volume and launch your Media Composer project. Open the Locked Sequences bin. Select your locked sequence and hit “Command+D” to duplicate the sequence.

Rename the new sequence Show#_Locked_Reference_Video and move it to the Sound Turnover bin.

Open the new sequence. Mark In and Out for the entire timeline and activate all tracks.

From the task menu select File > Output > Export to File…

Point the export to the Sound > Reference Video folder on your Show Volume. Check that the name of the export will be correct. Select the “Reference Video” preset.

Before clicking “Save” to export, double-check the preset by clicking “Options” and make sure the settings are exactly as shown in the example below:

When the export is complete, navigate in the Finder to where it was exported and open it in QuickTime Player to make sure everything is okay.

Export AAF from Media Composer

Duplicate the sequence named “Locked Reference Video” and rename it show#Locked_Sound_Turnover as shown in the example below:

Open the new sequence. Mark In and Out for the entire timeline and activate all tracks.

From the task menu, select File > Output > Export to File…

Point the export to the Sound > AAF folder on your Show Volume. Check that the name of the export will be correct. Select the “Sound_Turnover – AAF to Protools” preset.

Before clicking “Save” to export, double-check the preset by clicking “Options” and make sure the settings are exactly as shown in the example below:

When the AAF is finished exporting, Media Composer will automatically import it back into the Sound Turnover bin as a sequence. If you open the sequence, you will see that the AAF only held information describing the audio tracks. That is all ProTools will need.

After you check that, you can close Media Composer.

Import AAF into ProTools

Navigate on your Show Volume to your ProTools project and open it.

When ProTools opens, select the folder labeled “AAF”:

From the task menu, select File > Import > Session Data…

Navigate in the Finder window to where you saved the AAF that was exported from Media Composer and click “Open”.

In the Import Session Data page make sure the select “Link to Source Media” under Audio Media Options. And check the box labeled “Import Rendered Audio Effects”. Then select “OK”.

The AAF folder will populate with all the audio tracks from your locked sequence. This may take a few minutes to finish. When it does, it will look like the example below.

If you get any kind of error while importing your AAF, it is likely because something was not done properly during the picture lock stage. Go back to the Media Composer project and double-check the steps in the handbook. If that doesn’t fix the error, ask the Post Staff for help.

Import Reference Video into ProTools

Next, you will need to import the reference video that was exported out of Media Composer into ProTools. Select the “Video” folder:

From the task menu, select File > Import > Video…

Navigate in the Finder window to where you saved the Reference Video that was exported from Media Composer and click “Open”.

In the Video Import Options page make sure to select “Main Video Track” as the Destination and check the box labeled “Import audio from file”. Then select “OK”.

It will ask you to choose a destination for the audio and will default to the correct “Audio Files” folder. Click “Open”.

The reference video will come in on the correct track, but the audio attached to it will need to be moved.

Move the audio down to the Guide Track.

Lock both the Video and Guide Track by selecting them and hitting “Command + L”.

Delete the empty track to clean up your project.

Congratulations, you are done! The ProTools project can now be saved and closed. It is ready for the sound design phase.

ADR & Foley Stage Operations

Overview

This post provides instructions on how to schedule and operate the ADR/Foley suite. This suite is a shared space for all students in the program. It is therefore very important to be considerate of others. Please only book the space for the amount of time you’ll need it, and please be willing to negotiate booking times with other students if the suite is in high demand. Please also leave the suite in the same or better condition as you found it. Any students who leave the suite in a disheveled state may be subject to professionalism probation.

Scheduling Sessions

To book time in either the ADR booth or Foley stage, click this link: ADR/Foley Pit Signup Schedule. This will take you to a Teamup calendar:

When the Teamup calendar opens, you will be able to see who else has booked the time in either the ADR booth or Foley stage. Select the date and time you would like to reserve by clicking in the calendar. When you do, a pop up will appear asking for you to enter more information about your reservation:

  • Enter your show number in the event title
  • Refine the start and end times
  • Select either “Control Room A – Foley” or “Control Room B – ADR”
  • List the names of who will be in the space

When you are done, it will look like the example below:

Please be considerate of your fellow filmmakers and only book the time that you need.

Recording ADR or Foley

Make sure that your ProTools session is closed in your suite on the Post Hall. Mount your show volume in either Control Room A or Control Room B. Navigate to your ProTools project and open it.

Once the project is open, navigate in the task bar to Options and then scroll down and select “Low Latency Monitoring”. Make sure there’s a checkmark after you have it selected.

Navigate to the ADR track you wish to record on and change the input from “no Input” to “ADR Mic”:

Record Enable the track and select Input Monitoring. Note: When you are finished recording, you’ll need to deselect both of these for playback.

Change the name of the track to whatever you want the clip name to be:

If wish, you can select Pre-roll time or Post-roll time:

To talk to talent during the session, press both DIM and TALK on the MBox Studio. Press both buttons again to disengage talkback before recording.

To start recording, select the red Record button in the transport window and then select the Play button (or hit the space bar). To stop recording, select the Stop button in the transport window (or hit the space bar).

That’s it! When you are done please save and close your ProTools project. Remember to clean up after yourself before you leave.

Upscaling Images for Posters

Posters are designed and printed at 8250 × 12150px, so it is often necessary to upscale film stills to a higher resolution than they were originally captured in. To do this you can use a software called Topaz Gigapixel AI.

Instructions

Topaz Gigapixel AI is a standalone application that is installed on all three ingest machines on the post hall. Open the the application by selecting its icon from the dock:

When the application opens, drag a still into the drop zone:

On the right of the interface, you will find the settings options. Configure them as shown in the example below. If you do end up needing to make any tweaks to these settings, do not go over 10% on the Face Recovery Strength.

Save your new still as a PNG, as shown in the example below:

Congratulations, you are done!

Frame.io Review Links

Overview

You may sometimes need to share content on Frame.io, such as dailies or cuts, with someone who is not a member of the Frame.io project. This may happen if you are needing to share cuts with a Director, a Composer, or a faculty member. Creating a review link in Frame.io is easy to do, following the instructions below.

You do need to be careful when sharing review links. Anyone with the link, regardless of who they are, will have access to the linked content on frame.io and will be able to leave comments.

CREATE A REVIEW LINK

Navigate to the video on Frame.io that you want to share. Then, click the three dots to the right of the video:

This will open a dropdown menu that you can navigate through. Select “Share” and then “Share for Review”:

A window will open prompting you to choose what kind of link you want to create. To be able to send the link to someone who’s not already a member of the Frame.io project, you will need to change it to “Public”:

Then, click the icon to copy the link to your clipboard:

Now you can paste this link anywhere, such as in a Teams message or an email, and send it to whomever needs to see it.

Manage Review Links

If you need to go back and manage the review links you’ve created, navigate to the main page for project and click on the Review Links tab:

This will display all the links that have been created for that project. If you wish to activate or deactivate a review link, toggle the “Active” button:

If you need to re-copy the review link, you can do so here:

If you need to adjust settings, add or remove files, or duplicate or delete a review link, click on the three dots and a dropdown menu will appear:

Stock Footage

Overview

For a range of reasons, filmmakers will sometimes utilize stock footage resources. This page outlines the school’s policies on the use of stock footage in student films. In this context, the term “stock footage” refers to any pre-existing footage that students did not create themselves during assigned production days.

As a school, our primary focus is on the creation of original work. The emphasis is therefore on students creating all the imagery for their films themselves, rather than relying on stock footage libraries. Educationally, this helps students learn the process of creating original imagery, and the labor and resources that are needed to accomplish that. This helps students better understand the value of intellectual property, as their focus is more on creating intellectual property from scratch than on “borrowing” work created by others.

The process of clearing the rights for stock footage also informs the school’s policies. Many stock footage resources have inaccurate or misleading copyright information. For example, sites may claim that footage is in the public domain when it is not. To work through all the potential copyright and licensing issues with stock footage can be a lengthy and laborious process for both students and faculty. On many of our production cycles, there either isn’t sufficient time to do this or the time could be better spent focusing on other aspects of the production.

For these reasons, use of stock footage is limited to F2, FC, and MC projects. Stock footage is not allowed on the F1, F3, M1 or M2 projects.

F2 • FC • MC

  • Stock footage is allowed.
  • All stock footage needs to be cleared by the Head of Production, to ensure that we have the proper rights to use the footage.
  • If stock footage is going to appear on camera during production — e.g., imagery on a television within a scene — the footage needs to be cleared before the start of principal photography. If stock footage is added during post-production, the footage needs to be clear before picture lock.
  • Stock footage can only be purchased with CMPA funds. Students are not permitted to purchase stock footage with personal funds.
  • Stock footage that is already owned by the CMPA, such as media that was originally shot for another FSU film, may be utilized. Please allow two weeks of turnaround on any such requests, in case the media files need to be pulled from the archive.

F1 • F3 • M1 • M2

  • Stock footage is NOT allowed.
  • All footage appearing on screen during the running time of these projects needs to be created by students during the assigned production days. This includes any content that needs to appear on screens within shots — e.g., a news broadcast that appears on a television within the scene. Producers will need to build time into the production schedule to create this embedded content during the assigned production days. 

Picture Lock

Overview

At the end of the picture edit cycle, the Editor and Director will be assigned a time to formally lock picture. This means that the Lock Sequence must be completed by that time and the appropriate fields must be filled out in Motion. Your editing instructor will be the person who deems your show “Locked” after checking the running time and making sure all notes have been addressed.

Once picture locking is complete and all the parameters laid out in this guide are met, the Editor and Director will work with the Post Staff to prep the film for the next phases of the post-production chain, which includes turnover for sound design and color correction.

Create the Locked sequence

In Media Composer, correctly identify your locked sequence and save it in the Picture Lock bin as Show#_Locked:

Double-check the project settings by going to Preferences. In the Format tab, the settings should be as follows:

Check the Front Sequence

All locked sequences must have a “front sequence” at the start of the timeline, which must be formatted to SMPTE standards. This involves setting the sequence timecode to begin at 01:00:00:00 and building a front sequence that includes the SMPTE Countdown Leader with the slate information filled in and the FSU Film leader.

The correct front sequence should have already been set for you in the standard project template. If for some reason it’s no longer there, all the media for the front sequence can be found in the FSU_Film_Extras bin inside the 04_Misc folder.

Your sequence should be set to start at timecode 01:00:00:00. If for some reason your sequence no longer starts at this timecode you can change it now. To do this, click in the Record Monitor and select “Sequence Report”. This will allow you to modify the Starting TC:

The slate should already have a template laid out for all the information you need to provide. Using the Titler+ tool in Media Composer, fill out the slate with all the information shown below. Keep this slate professional.

Double-check the the timing of the front sequence:

  • SMPTE Countdown begins at 01:00:00:00. If everything is put together correctly, the “two-pop” on the countdown leader will fall exactly on 01:00:06:00. (This is very important!)
  • FSU Film Leader begins at 01:00:08:00
  • First frame of picture content begins at 01:00:18:00

Your front sequence should match the example below:

While checking the correct timing of your front sequence, also make sure to check that NO sound from your film starts before 01:00:10:00. There should be exactly 2 seconds of silence after the Countdown has finished.

Add Titles and Credits

The College has strict requirements for how titles and credits need to be formatted. Before building your titles, read the requirements here.

The finished titles and credits must be in at picture lock, cut into the correct video track. The credit sequence should be one continuous image sequence, properly labeled. Do not cut up your credit sequence inside Media Composer. The export from After Effects needs to be correct, so that no further adjustments are required inside Media Composer.

Condense Video Tracks

To prep your timeline for coloring, your video tracks (not your audio tracks) need to be condensed onto as few video tracks as possible. It’s understood that, due to the nature of how some video dissolves are built, more than one video track is sometimes necessary. The idea is to reduce the amount of tracks and media as much as possible.

Your sequence would go from looking like the example below with video on tracks V1 – V3 that needs to be brought down…

…to your sequence looking like the example below with everything consolidated onto one track:

Apply Masking

Video Track 5 should have the proper aspect ratio matte (which was chosen during production and notated on the camera reports) applied over top of the entire film (including the credits).

Check Sound Organization

During picture editing, a great deal of sound work should have been accomplished. It may not be the exact music and effects that will be in the finished mix, but the Editor should have taken a good polish to the locked sequence. To make sure all the Editor’s sound work will translate over to ProTools when the locked sequence is turned over, check all the sound media that may be in your locked sequence.

  • Everything must be transcoded (nothing should be linked)
  • The Audio Sample Rate for all Music, Backgrounds, and SFX should match at 48000

The Production Audio should all be in the Audio Tracks (A1-A6):

The Backgrounds should be in Audio Tracks (A8-A9). This should be stereo media in stereo tracks:

The SFX should be in Audio Tracks (A10-A13):

The music should be in Audio Tracks (A14-A15). This should be stereo media in stereo tracks:

Apply Timecode Overlay

The Timecode Burn-In Effect should be applied to Video Track 6 and cut over top of the entire sequence:

The default Timecode Burn-In Effect in the template may need to be modified slightly.

Display 1 should be set to “Sequence Name”. This should be placed in the top-center so that it displays as shown in the example below. This is so that, when it is exported as a video file, it is easy to identify which show it is and that it is locked.

Display 2 should be set to “Timecode” and “V1”. This should be placed in the bottom-left corner so that it displays as shown in the example below. This timecode matches the locked sequence.

Display 3 should be set to “Source Timecode” and “V1”. This should be placed in the bottom-right corner so that it displays as shown in the example below. This timecode matches the media in the locked sequence.

Display 4 should be set to “Timeline Clip Text” and “V1”. The color of the text should be modified to be yellow and be placed in the top-left corner so that it displays as shown in the example below. These burn-ins are helpful for keeping track of which shots are VFX shots.

Display 5 should have the date of picture lock typed in. This should be placed in the top-right corner so that it displays as shown in the example below. This is helpful for keeping track of when the show locked.

QC the locked sequence

The Director and Editor should watch the film one last time, looking for black frames or any other problems. This is your last chance to make any changes. Once your picture is locked, it is locked!

Save the project

Finally, once you are confident that your locked sequence is formatted correctly, make sure to save your Picture Lock bin.

Assistant Editing Workflow

Overview

This page is a step-by-step guide to the Assistant Editing workflow for Media Composer, covering how to:

Organize Production Reports

The first job of the Assistant Editor is to organize by day any Camera Reports, Sound Reports, ShotPut Pro Offload Reports, and (if applicable) Script Supervisor Reports.

Most of these reports have already been made and you will only need to copy-and-paste them into the correct folder on the server to consolidate them together. The Camera Reports are analog so you will need to take clear pictures of them and to make a digital version.

There should be a folder for each day’s report on the server:

This is where you will find the Camera Card Offload Report:

This is where you will find the Sound Card Offload Report:

This is where you will find the Sound Report:

For the Camera Report, take a good picture of it to make a digital copy:

Copy-and-paste all of them into the Reports folder:

Then, upload each day’s folder to the corresponding folder on frame.io:

Prep the Script

The Director of the film should have already supplied you with a PDF of the shooting script. The .pdf file can be saved in the folder shown below:

To import the script into the Media Composer project, it must first be converted from a .pdf file into a .txt file. In Finder, right-click on the .pdf file and select Open With > Microsoft Word. Once it opens in Microsoft Word, go to the File menu and select Save As…

Under File Format change the type to “Plain Text (.txt)” and click “Save”. When the File Conversion screen appears, check the boxes as shown in the example below, then click “OK”.

This will save the file as a .txt file, in the same folder:

Open the script in the Text Edit app. Depending on how the script was originally formatted, you may notice that not all of the spacing has translated over. Use the return key to add the proper line spacing, as shown in the example below:

Configure the Media Composer Project

Make sure your Show Volume is mounted. Navigate to your show folder and launch the Media Composer project:

When it opens you will see the project template. These folders and bins must be maintained and kept organized.

Before you begin, double-check the Media Creation settings. Go to the Avid Media Composer menu and select Preferences. Navigate to the Project tab, then click “Media Creation”.

In the Media Creation window, make sure you select:

  • Video Resolution: DNxHD SQ
  • Video & Audio Drives: Your Show Volume

Select “Apply to All” for everything, then click “OK”.

Import the Script

Go to the File menu and select New Script…

Navigate to where you saved the .txt version of the script and click “Open”:

This will import the script into your Media Composer project:

Transcode Footage Using Davinci Resolve

While it is possible to transcode your original camera files into Avid Media MXF files using Media Composer it is much quicker to use Davinci Resolve if you have to transcode more than a few clips.

First close Media Composer and then open Davinci Resolve and make sure you are looking a the project window under “Network”. Then find your shows project under the proper folder path.

Once your project is open navigate to the “Media” page. The bottom portion of the screen will display the “Media Pool” where the project will be organized into bins. Find the bin that is labeled with the proper shot day of the footage you are going to transcode. Then in the top portion of the screen navigate to the location of your original camera files on the server. When you locate the folder containing all of the video files you wish to transcode, drag the entire folder into the bin.

This will import the entire contents of the folder into the bin.

If your OCF were recorded in LOG then you will need to apply a LUT. Highlight all of the clips in the bin and right click on one of them. This will open a long drop down menu. Select LUT and then follow the options until you find the proper LUT to apply. You can find the name of the proper LUT by looking at the camera report

Once you have applied to LUT to all of the clips they should no longer appear in LOG as shown in the example below.

The next step is to check that the proper settings in the “Conform Options” are set. Open the project settings and then navigate under “General Options”. Ensure that “Assist using reel names from the source clip filename” is selected.

If the “Conform Options” are set correctly you will see that the columns for “Clip Names” and “Reel Names” will match.

Next select all of the footage in the bin and right click to reveal a long drop down menu. Select the top option to create a new timeline using the selected clips.

It will ask you to name this new time line. Label it with “Show#”, “Day#”, and “Roll#” as shown in the example below.

Navigate to the “Edit” page to see all of your footage strung together in the timeline you just created.

Next you will need to apply the proper masking to the timeline. Check the camera report to see what aspect ratio the footage was framed for. In resolve this can be applied by select “Timeline” rom teh top of the screen and applying the correct “output blanking.

In the example below you will see an example after applying a 2.39:1 output blanking. If the camera report calls for an aspect ratio like 1.85:1 you may not notice any difference after applying that output blanking. You will need to scale the image a certain amount to get it to “fit” inside that output blanking. Consult the post staff for help if needed.

Navigate to the delivery page to begin exporting.

In the upper left hand corner you will find a preset labeled “Avid “Rushes”. Use this preset for exporting avid media mxf files. Check that the settings are as shown below.

Select “Browse” to set the destination for this export. You will want to find or make a folder in the proper “Avid MediaFiles” folder for your show. This folder will need to reflect either the date the footage was shot or the day of shooting.

Once all of taht is set you can add the job to the render cue and render all. When the job is complete it will look like the example below. When this step is done you can save and quit Davinci Resolve.

If you navigate in the finder to where the target destination of teh export was set you will find that an .mxf files has been made for every clip. However Davinci Resolve does not generate the avid database files. These files get generated the next time Avid is opened and it will scan the Avid MediaFiles folders looking for new media. When it finds the new folder it will index taht media and generate the necessary database files.

With your Media Composer project now open again to can bring this transcoded footage into the correct bin by dragging the “.mdb” database file into the bin.

If everything was done properly the master clips will appear inside the avid bin.

Open the Linked Production Audio bin for the proper day:

Right-click inside the bin and select “Import > Source Browser”.

Inside the Source Browser, navigate to a day’s worth of Production Audio. Make sure the Link icon is selected, and then click “Link”.

Before it links the media, it will ask you about Audio Start-Time Options. Make sure it is set to “24” and click “OK to All”.

The selected clips will begin linking:

Notice that the icons have linked-chain symbols. This is to let you know that this is not Avid Media yet; it’s only linked to the original media on the CMPAFilmPost Server.

Highlight all of the linked files in the bin by hitting “Command + A”. Right-click on a clip and select “Consolidate/Transcode”. This will open the Consolidate/Transcode window.

THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT: Study all the options highlighted by the red arrows shown below. These settings determine how the media will be transcoded and used for editing in Media Composer. The radial button in the top left should be set to “Transcode”. Under the Target Drive, you should select your Show Volume. Do not select CMPAFilmPost. Then, double-check all of the red arrows on the right.

Once everything is set properly you can click “Transcode”. Since this is audio media, it will not take long at all to transcode. Don’t go anywhere!

When the transcode is finished, you will notice that now you have two versions of everything in your bin. One is linked Production Audio and the other is Transcoded Production Audio:

Move the Transcode Production Audio media to the proper bin:

In the Transcoded Production Audio bin, take notice of a few things.

The Sound Mixer has most likely taken notes that will be useful later. These are in the Comments column:

Also, you will see in the TRK columns that Track 1 and 2 are Mix tracks. These Mix tracks are a combination or “mix” of all of the booms and radio mics that were used during production. Later in the process you will make subclips with only Track 1 or “MixL” attached, for use during picture editing. Tracks 3 through 8 are discrete recordings that can be used individually when you get to sound design.

Synchronize Audio and Video

To synchronize master audio clips and master video clips, they need to be placed in the same bin. Move the day’s worth of audio and video together into the Synching Bin.

Select all the audio and video clips in the Syncing Bin. Right-click and select “AutoSync” from the contextual menu. The Sync Selection window will open. Make sure “Source Timecode” is selected and click “OK”.

This makes a subclip out of every audio and video clip that has matching timecode. Anything that did not sync (because it couldn’t find a pair with matching timecode) will be left highlighted. Change the clip color of these to make it easier to keep track of them.

Below are some common examples of thing that won’t sync. Two audio master clips didn’t sync to anything because they are Room Tone. One audio master clip didn’t sync to anything because it was a bump take. Two video master clips didn’t sync to anything because they are MOS.

Move the master clips out of the Synching Bin and into their proper bins:

This will leave only the synched subclips in the Synching Bin. If you did have any MOS master clips, you will need to make subclips of them. The easiest way to make a subclip is to use the keyboard shortcut “Shift + C”. If this keyboard shortcut is not mapped in your suite, ask the Post Hall staff and they can show you how to map it.

Double-click on the Name column to sort the contents of the Synching Bin alphanumerically. You should see a subclip for every master clip.

Double-click on the Type column to sort the contents of the Synching Bin by type. This will let you easily select all of the master clips and move them back to the Transcoded MXF Day Folder.

At this point you should have one subclip for every take in the synching bin.

Make Mix-Only Subclips

Now is the time to check the sync of each clip by listening to the clapper. But as you do, you will also need to make a new subclip of each current subclip. The reason is that the subclips currently in the Synching Bin have all the audio tracks attached to them and this is not a good way to edit. It will be much easier if the clips are prepped to include only the Mix track.

Starting from the top in the Synching Bin, double-click on each clip to open it in the Source window. Select “Toggle Timeline Source/Record” to see the audio waveforms of each track in the Timeline window.

Hold down the “Shift” key and click-and-drag to deselect all the audio tracks except A1. Remember A1 is the Mix track. With only V1 and A1 selected, make a new subclip by hitting “Shift + C”. If this keyboard shortcut doesn’t work on your suite, ask the post staff to show you how to map it.

Check the new subclip by opening it in the Source Monitor. It should only have one Video track and one Audio track.

Do this for every subclip, checking for correct sync on the clapper as you go. If you find a clip that is out-of-sync, highlight it in a different color so you will remember when you come back to it.

When you finish doing this for every clip, you should have a new subclip for each clip with only one audio track.

Select all the old subclips and delete them:

This should leave the Synching Bin with subclips that are either MOS or only have Audio Track A1 attached.

If you have any clips that are out-of-sync, they will need to be synched manually. Contact the post staff and they can show you how to do this.

Rename Subclips

Go through each subclip and rename it based on what the slate is labeled:

Set Green Action Markers

Once everything is renamed, mark the beginning of action for every clip. To do this, listen for when the Director calls “Action” on every clip and immediately hit the “1” key to attach a green marker to that timecode. This will allow the Editor to jump to the beginning of the action for each clip by hitting the “A” and “S” keys to jump between markers.

Normally there will only be one green marker on each clip:

For series takes, multiple green markers may be needed for reset actions:

Organize Footage in Bins

Once all the green action markers have been set, you can move the subclips out of the Synching Bin and into the appropriate scene bins.

Switch the view in the scene bin to the thumbnail view:

Drag the thumbnails around and organize each scene bin into rows of setups and columns of takes. Hit “Command + T” to snap the thumbnails to a grid to making organizing easier.

Next, change the thumbnail for each one. By default the thumbnail is the first frame of video, which is not helpful to an Editor as it usually only shows the slate. You can change the thumbnail by single-clicking on the clip and scrubbing with the JKL keys. Wherever you stop scrubbing, that thumbnail will be saved.

If a setup has only one take, set the thumbnail to what the majority of the shot represents. If a setup has multiple takes, set the early takes to the beginning of the action and the last takes to the end of the action. This way, the Editor can see at a glance what the motion of the camera or the changing of the blocking is, simply by looking across the different takes.

Transcribe Notes and Label “NG”

The Camera Report has notes for Good/NG, Shot Size, and Remarks:

Select Script View, and transcribe all of these notes from the Camera Report onto the corresponding clips in the Comments section.

Any clips marked as “NG” or “No Good” should be labeled in red:

This color-coding should translate to the thumbnail view, so the Editor will easily be able to tell which takes are No Good.

Assemble Scene Stringouts

Inside every scene bin, there’s a sequence labeled as a “Scene Stringout” that’s already been made. A scene stringout is not the same thing as a dailies sequence. A dailies sequences is normally organized in shooting order by day, and exported out for the production to see the progress of the film as it is shot. Scene stringouts are organized by scene and are not exported. They are made by the Assistant Editor for the Editor to review all the options available while working on a particular scene.

To assemble the scene stringout, open the sequence and the cut all the shots into the sequence in shot order.

Assemble a Dailies Stringout

Open the Dailies Stringout sequence from the Dailies Stringout bin:

The sequence should already have a slate and Timecode Effect Burn-In:

Assemble all the footage in scene order. Then, extend the Timecode Effect so that it covers everything on Video Track 1.

Most everything in the Timecode Effect should update automatically based on the metadata of the clips in the sequence and the sequence itself. But check that the date is correct in the”Text” option:

Enter the slate information:

Export and Upload Dailies to Frame.io

Mark In/Out for the entire timeline and select all video and audio tracks:

Right-click in the Program Monitor and select “Export”.

Check that the name of the file is correct, that it’s going the proper folder on your show volume, and that you are using the correct export setting:

When the export is complete, open it in QuickTime Player and check that everything is correct. Then, upload to the proper folder on frame.io.

If you have need to send out a review link to the dailies stringout – e.g., so that a faculty member or another crew member can look at it — it’s simple to do. Follow the instructions here: Frame.io Review Links.

When you are finished, save your bins and close the project. Congratulations! Your work here is done!

🎉

Writing Collaborations

On M2, MC, and FC projects, students may collaborate on the writing of a film. The collaboration could be structured as a writing team (working closely together throughout the process) or as a hand-off (one student starts the work, then another takes over for rewrites). There are three different writing credits that could apply to the collaboration: Story by, Screenplay by, and Written by. Students are expected to adhere to the parameters and definitions outlined below.

Deal Memos

At the start of the collaboration process, the director (or producer) must have the additional writer(s) complete a standard Crew Deal Memo. This includes a space to decide upon how the additional writer(s) will be credited in the finished film.

It is recommended that all parties draft a scope-of-work agreement for the tasks at hand. This could include a description of what work the additional writer(s) will contribute, how many drafts, and due dates. Defining what constitutes final delivery for the additional writer(s) is advised. This document can be a helpful way for making sure everyone’s on the same page before the work commences.

Credit Definitions

Writing credits for motion pictures, as defined by the Writers Guild of America, are determined within a very specific set of definitions. Each type of credit has a distinct meaning and purpose, as described below:

STORY BY
The term “story” means all writing representing a contribution “distinct from screenplay and consisting of basic narrative, idea, theme or outline indicating character development and action.” “Distinct from screenplay” means that the contributions considered for story should not be applied to screenplay credit, nor should contributions considered for screenplay credit be applied to story credit. A story may be written in story form or may be contained within other literary material, such as a treatment or a screenplay, for purposes of receiving “Story by” credit.

SCREENPLAY BY
A screenplay consists of individual scenes and full dialogue, together with such prior treatment, basic adaptation, continuity, scenario, and dialogue as shall be used in, and represent substantial contributions to the final script. A “Screenplay by” credit is appropriate when there is source material of a story nature or when the writer(s) entitled to “Story by” credit is different from the writer(s) entitled to “Screenplay by” credit.

WRITTEN BY
The credit “Written by” is used when the writer(s) is entitled to both the “Story by” credit and the “Screenplay by” credit. This credit shall not be granted where there is source material of a story nature. However, biographical, newspaper, and other factual sources may not necessarily deprive the writer of such credit.

&
Writers working closely together as a writing team are credited using an ampersand: e.g., “Written by Ben Mekler & Chris Amick”.

AND
Writers working independently on drafts are listed in the credits with an “and” between them to signify that they worked separately: e.g., “Screenplay by Joe Eszterhas and Julianna Baggott”.

Determining credits

Determining of final credits is entirely at the discretion of the faculty. If there’s a dispute over how much a student contributed or whether a credit is deserved, faculty will arbitrate by reviewing the writing materials and deciding the final credits.

If a writer contributes in a manner that fits the above definitions, they are eligible for receiving the applicable writing credit(s) in the finished film.

If a writer’s contributions don’t pass the threshold for one of the above credits — e.g., they give notes on a script or help with kicking around ideas, but don’t contribute significantly to the mapping out the story or the writing of the script — a writing credit will not be awarded. Instead, a mention in the “SPECIAL THANKS” section of the credits can be used to acknowledge their support.

Sample scenarios

Brock and Chest conceive the story and write the screenplay together as a writing team. Credits would read:
Written by Brock Landers & Chest Rockwell

Kar-leung comes up with the story, Hsing-Hsiu writes the screenplay. Credits would read:
Story by Lau Kar-leung
Screenplay by Huang Hsing-Hsiu

Marlene comes up with the story, and then works as a writing team with Bill on the writing of the script. Credits would read:
Story by Marlene Clark
Screenplay by Marlene Clark & Bill Gunn

Emilio comes up with the story and writes a draft of the script, then María takes over to do a rewrite of the script. Credits would read:
Story by Emilio Fernández
Screenplay by Emilio Fernández and María Félix

Mario gives notes on Daria’s script. Credits would read:
Written by Daria Nicolodi
Special Thanks to Mario Bava (at end of crawl)

Baz develops a story for a movie about Elvis. Baz forms a writing partnership with Sam to write the screenplay. Baz then forms a new writing partnership with Craig to rewrite the screenplay. Jeremy then reworks part of the story and rewrites the screenplay. Credits read:
Story by Baz Luhrmann and Jeremy Doner
Screenplay by Baz Luhrmann & Sam Bromell and Baz Luhrmann & Craig Pearce and Jeremy Doner

Location Scouting

Overview

Location scouting is the process of identifying potential filming sites and is distinct from tech scouting. This task is typically led by the Producer, Director, and Production Designer, though any crew member may initiate contact with a property owner. However, only the Producer is authorized to finalize agreements and handle all official paperwork.

Safety

When showing up at someone’s home, be sure to take safety precautions. Not everyone appreciates having strangers show up at their front door.

  • Always carry your student ID for identification.
  • Print and distribute our Location Pamphlet to introduce yourself as a film student.
  • Check out a magnetic “Location Scouting Vehicle” sign from the ER to display on your vehicle.
  • Whenever possible, scout in pairs.
  • Evaluate safety risks at each location—consider hazards, neighborhood security, and any factors that may pose risks to your cast and crew.

Finding Locations

Start your search virtually with Google Maps and Street View. To identify property owners, use the Leon County Property Appraiser website. From there, you may need additional online research to find their contact information.

You can also scout in person by driving around and visiting locations directly. Be mindful of appropriate times—avoid early mornings, late evenings, or peak business hours when visiting homes or establishments.

Communication

Always approach property owners with professionalism and respect. Key discussion points include:

  • The production schedule, including prep days (tech scout, set dressing, photoboarding, etc.).
  • The areas you wish to use (filming spaces, staging areas, green rooms, craft services, parking, etc.).
  • The script content, especially if it includes sensitive material.
  • Any location rental fees or requirements for on-site personnel.

Location Rental fees

Most locations are generously provided free of charge. However, exceptions may include commercial venues (e.g., hotels) or businesses requiring a staff presence during filming. If fees are involved, confirm the exact cost upfront.

Documentation

When you find a location you plan to use, be sure to complete the following:

  1. Location Hazard Assessment Form – identify any potential hazards.
  2. Hazard Notification Form – if hazards are present, outline mitigation steps for each.
  3. Location Shooting Plan Agreement – personally ask the property owner the listed questions and fill out the form. Do not hand them a blank copy. After completion, have them sign Page 2 and provide them with a copy.
  4. Location Agreement – finalize by having the property owner sign this document as well.