Producers

Ver 3.5-20180707

SHOOT
As a producer you have control over how footage is shot. Please shoot (or request that your camera operator shoots) the footage in the codec, frame size, and frame rate you plan to master to.
Or shoot in one of these 3 formats:
1. AVC-INTRA 60i 29.97 fps, (not progressive, not 60 frames) MXF
2. DNxHD 29.97 (except any 4444 flavor) MXF
3. ProRes 29.97 (no 4444 resolutions) MOV in a Mac environment.
Shooting any H264 format internally, can double or triple the time needed to make the deadline and get the necessary sleep to work with a clear head.
-Panasonic cameras shoot > DVCPRO-HD 60i 29.97 fps, (not progressive, not 60 frames)
-Sony cameras shoot > 60i 29.97 fps XDCAM 35 or 50 Mbps(not progressive, not 60 frames)
-Canon C100 or C300 shoot 29.97 fps AVCHD or MXF with PCM audio 48k
-Canon 5D or 7D make sure you have the latest firmware to shoot 29.97 fps.
–More shooting tips here
If your camera does not support recording to an I-frame codec, use video recorders (KiPro, PIX 240 etc.)
–Zero your flash media before important shoots!
With multiple camera’s, you are responsible for delivering matching shots, this can’t be left to be “fixed in post”.
4K tips:
-Use tripod or use advanced optical stabilization.
-Interviews >aperture at least 2 stops closed, make sure focus is NOT too shallow!
-Check focus by using the digital punch in feature on most camera’s, or the biggest possible monitor.
-When shooting 4K cropped for 2 HD angles, keep ISO down and light well. A noisy image when cropped looks even worse. Plus the noise is bigger.

AUDIO
-Monitor audio using headphones during the shoot.
-Microphone placement is everything. The one spot that sounds best may also create mouth noises that a windscreen can’t cure. Putting the microphone farther down the chest can cause severe rumble from the chest cavity and stomach, and let too much room noise into the balance of direct- to-room sound.
-Center the microphone on your talent as much as possible.
-Do not hide the microphone under clothes, it will create muffled sound and rustling noises.

Multi-cam shoot
-Coordinate the rolls of all camera’s and audio recorders!
Everybody starts & stops at the same time. This greatly reduces the time you have to spend in post trying to figure out what belongs to what.
Bob the editor: ”Please no starting and stopping at will, you’ll create hundreds of files per shoot that I have to find and organize in post”
-Use a good common audio source on all camera’s & recorders.
Use the best mic possible to facilitate automated waveform syncing and make sure those mics “hear” the same source.
-Use Time-of-day FREE RUN on all sources.
With time-of-day, anyone on set can look at their watch and make a performance note or any other comment that will be useful and time saving later in the edit room. Make sure every device is set to Free Run.
-Use the strongest shooter for the b-roll.
Albert Maysles: ”Getting b-roll in a verite situation is tricky, you have to be quick to grab the right shots to make a scene editable”
-All cameras: Use fixed White balance, not automatic, not preset.
-Spend one minute getting a good balance, using a white card, all cameras, in the room where you do your shots.
-Use the same brand and type (no mixing of DSLR and video cameras)
-Use the same frame size and frame rate.
-If possible jam sync the timecode to time of day for easy logging.
-When shooting double system: LOG AUDIO FILES!!!!  If it’s got no picture, tell the editor what it matches to – the editor wasn’t there when you shot it, and can only tell what it is, by playing it in real time unless there is a log.
-Make sure that the reel names and timecode on your camera are set correctly and that they increment with each new card, tape or disc. The more information you can supply the better. If you’re keeping logging sheets or camera reports, please know editors do actually look at them!

EDIT
Click here for import to export in 5 steps.
Click here to read about a new 2018 Multi-Cam workflow.
Please transcode all footage before the edit to either:
1. DVCPRO-HD 60i 29.97 fps 1280×1080
2. DNxHD or DNxHR 29.97 fps (except any 4444 flavor) 1920 x 1080
3. ProRes 29.97 fps (no 4444 resolutions) 1920 x 1080
No mixed format timelines, especially no H264 footage of any kind.
-Transcode mp3s and M4v and any other compressed format to wav 24bit 48k.
-Use only the native filters and effects built into Premiere. (No free or demo versions of any plug-ins)
-During the editorial part of the edit; do not color correct or mix the sound.
-Set sound levels for screening purposes only.
-Do not process or mixdown any sound or remove any original camera sound tracks. (lower volume on clips you don’t want to hear)
-All titles, graphics and animations should be 4×3 titlesafe within the HD 16×9 frame.
-Titles should be an appropriate size for legibility for playback on the Web and Broadcast.
-Titles should be created at 90% max white. (not 90% opacity)

We will provide a separate sound mix, color correct and HD legalizing. Depending on your editor’s skill set we can provide you with a room that has a broadcast monitor and scope for proper viewing of video levels.

STILL SPECS
Scan as close to 5000 pixels, in either direction.
For example, if you scan a 8.5″x11″ sheet of paper, it should be about 2909w x 4000h
All images must be saved in RGB, not grayscale, CMYK or any color space other than RGB.
File format should be either .tiff (TIFF) or .tga (Targa).
Tiff’s should be saved as 8bit, uncompressed, in PC byte order.
This method should provide you with the most options for your needs and provide you with a solid “master” element.

DELIVERY
Make sure your segment is within the following tech specs:
LUMINANCE: between 0 – 100
GAMUT: between -20 – 120
AUDIO: Most of the time level sits between -15 & -10.
filling up to -10db (occasional peak up to -8db)

GFX 4×3 titlesafe and at 90% white.
-Add 2 seconds of handles at the Head and Tail of the segment
-Deliver your final flattened file in one of the 3 formats discussed above.
-Deliver a textless version with split audio.(separate: NAT, VO, MUSIC)

-Premiere project with consolidated media.
-Clearly mark your FINAL LOCKED sequence in your project folder – make sure only ONE SEQUENCE IS VISIBLE!
-Simplify your timeline to include only the clips necessary to play. Everything else must go.
-Drop everything down to V1. Then dedicate other tracks to specific elements… V2 for overlapping dissolves or composites, V3 & V4 for titles and graphics etc.
-Please include all the fonts that you used.
-Please provide us with the following documents electronically:
a. List of Lower thirds ID / Subtitles with timings
b. List of production credits
c. Script
d. Music cue sheet
e. Visual cue sheet for stock footage and stills used
f. Signed releases

 

1. General Preferences (click for details) (Machine specific, not tied to project)
You have to redo these every time you move to a different station. Or after a reset.
Also be aware that your colleagues might change them. Check!

Set to Frame Size vs Scale to Frame Size.
Always have “Default scale to frame size” checked. 
Set to Frame Size> switches to the original high-resolution pixel information.
Scale to Frame Size> rasterizes to the sequence resolution, improving performance.
If you want to zoom past 100% you can uncheck “Scale to Frame” for that clip.
Effect Controls will always display the actual scale values of the full-resolution.

2. The Project settings (Tied to project, moves with project)

-Set Title Safe to: 33, 10, 10, 10.
This reflects the new 90% PBS Red Book Title safe standard for both 16×9 and 4×3 Title Safe.
-Check > Display the project item name and label color for all instances. It makes colors in Project & Timeline consistent.

3. Keyboard Shortcuts: You should know where this file lives, learn to change it, update it and move it wherever you go even keeping a WIN and MAC version.

Learn to map functions that you use all the time like:
-Selection Follows Playhead
-Toggle Source/Program Monitor Focus
-Replace With Clip From Source Monitor, Match Frame
-Deselect All
-Zoom Program monitor In, Out & Fit
-Render In to Out
Print Default Layout on ledger 11×17 paper.

4. The Panel Menu> changes behavior of that specific panel (Tied to Machine)

Timeline Panel Menu
This is where the Sequence start time can be changed.
Also Audio Time Units, enabling  Sample level audio editing.
Don’t use the Work Area Bar because it will remove render in to out.

 

 

 

 

5. Timeline Wrech Menu (Tied to Machine)

Check all except:
1. Duplicate Frame Markers (Dupe detection)
It degrades performance and causes crashing.
2. Composite Preview During Trim
Also causes stalls and crashes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Trim view still works even when unchecked! It helps prevent flash frames.

1. Make a cut and apply dissolve.
2. During the dissolve in this example there is a flash frame.
3. Grab dissolve with Selection Tool (V)
-Trim view automatically shows how to adjust dissolve.
-In this example make the dissolve end at cut.
4. Check transition.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Program Wrench Menu

Check all except:
-High Quality Playback> causes stutters and crashes.
-Show Audio Time Units, see: Sample level audio editing.
-Time Ruler Numbers (clutters the monitor)

 

 

 

 

 

 

6. The Video Keyframe Menu chooses what the line on the video clip represents.
Great for manipulating keyframes in relation to other clips.
The best way to do Speed Ramping.

FX badge colors
A. Gray: No effect applied (default badge color)
B. Purple: Non-intrinsic filter effect applied (like, color correction, blur)
C. Yellow: Intrinsic effect modified (like, position, scale, opacity)
D. Green: Intrinsic and Filter together.
E & F Red underline: Master Clip effect applied.

7. Buttons that toggle functions on/off

These usually have Keyboard Shortcuts or can be mapped.

 

You can make premiere behave pretty much like FCP.
Also read 5 rules for a smooth edit.

Preferences>Audio: Default Settings, except>change all Default Audio Tracks to Mono.

This makes it so that stereo camera tracks can be edited as double mono tracks.
If you’ve already imported or even edited them you can still change them, but this is a last resort. Right-click the tracks and choose>Audio channels
Or right click the clip in the bin and choose>Modify>Audio Channels

Premiere has 3 places where you adjust levels.

1. Gain > Press G on the keyboard use FCP style menu to adjust clip levels.
2. Window> Audio Clip Mixer sets levels FCP style with possibility or rubberbanding. Make sure that “Show Audio Keyframes” is on in the Timeline Wrench menu.
3. Window>Audio Track Mixer sets levels for whole track.

Sync sound on track 1-4 0 DB (level individual clips with G)
Nat sound tracks 5&6 at -15dbs.
Music tracks 7&8 at -15dbs.
Open the top area of the Master track

add the Multiband Compressor for immediate smoothing of all levels.
If you have noisy audio you can either:
Put all those clips on dedicated tracks > say 10+11 then add the DeNoiser to those tracks
or
add the same DeNoiser to individual clips.
Watch out for taking the DeNoiser too far and creating artifacts. Sometimes using an EQ effect can yield better results than DeNoise.

Workarounds for missing save function effects in Track mixer:

1. Save a project as a template with your effects in place in the Audio Track Mixer.
2. Nest audio clips into one clip in a track and apply your presets from the Effects Bin.
3. Link to Audition and finish audio there.
4. Bounce out an AAF and do it in Pro Tools.
5. Create screenshots of your effects settings and save them in a folder on your desktop or Dropbox for reference.

iZotope RX Loudness Control

 

 

 

 

 

1. In FCP right-click the sequence and choose > Export >XML

Leave the default, version 5 and uncheck both boxes.
2. In Pr import using media Browser as usual, with same media drives connected.
Don’t expect motion files that you’ve built with Motion 4 to come across.
What will come across are:
-Clips + Basic Motion tab atributes(including keyframe animation) + Cropping
-Multi-clips
-Cross dissolves
-Audio levels & Audio dissolves
-Gaussian-blur
-Eight & Four point mattes
-Luma key
-Titles content but not Font & Placement (It is editable in Pr though, easy to adjust)

Not translate:
-3-way color corrector
-Motion files
-Nested clips
-Everything else
A lot of things aren’t going to come across, and if they’re vital to a project,  bake them in, export as clips from FCP, then import into Pr.

This is the official Adobe migration page

1. Edits any format without transcoding

Not really true, because it creates “media cache files” to make the unplayable, playable in the background. Sometimes your audio and video play stuttery before lunch but when you come back it plays smooth (because it “rendered” preview files)

Not true with more than 3 cameras. For 12 cam you still have to transcode to either DNx 36-wrapped mxf’s or very low quality MPEG2’s (our COVE or proxy spec.) Relink to the originals for the online.
Also not true in a multi user or Dalet environment, you’ll have to normalize to be compatible with Dalet and media sharing with other users.

2. Warp stabalizer fixes shakey footage

In the past these shots where either deemed unusable, to be replaced or send to a time consuming and expensive Flame or After Effects session. It works in background. You have to learn what it can and can not fix.

The same tracker, used in AE can also be helpful in other ways.

3. Encoding in the background The Adobe suite includes Media Encoder (AME) an app that can take footage or edited timelines and encode for final output or proxy use in realtime in the background. You can create many versions and then work towards a final version as part of your workflow.

Keeping older versions as screeners in a collaborative environment brings out creativity and new posibilities. Gone are the days that the editor sits in a room, not to be disturbed until the cut is deemed watchable and perfected. Why not assemble the script long, then re-cut and re-think, then explore some use of b-roll etc. keeping all those versions for the whole team to watch and use.

Team members can transcribe, screen, create logs and write watching footage & cuts outside the editroom.

Here is a 3.5hr timeline with timecoded footage of one location

This file is a 1GB mp4 that can be uploaded to a transcriber, carried on a memory stick or posted on our internal network for anyone to watch like a proxy. Plays on PC or Mac.
other advantage is you don’t have to use the editroom as a screening/meeting room.

4 Ultra key greenscreen compositing and effects.

The New Year’s Celebration 2015 used to composite Julie Andrews on a background.
Ultra key is considered the best and easiest to use greenscreen tool in the business. Build into Pr.
We will use it for Reel 13 and any other greenscreen application. It opens up a new world of creative use of green & blue screen in our productions.
With a small workaround you can even use it in AE.

5 Direct link between Adobe suite apps
The idea behind it is great (link a Photoshop document or After Effects comp directly in the timeline) In reality when you link more than 4 AE comps and a few PS docs the project becomes too complicated and slows down too much to be usable. Most computers don’t have enough resources to have lots of apps & windows open at the same time. The workaround is simple: Create those documents in their own app, render out and keep replacing the file that you link too on the media drive. Or render in place, a technique that most editors used for many years.

6 Title Tool
Brings back sanity, efficiency, creativity, design.
In Pr you design lower thirds, titles and credit rolls on screen in realtime. Multiple rows, different fonts. The sky is the limit.

7 No more rendering/render in background is here!

A radical change in postproduction thinking.
When I discovered Pr’s realtime capabilities I decided to never render again.
Provided that you have a video card GPU with at least 4GB of Vram.
It gives you freedom of adjustment and rethinking. You never have to lock the GFX and wait.
A cut always flattens in realtime in the background no matter how many effects and layers you have.