Appendix 1

The Filmmaker’s Guide to Final Cut Pro Workfl ow
Figure 5.4 16 mm fi lm negative with keycode number. The keycode number is also printed as a
machine readable barcode. The small dot designates the actual frame represented by this keycode
fi nd this frame. The numbers are printed onto the fi lm sequentially starting at zeros and eventually
repeat. The chances of getting two rolls with the same numbers are slim, but it can happen. There is also
a small dot somewhere in the code. Because the number can be quite long, this is meant to mark the
exact frame for this edge code. There is also a machine-readable bar code with this same information.
Every frame can be identifi ed even if it does not have a corresponding key code by counting the number
of frames back to the last key code number and adding this as a + number. Moreover, as the fi lm is
telecined, the pull down pattern discussed earlier is imprinted as a function of the edge code. This is
called the pull-down cycle identifi er. So, the key code in a telecine log may read like this: KL 25 8654
5438 +12C1. This code indicates that, if we rolled down into the fi lm negative until we reached KL 25
8654 5438 and looked for the small dot, then counted twelve frames past that, this is the exact frame
that was recorded on the videotape at that point, and it was the fi rst fi eld of a C-frame in the pull-down
pattern. Assuming the telecine was done correctly, it was copied into the fi rst fi eld of a frame with time
code ending in 3 or 8. If the negative has been work-printed, the numbers are visible on the print.
Reel Length
Depending on the length of your fi lm, you will need to split it up into reels. If you show up at the
lab with a 10,000-foot roll of negative and want it printed, there will be a problem. You need to cut
the 35 mm fi lm into sections not more than 2,000 feet long. As we are working with time code, that
is not more than 22.2 minutes. The lab also needs to thread the printer, leaders, and whatnot, so keep
your reels 21 minutes or fewer. If you are planning to cut 16 mm negative and blow up optically to
35 mm, the reel length is 850 feet of 16 mm, or still 21 minutes. Many people divide into 1,000 feet
rolls, this was the standard before computer editing, either works.
It is best to end reels at scene changes. There may be color changes at the reel change and the sound
will shift as well. Under no circumstances should a music cue cross the reel change. Even if the reel
comes up short to avoid the reel change, this is better than a reel change in the middle of a scene.
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