Appendix 1

The Filmmaker’s Guide to Final Cut Pro Workfl ow
it into the odd fi eld and the even fi eld on the fi rst video frame. Let’s call this frame zero. The next
fi lm frame, B, is copied in the odd and even fi eld in video frame one and into the odd fi eld on video
frame two. The next fi lm frame, C, is copied into the even fi eld in frame two and the odd fi eld in
frame three. The last fi lm frame, D, is copied into the even fi eld of frame three and both the odd and
even fi elds of frame four. At this point the whole process repeats, starting with a new A frame being
copied into the odd and even fi elds of frame fi ve. In this way, 24 frames of fi lm become 60 fi elds,
which is to say 30 frames of video. But video plays at 29.97 FPS, not 30 FPS. In order to achieve
the proper frame rate, the fi lm is not run in the telecine machine at 24 FPS but rather at 23.976 FPS,
or .1 percent slower (usually called 23.98). For anyone fi nishing on fi lm or 24P, this whole process
is very important to understand. For someone fi nishing on video, it’s enough to know that the fi lm
was slowed by the telecine .1 percent.
Speed changes are not a big issue, per se. Films shot at 24 FPS are often projected at 25 FPS and
no one is the wiser. However, if the sound and picture are being recorded and/or played separately,
it is critical that they each play at the proper speed or the sound will go out of sync with the picture.
Digital systems often record sound on the same tape as the picture (single system). But, in fi lm production,
the sound is always recorded on a separate recorder (double system).
So, slowing the fi lm to 23.98 FPS will cause the sound to slowly move out of sync. It will be one
full frame out of sync after thirty-three seconds. When syncing up fi lm either in telecine or after it
has been telecined, it is necessary to also slow the audio by the same .1 percent and this process
must be exact.
For purposes of this discussion, fi lm speed refers to any fi lm or digital video or audio that plays at
24 FPS or 30 FPS. Video speed refers to fi lm, video, or digital that plays at 29.97 FPS or 23.98 FPS.
It is best to think of it in these terms, even if the fi lm or digital was shot at 23.98, it’s still video
speed. If you are changing from fi lm speed to video speed, you are pulling down. If you are changing
from video speed to fi lm speed, you are pulling up.
Anamorphic Telecine
Film shot for 2.35, 1.85, or 16 × 9 can use an “anamorphic” process in telecine to pack the most
resolution onto the digital video. (For more information on aspect ratios, see Appendix 6 on aspect
ratios and letterboxing.) A 16 × 9 CCD head can be mounted on the telecine, and then, if necessary,
masked later in Final Cut Pro to an even wider aspect ratio. Super 16 is shot in 1.66 : 1 and therefore
loses a tiny amount of picture top and bottom as it is clipped to 16 × 9 (1.78 : 1). Masking to 1.85
shows a small amount of letterboxing; 2.35 shows a lot of letterboxing. However the squeezing to
16 × 9 is done in telecine, and no scan lines of picture will be lost.
Except for working copies, it is highly ill advised to letterbox to 4 × 3 when making a show in any
widescreen aspect ratio. Letterboxing uses almost a third of the scan lines recording nothing but two
black bars that can automatically be created in playback when needed. If the fi lm is telecined letterboxed,
these scan lines are forever lost. The best choice is to telecine to 16 × 9 anamorphic and add
any other masks in fi nal postproduction. Only 4 × 3 shows should be telecined at 4 × 3.
The telecined “anamorphic” digital video is no different than native 16 × 9 video shot on a 16 × 9
digital camera, however the digital camera “fl ags” this media telling Final Cut Pro that it is anamorphic.
The telecined video is not fl agged, so you will need to set that yourself. The anamorphic fl ag
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