Appendix 1

The Filmmaker’s Guide to Final Cut Pro Workfl ow
• Export the movie (reels) as QuickTime (they will be 23.98 FPS QuickTimes).
• Export the audio for the reels as OMF.
• For those planning to recapture audio from the production DAT, an audio EDL is exported and
used to batch capture audio to the digital audio workstation. Several digital recorders and theater
sound formats now support very high sample rates, 96 K at 24 bit. Pro Tools HD is also capable
of these sample rates. So, rather than convert the OMF derived from the 48 K 16- or 24-bit Final
Cut Pro edit, audio is recaptured from the original production tapes.
• Open the OMF as a Pro Tools session using Digi Translator.
• Import the QuickTime movie and guide track into the Pro Tools session. Pro Tools will support
the 23.98 FPS rate.
• Record and import all sound effects, ADR, Foley, and music.
• Edit and sync the sound tracks.
• The DI conform and color correction are handled in a DI color correction suite. All of the pulled
footage is slowly scanned one frame at a time to a drive array in 2 K or 4 K DPX.
• The show is then assembled to construction order matching the Cinema Tools cut list.
• Any cleanup and restoration needed is preformed at this point. Many scratches can be removed
as can dust and unwanted movement in the gate.
• The show is now color corrected in the DI color correction suite. As there is no tape format for
DPX fi les, color correction must be done in online, not later as it often is in video fi nishing.
In VDI color correction is often preformed tape-to-tape after the HD online.
• The fi nished audio mix is brought in to the online. For fi lm prints, the audio is also encoded and
shot to optical sound track to be matched to the fi lm interpositive.
• The DPX DI or HD video is now shot onto 35 mm fi lm on a fi lm recorder.
• Internegative is made with the optical sound and release prints are made.
Basic Workfl ow 7
Shooting on tapeless data recorder
Finish on 35 mm and/or video
The tapeless workfl ow is the newest workfl ow, and while still somewhat experimental and often
expensive, could be the prototype workfl ow for future fi lmmaking.
Several cameras and recording systems can use this workfl ow. The Panasonic AG-HVX200 3-CCD
P2/DVCPRO HD Format Camcorder can record in several formats to P2 cards. These can store about
one minute of HD video per gig of size. They come in two-, four-, and eight-gig, and much larger
ones are on the way. There are many options, but since the P2 cards are PCMCIA cards, they can
slip right into your laptop on set and you can download them. Panasonic also makes a fi ve-slot
docking bay that can mount in a 5 1 /4-inch drive bay on your desktop editing system. There is also
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