Appendix 1

The Filmmaker’s Guide to Final Cut Pro Workfl ow
code media from the Red One can be edited in 720 P DVC Pro HD without ever taking the Redcode
off-line. In this unique workfl ow, both formats are delivered from the Redcode media; there is no
need to online or even relink to the original media.
This is color corrected in a DI color correction suite and the fi nal media is shot to 35 mm fi lm, and/or
rendered for direct projection and/or down-converted to HD video.
In terms of the computer recourses and technology, this is the most complicated system ever devised
for making movies. But, in terms of use, it is one of the simplest. No edge code numbers, no capture,
no telecine, no reverse telecine, no frame rate conversions, no pull up or pull down, no database
other than a basic edit log showing what scenes and takes are on the drive and basic notes. True
portability where editors don’t need to be in the same room together; they don’t even need to be on
the same continent.
Basic Workfl ow 8
Shooting on any HD or SD video format
Finish on any HD or SD video format using ProRes 422
This very new (2007) workfl ow requires an I/O device such as the AJA ioHD as the capture input
device. The HD or SD video is captured from tape by connecting the recorder to the ioHD. ProRes
422 is created in hardware in the ioHD and sent to Final Cut Pro via FireWire 800. Tapeless media
is imported and transcoded into ProRes 422.
The ProRes 422 is monitored in edit through the ioHD to an HD monitor and audio monitors. Editing,
color grading, compositing, and even sound can be preformed in ProRes 422 in Final Cut Pro, Motion,
Color, and Sound Track Pro or Pro Tools. The fi nal project can be recorded to tape in any format by
connecting the proper digital recorder to the ioHD.
While this seems like the simplest workfl ow ever devised, and in many ways it is, it does not represent
any advantage over native capture and editing in any of the DV formats. It requires extra hardware,
and because all formats edited with this workfl ow are transcoded into ProRes 422, there is a
potential for loss of quality and artifacts. However, on projects that require some type of transcode
anyway, say an HD fi nish of an SD shoot, mixed formats in one project, or any format that would
normally require an online (i.e., Digitalbeta, HD cam, D5, and so on), this is the easy solution. And,
while the ioHD may not up-rez SD to HD as well as the Teranex Xanthus, at $3,500, the ioHd is
something that most editors can afford.
There are many workfl ows, and there are always choices to be made. The key is to have a plan in
place before the production even begins shooting. Changes to the plan need to be made with caution,
knowing the potential for creating problems,
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