Dialogue Editing

Make a Timecode Burn-In 83
Most Avid cutting rooms are incapable of burning the timecode directly onto
the video image, so the burn-in becomes a two-step process. First obtain a
regular videotape “digital dump” from the Avid or Final Cut Pro. Next send
the tape to a video facility for dubbing with a burn-in or, if so equipped, do
it yourself. Making a dub with a timecode burn-in isn’t rocket science, but
you should pay attention to a few details whether you’re making the copy
yourself or writing the instructions for the dubbing facility.
• Place the timecode window at the very top of the frame, outside the
image if possible. Smaller is better. Try not to cover up any of the other
information fi elds, but since this tape is just for you and not for
negative cutting, only the source sound timecode window is truly
important. If the timecode window is at the very top of the frame, it
will be the fi rst information updated by the noise bar as you scrub the
VTR. As small a matter as it may seem, this actually saves considerable
time over the course of the fi lm if your picture is on tape. 3
• Be certain that the play and record VTRs, the timecode generator, and
the timecode inserter are all locked to the same video reference.
• Confi rm that both channels of audio are transferred, not mixed
together. Also, the LTC and VITC timecode must be copied with the
dub. You’re much better off passing the timecode through a TC
generator and “jam-syncing” the code than you are just patching
the timecode as though it were an audio signal (it is an audio signal,
but a very special one).
• Clearly label the tape with title, date, reel number, and version name
or number, along with any technical details.
When editing to a QuickTime movie or other disk-based video player, I prefer
to make a timecode burn-in before digitizing the picture so that I’ll have a
permanent “hard-copy” timecode display. Establishing sync with a nonlinear
player is much like voodoo, and throughout the editing process the question
of gooey sync looms. By physically stamping the timecode onto the video, it’s
simple to sync picture to sound and quite easy to confi rm sync when you’re
in doubt.
3 There are arguments, at times passionate, about where to place the timecode burn-in—
at the top or at the bottom of the frame. You’ve heard my reasons for the top. There are,
however, times when it’s best to place the burn-in at the bottom of the frame. If you use the
character inserter in the Betacam or DV player to create your burn-in, rather than using an
external timecode inserter, you’re better off placing the burn-in at the bottom. With the
timecode window at the top, the built-in inserters may “print” the timecode into the video
before updating the time. You end up with BITC that’s one fi eld late.