spotting lists and continuities from DVD?
 

Hello,

In creating continuities and subtitle-spotting lists for professional filmmakers, Beta or VHS tapes are traditionally used. Older VCRs are able to stop and advance tape frame-by-frame, which is essential to this work, as feet and frames are marked on the film. Newer VCRs -- more and more rare in any case -- can't do this.

I would like to be able to work from DVD, but don't know if current technology allows frame-accurate stopping and starting.

A Mac representative told me that some software (he mentioned Final Cut) can advance the image frame by frame, but the Mac hardware cannot.

My question is, is this the case with PCs? (The actual spotting lists and continutities are created on a separate program.)

Thank you in advance for any advice.

How about a QuickTime file that can be played on the computer? These can be advanced frame by frame and watched on the same screen that the spotting list program is on. The file can be played on a Mac or PC with nothing special installed aside from the free QuickTime Player. Many sound engineers work this way.

DVDs can be frustrating to manipulate the way you mention but it's possible. There are programs that can convert the DVD to a QuickTime file.

By the way I have no idea what the Mac rep meant by that.

continuities, etc.
 

Thank you! I didn't know Quick Time could do that.

The Mac guy told me the hardware is not as advanced as the software. I gather he meant that when you try to advance as slowly as possible the computer, like current VCRs, will skip four or five (or seven) frames instead of stopping on the next frame as marked on the working print.

Many thanks for your help.

Janet G

That rep needs to be sent back to rep school. He's confused a lot of things that are not related.

That depends on the application software. Some will only stop on I frames so you get 12 or 15 frame jumps or whatever the GOP length is for the material you are viewing.

-gb-

Do you have an opinion on what would be the best software for frame-by-frame advancing?