Synching clips with FCP and timecode
 

Hey all,

I am an FCP novice here. We did a shoot using two Canon XH A1 cameras and free-run time code. We only ran external audio in to one of them. In the past (shooting with Sony X1s and no time code) we have just lined up the clips on the timeline and manually found the clapboard, and then linked the A-Cam audio to the synched B-Cam clip. Now we have timecode for the two clips, and I understand that I should be able to use that to line them up, but I don't know how.

I have seen the multi-clip option, but I can't find a way to make that work. I am not going to be switching the cameras live-style, I just want to synch the audio and then cut from there.

Being a novice I really need someone who can give me the baby steps.

Thanks so much in advance.

Bounce Bounce... is anyone synching using timecode?

Thanks.

Barry,

When you say you used free run TC, you mean that you used the IR remote control to frame sync them to exactly the same TC and then let if free run all day, right?

If you are using FCP5, that means that you don't actually have to use the timeline to sync the clips.
Just highlight the paired clips to sync in the browser (CMD select if you have to) and then select "Make Multiclip..." from either the Modify menu or contextual (right-click/CTRL-click) menu. You will have the option to sync using timecode.
If you hadn't used timecode, but just had a clapper, you could mark an in point at the clap on each clip and sync that way.

You will end up with a new multiclip that you can use in the timeline. If you use the gang menu and select "open" you will see both cameras playing in a multi-pane on the source side. You can even just "click" to switch cameras as you play in the sequence and it will automatically make edit points. I use this method to do quick real-time "line-edits" of multi-cam shoots, and then just go back to tweak the edit points or change cameras.

Read the section in the manual for more info. Multicam rocks!

Great you guys have some experience with this.
Have you encountered any problems capturing free-run tc tapes yet?
Do you loose any footage for pre-roll after a "TC break"?
How do you do it? Just Capture now the whole tape?
You loose the option to batch recapture, right?

No cam at hand to test it myself.

Martin

Martin,

Yeah, I lose a bunch of footage, and never really figured out how to make great use of the timecode, so for this latest shoot I just skipped it altogether. I hate it, though... I was looking forward to using it. I shot 12 tapes this weekend, I can't do anything except batch capture.