FCP Pulldown Problem from 24P at SD

[Michael Bodel]

This is sure to unleash a cacaphony of "this question has been answered" responses, but believe me I have been reading posts for 4 hour now, and as fascinating as all the 2:3 pulldown talk is, I still cannot figure what I am doing wrong. Most info is about HDV rather than SD (unless I am incredibly confused)

I own the GY-HD100. Thinking I would make my life simpler, I shot some dance footage in SD mode. I have captured it into FCP 5.1.4 with standard NTSC 29.97 settings. I also tried the DV-NTSC 24p (23.98) Easy Setup, as well as the "DV-NTSC 24p (23.98) Advanced Pulldown" Easy Setup, which I didn't expect to work because my footage was not shot 24Pa.

Being that this i dance there is lot's of movement, in all cases of capturing I see tons of interlacing. I believe this is normal because I have not done the Reverse TeleCine. Right?

Here is 10 sec. of that footage captured at 29.97fps:
http://www.mbodel.net/video/clip.29.97.mov

Now I opened that clip in Cinematools 2.0 and click "Rev Telecine", and select 23.98fps The result has removed the interlacing, but everything looks terrible. Like a pixely glow around the dancer on the left. Here's that footage:

http://www.mbodel.net/video/clip.revtelecine_23.9.rev

Please tell me what I am doing wrong. My ultimate goal is editable footage to make a work sample DVD and publish to the web. No need for true 24p'ness for film or anything.

thanks.

michael

[Tim Dashwood]

You've discovered why advanced pulldown is preferred for progressive editing and output.

Normal 2:3 pulldown in NTSC splits the frames into fields in the pattern of AA BB BC CD DD.
It appears your clip starts on the BC frame (you can tell because the "ripped" frames will be BC and CD and since there are two in a row the first must be BC.)
In the latest version of Cinema Tools (FCS3) the pulldown is automatically detected and removed in reverse telecine. In earlier versions you need to tell Cinema Tools what frame is the first frame and also that it is DV footage and therefore the lower field is first.

If you have a lot of clips I recommend you upgrade to FCS3 (Cinema Tools v4.5) to make your life easier. I ran your clip through Cinema Tools v4.5 and it looks like perfect 24P now.

[Michael Bodel]

Thanks so much Tim, glad to know I'm not that far off. I actually don't have many clips, so if I knew how to "tell Cinema Tools" what the start frame is (and the lower-field dominance), I would love to do that... easier than finding a new version of FC Suite.

But somehow, I can't even locate any preferences from within Cinema Tools 2.0. Is that a setting I can adjust from within FCP and export the clips? The trouble is my FCP isn't properly talking with Cinema Tools, so I have just been opening the clip from within CT.

[Tim Dashwood]

I don't even remember what version of FCP Cinema Tools v2 shipped with. However, if memory serves, a window should pop up asking you about the pulldown cadence when you click reverse telecine. I'm sure I remember guiding someone through this a few years ago over in the FCP forum.