XDCAM Transfer and EX Clip Browser
 

I'm trying to develop a good post production workflow for the EX3.

The first thing I would like to do is archive the SxS card to a hard drive using the Clip Browser resulting in basically a mirror of the SxS card producing a BPAV folder.

Then:

Use XDCAM Transfer to import the footage from that BPAV folder into FCP resulting in a copy of just the clip data into separate Quicktimes into the FCP capture scratch.

I have no problem importing footage directly from the SxS card into FCP, however I have not been able to import Quicktimes into FCP from the BPAV achieve folder. What am I doing wrong?

You need to point it to a folder containing the BPAV folder, not that folder itself. Same using FCP log and transfer instead of XDCAM transfer (which I prefer).

see that sounds like it makes WAY more sense then using the clip browser alone.. Having to select EACH MP4 file one by one is a PAIN! Hopefully Sony comes out with a better browser.. something for Vegas that works like it does with FCP...

That was simple enough, thanks.

You mention using FCP log and transfer instead of XDCAM transfer, when I did File/Log and Transfer I got the Log and transfer window but when I tried to load a new file I got the following error message:

"BPAV" contains unsupported media or has an invalid
directory structure. Please choose a folder whose directory
structure matches supported media.

Hopefully this is as simple as when you pointed out that I was pointing it at the wrong folder...

Do you have FCP 6.0.4 You need all the latest updates for Log and Transfer to work correctly.

I am using 6.0.4

Why are you selecting each file one by one? Why not select all of them?

Again, don't choose the BPAV folder itself; choose one containing it and it alone.

Exactly! Create a folder on your hard drive, then drag the BPAV folder into it. Point XDCAM Transfer or Clip Browser to that folder you created and it will treat it just like it was an actual SxS card.

In XDCAM Transfer, the same trick works for optical discs of the full size XDCAM cameras.

-gb-

I've been using XDCam Transfer on a mac instead of Log & Transfer. I did a little test and L&T was about a third slower in importing clips. ( Using regular drives vs. raid array drives was also another third slower. )

Here's my workflow:

Set up a tree of folders before a shoot for each of your media onto your location drives. I'm using a pair of G-raid minis. I label the main folder with the date (10.13.08), then within that, using automated folder software, I have five folders, 101308a through 101308e, one for each of my two 8gb sxs cards, two 16 cards, and PHU reader. I label those with the date prefix, because if you don't, when you need to find the source (reel) for the clip in FCP, you want have it--you'll just have a reel that says "16a", which won't be a lot of help after a lot of different shooting days on the 16g card.

After the shoot, I copy and paste the BPAV folder from each of the media I've shot into the appropriate folder on one of the G-raid mini drives. After it copies (and I've verified matching gig sizes), I use a backup program (SynchronizeProx) to copy that folder onto the second mini (and verify again, before deleting the shoot media contents).

To edit clips, open FCP, File/import/XDCam Transfer, find the location of your source drive, click ADD if it hasn't automatically found it, set a destination folder in preferences, & check the box that says to open clips in FCP. Right now I'm saving the new QT files that are sent to FCP on the same minis, but that's going to quickly make them unusable for shooting, so I'll need a second set of drives for just editing. (That's the fine print of the new tapeless: not only do you need all that drive space for your shooting, you need just as much after you've unwrapped the shoot!). I also plan on backing up to blu-ray.

In XDCam Transfer, I re-label the clips with the names I want, say, INT. John Smith1, (2,3,etc.) and also add the original name, say, 0908137, (first 4 digits can be programmed in the camera's menu settings), in the logging window comment section. I mark any clips NG that I don't want. If clips are bigger than 4gb, they'll be automatically chopped up into Parts, with the default under 4 gig length coming in at just about 13.5 minutes. If you want to start culling now, you can use the "subclips" feature of XDCam Transfer using in and out points (note: these are not the same thing as subclips in FCP) . For now, I 've just been using the default breakdown, marking each Part to be imported (checkboxes are in the lower right logging window.). After doing all the logging changes, I mark all the clips I want for selection, ignoring the ones marked NG, and click import.

Once the clip is in FCP, if you have "logging note" and "reel" marked as shown columns, you can also see the original name for the clip, plus the folder (reel) it's sitting in, in case you ever need to go back to your "originals."

If I select anything but the actually MP4 is says "that is not an MP4" LOL. I can select all the MP4 files one at a time and import all at once, but I still have to go to each clip folder and select each MP4.

I have clicked every button on the clip browser.. I don't see a way. I tried copying the BPAV file to a folder and selecting the container folder... "this is not an MP4 file"

Hi Mike,

I can highlight the name in the clip drop down but I can't change it. What am I doing wrong?

Hi Chuck: You're probably in the "Information" Tab, instead of the "Logging" tab. Go to Clip/Title (after Source) and Clip/Comment.