Kay's Bustling HD Production Consultancy and Post-Production Company Specializes in Final Cut Pro HD Workflows

Lowell Kay, who got his start in independent 35mm film, oversees a bustling HD video production consultancy firm and post-production company that specializes in setting up Final Cut Pro HD infrastructures and workflows for corporations, film, and television. The company also offers a full range of post services—such as color correction and mastering—as well as renting portable “flight pack” FCP systems and large Fiber Channel storage drives (7 to 10 TB capacity) for remote production.
Q: Does FCP work with some HD cameras better than others?
A: I'm always interested in how the footage is going to affect the editing experience. HDV, for example, is problematic for most NLE systems, even those that say they are “native” compatible. When someone shoots on HDV, we prefer to cross-convert the footage to a DVCPRO format. There's no quality hit and FCP just handles it better. It comes in component off the deck, and we then convert it so that each frame is seen by the edit timeline as a
whole frame. Then when we edit, we don't get the lagging and can take advantage of the real-time advantages, as opposed to the computer having to figure out the GOP structure each time there's an edit point.

We also work with people using the Sony F900 or Panasonic VariCam in the field and have certain tricks we pass on. Again, the goal is to ensure that they have success and spend the least amount of effort in the post environment. For example, the servos on the F900 camera don't come up to speed during Record until about five seconds. So, you may not visually see a time-code break, but Final Cut Pro will sense a break, based on the deck being turned on and off. So when you are ready to shoot, turn the camera on and record for about 10 seconds before you begin shooting the action you're after. That way we get the slate and any other project data we need, and we don't lose any footage during the edit session.

Q: In your experience, can someone realistically finish a feature completely within Final Cut Pro HD?
A: Yes and no. Besides editing and creating effects, we use FCP for color grading, but it takes a lot of time and effort. Apple has purchased Final Touch, so we expect to see better integration between the two applications, which will help. However, if you are on a tight budget, the three-wheel color corrector within FCP will allow you to do primaries. To perform secondary color fixes and above is a bit of a challenge for FCP, and I wouldn't recommend it. I think other programs do a better job.

Q: What’s the biggest misconception about HD post production?
A: Most people don't understand the 23.98 frames per second (fps) concept. That's the biggest problem we see in our work. HD for feature work is often shot at 24 fps (23.976). But what happens when a client brings in a project shot in both SD and HD. Or the HD tapes could be captured at 29.97 or 59.94, in interlaced and progressive. How do you combine the two seamlessly? What we do is to identify what the most important footage is. Then we determine what the distribution format is going to be. If it's going out to film, then we have to convert everything to 23.98. Each project has it's own problems and proper planning solves a lot of them. That's why we prefer to get involved at the beginning of a project. It saves everyone a lot of time and money later on.
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