NYFA RED Online Workflow FCP 7

Here's the NEWLY UPDATED RED ONE Online Workflow for NYFA Students. . . EVERYONE @NYFA USQ Edit Lab knows/trusts this, so if you have any questions, feel free to ask any one of us.

~Mike





ONLINE RED Workflow For FCP 7 ONLY (updated 05.22.10)

OVERVIEW:

The RED One is a Film Camera with a digital back.  The Imaging Sensor is The Film Plane, De-Bayering is the Chemical Bath, Color Science (LUT/Colorspace) is the Lab Timing, and Transcode is the Telecine.  Your R3D files are a Digital Negative.  Treat RED footage like film, and you will have good results.

The RED is NOT a Video Camera: it does no onboard image processing.

The RED is NOT an HD Camera: it does not shoot 720/1080

Glossary of Terms

• "The Caboose Effect"
• Plan from Front to Back.
• Start With Distribution, then work your way through Acquisition
• RAW
• A File that contains minimally processed data.
• Contains Pixel Data from an Image Sensor
• Also Known as a Digital Negative
• Online Editing
• Handling the deliverable footage
• The FINAL stage of editing
• Offline Editing
• Handling Transcoded versions of the RAW footage
• NOT THE ORIGINAL FOOTAGE
• Proxy
• Footage that stands in the place of the ORIGINAL footage
• Codec
• "Compression-Decompression"
• A set of instructions to Compress data for storage, and De-Compress for Playback
• a specific algorithm for compressing or audio* 
• Decompression
• the process of restoring a video or audio file for playback from a compressed video, graphics, or audio file.
• Compression
• the process by which video, graphics, and audio files are reduced in size.** 
• Color Space
• a way to interpret numerical values for Color (RGB/CMYK/Etc)
• A method of mathematically representing color for use with a specific display or medium.*
• LUT
• LookUp Table
• a set of instructions used to profile color and gamma to simulate their appearance on a given mediom, such as an HD display, or a specific film stock.*
• Gamma
• Mathematical method for calibrating an image's brightness values for use with different displays*
• Debayer
• the mathematical process of interpreting RAW image data from a sensor back into a full-color image.*
• DIRECTLY related to VISUAL QUALITY of your footage
• the PROCESSING of your DIGITAL NEGATIVE
• How it breaks down the Wavelet
• Quality (Down Convert is Size)
• 
  
• Import
• Bring Data INTO a program
• Export
• Send Data OUT OF a program (Create a NEW TYPE of file)
• Transcode
• Convert video or audio data from one codec, resolution, and/or format to another.*
• Redspace
• A custom gamma and color profile used for viewing RED footage

THE ONLINE EDIT

• Preparing Your Footage for Transcode
• Using Your Camera Reports, Mark the RDC's that you want to Transcode in the RDM folders.
• "Don't Print Bad Takes"
• NEVER DELETE - You may need some of these files later.
• DO NOT RENAME ANYTHING THAT THE CAMERA GENERATES
• NEVER save or add ANYTHING to your original files:  Make a Backup, and LOCK IT.
• Transcode in RedRushes
• Step 1 - Add Clips
• Add ONLY the RDC files you marked from your camera reports
• Step 2 - The Render Tab
• Debayer Quality: 1/2
• Timecode: External/TOD
• Look Source: Camera
• Color Space: CameraRGB 
• Will be editing Digitally/MOST LIKELY for Digital Distribution (For Digital Delivery)
• Gamma Space: Redspace
• VERY Close to the way you monitored on-set.
• Step 3 - The Resize Tab
• [Check] Scale
• Preset: 1920x1080 (For HD Delivery)/2048x1080 for 2k Delivery (56 pixels on each side)
• Fit/Stretch: Fit Width
• Step 4 - The Output Tab
• Output Format: Quicktime Movie
• Quicktime Codec: Apple ProRes 422
• OUTPUT FOLDER!!
• Set to a New, SPECIAL folder on your Hardrive.
• Step 5 - Click Start     
• Import Into FCP
• File -> Import File
• Cut Your Film
• Repeat as Necessary!

*From RED: The Ultimate Guide to Using the Revolutionary Camera by Noah Kadner

** From Apple Pro Training Series: Final Cut 7 by Diana Weynand