MPG files into FCP - Audio and Video

Have you ever tried to import MPG video and audio files into Final Cut Pro?

The video comes in as MPG, but the audio comes in as a clip without any audio...open the audio file in QT it plays fine and does your head in trying to work out what is going on...?

I discovered a product that converts your MPG files and some of you may have already found it already... it is MPG Streamclip a free download and it is awesome.

It is both Mac and Windows compatible.

Check out
http://www.squared5.com/svideo/mpeg-streamclip-mac.html
for the MAC version
& http://www.squared5.com/svideo/mpeg-streamclip-win.html
for the WIN version.

Enjoy

13 x 30 min episodes - Children's Television Series

Post Production Supervisor
On-Line Editor & Colourist

Set in the dry heat of far north Queensland, Australia in a strange and possibly mystical place called Barren Barren, SNAKE TALES is a comedy about two teenage girls trying their best to grow up normal. They live with their eccentric families, the Australian Johnson Family and the British Sailendra Family in a run-down snake park, 300 kilometres from the nearest town.

The process used was Shot on Digital Betacam, Off-Line on Avid Media Composer, Conformed in Final Cut Pro and Graded in Color and Mastered to Digital Betacam.

The On-Line and Colour Grading are in progress with 6 episodes delivered and 7 to go.

Watch out for it on a commercial network soon.

Definitely worth a watch and is not just based at "tweens" but everyone will get a kick out of it.

Westside Film & Television

Final Cut Pro Tips

This area is designed for those little quirky things in Final Cut Pro that caught me out and had to go research, this is the solution(s) in simple, non forum understandability...hopefully!

Managing large projects:

It is an interesting concept, when you think that these days an NLE would support large projects with multiple edits.

If you are like me you make multiple copies as you progress through your edit.

After experiencing crashing for no apparent reason when outputting to tape, copying and pasting the current sequence into the same project and making QuickTime Reference files, to name a few...

Looking up Creative Cow forums the conclusion I cam to from everyone's posts was when working on large projects, whether a feature film, television series, etc

- Keep your Media / Clips in one project

- Keep your Old Edits in a separate project from the one you are currently working on.
E.g. Make copy of sequence, move old one to "Old Edits Project" and delete the old version
from the current Project.

- Note, close the Project "Old Edits" so Final Cut Pro does not use these files in its resources.


Output the correct audio channels:

This one caught me out when I was trying to put for channels of audio back to tape and of course we find this problem out when we want to put our program to tape and not before.

- Go to Sequence > Settings...

- Go to the last tab called "Audio Outputs"

- Select the number of Outputs to be "4"

- Keep the Grouping as "Stereo"

- Click "Ok"

Now go to Tools > Audio Mixer

You will see four audio tracks, but Final Cut Pro defaults the output of all audio tracks to tracks 1 & 2. Audio tracks 3 & 4 have to be 'patched' to audio tracks 3 & 4 not 1 & 2.

Follow these instructions on each track separately, so 3, then 4.

Control-click track 3 > Outputs > change to 3 & 4

Control-click track 4 > Outputs > change to 3 & 4

If you need to pan your tracks left and right according to your requirements.

As segment editor on Holidays For Sale, it was the editors job to edit the story together and ensure music was selected to ensure the viewers were engaged in the story.

Sample stories edited...

A Maze'n Things & Chocolate Factory - Phillip Island

APT 3 Day Kings Canyon & Uluru Experience

Voyages Silky Oak Lodge

Just a sample...

Holidays For Sale is a promotional 13 x 30 minute television series, promoting locations and hotels around Australia and offering special offers to viewers.