Appendix 1

The Filmmaker’s Guide to Final Cut Pro Workfl ow
Sequence Settings
Once the reverse is fi nished, on returning to Final Cut you will see that all the clips are off-line. This
is because they have been moved to the new folder called Originals. Go to Relink and direct the
chooser to the matching reversed video fi le. This should bring all the clips back online as 23.98 or
24 FPS video. If you open a clip in the viewer and drag the size of the viewer out to 100 percent,
both fi elds are displayed. (The canvas and viewer only display the fi rst fi eld until the window size
is 100 percent, then it shows both fi elds.) There should be clear A, B, C, and Ds in the key code
window. If there are two letters on top of each other, there is a problem with the clip.
Now you need to set the sequence settings to your frame rate. Go to Final Cut Pro > Audio Video
Settings > Sequence settings. Check for the proper settings to already be here, and if they are not:
Duplicate > Edit and make a copy of the video settings so you don’t overwrite the DV NTSC 48 KHz
settings. Name the copy DV NTSC 23.98 or 24 if you are using that, and then set the editing time
base to your frame rate. Don’t change any other settings. Even though you just made this preset, it
is not set until you check the checkbox next to the preset and close the window. The next time you
open Final Cut it will still be set up this way, so if you want to cut 29.97, you will need to return
and reset by checking the checkbox next to your original DV 29.97. These settings are applied every
time you create a new sequence in the project, and you can reset them whenever you wish. You can
have a mix of different sequences in the project each with its own settings.
The sequence that was created by default when you opened Final Cut has whatever settings that were
last used before the computer was shut down. It is likely a 29.97 sequence. Select New Sequence
and this will create a new sequence with your defi ned sequence settings. You can then delete the
original one.
If the settings are correct, you can edit your reversed clips into the timeline and they will not require
any rendering or real-time playback. In other words, there will be no green, yellow, or red lines in
the sequence and the sequence will play normally. The video will play on the video monitor normally
as Final Cut is 3 : 2 converting on the fl y to the fi rewire. You can record or print to video and the
tape will be 29.97.
Workfl ow Overview
Historically, the workfl ow with fi lm was to shoot on negative fi lm, process this, and have a “work
print” made. The sound was then transferred to fi lm. Before 1960, this was optical sound but later
“magnetic fi lm” or “mag stock”—which was simply fi lm base with magnetic oxide on one side—was
used. The sound of the slate sticks being clapped was lined up with the image of the slate sticks and
the fi lm was projected in sync with the sound. The fi lm was then edited by cutting and splicing the
work print and the interlocked sound fi lm. After editing the work print, the negative was edited
(conformed) to match the work print, the sound tracks were mixed to a single track on optical fi lm,
and the fi lm was color corrected. Next, it was printed with the sound track to an answer print that
could be projected on a standard projector. If video was needed from this fi nished fi lm, it was transferred
with a fi lm chain, a simple projector and video camera linked together.
This workfl ow has evolved over the last two decades and today, few, if any, fi lms are edited using
that workfl ow. Many fi lms still conform the negative, but this is done to a computer printout of the
16