Need to do a some multicam editing in Final Cut Pro but your footage is all out of sync? Here's a guide that might help you get started. This is not a beginners guide to multicam editing, it assumes you already know the basics. Its purpose is to help you setup the footage if the cameras were not timecode synced and some of the cameras were stopped/started during the shoot. It ain't pretty, but manually syncing up multiple clips never is.

What the heck is an EDL you say? A simple way to put it is that an EDL (edit decision list) is a way to transfer information about a project you've edited to another editing system. It contains the basic "blueprint" of the edit such as clip in/out points, transitions, etc. There's a great post over on The editblog that shows you what information is included in an EDL and how to read it. Because new formats are gaining popularity, you may never have to deal with a .edl file. But chances are if you do any post production with the outside world you will. Either way, this is good basic information to know.

Now here's a way to learn how to edit. Film School in a Box provides you with all the assets you need to edit your own version of the movie "The Confession" in Final Cut Pro. You don't have to worry about scripts, shooting, importing footage or any other details, they've done all the work for you. You receive your project on an external hard drive, all organized with 11 different camera angles to work with, the shooting script and camera reference map. Two versions are available, the Gold Edition for $279 and the Platinum Edition for $449 (this pricing only good through Christmas). The differences in the editions can be found here and you can also get a Preview Edition for $19.95 if you want to see what its all about before dropping the larger bills.

It took a lot of work shoot all the footage and organize everything in a FCP project so all you have to do is sit down and start editing, so the pricing is not bad at all and you're getting a hard drive in the deal too. I really like that this lets you concentrate more on the creative side of editing instead of the technical click-here-to-do-something tutorial stuff.

In yet another installment of his Avid vs. Final Cut Pro series, Scott Simmons takes a look at the nesting functions of both editing applications. Nesting refers to the collapsing of multiple layers of video and audio clips into a single layer, making for easier management. FCP allows for the nesting of multiple audio and video clips into single layers, and with these nested sequences, editors can easily apply multiple filters or other effects. In Avid, nesting takes on another definition: it refers to the technique of applying multiples effects to just a single clip. It is Avid's 'Collapse' function that most closely reflects the nesting of FCP, where multiple layers of video can be squashed down to a single layer. However, audio cannot be collapse in such a fashion. Educational!

Switch is a sound audio conversion software for both Windows and Mac platforms (it is possible to run it with Unix). The app can be as simple as drag and drop or as fancy as command line automation (allows up to 32000 files to be converted in one batch). It works with almost all audio formats. MP3 encoder supports constant or variable bit rates from 8 to 320kbps with optional error correction and stereo modes. WAV encoder supports sample rates between 6000 and 196000Hz in PCM as well as a number of other audio codecs. Prices start at $39.

Don't know if we have mentioned this before but it is worth mentioning again if we have. One of the new additions to Final Cut Pro (5.1.2) is support for its Apple's image-processing plug-in architecture called FxPlug. This means that any plug-in developed for any Mac video effects software like After Effects will be availabe within Final Cut Pro. Because the plug-in's have to be Universal Binaries, current AE effects will not work. However, Motion effects will work natively and sometimes in real time but it the effect is not preserved when you make FCP clips into Motion files. So if you have updated, you can get this feature by turning it on in Effects>All Effects. If they are two effects (like Gaussian Blur) from two apps, you can choose which one you want listed. Very cool.

Ah, the luxury of having more screen real estate produces a zen-like feeling... unless things aren't behaving like you thought they would. Tech ARP has a fabulous guide to making your multiple monitors work the way you want them to. For example, did you know there are three modes for your multi-monitors: cloning, extended, and spanning? Or how about some freeware goodies to help you manage your ultra wide LCD canvas? If you are thinking of taking the leap and spreading out give this article a read. Afterall, you do know having room to work increases productivity, right?

This is one of the wittiest articles on scriptwriting I have read. It goes up there with Josh Friedman's blog. Allan Heifetz, writing for Film Threat, jots down "The Golden Dont's" for screenwriters. Briefly: no breaking the fourth wall, enough with the swearing, don't abuse the thesaurus, don't go nuts with funny names or titles, cut down on the soundtrack notes, no time like the present and men should stick to writing about men. Again, all this is much funnier and informative in the article. Here is a sample: "Throw your thesaurus away. You have nothing to lose but your pneumatic, pulchritudinous manacles! Remember; the better it looks on paper, the worse it's going to sound on film."

I am not a script reader but here are couple of things I'd like to add:

• Be careful with the amount of detail you put in a script. It is like music, you can only listen to so many things.
• Dialog is a little different. Good dialog or realistic dialog seems to be coming from many directions.
• Work and family are important parts of people's lives. Include it as much as you can. Even cool people have silly dads.
• Don't be afraid of modern objects. Writers love old stuff, old cars, old clothes. Other people don't.
• Same thing for locations. Strip malls are almost never seen in a movie. But most Americans spend much of their time outside their homes and cars there.

(via John August)

A little while back I posted a link to Camcorder Info's review of the Sony HDR-SR1. Many DV Guru readers left their own feedback in the comments section so here is what they had to say:

The HV-10 has some flaws, but it won't break my arm after holding it for long periods. I've tried these cameras side by side, and both the Sony models are bricks - sorry. I'm not a small guy (or weak), but this flaw really lowers their usability more than your review indicates.
- Lance

I have had this camera for a week, and here are my comments: Excellent HD+SD video quality in good light, a bit grainy in low light (still beats everything else in this category though). Hard disk is implemented very well...extrememly convenient and simple interface to navigate. USB 2.0 is FAST on this camera as well. Lets also not forget that the camera can record in 5.1 audio, and has connections for lights/mics and a customizable control ring. What's not to like? At least three things:

1. Editing and playback on PC requires third party software. You won't get 30fps HD playback without hardware acceleration (like a $200+ video card) even on a p4 3.4 GHz + 1gig ram. There are no playback devices for home theater systems yet for the HD....and likely none to come at a reasonable price for a while.
2. Autoexposure is a bit off...I find the camera underexposes in low light and overexposes in good light...fortunately you can adjust this. And while the camera records in 5.1 audio, it has no 5.1 audio out for playback to HT system (a big omission in my opinion since the camera itself is the only capable playback device).
3. Price.

- Mike

I ordered the camera from sonystyle.com before the official release date and had it about a week prior. I was happy to receive it and couldn't wait start using it. My first impression was positive. In my mind, sony has always scored high with me when it comes to styling.

My positivity quickly fained after reading in the manual that maximum operational altitude was less than 11000ft. I'm planning on hiking Mt. Kilimanjaro in the next two months and will be at 19000ft. I continued to explore the camera and turned it on to do some shooting in my apartment. "What's that jump in the image. There it is again. That's definitely not my arm moving." I couldn't believe it. I put the camera down on the table and started shooting without even touching it. On playback, I could see it again. The image had frequent disruptions in the flow. At this point I just want to get my money back. I don't care what others are saying about this camera. I don't even care if my unit is flawed. I'm not getting another one of these things. I'm returning it.

Got the money credited to my account not long ago. I'm glad to rid of it.
- Morty Bee

Here's a great little video tutorial from Shane Ross at Little Frog that will help you to take full advantage of FXBuilder in Final Cut Pro, a scripting and automation tool that allows you to create custom plugins. You won't be able to create any serious razzle-dazzley plugins, but if you want to share custom color correction settings, for example, FXBuilder lets you script settings and make an actual plugin file which can then be shared with other folks running Final Cut. If you are weary of coding, this might not be up your alley, but the scripting involved is far from heavy duty and can easily be tackled with the help from this excellent guide.

DivX is looking to be quite a codec for delivering HD content. In their latest release, 6.4, they added support for playing back and encoding 1920x1080 progressive or interlaced files. If you have a Windows machine then you to can create some of this HD goodness using their free software. Just in time to start shoving down the Xbox Live pipes. Oh, and if you want to see it in action, check out this clip from Elephants Dream via Stage6.

Motivity Pictures is sharing two examples of their filmic footage experiments using a HVX200, an M2 lens adapter, and Magic Bullet's Look Suite. The footage looks real yummy if I do say so myself and this would be a perfect solution for the low budget filmmaker. Let's break it down: HVX200 ($5,995.00), Redrock M2 lens adapter HD ($1,295.00), Magic Bullet Editors v 2.0 ($399.00) = $,7689.00. Not cheap to some, but just go drool over the footage and you will agree, it is certainly worth it.

Earlier Russell posted about how to create a space scene with NO CGI. Devon Delapp, proprietor of the aptly named DevonDelapp.com, and TV writer, wrote in to give us a heads up on his neat lil' article about a pretty neat lil' process. Film nerds know how costly it is to shoot a car sequence (especially single cam.) Fortunately for all of us, Delapp diagrammed a process for shooting a car scene without a green screen. Sure, that takes all the fun out of post, but shooting with a 20 person crew, some lights and mirrors makes for a fun shoot. Granted, it's probably outside the production level for most readers of the beloved Guru, but it's well written, interesting and at the least, gives you an idea of how lucky we are with the advent of cheap and effective chroma/color keying.

Bryce is one of the most popular 3D landscape softwares. Some of the new features in the 6.0 release:

• Real-World Lighting via HDRI - Enhances lighting sources captured from the real world in High Dynamic Range Images to your renders via the new IBL menu inside the Sky Lab.
• Mesh Export of Booleans - An improved multi-system rendering system. You can also re-import these meshes and combine them with other Booleans or imported meshes for advanced objects and cleaner scene building.
• Dual Processor & Hyper-Threading Support - Keeping up with the times.
• 16-Bit Image Support in Terrain Editor
• Random Replicate Tool

It is available on both Mac and Windows platform. However, it is not available on Intel Macs. Geez, another Adobe imitator. The best part is that it is priced at $99.95 which includes a 30 day money back guarantee.

I have mentioned Disco before, it is a DVD/CD burning Mac-application that comes with some very unique features. After much anticipation, the 1.0 Public beta has been released and is available for purchase for $14.95 (a demo version is available). Some of the main features:

• Discography - Keeps a reference file of all the files you have burned. Very helpful because when you are searching for something, the application can tell you where to look. It combines two appliations in one. Toast can save a reference file but to search through it is not as easy as this.
  
• Spandex - Multi-session burning that is easier to undertake.
• Smoke - which I have covered before. This is all show but a good one.

The app is a Universal Binary and is only available on Tiger. I have Toast but I am seriously thinking of making the switch to this app.