What format and frame rate will be used for acquisition, and why does it matter?

Clarifying shooting formats matters because DPs and directors often think about what will look aesthetically pleasing to them without taking into consideration what the editing equipment or the delivery specs will be.

There is often a push to shoot DV NTSC at 23.98p for the “look” of that frame rate, although the master will be finished at 29.97. But there may not be any advantage in shooting at 23.98 if the added pulldown will look the same as if shot at 29.97. You might want to suggest a test to see if it makes a difference either way. Why does it matter outside of aesthetics? Because if the camera is a Panasonic model that can shoot DV NTSC in 23.98fps in the “24pa” format, you need a Panasonic deck to capture the footage via Firewire 400 with your FCP system set to capture in the 24pa format. You cannot use a non-Panasonic deck to do this, and it can only be done via Firewire directly, and not through a capture card such as an AJA Kona or Blackmagic card.

If the footage will be acquired in HD, you must determine precisely which “flavor” of HD will be used. There are many formats, frame rates, and codecs, and each of them has an effect on your digitizing capability and the management of digital files for visual FX. Some cameras are able to do overcrank recording for slow motion. There are specs for how this footage should be managed, and you need to provide them to the production company in your shooting specs.

Also, most people refer to shooting 23.98 fps as “24p” when it is not actually pure 24 fps. But you must still make absolutely sure that this is understood one way or the other. The reason for this is that shooting at pure 24 fps is never done unless the final product will have a “film out”. So if it is done by accident, it will cause a great deal of inconvenience in the editing process because of the speed changes needed to make screenable rough cuts in NTSC. NTSC requires exactly 29.97 fps, and a conversion from pure 24 fps will mean that your audio will have to be modified.

There are many popular shooting formats that deliver excellent results, but if you don’t have the VTR needed to digitize the tapes, a rental deck will be needed and its cost should be included in the budget. Do not accept being told that you can digitize from the camera because some cameras do not have the proper connectivity options to make a digital path to your editing system, and it is a bad idea to incur wear and tear on the playback heads of any camera as a result of the demands of a log and capture routine. The tape transport systems on cameras are slow and are not designed for capturing. Sometimes camera transport systems can cause multiple playback failure during capture.

For tapeless acquisition, such as with P2 cards or FireStore, you need to establish the line between where the production company’s responsibility ends and yours begins. Simply put, this means that the production company is responsible for:

• Checking that all scenes were recorded properly ON SET, not after the shoot is done
• Checking that all of the raw MXF files have been extracted to QuickTime (sometimes files get skipped in the import process)
• Providing ALL of the footage that will be used in the edit on a firewire drive, and retaining their own copy as a backup
• Checking that all QuickTime footage clips are playable and retain audio sync throughout
• Assuring that original MXF files are backed up – MXF files are the equivalent of film negative and are not the editor’s responsibility

Do not accept receiving a bunch of drives with the only copies of the MXF files with the expectation that you will be responsible for all aspects of the footage from then on. You did not shoot it – just like shooting film – so there is no reason for you to deal with it prior to being in an editable form. There are legal repercussions between the production company and client for lost or destroyed footage, so stay out of middle of it.

I can say this from personal experience: If the production company does not do their part as I described above, they are risking having to pay for a re-shoot perhaps for as little as one scene. That means renting the set, paying the talent, hiring the crew and equipment, etc. This can easily make a profitable job unprofitable.