Intercutting Red with DVCPro HD

[Caleb Heymann]

I'll be DPing a three-week, low budget documentary shoot late next month right after I receive my Red. We've got a Panasonic HPX500 available as B Cam, and I'm thinking of shooting 2k on Red to match depth of field between cams and save on storage space. Since the HPX isn't a true 1080P camera, I'm planning on shooting in 720PN, which will allow for roughly 2 minutes per GB, similar to the 2k Redcode RAW data rate. We don't yet have an editor on board so I'm busy trying to predict post production needs and budget.

If I shoot 2k Redcode RAW (with the lower bitrate option), I can get up to 8 hours on Red Drive. If we shoot 60 hours in total I figure about 2 TB, so we could go with the G-tech GSPEED es 4TB RAID for one redundant backup. During the production, it looks like i'll have to take on DIT/data transfer responsibilities, and will be using my Macbook Pro to transfer files from the Red Drives and P2 cards each night onto the RAID.

When we find an editor, I presume he/she will be cutting on FCP. Because we will have quite a high shooting ratio (40:1 or so), I want to wait till picture lock to grade the Red footage. So I could export a DPX sequence from Redcine and take it into an online facility. But with the 720PN DVCPRO-HD footage intercut into the program, I assume this option will not work.

So, a few questions:

Can anyone advise on how to obtain the best final image for this low budget, high shooting ratio project that combines Red with DVCPro HD footage?

For the offline edit, will the mix of QT proxies and 720p DVCPro HD QTs be a major problem? I assume that if the 720p is scaled to 1k, for instance, it will require rendering.

After the offline cut, can I use Redcine to transcode the 2k footage to, say, Prores 422 HQ, and then round trip back to Final Cut Pro, where it would integrate with the DVCPro HD footage?

And finally, any ideas on how the 720P footage will look up against the 2k (or should I sacrifice storage and shoot 1080i)?

Thanks in advance!

[joshuafelsenthal]

1) Start editing off-line trough Red Proxies on a powerbook (better on a 4 or 8 core )

2) Duplicate sequence, trash all HVX shots used in sequence 2

3) Transcode the proxies used in sequence 2 to 720p in Redcine using Crimson software

4) Make the on-line in FCP

5) Send OMF to sound design.

6) Assemble new audio with edit.

7) Export sequence to 720p

8) Color correct and grade sequence in 720p

8) Export as a 720p file for the internet and to DVD or Blu Ray for the crew members

[Nick Gallegos]

The workflow mentioned above is pretty sound.


We've got a Panasonic HPX500 available as B Cam, and I'm thinking of shooting 2k on Red to match depth of field between cams and save on storage space.

Resolution does not affect DoF. Sensor size and lenses do. If you want the DoF to be similar between the RED and the HVX500 (which uses 2/3" sensors; roughly Super16 film DoF), you'll want to use Super16 lenses on the RED.

[Caleb Heymann]

Finished first round of shooting before the Red even arrived, which was a huge relief for me actually. We'll be shooting again next year and who knows how Red workflow will have changed by then, but I plan on shooting at least some Red to intercut with the DVCProHD. Thank you for your suggestion, joshua.