Moving lower thirds for titles

[fmoorexx]

This problem appeared when I was making "Moving Lower Thirds" titles using Birdy's sequence as follows:
#1. Make scene of double exposure of two same-length Storyboard scenes (a) unmodified PHOTO and (b) Digital Hotcakes background, added to Sb in that sequence);
#2. Make Blue Box World transition between scene #1 above and PHOTO with chroma key green title bar rectangle, added to Sb in that sequence;
#3. Make scene of #2 above
#4. Add titles
In a sequence of 11 photos so treated, the 1st 5 made scenes (#3 above) as expected, but from there on, during "Rendering Range HDV" creating quit about 1/3 of the way through. It didn't freeze, it just quit, and no results were shown in the Scene Bin. After moving to a different project, I tried to make a scene of 3 scenes in the Storyboard, but it quit again in the process.
I am stuck and two clients have called thinking I would be done with their work. All ideas welcomed. (I have restarted my Renommee several times, but the problem persists.)
--Frank

[TimKennelly]

Frank,

I have not experienced that in HDV, but I have had a similar experience with SD scenes that would just quit on either a Scene creation or a few specific Special choices like Backwards.

I would suggest trying to use the NOP with audio method on the offending failure Scenes and see what happens.

I created this for entire Storyboard use, so just adapt it by using a smaller segment for the audio section rather than your largest piece, but try to use a section that is straight from original input footage unrelated to the Scenes with the problem for your audio samples.

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Step by step for NOP with audio:

Find your longest single scene in the Scene bin and highlight it.

This is normally an original raw input scene, but not a section that includes the direct problem footage Scene.
You want to use a segment of source video that did NOT give you any problems.
IE: A segment you know does NOT have corrupted frames in it.

Go to Special, use Scene->Sample, Ok.

Switch to the Audio Mix menu, highlight (left click on) an empty audio channel, Add, Scroll to the newly created longest audio sample, Ok.

Slide the large Volume slider all the way to the left to Mute this track.

If this audio sample is not as large as your entire Storyboard use Add again, Mute that segment as well.

Do this until you have filled this track the entire length of your Storyboard with all these segments Muted.

Switch back to the main Edit Menu, Go to the beginning of the Storyboard.

Got to IP Effects menu, scroll to NOP, Add.
Left click on the duration window, Range, Ok, Make sure the Band button is in Trim, not Position mode, then choose OUT, scroll the bar all the way to the right(this should now be the duration of the entire Storyboard), left click to come out of the duration bar, Ok.

Left click the Scene button, Range, OUT, scroll the bar all the way to the right(this should now be the duration of the entire Storyboard), left click to come out of the duration bar, Ok.

It will now render the entire Storyboard and create a Scene of it.

This will take some time,but consideraby less than the out to tape and back in method and has been found to be more effective.

When the Scene in created switch to an empty Project.

Go into the Edit menu, Special, Clipboard, Scene from project->Clipboard, select the Project that the newly created Scene is in.

This should bring up that Project's Scene bin at the newly created Scene, select Ok, Clipboard->Project, scroll to the newly created Scene (if you have other stuff in Clipboard), Ok, Ok.

Now you should have the newly created Scene in the Project.

If you want Chapters go into Split and split the Scene at the desired Chapter points, selecting Use for all.

Then put all those Chapter Scenes onto the Storyboard in order.

Switch to Arabesk, Film and remove the problem Project.

Then Add Film selecting the Project where you have the newly created and Split Scene/Storyboard and proceed as normal.

This is far harder to describe than do.

Let me know how it goes.
PS - I believe Control Image could be successfully substituted for NOP if you had a Storyboard that you wanted to tweak in it's entirety, aka: change the brightness, contrast and/or saturation of the entire project.
This alternative does not take any longer (or less) than using NOP, but just remember it will effect the entire Storyboard and not just a few Scenes if done in this procedure to fix a failing Storyboard.
You could alternatively use this procedure on a specific Scene if you know which Scene is causing your problems

[MartinWilson]

Tim,

I might be on the wrong track here but instead of processing a new scene with NOP can you not use any effect but not actually add it to the scene on the storyboard, you just put in the start and finish points of the required scene and it makes a new scene immediately with no rendering time whatsoever regardless of the actual length of the scene..

That's what I do all the time.

[TimKennelly]

Martin,

Yes, snd that works some of the time.

For something like Frank is trying (relatively short duration issues) I would recommend trying the "quick" way first and if it doesn't work then spend the time trying the added steps.

As mentioned I actually developed this for forcing full Storyboards to work in the Add Film process and if your Storyboard is an hour and a half or more it actually costs you more time to try the quick method and then wait for the Add Film process only to have it fail an hour or so into it and have to do the full process and then the Add Film all over again.

To date, the full process has always "fixed" the Storyboard/Add film" issue so in my opinion I suggest just doing that with a Storyboard that fails.

[fmoorexx]

Tim & Martin--
My thanks. I tried your suggestions, but did not resolve my Renommee problem scenes (shot with a Canon XH A1), so I tried a new very simple approach.
I loaded a new project shot with a Canon HV20 last week. 12 minutes, probably 30 HDV scenes in the Storyboard. I trimmed to the last frame ONLY and tried to make a 12 second Still Scene of that 000.00:01 scene. "Creating Effect" sailed through, but "Creating Effect (HDV)" quit after 3 seconds (10% to 20% of the way).
SE 7 had been recently loaded onto a 300 GB HD for use in the Renommee, replacing SE4 on the drive when it was used on the Prestige. Could that be the problem? I presumed SE7 accomplished a total destruction of all SE4 projects created on the Prestige.
--Frank

[LouBruno]

If I could chime in here with a few questions. Did you experience a drop-frame prompt after loading the "footage" in HDV to your scene bin?

If so, you will observe an improper split. By improper, I mean a scene that was never split in auto-split. That is where your corruption spot is located. Again...in the scene that was never split due to an HDV dropout error which is fixed by the unit but not split.

Here is a simple solution if NOP does not work and you intend to use ARABESK:

FINISH your HDV project and EXPORT that designated project BACK to your XHA-1.

OPEN a NEW project and just name it SD for now.

DOWNCONVERT via the XHA-1 menu back to the new SD project. You should have no problem.

This method may also work if you wish to stay in the HDV realm to tape but I never tried that. Simply export your SB in HDV sans effects and transitions in the HDV backup FINISH window and re-import same in another HDV project.

Tim & Martin--
My thanks. I tried your suggestions, but did not resolve my Renommee problem scenes (shot with a Canon XH A1), so I tried a new very simple approach.
I loaded a new project shot with a Canon HV20 last week. 12 minutes, probably 30 HDV scenes in the Storyboard. I trimmed to the last frame ONLY and tried to make a 12 second Still Scene of that 000.00:01 scene. "Creating Effect" sailed through, but "Creating Effect (HDV)" quit after 3 seconds (10% to 20% of the way).
SE 7 had been recently loaded onto a 300 GB HD for use in the Renommee, replacing SE4 on the drive when it was used on the Prestige. Could that be the problem? I presumed SE7 accomplished a total destruction of all SE4 projects created on the Prestige.
--Frank

[fmoorexx]

Lou--

Many thanks. It is 9:50 Saturday night now and I am loading all 4 tapes (2 cameras 2 tapes each, using quad cam) right now into a different 300 GB hard drive. Lots of wait time. Tomorrow afternoon is the earliest I can try your scheme. I remember doing something like this , i.e., loading a project back into the camera, to solve another problem (SD only then) and it worked, so I look forward to the results.

--Frank