Whenever you encounter problems or have questions in Final Cut Pro it is always a good idea to search the help files first. They generally are well written and provide much of the necessary help immediately. Such is the case with setting the scratch disks either when FCP is first opened, if they are “misplaced”, or if you want to specify a destination such as an external firewire drive for your project content.
Below is an excerpt from those help files that should explain the process and get you well on your way.
Specifying Scratch Disks
A scratch disk is a hard disk, internal or external to your computer, where Final Cut Pro stores captured digital video and audio, as well as rendered media files created during editing. (Rendering is the process of creating temporary video and audio render files for portions of your sequence that Final Cut Pro cannot play in real time.)
By default, Final Cut Pro uses the hard disk on which the application is installed. You use the Scratch Disks tab in the System Settings window to choose where you want to save the video and audio files that you capture and the render and cache files that Final Cut Pro creates. You can also specify other settings related to the size of captured and exported files and the minimum available space allowed on scratch disks.
To specify one or more scratch disks and associated settings:
1 Choose Final Cut Pro > System Settings, then click the Scratch Disks tab.
2 To specify a disk or a folder on a hard disk as a scratch disk:
• Click Set.
• In the dialog that appears, locate and select the disk you want to use.
• Only connected external disks or installed internal disks are listed. If your hard disk doesn’t appear, make sure that it’s connected properly and correctly initialized and mounted. For more information, see the documentation that came with your computer, your hard disk, or your disk-formatting software.
• Click Select (the button includes the name of the disk you selected). The specified disk is listed next to the Set button, along with the amount of available disk space.
3 To capture video and audio to separate files, select the Capture Audio and Video to Separate Files checkbox. Note: For capturing DV media, it’s usually best to leave this checkbox unselected. For more information, see “Capturing Video and Audio Separately” on page 287.
4 Select the checkboxes corresponding to the type of files you want to store on each scratch disk: Video Capture, Audio Capture, Video Render, and Audio Render.
5 To choose a folder where Final Cut Pro will automatically save copies of your project for backup purposes:
• Click Set next to Autosave Vault.
• In the dialog that appears, locate and find the disk you want to use, then click Choose.
Scratch disks you’ve set can become unavailable for a number of reasons: they might be turned off, disconnected, or temporarily unmounted. Also, if the scratch disk folder you selected has been moved, deleted, or renamed, Final Cut Pro might not be able to find it.
When you open Final Cut Pro and one or more of your scratch disk folders cannot be found, a dialog appears with three options:
• Quit: Lets you quit without changing the scratch disk preferences.
• Set Scratch Disks: Opens the Scratch Disks tab in the System Settings window so that you can change the current set of scratch disks. Any disks that are missing are removed from this list. You must choose at least one scratch disk to continue.
• Check Again: Allows you to reconnect or start up your scratch disk, wait for it to mount, and then proceed as usual.
Assigning Search Folders for Reconnecting Media Files
After you specify which volumes and folders you want to use to capture media, you may want to assign these same locations as search folders for the Reconnect Files dialog. This allows Final Cut Pro to limit its search for media files if they become offline.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Golden Rules of Social Media
Social media has become a free form means of delivering personal messages that take many forms. Posts range from useful to vitriolic. It would seen that perhaps there should be some generally accepted Rules for Social Media. OK so it’s a bit presumptuous of me, but here are some suggestions I picked up from Social Media Consultant Aliza Sherman. Take them for what they are worth.
Respect the Spirit of the Net. It was meant for communication and connection to people and information.
Listen. It will give you a sense of what people are saying and feeling. It will also help you map your social media footprint.
Add Value. Always ask yourself: How is this providing value to the conversation? To the community?
Respond. A quick response is more important than ever. Don’t be a dam in a conversation flow.
Do Good Things. Perpetuate social responsibility in all you do.
Share the Wealth. If you’ve got it, share it, spread it around. Sharing is the fule of a conversation engine.
Give Kudos. Nothing is wrong with self promotion but things really take off when you give others their moment in the spotlight.
Don’t Spam. I just don’t have the time, tolerance or bandwidth to deal with it.
Be Real. Be yourself. You’ll have far better and more long-lasting positive results than if you try to be something you are not.
Collaborate. Social media tools are just that....tools. The real power is people. We are the media.
Respect the Spirit of the Net. It was meant for communication and connection to people and information.
Listen. It will give you a sense of what people are saying and feeling. It will also help you map your social media footprint.
Add Value. Always ask yourself: How is this providing value to the conversation? To the community?
Respond. A quick response is more important than ever. Don’t be a dam in a conversation flow.
Do Good Things. Perpetuate social responsibility in all you do.
Share the Wealth. If you’ve got it, share it, spread it around. Sharing is the fule of a conversation engine.
Give Kudos. Nothing is wrong with self promotion but things really take off when you give others their moment in the spotlight.
Don’t Spam. I just don’t have the time, tolerance or bandwidth to deal with it.
Be Real. Be yourself. You’ll have far better and more long-lasting positive results than if you try to be something you are not.
Collaborate. Social media tools are just that....tools. The real power is people. We are the media.
Who Are You Anyway
As we each learn how to be citizen journalists maybe we should think about who we are and what our journalistic personality or motivation might me.
Here are some descriptive words for you to consider. Do you want to be an:
Aggregator- Someone who collects information from other people or an Analyst who interprets what others say and do?
Perhaps you are an Activist- someone who believes in and promotes a cause or an Aggitator- someone who creates and fuels controversy for some political or personal agenda.
Maybe Adviser-someone who recommends a course of action or perhaps an Observer- I ran out of words that start with "A."
Understand who you are and your motivation then remember to be yourself. You are your greatest asset.
All of these are roles that are assumed by citizen journalists either consciously or unconsciously. I would suggest that we each need to know who we are and what our motivation is.
Here are some descriptive words for you to consider. Do you want to be an:
Aggregator- Someone who collects information from other people or an Analyst who interprets what others say and do?
Perhaps you are an Activist- someone who believes in and promotes a cause or an Aggitator- someone who creates and fuels controversy for some political or personal agenda.
Maybe Adviser-someone who recommends a course of action or perhaps an Observer- I ran out of words that start with "A."
Understand who you are and your motivation then remember to be yourself. You are your greatest asset.
All of these are roles that are assumed by citizen journalists either consciously or unconsciously. I would suggest that we each need to know who we are and what our motivation is.
Video Tips and Tricks
People always seem to make the same mistakes when shooting video.
•Making a subject appear as if they are in the witness protection plan because the background is too bright.
•Positioning a person in such a way it looks like a tree is growing out of his/her head.
•Shooting boring shots of buildings with no action.
•Placing a subject in front of a background that is the same color as their clothing.
We’ve all seen them so why do they keep happening? Here are a few tips to help you shoot better video.
1.Plan your shots. Make sure you know what you need to tell the story visually. The story isn’t in the camera or on your notepad. It is between your ears. Try to envision what the story will look like when it is completed.
2.Know your equipment. Know the capabilities and limitations. Be able to trouble shoot.
3.Check your gear. Make sure you have all of your gear before you leave for the shoot. (Also bring it back with you.)
4.Check your audio. Always use headphones. Set your levels and monitor them constantly. Audio is just as important as video.
5.Shoot Selectively. Think before you shoot and be aware of when the camera is recording. Focus and set your shots before you record.
6.Shut up when you shoot. Video camera’s pick up everything. It’s amazing what shows up on video recordings.
7.Use a tripod…. Use a tripod…. Use a tripod…. Always use a tripod.
8.Pre-roll and Post roll. Start the camera at least 5 seconds before you need to be recording and run it at least 5 seconds after you have finished. Do this even if you aren’t shooting with tape.
9.Hold your shots. Hold for at least 10 to 15 seconds before you pan, zoom or cut to another shot.
10.Avoid Excessive Panning and Zooming. Sequential compelling shots will always work best.
11.Shoot Sequences. Think of everything like a movie with good shot coverage. (Wide-Medium-Tight-Action-Reaction) A good shot mix will be 50% close-ups and extreme close-ups, 25% medium shots and 25% wide shots.
12.Don’t just shoot the interview.
13.Use good composition techniques. Pay attention to your surroundings. Don’t be afraid to stop an interview until you can properly set up the shot.
14.Headroom, Nose room and Rule of Thirds.
15.Depth of Field. Be aware of how to create the illusion of depth. Video is a flat medium. Separate your background and foreground.
16.Change Angles and Perspectives. Look for the unusual and don’t shoot everything from eye level. Use the “foot zoom” technique.
17.Get people in your shots.
18.Anticipate Action. Let the action happen in your frame. Don’t try to attempt to catch everything.
19.Interviews. Ask the interviewee to look at you not at the camera. Avoid the straight on shot. Watch for distractions.
20.Mic the Interviewee. Position a handheld mic about 5-6 inches below the person’s mouth while also making sure the mic is not in the frame of your shot. Don’t let them hold the mic. If you use a lavaliere mic, “dress it” and look for things that rattle, rustle, clink and bang. Be sure to center the mic and point it toward the mouth.
21.Avoid High Contrast in Lighting Situations. Avoid shots of areas that have high contrast such as dark versus light settings, or bright sunlight and shadows. If the sun is directly overhead, hold your hand over the top edge of the camera lens. This will “extend” the sun screen and avoid having the camera misread the amount of sunlight.
22.Know how to use manual exposure and focus. The “dummy” mode works pretty well in most cases but not always. Know when, why, and how to change things.
23.Get all your shots the first time.
24.Log your shots…. now not later.
•Making a subject appear as if they are in the witness protection plan because the background is too bright.
•Positioning a person in such a way it looks like a tree is growing out of his/her head.
•Shooting boring shots of buildings with no action.
•Placing a subject in front of a background that is the same color as their clothing.
We’ve all seen them so why do they keep happening? Here are a few tips to help you shoot better video.
1.Plan your shots. Make sure you know what you need to tell the story visually. The story isn’t in the camera or on your notepad. It is between your ears. Try to envision what the story will look like when it is completed.
2.Know your equipment. Know the capabilities and limitations. Be able to trouble shoot.
3.Check your gear. Make sure you have all of your gear before you leave for the shoot. (Also bring it back with you.)
4.Check your audio. Always use headphones. Set your levels and monitor them constantly. Audio is just as important as video.
5.Shoot Selectively. Think before you shoot and be aware of when the camera is recording. Focus and set your shots before you record.
6.Shut up when you shoot. Video camera’s pick up everything. It’s amazing what shows up on video recordings.
7.Use a tripod…. Use a tripod…. Use a tripod…. Always use a tripod.
8.Pre-roll and Post roll. Start the camera at least 5 seconds before you need to be recording and run it at least 5 seconds after you have finished. Do this even if you aren’t shooting with tape.
9.Hold your shots. Hold for at least 10 to 15 seconds before you pan, zoom or cut to another shot.
10.Avoid Excessive Panning and Zooming. Sequential compelling shots will always work best.
11.Shoot Sequences. Think of everything like a movie with good shot coverage. (Wide-Medium-Tight-Action-Reaction) A good shot mix will be 50% close-ups and extreme close-ups, 25% medium shots and 25% wide shots.
12.Don’t just shoot the interview.
13.Use good composition techniques. Pay attention to your surroundings. Don’t be afraid to stop an interview until you can properly set up the shot.
14.Headroom, Nose room and Rule of Thirds.
15.Depth of Field. Be aware of how to create the illusion of depth. Video is a flat medium. Separate your background and foreground.
16.Change Angles and Perspectives. Look for the unusual and don’t shoot everything from eye level. Use the “foot zoom” technique.
17.Get people in your shots.
18.Anticipate Action. Let the action happen in your frame. Don’t try to attempt to catch everything.
19.Interviews. Ask the interviewee to look at you not at the camera. Avoid the straight on shot. Watch for distractions.
20.Mic the Interviewee. Position a handheld mic about 5-6 inches below the person’s mouth while also making sure the mic is not in the frame of your shot. Don’t let them hold the mic. If you use a lavaliere mic, “dress it” and look for things that rattle, rustle, clink and bang. Be sure to center the mic and point it toward the mouth.
21.Avoid High Contrast in Lighting Situations. Avoid shots of areas that have high contrast such as dark versus light settings, or bright sunlight and shadows. If the sun is directly overhead, hold your hand over the top edge of the camera lens. This will “extend” the sun screen and avoid having the camera misread the amount of sunlight.
22.Know how to use manual exposure and focus. The “dummy” mode works pretty well in most cases but not always. Know when, why, and how to change things.
23.Get all your shots the first time.
24.Log your shots…. now not later.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Apple Video
Check out this Apple video about the Cronkite School.
http://www.apple.com/education/teachers-professors/#cronkite
http://www.apple.com/education/teachers-professors/#cronkite
Cronkite News Watch
If you haven't checked out Cronkite News Watch, it is well worth your time.
http://cronkite.asu.edu/experience/newswatch
http://cronkite.asu.edu/experience/newswatch
High school students cover JEA/NSPA convention
10 of my former Arcadia High School students covered the JEA/NSPA national convention and produced a convention daily online multi-media web site. They each filed 3 news packages and a blog daily. Great job guys. Here is the link: http://stardust.jmc.asu.edu/Phxpost/The_Phoenix_Post/Home.html
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