Studio 5 clips & YOU(tube)

OVERVIEW: There are times you'll want to take video files off of the server in the Studio 5 control room. You might want clips for your portfolio, or to post on sharing sites like YouTube or Vimeo. Other times, you'll need to put files onto the Studio 5 server for playback through the switcher and incorporation into a live studio program. This article should guide you through the steps to do this.

Getting/Uploading Quicktime files from Studio 5 into the Production Lab:

A disk volume called "Studio 5" should mount on all of the computers in the Production Lab. There are two directories: Studio 5 Recordings (where Studio 5 productions are recorded) & Uploads (where you can place B-roll and other videos for playback in the control room).

You'll need an Apple-compatible hard drive which you'll plug into the firewire or USB port on a Production Lab computer. Use the Finder to move your files.

To get files, look in the Studio 5 Recordings folder for the proper class, week and lab. To place files look in the "Uploads" folder. Inside should be directories for T283 and T356. Place your files in the proper directory. Remember that they need to be Apple ProRes 1920 x 1080 29.97. (Either HQ or 422 should work.)

Preparing Quicktime files for playback in Studio 5:

There are two ways to do this. You can either upload a Quicktime file onto the Studio 5 studio server or bring in an HDV tape.

Method #1: Upload a Quicktime file from the Production Lab onto the Studio 5 server.

A disk volume called "Studio 5" should mount on all of the computers in the Production Lab. On this volume is a folder called "Lab Uploads". Make sure your Quicktime file is Apple Pro Res (HQ) 1920 x 1080 at 29.97 fps. You can use Compressor to convert your Quicktime file to the proper format. (Here's an article on how to do this.) If this is beyond your abilities, consider a different career or use Method #2.

Method #2: Bring in an edited HDV sequence on a DV tape.

This is probably the easiest way to bring video clips into Studio 5. Just remember we have an HD studio and switcher. Your tape must be HDV 1080 60i (1440 x 1080 29.97). If you have a few minutes, it's easy to play back your tape and capture it in real-time onto the Studio 5 server in the Control Room. This way you can have it cued immediately for playback.

Posting Clips onto Video Sharing Sites like YouTube

Before posting, be sure you have the rights to all of the material in the video. This includes having releases for your on-camera talent and license releases for any intellectual property contained in the videos.

The first step is to get your clips onto the local hard drive of a computer that has Final Cut Pro or QuickTime Pro installed.

Open up your sequence in Final Cut Pro or QuickTime Pro. Edit as needed. Make sure all of your video is fully rendered. Set an "in point" in black before it fades up at the beginning and an "out point" after it fades to black at the end.

To export a QuickTime movie, look under the "File" menu. Select file -> export -> "using quicktime conversion" from the menu. Press the "options" button. Use H.264 or MPEG-4 as your codec for the QuickTime movie. Make a custom size to match the aspect ratio of your work.

• For 4x3 (1.33) video you can use 640x480 or 400x300 (or any dimensions you like as long as you divide the first by the second and get something close to 1.33)
• For 16x9 (1.78) video you can use 1280x720 or 640x360 (or any dimensions you like as long as you divide the first by the second and get something close to 1.78)

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