2009

Workflow Summary
This is one of the most basic and straightforward workflows you can follow. Your video
is ingested into Final Cut Pro using the Log and Capture or Log and Transfer window, as
appropriate. During editing, you can use Motion and Soundtrack Pro, along with the video
and audio effects tools that Final Cut Pro offers, to incorporate motion graphics, effects,
and sound work into your program.
After editing, it’s a good idea to send your edited sequence to Color for grading, after
which you send it back to Final Cut Pro in preparation for output.
When you finish your program, you can use Compressor to export its video and audio to
formats that are suitable for DVD authoring using DVD Studio Pro, or to a format that’s
suitable for Blu-ray authoring using other tools.
Tip: You can also use the Final Cut Pro Share command to quickly burn programs directly
to DVD or to a Blu-ray disc. See the Final Cut Pro documentation for more information.
Acquired on Video for Broadcast Delivery
This workflow specifically refers to programs that are acquired via a professional video
format and produced for delivery to a network for terrestrial, cable, or satellite broadcast.
Types of Programs
Program types include network news, daytime TV, music videos, commercial spots,
infomercials, magazine shows, reality TV, game shows, and sitcoms. Increasingly, this
category includes dramas produced using HD or digital cinema cameras.
Typical Acquisition Formats and Means of Ingest
Acquisition formats are typically limited to less-compressed formats, and some
broadcasters specifically exclude or limit the amount of more highly compressed formats
that can be used in a program. Commonly used formats include Digital Betacam, DV-25,
DVCPRO 50, DVCPRO HD, XDCAM, HDCAM, and even some digital cinema formats such
as REDCODE, to name just a few. Highly compressed formats such as HDV and AVCHD
are sometimes specifically excluded or restricted in their use (some quality-control
guidelines specify that no more than 25 percent of a program may include a restricted
format). What this means for ingest is:
• Tape-based formats are ingested via the Log and Capture window in Final Cut Pro using
an appropriate built-in interface (FireWire) or a third-party capture card.
• Tapeless formats (also called file-based formats) are typically ingested by copying the
native video data from the camera to your storage system and then transferring the
video data to Final Cut Pro using the Log and Transfer window.
18 Chapter 1 Developing a Post-Production Strategy