The idea is to reference the first key-code of each camera roll by punching the negative and entering this key-code in a database, so that the editing software can know the position of each frame in terms of key-codes. For example, with 16 mm, key-codes go up by one unit every 20 frames, so that 18 frames after key-code EN32 5670 5546 will be EN32 5670 5546+18.
When the edit is ready, the software generates the « pull list » with all the key-codes of the start and end points of each shot as they are present in the camera rolls, so that one can pull out the shots from the rushes, and the « cut list » that enables to splice the shot together in the order of the edit.
FINAL CUT 7 & CINEMA TOOLS
Beware that Final Cut 7 is incompatible with OS 10.13 (High Sierra) and onwards!
Each telecine file is truncated to begin with the punch, and the matching key-code is entered in Cinema Tools. Then the FCP project is linked to this Cinema Tools database, and this makes FCP able to generate the pull list and cut list. Key-codes can also be burnt into the Canvas window for examining.
DA VINCI RESOLVE
Although this is not widely known, Da Vinci Resolve can actually manage key-codes as long as the images are in DPX format.
Unfortunately, Da Vinci developers didn’t bother to program a way to enter the key-codes manually for each camera roll start. However, Colorlab proposes a freeware that can handle it:
Once this is done, key-codes can be displayed about the image in the EDIT pad, but once again, there is no system included in the software to generate pull list and cut list, which is a shame!
So once the edit is done, key-codes have to be copied by hand. Or the other option would be making an an EDL and finding a friend that has FCP7.
Certainly it would be worthwhile to alert Da Vinci so that they solve that issue…
AVID MEDIA COMPOSER
Make sure you create a « New project » that is a « film » project by ticking the « film » option and defining the appropriate format (16mm, 35mm, 35mm 3-perf…)
Once the rushes are loaded, find the KN START column in the bin, whether by choosing the « film » default display of bins, or manually with « choose column »)
The start key-code can be entered manually in the KN START column of the bin by clicking on the clip line in the KN START column. Beware that this is the key-code of the first image of the clip, independently from which image is currently viewed. If the punch in the negative is not the first image of the clip, one has to calculate manually the resulting key-code of the first image. Then, one can check that this is correct by going to image with the punch.
When the edit is finished, go to the « List tools » in the Tools menu which can be in different places depending the Media Composer version. Choose « Cut list » and « Columnar » as the format.
With the different options, one can choose to show the shots in the order if the rushes or in the order of the edit.
BLENDER
The Scotcheuses (a super 8 filmmaking collective) developped an add-on for Blender for exporting a cut-list ! https://www.blender.org/
It’s on-line on filmlabs’ framagit : https://framagit.org/filmlabs/cut-list-blender-addon (the plugin worked in our workflow, but would need some rewrite to be more “universal”, we are keen to have your feedbacks!)
It yields results like “edit #5 uses shot #4 of reel #3, between image 101 and 145 included.”
PREMIERE PRO
It is unknown to us if there is a solution for handling key-codes with Premiere Pro. Let us know if you have knowledge of one…
