The 

P A L Video system

PAL
Phase Alternating Line
SYSTEM PAL PAL N PAL M
Line/Field 625/50 625/50 525/60
Horizontal Freq. 15.625 kHz 15.625 kHz 15.750 kHz
Vertical Freq. 50 Hz 50 Hz 60 Hz
Color Sub Carrier 4.433618 MHz 3.582056 MHz 3.575611 MHz
Video Bandwidth 5.0 MHz 4.2 MHz 4.2 MHz
Sound Carrier 5.5 MHz 4.5 MHz 4.5 MHz

The N T S C Video System

NTSC
National Television System Committee
Lines/Field 525/60
Horizontal Frequency 15.734 kHz
Vertical Frequency 60 Hz
Color Subcarrier Frequency 3.579545 MHz
Video Bandwidth 4.2 MHz
Sound Carrier 4.5 MHz

The S E C A M Video System

SECAM
Sequential Couleur Avec Memoire
or Sequential Color with Memory
SYSTEM SECAM B,G,H SECAM D,K,K1,L
Line/Field 625/50 625/50
Horizontal Frequency 15.625 kHz 15.625 kHz
Vertical Frequency 50 Hz 50 Hz
Video Bandwidth 5.0 MHz 6.0 MHz
Sound Carrier 5.5 MHz 6.5 MHz

A Brief Guide To Non-linear Post Production

by Nick Lowe

What is non-linear post production? The term nowadays refers to computerised

techniques of editing picture and sound. There is a plethora of devices on the market
which perform these functions: Avid, Lightworks, DAR SoundStation, AudioFile,
WaveFrame, Synclavier, to name but a few. They all do basically the same thing: those
designed for picture editing 'digitise' picture rushes and offer highly flexible approaches
to picture editing. On the sound side, the systems do much the same thing with location
sound material in addition to handling all other aspects of post production sound work.
The purpose of this article is not to debate the merits of competing systems or to argue
the benefits of handling post production in this manner as opposed to doing it in more
conventional ways. What I will attempt to set out are certain ground rules for
productions contemplating using these techniques either for picture or sound or both.
Firstly let us consider what we are dealing with:

SCENARIO 1

Camera original is video. Sound original is either married to the video image and /or is
shot separately on a timecode format i.e. timecode DAT, Nagra 4 STC, Nagra-D. If the
sound is not married to the video tape then the timecode DATs or 1/4 in tapes must bear
the same timecode and user bits (which are commonly used to denote roll numbers) as
the camera original otherwise the whole post production process is rendered impossibly
cumbersome and expensive. Non-timecode formats are, in cost terms, not an option. So
assuming that we are dealing with camera original that is married with sound, the
location rushes are digitised into the Avid/Lightworks logged and then cut. An edit
decision list is then produced which reflects every picture and sound cut the editor has
chosen to make. Typically when viewed this EDL will show event numbers (i.e. the
chronological order of the cuts), source roll numbers (contained in the user bits of the
80-bit timecode word), source in and out times (i.e. which chunk of the said location roll
was used) and the destination timecodes (i.e. where the editor chose to put these
chunks in the cutting copy). With the EDL is possible to 'on-line' edit the camera original
and produce decent looking pictures that are an exact mirror of the often manky-looking
(frequently digitised at low resolution to save memory) Avid/Lightworks cutting copy. It
is also possible to auto-conform the sound from the camera original (or if available, the
timecoded sound rushes) onto a digital sound workstation and hence considerably
embellish the sound tracks. It goes without saying that the other sound elements apart
from the original location audio can be added at this stage i.e. FX, Foley, ADR, music.

SCENARIO 2

Camera original is 16 or 35mm negative. Sound is any analogue or digital sync format
i.e. Nagra neopilot, FM pilot, Nagra timecode, Nagra-D, DAT timecode. Under these
circumstances producers have a wealth of confusing choices.

Firstly, they want to cut picture and sound conventionally. This is not within the scope of
this article.

Secondly, they want the picture non-linear and do the sound conventionally. This is not
really an option as the sheer cost of producing reasonably current film dupes of a non-
linear cutting copy from negative is prohibitive. Cutting room synchronisers that have
been produced to allow accurate synchronisation between videotape and magnetic film
have never really worked all that well.

Thirdly they want to cut both picture and sound using non-linear equipment. This is dead
easy as far as 16mm post production is concerned since 16mm shot in the UK nowadays
invariably runs at 25 fps and can therefore be easily scanned by any telecine array to
produce true 25 fps video copies. The only issue here is how the sound is to be
synchronised to picture. Since the whole picture cutting experience is to take place
within the Avid/Lightworks it follows that the most economical way to do this is to
transfer straight from the original negative to video tape. As far as the synching of the
sound is concerned it is either done at the neg. telecine stage, or afterward to mute
video tape rolls.
 
The principle disadvantages of synching sound to original negative are:

1. - You are spending expensive telecine time hunting for clapper boards.

2. - If the sound is shot on analogue timecode format there may be

insufficient pre-roll time to lock picture and sound.
 3. - If the sound is shot on non-timecode sync formats you will have to
produce timecoded copies of the original sound rushes in addition to
your later 'clones'.

4. - With the best will in the world telecine operators are not as skilled as
second assistant editors at synching sound to picture. Errors at this
stage are a considerable nuisance later on.

A far more efficient way to handle this process which works for all sync sound formats
and gives you a fighting chance of getting rushes material that is in fact in sync is to re-
record the location sound material into a low cost non-linear digital recorder, mark the
claps, sync the latter to mute video rushes and when in sync, 'bounce' the sound across
to the video and to 'clone' DATs' bearing the same timecode (and hence the user bits
which identify roll numbers) as the videotape. The latter is now ready to digitise into the
Avid/Lightworks and the whole process proceeds as described above, the only difference
being that instead of conforming original video tape material to the non-linear cut you
are now conforming film negative via a correlation between the time code carried on the
video tape copies and the key numbers on the negative.

If you are shooting 35mm negative at 24 fps rate this process is considerably more
tricky. To produce video tape copies of this material it is necessary to effect a 24 fps
telecine transfer. This is because the PAL television standard insists on 25 television
pictures per second. What is fact happens during the 24 fps telecine is that one frame, or
two fields of picture are repeated every second. Unfortunately the location sound
material cannot be made to sync up with these 24 fps telecines. Doubtless
Avid/Lightworks will come up with a solution to this one as they apparently have for our
US counterparts who are cursed with the NTSC 29.97 frame rate, Currently the only
solution for those of us stuck with PAL equipment is to telecine the 24 fps negative at 25
frame rate, digitise the location sound, time warp it to a factor of 24/25, sync this to the
mute video images and produce the clone DATs which will then auto-conform beautifully
to the Avid/Lightworks cut and at the end of the day will, if replayed at 24 fps with a
conformed print of the original negative, not only be in sync but will also be at the
correct pitch. The process of time warping is something of a palaver since it has to be
done in real time.

Lastly under Scenario 2, they want to cut the picture conventionally and do the sound
non-linear. This is very much a favourite option for a variety of reasons. Firstly the
sound has been accurately synchronised to picture and rubber numbered in the time
honoured fashion. During the sound transfer process the original location time code is
recorded on track three of the 35mm magnetic film alongside the audio on tracks one
and two. Or if a non-timecode sync format was used on location, the transfer operator
sets a timecode generator running with user bits reflecting roll numbers and records this
timecode on track three as well as sending it, alongside the audio, to a timecode DAT
machine, producing timecoded clones of the location sound material. The picture is then
cut alongside the sync sound and thus track three of the cutting copy sound bears a flow
of discontinuous timecode that can be read at the telecine stage to produce an EDL
which when auto-conformed, provides an exact mirror image of the cutting copy
soundtrack. Yes, a 24 fps telecine is used to provide video tape workprints for the sound
editors but the final fruit of their labour is always in sync with the final cut picture
negative.

This route has the added advantage that the cutting copy can always be shown to the
director as a halfway decent image on the big screen. Obviously if having gone through
the one-light print and conventional synching-up route, a decision was made to cut the
picture using an Avid/Lightworks then these rushes rolls could be transferred via a 24 fps
telecine to video, digitised and then cut. Providing that key numbers were accurately
logged against the timecode on track three of the sound rolls then conforming a 35mm
print for viewing purposes would be relatively easy.
There follows a brief description of how sound, assuming it is to be handled in a non-
linear fashion, should be handled:

1.- Non timecode sync formats: timecoded DAT clones of the location
sound rolls have to be produced at the rushes transfer stage. It is
essential that the transfer is handled competently in terms of level and
most importantly, the user bits generated in the timecode recorded on
the magnetic film rolls and the clone DATs.

2. - Timecode sync formats: levels are really the issue here. A sound
recordist lays down a line-up tone for a reason - make sure this is
accurately carried across to the clone DATs and magnetic film.

3. - When making clone DATs from original material keep labelling clear
and stick to one sample rate, either 44.1 or preferably 48kHz. Do not
switch between the two.