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January 2007, Week 3

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From:
Jeremy Butler <[log in to unmask]>
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Date:
Thu, 18 Jan 2007 07:47:43 -0600
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I'm working on a project where I need to log individual shots in television
programs. The key data I need are the length of each shot and what its
framing is (i.e., long shot, medium shot, close-up).  The programs are
currently on DVDs.

Googling around this morning, I found a number of possible
solutions--ranging from Excel spreadsheets to Avid/Final Cut Pro plug-ins.
It's a bit overwhelming.

So, I thought I'd survey friends/colleagues working in this area (especially
DV editing/archiving) that might have already devised the perfect solution.
Ideally, I could do this:

1.  View the DVD on a computer or a set-up DVD player. (Or, alternatively,
play back a miniDV tape on the computer via Firewire.)

2.  Record the start and stop time of each shot.  It'd be great if these
data could be automatically or semi-automatically recorded.  E.g., press a
hot-key as a shot starts/ends and the timecode is recorded.  Once the
start/stop times are recorded, the difference between the two must be
calculated in order to determine the length of the shot.

3.  Note the shot's framing.  This will involve human interaction, I
presume, as the viewer (coder?) decides if it's a long shot, medium shot or
whatever.  Perhaps an interface could be devised, however, where the viewer
simply clicks a check box to indicate this.  But it'd be complicated,
because, of course, clips could change framing during the shot--through
zooms/camera movement.

4. A quick frame capture of each shot could also be useful for future
analysis.

5.  Store the data in either a spreadsheet or database (preferably MySQL)
for analysis.

So, any pre-fab solutions to this common problem (at least in video editing
and archiving).  Any solutions that don't cost thousands of dollars?

Thanks for the help!

P.S. I'm willing to work with a system on Windows, Mac or Linux.  Whatever
is most expedient!


-- 
Jeremy Butler
www.ScreenSite.org
www.TVCrit.com
www.AllThingsAcoustic.org

Professor - TCF Dept. - U Alabama

----
Screen-L is sponsored by the Telecommunication & Film Dept., the
University of Alabama: http://www.tcf.ua.edu

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