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