Apple Final Cut Pro 7 - Manual (Page 1621)

Reel name characters Reel name length System
Uppercase alphabetical characters; numbers;
underscore (_) 6 characters Sony 9100
When you export an EDL, Final Cut Pro automatically changes reel names that aren’t
compatible with the selected EDL format.
Unique Reel Names for Each Tape and Timecode Breaks
Every tape that you capture from should have a unique reel name written on the label.
It’s crucial to enter the correct reel name in the Log and Capture window while logging
new clips to make sure Final Cut Pro requests the right tape during the batch capture
process.
With professional video equipment you can often record tapes with user-programmable
timecode. User-programmable timecode means that a videographer in the field can enter
a starting timecode number from hour 01 to hour 23, which corresponds to the reels
01–23. This reduces the chance of error when logging because the reel number
corresponds to the starting hour of the timecode on the tape. (Professionals rarely shoot
with tapes longer than one hour at a time, so there is seldom more than one hour on a
tape.) This system is only effective if you have fewer than twenty-four source tapes.
Creating your own reel names is especially important when using the mini-DV format.
Mini-DV equipment generally can’t record with user-programmable timecode. As a result,
each mini-DV tape you shoot starts at 00:00:00:00. Also, if you have a timecode break on
your tape, the timecode may reset itself to 00:00:00:00. In this case, you should use a new
reel name for each section following a timecode break on the same tape. For example,
if the first half of the tape goes from 00:00:00:00 to 00:30:00:00 and the second half of
the tape also goes from 00:00:00:00 to 00:30:00:00, you should give each section of tape
a unique reel name.
To identify a tape with timecode breaks using multiple reel names
1 Begin by labeling the tape with a simple reel name, such as 003.
2 For every timecode break on the tape, log a unique reel name, such as 003a, 003b, and
so on, as if each section were a unique tape.
Enter a reel name here.
While batch capturing, when a message appears asking for the next reel (such as reel
003b), you must manually cue the tape to the appropriate position before proceeding
with the capture.
1621 Chapter 96 Importing and Exporting EDLs