Apple Final Cut Pro 7 - Manual (Page 318)

• During production, pay attention to the position of your tape: Camcorders attempt to
create continuous timecode by quickly reading the last timecode number written on
tape. The process of generating new timecode based on the last stored timecode
number is referred to as jam syncing timecode. However, if the camcorder doesn’t see
a timecode or video signal on the tape (for example, at the beginning of a blank tape),
the timecode counter is reset to zero.
DV camcorders tend to be fairly good at finding the last timecode number on tape as
long as the camcorder has not been powered off. If the camcorder is powered off, the
best solution is to rewind the tape by a second or two so that the camcorder can jam
sync the timecode already written on tape when you start recording again. In theory,
this technique can remedy most potential timecode problems. In practice, however, it
can be difficult to always remember to rewind, or you may rewind too far and then
spend time cueing your tape to make sure you don’t record over part of the previous
shot.
One helpful tip when using this technique is to record several additional seconds well
past the end of each shot. If your camcorder is powered off and on, you can rewind a
few seconds into the previous shot without worrying that you are going to record over
important footage.
Capturing Footage with Timecode Breaks
The Final Cut Pro timecode break-detection features let you easily and cleanly capture
entire source tapes without inadvertently introducing timecode errors.
The Importance of Avoiding Timecode Breaks
As you log your footage, it’s important to avoid timecode breaks in your clips. A timecode
break is any jump in the continuous flow of timecode numbers. There are two kinds of
timecode breaks:
• Ordered timecode break: This is a nearly imperceptible gap in the timecode track of
your tape which interrupts the continuous flow of timecode but doesn’t reset the
timecode to 00:00:00:00. Ordered timecode breaks can result from turning the camcorder
off and on in the middle of a tape, or from rewinding the tape to review a section and
then pausing at the end of the last recorded shot.
• Reset timecode break: This kind of break results in the timecode track being reset to the
default timecode value. For many DV-format camcorders, this value is 00:00:00:00. A
reset timecode break can happen as a result of a tape being cued slightly past the end
of the last recorded shot before being recorded onto further, or by partially recording
over the beginning or middle of a previously recorded tape.
Note: There are also timecode gaps, when long gaps are detected with no timecode at
all.
318 Chapter 20 Advanced Topics in Capturing Tape-Based Media