Apple Final Cut Pro HD (4.5): New Features - Manual (Page 79)

Chapter 4 Editing Film With Final Cut Pro in a PAL Environment 79
You can now determine exactly how long you were writing simply by looking at the
last number you wrote on the paper. As unremarkable as this sounds, this is exactly
how timecode works: A unique number is written alongside each video frame as long
as the video is recording.
Note: Although timecode and video frames move much faster—many times per
second—the process is identical to the exercise above.
So far, this experiment has only revealed how regular timecode works. To make things
more interesting, you can do the same experiment again but with a subtle twist. This
time you’ll have to pay a little more attention while you write the numbers, but should
be able to catch on after a few tries.
Exercise 2: Counting 59 numbers (0 to 58) each minute
Instead of counting 60 numbers during each minute (from 0 to 59), now you will use
only 59 numbers (from 0 to 58). The steps below explain how.
1 Just as before, at the turn of a minute (when the second counter reaches zero), begin
writing down the number of seconds passed on the clock.
Note: If you like, you can add a 0:0 (a zero, a colon, and a zero) before each second to
make your numbers look more consistent. As usual, skip the colon if it slows down
your writing. Just make sure you write something unique for each second that passes
on the clock.
Your numbers should look like this:
0:00 0:01 0:02 0:03 0:04 0:05... 0:55 0:56 0:57 0:58...
2 Here is the subtle twist in the exercise. When you reach 0:58, the next number you
should write is 1:00, not 0:59. The number :59 is never allowed in this exercise because
you are now counting from 0 to 58, not 0 to 59.
If you slip up the first time, start the exercise over at step 1. It will be easier to do this
the second time once you anticipate this subtle difference.
The numbers on your paper should look like this:
... 0:55 0:56 0:57 0:58 1:00 1:01 1:02
3 Continue writing numbers during the next minute:
... 1:03 1:04 1:05 1:06... 1:55 1:56 1:57 1:58...
4 Again, when you reach the :58 in the count, it’s time to increment the leading number
(the minute marker) from 1 to 2.
1:55 1:56 1:57 1:58 2:00 2:01 2:02 2:03...
5 Continue writing for several minutes, even if you think you are doing the exercise
poorly. The most important thing to do is make some kind of mark for each second
that passes on the clock and to avoid the number :59 in your counting (as explained
above). Don’t stop until you have written for a minimum of three minutes.
UP01022.Book Page 79 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM