Configuring Avid Change Lists by Robert Brakey Change happens, and when it does, the Avid can publish your changes in a variety of ways. The key is in configuring the Change List Tool so that you give appropriate information to each of the departments you are communicating with. This article will review the options offered in the software so that you can efficiently give everyone all the information that they need and nothing that they don’t. To get started, open the Change List Tool (under Output in the menubar), and click on the horizontal rectangle surrounding the word "Global". These bars are actually unlabeled buttons that take you to appropriate settings panels. The Global settings panel contains options that apply to all lists you produce. The ‘template’ you’ll want to use for all of your change lists is Avid Columnar, which lists all additions and deletions in order from head to tail. For workprint conforming, use the A Roll format and set the tool to use key numbers or ink numbers. Unless you like to read tiny numbers upside down, use ink numbers. Sound conforming will be set in A/B Roll format and should also use ink numbers, but these days no one really conforms a work track. Running footage should be set to match your project format. Courier 12 is the default font, but this can be adjusted if you like. List formatting is based on the use of a monospaced font where all characters print with the same width. If you don’t use such a font, list columns won’t be straight. Also notice the small rectangle to the right of each list type. These are more unlabeled buttons that tell the list tool to actually generate a particular list. Clicking them turns them pink. After selecting ‘global’ settings, continue to choose settings for each type of list you need. Let’s start with the change list itself: It’s important to keep a change list as simple as possible. The sound and picture departments generally require different lists and different information within them. Picture typically needs only ink numbers and perhaps clip names. Picture assistants will want ‘Change Pull’ lists so they can pull all the new film they’ll need prior to conforming a reel. Sound effects editors will probably want a Track 1 sound list and sometimes may want audio timecodes and sound roll numbers in it. But because sound change notes don’t follow moves from one track to another, sound change lists tend to be so complicated that many editors prefer the picture list, even though it will not indicate the presence of newly inserted dialog. It’s critical to check with all the editors and assistants you are working with and find out exactly what they want. A little bit of communication early on can save a lot of frayed nerves during crunch time. Under the separator, you’ll find three important options for your lists. "Show Only Changes" does just that, and while this may sound efficient, it will omit unchanged footage, which you may want for clarity. "Combine Deletions" is good for showing the picture department a lift as a lift, rather than listing all of the shots within that lift as individual deletions. You should check with your sound department before combining deletions on their lists, however. They may prefer each deletion listed separately. "Preview Code" helps you conform via preview code for the first set of changes after the picture has been coded. (That is, it assumes that your old sequence has a continuous preview code starting at zero). Once you’ve selected your change list settings, choosing other list options is easy because the Avid will let you match other list options to those selected for change lists. Simply click on the box labeled "Same as Change List". Change Pull List options are shown below. The Avid can sort your pulls using up to three criteria. For conforming from workprint, you will probably only need to sort by ink number. Set the Sort Order to match your dailies, which should be "Heads Out", and tell the Avid to place separators (dashed lines) between each prefix or thousand feet. If you’re pulling workprint to mark up as temporary opticals, select the box at the bottom. In addition to the change list, the picture department will also want an assemble list for the new sequence. To include this list, click on the button next to "Assemble" by the New Sequences window. If you want an assemble list for the old version, select that button as well. Select your assemble list options in the same way you did for the change list. Note that you can choose to have the assemble list flag short cuts and jump cuts. ‘Short cuts’ will direct you to cuts that may be a problem for negative cutting or printing. ‘Jump cuts’ will direct you to potential cutting errors, or to intentional jump cuts that negative cutting should be warned about. Show transition effects as cuts is an essential option for most workprint conforming because it allows you to conform transition opticals as cuts that you will mark with grease pencil. If you don’t’ select this option, all your transition effects will be indicated in the assemble list as opticals. Once you have your settings configured you’ll want to save them for future use. Click on the button next to the word ‘settings’ and select ‘Save As’. As mentioned earlier, the picture and sound departments need different information. For this reason, I have different change list settings saved for each. Unfortunately, there have been bugs in the saved list settings for years. One problem that still remains is this: if you open existing settings, modify them and then save the modifications under the same name, the modifications won’t take. You’re now ready to make your lists. Open the bins that contain the sequences you want to compare. You can use the ‘Get Sequence’ buttons to bring sequences into the change tool, but it’s easier to drag and drop them on the appropriate window. Select the tracks you want to list in the ‘Tracks’ panel and click on "View" or "Print". It’s always a good idea to view a list first and check for errors or potential confusion before printing. Then print the list from the ‘View’ window by hitting Command-P. One thing many assistants don’t know is that the change tool will track moves from one reel to another. To make this work you must label all the sequences involved using the "Reel #" bin column. Then shift-click on all the old reels and drag and drop them together into the ‘Old Sequences’ pane. Drag the new sequences to the ‘New Sequences’ pane. (If you overlooked a sequence, you can add it to either pane without replacing the sequences already there by option dragging.) This can be particularly helpful when rebalancing, since all rebalance changes move things between reels. A good rule of thumb for a rebalance is to do it in two steps. First make lists for all internal changes within the relevant reels. Then do the rebalance and make lists for that step alone. Note that unless you have equal numbers of old and new reels a multi-sequence change list won’t work. This can be a problem when you rebalance and lose a reel. The work-around is to hold onto the reel you’ve eliminated as an empty reel containing nothing but head and tail leaders and include it when you make your lists. Be warned that with every set of lists you create you’ll be shown an annoying dialog box that says, "A second pass revealed more possible dupes. Check end of dupe list for details." This nuisance generally means nothing and has been a fixture of the change list software for a long time. It may occasionally signal a problem but until the list is fixed you’ll never know. Just ignore it and click "Okay". Another snag you may encounter is the tool’s inability to create change lists for audio tracks unless you’ve selected ‘show transition effects as cuts’ in both old and new assemble list options. Until this problem is fixed, you have no choice but to select these options and save this workaround as another change list setting. One last glitch involves the formatting of your lists as you print. The column at the far right, which displays a running tally of the length change after each event, will not print properly unless you use Page Setup to print your pages horizontally at 80% size, or use a smaller font in the ‘Global’ settings. It’s a good idea to do a small test set of change notes to check your printer formatting before you start with the real thing.   Robert Brakey has been working on the AVID Film Composer for 7 years. He is currently the first assistant to Alan Heim on "Bless The Child" for Paramount Pictures. He can be reached via email   Reprinted from The Motion Picture Editors Guild Magazine Vol. 21, No. 2 - March/April 2000   Guild Home | Magazine Home | Top of Page   Copyright © 2000, All Rights Reserved by The Motion Picture Editors Guild, IATSE Local 700