Organizing Your Dailies by Robert Brakey "How much did second unit shoot last Tuesday?" "What sound roll is the wild track for scene 52 on?" "What does the B camera for this stunt take look like at this exact point in the A camera take?" Using the database known as your dailies bins, with their columns and rows of data that can be sorted, sifted, amended and printed, these everyday questions for the assistant editor can be quickly answered. The only prerequisite is that you pay careful attention to the inputting and organization of this database. This article will go through the methods I use to organize and distribute dailies, which have proven very effective. Before sending your workprint to telecine (assuming you are printing dailies and not transferring directly from negative), log your footage, either by hand or in a database program such as Filemaker Pro. Traditional code-book information includes slate, key numbers, ink numbers, date shot and the three rolls (camera, lab, sound). The telecine operator should input this information while transferring your footage and return it to you on a floppy. This log may be output in a number of formats, such as .FLX or .KSL, but must be an .ALE file for the Avid to correctly import it. If your dailies log is not already in .ALE format, use Avid Log Exchange to convert it. When using source tapes, as opposed to digitizing directly to disk, it's important to decide on a numbering plan. This isn't difficult or tricky, but keep in mind that a number of six digits or less is preferable, because only the first six digits of the source number will show up in your media file names. Having those first numbers match will come in handy if you have media problems down the line. For example, if I'm working with Betacam SP, I usually label my source tapes B001, B002 and so on. If I'm digitizing some DATs as well, I label these DAT001, DAT002, etc. I then label all paperwork and associated floppies with the same numbering system as the source tapes. Inside your project, create two new folders. Label one "Dailies by Tape" and the other "Dailies by Scene." The Dailies by Tape folder is strictly for digitizing dailies and data management, while the Dailies by Scene folder is for organization and distribution of dailies to the editor. With every new tape of dailies, create a bin inside the project and label it based upon the source tape from which it will be digitized. These bins will be stored in your Dailies by Tape folder. Import the data from your floppy, making sure the name of the file matches the bin and refers back to your source tape number. When your import is complete, take the bin to the "Statistics" text view and sort by Start timecode. You now have a list of all material on that source tape, sorted by timecode. Before digitizing, take a few minutes to modify your imported data if necessary, as some modifications cannot easily be made to clips after they have been digitized. If your imported clips include focus charts or grayscale images, select these clips and delete them (unless you specifically want to digitize them). To modify a clip or set of clips, select them in your bin window - holding the Shift key to select multiple clips - and under "Clip" on the menu bar, scroll down to "Modify." Within the Modification window are several categories, including "Set Tracks" and "Set Source." The first item to modify is the number of tracks you would like to digitize for each clip. MOS clips don't need audio, so select your MOS clips, go to Set Tracks and highlight only the one video track. Similarly, wild track clips need no video, so digitizing a video track for these clips would waste drive space. Most of your clips will only require one track of audio; clips with split audio will need two. Under Set Source in the Modification window, you can assign or change the number of your source tape to the number you have set up in your numbering plan. For example, all of your imported clips from tape B022 will show VT01 in the "Tape" column. This information can be changed by selecting the clips, going to Set Source and bringing up the window that lists all source tapes on record for your project. Your current mislabeled source tape will be highlighted in this window. Click on the tape name and change it to whatever you like. You will notice that all clips in your bin now show the correct number in the Tape column. With the necessary modifications made, it's now safe to digitize. When that's complete, or after transferring your dailies from the MRT drive into your towers, you will save much time and future grief if you run down through your clips and verify their information against your original logs. Are the clip names correct? Is the other information complete? Any errors in your dailies information are best changed before the dailies are organized and sent to your editor for cutting. It's also important to check your ink number, key number and sound timecode information against the burn-ins on your picture. The quickest way I've found to do this is with the Timecode tool, located under "Tools" in the menu bar. Open the Timecode tool and set it to show all the information you want in a large multi-tiered, LED-style display. Position this window under your source monitor. Now, from your Source Tape bin, select a group of clips (up to 21 at a time can fit in the Source Monitor window) and open them up. For each clip, use your cursor to move the blue status bar into the dead center of the track under the video. With the Timecode tool, check your frame and timecode information against the burn-ins and make necessary corrections in the bin. Again, it's better to do this now rather than have to come back to it later. Once all information is verified, keep your Dailies by Tape bin open for future reference, either in Statistics view or customized with your personal Code Book view. This is the time to break down your dailies by scene and organize them for the editor. Create new bins, one for each scene you have in your new dailies, and label them based upon scene numbers. For example, say you have dailies for scene 047 in your B022 bin. Create an SC 047 bin and move the clips for this scene into it by dragging them from B022 while holding down the Option key. Inside the Dailies by Scene folder, sort your clips by Clip Name. If you have multiple cameras for some takes, group these clips together by either sound timecode or by a common sync point, such as a common slate (after grouping, you will have to resort your bin). Change your bin from Text mode to Frame mode and enlarge your clips as much as possible, remembering that if you make them too large, you will spend a lot of time searching and scrolling later on. Now select your clips. Under Bin on the menu bar select "Fill Sorted," which will place your clips within the bin window in Clip Name order. Arrange them in chronological order to the action of the scene, using your lined script as a guide. The traditional order of setups or angles is: master shots, tighter master or two-shots; over-the-shoulder shots; singles and close-ups; cutaways and inserts. Arranging the clips in this fashion gives the editor a clear view of the footage, broken down by scene and in the correct order. You can even change the windows in your bin by loading the clips into the source monitor, selecting a representative frame and, with the clip or clips selected, typing the letter "Q." The tiny window will then update itself to the frame you marked with an "in" point, showing your dailies in a storyboard-type display.   Robert Brakey is an assistant editor. If you have any comments or feedback on this column, e-mail him   Reprinted from The Motion Picture Editors Guild Newsletter Vol. 20, No. 6 - Sep/Oct 1999   Guild Home | Newsletter Home | Top of Page   Copyright © 1999, All Rights Reserved by The Motion Picture Editors Guild, IATSE Local 700