Frequently Asked Questions

Class Policies

What is the grade penalty for missing class?

You get to miss 2 labs with no penalty. You are penalized 10 points for every lab after that. In studio, if you miss a shooting day or the rehearsal before a shooting day you will be penalized 20 points regardless of how many total labs you have missed (unless you have some incredible documented excuse). Your attendance also impacts your overall lab grade. Other TAs may have different policies.

Remote

Can we change things about our project after we have turned in the proposal?

Yes. I will give you feedback on the proposal and I expect that you will make changes in response to my comments. If you are planning on making any significant changes (story, tone) not based on my feedback, please discuss it with me. If you just go and drastically change your proposal without talking with me about it there may be a grade penalty.

What are the restrictions on transitions and special effects?

You are only allowed to do straight cuts during your project. You can open with a fade up and close with a fade out. You are not allowed to do any special effects using the computer with one exception: you can use black and white footage, but only if it is IN YOUR PROPOSAL. You cannot use speed changes (slo-mo or fast motion). You can of course use any special effects that you create in front of the camera (blood, makeup).

Does it matter if my project is a little over time?

You'll lose 5 points for every 30 seconds overtime (the project is 200 total points). Credits are included in the total time. We are strict because in the REAL WORLD there are often strict deadlines that you must meet.

Equipment and Computers

How should I set up the computer to begin editing?

See this page.

What should I do if Final Cut Pro crashes?

See this page.

How do I import audio from a CD?

See this page.

What are the rules for borrowing equipment from the media center?

See this page.

Is this timecode thing a big deal? Why?

Timecode is VERY IMPORTANT. If you break timecode, you may not be able to get your footage into the computer to edit it. There is no way to solve this problem if it occurs and you may have to re-shoot the footage if it is important. You should do everything you can to avoid breaking timecode.

What causes timecode to break?

The NUMBER ONE reason that timecode gets broken is that you go back to watch your shot in the camera, and you let the tape play just a little bit past the shot, leaving an unrecorded break between shots. You can also break timecode if the camera goes into standby mode (if you leave it idle for several minutes) or if you turn off the camera. You should not ordinarily break timecode if you record, pause, record, pause, etc. with the camera continuously on and in record mode.

How can I avoid breaking timecode?

After each shot, leave a long footer--10 seconds or more. If you stop recording, or the camera turns off, or you want to see if the previous shot was good, use the rec review buttons to scan back until you see the previous shot in the viewfinder. The rec review buttons are next to the power/mode wheel, on a black semi-circle, sort of near the door that opens the menu buttons. Start the next shot by recording over the end of the previous shot. If you do this, you will continue the timecode of the previous shot without a break.

Studio

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