Commercial Shot on RED edited in FCPX

Here is a spec commercial I just did for Dove.

my.mofilm.com/video/333f9c

Shot on RED Scarlet at 4k.
Transcoded to 2k ProRes files with a one light color pass.
Exported the XML and color graded in Resolve Lite
Exported audio to ProTools using X2Pro
Put all the elements back into FCPX and added titles + a bit of CineGrain and finished at 1080p.

This was one of the easiest and best looking projects I have done with the app. And this is a very professional workflow. FCPX is certainly not iMovie Pro.

Hope you enjoy and if any one has any questions, let me know.

Nice commercial.

Did you grade the Prores versions or the RAW files?

I relinked to the original R3D files. This also let me punch in on a few shots since I shot in 4K, but was finishing at 1080p. First time using Resolve - found Ripple Training's tutorials invaluable!

I love it. Simple, to the point, pretty, good emotional content, good delivery.

Yes, I've bought those Tutorials too. Very cheap AND very good and throughout.
Very thankful at Ripple for an amazing value for the money.

I'm very curious in which way Apple will implement the native R3D support in FCP X this year, they announced.
In Premiere Pro CS6, if you make a change to your RED footage in RED CINE (just the meta data), it carries over to Premiere. It would be great if Apple could achieve the same flexibility (and more).

Based on what Apple has done with everything else (such as multicam), I'd assume it'll be better than anyone else has done it.

The only exception to this rule being the total destruction of professional color grading in FCP X.

What are you using to grade with Ben?

For commercials, promos, educational stuff, I use Yanobox Moods and Nattress Levels, both available via FxFactory.

For serious film projects, I use Xto7 to go out to Color, where I can get professional results with my MC Color control surface. If you're not using a color grading control surface, you're not getting professional film quality results.

Problem is that one driver version for my Kona LHi card works with Color, a different version works with FCP X. So I have to uninstall/reinstall those drivers each time I go form one to the other.

You should check out Resolve. It's phenomenally powerful and the workflow with FCPX is great. I actually think for an NLE, FCPX color controls are very good. I find the color board intuitive and the masks powerful. But for advanced stuff (tracking, HSL Qualification, etc) I go to Resolve now. If you've come from Color, you'll pick it up super quick.

Problem is Resolve LITE, although free, must have a CUDA card to give you all the functions. FCP X requires OpenCL cards. They're not the same thing. So Resolve, which I've used, is crippled with my current graphics card, and FCP X and Motion 5 don't play well with multiple GPUs of different make/models. I still have Color running just fine, though.

MOST of my high end grading work comes to me as FCP 7 projects anyway, so for now, 90% of my high end grading work is safe... for now...

I am running it on an iMac with an ATI graphics card and have had no issues. The quality looks fine to me. What are the functions it is missing?

Resolve can work with R3D files natively, which is great if you shoot a lot of RED. I'm not sure Color can. But then again, if you don't shoot RED, it's all the same really.

I actually think for an NLE, FCPX color controls are very good.

I couldn't agree more, it's the best I've seen built into an NLE. I also think it has the potential to become more.

If you're not using a color grading control surface, you're not getting professional film quality results.

Can I assume this is a joke? It's just a control surface, it offers a better/faster interface with what it's controlling but nothing more.

Thats great man, simple but theres no need more more than simple

NocoDave wrote:

Can I assume this is a joke? It's just a control surface, it offers a better/faster interface with what it's controlling but nothing more.

Oh my friend, it's not joke, and a control surface offers professional graders such as myself abilities, techniques, finesse, and sensitivity you can't do with a mouse.

If it's not color wheels and a control surface with track balls, it's not professional. You can not do the level of work in FCP X and a mouse you can do with Color or Resolve and a control surface, period.

FCP X's color board seriously lacks the sensitivity and finesse to do real pro level work.

No one said anything about comparing FCPX colour board with Color or resolve, regardless of means of control.

Period.