Interpret Clip's Frame Rate

Let's say I shoot a commercial on a REDONE MX and acquire the footage at 4K 29.97fps progressively (30p). Ideally, for broadcast, starting with 3K 60p (REDONE doesn't shoot interlaced) is preferred for dealing with this same progressive/interlaced issue later on, but for the sake of example, let's say because of project compatibility in camera for frame rate/redcode (36) matching and for access to 4K for compositing, the 29.97fps was chosen.

1. To add interlacing, I'd use Motion5 with Optical Flow (or AE for Pixel Motion) to double the TRT of the target clip(s) and export a new clip that's exactly twice the total number of frames.

2. However, to "re-interpret" this newly doubled TRT 29.97fps clip, as a 59.94fps clip, in After Effects, I can import the 29.97fps doubled clip(s), right click and change the frame rate per clip to 59.94fps, then re-introduce those 59.94fps clips into a new 29.97fps (1080i) timeline and it will use the doubled frames when I export from AE with Upper Field on during render to make a great interpolated 1080i version of the clip(s). (Staying ProRes422 (HQ) the whole way through)

Is there such an option as 'Interpret Footage in Motion5' or is the process disguised as something else with a different approach?

Thanks in Advance,
Dustin

Dustin Hoye wrote: Let's say I shoot a commercial on a REDONE MX and acquire the footage at 4K 29.97fps progressively. Ideally, for broadcast, starting with 3K 60p (REDONE doesn't shoot interlaced) is preferred for dealing with this same progressive/interlaced issue later on, but for the sake of example, let's say because of project compatibility in camera for frame rate/redcode (36) matching and for access to 4K for compositing, the 29.97fps was chosen.

1. To add interlacing, I'd use Motion5 with Optical Flow (or AE for Pixel Motion) to double the TRT of the target clip(s) and export a new clip that's exactly twice the total number of frames.

2. However, to "re-interpret" this newly doubled TRT 29.97fps clip, as a 59.94fps clip, in After Effects, I can import the 29.97fps doubled clip(s), right click and change the frame rate per clip to 59.94fps, then re-introduce those 59.94fps clips into a new 29.97fps (1080i) timeline and it will use the doubled frames when I export from AE with Upper Field on during render to make a great interpolated 1080i version of the clip(s). (Staying ProRes422 (HQ) the whole way through)

Is there such an option as 'Interpret Footage in Motion5' or is the process disguised as something else with a different approach?

Thanks in Advance,
Dustin

Okay, after playing around a bit with this, the interpretation options I was looking for were located under the media tab of the inspector, which is only shown when accessing the clip through the layers window through the layers window's media tab.

This looks like Layers Window/Media Tab/Select Clip/Inspector Window/Media Tab. *OR you can "reveal source media" by right clicking the layer (Shift+F) in the project window also, which is faster.

Maybe this was obvious to some, I kinda feel nerdy responding to my own question, but in case anyone was wondering how to start to use Motion5 in a rush, in conjunction with this old Creative Cow article on After Effects and FCP, maybe this will help a bit. Also here's the article I was referencing:

library.creativecow.net/articles/solorio...gressive_footage.php

I am still getting different results out of After Effects, partly because you can select specific field order on Render in AE, whereas in Motion5 (this is for the last step in the article) all I can find is the Source Media Interpretation. So far FCPX isn't seeing the field order change from Motion5, but it is from AE, so I'll keep playing around.

Happy Editing,
Dustin

I'd like to preface this with: it's been shown that interlaced footage has it's own logistical problems and it's less efficient than progressive footage. The move from 1080i to 1080p happened very quickly (by broadcasting industry standards.)

If you're being forced to supply interlaced footage, then I think I can help.

First rule of thumb: anything DV (DVD, DVCPro, DV, MPEG2, etc) is interlaced: Lower First. *Everything else* is Upper First.

In Motion, you can create a custom preset (Preferences > Presets). Click the + button on the lower left corner of the dialog. In the popup, give it a name, set the width and height of your target project, Pixel Aspect, and then pick the Field Order (most likely Upper First) and the Frame Rate.

Motion will export your project with these settings with one exception.

When you export (share), in the Render tab, set the Fields option to On (or you can select the Field Rendering option from the Canvas Render options - and - if selected, the export will automatically "Use canvas setting" from the Render dialog.) Without this option being set, either in the Render dialog or the Canvas settings, Motion will export progressive media.

I think any NLE that tries to interpret progressive media as interlaced is simply going to screw it up.

PS, nothing above mentions Optical Flow. I don't recommend it if it's not needed. (Are you changing speed to slow motion? There's really no other reason to use it.)

PPS, FCPX has an option for "Field Dominance Override" (Info > Settings) If the media has been prepared properly, it shouldn't ever be necessary to use this.

HTH

Are you absolutely sure you have to deliver interlaced media??

Cool- I will check this out. On a shoot until Friday. Cheers! Also, like so many broadcasters, they are working off of old tech specs (2010 outline) so I am working with them on updating their delivery standards.