Using DP to write to picture

[dazzjazz]

Hi all,
I have my first composer-for-hire job (yay) and need some help.

While I’ve been using DP for a long time (mostly production music) there’s a whole bunch of features in the software that I imagine I’m going to need to use, that I’ve never touched. The client will be supplying two 45-second videos for me to write for. So my question is:

What features should I be reading upon so I make the process as hassle-free as a first time can possibly be? I believe DP is the main DAW for this type of composition so I’m looking forward checking out a bunch of stuff.

Regards

Darren

[bjornln]

Hi,

You may want to drop in on Matt LaPoints webinars, they will go through a lot of stuff as well as Q&A. It's summer vacation right now, but I guess it will start up in a week or two.
You can see the the schedule here:
https://motu.com/en-us/products/software/dp/webinars/


Best,
/B

[dewdman42]

depends on what you are going to do specifically.

If you need to get hit points on the grid, then check out that tool, part of the markers feature. I doubt you need to mess around with streamers and punches and all that..

[jmc]

Congrats on the gig! Depending on how the video is turned over to you, you may need to have the video offset from the sequence so check out the video start and chunk start capabilities. Also knowing what kind of delivery you need may determine what stems/splits they want, if any, so having a good track routing template ready to go will help speed up that process. Hope that helps!

[dazzjazz]

Thanks for the advice, much appreciated.

I clicked through to the MOTU webinars but most of them say ‘coming soon’ going back months!

Oh well…

[leigh]

Thanks for the advice, much appreciated.

I clicked through to the MOTU webinars but most of them say ‘coming soon’ going back months!

Oh well…

Groove3 has a DP 8 series by Eli Krantzberg that has some videos giving the basics of working with film: https://www.groove3.com/tutorials/Digit ... 8-Advanced

That might help you get started.

**Leigh

[bjornln]

It will be a new schedule with new ones up there soon...
They are live.
There has been 120'ish webinars. I've been to over a hundred. Usually its 2 times a week (tuesdays and thursdays)
Unless there is something that has happened, it will be coming up in a week or two.
Just realized that you are located in Sydney. There has been a few people from Australia there, but the times might be at somewhat uncomfortable times.
/B

Thanks for the advice, much appreciated.

I clicked through to the MOTU webinars but most of them say ‘coming soon’ going back months!

Oh well…

[Bobbyd]

I only did one 30 second video with the webinar assignment back in May.

Open the video in Quicktime to find out what the frame rate is and set it in DP. And yes, you'll wanna make sure the video start time and chunk start time are the same. You can place markers at hit points with Ctl/M. Changes in BPM gets more complicated, but you may wanna do some of that too.

[stubbsonic]

Open the video in Quicktime to find out what the frame rate is and set it in DP. And yes, you'll wanna make sure the video start time and chunk start time are the same. You can place markers at hit points with Ctl/M. Changes in BPM gets more complicated, but you may wanna do some of that too.

+1

Bobbyd's advice is essential square-one settings.

[frankf]

All good advice. I’ll add that a conversation with the editor before he sends you a dub of the film is essential for the integrity of the sync of the audio you will be returning to him. Here are the most important and other steps:
-What frame rate, sample and bit rate is he working with in his video editor
-what is the his first frame of picture.
Also,
-set your “master” DP Chunk to these settings
-Open the movie in DP and set the movie start time to the beginning of the film. Here you must adjust for pre roll. For example, if the first frame of picture is 01;00;00;00 and you determine that there are 20 secs of pre roll, set the movie start time to 00;59;40;00

You should check these on the dub the editor sends you. Sometimes, not often, the dub will have different settings from what he told you. This is because whoever made the dub (more likely an inexperienced intern) rendered your dub with the wrong settings).
Finally, i import the Movie audio to a track and with movie playback synchronized to DP playback (a setting), I listen to both the imported audio track and audio imbedded in the movie together, and spot check audio sync at various points of the movie. If all is good you’re ready to proceed with spotting the cues with the director and editor certain that when he gives you time code locations you and they are talking about the same in and out for each cue.

Or you can have an assistant do all this if you have a budget
-then, most important, write some music!

These steps have helped me communicate with and deliver synced mixes or stems back to the editors in many films both short and long.

I hope this helps.


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[dazzjazz]

-set your “master” DP Chunk to these settings
-Open the movie in DP and set the movie start time to the beginning of the film. Here you must adjust for pre roll. For example, if the first frame of picture is 01;00;00;00 and you determine that there are 20 secs of pre roll, set the movie start time to 00;59;40;00

Thanks Frank, I have a few more questions
What is a “master chunk”?

The job I’ve landed is two separate 45 second advertisements. I had imagined that I’d have to place the movie at bar 1 so I’ve got a count in from bar zero (if I end up working to tempo).
So I guess I’m confused about preroll - can you elaborate please?

Ah being a newbie is kinda fun!

Thanks

Darren

[frankf]

Apologies, “master chunk” is my terminology, not Motu’s. I use this sequence chunk to spot a film and then to break out music cues to their own sequence chunks for scoring.

Pre roll is a term that defines how many frames precede the first frame of picture. You must account for this in the DP Movie Window to be in sync.

It’s easier to understand all this in a seminar setting. I’ve done seminars with presentations at NAMM, AES and for Motu on this subject and workflow. I hope I’ve and the others who commented here have given you a basic understanding of the process.


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