Conforming Despite Duplicate Filenames

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Kyle Doyle

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Conforming Despite Duplicate Filenames

PostWed Sep 14, 2016 7:38 pm

I am trying to conform a project edited in Premiere. However, I have 5 days of footage and one camera has several duplicates. For example, I have 4 files by the name of 00008.MTS.

When I import the XML, Resolve can't handle the duplicate filenames and therefore the media shows up as missing. Even if I import the media i need manually Resolve still won't connect.

Any suggestions?

For the record, my process was:
1) In Premiere export Final Cut Pro XML
2) In Resolve import XML (leaving setting at their defaults). It asks me if I want to search another folder, but even when I point to the right folder it won't connect.

-Kyle
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Scott McKenzie

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Re: Conforming Despite Duplicate Filenames

PostFri Sep 16, 2016 4:57 pm

I've run in to this exact same issue on a show shooting with the Sony FS700. Every card starts with the clip "00000.MTS", and all clips have a start TC of 00:00:00:00. The best solution is to media manage all the footage before you start editing so that every clip can be uniquely identified. Our solution was to create uniquely named proxies based on the shoot day for all the clips that could be replicated for the online.

The second part of solution that I used was to create "online" master clips out of Premiere before sending to Resolve since it is already linked to the original MTS files and knows which ones go where. This can be done through the Project Manager using "Consolidate and Transcode". Transcode to ProRes4444, ProRes422HQ, DNxHD/HR 444, or some other online quality codec. When clips with the same file name are transcoded premiere will give them a unique name (if I'm remembering correctly) and create a new project with the sequence linked to those clips. It's not the prettiest method, but it's easier than manually conforming each clip.

You also get the added benefit of not needing to work with Long-GOP files in Resolve which helps with performance.
Scott McKenzie
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Vancouver, BC. Canada
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Jean Claude

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Re: Conforming Despite Duplicate Filenames

PostFri Sep 16, 2016 5:13 pm

Hey guys,
If you have the kindness to put your signature in the name of your OS / PC or APPLE / or other(s)..etc .. how did you know that you? Thank you for helping us.
(Now it does not mean we know ...) ;)
"Saying it is good, but doing it is better! "
Win10-1809 | Resolve Studio V16.1 | Fusion Studio V16.1 | Decklink 4K Extreme 6G | RTX 2080Ti 431.86 NSD driver! |
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waltervolpatto

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Re: Conforming Despite Duplicate Filenames

PostFri Sep 16, 2016 5:56 pm

Jean Claude wrote:Hey guys,
If you have the kindness to put your signature in the name of your OS / PC or APPLE / or other(s)..etc .. how did you know that you? Thank you for helping us.
(Now it does not mean we know ...) ;)


that cannot always apply, i have 8 systems at works, 4 linux and 4 mac plus one at home, pc....

which one do i put?
W10-19043.1645- Supermicro MB C9X299-PGF - RAM 128GB CPU i9-10980XE 16c 4.3GHz (Oc) Water cooled
Decklink Studio 4K (12.3)
Resolve 18.5.1 / fusion studio 18
GPU 3090ti drivers 512.59 studio
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Jean Claude

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Re: Conforming Despite Duplicate Filenames

PostSat Sep 17, 2016 8:51 am

Obviously: it is special but few people have the same OS (s). Sorry for the inconvenience.
"Saying it is good, but doing it is better! "
Win10-1809 | Resolve Studio V16.1 | Fusion Studio V16.1 | Decklink 4K Extreme 6G | RTX 2080Ti 431.86 NSD driver! |
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Dinindu Jagoda

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Re: Conforming Despite Duplicate Filenames

PostSun Sep 18, 2016 9:02 pm

waltervolpatto wrote:
Jean Claude wrote:Hey guys,
If you have the kindness to put your signature in the name of your OS / PC or APPLE / or other(s)..etc .. how did you know that you? Thank you for helping us.
(Now it does not mean we know ...) ;)


that cannot always apply, i have 8 systems at works, 4 linux and 4 mac plus one at home, pc....

which one do i put?




Hahahaha....... Good one Walter...
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Marc Wielage

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Re: Conforming Despite Duplicate Filenames

PostMon Sep 19, 2016 3:23 am

Kyle Doyle wrote:When I import the XML, Resolve can't handle the duplicate filenames and therefore the media shows up as missing. Even if I import the media i need manually Resolve still won't connect. Any suggestions?

I would conform those four shots by hand, and be glad it was only four shots. The editor and post crew have to be extremely careful in terms of unique timecodes per clip and unique file names and reel names. If they don't do all that, the workflow can all go to hell very quickly.
marc wielage, csi • VP/color & workflow • chroma | hollywood
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robozb

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Re: Conforming Despite Duplicate Filenames

PostMon Dec 02, 2019 6:09 pm

I stuck in this problem also, I have lot of duplicated filenames linked to mediapool and after I changed the locations in filesystem I can't relink correctly with Resolve, nightmare :( I coldn't find any solution for this so far :(

viewtopic.php?f=21&t=103668
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robozb

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Re: Conforming Despite Duplicate Filenames

PostMon Dec 02, 2019 6:12 pm

If you could modify the project directly manually (with Java-JDBC-ProjectDB or exported/imprted with a Notepad) would be a good solution, or with any scripting solution.
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Marc Wielage

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Re: Conforming Despite Duplicate Filenames

PostTue Dec 03, 2019 3:19 am

MTS (MPEG Transport Stream) files are not great for post. A good way to deal with a non-timecode camera (say, a Sony A7S or DJI) project using MTS or H.264 files would be as follows:

1) organize all the files by shoot date and camera card number, so each file folder would be A1_03112019 [and so on]

2) add a unique prefix to the heads of every file to create easy-to-understand file names (like "A1_03112019_C0001," "A1_03112019_C0002," etc.)..

3) transcode all of these MTS/Long-GOP H.264/H.265 files to a high-quality codec like ProRes 422HQ or DNxHR, and keep the file names and folder structure exactly the same

4) archive the original files somewhere safe, just in case

5) do the entire edit with the transcoded files and consider them "the new masters"

6) now, when you do the conform in Resolve, every file will have a unique file name and even though the camera timecodes will still start at 00:00:00:00, there will be no conflicts because of the file names.

7) it helps greatly to have the editor create a reference file that has visible timecode and filenames for source files, as well as record timecode for the project itself.

Variable speed changes are a problem for all edit systems and cameras, because there is no simple provision for variable framerates in XML (plus different playback methods like frame-blending or optical flow produce different results). One way around this would be to just export the variable frame-rate clips and consider them a self-contained VFX shot. The alternative (which I have done) is just to manually varispeed the clip within Resolve and eyematch it to the reference video created by the editor.

This is a proven workflow that can work. I'm not a fan at all of productions using cheap cameras that have no internal jam-sync timecode, because inevitably there's also other problems like exposure issues, sound problems, and other things that basically come with the territory. But I get that not everybody can use an Alexa or a Red camera, and sometimes you have to deal with what's there.

There is more to it, but I would point to the following books as fairly thorough references on the subject:

"Modern Post: Workflow & Techniques for Digital Filmmakers"
by Scott Arundale
https://www.amazon.com/Modern-Post-Work ... 0415747023

"The Guide to Managing Postproduction for Film, TV, and Digital Distribution"
by Susan Spohr & Barbara Clark
https://www.amazon.com/Guide-Managing-P ... 1138482811
marc wielage, csi • VP/color & workflow • chroma | hollywood
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robozb

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Re: Conforming Despite Duplicate Filenames

PostTue Dec 03, 2019 11:53 am

Marc Wielage wrote:
Kyle Doyle wrote:When I import the XML, Resolve can't handle the duplicate filenames and therefore the media shows up as missing. Even if I import the media i need manually Resolve still won't connect. Any suggestions?

I would conform those four shots by hand, and be glad it was only four shots. The editor and post crew have to be extremely careful in terms of unique timecodes per clip and unique file names and reel names. If they don't do all that, the workflow can all go to hell very quickly.


Yes, I agree with you, but this a huge lack from the developing side
missing the batch modification of clips source path by programmatically!
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robozb

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Re: Conforming Despite Duplicate Filenames

PostTue Dec 03, 2019 11:56 am

Marc Wielage wrote:MTS (MPEG Transport Stream) files are not great for post. A good way to deal with a non-timecode camera (say, a Sony A7S or DJI) project using MTS or H.264 files would be as follows:

1) organize all the files by shoot date and camera card number, so each file folder would be A1_03112019 [and so on]

2) add a unique prefix to the heads of every file to create easy-to-understand file names (like "A1_03112019_C0001," "A1_03112019_C0002," etc.)..

3) transcode all of these MTS/Long-GOP H.264/H.265 files to a high-quality codec like ProRes 422HQ or DNxHR, and keep the file names and folder structure exactly the same

4) archive the original files somewhere safe, just in case

5) do the entire edit with the transcoded files and consider them "the new masters"

6) now, when you do the conform in Resolve, every file will have a unique file name and even though the camera timecodes will still start at 00:00:00:00, there will be no conflicts because of the file names.

7) it helps greatly to have the editor create a reference file that has visible timecode and filenames for source files, as well as record timecode for the project itself.

Variable speed changes are a problem for all edit systems and cameras, because there is no simple provision for variable framerates in XML (plus different playback methods like frame-blending or optical flow produce different results). One way around this would be to just export the variable frame-rate clips and consider them a self-contained VFX shot. The alternative (which I have done) is just to manually varispeed the clip within Resolve and eyematch it to the reference video created by the editor.

This is a proven workflow that can work. I'm not a fan at all of productions using cheap cameras that have no internal jam-sync timecode, because inevitably there's also other problems like exposure issues, sound problems, and other things that basically come with the territory. But I get that not everybody can use an Alexa or a Red camera, and sometimes you have to deal with what's there.

There is more to it, but I would point to the following books as fairly thorough references on the subject:

"Modern Post: Workflow & Techniques for Digital Filmmakers"
by Scott Arundale
https://www.amazon.com/Modern-Post-Work ... 0415747023

"The Guide to Managing Postproduction for Film, TV, and Digital Distribution"
by Susan Spohr & Barbara Clark
https://www.amazon.com/Guide-Managing-P ... 1138482811


Thank you Marc!
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robozb

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Re: Conforming Despite Duplicate Filenames

PostTue Dec 03, 2019 4:37 pm


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