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Alexa drop frames because of time code?


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I have been using both Denecke and Ambient boxes on the Alexa on the current and last two projects with no issues except when the camera dept went to high speed and back to 23.98. The steadicam we always jammed and there were no issues so both ways have worked for me. I do like just jamming the camera but I am often going with the requested workflow of post and the studio.

I know with some of my friends they like the additional rental of the sync boxes to the production. More ways to make a profit on the equipment. The production can rent the sync boxes from the camera house or the mixer.

Cheers,

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  • 1 month later...

I just did a shoot with the Alexa running at 23.976 and during the first part of the shoot, I ran the Nomad at 23.98. The editor claimed everything was off by 11 frames so I switched to 24fps on the Nomad. Was this a mistake on my part at first to run at 23.98? I haven't heard yet about how sync was at 24fps. Both machines were jammed externally and running on their own clocks.

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Did the editor tell you that was the issue? I always double check with camera team and DIT if I ever want to change the frame rate in recording (which is generally never).

btw wasn't the Alexa specifically designed to hold TC as the system is from ambient? the only issue i've ever had with one was on one production last year when they powered down the camera during lunch and took the batteries off the recharge and the clock reset.

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An 11-frame offset is weird. I'd like to know if it continuously drifted, or if it was a constant 11 frames. If it's the latter, then I'd suspect a bad jam at some point, and this does happen. If it's consistent, then any good assistant editor can fix this in seconds.

I have pointed out before to editors: "if the slate is correct and matches the sound timecode, then the timecode problem is not with the sound department." I'm not belligerent about it, but I've made them understand that many cameras are no longer reliable with timecode, and we can't always trust the camera department to use external boxes correctly, especially since it's out of our hands.

I've been working on an F3 project right now where we only have an SB-T box for one camera, and the B camera jams off the first camera. It drifts all day long, but stays in sync for each take. The editor shrugged and told me, "no big deal -- I'm just fixing it as we go along." I only found out about it the second week, or else I would've made them spend the money for a second box.

It's sad when you can't even trust Sony to get timecode right...

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I found out

An 11-frame offset is weird. I'd like to know if it continuously drifted, or if it was a constant 11 frames. If it's the latter, then I'd suspect a bad jam at some point, and this does happen. If it's consistent, then any good assistant editor can fix this in seconds.

I have pointed out before to editors: "if the slate is correct and matches the sound timecode, then the timecode problem is not with the sound department." I'm not belligerent about it, but I've made them understand that many cameras are no longer reliable with timecode, and we can't always trust the camera department to use external boxes correctly, especially since it's out of our hands.

I've been working on an F3 project right now where we only have an SB-T box for one camera, and the B camera jams off the first camera. It drifts all day long, but stays in sync for each take. The editor shrugged and told me, "no big deal -- I'm just fixing it as we go along." I only found out about it the second week, or else I would've made them spend the money for a second box.

It's sad when you can't even trust Sony to get timecode right...

I found out that it was consistent just today and was fixed easily, so I really went against my better judgement and what I should know is the right thing to do and made a really stupid rookie mistake but live and learn.

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Hey, if it's no longer happening... problem solved! One mistake that will never be made again.

It's for reasons like this that I always beg people to do a workflow test prior to the shoot if possible, so that Bad Things Can Be Avoided. Literally, it can be done in less than 10 minutes, so it's not a big deal. Last couple of projects I asked for one, though, they told me, "oh, the cameras haven't arrived yet, so we can't do a test." All we could do is just shoot the monitor and check to see that the camera TC matched the slate TC, which gives us hope that it will all match later on.

So far... it's worked.

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  • 2 weeks later...

5 months straight with 2 and 3 Alexa's working everyday. Jam in the morning and left the lockits in the camera ditty bags. Rejam the lockits at lunch and then rejam the cameras. If the camera requests a jam other than the two we give it, the 1ac looks after it. No complaints from post. Not even a peep. Also feeding a mono mix via a 411 to each camera. Solid system although I have noticed the cameras are producing rf over a broad spectrum.

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An 11-frame offset is weird. I'd like to know if it continuously drifted, or if it was a constant 11 frames. If it's the latter, then I'd suspect a bad jam at some point, and this does happen. If it's consistent, then any good assistant editor can fix this in seconds.

I have pointed out before to editors: "if the slate is correct and matches the sound timecode, then the timecode problem is not with the sound department." I'm not belligerent about it, but I've made them understand that many cameras are no longer reliable with timecode, and we can't always trust the camera department to use external boxes correctly, especially since it's out of our hands.

I've been working on an F3 project right now where we only have an SB-T box for one camera, and the B camera jams off the first camera. It drifts all day long, but stays in sync for each take. The editor shrugged and told me, "no big deal -- I'm just fixing it as we go along." I only found out about it the second week, or else I would've made them spend the money for a second box.

It's sad when you can't even trust Sony to get timecode right...

I'm starting to think that, in order to shave costs to the bone in order to increase margins, they figure that TCXO or licensing Ambient's clock or whatever is too much.

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For whatever reason, the low-cost (under-$20,000) Sony F3 and EX3/EX1 camcorders all are a little dodgy with timecode. Technically, they have it, but it's not nearly as good as the old timecode generators in the old, moldy analog Betacam days. Those were generally rock solid. A lot of stuff like this has gone by the wayside in recent years, as manufacturers try to cut corners wherever they can.

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