Alfeo Dixon

I have been dealing with this delima for a while. Along with trying to get the footage. I would transfer your footage as 10bit uncompressed 1080 24p (this part will take a very long time... but you will thank yourself later for it) and make that a master file as a backup to your source media. Codecs, good luck, I recently decided that Apples ProRes 422 codec is the better option for me for the reel and H.264 for the web version. There's a great little tool with FCP Suite called Compressor. Once you get every thing you want in one location (or scattered about) you can run a batch on the whole lot and produce many different versions of your footage, i.e. reel in SD or HD, web, handheld. I would only do all the different versions if your going to have individual clips used. The best thing is to still uncompressed master file, downrez to something a bit easier to handle, maybe your web scaled version, you can always have those as individual clips on a website. Cut with that size 'offline' so you cut faster without a maxed out quad G5 tower. Then conform your uncompressed files using the EDL for and 'online.' Now that you cut your project uncompressed, if needed, take that file to a post house and have them color correct your cut reel. Congrads, your almost there... back into compressor and batch out any format you may need. Also, don't waste your time getting a 500GB drive, you'll fill it up in a very quick time. Opt out for at least a 1TB drive hopefully with a eSata port for the future. Seriously, the cost between 500GB and even 2TB is not too significant, the first $100 is for the hardware and not the drive. BTW, the money you'll save doing it yourself once you get the uncompressed files done, will more than pay for the extra TB. -Alfeo

David, Midwest would actually be the Central Region. Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas and Wisconsin. If you live in the Central Region you are a local within you city of 'Residence,' and you get to choose NY or LA as your production city, which you can also work as a local-hire. Stephen, You must join to work on a show under union contract, however you must be legally able to work in the US, to legally work in the US, you should hold a working visa more here: http://www.usimmigrationsupport.org/visa_h1b.html US territories, Canada & Mexico is the arm of the ICG. Only in Right-to-Work (RTW) states, can they flat out hire someone non-union to work on a union show. The signatory company must exhausts all union possibilities in a non RTW state before offering employment to non-union people.