The first few blog posts here on Media Flow have been rather technical in nature. I am not much of a gear-head, but I find that most often it is the technical details that get in the way of having a great experience shooting and producing personal videos. My hope is if I create a foundation by first discussing technical topics I can then move on to what I consider the fun stuff… insights on narrative and aesthetic techniques for compelling storytelling. I think most folks would much rather learn about how to compose a good shot, or sequence a scene or edit a montage than listen to me drone on about how to load a tape.
With that in mind I present the next episode of Media Notes… Timecode.
I know. As far as topics go this one is nay too sexy. But I believe you will spend more time wrestling with timecode issues as you produce your personal movies than you will with any other technical problem. At some time most of you will have challenges that range from duplicate code on your tape; to code that shifts up and down from poor shooting procedures; to problems getting your computer to track and digitize your footage. There is no reason for this wasted time and countless frustrating minutes. A little “timecode hygiene” will keep you concentrating on the fun stuff… the creative stuff.
Timecode is an exceptionally useful and important number. Timecode creates the “where” information on a tape. Each frame has a unique number (unique if you set things up correctly) and that number becomes an address for finding your content. I sometimes think of timecode as a mile marker on the freeway. If I tell you to meet me at milepost 165 southbound Interstate 35 in Iowa, we could both find it. I have nary a clue what is there, but this is a unique address and I can find that point, and you can too.
No matter if you are using tape or file-based media, timecode will be a part of your production process. It certainly will help if you spend a few moments becoming familiar with the how and why of using timecode. Grounding yourself with a few fundamentals is always a good idea.
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