what is “UGC” footage you ask? why that’s a fancy way of saying “i waved my phone around while recording” (user generated content) i mean, who really needs timecode anyways? Been getting more and more of these gigs…
anyways, stumbled across this dreaded error. Its mixed frame rates, sizes, codecs, etc. How do you guys like to solve this one?
i had to open via old school “Load and Edit New EDL” NOT the “Load and New FCP/XML/AAF…” option. Once you are inside that UI you can select the broken EDL. It will still give you the same “bad timecode” error BUT in this menu it will also tell you THE EVENT NUMBER of the zero frame edit, or whatever the issue is. (the conform tab doesn’t surface this info for some reason, just the error) so instead of having to read thru lines and line of numbers and letters, just delete that event in your fave text editor, save as a new EDL and voila! Flame 2020. mileage may vary, blah blah blah.
This happens to me on a weekly basis. I generally don’t delete the event but I’ll modify the timecode in text edit. If there’s a frame 29 listed I make it 23. Not 100% accurate but that way the event is still in place and then I can slip the shot if needed once conformed.
Yep. That’s my jam as well. Every time it happens though I can’t help but wonder why, after 30 odd years of edls that we can’t fix the format to cope with the most basic of issues regarding multiple frame rates…
EDL’s are dead to me. I use AAF and XML. As a fall back, if I suspect a job may have a lot of off-project timecode, I ask for a burn in on my reference. It takes more time fretting and chasing down the issue than it does just finding the shot and eyeballing it in if 99% of ones work is spots.
And if I’m doing anything with stock footage I just assume the timecode is for shit.