AAF from cutter, all audio synced or just partially ?
 

In a professional environment, what can a sound/dialog editor expect from an AAF from a cutter : just the boom synced or also every lavalier.
One could argue : Field Recorder Work Flow will do it.
Or is it laziness ?

I'm asking this, because I got an AAF with sometimes all audio synced and sometimes just the camera mic. Basically, I have to do the Field Recorder Work Flow on every suspicious single audio file for a given scene.
(And sometimes I was given a mixdown of lav1 + lav 2.)

Re: AAF from cutter, all audio synced or just partially ?
 

When you say Cutter do you mean Picture Editor?
If so, it just depends on the Editor.
Some only use the Recordist's mix track, some will go into the iso tracks to improve the sound, some put all the recorded tracks into the edit and mute out the ones they're not using. There's no standard way.

As long as it all links back, I'm happy either way. ;)

Re: AAF from cutter, all audio synced or just partially ?
 

Thanks for your thoughts.
If the AAF is made of either method, just the mix track or everything synced, it is clear.
The problem in my case is, that there is no clear method. File names stripped of all meta data, so the only remaining chance is timecode for the Field Recorder Workflow, which spills a lot false matches.
It is all about clarity (like you said).

Has "cutter" a negative connotation ?
I met a woman from the big public Bavarian Radio/TV in Munich, who called her occupation "cutter".

Re: AAF from cutter, all audio synced or just partially ?
 

That just sounds like sloppy work either on behalf of the Editor or the DI people that make the proxy's for the edit on set.
It happens, even on expensive productions sadly.


I don't think Cutter is negative particularly, I've never heard an Editor called that before though. Maybe it's a German thing?

Picture Cutter is pretty old-school, makes me think about chopping up film stock, like a Neg cutter.

Re: AAF from cutter, all audio synced or just partially ?
 

Yeah, it's a German pseudo-anglicism

Not sure where and when it started but picture editors are often called "cutter" in common pro speak here even though no one calls them that in the English language world. They are also never credited as that in end rollers even in Germany. Equally sound editors are often called "toncutter" which translates to sound cutter. But luckily we are never credited as that :-D

There are a couple more funny German pseudo-anglicisms only used here that confuse native English speakers.
Most infamously:

Handy = mobile phone

;)

Re: AAF from cutter, all audio synced or just partially ?
 

had a look at the wikipedia link Frank, and really, Danish seems to have the better ones.

How cool is this one:
"monkeyclass – economy class"

Ha!:D

Re: AAF from cutter, all audio synced or just partially ?
 

Haha! Nice one.
Yes there are quite a few funny ones on that page. People in the US are regularly confused when a German talks about the noise level of a "beamer". "Which BMW model are you talking about?"
:D

Re: AAF from cutter, all audio synced or just partially ?
 

But back to your question Joachim: I've never received an AAF with all split tracks already cut (!!!) into the timeline. No picture editor I've seen is willing to maintain a timeline with 50+ tracks. Usually it' the mix track. Camera mics only on documentaries but those are tricky because as you say there's no info they share with the sound recorder other than TC. Using camera mics is asking for trouble and a pain for sound post.

F.

Re: AAF from cutter, all audio synced or just partially ?
 

Thanks for the insight Frank, you learn something new every day!


I like 'Tonmeister' myself, I worked with a German Director who called me that. :-)


Weirdly I have recieved AAF's with all the iso tracks in from Editors, but whether that's as a result of a re-conform or it's actually like that in their timeline, I don't know.
I find that Documentaries often pose the most problems in sound workflow too.

Re: AAF from cutter, all audio synced or just partially ?
 

Ah, good to know.
It is a documentary with no mix track (HFF Munich, final assignment).
In my case, there is no consistency, sometimes a mixdown (!) of two lavs(, with wind noise in lav1, when lav1 is not speaking, but lav2.)
Sometimes correctly all audios, sometimes camera sound only. And when importing the ISO via Field Recorder Workflows, I have to manually sync them to the camera, with up to 1 sec misaligned sync. (Maybe a Lockit-problem.)

The field recorder folder is partially stripped of all data like file comments and track names (Lav1, Lav2, Boom). It's now A3, A4, ... .
No original file names, mostly monsters like "11.09ParisSYNCED_EIFELTURM.sub.40-08.A3" or "20140808_08 Bild und Ton correct.sub.78-35.A2", when the field recorder names are like "PARIS10". What is the necessity for the picture editor to do this ?