When the production day is over, your film goes to the lab and is developed. After development, the film and the sound rolls are sent to the telecine transfer facility for the film-to-tape transfer. They should generate a telecine log for you during the transfer.

* The telecine log must be one of the following formats:

1. Flex (<tapename>.FLX)
2. Keyscope (<tapename>.KSL)
3. Evertz KeyLog (<tapename>.FTL)
4. Avid Log Exchange (<tapename>.ALE)

* The telecine log should contain the following information:

1. Video Tape Timecode In
2. Video Tape Timecode Out (or duration)
3. The Film Key Code In
4. The Camera Roll number
5. The Sound Roll number
6. The Sound Timecode In
7. The Pullin Frame (most transfer facilities will give you the pullin on the "A" frame, and you should always INSIST ON IT)

* The telecine tape must be Non-Drop Frame timecode.

* WINDOW BURN-INs:

For all film to tape transfers, certain time and key code windows should be burned-into the picture. This enables you to complete the second stage of error correcting. It may seem like a lot of windows, but it is best to think of this as cheap insurance. Just tell your transfer facility to make the windows as small as possible without being illegible.

- Film Key Code numbers in the lower right hand of the picture
- Video Tape timecode in the lower left hand of the picture
- Sound Timecode in the upper right hand of the picture
It is recommended that the window burn-ins exist for the entire length of each shot.

IMPORTANT: Your film negative should be transferred at 24 fps!
By doing your telecine at 24 frames per second, you are assured of a frame accurate edit with no audio sync problems.

* VIDEO TAPE:

The film should be transferred to High Band U-matic or Betacam PAL video with continuous timecode. It is suggested that each day of rushes are transferred to a separate tape with matching timecode (i.e. Day 1 starts with timecode 01:00:00:00; Day 2 starts with timecode 02:00:00:00, etc.) and labeled accordingly.

NOTE: Labeling your telecine video tapes: Ask the telecine transfer facility to label your tapes as simply as possible, e.g. use three digit numbers starting with 001, then 002, 003... etc.

* HOLE PUNCH: Before the telecine process, your telecine transfer facility must hole punch the film at the head and tail of every camera roll or uncut piece of film, preferably at an exact Key Number. The Key Number of these frames must be carefully noted, and after telecine, the timecode of the punched hole and the corresponding Key Number will be entered into Slingshot for the film matchback. This allows Slingshot to calculate the Key Number for each frame in your movie.

At the start of every uncut piece of film, a double hole punch (or single hole punch for 16mm film) must be made on a frame where a Key Number is readable.

This Key Number must be carefully noted. A single hole punch can be made at the end of each uncut piece of film, and the corresponding Key Number can be noted as well. This is an additional safety check to make sure that there are no breaks in the film being transferred.

HOT TIP: Every Key Number has a dot on the film, either before or after the Key Number. This is the frame to which the Key Number refers. Also, watch out for lab joints and framing errors. If the roll of film has lab joints or framing errors, then you must hole punch each bit of film.

REMEMBER, EVERY UNCUT PIECE OF NEGATIVE MUST BE PUNCHED!

NOTE: If the hole punched frame does not fall on an exact Key Number, then you would note the Key Number and the number of frames offset from the Key Number (if the punch is 3 frames from the Key Number KQ 47 6532-4009, it would be expressed as KQ 47 6532-4009+03). Count the Key frame as the zero frame, and then count the number of frames offset from there.