Project: Blender Extensions
Tracker: Py Scripts Upload
Blender: 2.54
Category: Sequencer
Python: 3.1
Script name: Footage Hipostasiator
Wiki page: http://wiki.blender.org/index.php/Extensions:2.5/Py/Scripts/Sequencer/Footage_hipostasiator
Author(s): Carlos Padial
Status: Closed

Installation

* Drop sequencer_footage_hipostasiator.py into the 2.52/scripts/addons folder
* Enable the Add-On from the Add-Ons tab in the User Preferences window, Sequencer section.

IMPORTANT

This Addon create a scene structure and manages a list of clips organized
into folders with a concrete structure, based on cinema production schemes were:

sequence: any time or action/location change in the narration.
(also called sometimes scenes... dont get confused!)
take: when camera position change.
shot: each one you repeat from a take.

For now it works with jpeg sequences for each clip and avi proxies.

The footage MUST be arranged as follow:

FOOTAGE (folder) <---- this will be the output render path to start the process.
|>seq01 (folder)
| |
| |> take01 (folder)
| | |
| |> shot01
| |
|> shot02(folder) <-can contain more than one clips folders inside
| | (each in diferent folder)
| |> clipname1 (a folder named as the original it contains)
| | |
| | |> clipname1-jpg (folder)
| | | |
| | | |> jpeg sequence files named original%d.jpg
| | |
| | |> clipname1-original (folder)
| | | |
| | | |> the original footage clip (original name)
| | |
| | |> clipname1-proxy (folder)
| | |
| | |> proxy video file named original-proxy
| |
| |> clipname2
| |
| |> shot03
| |
| |> take02
| |
| |> shot01
| | ...
| |> shot_n
|
|>seq02
| ...
|>seq_n

The structure folder for secuences, takes and shots
must be created before to use the script.*

INSTRUCTIONS

The addon is divided into 3 diferent operators. (soon i hope the second button
will not be necessary). Still there due to some problems coding the creation of scenes.

First in the panel you'll find a path selector, synched with the render output
(TODO: change this...)
It works with relative paths, but before to import footage you must save the
.blend file or nothing will happend)

The first operator: CREATE SCENE STRUCT

After path is set and file saved, if you press "Create Scene Struct" ,
the script creates a scene for each clip you have in your folder struct.

It also creates a new empty scene for each sequence in you folder structure.
(In a movie edit process you usually edit each sequence and then merge it in a
Master Timeline)

After every operation you must refresh the sequencer. Can't manage this now...

Then, you'll see a scene named seq/take/shot for each clip you have.

If you go to one of this scenes, you'll find it empty. (TODO: automate this)

The second operator: LOAD FOOTAGE
But if there you click the "Load Footage" button an image strip is added to the
timeline and the start and end point is set to fit clip lenght.

For now you must do it in each scene, but now you are in a conservative workflow
that allows you to grade or transform each clip one time and refresh changes in
all instances of that clip.**

The third operator: LOAD ALL CLIPS

If you go to the sequence scene (the empty created for each one in your folder setup)
and click the "Load All Clips" button, all scenes relateds to the first one are loaded
as strips in the timeline. (TODO: consider IN and OUT markers in each scene)

* Here is an script to help automate the sequence and proxy creation with ffmpeg
and create folders for proxies and sequences...
http://www.surreal.asturnazari.es/node/133

** See Jump to Cut explanation about editing with this structure in:
http://wiki.blender.org/index.php/Extensions:2.5/Py/Scripts/Sequencer/Jump_to_cut