File Names and Presorting

Can be same-as-source, or named for scene, take and camera ID, or any combination of those. TapeID will retain the source file name for the EDL regardless, so you can rest assured that your naming convention will not interrupt the re-linking of files in post when using the EDL.

Some examples of naming we commonly see are;
Scene_Take(camID): 34D_01(a)
Scene_TakeCamID: 34D_01a
Scene_clip-take: 34D_2-01
Source name: A001C001

You are not limited to these and changes can be made easily (moving forward) at any time without cost, though please note that retroactive changes require re-processing and may result in fees.

ProRes files can be further sorted into folders based on their scene, allowing a drag-and-drop into your project file.

ALE files

Constellation does not make a new project file each day but it does include a valuable ALE file for each camera that carries additional metadata, like notes, scene and take etc. We strongly recommend that you import the ALE to get the most out of the Constellation system.

Comments Column

Notes found in the clip report from Constellation, together with notes from the audio mixer, are loaded into the comments column, things like;
‘Boom Mic @ ##:##:##;##’ or 'False Start' or 'Burnt Clip' and so on.
The notes are color coded (see clip report below)
Yellow: General note
Blue: Audio mixer note
Red: Alert note

What Constellation can detect

Currently Constellation is accurate in detecting the follow conditions, these are the most common ones, though this list may be subject to change, addition or removal:
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Burnt Clip: very short clip without subject ( '_burnt' added to take)
False Start: Short or incomplete clip ( '_false' added to take)
MOS: No sound expected ( '_mos' added to take)
Tails: slate at the end of the clip
Series: Slate notes a series ( '_ser' added to the take)
No TC in camera: Camera has no timecode matching audio or ToD
Camera missed slate: Slate has closed before clip starts
Audio cuts before tails: Audio stops prematurely
Slate closes before audio: Audio starts after the slate
Low confidence sync: missign slate and unable to find a reliable sync point.
Slate says XXX, but clip is XXX: Slate is incorrect
Boom mic @ [Timecode]: Boom mic has entered framing window
No matching audio file: Slate closes but there is no audio file found.
Framing Chart: framing chart noted
Color Chart Detected: Color chart found in the frame
Lens obscured: Any debris or occlusion not in/ on the lens
Hair in gate: Any debris or occlusion in/ onthe lens
Frame Rate: when the frame rate is different. Note that no audio will be matched to off-speed clips.
B-Roll: An in-focus clip not of subject ('BRoll' added to scene)
Unknown: no slate, nothing to allow identification of clip ('Unknown' added to scene)

Constellation can report one or more of these conditions per clip, so you might find conditions stacked in the clip report and Comments column, here is a sample clip report (note the color coding of errors):

Custom Metadata Columns

Constellation is able add additonal columns for you too.
By default Constellation adds these custom columns;
Constellation: The unit's ID name,
Title: Title of the show
Show Code: The short 3-5 digit unique code

Please reach out before start of principle photography, and every effort will be made to meet your requirements.
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Audio Channels

All audio tracks in the BWAV file are loaded and sync’d. The track and channel names are preserved. Constellation matches the number of audio channels, so you never receive empty audio channels.

Deliverable Package

After each shooting day has been processed you will receive a package made especially for Media Composer. It contains the MXF files, a PMR file, MDB, a BIN and an ALE file together with the original sound, should you need to reference it. This example shows one editors preference for naming (scene_takeCamID.mxf) - yours can be different. The content of the deliverable will arrive like this (note the shots are sorted based on scene)....

Please Note

At this time multi-cam grouping and premiere pro project creation are not possible. We do plan to support these functions in future updates.