Feature Request: independent Video Player for Film Composers

For example, you are working on different cues in a film and do not want to constantly load the film into the individual sessions. So we (film composers) work with external video players so that the film doesn’t always have to be reloaded or exchanged if there are cut changes in the project.
It would therefore be great if there were a higher-level video player, for example, which would be above the project and would always be in sync with the project in midi time code. This is possible with the DAW Digital Performer.
That would certainly not only be an absolutely fantastic feature for me, but for the entire film composer industry.

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Hi,

I got nothing to do with your FR but I just got curious about what you mean by “independent player”.

a) a video playback software that runs on the same computer as the DAW
b) a video playback software that runs on a different computer than the DAW
c) a piece of hardware
?

Cubase is a DAW, not a video playback system.
You can sync any third party video player with Cubase using SMPTE, if the player is capable of reading timecode.
Just use the plugin on an output bus, sending timecode to the player.

excatly a)
I mean by “independent” that you can run the video with one computer and the same DAW and not to have the workaround with 2 computers or snyc with another video player.
And not togehter with the project, so if you working on different cues, the video is still loaded.

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I agree . We need to have the video in one place with the rendering so we can use the same film in all the different cues without importing all the movie again with the audio included
Also we need that the final cue can be export in a video format that is smaller . we don’t need a high quality always , I know you can export and use another program to get a smaller file . and I don’t want to use smite or another program to run the movie. I want to work inside Cubase. We don’t edit the movie we compose the music so don’t say that Cubase is not a film editor
Thanks
Thanks

But that wasn’t the request…

That’s the complete opposite of the request.

Ok I misinterpret that, sorry. I don’t care how you can solve that problem , with an external movie player running inside the same computer or in the CUBASE track. But it is a problem to render each time the film so I can compose a different cue

You need to explain that…
An independent player, that is not synced to Cubase? How would you be sure your edits are on the right spot?

What do you mean by “render each time the film”?

I would think that for each film you’re working on you’d have a standard template and you’d start with that, load the video, do a save-as, and then do a new save-as from that project with video for each cue.

Or just import the video track into subsequent cue-projects.

I understand the technical description you guys made, I’m just not really sure how you’re saving that much time doing it that other way.

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Maybe that can be done but when they make a little change in the film you have to import again and create a heave audio file that comes with the film. No big deal . I can try the template with the initial cut of the film and then save a new title or do a backup project when you want to save everything in a new folder

I think the answer to this is not an independent video player, but rather implementing the “chunks” functionality from Digital Performer. Right? Basically, having multiple projects contained within one larger project, which is where the video lives.

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Fair point.

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Hmm, nope, at least i don’t know any film composer who works like that. “We” load the movie into the project and start working on it bit by bit - why do you need an external player exactly ? It’s safe in sync when running in your DAW, and you can easily display it through video cards on dedicated screens.
Also i don’t understand the different cues/different projects thing - do you work on each cue in a separate project ? (why that ?) Just like Mattias suggested - just save each cue (from the main project) as single (new) version, thus you don’t have to import anything again.

That problem itself should not occur ideally - if you make sure to communicate with them that the movie you get is picture locked and definitely final, because you can easily make all the work twice other ways (it’s surprising how directors and editors often don’t have a clue, that cut-changes cause nightmares for the composer).

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I used to look for an external video play for Cubase. But after awhile, I realized that if you load the video inside Cubase itself, it not only syncs well, but it also automatically tells you the FPS of the video, and that you need to set your project setup to the same FPS.

On an external video player, you’ll have the manually find the FPS of the video you’re working with.

Very common to use one project per one or a few cues, and there are really good reasons for it.

I think we’re long past the time when that was a thing. Certainly if the budget is low and there aren’t deadlines I think it could be successfully communicated and accepted and then executed properly, but I’m betting most cases these days involve changes. And composers starting their work ‘early’.

That should be no problem, since every file contains a header where all the info is stored.
But I agree that it is better to work inside Cubase/Nuendo to have everything in sync.