Avoid Video Timecode Breaks and Headaches

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Timecode breaks are by far the most common issue associated with capturing footage from a DV Camcorder. The main reason you will get a timecode break is because you were watching playback in between takes. If you do not stop the tape while there is still timecode, the time will reset and you will get a timecode break.

When Final Cut Pro finds a timecode break it will either abort the capture completely or attempt to locate the exact point of the break. In my experience, a timecode break almost always means I need to abort the capture. Unfortunately, this is a problem that is best solved when you are shooting and not when you are editing.

How to Avoid Timecode Breaks While Shooting

To avoid timecode breaks when you are filming, always leave a nice pad at the beginning and the end of a take, I would recommend about 5 seconds. This way when you watch footage while you are shooting, there will always be extra room before and after each clip. This padding is also useful when you are editing as you will often need a little extra time on a clip for transitions and other effects.

Another option that some camcorders have is the End Search feature. This allows you to tell the camera to find the end of the timecode. For example, you would shoot a take, watch the playback and then use the end search feature to make sure that you are at the end of the timecode before you start to record the next take. This is a very useful feature and I highly recommend using it if it is available.

How to Deal with Timecode Breaks While Capturing

If you do have timecode breaks in your footage, you will have to do a separate log and capture for each section of footage between timecode breaks. The reason for this is that Final Cut Pro bases the footage it captures on the timecode and when you have a timecode break, that number is reset. This means that you can have two clips on two parts of your tape with the same timecode because of a break.

So what you have to do is log and capture the clips from the first part of the tape. Then fast forward past the timecode break and repeat the process, keep doing this for however many breaks you have in your footage. After this happens a few times you will be a firm advocate of not breaking timecode while shooting. Let me know if you have any tips for avoiding timecode breaks in the comments.