About timecode

Timecode is a system for labelling and tracking individual frames or moments in a video sequence.

Timecode is expressed in hours, minutes, seconds, and frames and is used to precisely locate and synchronize different elements within a video project.

Timecode is typically captured during the recording phase of a video production and is embedded in the video or audio files.

Importance of timecode

Timecode is important whenever you want to capture the same frames that were identified or captured previously, as in the following tasks:

• You want to log clips before you capture them.
• You plan to capture clips using batch (automated) capture.
• You want to recapture clips because the original files were corrupted or deleted.
• You plan to export sequences to another system.
• You’re using a system in which you edit quickly with low-resolution captures and later recapture the clips at full resolution and quality for the final version.
• You plan to synchronize captured video with audio recorded separately.

For best results, timecode should run continuously from the beginning to the end of the recording — it shouldn’t restart from zero anywhere in the middle. In editing, if you log a capture in a point such as 00:00:01:09, but that number occurs on the tape two or three times because of timecode restarts, Premiere Pro cannot be sure which 00:00:01:09 is the place to start its capture. This means it can capture the wrong clips from tapes with discontinuous timecode.

Tips to shoot with unbroken timecode

To ensure unbroken timecode:

• Use professional cameras and audio recorders that have built-in timecode generators.
• Monitor the timecode on your cameras and audio recorders. Check that it’s running continuously without any timecode breaks.
• Record at least five seconds of extra video past the end of the action in any shot. If you review a clip in the camera, rewind the tape into that five-second margin before recording again. Your camcorder reads the timecode from the frame on which you stop and begins recording timecode with the next frame number when you start your next shot. However, if you leave a gap between the last frame of the previous shot and the first frame of the next, the camcorder begins writing timecode at 00:00:00:00 again.