Preparing to edit

Importing clips

To import clips, you click file - Import - and you have several different options to select when importing clips. This includes 'Files, Folder, Batch List, Cinema Tools Telecine Log, EDL and XML.
If you look further down the list you will see the two options 'Log and Capture' and 'Log and Transfer'.
These are the options you use if you want to import media directly from a camera or an SD card for example. You select Log and Transfer to transfer footage from an SD card onto the editing software, and if you select Log and Capture you can capture the footage through the actual camera you filmed it on. To do this, you select the start point on the camera, and it captures the clips onto the software through this.

This is one of the ways to import onto to Final Cut Pro

Log and Capture

Log and Transfer

Bins

Timelines

When you have transferred or captured your you can keep seperate storage units to separate your footage, to make it easier to find certain sections when coming to do the edit. These are known as bins.

They could be used to store all of your interview footage, so you know where to find it, or you could even save the best takes of different scenes into separate bins, so you know where to find certain sections of the film you are creating, and you know where to find the best quality clips. This will speed the overall edit process up.

The 'Sequences' Highlight the different bins

Timelines

In the timeline the most work is done, because you have to drag your content to the timeline to edit it, if you want to cut a clip in half for example, you have to drag all of the content such as video, images and audio onto the timeline to do this.The timeline is used to see how long your clips are, to layout the way in which you want your film to be, and to generally edit and sort out the production that you are making.

This is the basic view of the timeline on Final Cut Pro

Storage and folder management

When you first open the editing software that you are using to edit your production, before you start to transfer all of the clips over, you should ensure to set up your storage and manage your folders.
This is because, if you don't do this, you could spend forever trying to locate your files, and this is added time that you don't need when you are under the pressure of deadlines.

This is an example of storage management on final cut pro

Following this, you also have to set up your scratch discs. Again, this locates where you want your files to be saved, so if it is a new project, once you have created your folder to save everything in, you won't get confused afterwards, and not end up losing where you have saved your footage to.
You should check your scratch discs every time you load up your editing software, to ensure they are still set to the same location you set them to originally.

This is an example of scratch disc set up on final cut pro

Online and offline editing

An offline edit is the rough cut that you produce before starting the master edits, which is also known as the online edit. People can work on the offline edit, and have no part in the titles or credit of the film, as this would all be included in the master editing process.

This is an example of offline editing 

Resolution

The resolution is developed depending on your frame size, and the compressor that you are using. The higher resolution you have, the higher the file size will be, and visa versa.

This is the resolution I used in Final Cut Pro

Software demonstrations

Here is a screenshot of me using final cut to edit my documentary

Basic steps - file naming and saving protocols