Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
chapter 4
Organizing and Preparing Me-
dia
You've imported the
media into Final Cut Pro, and you're no doubt eager to start editing, but before you begin
piecing together footage, you need to become familiar with the different shots that you have to work with. This
task is usually accomplished during the logging process of the workflow, when an editor or an assistant views the
material and logs its content for easier retrieval later in the edit. A film project has large amounts of media associ-
ated with it, and keeping track of all the different files can be a demanding task. Organizing your media upfront
will be a great aid later when you're searching for a specific shot, but you can't quite remember what it was
called. Final Cut Pro provides a comprehensive set of tools to help in this regard, and this chapter explores all the
different methods that are available to you.
Viewing Media in the Event Browser
Selecting an Event or Collection in the Event Library displays its contents in the Event Browser. This is where
you review and evaluate your media as you prepare for the edit. Selecting an Event displays all the media associ-
ated with that Event, including the files from all the different Collections that the Event might contain. Selecting
a Collection displays only the media associated with that Collection.
Taking the time to create Keyword or Smart Collections before you begin to cut really boosts your productivity
during an edit. As you've seen, Final Cut Pro does some of the work for you by creating Collections based on the
analysis settings in the Import Preferences. Collections allow you to easily find the clips that you require without
having to wade through countless irrelevant files. If you're working on the Bump in the Night sequence for in-
stance, selecting the Bump in the Night Collection displays only the clips required for that sequence and excludes
everything else. Multiple Collections are viewed by Shift-clicking or -clicking them in the Event Library; this
provides a very effective way to work with and access your material.
Working in Filmstrip View
The media in the Event Browser can be displayed in one of two ways: as filmstrip thumbnails or as a list. These
views are selected by clicking one of the two view buttons beneath the Event Library. In Filmstrip View, each file
in the Event Browser is represented by a filmstrip thumbnail. This view should be familiar to anyone who has
used iMovie.
