Getting your FCP suite set-up right is an important part of being a creative and efficient editor. It’s a good idea to get a system in place from the word go so when you get nice and busy, you can stay on top of the massive amounts of video, audio and graphical assets you will acquire.
I’ve been editing for about 7 years now. Starting on AVID Media Composer, I moved to Media 100 for a few years and am now editing mostly on FCP. My home suite is geared for FCP. I’ve worked for a range of post and production houses and have helped set-up a few systems along the way. So I thought I’d share a few tips about how I go about my job as an editor. There are a few things you can download too. Now, this isn’t the only way to go about setting a system but it seems to work for me.
Firstly, set-up a Directory on your local drive for your project files and a Directory on an external (or a different drive to the drive that contains your operating system and applications) for all your media files.
I’ve created these two templates for you to download.
Simply change the folder within the Current Folder (currently called ‘Template’) to your ‘Job Name.’ In the ‘Template’ folder I have set-up a number of sub-folders that help me keep my assets organised. Basically it allows me to keep all the files relevant to this particular job in an easily accessible place. This is also the Directory that you would want to back-up to another drive (or DVD, USB stick etc) in case of a drive failure.
Do the same in the Media Directory. Using FCP will also automatically create the Capture Scratch and Render File folders automatically. The Media Directory is basically for all other media assets that you do not digitise from a tape source.
Secondly, I like to have a dedicated FCP project for my audio assets. In this project I have sub-folders describing the types of assets. I have sub-folders for:
Production Music
Royalty Free Music
Bands
Composers
Sound Effects
You can download my FCP project template here. It doesn’t contain my music or sound assets though… just the structure.
Thirdly, I like to have a directory set-up on my media drive for generic media elements that I might use from time to time. These might include:
Royalty Free Movies and Images
Archived Footage
Graphics Beds
Backgrounds
You can either create another FCP project to house all these assets or simply import them into the current project you are working on as you need them. Having a directory like this encourages you to export or save individual assets that you come across in a job that you feel might be useful later on.
So that’s about it! Remember to back-up your work regularly and clean out all the files you no longer need. The idea behind having offline and online folders for your graphics helps make it easier for you to decide what to keep and what to chuck out.
But like I said, this method works for me and it does evolve over time as technology and methods change so don’t be afraid to modify it as to your needs!
Happy editing,
Nick Calpakdjian
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Nick is a Melbourne based editor that has worked for the major broadcast networks in Australia including, ABC, SBS, Ch10 and Foxtel. His credits include documentaries, drama/comedy, music video and magazine television shows. His most recent film was a 1-hour documentary on an East Timorese family, ‘Rosa’s Journey’ for SBS and Film Australia.
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