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Time requirements & Marker limitations, any ideas?
As you know, episodic television has to be the same length every time. (26:46 in one of my cases.) Naturally, I would just enter the time, throw up a marker, and start filling in content (if I wasn’t already working off a template). In FCX, you can only place markers on to clips, but not into the empty timeline as guideposts, right? Any ideas for a workaround?
(Talk about losing a favorite feature. It may not sound like much, but often I do like to mark a target before clips are occupying the space. The magnetic timeline is okay, I guess, if you don’t have precise time requirements… otherwise… This was unveiled at NAB?? So confused.)
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6 Replies
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Why not place a color solid at the 26:46 point (to get there, you will have to create a 26:45 piece of slug: insert slug; Control-D [duration] to set the slug duration, then insert the color solid or “whatever”).
Unfortunately, you cannot place the slug above the Primary Storyline, so when you edit, you can do all your editing as a Secondary Storyline. Also, it’s unfortunate that you cannot just place the color solid (shot) at the 26:46 position, without having slug before it on the timeline.
The other option is to just watch the time indicator on the Project Timeline–it’s in a very prominent place.
Other ideas, anyone?
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You could also place a 1 sec color solid at the start, add a 26:46 slug to the start of the 1 sec color solid as connected clip. Turn this slug into a secondary storyline and after that you add another 1 sec color slug to the end of that secondary storyline. You can now start editing your clips as a primary storyline starting from 1 sec (the end of the first color solid) to 27:46 (the end of the last color solid). When ready just delete the first color solid and the connected secondary storyline is deleted with it. The primary storyline will ripple back to the start of the timeline.
Kind regards,
Robbert-Jan van der Does
lighting cameraman/steadicam operator/editorWISIWYG (What I See Is What You Get)
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Here’s a creative solution I bet you’ll like. I think it’s cleaner than having a clip floating beneath your timeline during your entire edit, and I honestly don’t know if it will cause you any problems later.
Put 26:46 of something/anything in your timeline. Select it all and OPT-G to create a compound clip.
Now open the compound clip and edit your entire show in the compound clip. You’ll notice when you’re in the compound clip, the time beyond the duration of the clip is marked with hash lines, so you are functionally locked into the edit being a specific duration. You will be able to edit clips beyond the 26:46, but the part that extends the 26:46 will be covered with a hash field.
Anyone know if there are any limitations on compound clips? Can they have as many elements as a project?
I’d be afraid that you might do something to the database by editing this way. If I did this, I would make backup copies of my project every ten minutes or so to make sure you don’t lose all your work.
Personally, I think you should just learn to do the math, and watch for the timecode. Jumping to the end of the timeline, er, project by hitting the “end” key will take you to the end. (fn-right arrow on my MBP) or hit CNTL-P and type in your 26:46:00 to go to the point your show should end.
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I’m calling it FCX. They took the “pro” out, so I will too.
I’ll reconsider after the first upgrade.Mark Morache
Avid/Xpri/FCP7/FCX
Evening Magazine,Seattle, WA
blogging at https://fcpx.wordpress.com -
Well I do edit a weekly show and I have just finished my first one on X.
This is what I did ….
I put all my regular stuff like the opener; promo-type motion titles at regular intervals on the primary storyline; and then the closing piece, keeping the whole thing to the correct length.
Next I made this into a nest (or compound clip or whatever you want to call it)
Next I promoted this off the primary storyline.
This is now the master template which I will duplicate each week. Once the template is correct I won’t edit in that master project, but will duplicate it.
This method works because you can align up to to end of the compound clip that “floats” above the primary storyline. You can turn it off if you don’t want to see it while you are editing, by pressing “V”However, there is a drawback!
You must place any new titles above the compound clip, not above your program that you are editing on the primary storyline. Annoying but true. If you don’t, you will find that you can’t edit the text!
Cheers
Wayne
New Zealand -
What if you put this compound clip BELOW your timeline? Then you could place some gap in your timeline if there’s anything on the lower track that you want to show through?
You could put bars and tone at the top, or a slate, then your compound sequence.
I don’t think I’d like the mess of having a reference track in my timeline, but maybe not.
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I’m calling it FCX. They took the “pro” out, so I will too.
I’ll reconsider after the first upgrade.Mark Morache
Avid/Xpri/FCP7/FCX
Evening Magazine,Seattle, WA
blogging at https://fcpx.wordpress.com -
“Unfortunately, you cannot place the slug above the Primary Storyline”
Why can’t you? You can move the playhead to the correct time and then connect it to the primary, which will fill with a gap clip. Of course you’ll then have to edit using overwrite to the gap clip. If you ever use an insert edit the gap clip will move and the slug will move with it.
None really work well, because the point of the marker is that it is detached from the storyline and floating, which unfortunately cannot be done in FCP.
All the best,
Tom
Class on Demand DVDs “Complete Training for FCP7,” “Basic Training for FCS” and “Final Cut Express Made Easy”
Coming in 2011 “Complete Training for FCPX”
and “Final Cut Pro X for iMovie and Final Cut Express Users” from Focal Press
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