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Changing clip metadata after editing
This is an issue I’ve come across a few times as an assistant editor.
The situation is that footage is shot using a file based camera. Footage is then copied from the acquisition drive onto working and backup drives. Ideally, the assistant editor would have time to import the footage into FCP and log all the clips appropriately then the logged clips would be handed over to the editor for cutting.
However, I’m always met with editors and producers that want to start editing without waiting for the lengthy logging process. The hope is that they can start cutting while the clips are logged on a separate system and then somehow everything would come together on the editor’s system, integrating the logged metadata with the clips already used by the editor in his sequences.
I’ve tried to come up with solutions to this but everything I try ends up creating redundant master clips and a big mess. Does anyone have ideas on how to accomplish this? Is it possible?
Thanks,
Roman -
2 Replies
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I’ve come up with a solution that is pretty cumbersome but works, please let me know if anyone has a cleaner solution.
(1) First, I assume that the editor has been given a project that has all of the available clips in it, or that he has himself imported all of the clips into a project that he’s using. From now on it’s going to be very important that the project versions are kept track of very carefully; this whole thing hinges on the logging work being done on a copy of the project that already has the clips in it (the assistant can’t start his own project, it must be a copy). The assistant will log clips in a copy project, then dump the logged clips into the editor’s project, then make a new copy of the editor’s project when new clips are added, the assistant will log the new ones, dump the new logged clips into the editor’s project, and so on – keeping this organized will be a mini nightmare in itself.
(2) Open the editor’s project and use the save as command to make a new copy (this will enable the changes to ripple back into the editor’s project).
NOTE: the editor also can’t start new projects himself, he has to continue the lineage of the projects by using save as if he wants to archive a project.
(3) Now in the assistant’s version of the project log all of the clips as you normally would: rename the clips, add logging info, notes, etc.
(4) Once all of the clips have been logged, make a new sequence and cut all of the newly logged clips into the project (this is very important, every clip you changed has to exist in a sequence). If there are too many clips to cut into one sequence, make more than one, it doesn’t matter, just as long as each changed clip exists in a sequence. Name these sequences something like “xfer_seq_01_[date]” because you’re going to have to keep track of these.
(5) Now for the merging. Take the assistant’s project to the editor’s system and open both projects side by side. In the assistant’s project, highlight all of the “xfer” sequences and copy them, then paste them into the editor’s project. Immediately you’ll get the Copy Master Clip dialog box (if this doesn’t appear then something is wrong). In this dialog box you want to enable the radio button next to the option The clip you are adding and also check the box at the bottom that says Apply to all clips with clip property conflicts and select Copy Clip. This action should add the “xfer” sequences to the editor’s project and change all of the master clips in that project to match the logging changes.
(6) Now to check everything. Go through his project and check that things have properly changed. Both master clips in the browser and clips within existing sequences should have changed in the editor’s project. Obviously, the clips will not be organized into bins or anything, if you need to you’ll have to sort the newly renamed clips into appropriate bins at this point in the editor’s project. At this point you can delete the “xfer” sequences from the editor’s project as they are no longer needed.
(7) Moving forward. Lets say that since the last version of the assistant’s project that has been worked on, the editor has added new clips to his project that need to be logged. Make a new copy of the editor’s project using the save as command. Open the new project on the assistant’s system, put all of the unlogged clips into a separate bin (to keep them separated) and repeat the steps above.
WARNING: This process will have no affect on subclips that the editor has made, so ask him not to make subclips until the logging has been done. -
If you have proper tc and reel name info, maybe this will help you:
https://www.videotoolshed.com/product/41/fcpreconnect/3
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