Auditions and Compound Clips

[Bret Williams]

If you knew your final project was going to consist of a multitude of large pieces, you could create compounds and edit in those and then place them in the final project.

Just as easily though you could work in a project and convert it to a compound and do the same thing.

[Robin S. kurz]

Think “narrative” where you have endless takes of the same thing and you want to see all your options in context. Whether you do it in the Event or in the Project is irrelevant functionality-wise, only in the event it’s faster/easier. And you have it there for using it elsewhere also, which you wouldn’t if you made it in the timeline.

[James Ewart]

“Think “narrative” where you have endless takes of the same thing and you want to see all your options in context”

Thanks yes Robin I get that for Auditions but I think Multicam is a better option (for me) for this. In fact for any single camera drama piece I think I would now edit in Multicam mode. I do think Multicam is one of the great strengths of FCPX which one has to use to fully appreciate. It’s a treat in store for the uninitiated.

But Bret I still don’t really get making Compounds in the Browser unless it’s for clips with separate audio that has to be synched?

[Bret Williams]

I don’t use it either, but hey it’s just an option. I probably would be creating a compound from clips, but I might create an empty compound and use it like a sequence. Just open it up and start editing. Because a compound has more versatility than a regular project. It can be “nested” within another compound or a project. Projects are like the end of the road. Can’t nest a project within a project. So if you know the sequence you’re working on is going to get nested into a bigger whole, you might as well edit in a compound. Get it?

But most people don’t think that way. Self included. If I realized I needed to break down my big project into parts, I’d probably just highlight a chunk of a project and create a compound from that.

It is nice that if you edit in a compound, you can scrub it in the browser. Why can’t we scrub projects in the browser? I guess they don’t want us being confused and thinking we can use a project as an edit source. But… why can’t we use a project as an edit source? C’mon Apple, this stuff is NLE 101.

[James Ewart]

Hand on I’ll try that … create an empty compound clip in the Browser and use it as a sub project?

… is that what they are thinking?

But you can compound a project (say scene 1) and then use that as a sub section of a bigger picture?

But maybe option A is more organised? Create 20 or more blank/empty CCs and then name them scene 1,2,3,4 etc.

Then create a master project (The Hollywood Blockbuster) and drop them all in to that.

Also perhaps a good way for different people to work on different bits of a project?

But why is that an advantage over a bunch of projects I wonder?

There must be a reason.

[Robin S. kurz]

[Bret Williams] “but I might create an empty compound and use it like a sequence”

Certainly nothing I would ever recommend doing. If you e.g. did that before some of the last major updates then you would have really messed a bunch of things up for yourself (as some did), seeing how drastically both compounds and projects have changed. And you never know what’s next, so using features in different ways than they were intended i.e. are expected to be used could mess things up even more.

The project is also a different file from the event in the library. So doing it that way, if you e.g. lose the one to corruption, you lose BOTH. Compounds also do not have the same metadata options and fields as a project, you lose an additional filtering criteria etc. etc.. So you’re in fact limiting yourself on various levels. I see no advantage or real sense.

Aside from not understanding why you couldn’t simply compound what it is you want from within a project when and if needed? How is that different or worse? That’s how I string together scenes etc. all the time. No risk and fully functional.

[Bret Williams]

[James Ewart] “But why is that an advantage over a bunch of projects I wonder?

There must be a reason.”

Can’t put a project in a project is all. I’ve actually somehow worked for days on a compound clip and didn’t realize I wasn’t working in a project. Functionally makes no difference.

[Bret Williams]

And I wouldn’t use a compound as a project either (except for the accident I mentioned in reply to James). That was my point. You might create an empty compound to edit in to use in a bigger project. And as you mentioned, the outcome is the same.

As for updates screwing up compounds, well that’s going to be a problem no matter how you use them. Projects used to stand alone. But now that they’re embedded in a library they feel more vulnerable, kinda like compounds were. I was worried about that when 10.1 came out, but simultaneously they came out with auto final cut backups, so I’m not too worried.

[Robin S. kurz]

[Bret Williams] “And I wouldn’t use a compound as a project either”

Aha. Sounded to me like you were singing the praises of the idea. My bad then I guess.

[Bret Williams]

Using compounds as your MAIN sequence certainly wouldn’t show up in the “Final Cut Library Manager” app either. Love that app.