Best way to edit a multicam project

[David Bogie]

You seem to be asking about the best way to do it your way and that would be to have more than one brain.
Do you have previous multiple camera experience such as calling for live switching? It gets very simple if the crew was prepared and the director was in tune.
I directed multiple camera sports events, each camera operator had a job and the replay operators had theirs. We trusted each other, it was a blast.

I’d approach this in a way that delivers your preliminary editorial decisions into the 4×4 multiclip display. Open each clip separately, place a black layer — or a keyframe to go to black — over ever bit of useless footage. Make broad, sweeping decisions to eliminate everything you do not want to use yet. You will be revisiting every reel later to pull for color, cutaways and effects; that will all be done in the fine cut.

I would also add a text item or some other color-coded signal to indicate the very best stuff, your favorite shots, shots you absolutely want to include. Again, you must make broad calls. Don’t concentrate on the little stuff or you’ll never get anywhere.

You will end up with a 4×4 display that has a lot of black holes and colored dots. The dots indicate your limited choices for any given instant. The black holes are easily ignored. This is an easy way to make your first several versions of the big cuts by using duplicates of the 4×4.

Export your several versions of this multiclip as single movies and then start making your more interesting artistic and stylistic decisions. But you have to start with the big picture.

bogiesan

This is my standard sigfile so do not take it personally: “For crying out loud, read the freakin’ manual.”