Bidirectional / Assymetric trimming… possible?

[Jeremy Garchow]

You can’t trim multiple edit points, even if they aren’t in a secondary.

But, in your example above, I would say there are other ways to organize your timeline.

I’m not saying FCPX is better at anything. I have sent feedback about trimming multiple cut points.

But, if you need to move all those points, your secondaries are getting in the way.

FCPX favors vertical relationships.

Judging a timeline from it’s picture, in this case, I don’t think you want video in the primary. I’m not sure what’s driving your piece there, but it’s either the dialogue or the VO wild. Theres also broll above video, which means that the video in the primary isn’t serving any purpose in the primary.

It looks to me as if you might be trying to use secondary storylines as tracks.

It can work, but sometimes it breaks the FCPX timeline in a bad way.

I’m not saying what you are trying to do won’t take multiple moves, it will, and the fcpx timeline needs some functional tweaks, but I think you might be able to gain some efficiencies by using your primary differently, with the combination of connected clips.

[Trevor Asquerthian]

Hi Jeremy

Thanks for your thoughts. This is a purely hypothetical timeline whilst I figure out if FCPx is worth the time and effort of getting to know. So that’s what is ‘driving’ my edit here 😉

In the real world different elements drive a cut at different times. In a doc the dialogue / VO will set the initial story, but then the contents of the video or SOT might further drive it – then the music will drive a tighten of it – then legal might dictate the direction once the whole structure is in place, necessitating the kind of trim in the first picture.

I did wonder if the trick is to keep the primary empty – moving clips into it as they need editing, but I don’t think that is the way this is set to work.

Don’t get me wrong… I see a lot of potential in the trackless timeline / roles / keywords / connected clips / compound clips… but if I can’t trim even as simply as this:

then I’ll be waiting for 10.0.4 (or a paying job) before spending too much more time on this 🙁

[Jeremy Garchow]

[Trevor Asquerthian] “but if I can’t trim even as simply as this:”

Yep. Can’t trim multiple points at once, symmetrically, let alone asymmetrically.

If you care, please send feedback to Apple.

Jeremy

[Trevor Asquerthian]

I’ve long since given up on any manufacturer listening to my feedback.

Based on your suggestion that the primary storyline was where the issue was I used a title as a placeholder – seems to work fairly well. Driven me a bit further in getting to know FCPx so thanks for that.

The image below shows how I can trim one edit and have the large majority of my sequence, either side of the trim, retain sync.

Music usually needs reworking in such an instance anyway.

Does require a bit of care with where connections are… but it does move those connections quite sensibly when they meet the trimming edge.

3737_masteredit3norenders.fcpxml.zip

is the xml of that sequence, in case anyone has any better ideas. Timeline view is smallest with Roles visible. Media is irrelevant.

[Oliver Peters]

[Trevor Asquerthian] “Based on your suggestion that the primary storyline was where the issue was I used a title as a placeholder – seems to work fairly well. Driven me a bit further in getting to know FCPx so thanks for that.”

The key to working the FCP X timeline, is to learn when the Magnetic features help and when to use the Position tool (a mode, really) instead. The latter allows you to move clips around in an FCP 7 style and will leave gaps (slug media) in the empty parts of the timeline. I also find it necessary from time to time to move the connecting points on connected clips. You don’t have to specifically insert a title as a placeholder. There are also actual placeholder elements that can be used. I realize that some of this timeline management sounds convoluted, but it’s FCP X’s alternative to managing track patching and auto-selection in FCP 7.

– Oliver

Oliver Peters Post Production Services, LLC
Orlando, FL
http://www.oliverpeters.com

[Trevor Asquerthian]

So you’re saying FCPx is some kind of ‘modal’ editor?

That sounds really cool.

😉

[Larry Asbell]

As you say Trevor, “care where the connections are ” is what it’s all about.

For example in your latest trim, the connections as you have them will cause the timing to shift between the VO clips and the B Roll clips. If that doesn’t suit you, you would shift the connection point of the VO clips to the end of the pair.

I suspect the magnetic timeline designers would say that the effort you formally put into placing multiple rollers at various heads and tails you now put into tending your connection points. Maybe they’d go so far as to say the latter takes less effort because once you set them to reflect the relationships you want, you don’t often have to change them.

Time will tell whether we agree.

Also, consider whether your primary storyline should consist of all your VO, interview and true dialog clips. I don’t mean all the clips automatically assigned the dialog role which are really nat. sound or ambiance. You’d also put on the primary any video clips where the action alone, i.e. no spoken word was driving the pace. Oh, one more, in the case of a music video, the music.

– Larry Asbell