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Email Workflow? Importing Sequences?
Hi,
I will be editing a project with a friend of mine and want to know if there is some kind of workflow that works over email?
My thought was if we both had external harddrives with the same media, could I create sequences, email my the FCP project file to him, then have him import just my new sequences into his FCP Project. Would that work?
The goal is for each of us to work independently from home at the same time. I realize that it would probably work if he worked one day and made some sequences then emailed me the project file. I could then open that project file, make some alternate sequences then email the project file back to him, and so on.
But it would be great to somehow import just the new sequences so that he could keep editing while I work.
Hope this makes sense..
Thanks
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7 Replies
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I suggest emailing the project file, but each time, add the date to the name – ie “Fred6thJune”. That way when you save the email attachment, it won’t overwrite your existing project name and it will give you a date based comparison. You can always cut and paste from the new sequence to your work in progress. I think that the files on both systems will need to have the same path to relink.
Also I have found that I must collect the email on the mac. Once I got an email with project file attached and when I collected it on a PC and then saved to the mac, it somehow screwed up the encoding and the file wouldn’t read.
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I have used this workflow before. Swapping project files is the best, but you’ll have to reconnect everytime which owrks if you both have the same media. If there are any created still frames and stuff, you might have some problems. You should also zip or archive the file before emailing. The easiest way to do this is to control or right click the file and select “create archive of…” and then you will see a zip file that is created. Email that zip file. Once you figure out the intricacies, it’s a good system. The suggestion of renaming the project is a good one. You can then drag any sequence or bins into your master project. If you want to swap timelines only and not whole projects, you could also export an xml and it works just as well as long as you both have the same plug ins on your systems if you guys are using any plug-ins.
Jeremy
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If I understand you correctly, I can have 2 project files open at a time?
The “master” project file that I am working on, and the emailed project file. Then I can just copy what ever additional sequences the other editor has assembled and paste them into my master project to be used in the final cut of the film?
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We do this all the time. One of our editors lives in Sante Fe, New Mexico… our main office is here in LA. We have a duplicate set of media, and simply send the sequences back and forth. The secret to keeping reconnecting to a minimum is to have the exact same file structure here as there. Same drive names, same folders etc. That way, it’s almost a “one click” reconnect.
Since we work in Off-line RT, the render files for an entire half hour show only take a few minutes, so we simply redo them. The earlier adivce about “incrementing” the project name is good. We keep the projects “lean” only containing the timeline that we need. Media management is done at the finder level. In other words, we organize our media in logical folders on the finder level, so the projects to NOT need to contain everything.
I’ve heard that email can sometimes corrupt a sequence or project but using “stuffit” seems to put a “wrapper” around it and ensures accurate transit via email.
Good luck.
Mark
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[jason banker] “If I understand you correctly, I can have 2 project files open at a time? “
As long as you’ve named the projects differently, yes. For example: Episode102 6-23-06MR, then from email comes Episode102 6-23-06ZX. There should be no conflict having both these open. However, it would be easier and more efficient just to have a project which only contains your timeline. All of the media would reside in a “master project” which was only updated for new media.
mark
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I agree with all the suggestions…and want to add that it would be wise to have the exact same drive names for the media as well. If you have the media on two drives, make sure that both sets of drives have the exact same media on the drives (clone them) and name them the same things. This way you avoid the relinking issue. The only thing you will have to do is render, if needed.
Shane
Alokut Productions
http://www.lfhd.net -
I agree on keeping the drive partition names and structure identical on both sides.
I had a project where the drive copies I had were organized completely differently from the drives they had.
The relinking took so long every time I got a new project email, it would have been faster for them to describe their changes over the phone!
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