File naming

[Michael Hancock]

1. Do not rename the Canon 300 files. Keep the folder structures intact exactly as they are, and FCPX should be able to differentiate between them using additional metadata (like timecode). Renaming files can sometimes break metadata links within camera card structures, which can make it difficult or impossible to properly relink if needed.

2. I wouldn’t bother renaming any of the mobile phone clips that the director has already renamed. Just use them as they are and you can rename then in FCPX.

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Michael Hancock
Editor

[Brad Hurley]

A useful distinction to keep in mind is file names versus clip names. File names are the names set by the camera; these are what you will see on your hard drive or other storage media. Clip names are names you assign to clips within your NLE; renaming a clip using FCPX’s inspector does not change the file name but instead creates a clip name within FCPX that is more descriptive or informative.

That said, it’s probably not worth the time to rename clips within FCPX. Consider assigning keywords instead, which will allow you to use smart keyword collections and filtering to find the clips you’re looking for. That’s much more efficient than searching through clip names. If you want to add more detailed descriptions (which are also searchable) you can use the “Notes” field in the inspector. The combination of keywords and favorites is very powerful in FCPX.

[Joe Marler]

[Zeina Aboulhosn] ” I have a concern about the naming of the files on the harddrive and how that might impact the workflow.

1. The shoot was over many years with multiple cameras, mainly Canon 300, so there are many files named ‘C0001’ or ‘C0002’, from multiple shoots over the years… They are however in separate folders and subfolders on the harddrive. Will this cause a problem later?”

Yes this can definitely cause a problem. Under no conditions import a bunch of files with duplicate names – even if they are in separate folders. There is a bug in FCPX which will create spurious duplicates due to a database problem if you ever load an XML referencing those files. I reported this to Apple long ago and it’s still not fixed.

Besides this it streamlines post production if you have globally unique filenames. There are many situations where you may collaborate with other post-production people. It is a constant source of confusion to have many files with the same name. I cannot count the number of times I’ve had to explain “I meant the c0003.mp4 file size 1.56 GB with creation date 14-Nov, not the one size 1.42 GB with creation date 13-Nov”. Redundant filenames (even if in separate folders) is often confusing, wastes time and is error prone.

It is not difficult to avoid duplicate filenames. Simply rename the files to be globally unique before import to FCPX. I use the 3rd party tool “A Better Finder Rename” https://www.publicspace.net/ABetterFinderRename/index.html

However Finder itself has batch rename ability. You can even do multiple rename passes to achieve your goals. Gary at MacMost Now just did a tutorial on this feature: https://macmost.com/step-by-step-using-the-mac-batch-rename-tool.html

My documentary team simply appends an incrementing 5-digit serial number to each file as part of the offload process. We keep track of the highest number used then the next offload operation uses the next sequential number. That way no matter how many projects or cameras, the filenames are unique.

[Zeina Aboulhosn]

Thanks to everyone who replied, super helpful