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Merging (many) FCP 7 project files
I am the director/producer (not the editor) of a feature documentary that’s been in the works for over a decade.
Persistence or insanity, it’s a toss-up.I now need to to get things organized for the editor, and while I know my way around the basics of FCP, I’m overwhelmed and would appreciate any expert guidance you can offer.
The good news is that while it’s been a struggle to get funding, I’m set to push through to rough or fine cut at this point.
The not-so-good news is I have had several interns and assistant editors over the years, and am finding many project files that they created as they captured footage – some with earlier versions of FCP, ending with FCP 7, which we will use to edit the film. I know, should have all been put into one project file, but it wasn’t. YIKES.I want to create a NEW PROJECT FILE for the editor, and am prepared to painstakingly review the most recent autosave for each project file clip by clip, and import all bins and sequences into one comprehensive project.
But the project files come with:
- Audio Render Files
- Render Files
- Thumbnail Cache Files
- Waveform Cache Files
My Big Question: Can I merge these?
I need to streamline the files but am unclear about moving the contents of these folders.I would like to get them into one location – and am okay with making any reconnections that would be required.
I’m not talking about moving any of the media – – we’ll be taking the footage on my 4 500GB HD’s (remember I started this a LONG time ago) and moving it onto a 4TB HD with a better organized structure (and onto another for further back-up), but I’m leaving that to the EDITOR, who is aware we’ll be reconnecting the media.
Thank you in advance for any help you can offer.
Please save me from further insanity!Claire P
https://lightyearsfilm.com -
5 Replies
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hi Claire
to start with i’d say that this might be best handled by an experienced FCP assistant.
and definately done in collaboration with the editor.“I know, should have all been put into one project file, but it wasn’t. YIKES.”
not necessarily
FCP can bog down when the projects get too big, and long-form projects generally are split over a few separate projects.
on narrative features i like to have each days rushes dealt with in their own project for instance,
then transferred into the main edit project/s.docs are different, of course, and you may not have so much materiel that it needs to be in more than one project at this stage.
– how much logging and sorting of the media has been done so far in FCP?
– is the media in bins, sequences or both?“prepared to painstakingly review the most recent autosave for each project file clip by clip”
i’d say just work with the project files, not their autosaved copies“But the project files come with:
Audio Render Files
Render Files
Thumbnail Cache Files
Waveform Cache Files”off the top of my head, without seeing the project, i;d say delete all the render files.
you don’t need them. (hard to say for sure without seeing the project of course)
delete all the cache files you don’t need them.“I need to streamline the files but am unclear about moving the contents of these folders.”
yes that’s pretty easy in FCP.
BUT be wary of breaking any master/ affiliate relationships that exist between bin clips and sequence clips.
or ask: can if be recreated in the new project?
this is where an editor / assistant would come in handy.nick
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Thank you Nick for that thorough reply – I am so appreciative.
I am a bit baffled myself as to how this became EditArmageddon, but it’s actually not quite as bad as I thought it would be to compare versions — many seem to be different versions of the same project file.
And your project files vs. autosaved point taken.However I’m looking carefully to see what clips may have been added each time – and I will take your advice and hire an assistant editor to help with this. And yes, I am in conversation with the editor about all of this. Thank you for that reminder!
I’ll probably create one project for the editor, and if she wants to break it into sub-projects for each of our three characters, she can do that.
And thank you for letting me know it is probably safe to erase all those waveform/thumbnail/render/audio render files. I may put them all in one spot until the editor gets her mitts on the project and she can do what she wants with them.
MEDIA:
I have about 150 hours of footage, and only have about 4 hours that still needs to be digitized/logged (not just a doc, but a doc over 10 years in the making), but I’m not changing any clip names or destination paths.
Yet.The footage is currently sprinkled over 4 500GB HD’s but I want to move it onto one 4TB HD (ahem, further YIKES = this was shot in mini-DV, but at least I shot it all progressive and am editing in a 23.98 timeline). However I have a very organized system so that will help.
And I’m going to work with a FCP-savvy person to do that so I don’t break the bones, or just let the editor handle that.
I have made a doc before so I’m aware of some of those caveats.The editor will be researching whether she will be able to upgrade from FCP 7 or change to Premiere – I’ve read some scary stories about that – but she’d prefer to not have to work on an older computer which FCP 7 would require.
And my prior editor made about 20 sequences, so yes, I know that changes things a bit and might require a lot of reconnecting, xanax or both.
But that is where I am with this long-term, poverty-inducing “inspiring” film project!Again, many thanks for your help. I am feeling much less overwhelmed!
Claire -
“And my prior editor made about 20 sequences”
ok then , first thing to check is if there is a working “Master / Affiliate” relationship between the clips in the timeline and the clips in the sequences.
park on a clip in the timeline,
hit Shift F
you should jump to that clip in the browser bin.as an editor i found this a very useful feature.
if that’s working, great.
but you could easily break it by copying from project to project,
and the tricks to NOT copy both at once.
somehow that confuses FCPso copy the bin, the the sequence,
or the sequence then the bin,
and you should have a working “Master / Affiliate” relationship in the new project.
(but check that)cheers,
nick -
Thank you for that reminder Nick!
You’ve been so helpful – much appreciated.
Claire
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Definitely dump all your render/cache files.
I’m in a similar situation. More than a decade. Just up-res’d my minidv tapes to HD using a Teranex 2d processor. But they actually all connected, with a many tweeks, to a new HD timeline. Only problem is needing to update my apple system to sierra or el capitan while not losing fcp7
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