Stationary objects ???

[Brendan Gibbons]

One option to try is adding a “gap” clip.

From the edit menu, choose “insert gap” where you would like to place your section that is updated for each video.

You can then trim this clip to it’s desired duration, or select the clip and hit Control+D, the duration of the gap will appear in the timecode dashboard highlighted blue. Type
in a new duration and hit return.

Hope that helps.

Cheers,

Brendan

[Simon Ubsdell]

[Evan Lloyd] ”
If I know I want a string of clips to come in at say the 2,3,and 6 minute marks, how can I place them there, lock them in place, and then still use the magnetic timeline to add the other clips? In other words, I know exactly where I want to lock certain shots (transition and b- roll stuff) and I want to fill in the blank areas with fresh material from each session.”

Could be a perfect job for Placeholders (look under Generators to find them). You can edit them into your master template sequence (and modify them to something that makes sense to your edit) and then simply update them as necessary using Replace edit mode.

But frankly if you are cutting to music I would strongly recommend that you edit your music track into the primary storyline and then use Connect to edit your sequence. That way, nothing will ever go out of sync for you and it’s easy to move stuff around. (NB. you will need to make secondary storylines for transitions, which is a bit of a pain but not the end of the world.) You could put markers on the music track where you want your main events to happen to help you along.

Simon Ubsdell
Director/Editor/Writer
http://www.tokyo-uk.com

[Evan Lloyd]

Is it possible to create a secondary timeline, lock certain clips in specific locations, and then fill inthe blanks on the primary timeline? That would make my task much easier. Having to edit a project from the first clip to the last, is not a creative way to work. Sometimes I want to work on a section at the three minute mark and then fill in the rest later.

[Simon Ubsdell]

[Evan Lloyd] “Is it possible to create a secondary timeline, lock certain clips in specific locations, and then fill inthe blanks on the primary timeline?”

If you follow my suggestion of editing the music into the primary storyline you can then edit anything you want into wherever you want to put it without worrying about what’s happening elsewhere on the timeline. This seems like a particularly good way of working for your particular project but it’s also definitely the right way to go for editing things like music promos and the like.

But you could if you wanted to follow a more traditional route adopt Brendan’s suggestion and edit a nice long “gap” into your primary storyline and take it from there.

To be honest, there are many options – it’s a question of what works for you.

Simon Ubsdell
Director/Editor/Writer
http://www.tokyo-uk.com

[Evan Lloyd]

I’ve tried adding the gap, but everytime I add a new clip before the gap, the gap and the clips that follow all shift to the right. Is there a way to add a new clip and have the gap get smaller instead of just moving down the timeline?

I’ll try adding the music toy the timeline. I’ve never done this before and it may solve my problem. Thanks for the tip.

[Simon Ubsdell]

[Evan Lloyd] “Is it possible to create a secondary timeline, lock certain clips in specific locations, and then fill inthe blanks on the primary timeline?”

Actually to answer your question properly, what you suggest makes perfect sense as well – if you have edited your music into the primary storyline. It sounds like a good way of working to have a secondary storyline as a nice tidy container for your sections – and it will stay locked in position to the music unless you choose to slide it around, but it also won’t get rippled by any other editing activity on the timeline.

Simon Ubsdell
Director/Editor/Writer
http://www.tokyo-uk.com

[Simon Ubsdell]

[Evan Lloyd] “I’ve tried adding the gap, but everytime I add a new clip before the gap, the gap and the clips that follow all shift to the right. Is there a way to add a new clip and have the gap get smaller instead of just moving down the timeline?”

If you want to edit the way you’re describing here, you’d have to use Overwrite rather than Insert edit – it’s Insert edit that’s pushing your subsequent clips down the timeline (Apple’s idea of making things easier for beginning editors!).

Seriously – edit the music into the primary storyline and you won’t look back, I promise!

And use Connect edit, rather than Insert or Overwrite!

😉

Simon Ubsdell
Director/Editor/Writer
http://www.tokyo-uk.com

[Robbert-jan Van der does]

Hi Evan,

You can use the overwrite edit (shortcut D) to edit your selection of the source clip over the gap clip in the primary storyline at the position of the playhead.
Hope this helps

Kind regards,

Robbert-Jan van der Does
lighting cameraman/steadicam operator/editor

WISIWYG (What I See Is What You Get)

[Wayne Garton]

Here is what some kind editor suggested I do with my weekly programme and stationery objects.
And it works …

1. Create a separate project for all your promotional track material (this will be your template project).
2. Make each title section (or stationery object) into a compound clip.
3. Select all compound clips, right click and choose “lift from primary story line”.
That’s it, now you have a second “track” above the primary story line.

Now when you start your real project, you just duplicate you template project. Rename it and if you want to insert some clip to the primary story line underneath the compound clips you just press D (overwrite).

Cheers
Wayne
New Zealand