Working with many sequences- best practice

[Richard Herd]

[Lars Sommer] “create a 2 hour long movie”

Feature films are broken into three or four reels of similar running time.

I think it’s wise to create 1 project file per film reel. (I know they aren’t reels anymore, but the name has stuck.)

The first step then is to manage all of the media using the operating system. Organize roughly by Act 1, Act 2a, Act 2b, Act 3. Because you’re telling a story, you want to make sure your dramatic beats are correct, so i start there. Often at the denouement, because everything being cut aims at that big emotional thing. You’re telling a story, so those dramatic beats have to be right.

In your project you will want to create several folders/bins: Sequences, Audio, Footage, Graphics, and so on. I also keep one called zDelete and when I delete stuff, I don’t really delete it, I dumped it in there, out of view.

When you finally start to edit, you’ll want to use the Media Browser to import your camera archives. And you’ll want that to be in pretty good detail by footage, scene, camera angle, etc. And then when you make your sequences, start with Scenes. And then cut the scenes.

Later, you can stitch them together in a sequence called Act 1, or REEL 1.

It goes like this:

1. Media Manage and Get Organized.

2. Review Footage for Scene 1 and mark it up with markers and basically get to know the shots and coverage. Trying to really feel the tone and pacing and contemplate a visual style.

3. Assemble Edit (pretty loose, things are just in basic order) pretty much what the script reads. Copy/paste the assemble edit and rename to…

4. Rough Cut (this is tighter and audio elements start to get placed, dramatic effect is important along with good editing style — you’d show other members of the production this. Adhere to the 1 page of script = 1 minute of screen time axiom. Here, you gotta get brutal and make decisions. That’s why you edit. You might even see separate narrative threads, and you’ll want to cut each one and get critique.

5. Fine Cut (this is it, elements are where they need to be and you’re almost ready for color correction and to export for audio)…so export your Fine Cut as a single media file, and lay it back on top of your previous sequence. As you need to change things, you slice that exported fine cut, like a skin on top, and get into the guts.

File naming convention and sequence naming convention is important. SCENE01_20140204_ROUGH_V1

and so on.

Go slow. Have fun 🙂

[Lars Sommer]

Thanks alot for your contribution!

Even though it´s way too professional for me, since I´m an amateur and this is my first time editing, you have several good tips and workmethods that I can use.

Thank you very much 🙂