Preparing to edit in CS6

The workflow with DSLR footage and Premiere Pro is different from what I am used to doing with tape based media in FCP 6 and 7.  So I've worked my way through the approach I intend to use in light of these changes.

Old skool

Media Managing.

There are people employed in Newsrooms , edit suites and on location who's sole responsibility is managing the torrent of digital media generated.  However you have to do this for yourself.  Before you start your project it makes good sense and good practice to think ahead to later in the project where all the files have proliferated and you start to lose track of what things are, where they came from and where you saved them.  Add the further complications of working with other team members who may have added material in the meanwhile, breaks in the ingest/capture/editing and then (most problematic of all) the need to move the project to another place or machine, and you have a near certainty of problems.  These will inevitably impact on your time/deadline.  So start ORGANISED and stick to your system/protocols.  What follows is mine current workflow.  (I expect to refine it as I work on various projects and get used to Premiere.  In some ways it's more complicated than FCP because of the 'round-tripping' between so many applications.)

A folder/file structure outside of the NLE.

Start by creating your file hierarchy.  I have created a template so that I can refine it when I find that there is an omission to the folders and files.  It saves time just to copy it and then rename the main folder.  I then use the file structure whenever I have to save material related to that project.  It's a 'project based setup' as opposed to a 'system-based set up'.  I want to make these decisions on a project by project basis.  I want to be able to move the main folder in the knowledge that all the files and media for the project will be moved too.

File structure of template Project folder and sub folders

I have followed the suggestion from 'An Editor's Guide to Adobe Premier Pro'.  It includes folders and sub folders that might be required for a CS6 project.  I've learnt through bitter experience that I need to save and work efficiently and be able to back up and archive correctly.  The workflow is different for me since it's not tape based and I am now using Premiere rather than FCP. 

DSLR Workflow.

Bringing in the Media to the Computer. 

Use BRIDGE.  Yes, Bridge - it's not just for Photos.

Using Bridge is useful since it's comes with CS6, is fairly intuitive and allows you to batch rename the files and add to the 'metadata'.  I created a Preset that followed a protocol that I hope will make things easier later when I start to manage the projects media.  The file names are changed from 'MVI_0272' which means very little to me to 'MMDDYY600D_MolesCafe_MVI_0272'.  This gives me easy access to the date the media was shot, the camera used and the location and the original file name.  Putting the date first means that the computer will automatically organise the media in the order it was shot.  Fine for drama or music videos.  For a drama I might start with the scene number/shot/take/camera/date so that they automatically organise into scenes later in Premiere.  Afterall the scenes and shots are unlikely to have been shot in script or continuity order.






Confusingly you can use Adobe Prelude to 'ingest' - adding media to the Computer.  It also allows you to transcode it from one format/codec to another while moving it off the SD card/P2 card to wherever you want.  You can simultaneously create several copies in different locations.  It will also 'verify' the copy.  This makes sure that it's an exact bit for bit copy or 'clone' of the file.  You can also log the clips and create a rough cut in Prelude.  It will also send all of this directly to Premiere.  Oddly you can't batch rename in Prelude.  In Bridge you can't verify, which is odd too.

Creating a disk Image. 

Richard Harrington suggests that you alway create a disc image of your tapeless media as an exact archive on a different drive.  You do this using OSx's 'Disk Utility'.  This is a verified copy of the original card.  Double clicking it will open it like a folder from where you can re-name, ingest or import into your Project Folder.  So adding another stage to the process, and you haven't even started to edit yet!  Which to use?  You choose.

Setting up Premiere.

Under Preferences>Media make sure 'save Media cache files next to originals when possible' is checked.  These are rendered files that will speed up playback when you are editing.  They are not large but its a good idea to keep them with the Project files.  If you were to move the project they would need rendering again.

When you set up a New Project make sure Project>Project Settings>Scratch Disks make sure that Captured Video, Captured Audio, Video Previews and Audio Previews are all set to 'Same as Project'.

Some important terminology.

In terms of Premier Pro 'capture' means recording media into a project as in playing off tape and capturing into a project.  That captured video will be created and stored in the project folders you have defined.  Media that is 'imported' into a project is in fact LINKED to the project but importantly it stays where it was linked or referenced from.  Thats why you need to move it to your project folder outside of the editing software.  (The same with FCP).

Handling Dual System audio.

Where you have recorded high quality audio in addition to the DSLR's built-in mic ('dual system') you can re-sync the audio, in the Project Panel, to the video in Premiere Pro using the 'Merge Clips' option under the Clip menu and markers you have created at the sync points.  Remember thats not a 'new' clip but a reference file created in Premiere that links one video file with one audio file.  The 'real' files remain where they were originally stored as individual files.  They are linked and named '-linked' only in the Premiere project they relate to.

Saving time on common projects.

Just as I used a Common Media Folder template outside the NLE, you can create your own Project settings preset and template Project and save that as a project.  This will have your preferred settings and Bins and Sequences etc.  You just rename when you create another project.

Final Thought.

If this all seems like a lot of fuss, I know you want to edit not be a librarian.  At some point you will get your project in a tangle and you will learn the same way we all have.  There is a short cut  and it's actually outlined above!  If you mess up I wont say I told you so.  It's pointless and unhelpful.  Next time you'll know to take control.  It's just a shame that you have to learn the hard way!