Apple Final Cut Pro 5 - Manual (Page 239)

238 Part IV Logging, Capturing, and Importing
Each clip that you log is stored in your project, and all of the descriptive information in
the clip can be changed in the Browser or using the Item Properties window. For more
information about changing clip properties, see Volume II, Chapter 5, “Working With
Projects, Clips, and Sequences.”
Important: When you log in Final Cut Pro, you add descriptive information to clips, not
to media files. This means that all of your logging information is stored in your project
file, not the media files on disk. If you delete your project file or clips from the Browser,
your logging information is gone forever.
Benefits of Logging
Aside from the practical matters of selecting which footage to capture to disk, logging
has many editorial benefits, too:
 By watching the footage, you familiarize yourself with the material of your project.
The better you know your footage, the more options you have when you’re stuck in
an editorial corner.
 Adding descriptive notes, comments, and labels to the footage helps you, and other
editors on the project, navigate large amounts of original source material.
 The first time you watch the footage is a unique occasion to view it objectively. Your
gut reactions are important to note at this time. They serve as valuable reminders of
what a first-time viewer may think of the footage long after you have seen the same
shots over and over again.
 Meticulous logging can identify problem shots early on, when there is still a chance
to fix them. For example, if there is only one take of a particular scene, and it is
flawed, the director may have an opportunity to reshoot it if informed early enough.
Usually, these discoveries should be made in production, during the review of dailies.
As an editor, you have the potential to warn the production crew of possible errors
before it is too late.
 Logging can reduce the amount of footage you capture and edit with. Editing is a
constant process of refinement and reduction of footage. When you log your
footage, you can often eliminate a large amount of footage before you start editing.