Apple Final Cut Pro 5 - Manual (Page 240)

Chapter 18 Logging Clips 239
IV
Preparing to Log
During the logging stage, you find out just how organized you really were during the
production phase. No matter how careful you were, a few things may not have been
labeled properly, or some information may be missing. Take time before you begin
postproduction to get your tapes as organized as possible.
Remember that the list below is really a production checklist. However, any
inconsistencies during production should be straightened out before you start logging
and capturing.
 Clearly label each of your tapes (reels) with a unique, simple name.
If for any reason you ever leave the Final Cut Pro editing environment to work on
another system, simpler reel names will cause less confusion. See “
Choosing Reel
Names ” on page 240.
 Use a simple clip-naming convention.
Final Cut Pro can handle long clip names, but other systems often can’t. See
“
Choosing Names and Log Information for Clips ” on page 241.
 Identify the audio sample rate and bit depth of your tapes.
You should always log and capture your footage with matching sample rate and bit
depth settings.
Keeping Track of Footage With Reel Names and Timecode
Clips represent media files on your hard disk, but they also represent sections of your
original tapes between In and Out points. If you accidentally delete a clip’s media file
on disk, you can always recapture it from the original tape. Being able to recapture your
media from the original tapes is critical for most postproduction workflows.
Final Cut Pro can identify which portion of a tape to recapture using the following
clip properties:
 Reel name: This is usually the name written on the tape label during production or
just prior to postproduction.
 Media Start and End timecode: A clip’s Media Start and End timecode numbers
identify the start and end frames of the clip on your tape. Timecode is the critical link
between clips in your project, media files on disk, and the footage on your tapes.
A reel name identifies which tape a clip comes from, and timecode identifies where on
the reel a particular clip is located.
Important: If your original tapes don’t have timecode, it is impossible to accurately
recapture your tapes because Final Cut Pro has no way of ensuring that you are
capturing the exact same frames each time. For suggestions about logging and
capturing footage without timecode, see “
Capturing Footage Without Device Control ”
on page 276.