Introduction to Editing and Final Cut Pro

A few weeks into the term we were taught how to edit and use the ‘Final Cut Pro’ software on an Apple Mac computer.

Below is some brief notes on what and how I learnt to use the software:

• Setting up a scratch disk – this is very important, it is where the computer takes notes on what you are doing. To do this you:
  Go to ‘Final Cut Pro’
  System Settings
  This then opens a new window
  Click ‘Set’
  Click on ‘Firewire Drive’ and find your folder
  Click on ‘Scratch once’
  Click on ‘Choose’ – You will need to do all the abovewhenever the computer asks you to reset scratch disks.
  Now make a folder – File/New/Bin – we named the bin with our groups name
  The repeat – File/New/Bin – we then named this one ‘Log’
  We then dragged the ‘Log’ into ‘our groups name’- The small triangle symbols expand things into drop down menus.
• 
  The ‘Rushes’ amounts to all of the completely unedited footage that you have recorded – it is called ‘Rushes’ because in films the canisters are ‘rushed off’ to be developed by a ‘runner’.
• 
  ‘Blue triangles’ on playback head select the area that you are working with.
• 
  You can spool through backwards and forwards with the slider or move the cursor arrows forward and back frame by frame.
• 
  The ‘spacebar’ stops and starts the footage
• 
  Logging – you need to put the takes you want to use in your log bin, you do this by:
  In and Out points – Press ‘I’ key for ‘in’ and press ‘O’ key for ‘out’
  Press ‘Modify’ and choose ‘Sub-clip’
  Then name your clip–e.g. Close up of man sitting
  Drag clip into log bin – NEVER DELETE ANYTHING FROM THE RUSHES
  Click File/New/Sequence – title it
  Drag into log bin – then minimise the rushes
  Double click on the title
  You must always cut on the action
  Double click on log and drag to timeline.
• Extra Information:
  ‘B’ key for blade to chop or use the double edged arrows
  ‘A’ to change back to arrow
  Linked Selection – if turned off, it moves the picture separate to the audio, you can click this on or off
  Snapping – Jumps and connects to other piece’s – if you turn it off it stops snapping