FCP X - Single Project Folder

I am a serious professional FCP Suite 3 user and have produced some 500+ projects using said production suite (most of the same production path) and have recently purchased a NEW MacBook Pro 2.7 GHz with 16GB Ram Retina and rather than resume my profession on an older version editing suite, I'd like to start fresh with FCP X. So, here's my questions:

1. WORK FLOW - Is there an easy way to have every video clip, pictures, project files, titles, labels, and ALL OTHER elements of a project into a single folder for a given project? That is, let's say I have a project called TV SHOW 846. Our current work flow looks like this: A) I film the project and put all AVCHD video and the audio track into a folder called "cams" on an external Thunderbolt external SATA Doc. I then the drive an editor friend who edits the camera cuts. The drive then passes to another editor friend who then titles the project and touches up photos with effects. The drive then returns to me who now outputs, creates MPEG2 or MP4 media DVD's or DATA DVD's. Once all this is completed the project is deleted completely.

2. Does FCP X handle three cameras of AVCHD multicam fairly easy without a lot of color wheel and/or hang ups or crashes?

3. How well does FCP X create DVD's or is one still ahead to use DVD Studio Pro or Compressor or ???

Thanks in advance for all the help. I must know also where to get inexpensive training. Yes we do TV shows BUT we don't charge enough.

1. Not really. The application behavior treats the media container and projects as separate elements.

2. Generally multicam is optimized to ProRes and if your drives are fast enough the system shouldn't have a problem with this. You can also use proxies which is much, much simpler in FCPX.

3. FCP can make simply DVDs with simple menus and chapters. For something more elaborate you can use DVDSP.

4. www.classondemand.net/media/apple-training/fcpx.aspx
That's my online training so I'm prejudiced toward it.

"1. Not really. The application behavior treats the media container and projects as separate elements."

Actually, based on what the OP outlines above, I'd say yes. You'd have your Event - with all (optionally linked) media - and Project(s) on the one drive. Not one folder, but all self contained. If you chose not to copy media to to the event, you could organize it all at the finder level in whatever folders you want, and simply drag the folders into the event so they'd all show up as KW collections with clips referencing the media you've organized.

So your drive would have 3 "root" folders. Final Cut Events, Final Cut Projects, and "Media" or whatever you call it. That last folder would contain all your subfolders with Cams, Pictures, Music.. etc., organized however you please. If you're just passing the drive around it would actually work quite well.

The very first thing you need to do is to follow a decent training program so you understand how FCPX really works. I am happy to see you ask for this yourself, which proves you are serious about your work. I can fully recommend Tom's online training series for anyone who is starting to learn FCPX.

1. Most professionals working in collaborative workflows use sparse disk images to move their FCPX projects between different people who work on the same project. Sparse disk images are expandable containers that act like a single drive. Create a sparse disk image for every project and put your media and your sequences (inconveniently also called "Projects" in FCPX) inside the sparse dmg. Now you have all your assets for your project inside one single container. You can move the dmg anywhere you wish and make changes to the project. You can put different dmg's for different projects on one drive. It's a rock-solid workflow. If you only need to share one single project at the same time you can use the method described above by plysat, this will work as well.

2. As Tom says: it depends on how fast your media drive is, this has little to do with the application. Never, EVER work from your internal system drive but always use a fast external drive for your FCPX Events and Projects. Multicam is best optimized to ProRes (much better than AVCHD to work with). If you are on a slow system with minimum RAM you can also edit using Proxy media and seamlessly switch back to original media for exporting the final edit.

The multi cam workflow and the proxy media workflow in FCPX are simply the very best you can find in any existing NLE.

3. As Tom says: if you need to create good looking DVDs export a ProRes master file from FCPX and bring this master lie into DVDSP for DVD authoring.

- Ronny

Thanks for the comments all. YES I am very serious about learning the product and how it functions but I'm not sure if it will work for me since the "handoff" drive sessions are usually by mail and oft times with people whom I hardly know or a new editor. I call them "friend" only because they too will have the same version of FCP X that I would have but otherwise they are usually strangers to me other than business association.

So, if we could readdress this "single folder" or if you will "single drive" with a folder on it idea, this would really help. Let me explain a little further and maybe that will help. Here's the path with FCP7 that I now use and am having ALL KINDS of issues since switching to AVCHD:

DRIVE FOLDER (CAPS ARE FOLDERS lower case are media

TVSHOW >
fcptvshowproject.?? (the fcp project file name)
text.txt (a text file with instructions about the show, storyboard, script maybe, credits, etc.)
MEDIA > cam1, cam2, cam3, multicam1
IMAGES > image1, image2, image3, image4, etc.
TITLES > title1, title2, title3, etc.
OTHER FCP GENERATED FOLDERS

EDIT: "BTW, a DRIVE may have up to 8 different FOLDER/projects on it, each appropriately named according to its' own nomenclature that ID's it according to type and delivery.

So herein, the editor for titles and/or camera switching will open the project "fcptvshowproject" and then open the folder images and/or titles and begin working on titles and/or images to work the project and/or multicam to work their edits before passing the drive onto the next editor who then does their processing until the drive eventually ends up back at me and therein i take that folder TVSHOW and do the same as they did adding maybe a few tweaks then export the project into another folder under the TVSHOW folder that is entitled OUTPUTS wherein if there are MPEG2, dvd's other formats there will be subfolders labeled accordingly MPEG2, DVDSP and all of its files with the output of DVDSP put in the main OUTPUT folder with a name identifying that it is from DVDSP.

In closing, here is the rub. If it looks like FCPX won't work this solution, then we either have to find a better way to work with FCP7 or migrate to another NLE that will allow us this workflow successfully. Two of my editors have Premier Pro CS6 or the like and want me to go that way, I'm totally familiar with FCP and know its written for Mac's which I am and therein want to stay with FCP but if its solution is too complicated for our type of business flow application I'd prefer to know that now and migrate. I came from Avid Media Composer at version 4 to 5 and I have been totally satisfied until AVCHD. In fact, the only way I can get FCP7 to function reasonably "nice" to us is convert AVCHD to HDV before beginning. Difficult and timely but functional.

Lastly, I appreciate any input that you have to help me understand and/or welcome calling or receiving a call from anyone who can help me beat my way through this. I have a lot of work backed up, I migrated my FCP7 and it wants my serial/key wherein moving 300 miles to here have the cases for ALL my software in boxes packed away in one of two . . two car garages. Ok I'm a pack rat. I have a wife

EDIT: Thanks for all you all's help I really do appreciate it.

From what you discribe, passing a drive around from person to person, FCP X will do this very easily. Make an Event for your Grahics. Make an Event for each different project/folder as you describe it.

Or make one Event and Keyword everything.

Or...

FCP X is flexible, there is no set in stone way of working, it is simply all metadata. And other NLEs are getting on board with this way of working. I dont' see any reason why FCP X couldn't do this really easily and quickly.

You can import the media assets into the Event folders, or leave them in some folder hierarchy you prefer on the hard drive, and just don't copy them to the Event folders (creating links from within the Event folders to the external folders).

Make Events with the names TVSHOW, MEDIA, IMAGES, TITLES, etc.
Or make one Event and keyword elements imported in to is with those names as keywords.
Or put them all in said folders on the hard drive to start with, import then checking off "Use Folder Names As Keywords" (not sure that's the exact wording of the option).

Plenty of very easy, quick ways to do this in FCP X.

Export to any folder hierarchy you want, also.

Keep it all on one drive, pass that drive around, no problems.

Seems pretty straight forward to me. But I strongly recommend you start thinking in terms of metadata, and not in folders, as "folders" are really limiting. "Metadata" allows so much more cross referencing, easier to find things, easier to organize things, etc. But you can use the "folder" paradigm with Events. Just consider an Event as a folder, or a Keyword as a Folder.

BTW, I rarely do this, but my Media Management In FCP X video course at macProVideo.com gets great feedback almost daily. You may want to check it out.

BenB wrote: From what you discribe, passing a drive around from person to person, FCP X will do this very easily. Make an Event for your Grahics. Make an Event for each different project/folder as you describe it.

Or make one Event and Keyword everything.

Or...

Does this mean that I could assemble TV SHOW 1 in a single folder with the events and other in that folder for that TV Show and then have a second folder named TV SHOW 2 with all the events and other in that folder, then of course another Folder named TV SHOW 3, etc. for the 5 to 7 TV Shows that i typically pass around over a couple week period following a full days filming.

Drop the whole "folder" paradigm. So outdated, so limited.

EVENTS, doesn't matter where media is physically stored. You want it to reference other folders? You can do that. But, your Events and Project are DATABASES. They live inside the "Final Cut Events" and "Final Cut Projects" folders on a drive. Plain as that, very simple, folders don't matter any more. We're working with metadata for organization, which is much more powerful, flexible, easier, faster.

BenB wrote: Drop the whole "folder" paradigm. So outdated, so limited.

EVENTS, doesn't matter where media is physically stored. ..... We're working with metadata for organization, which is much more powerful, flexible, easier, faster.

Ok my friend. Thanks for this enlightenment. Please stay with me and help me out here. Maybe I can get this down.

So, let me see if I truly understand. I can put media for TV Show 1, TV Show 2, etc. in a Folder with the media file names TV1 Cam1, TV1 Cam2, TV1 Cam3, TV2 Cam1, TV2 Cam2, TV2 Cam3, TV3 Cam1, TV3 Cam2, etc. then simply reference them in the EVENTS?

Can the EVENTS (or project??) be in a folder on that drive so that I can pass the drive around and the next opp simply goes into a folder labeled EVENTS and opens that Event or Project or whatever its' name is and then work and while saving it always the event or project then gets passed on to the next opp?

If I am getting close I might see how this will work. I have to know this process a little better because I will have to foot 1/2 the bill for my opps out there to migrate to a new platform NLE but will be worth it to save me on the front end on my time for conversions to get a working model since switching to AVCHD format cameras.

Please feel free to tell me all you feel necessary to know and don't feel like you are insulting my intelligence, because you will not be. I want to get it into my head a thorough understanding how this works and I will of course buy training once I know for sure that FCP X is going to work for our workflow and organization.

I am really keen on the folder architecture and placement of the organized materials onto the drive and/or location where the project is so that everything is self contained if you will.

Again thanks in advance for all the help y'all.

Is it true that sparse images can slow your read speeds?

My experience with using referenced media has been that it is a more "fragile" way of working. If I have moved projects it is referenced media which has caused me the most grief. I have found that copying your media to event folders more robust. That said I have not lost a project yet due to referenced media but I have had wasted time re linking media, especially if compound clips are involved.

I suspect that the new update will probably lay most of these residual problems to rest.

best wishes

Ian Skurrie

Hi Ian,

Is it true that sparse images can slow your read speeds?

Yes if you work on a slow system and an older OS (pre 10.6). We don't have any problems with sparse bundles on our network, and they offer an ideal solution for transporting entire FCPX "projects" between different locations. But I would prefer better collaborative options in FCPX so we don't have to use sparse images at all.

I have found that copying your media to event folders more robust.

That's correct if you have to do a lot of media management. But overall the referenced media workflow is quite robust (unless of course you start modifying files used by FCPX at Finder level).

I suspect that the new update will probably lay most of these residual problems to rest.

Let's hope so. A much better collaborative editing workflow is in the top 5 of most requested features for FCPX. If Apple really takes this into consideration this entire discussion will be outdated very soon. That's why I would advise the OP to wait a few weeks until 10.1 is released. Things may look quite differently then.

- Ronny