FCPX Media Management vs FCP 7's Media Mangler ? Smart minds pelase explain...

I love FCPX. And have been a convert since the first release. Its fast, efficient and very capable as a modern NLE editor.

But the one thing I have never really seen addressed is its Media Management. I just don't get it.

And maybe what I seek is there - I have just missed it for the last three years (I hope so).

My workflow in FCP7 - would be pretty simple and just like Avid before it. Edit the project, fine cut - then archive - by consolidating just the media used on my timeline (with handles) onto a archive drive. That project was much smaller and could easily be revisited if changes or updates were necessary.

But as far as I can see FCP X lost this feature (just copying the clips used on the timeline). So pre 10.1 - it would copy the entirety of any clips used (which is frankly rubbish if you have used two mins of a forty minute clip) to another drive.

Now in 10.1 - I don't get what its doing at all. sure its simplified the process - but I can't get my head around what its actually doing. I consolidate all the media into one place and then copy the event. But its bringing everything with it. I mean really? Is that what you are all doing?

Surely I can't be the only one that JUST wants the ACTUAL media used in my project/timeline archived with handles - NOT everything or referenced clips in their entirety?

You just want to copy the project with only the used clips in the timeline?
Have you tried using Copy to Library? This will copy only the used clips in the project.

In Pre-10.1 you could copy ONLY the media of the timeline. The downside of it was that you could not have handles, but you have to copy the whole clip, even if you only used a small portion of it.

Basically this has not changed in 10.1.
Yes, FCP 7 had it, FCPX doesn't. File the feedback form for your request, I'm sure it will make it in the software one time. This can be irritating, and we all hope that the option gets there but on the other hand, hard disk space is pretty cheap, in most cases this shouldn't present a un-controllable roadblock.

With storage continuously increasing in size and decreasing in price, I'm actually fine now with saving more footage, within reason of course, and only the original footage (trashing ProRes and Proxy media upon archiving).

If its a problem on a bigger project, you can always utilize the Used Media feature to identify unused clips and trash them. This doesn't help if you shot an hour long interview and only used 1 minute of that particular clip, but its a start. And if that is the case, you could always export out that 1 minute clip (with handles) into a new file and replace it in your main time line.

And yes, I think this is really one of the last pre-FCPX features I miss that has yet to be addressed.

its actually crazy that it isn't in there for a program that acts like a media manager. its like forgetting to put an export command in a NLE - and vital for bigger projects.

how hard can it be to include?

storage media getting cheaper? thats a very poor argument. especially as 4K is going to change the storage game all over again.

Interesting that handles are still suche a large request in todays workflow.
Out of interest how long is the media used in the projects vs to the un-cut media?

P.S. 4K can be a argument but the days of capture now 60 min tapes are over, no?
If I have a project in 4K that is completed and read to get archived on the shelf, I just backup the project and store it save with the original RAW media.

well working in the UK - documentaries can have crazy shooting ratios - depending on the director. Same is true of all kinds of productions. Having an event that only has what was used in the Final Edit is pretty vital to me. We will regularly let interviews run and run. So a few minutes of interview out of an hour long clip is pretty normal for some projects.

Is there a way of deleting all the event media - and save only the project (timeline) and a camera archive? Does that all restore ok? Whats the workflow? I feel this part of FCP is very poorly thought through.

Genuinely interested to see how people are making this work for them - as now at the end of a big project - not sure what to do with such huge amounts of unwanted data.

Snapdragon wrote: storage media getting cheaper? thats a very poor argument. especially as 4K is going to change the storage game all over again.

Maybe in your case, but here it's a fine argument. It's a cost-benefit analysis. If I was working with 8TB RAIDs 10 years ago I would have saved more footage too. You never know what gems you may find that didn't work for an initial client but apply to a new one, and saving it is more cost effective than paying a crew to reshoot. This also implies that you have a well-organized and labeled archiving system. It pays to be neat.

Yeah you are right about the Documentary world.
Well this how I manage media on project that I edit or if I function as a DIT.
Golden rule I have 3 Backups for all clients. Depending on the project but for example I mentioned above...
For a 4K REDcode project I copy all my media over to my main "scratch" drive import the media without copying it into a FCP X Library.
When I"em done I just backup the FCP X Library. The copied media that is located on the main drive can be removed.

Now depending on the situation and mode I'em in... if I do copy all the media into the Library I just use the complete Library as one of my archives.

I will be start editing a short film that has been captured in REDcode end of May. If you like I can give you some in and outs of the Workflow. Or if you need some help in general ProRes and/or REDcode workflow with FCP X we can discuss with over Skype or Co.

My 2¢..

The main frustration I have had in the past opening archived media managed projects is hoping that whoever archived it kept a copy of the actual media managed footage. There have been times where that is the only copy of the project file. I have had to actually recreate the edits using the timecode information and the original untouched footage. It's a nightmare scenario.

Scrubelicious is right on the money with the comment about 60min tapes being a thing of the past. Even with 4K clips becoming more common, they are usually still short takes, it's just not worth the hassle.

Darren Roark wrote: My 2¢..

The main frustration I have had in the past opening archived media managed projects is hoping that whoever archived it kept a copy of the actual media managed footage. There have been times where that is the only copy of the project file. I have had to actually recreate the edits using the timecode information and the original untouched footage. It's a nightmare scenario.

Scrubelicious is right on the money with the comment about 60min tapes being a thing of the past. Even with 4K clips becoming more common, they are usually still short takes, it's just not worth the hassle.

Thumbs up.

Also I forgot. This is my opinion from my experience. If you not able to archive the complete project with RAW media. Maybe you shouldn't. I can't imagine the client is okay if you only archive used media.

Excellent point. You can't really make changes without other takes!

Tapes, glad they are pretty much gone. Even master delivery is finally phasing them out.

Just finished a documentary that involved a lot of GoPro interviews in cars. Each time we went out there would 4 - 5 cameras rolling for about 30 minutes. All we'd use would be 5 at most.

So yeah I'd LOVE to see the option return to archive with handles AND other multiclip angles just like we used to.
I can't figure out why this is so hard to do?

My 2 cents here too.

At my shop we have had a pretty simple philosophy about artwork - never throw away original artwork or media, only renders. Original artwork or media is irreplaceable. So even though it is pricy it is worth it to store it. And over the last 20 years of working, storage prices have consistently come down. Back then 1GB HD cost $1000. Today 1GB of storage is given away in a McDonalds happy meal. With legacy FCP we had a hard time actually hanging onto all the media because it was so difficult to manage and collect your own media and artwork. But over time I have had to pull them from archive I needed all the media, not just media managed with handles. The worst part of media managed projects (besides when it made errors and didn't actually work) is that I lost the original bin structure, so when I opened it back up all I had was one bin of media. FCPX has been Godsent in that it allows us to finally achieve projects and know that we really have everything. Of course this is just our workflow for corporate videos and commercials.

Regarding handles it seems that it would be an easy task to accomplish with a third party tool. If you look at Clip Exporter (for AE, Nuke, etc.) it can export quicktime files with handles just as you asked:

clipexporter.mindtransplant.com

All that would be needed would be modifying the FCPXML to point to the new exported files. Perhaps contact the folks there and see if they would consider implementing that feature.

I'm with Seamus. There is plenty of wasted footage that I don't want to have to store indefinitely. And once I have archived the cameras - I certainly don't want to store all the same footage all over again because FCPX lacks the option to only copy what has been used.

Saying storage media has come down in price completely misses the point imo. And if thats Apple's thinking - its lazy and unfocused.

I mean seriously how hard can it be to take an XML and duplicate only the media in it - with handles? Maybe its not necessary for ALL projects but Its a core function for me.

Scrubelicious wrote:



When I"em done I just backup the FCP X Library. The copied media that is located on the main drive can be removed.



I will be start editing a short film that has been captured in REDcode end of May. If you like I can give you some in and outs of the Workflow. .

That would be great. I'd love to see how other working editors are archiving big projects in a practical way.

Snapdragon wrote: I mean seriously how hard can it be to take an XML and duplicate only the media in it - with handles? Maybe its not necessary for ALL projects but Its a core function for me.

Speaking as a programmer, the phrase "how hard can it be?" is the one I most dread and despise. When a non-programmer says something like that to me, I have to fight the urge to smack them.

I'm not on the FCPX programming team, but I know some details about the structure of the event library and I can see several ways trimming source media during consolidation would be challenging within the overall framework they've established. Not impossible for sure, but not "easy".

how so?

you have an xml of the media in the timeline. it contains information about how long the clips are, and where they are located. All it needs is a command to copy just those bits over to a new event/library.

i really don't think that is out of reach of FCP X. .