2 Before the Edit: Production Tips

“With Final Cut Pro, I appreciate how the “how” of the edit gets out of the way so quickly, so I can explore the creativity in the “what” of the edit. Editing is much less tiring in Final Cut because it is so much more enjoyable.”

— Alex “4D” Gollner, Final Cut Pro plugin maker (Alex4D.com)

This chapter, unlike the other chapters in this book, isn’t directly about Final Cut Pro (FCP). Instead, it deals with many of the technical and camera-based details that you should know and the basics that you must know — codecs, shot types, data rates, and more. Technical details are important, regardless of whether you’re shooting your own video or you’re working with a separate operator, because you’ll know what to ask for.

Important note

If you’ve been in the industry for a while or you have no plans to ever shoot a video of your own, feel free to skim quickly over this chapter. This book is designed to be useful for a wide audience, and so this chapter is full of details that new editors and shooters need to know. Experienced editors will probably know most of these important details already, so if that’s you, speed-read your way to Chapter 3, Bring It In: Importing Your Footage.

There’s plenty of detail here, but this chapter is not a complete preproduction guide. The preproduction process has many stages, and before you open FCP, you should at least have an idea of what you’re trying to make. The more detailed your idea, the better you’ll be able to execute it.

However, as there isn’t space to cover the non-technical details of writing a script, drawing a storyboard, managing a crew, and wrapping cables to avoid tripping over them, this chapter talks about the following:

• Getting the settings right
• Choosing a camera
• Shooting the right shots
• Working with multiple cameras and audio recorders
• Managing everything on set

The goal of this chapter is to provide a technical primer for shooters and for the editors who have to work with them. If you’re not 100% confident with frame rates, resolutions, shutter speed, banding, types of cameras and accessories, what B-roll is, and what types of shots you’ll need to produce a great edit, this chapter is for you.