Editing wedding films can be time-consuming and even be overwhelming at times. We have all been there. Us included. So We want to change that and help you become a faster editor and allow for more creativity in post by optimizing your workflow.
We are in the process of taking all our knowledge and tips and tricks for editing in FCPX and create our own Master Class for Wedding Film Editors.
So If you want to become a faster editor and allow for more creativity in post, then you need to optimize your workflow. Just by putting in the extra effort at the beginning stages of your editing process will quickly allow you to navigate your shots you want to use as well as easily apply your color grade and audio mastering for your film.
What we will be discussing in our Class will be broken down into 5 stages:
Transfer Prep Edit Mastering Delivery
We will be going over our entire workflow from Import to delivery
TRANSFER
When it comes to the Transfer stage, we will be discussing how we take the footage from our cameras and transfer them to our external hard drive. (not so hard, I know) However, we will also discuss properly setting up our folders and renaming files so that once imported, our smart collections instantly populate with the proper clips.
PREP
Now, the most time consuming and the most time SAVING stage is the Prep Stage: It involves the most steps but drastically reduces your editing time if you can master this stage and put in the extra time. This section of the class will showcase how we properly set up our library, import our clips and add corresponding meta data, sort our footage into our template based keyword collections, and setup our multicams.
EDIT
Then the fun part begins, (actually for me, the fun part was the prep stage, but Kristine takes over here) now we start editing our wedding film. Since we put in the time to prepare all of our clips, the Editor can now focus on the best parts of the wedding and start pulling out the different dialogue sections and start browsing for songs. When working in the magnetic timeline, there are multiple ways of crafting an edit. The way we choose to use the magnetic timeline is by placing all of our dialogue clips such as ceremony and toasts into the primary storyline and then placing our other sequenced shots or b-roll footage above the magnetic timeline into what is called a connected storyline. Because we cut up our music a lot and layer multiple sections together at times, this structure has been the easiest and most efficient way for us to edit.
One of the most loved and hated but very misunderstood things about final cuts is the magnetic storyline. We didn’t utilize it up until recently and once we discovered how to properly use this feature, we realized it was actually incredible.
MASTERING
Once we have created a rough edit, we then start finalizing our film and begin the Mastering stage. (ok this is actually my favorite part) This stage includes fine tuning shot selections, in depth audio mastering, color balancing and grading, as well as implementing any effects or title sequences before exporting the film. (Here’s a little tip, we actually do all of our audio effects inside the multicam as well as some of our color grading so that the effects populate accordingly throughout the film because of their nested multicam properties. So you should be using multicams instead of synchronized clips to take advantage of this awesome feature. Pretty powerful)
DELIVERY
So after the film has been exported, then we move onto the Delivery stage. Now every company has different deliverables and ways they choose to send their films off to their clients. As of 2018, we now deliver all our films through digital delivery via Mediazilla. If you haven’t heard of Mediazilla, check out the link in our description. It makes life so much easier and simpler for us. Now there are still package upgrades we offer that do require shipping out a physical product, but we are just going to address our online delivery setup.
So there you go. This is just a subtle glimpse into our process for editing wedding films in FCPX from start to finish. We will be rolling out more info for our Master Class in the coming months so be on the lookout and sign up here to be the first to hear more once it gets closer to release.
If there is anything you want to know about editing or that you hope we discuss in more detail, leave it in the comments section of this post. We want to know what you would like to get out of this class but also hear what your biggest struggle is when it comes to editing. Hopefully, the information we share will inspire and challenge you to start crafting beautiful wedding films while saving you time in the process.