Final Cut Pro Tech Tip #1

Project management

Project management is pivotal to your effective use of Final Cut Pro (FCP). How you set up your project’s filing system can either help or hinder you finding and managing your media. Here’s a tip on how to set up your project. The picture below is how you should set up your project:

The Project Folder here is SoundTrack Class. Inside that project folder you should create six sub folders:

This set up makes it easier to see what is inside your project folder. Setting your System preferences takes only one extra step.

After you have opened your new FCP project, press Shift-Q, the System Settings window will open. Moving from left to right, you’ll select: Your storage, your project folder, your Final Cut Documents folder, and then press return.
Do this for all four of the System Settings’ “Set” buttons, and then press return. You will repeat this process every time you open your project and set your System preferences.

This file management system makes archiving your project easier while conserving storage space. Once your project is complete (printed to tape and/or exported as a Quicktime file), you can throw away the Final Cut Pro Documents folder. You must hold on to your original field tapes. You’ll need them to recreate you FCP project later. You should hold on to the (project) Master, Graphics, Sound and SoundTrack files.
This remaining content of your project folder can then be stored on a rewritable DVD, a USB drive, or even on your Firewire hard drive (backup copies are always advisable). Due to excluding the media files, this archive will be significantly smaller, which will free up more space on your drive.