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Multicam Editing in Final Cut Pro, Part 2

Jun 15, 2010 12:00 PM, By Jan Ozer

Last time out, we discussed shooting for multicam editing, and syncing your clips for multicam editing in Apple Final Cut Pro. This time out, I'll detail how to work with clips in the Viewer, how to switch camera angles, how to optimize playback in the Timeline, and other production details.

Meet the new project

Since we last talked, I got a wonderful present in the mail: the new book from Mitch Jacobson titled Mastering MultiCamera Techniques (2010, Focal Press, $54.95). Briefly, it's 450 pages long and covers everything from where to position the cameras to what to name the tapes to cutting techniques and styles, with descriptive quotes from such editors as Thom Zimney, who produces Springsteen concerts, and Tim Squyres, who got an Academy Award for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Jacobson has some pretty impressive chops himself, having produced for the Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, and Elton John.

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Multicam Editing in Final Cut Pro, Part 1 Multicam editing is probably the most concrete distinction between consumer and professional productions. In this two-part tutorial, I'll detail the workflow for using Apple Final Cut Pro's multicam editing feature. In this issue I'll focus on covering the shoot and syncing your clips; next time I'll cover choosing camera angles and other multicam editing details...

And, there's lots of good stuff in between, including how multicam differs for productions such as sitcoms, concerts, weddings, and worship services, and working with IMAG projectors. It's the kind of book that offers a lot of value to shooters and editors of any experience levels, and I know that I'll use it frequently going forwards with my multicam productions. Anyway, the DVD with the book has seven bonus chapters, a 21-minute overview tutorial on producing multicam footage in Final Cut Pro, and practice clips with up to 20 angles of a multicam shoot, which I'll use for this portion of the article. The Paul McCartney clips on the DVD, and images hereof, are courtesy of MPL Tours, Inc., Executive Producer, Sir Paul McCartney.

The footage was jam-synced at the show, so I synced the clips together into a multiclip using Final Cut Pro's Make Multiclip option, synchronize using timecode.

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