Tips on organizing footage after the wedding

[Joe Riggs]

Hi,

After a wedding shoot you end up with a significant amount of footage to edit. What's a good way to go through the footage, label, and sort it so editing could be slightly more efficient?

[Kelly Huffaker]

What are camera are u using?

[Joe Riggs]

The Canon 7D

[Chris Harding]

Hi Joe

My method, regardless of camera is to edit as soon as possible..if you leave the footage for weeks and weeks it's tough to remember the event that clearly...I usually drop the footage off the cards onto the computer when I get back and then edit within two days when the event is still fresh in my mind.

My Panasonic numbers the clips so I have no idea what's on them from the title. I guess you could rename the files to something logical but I usually don't bother...My A-Cam shoots the static ceremony and the presentation of the newly weds so I know that clips 00000 and 00001 are the ceremony.

With the B-Cam I'm often shooting prep video before the ceremony but you can easily distinguish between bridal party prep shots from the thumbnails in your NLE and which are bridal arrival and cutaways.

eg : B-Cam 00000 - 00041 - Prep 00042 - 00066 - Ceremony.

For me that's usually enough but when I was still using tape I used to preview and log each sequence which was very time consuming!!! Use whatever makes your life easier.

Chris

[Philip Howells]

Joe, I'll certainly support Chris' view that remembering the ceremony is easier soon after the day rather than later. On the other hand, if you use the sorting to also review what the other cameras took - and I have three camera's output to review - it's often less arduous to come to it later when you don't feel quite so jaded from the shoot perhaps.

The important thing is that Chris and I are using proper video cameras which mean we may have clips lasting up to 60 minutes. If you're using a DSLR I believe that may not be the case so our advice might not be so valid. I'm sure someone more familiar with your equipment will have more relevant detailed advice.

What's certain is that the more complicated (because the clips are not contiguous - if indeed my understanding of your gear is correct and that is the case) and numerous the clips are, the more important your system of identification will be so your question will be important to others using DSLRs.

[Don Bloom]

I am also using a vid camera but what I do is pretty easy and fairly standard.
Each tape is marked BEFORE it gets used. Then I log on a seperate piece of paper what is on the tape in general terms IE; 1-1 prep, preceremony, ceremony thru communion...1-2; ceremony to end, post B footage reception... 2-1 B cam ceremony... 3-1;C cam ceremony... ETC ETC
Just in general terms. Not time specific. Now when I load in each tape goes into it's own folder with a general nomenclature or description as to what is on the tape and the tape number. These folders are all in the master folder I create when I load the tapes. Now the folders are marked, I have a written log (general terms) so when I start to edit I don't have to hunt thru 4 hours or more of footage. I really don't have time or patience for that.
BTW, I've been using this system since the very old BETA/VHS days and for me it works everytime.

[Philip Howells]

And Don I'd be the first to argue for not changing something that works. The problem arises when the camera you change to forces you to take a new tack.

For example, I used a system nit unlike yours when I was recording to MRC1's but the file structure built into the browser in use with the files from my EX1R simply don't allow that. I can rename them of course but we're now well away from the OP. I that case he's dealing with files from a DSLR which, I believe, are different again in structure and number.

Finally, I have to add that any system which involves writing on the cassette has also to translate as easily to the NLE to be properly efficient doesn't it?

[Chris Harding]

Hi Guys

Yeah, tapes were easy to mark as you only used them once!! Now cards are a different story as there is little space to mark them. I have a Pelican case which has the added security of elastic bands for each of the 8 cards. If I happen to use more than one card per camera the used card is popped back to the case in it's own place so I know that top left is the A-Cam and top right is the B-Cam...extra cards are left in the cameras to avoid confusion.

Using 16GB SDHC cards even at 24mbps I can usually fit a wedding comfortably onto just one card per camera. If in the unlikely event that I mix up the cards, I check the thumbnails in camera first very carefully before formatting!!! Never messed up yet!!

On the 'puter, I create a folder with the grooms surname and then sub folders for each camera plus a DVD folder. In each cams sub folder there is a AVCHD folder and an HDV folder (cos I transcode to MPEG2 from the AVCHD files so my little DuoCore can handle the editing) I render the timelines straight to the "surname" folder with sensible names like "ceremony", "arrival", "cake" etc etc and it works for me!!

Chris

[Don Bloom]

Hey Philip and Chris,
I forgot to actually get to the point I was trying to make (it's hell to get old we forget things) but can't you do the same sort of thing with the cards. I don't mean renaming them when loading but if you keep some sort of log as you go. Is that possible? I ask because of the file structure be it DSLR, or any other card type capture?

BTW, the only info I put on the tape face itself is date, Names and tape and cam number IE 1-1, 1-2, 2-1 3-1 etc. everything else I scrawl on paper and that all goes into the job bag. Then when I load I name the folders with the cam/tape # and a very brief description IE prep thru ceremony, ceremony and post, reception... I try to keep it simple but at least somewhat descriptive.

Anyway I bet that if we all thought about it we could come up with at least 1 system of naming and describing the footage that comes from the cards. Hmmm, maybe not since there are so many different types.

[Greg Fiske]

If its for dslr then its like a photographers workflow. Have the file directory setup as follows
01_raw footage
01_audio
02_video
01_camera A
02_camera B, etc.
02_transcoded/culled footage
03_project files
04_exported files
05_paperwork, etc.
The numbers in front keep things ordered in the same way as your workflow. Load everything into bridge and rate your footage, 4 and 5 star gets transcoded. Copy that footage to your transcoded footage folder (culled files) and transcode and replace them. Bring them into premier with ceremony, reception and getting ready folders, etc.

[Philip Howells]

Originally Posted by Don Bloom

Hey Philip and Chris,
I forgot to actually get to the point I was trying to make (it's hell to get old we forget things) but can't you do the same sort of thing with the cards. I don't mean renaming them when loading but if you keep some sort of log as you go. Is that possible? I ask because of the file structure be it DSLR, or any other card type capture?

BTW, the only info I put on the tape face itself is date, Names and tape and cam number IE 1-1, 1-2, 2-1 3-1 etc. everything else I scrawl on paper and that all goes into the job bag. Then when I load I name the folders with the cam/tape # and a very brief description IE prep thru ceremony, ceremony and post, reception... I try to keep it simple but at least somewhat descriptive.

Anyway I bet that if we all thought about it we could come up with at least 1 system of naming and describing the footage that comes from the cards. Hmmm, maybe not since there are so many different types.

Speaking for myself Don, I've three cameras running most of the time. Sometimes in sync together, sometimes solus. I don't find I have time to write notes but if I did your system has much merit. Once the three main sections have been synchronised for multicam edit I deal with the solus items by reference to the thumbnails. Since the reference includes TOD I can usually find any shot I need very quickly.

All olther material, music, stills FX etc is brought into its own racks.

[Don Bloom]

Philip,
I also have 2 to 3 cams running but I don't write my tape log as I go. During dinner I take a few minutes and write down in general terms whats on the tapes I've got in my pocket. That way if something were to happen to me and I couldn't edit just about anyone could without having to sort thru all the footage. Hopefully they would know by reading the log sheet whats on what tape at least in general terms.
BUT, since we're talking about cards it's a different story. Maybe one day I'll join the 21st century and start shooting solid state. :-()

[Philip Howells]

Don, your organisation puts me to shame. Maybe it's age but it has crossed my mind to consider how my colleagues would go about editing my last programme.

[Joe Riggs]

Thanks this is very helpful. I hope to discover a workflow that will allow me find and edit clips quickly particularly for montages. What I'm thinking is to go through the footage, and move all the good clips to a folder for that part of the wedding and rename them with a short description. .

[Don Bloom]

Philip, I learned this organization from someone who had a short memory. I used to laugh at him because of it. Guess what. Now I'm the one with the short memory so it's really out self preservation.

Joe, that seems like it will work out just fine. I'm sure as you go along you'll tweak the system to fit you like a glove so there'll be very little time wasted. Like they say, "Time is money"