Clearing my Hard Drive of Footage...

[DVX100Shooter]

I just completed editing my first project on my new G5 system. I have the completed project saved in a special folder and now I want to get rid of all the footage used to make that project. How do I go about doing this?

All of my clips are Master clips by the way. I just need to clear everything out to make room for the next project. When I start deleting clips, that won't cause issues with the completed projects will it?


I have only had my G5 with FCP since October so I am still learning!

Thanks!

[Jive]

When you say that you have the project saved in a special folder, does that mean that you have:
A) the project FILE saved in the folder along with the pertinent source media files used in the project
B) a finished/rendered media file of the project saved in the folder
C) just the FCP project file saved in the folder

If C) is what you've got, then don't delete anything just yet. I only ask this because one of the main misconceptions I come across when training people on FCP is that the project file actually "contains" the final edit. Just to clarify, the project file merely contains references to the source media files used in the project. If one were to delete the source files, then wherever those files are used in the edit will be made offline (meaning that you'd have to recapture/reconnect the media for it to be used in the edit). Therefore, you would not want to delete any of the source files.

If you've done B), then all you'd really need is the hold on to the project file as well. If you decide that you want to re-edit your project after having deleted the source media files, you'd have to recapture everything and then you can re-edit.

If you've done A), and you're sure you've got your final edit, then you can use the media manager to keep only the source media files (or parts of such files) that have been used in the project. You can also render out a full quicktime file of the finished edit just in case something havppens to the source. At least then you'd still have the finished edit.

If none of the above match what you've done, please clarify.

[DVX100Shooter]

Here is a bit more info for you and thank you in advance for your help so far.

Okay my FCP is on my system drive however I save all my video to the "extra" 120 gig internal drive. When I open my Extra drive, I have several options or folders to click on. The main one being FCP Documents. Now since I did a Batch capture all of my files in my Capture Scratch folder are Quicktime files.

On this same HD, I have a folder called Video Projects and it has several clapboard icons with the Q on them that I can click. When I do a right click on the icon and then click GET INFO my projects are listed as FCP Movie Files. I have them locked. I am guessing the lock prevents the file from being deleted?? There are also 2 files that are .DVDPROJ since I burned 2 DVD's with iDVD3.

I have NOT deleted anything yet, but when I went to open one of those files that didnt have the Q on the clapboard a prompt came up saying that it cannot find Sequence 1-FIN-00000047 and that my movie will not play properly. I did a search for that file and came up empty. I was able to play the project fine though....not sure why that prompt came up.

My Temporary Items Folder is empty too...I think because I did a batch capture instead of log and capture.

Like I said earlier, I have burned my FINAL RENDERED Projects to tape and DVD so if I need to import them back into the system I should be able to with no problem (from tape anyway)

My goal is to edit several projects then put them all on one DVD. I just wanted to keep the COMPLETED FINAL EDITS on my Hard Drive until it was time to do that, but delete all the clips or I guess I should say Quick time files off my drive to make room for new material.

Do I have to delete them from within FCP or do I have to pull up the hard drive those clips are on and delete them one by one?

Lastly, the projects are saved in a folder separate from the pertinent media files used to make the final edit. My video projects folder contains nothing but the completed final edit projects.

So if I use the Media Manager to get rid of all my files/clips etc. will it also delete my final rendered projects is I guess the ultimate question I am asking here. I have already edited 2 versions of my project a long version and a short promo version so I have no need to re-edit anything at this time. If I do, then I can just cut something from one of the versions.

I hope this added info helps and I hope I didnt confuse you any!

[DVX100Shooter]

Somebody on another board told me to export my project to a QT Movie then click the Self Contained Movie box that way it will keep it uncompressed. Do you know anything about that? I

[RCE]

As Jive has stated, FCP just uses references to the source material. If you want to completely remove the video from your system, you'll have to drag all video material from your external hard drive to the trash and then empty your trash. If you have already exported to a tape (with no compression), this shouldn't be an issue. However, if your project is for a client I would wait until I have a final sign off from the client before I touch anything. It would suck to have the client come back with changes that would force you to relog and capture your source material.

[Zoomforce]

Hey, I dont suggest deleting it, as even though your client may be done for now, they may wish to add something or do an edit after the fact.. they also may loose thier own copy and need it again. I would suggest in the future, you add $100 to whatever quote you give for a client. Then, for each client go and but one of these: http://www.directron.com/rh10.html, and a 80 or 100gb drive for each client (should only cost you about $60).. then you just pull out each drive and insert a new clients in the tray from project to project.

That way, you are covered in the future, and you dont need to have various clients footage on your system at all times (in case you get hit by lightning or someone steals your system) so you are safe. Also, it keeps you somewhat organized.

[RCE]

That is a great idea!

[Zoomforce]

yes it is good way to do it.. and also if you ever outsource for FX or anything you can just give them the drive.. like if you need to goto an Avid Symphony for color timing etc..

[Jive]

Totally. As HD prices are falling so much, it's a very good idea to buy an HD just for a specific project just to add that extra layer of protection. For decades, the broadcast industry has preserved their masters on tape, and it works for them. But lose one master tape, and the value of that extra layer of protection an HD can offer suddenly finds its value.

To answer your questions:
- Files like "1-FIN-00000047" are render files. In a default installation of FCP, they would usually be only in the Render files folder. These files are not playable on their own as they are necessary only within the project. Thus you cannot 'play' them by clicking on them.

- I think there was a miscommunication about what I meant when I said "RENDERED" in my first post. I was not referring to whether or not all the video, effects, etc. on the timeline were rendered (using the Sequence>Render... functions). This just creates render files which are referenced by the project file as well. Rather, I was referring to you saving a video file (generally a Quicktime .mov) that, when clicked on, will open up in Quicktime as a video file. This can be accomplished by exporting your project as a Quicktime movie and clicking the 'self-contained' option. Contrary to what someone told you, this option does not keep anything uncompressed (as DV is already compressed), but at least it should not compress the video further (not sure if there's generational loss with the quicktime DV codec. Anyone care to comment?).

- While you may have burned your final rendered edit to tape, recapturing that will not allow you to re-edit your piece in the same way as if you had your source footage. That is the important thing here. You never know if you will re-edit your piece, thus keeping your source in some form, whether on tape, HD, or both, is the only way you'll be able to effectively re-edit your piece.

- I may be wrong, but I still think that you may have some misconception about what the project file is. To hopefully better illustrate the relationship between project files and source files, look at the file sizes of each. DV footage is about 12Gb per hour of footage, while the project file will usually only be in the Kb range even if it were a 2 hour movie.
Think about it this way:

>You can delete a project file, and you'd still have all your source files. You could create a new project in FCP, import the same source files, and edit with them.

>Within your FCP project, you could highlight and delete all of your imported media in your bin and your source files would still be present on the HD. This is because they are only references to the actual files. All that you'd delete would be references to the file.

>If you went into your HD directories, selected all the source files, and dragged them to the trash (and then emptied the trash), you would no longer have any source files. When you opened up your FCP project, all your media would be offline, meaning that the source files that were being referenced in your project cannot be found. In such a case, the only way to get back your footage would be to recapture all of your footage from the source tapes.

Finally, while not recommended, if you only have one drive and you absolutely must clear it to make room for another project, the safest way to delete your footage is in FCP. Open your project, select the the source files in your bin that you want to remove from your HD, and choose "Make Offline" and choose the 'remove from disk' (or something like that) checkbox. This will effectively erase the source file from your HD. Notice that the reference to the file will still be present in your bin, but with a red slash through its icon (stating that the source file is offline). This way, there's much less chance of deleting source files used in other FCP projects as opposed to opening up the HD folder and dragging your files to the trash. I suppose I should also mention that if you make a file offline in one FCP project, the file will also be offline (and thus unusable) in any other project that references that file, as you've deleted the source file.

I hope this has answered your questions. There was some confusion on my part with the vernacular that you used ('project','movie','render', etc.), as they can refer to different things, therefore my response may be way off. In my response, I have tried to use the the pertinent vocabulary that FCP uses to refer to the different aspects of editing, etc., so hopefully the confusion can be minimized.

[DVX100Shooter]

Thanks for the help! I am still a little confused but I am going to print out your post and read it a few times till it makes sense to me. The project is not for a client....but I do plan to sell it when I am finished. This is just the first part. I have 3 more parts to edit yet.

I have 2 HD's. One is my system drive and the other is strictly FCP video editing which includes Soundtrack and Livetype and the rest of the software packages.

If I burn a copy to tape then for whatever reason later on find the need to import it back into the system to edit something from it after I have deleted all the source files and project files will the project play on its own without the source files? Like If I needed to add more Titles or Credits at the end or take away some shots? I understand what you are saying about leaving the footage on the HD for issues like this. But my next project was shot on two 63 minute tapes and I want to get the source files of the present project off before I start the next.

BTW, I thought that when you do a BATCH CAPTURE your bypassing using referrence files. I thought your clips automatically become SOURCE clips. I could be wrong on this. I captured all my footage in a batch capture for this project and ALL of my clips are ONLINE clips.

So the bottom line, what should I do? Should I just make back up copies on tape then remove everything from the HD and start my next projects. Then import all the projects from the tapes back into the system to burn everything on 1 DVD? I am sorry about this but I am totally confused about what to delete and what not to delete :-/ I don't want to screw anything up.

[Jive]

Yep, just read over my previous post, I think the answers to your questions are there or in other posts by others.

Also, just to clarify, if you printed your final edit to miniDV tape, then you would be able to capture that video to your computer just like you could do with any other miniDV tape. The difference between trying to re-edit a piece this way as opposed to saving your project file and your source tapes (and recapturing from them should you ever want to re-edit) is that capturing from your final edit tape will basically be captured as one big clip. Thus, you could use it in FCP like any other clip. So, for instance, if you had any transitions in your final edit, you could not just select them and change them as you could with your source files and your original project file.

[DVX100Shooter]

Me again! ;D Okay say I export a QT file and then select Self Contained Movie. I then save that somewhere on my HD. Burn me a copy on tape as well. Then I go and trash all my project and source files related to that project.

Now, if for whatever reason I need to import that back into FCP for further editing after all files have been deleted. I will be able to ADD more stuff to it right? Someone on here mentioned that I wouldnt be able to rip apart the finished edited project because it is imported as one whole clip.

By the way how do you copy a sequence onto another timeline. I followed the instructions in the book using the Paste Attributes but it wouldnt paste to the new timeline.

[DVX100Shooter]

How long does it take to make a Self Contained Movie File? According to the book, it copies frame by frame. Is it something that would take so long that I would have to set it up to do it then come back to the computer later on after its finished?

Can I use iDVD for those Data DVD's, DVD-ROM? I am not sure if the DVD-ROM will work on the MAC though....Since we are supposed to use DVD-R discs. I will be getting Studio DVD Pro sometime in the future.

[Jive]

Like I said, recapturing the final edit from the tape you printed it to would work just like capturing any other tape. Unless you wanted to log every scene in your final edit, the clip would be captured as one large clip. You can use the captured clip exactly as you could any other clip (set in/out points, insert in timeline, etc.).

The difference comes when you compare the flexibility you have between editing your current project (with all of it's source files) or a new project consisting of one clip. I've never seen what your sequence looks like, but often times, multiple tracks of video and audio are used. In your current project (using the source files), you could adjust positioning, levels, etc. of each overlapping video or audio layer. In a project where you just have your recaptured final edit clip, you cannot for instance you background music (as it has been mixed down with the rest of the audio).

What I would do if you really want to create the most room on your HD is to clear your SOURCE files, and save a backup of your PROJECT file. As the project file only contains referencing information of the source files, the file is very small, but it contains very important information all the same. Namely, if you hold onto your tapes with the raw footage (where your source files were captured from), you can batch capture all of your raw footage to do a re-edit from within this project file. If you've already dumped or recorded over your raw footage, then there's really nothing you can do after you delete your source files than recapture your finished edit and take what you can get.

Exporting a QT movie as a self enclosed file will take the same amount of time as rendering does as they are doing the same thing (writing frames to disk). As CPU speed, HD speed, and length of your sequence are the main determinants in how long exporting to QT will take, I couldn't give you a better estimate of time than to say it would take as long as rendering your whole sequence at best quality.

As for copying another sequence into another sequence (called "nesting"), you simply drag it from the bin into the timeline/canvas and it will be placed on the timeline as one large clip. You can make changes to this sequence in its own timeline and changes are reflected in any sequence it is nested in. Note: pasting attributes only pastes...well...the attributes of a clip (opacity, keyframes, filters, etc.) which are generally selectable when you choose the paste attributes command. A normal paste would generally suffice.