FCPX naming conventions/terminology???

[arniepix]

All these terms are entirely arbitrary and I could call it a blargle and nobody would care as long as the work was still good.

Not all of them are arbitrary, many of the terms that we use are grounded in the legacy of cutting film and video tape.

Bins are called bins, and not folders, because we used to hang film trims up on what looked like big canvas laundry bins. Many of us still refer to ingesting footage (even tapeless footage coming off of memory cards) as digitizing because we used to have to digitize analog tape into the computer. And nearly all of us refer to filming or taping because it was once common that there would be actual film or tape in the camera.

History aside, it's in our interest to speak a common language so that we can understand each other and work together. How many times have I been in a FCP session and had someone refer to the source & record monitors rather than the viewer and canvas? Digitize, rather than capture?

 

[alpi69]

All great insight and responses.

Not to get off subject from this post but another thing I'm trying to figure out is if I wanted to share a project file to collaborate with someone out of state or just in another location, what exact files do I need to send them if they have all the associated media on they're own system? I figure this question somewhat relates to the topic in that I don't get the terminology of what I need to transfer to another person in another location. Project files, Event files WTH? Everything I've tried so far results in "files offline" and well since we can't reconnect offline files...

That´s the best way we have found:
Create an event in one machine and throw footage in there. Now duplicate this event to another drive to be used elsewhere. You can call it something else, too.

Now the remote user can create projects that are linked to the duplicated event on his machine. He will then have to send you only the project directory. Without renderfiles that can be very small just like an old fcp-file.
When you now open this project (aka timeline) on your machine it will be offline!! Yikes.....well....go to the inspector of the project and set the event-refernce to your original event!
I have a blogpost here about this method: http://fcpxmegatest.blogspot.com/2011/07/how-to-take-parts-of-project-aka-event.html
As you see there you can even limit your "remote footage" to certain keywords.....

 

[kgimedia]

Not all of them are arbitrary, many of the terms that we use are grounded in the legacy of cutting film and video tape.

Bins are called bins, and not folders, because we used to hang film trims up on what looked like big canvas laundry bins. Many of us still refer to ingesting footage (even tapeless footage coming off of memory cards) as digitizing because we used to have to digitize analog tape into the computer. And nearly all of us refer to filming or taping because it was once common that there would be actual film or tape in the camera.

One of my favorites is "footage".

 

[bbalser]

When you now open this project (aka timeline) on your machine it will be offline!! Yikes.....well....go to the inspector of the project and set the event-refernce to your original event!

Actually, using Disk Images, you can both name your drive (IMG) and your collaborators drive (IMG) the same thing, and copy over the CurrentProject.fcpxproject file by itself. Remember to name not the IMG file the same thing, that's irrelevant, but to name the Disk Image itself (you give both names separately when creating an IMG). In this way I can zip only the project database file and email or FTP it to someone. This will NOT bring over Optical Flow data, which needs to be also copied.

 

[arniepix]

One of my favorites is "footage".

Great example! Also "clip".

 

[bbalser]

And we actually work on productions, not projects, if you really think about it.

For some people, change is not easy, they fight to hold on, they fight to let go, but change is like death and taxes, it's going to happen over and over and over, so learn to not just roll with it, but to be a part of it, it's simply being a part of life.