Appendix 1

The Filmmaker’s Guide to Final Cut Pro Workfl ow
Some of the problems that may be seen in a projected print that were not noticed in the digital edit
can be small focus problems or scratches and hair on the negative. And some editors just don’t like
making fi nal decisions from the digital edit; they want to see the actual fi lm projected on a large
screen. For this reason, some editors prefer to conform the work print before locking the cut. In this
workfl ow, the work print is conformed, the sound edit is temp-mixed to magnetic fi lm or DA88 and
interlocked with the work print. Final editing decisions are made by editing the Final Cut Pro edit
and then exporting a change list. The work print is recut to the change list and projected. This continues
until the edit is locked. When following this workfl ow, having inked edge code numbers on
the work print can speed the fi nal changes.
Most projects will lock the edit before conforming the work print, making changes only if they are
necessary.
Pulling and conforming the work print is fairly straightforward and usually performed by the assistant
editor. The work print rolls may be assembled into lab rolls, selects rolls, or even camera rolls.
These rolls should match the Cinema Tools database.
A special set of lists should be exported just for the work print edit. Work print needs no cut handles;
however, there is no zero setting. Set this to one-half frame knowing that the list will show the number
of the frame before the shot at the head and the frame after the last frame at the tail.
Set transitions to all are cuts with 0 handles. All overlapping effects such as wipes and dissolves will
either be optically printed or printed by overlapping the negative on two rolls. The work print will
not have any of these transitions; they will be represented with a simple splice in the center of the
effect. Double check all of these transitions on the cut list to make sure you have not inadvertently
cut all of the overlapping footage into the work print edit.
Work print also has no fades, only cuts. These effects are simply marked on the work print with a
grease pencil. For a complete list of these marks and description of the negative cut and printing
process, see Appendix 8 on conforming negatives.
The Cinema Tools pull list will guide you to the shots to pull. The shots are listed in the order they
occur on the lab rolls. The pull list also shows what shot number they are in the program. The shots
are marked with a grease pencil and cut out of the roll with a tape splicer. They are hung in a fi lm
bin on a numbered hook corresponding with their position in the edit. The lab roll is taped back
together and the editor rolls down to the next shot.
When all the shots are pulled, they are assembled into the edit. This will match the cut list, and
although all of the shots should simply be spliced together in the order they are hanging in the bin,
double check against the cut list as you go.
If a mistake happens, it is a simple matter to either cut out the extra footage or wrong shot edited
into the assembly, or pull the extra footage missing from the assembly. Because only tape splices are
used, which are easy to take apart and put back together, and no footage is lost by cutting and splicing,
changes are simple and fast.
If you need to “reel balance,” which is to say, move scenes from one reel to another to achieve the
proper length after the fi lm is locked, this should be done after all other changes (if any) are done
to the locked cut. Then, move the scene or scenes from one reel to the other and export a change
list. Conform the work print to the change list by moving the scene on the work print.
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