By Ned Soltz, September 16, 2008
How many times have any of us shot our great masterwork, logged our footage and then sat and stared at a blank timeline as we simply tried to figure out how to get started? Wouldn’t it be wonderful if the actual telling of the story were as automated as the computer processes behind nonlinear editing?
Assistant Editor First Cuts might just be the answer to those sleepless nights and blank screens.
The First Cuts user interface.
Leveraging the power of XML import and export within Final Cut Pro, Assistant Editor First Cuts can create an entire timeline based upon logging information and keywords that you entered into FCP when logging the original footage. It can then actually find opening styles, templates, lower-thirds and keywords to assist in creating a sequence that could be at least a starting point for finer editing. And it does the task in a matter of seconds.
Carefully logging in your footage is an essential part of the First Cuts process.
The first and most important phase in invoking Assistant Editor’s magic is careful logging of footage. This really should be a part of any shooter’s routine, but far too often we just find ourselves in too much of a hurry. That is improper filmmaking technique, and too many of us pay for that down the road in the edit process. Assistant Editor can only work as well as the descriptive information you give it. Spend the time on accurate and evocative logging information.
Export bins as XML.
Next, select all bins in the FCP Browser window and export XML file. Open the XML file in First Cuts. Set a duration or set no limit. Select opener, lower-third styles and a keyword for the main theme of the story. Assistant Editor will have discerned from the XML file a list of main keywords as well as a list of additional story keywords.
Now you're ready for First Cuts to get to work.
Now, merely choose a Main Story Keyword and decide which other components would fit in that sequence
. Select multiple additional keywords by command-click. Add those to the right column with the Add button. When you are satisfied with the themes for this sequence, just click on Make the Edit. Assistant Editor will create a new XML file that you then import into FCP. Lo and behold, it’s a sequence complete with multiple tracks, audio crossfades B-roll and, most importantly, a coherent theme.
Critical to the effectiveness of the program is the quality of the log notes created by the editor. The program documentation specifies a procedure for setting up logging columns in FCP. It is imperative that these be followed so that First Cuts can locate and present the information necessary to make the editorial selections.
So, while there is virtually no learning curve to the application itself, spend a few minutes learning the proper setup of logging columns.
 Not only will First Cuts make great "first cuts," but the discipline that it enforces can actually make you a better editor and storyteller. One of the most unique editing tools to have come along in years, Assistant Editor First Cuts earns our highest praise for its combination of power and simplicity. It should be part of the toolkit of any long-form documentary editor — or anyone else who deals with large amounts of unscripted footage and just needs a very helpful — and tireless — assistant.
ASSISTANT EDITOR FIRST CUTS
$295
DV Score:
Pros:
Not only will make great first cuts, the discipline that it enforces upon a filmmaker can actually make you a better editor and storyteller.
Cons:
Yes, a human operator has to do the logging and create keywords for it to work.
Bottom Line:
A major advancement in effective long-form editing.
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