Department of

Communications

Field/Studio
Equipment Manual

COMM 2003
Video Production

Recommendations

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR USING THIS MANUAL

Keep in mind that sections contained in this book are to help you learn to
operate specific pieces of broadcast equipment located in the RSU television studios or student video lab. This book is just one aid in helping you
obtain this valuable information. In order to maximize your learning, you
should:
Remember that the station is a full functioning licensed broadcast station and that you are always a guest .
You must request permission ahead of time from the Production Mgr. or your
instructor to gain access to the TV station or editing equipment. Doing the opposite could bring
a quick end to your TV career at Rogers State University. If you're having a problem regarding a
piece of equipment, ask a station authority figure about it!
.,.

Following each section of the manual a space is provided to write your own notes regarding
your progress and/or problems with each piece of equipment. Take this book with you as you
work on equipment to improve your skills. Use the Note Sheets to help you remember and to
keep a log of your progress on each piece of equipment. This manual is just a small part of the
learning process. This manual only works if you practice what youve learned with hands-on experience.
It is possible that you'll discover a technique to better explain a piece of equipment than the
way outlined in this manual. If you do, forward your process, in writing and in complete detail,
to either your communications instructor and/or TV production manager.

Contact Information
Cathy Coomer

Lee Williams

Dale McKinney

General Manager KRSC FM

InstructorDept. of Communications
Office: (918) 343-7571
Cell: (918) 695-3441
[email protected]

InstructorDept. of Communications
Office: (981) 343-7505
[email protected]

Prod. Mgr./RSU Public TV

Office: (918) 343-7355
[email protected]

Table of Contents:
KRSC-TELEVISION & VIDEO PRODUCTION EQUIPMENT
Sony Digital Camcorder..Pg. 5
Studio Cameras and Pedestals................................................................Pg. 10
TV Production Studio Audio BoothPg. 15
Non-Linear Editing. Pg. 18
Non-Linear Editing (Viewer) ..Pg. 20
Non-Linear Editing (Timeline)Pg. 24
Non-Linear Editing (Capturing) Pg. 30
Non-Linear Editing (Editing)..... Pg. 34
Non-Linear Editing (Timeline)Pg. 37
Non-Linear Editing (Audio) Pg. 45
Keyboard Shortcuts Pg. 51

Sony DCR 85 Digital

Camera Recorder
SONY DCR-HC 85 DIGITAL VIDEO CAMERA RECORDER

RSU purchased 3 SONY DCR-HC 85 cameras in the spring of 2005. In addition to

shooting excellent quality video, the camera features a larger LCD panel for viewing;
memory capture duo for shooting stills and/or dubbing to computer.

Each camera has two batteries; the larger NP-FP71 with 1800 mAh maximum capacity
can record for up to 2-3 hours using the LCD Panel and the NP-FP50 with 680 mAh
maximum capacity that can record up to 60 -75 minutes using the LCD panel.
OPERATION: To attach the battery to the camera, lift up the viewfinder and slide the
battery pack in the back of the camera in the direction of the arrow until it clicks. To
remove the battery, lift up the viewfinder, press the PUSH button (located to the right of
the viewfinder) and slide the battery pack out in the direction of the arrow.
NOTE: You can also use the AC battery supply/charger when shooting. The cable
plugs in the back of the camera (to the left of the battery holder) to the charger, which
then must be plugged into an outlet.

To charge your battery, you can either attach it to the battery supply/charger and plug it
into an outlet (when it quits blinking, it is fully charged) or you can attack your battery
to your camera while also attaching the battery charger into the camera. The third way
is to use the BC-TRP battery charger.
Checking Battery Usage You can check the batterys current charge level and its
remaining time while the battery is charging OR when the camera is turned off. Open
the LCD Panel and press DISPLAY/BATT INFO located in the middle of the inside of
the camera above the FLASH.

The SONY DCR-HC65 has three power modes:

CAMERA TAPE mode: To record onto a tape
CAMERA MEMORY mode: To record on a Memory Stick Duo (we do not use)
PLAY/EDIT mode: To play back video shot on tape and/or Memory Stock Duo
To Turn the Power On While pressing the green button, slide the switch to the
CAMERA-TAPE mode. To turn the Power Off Slide the power slide to OFF.
Inserting a MiniDV Tape Slide the OPEN/EJECT lever (on the bottom of the
camera) in the direction of the arrow and open the lid. IMPORTANT: The tape
compartment will automatically come out and open up.DO NOT FORCE IT! Insert
the tape with its window-size facing up and press the PUSH BUTTON.
IMPORTANT: The compartment will automatically slide back in! Close the lid.
Ejecting a MiniDV Tape Slide the OPEN/EJECT lever in the direction of the arrow
and open the lid. THE COMPARTMENT WILL AUTOMATICALLY COME OUT.
Take out the tape, and then press the PUSH button. AGAIN, THE
COMPARTMENT WILL AUTOMATICALLY SLIDE BACK IN. Close the lid.

Eject Button
Bottom of Camera

Recording After you turned on the camera, inserted your tape and have adjusted the
mode to CAMERA TAPE, you are ready to begin recording. You have three options
to choose from when ready to record:

Pressing the RED button on the right side of the camera near the grip belt
Pressing the REC button located on the LCD panel
Pressing the RED button located on the tripod (this can only be used if the tripod
LANC jack is plugged into the camera (The third plug found on the right side of the
camera. The ZOOM IN/ZOOM OUT options can also be manipulated on the tripod)

Playback After recording your video and you are ready to see what you have shot,
adjust the power mode to PLAY EDIT and utilize the controls now found on the LCD
Panel (Fast For ward, Play, Rewind, and Stop)

Sony DCR 85 Digital Camera Recorder

RECORDING AUDIO
The SONY DCR-HC65 camera also features the ECM-Z37C camcorder microphone.
This mic has a wide frequency response, low noise and wide dynamic range to produce
good quality interviews & natural sound. Although you will find it attached to the camera, it can be removed. The mic attaches onto the top of the camera utilizing the INTELLIGENT ACCESSORY SHOE.
This accessory has a safety device for holding the installed accessory (or mic) securely.
The mic also features an EXTENSION ARM which can be turned 180 degrees to be
come more directional.

WIRELESS MICROPHONES
Another option instead of using the cameras boom mic, is
the wireless microphone set found in the cameras bag. After
checking that both units are on the same channel, you turn
on both units and give the one with the clip to the person to
be interviewed while connecting the second unit to the camera (the middle plug found on the left side of the camera)
NOTE: You will need to wear the small head plugs found
in the camera bag so you can hear the mic picking up the
persons voice clearly. You cannot hear the audio being
recorded AND the camera does not have a meter to determine if audio is being recorded. Because of this, during
playback, you will also want to wear the head plugs to hear
the finished recording.

ADDITIONAL FEATURES
The SONY CDR-HC 65 camera features a ZOOM IN/ZOOM OUT button found on the
top of the camera in front of the viewfinder. NOTE: If using the tripod and the LAN
control is plugged into the camera, you can also use the ZOOM controls on the tripod.
SEVERAL IMPORTANT FEATURES TO REMEMBER: The equipment is to be treated
as nice, expensive equipment that should last a long time. You should always attempt
to use the tripod for interviews and more static shots! You should NEVER carry the
carry when it is attached to the tripod. Also close up the legs of the tripod as well when
transporting. And the entire cameras attachments, including the batteries, MiniDV
tapes, wireless mic set & camera microphone fits into the cameras bag.

Notes on equipment from preceding Pages

Production Studio

PURPOSE: The Studio Camera is designed to provide a level of control unavailable

from a field camera. Used generally for studio productions, it is often used at concerts,
sporting events, and convention halls.
The actual camera is only a small part of the STUDIO RIG, which includes the pedestal,
the handles with zoom/focus control, the large viewfinder, and the teleprompter.

10

DIRECTIONS FOR USE:

1. Have a station production staff member turn on the power to the camera for
you.
2. Unlock the pan and tilt mechanisms on the camera counting head and
adjust the friction controls (also called drag controls) for a smooth tilt
and pan. (see next page)
To unlock, turn the pan and tilt knobs counter clockwise.
To lock, turn the knobs clockwise.
Do not operate a camera with the locks locked!
Do not leave the camera unattended with the locks unlocked!

3. Unlock the pedestal so the camera can be moved up or down.

On cameras 1 and 2, turn the knob on the side of the pedestal.
On camera 3, turn the chrome ring under the steering ring.

4. Calibrate the zoom lens. To calibrate the zoom lens is to adjust the focus
so that the shot is in focus over the entire length of a zoom. To
calibrate the zoom:
When the camera and subject are in position, zoom the lens all the way
in on the subject. If it is a person, zoom in on the face.
Set the focus as sharp as possible. If the subject is a person, use a
feature of the face such as his/her cheeks, nose, or eyes.
Zoom back out to set your shot. The camera will now be in focus
whether you zoom in tight or zoom out wide.

5. When you are finished using the camera, lock the locks.
NOTE: When you calibrate your lens and you zoom back out, if the picture is
out of focus, you have a back-focus problem. Call for an engineer!

11

Production Studio

A. Viewfinder- A small monitor showing the picture generated by the

camera.
B. Arms/Handles- controls camera movement.
C. Zoom control- Adjusts the lens between wide angle and narrow angle
shots.
D. Focus control- Adjusts the lens to make the image sharp and clear.
E. Locks- Must unlock camera to start and must lock camera when done.
One lock for pan and one for tilt.
F. Pedestal- The base that supports the entire camera.

12

Production Studio

A. Teleprompter- A device that projects the copy (text) in front of the

lens so that the subject, facing the camera, can read it.
B. Screen- A glass which reflects the teleprompter copy so the subject
can read it. The glass does not block the image from the lens.
CAMERA MOVES
PAN- turning the camera on its axis to achieve a horizontal scan. If you were a camera,
you would be looking from right to left or left to right.
TILT- a vertical scan achieved by pushing down on the back of the camera to make the
lens tilt up or pushing up on the back of the camera to make the lens tilt down. If you were
a camera, you would be looking up then looking down in a smooth motion.
TRUCK-to physically move the camera to the right or the left.
13

DOLLY- To physically move the camera forward or backward.

PEDESTAL UP OR DOWN- To lift the camera straight up or down, by gripping
on the steering ring and pulling in the desired direction.
NOTE: A good way to remember these moves is to say them with their
directions: Truck left, camera one. Dolly back, camera two.
Tilt up, two! Pan left, one. Ped up, camera one.
(Pedestal is often abbreviated as ped)

LIGHTING BOARD
Cameras need light. Theres a sequence for turning on the lights in the
studio. FIRST YOU NEED TO:
Locate the circuit breaker boxes under the stairs. Check the red breakers
under the big boards. Confirm that only one side is turned on. Never
have all the red circuits on at the same time.
There are three breaker boxes. There are two boxes to the right. In each
one there is one big switch, which is really three switches held together
by plastic. Turn both of them on.
Go to the lighting board. Turn the blackout switch to the up position. Bring
up the master slider. Then bring up one of three scene sliders.
When finished, reverse the process. Turn the master off, flip the switch
down. Turn the two big breakers off.

CAMERA OPERATORS/FLOOR OPERATORS

The CAMERA OPERATOR is responsible for physically operating the camera in the studio
and maintaining composition throughout a production and/or recording. Camera operators
need good eyesight, artistic ability, steady hands and hand-eye coordination. They should
be patient, accurate, and detail oriented. Camera operators also should have good communication skills and be able to follow directions.
The FLOOR DIRECTOR makes sure the on-air talent is cued to the right camera, gives
them hand signals to count down to sound bites during on-set voiceovers, etc. keep things
on an even keel during the show, and signal the show close. While the show is on the air,
the director/producer can talk to the talent through their earpieces. During commercial
breaks or while a story is playing and the studio mics are off, the floor director relays the
information.

14

Production Control Room (Audio Booth)

Wheatstone SP-8 Stereo Production Console

The production board, which is also called an Audio Mixer literally mixes different audio
sources together using microphones, CD players, videotapes, live bodies in the studio or
any piece of audio equipment plugged into the system.
The board consists of long rows of sliders, which must be faded up and down in order to
adjust the levels of audio. The turn knobs above the sliders are also used to adjust or
twek the sound going into the board.
The sliders/knobs are hooked up not only to microphones out in the studio but also to the
VTRs (video tape recorders) in the production room as well as the other audio equipment
used. IT IS IMPORTANT TO ALWAYS TEST EACH MICROPHONE BEFORE GOING ON
THE AIR TO MAKE SURE IT WORKS AS WELL AS TO SET A LEVEL SO YOU KNOW
WHERE TO BRING UP THE SLIDER WHEN YOU DO IT FOR REAL!

15

Production Control Room (Audio Booth)

Ideal levels for running audio are near zero, occasionally peaking into the red above zero.
Running levels too high will result in distortion (mainly on analog boards and not digital
ones)
NOTE: ALTHOUGH YOU ARE NOT TO DO THIS WITHOUT THE PERMISSION OF A
PRODUCTION SUPERVISORas you are watching the levels and the slider is set at 0 db,
you can correct the level using the Gain Knob at the top of the slider module. Leaving the
slider at zero and using the Gain to set the audio, you can somewhat pre-set your audio
levels so they will be ready for your next production.

Audio Equipment/Operator
The audio operator just like the director, floor director and camera operators must wear
headsets. It is important to keep the headset mic turned OFF until you have something
Important to say. Only the director should leave his/her headset open during a taping.
Another important role for the audio operator is monitoring the board and controlling the
different levels of audio. It is often required for the operator to turn the sound higher or
lower without affecting the signal being recorded into the VTRs.

16

Notes on equipment from preceding Pages

17

Non-Linear Editing
BROWSER

VIEWER

CANVAS

TIMELINEVideo is above the middle bar; Audio is below.

What Is a Clip?
A clip represents a portion your original captured source footage. If it represents VIDEO only
or VIDEO/AUDIO combined, the icon that will be displayed in the browser will resemble a piece of
film. NOTE: Once in the browser, click in the empty gray space of the Name column and choose
between Four options: View as List, View as Small, Medium or Large Icons. You can also double
click on the icon and type in a name for that clip to help you better remember if you have a lot of
clips and keep them in a list.
An AUDIO clip represents sound clips such as music, sound effects, narration, etc. The icon is a
audio speaker.
A SEQUENCE is a group of audio/video clips that have been edited together that may also contain
effects and transitions. When viewing the sequence on the timeline, FCP plays back only the portions of the clips you have identified and marked. The icon looks like two pieces of overlapping
film representing audio and video combined.
A BIN is a folder used to organize clips & sequences in the project. To create a new bin, you can

do one of the following:

Choose File > New > Bin.
Use the keyboard shortcut, Command-B.
In the Browser, control-click the Name column and choose New Bin from the shortcut
menu.
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Non-Linear Editing
Organizing Your Clips in the Browser
The Browser is the central storage area where you organize all of the source material
youll use in your project.

What Is a Project?
A project contains all the clips, sequences, and file references you use while editing
your movie. All of these appear in a projects tab in the Browser.

NOTE: There is no limit to the number of items that can be stored in the Browser. You can
have multiple projects open in the Browser at one time. Each project appears in its own tab.

19

Non-Linear Editing (Viewer)

Working With Clips in the Viewer
To view your clip, DOUBLECLICK in the Browser and it will open up in the Viewer. The
VIDEO TABS of the Viewer act as your source monitor, where you can watch your selected
clips and mark the IN and OUT edit points, which will help you decide how much of the clip
you want to edit into your sequence.

Tabs: There are five tabs in the Viewer: Video, Audio, Filters, Motion, and Controls.
Each tab in the Viewer provides certain editing functions. The Video & Audio tabs appear
only if the clip currently opened in the Viewer contains video or audio media.
Playhead and scrubber bar: These controls let you locate & move or jump to different
parts of a clip quickly and easily.

Transport controls: You use these controls to move the PLAYHEAD within clips and
sequences. The position of the playhead corresponds to the currently displayed frame.

Jog and shuttle controls: You can use the jog & shuttle controls to navigate more
precisely within your clip.

Marking controls: You use these controls to set a clips edit points (In and Out points),
markers and keyframes.

Zoom pop-up menu: This pop-up menu lets you enlarge or shrink the image that
appears in the Viewer.

20

Non-Linear Editing (Viewer)

View pop-up menu: This pop-up menu allows you to change the viewing format and
control the display of various overlays that can appear in the Viewer.
Generator pop-up menu: You use this pop-up menu to select and open generators in
the Viewer for modifying and editing into your sequence. Generators are special clips
that can be created by FCP; for example, they can be used to create color mattes and
text of different types.
Recent Clips pop-up menu: This pop-up menu allows you to open recently used clips
in the Viewer for modifying and editing into your sequence.
Timecode fields: The Current Timecode field displays the timecode of the frame at the
current position of the playhead. The Timecode Duration field lets you view and
change the duration of marked clips.

Opening Clips Into the Viewer

You can open clips into the Viewer from either the Browser or the Timeline. Clips
appear in the Viewer with the last selected Viewer tab displayed. If youre opening an
audio-only clip, the Video tab disappears and the Audio tab is displayed. Although the
Viewer can display only one clip at a time, you can open multiple selected clips into the
Viewer, and they will appear in the Recent Clips pop-up menu.
To open a clip from the Browser, do one of the following:
Double-click the clip.
Drag the clip from the Browser to the Preview area of the Viewer.
Select the clip with the Up and Down Arrow keys, then press the Return key.
Control-click the clip, then choose Open in Viewer from the shortcut menu.

To open a clip from the Timeline, do one of the following:

Double-click the clip.

Drag the clip from the Timeline to the Preview area of the Viewer.
Select the clip, then press the Return key.
Control-click the clip, then choose Open [Clip Name] from the shortcut menu
(where [Clip Name] is the name of the clip).

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Non-Linear Editing (Viewer)

Setting In and Out Points
The first step to assembling an edit is deciding which portion of a clip you want to add
to your sequence. You do this by viewing your clip over and over again to determine
the section of the clip that is usable or the part you like the most. You define the usable
region of the clip with editing points called In and Out points. The IN point determines
the first frame of the clip you want to use; the OUT point determines the last frame.

To set a clips In and Out points:

1. Double-click a clip in the Browser to open it into the Viewer.
2. Click the Viewer or press Command-1 to make it the active window, if its not already.
3. Use the Viewer controls to move the playhead to the point in your clip where you want
to place the IN or OUT point. For example, click the Play button or drag the playhead in
the scrubber bar.

4. Do ONE of the following:

Press I to set an In point or press O to set an Out point.
Click the Mark In or Mark Out button.
Choose Mark > Mark In or Mark Out.
Control-click in the scrubber bar, then choose Mark In or Mark Out from the
shortcut menu.
NOTE: You can Mark IN and OUT points while youre playing a clip or when its stopped.
Sometimes its easier to set edit points while the clip is playing, so you can set the
IN or OUT point immediately when you hear or see the frame you want.
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Non-Linear Editing (Viewer)

Moving In and Out Points

You can change the IN and OUT points in the Viewer as often as you like. After reviewing
the IN and OUT points in your clip, you may decide you want to change the location of
the IN point, OUT point, or both. To move IN and OUT points, do one of the following:
1. Play the clip again, following the steps above, and mark new IN and OUT points.
2. Drag the IN and OUT points along the scrubber bar to the preferred locations.

Removing In and Out Points

After setting the IN and OUT points, you
may want to use a different part of the
clip, or you may just want to start over.
To remove IN and OUT points, do one
of the following:
Choose Mark > Clear IN and OUT.
Control-click the scrubber bar, then
choose Clear IN and OUT.
Select an IN or OUT point, drag up or down until
the edit point disappears, then release
the mouse button.
23

Non-Linear Editing (Canvas/Timeline)

Working With Clips in the Canvas
The CANVAS window shows you what your edited sequence will look like when its
played.
To select the Canvas window: Click in the Canvas or press Command-2

Working With Clips in the Timeline

The Timeline displays a chronological view of an open sequence. In addition to showing a
sequences tracks and the clips edited into them, the Timeline contains numerous controls
for displaying and manipulating clips. All these controls are specific to the sequence in which
theyre used; each sequence open in the Timeline can have its own set of controls.
Before working with the Timeline, make sure its the currently selected window. Otherwise
your keyboard shortcuts might not perform the actions you intend.
To select the Timeline:
Click in the Timeline (or press Command-3).

24

Non-Linear Editing (Timeline)

Listed below are controls that affect the way your sequence and clips are displayed in the Timeline:
Tabs: Each tab represents a sequence. You can have multiple sequences open
simultaneously, each with its own tab. Controls in FCP only affect the sequence
whose tab is in front. Clicking another sequences tab brings it to the front, along
with that sequences tab in the Canvas.
Tracks: The main portion of the Timeline is divided into audio and video tracks, with
a divider between the two regions. You can drag the divider up or down to allocate
more room to either the video or audio half of the Timeline. Audio tracks 1 and 2 are
just underneath the divider, and all additional audio tracks continue downward.
Video track 1 is just above the divider, and all additional video tracks continue upward.
This way, linked video and audio clips keep the same relationship to one another even
if theyre moved from one track to another.
Zoom Control: Use this control to zoom in and out of the contents of your sequence
in the Timeline. Zooming in shows more detail in the ruler, and the duration between
the numbers in the ruler shrinks. Zooming out shows less detail in the ruler, but
allows you to see more of the total duration of your sequence in the Timeline. If the
playhead is visible, it stays centered when you use the Zoom control to zoom in on
the Timeline. If the playhead is not visible, the Zoom control centers the current
contents of the Timeline window instead.
Audio Controls: Click these controls to display the mute and solo buttons to the left
of each audio track in the Timeline. By default, these controls are hidden.
Clip Overlays: Click this control to display opacity overlays (thin black lines) over
your video tracks, and audio level overlays (thin red lines) over any clips in the audio
tracks of the Timeline. These lines indicate how transparent or how loud each video &
audio clip in your edited sequence will be when you play it back. Any keyframes
added to these properties appear as handles, directly on top of the overlay. Overlays
and their related keyframe handles also serve as controls themselves, and can be
manipulated directly.
Track Height Control: Click this control to switch between four track display sizes
Reduced, Small, Medium, and Large. The current setting is highlighted in blue and
has a small dot in the center. Choosing a track height using this control resets all
tracks to the new size, overriding any custom track heights previously selected.
To preserve the relative heights of individually sized tracks while resizing all tracks,
hold down the Option key while choosing a new height with this control.
NOTE: When the track size is set to Reduced, neither audio waveforms nor thumbnails are displayed.
25

Non-Linear Editing (Timeline)

Timeline Navigation
The following is a list of controls that allow you to navigate through your sequence in
the Timeline.

Ruler: The ruler along the top of the Timeline represents the total duration of your
edited sequence, from the first frame to the last. The ruler can be used for reference, to
see the timecode corresponding to the location of clips in the Timeline. It can also be
used as a navigation control that works exactly like the scrubber bar in the Canvas.
Sequences can be a maximum of four hours, but you dont need to set a duration for any
of your sequences. If you need more time for a particular sequence, editing more clips
into it will automatically add to the total duration, until the four-hour limit is reached.

Playhead: The playhead displays the current frame location in a sequence. The
Timeline playhead mirrors the Canvas playhead.

Zoom Slider: Like the zoom control, the zoom slider allows you to zoom in and out of a
sequence in the Timeline. Dragging the thumb tabs on either side of the slider adjusts both
thumb tabs and leaves the visible area of the Timeline centered.

Timeline Editing Controls

The following controls determine how your clips are edited into the Timeline track.

Source and Destination Controls: Use these controls to designate which video and
audio tracks from source clips in the Viewer are edited into which video and audio
destination tracks in the Timeline. The number of available Source controls corresponds
to the number of tracks in the source clip (or sequence) currently in the Viewer.

26

Non-Linear Editing (Timeline)

For example, a typical clip has one video track and two audio tracks. In this case, one video
and two audio Source controls will appear in the Timeline. If, instead, you open a clip into
the Viewer that has one video track and four audio tracks, then one video and four audio
Source controls appear in the Timeline.
Every track in your sequence also has a Destination control. By assigning source tracks to
destination tracks using these controls, you determine which media items go into which
tracks when edits are performed.

Track Visibility Control: This control determines whether the contents of a track are
displayed and rendered in your sequence. When a track is invisible, it appears darkened in
the Timeline, but its contents remain in your sequence and can still be edited. When you
play back your sequence, invisible tracks dont appear in the Canvas, nor will they be
rendered or output to tape with that sequence. You can make a track visible or invisible at
any time.

Mute and Solo Controls: Use these controls to enable and disable audio playback on
individual tracks for monitoring purposes. These controls do not suspend audio output
during the Print to Tape operation, or when exported to a movie or audio file.

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Non-Linear Editing (Timeline)

Tool Palette
The Tool palette contains tools for editing, zooming, cropping, and distorting items in the
Timeline.
To view the Tool palette:
Choose Window > Tools OR click on the tool you need in the tool palette.

TOOL PALETTE DESCRIPTIONS

Selection ToolThe 1st button is considered the DEFAULT tool. You always want
to click on the selection tool after you have used another toolit clears you out of the
tool palette (keyboard shortcut A)

Multiple Selection Tools - Hold down the mouse button on this button to bring up
an array of three different tools. The first is the Edits Selection tool, which selects the
cuts in clips when you drag it over them. Next is the Group Selection tool, for selecting several clips at once, and finally the Range Selection tool for selecting part of a
single clip.

The 3rd set of Tools are for selecting lots of clips in one or all tracks. The first three
select clips in a single track and the other two select clips in all the tracks simultaneously.
Ripple ToolThe 4th button from the top can delete a portion of the head or tail of a
clip and ripple the rest so no gaps remain (keyboard shortcut RR)
Roll Toolshares the same tool area as the Ripple tool. This tool will trim both sides
of an edit point at the same time; Out point of one clip at same time as trimming the In
point of the following clip (keyboard shortcut R)

Slip ToolThe 5th button from the top allows you to trim a clip to begin earlier or later
without changing the clips current length. You must have some additional material on
either side of the clip or you will have no additional frames to slip (keyboard shortcut S)
Slide Toolclick & hold on Slip tool until Slide icon appear, then select it. Useful
when you like the clips length & content but want to adjust its positiona little to the R
or L (keyboard shortcut SS)

Razor Blade ToolThe 6th button from the top can be used as an alternative option
for cutting out unwanted audio and/or video from a clip on the Timeline (keyboard shortcut B)
Zoom In Tool7th button looks like magnifying glass. Used to zoom into a clip to
see or understand something in the background or to add or create special effects
(keyboard shortcut Z) NOTE: To return to the regular size, press A.
Crop & Distort Tools8th tool allows you to crop your video clip (zoom in or out)
and/or freeze frame (keyboard shortcut C)

Pen ToolUsed to adjust audio levels of clips in Timeline. Double-click your playhead twice and your audio window will open up in the Viewer. Click where the audio
level is to change and then click 1-3 frames later & begin reducing your levels
(keyboard shortcut P) NOTE: Click PP for Pen Tool Delete.

28

Non-Linear Editing (Timeline)

To Make A New Project
Choose File > New Project (or press Command-E).
A new, untitled project appears in the Browser with an empty sequence. You can name
the project when you save it.

29

Non-Linear Editing (Capturing)

Capturing Clips
Before you begin editing, you must first capture your clips. All capturing is done in the
LOG AND CAPTURE window. This window has two main areas: the PREVIEW window
on the left where you will screen and mark your source tape and the LOGGING tab on
the right where you will log the information about the clips you select and HOW you will
capture the footage.

To open the Capture window:

Choose File > Capture (or press Command-8).

To start viewing your tape, put your miniDV into the MiniDV/VHS player OR if you are
using Computer #1 you will need to use your camera instead & plug in the firewire.
The PREVIEW area is similar in layout to the Viewer and Canvas windows. The marking controls are in the lower-left and lower-right corners. Between the marking controls,
is a device status that indicates whether or not you can control the capture device. IT
MUST SAY VTR OK OR YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO CAPTURE ANY OF YOUR
VIDEO.

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Non-Linear Editing (Capturing)

You have the choice of capturing ONE CLIP AT A TIME or capturing NOW.

In the Preview area, click the PLAY button to play your tape. The Preview area of the Capture window lets you view the video as you capture it. Click the STOP button to pause the
tape. NOTE: You can also press the spacebar to play the tape & your PLAY button will light
up; press the spacebar again to pause the tape and the STOP button will light up.

Mark In: Click this button, or press I, to set the

starting frame (the IN point) of your tape for capture.

Clip In Point timecode: Displays the timecode

location of the current In point.

Go to In Point: Click this button, or press Shift-I,

to cue the tape to the current In-point.

Mark Out: Click this button, or press O, to set

the end frame (the OUT point) of your tape for
capture.
Clip Out Point timecode: Displays the timecode
location of the current OUT point.

Go to Out Point: Click this button, or press ShiftO, to cue the tape to the current OUT point.

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Non-Linear Editing (Capturing)

Miscellaneous fields
Available space and time: Displays the amount of available space on the current
scratch disk and the amount of capture time available.

Timecode Duration field: Displays the duration of the section of tape youve marked
for capture, based on the In and Out points you marked. You can enter timecode directly
in this field to set a new duration from the In point.

Current Timecode field: Displays the timecode number of the currently displayed
frame of your source tape. You can enter timecode directly in this field to navigate to that
timecode point on your tape.

Logging Tab
The Logging tab in the Capture window
is where you enter all of the descriptive
information about clips you are capturing. You can use this information later to
help you while youre editing.
Reel: The reel affects which clips are captured from which source tapes, so it must
correspond to the actual tape for the source
media the clip is on. The name for each
clip becomes the captured clips filename on
your computers hard disk; therefore, all
clip names must be unique.

Other fields: The remaining information in

the Logging tab is primarily for your use as
an editor; its up to you and the particular
needs of your project to determine how to
format this information.

THE J, K AND L KEYS

Click the REWIND or FAST FORWARD buttons to move accordingly or use the J, K and L
keys to quickly play through your clips. The J key cycles through various speeds in REVERSE; the K key STOPS playback and the L key cycles through a variety of speeds
going FORWARD.

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Non-Linear Editing (Capturing)

In the CAPTURE window, type in the appropriate information in the Logging tab.
Play your tape and mark the clip you want to capture by doing one of the following:
Cue up your tape. As you are playing it, Click the MARK IN and MARK OUT buttons to set your
IN and OUT points. The video between the two points you set will be captured.
NOTE: If you decide you want to change your IN & OUT points, you can clear your marks by:
Choose Mark > Clear In And Out
Control-click the scrubber bar, then choose Clear In and Out

Click the CAPTURE CLIP button.

Your clip has been captured & automatically saved to the scratch disk
and is placed in the log bin of the
Browser.

SAVE your project by

clicking the projects
tab in the Browser,
then choosing
File > Save Project
OR use the shortcut,
Command-S.

CAPTURING NOW
You follow the same
Steps to CAPTURE
NOW (longer pieces
of video) except you
DO NOT set any
points before capturing. Cue your tape up
about 5-8 seconds,
click play & then click
on CAPTURE NOW.
Those few seconds
are pad which you
can edit out later.
33

Non-Linear Editing (Editing)

Inserting Edits
An INSERT EDIT places the source clip into your sequence so that all items after the
insertion point in your sequence are moved forward in the Timeline, to make room for
the clip being added. No clips are removed from your sequence.
You can perform an insert edit with one or more clips. If you perform an insert edit in the
middle of another clip, that clip is cut at the insertion point and the second half pushed,
along with the rest of the footage in the Timeline, to the end of the newly inserted clip.

Performing an Insert Edit

1. Specify the necessary IN and OUT points and destination tracks.
2. Drag the clip from the Canvas to the Insert section of the EDIT OVERLAY or
Press F9.

After the edit, all the clips on the unlocked tracks will move forward from the playhead
position to the right to make room for the clip(s) being inserted.
3. Save your project.

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Non-Linear Editing (Editing)

Overwrite Edits
Since this is one of the most commonly used,
it occupies the biggest overlay area in the
Canvas. If you drag a clip into any part of the
Canvas to the left of the Edit Overlay, an over
write edit is performed. You can also drag a clip
to the Overwrite section of the Edit Overlay.
With this type of edit, the source clip overwrites any items at the insertion point for the
duration of the edit youve specified. None of your other edited clips in the sequence is
moved. If your insertion point is in the middle of a clip, any part of that clip from the
insertion point on will be overwritten for the duration of the edit. You can perform an over
write edit with one or more clips.

Fit To Fill
This function allows you to change the speed of the original clip in order to fit into the
existing space in the sequence. NOTE: This will work for reversing a zoom out to a zoom
in clip.

Superimposing Edits
The SUPERIMPOSE button found in the Canvas is used for inserting text over video
already edited on the Timeline. You can type up your text by clicking on the Generator popup menu and choosing Text > type of text wanted. To superimpose it, click on the text in
the Viewer, drag it over to the Superimpose button in the Canvas window or press F12.

Using Drag-and-Drop Editing

With drag-and-drop editing, you rely on your own eyes to target the new location and manually DRAG a clip directly to where you want it to bethus DROPPING it. As you drag and
drop a clip, you can rely on SNAPPING to position the clip immediately adjacent to another
or to make a clean insert edit. When you drag a clip to the Timeline, the position of your
pointer in a track will determine the type of edit you makeOVERWRITE or INSERT.
NOTE: When the snapping is on, the playhead snaps, or moves directly, to markers or edit
points when it is moved close to them. This can help you quickly line up edits with other
items in the sequence. You can turn SNAPPING on and off at any time, even in the middle
of dragging edits and clips, by clicking the Snapping control in the Timeline or pressing the
N key on your keyboard.

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Non-Linear Editing (Editing)

Click in the Viewer window and drag your clip to the end of the track on your Timeline, clear of any
other clips. DO NOT LET GO OF THE MOUSE UNTIL YOU KNOW FOR SURE THAT YOU WANT
TO MAKE AN INSERT OR OVERWRITE EDIT and THAT IT HAS SNAPPED TO THE END OF
THE LAST CLIP EDITED. If you do not like the look of the edit, simply press F12 and the last edit
will be reversed.
When you have clicked on the clip you want to drag and drop, focus on the tip of your pointer and
drag it up and down over the thin gray line in the Video track. An OVERWRITE edit is indicated with
a downward arrow and a solid dark box representing the length of the clip.

When the tip of the pointer is positioned

above the thin gray line, an insert edit is
indicated with a forward arrow and a hollow
box representing the clip length.

Adding Audio
To add additional audio (usually natural sound and/or music under) you want to make sure
to blend the clips sound into the background, lowering the volume by either dragging the
audio level overlay or levels slider or by entering a number value in the levels field.

In the Viewer, drag your audio clip into the Timeline

but dont release it! Snap the head of this clip and
release.

36

Non-Linear Editing (Timeline)

Adding a Clip to Your Sequence
1. Double-click a clip in the Browser to open it into the Viewer. This is your source clip.
2. Specify IN and OUT points for your source clip in the Viewer.

3. In the Timeline, move the playhead to the beginning of your sequence where you
want the clip to start (the sequence IN point) by pressing HOME on your keyboard or
dragging the playhead to the beginning of the Timeline.
4. Drag the clip from the preview area of the Viewer to the Timeline.

The clip appears in the Timeline, and the playhead moves to the end of the clip. Its easy
to add additional clips to your sequence.

Adding Additional clips to your sequence

1. Double-click a clip in the Browser to open it into the Viewer. (This is your source clip.)
2. Specify IN and OUT points for your source clip in the Viewer.
3. In the Timeline, move the playhead to the location in your sequence where you want the
clip to start (the end of the first clip).
4. Drag the clip from the preview area of the Viewer to the Timeline.
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Non-Linear Editing (Timeline)

The new clip appears in the Timeline, and the playhead moves to the end of the
additional clip.
5. SAVE YOUR PROJECT by clicking the projects tab in the Browser, then choosing
File > Save Project (or pressing Command-S).

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Non-Linear Editing (Timeline)

Locking Tracks
Any track in the Timeline can be locked using the Lock Track control. Items on a locked
track cannot be modified. Additionally, no new clips can be added to a locked track.
This lets you protect the track from any accidental changes. Clips on locked tracks still
play back in the sequence, and will still be rendered and output to tape. All new tracks
in a sequence are unlocked by default.
To lock a track:
Click the Lock Track control of the track you want to lock.

The locked track is cross-hatched to indicate that its locked!

If its a video track: You can also press F4 and the number of the track you want to
lock for tracks 1 through 9.
If its an audio track: You can also press F5 and the number of the track you want to
lock for tracks 1 through 9.
To lock all video tracks in a sequence: Press Shift-F4.
To lock all audio tracks in a sequence: Press Shift-F5.
To lock all other audio or video tracks except for the selected track:
Press OPTION while clicking the Lock Track control for the desired track.

39

Non-Linear Editing (Timeline)

Deleting Clips From a Sequence
As you edit, you can delete items from your sequence at any time, provided that the
track you want to remove them from is not locked. There are two ways to delete items
from a sequencea LIFT delete and a RIPPLE delete.
Important: Removing clips from a sequence does not delete the original master clips
from the Browser, nor does it delete source media from your computer.

Doing a Lift Edit

A lift edit removes any selected items from the sequence and leaves a gap. This is
useful if you have a series of clips already edited into your sequence and you dont
want to move them (for example, if theyre all synchronized to a piece of music). If you
want to remove one or more clips from the middle of such a sequence, the lift edit is
the best way to do so.

To Perform A Lift Edit

1. Do one of the following:
Select the item or range of items you
want to remove using one of the
selection tools in the Tool palette.
Set IN and OUT points in the Canvas
or Timeline, then make sure the
Timeline is active.
2. Do one of the following:
Choose Sequence > Lift.
Choose Edit > Cut (or press
Command-X) to cut the material, if
you want to paste to somewhere
else.
Press Delete.
3. Save your project.

40

Non-Linear Editing (Timeline)

What Are Gaps? And How To Get Rid Of Them
As you edit, cut, paste, and move items around on your Timeline, empty spaces may be left
between clips in your sequence. These are called GAPS. Sometimes they are extremely
small (one or two frames), which makes them difficult to see in the Timeline.
When a sequence with gaps plays back in the Canvas, however, even tiny gaps are
apparent as BLACK FLASHES.

Types Of Gaps
TRACK GAPS: These are empty spaces between two clips in the same track.
GAPS: These are overlapping track gaps that occur in every single track of your
sequence.

To Find Gaps In A Sequence

1. Move the playhead to the beginning of the sequence to start looking from the
beginning. (Press the Home key) Otherwise, you can look for gaps to the left or
to the right of the playheads current position.
2. Do one of the following:
Choose Mark > Next > Gap (or press Shift-G).
Choose Mark > Previous > Gap (or press Option-G).
The playhead moves to the beginning of the first gap found to the left or right of
the playhead.

41

Non-Linear Editing (Timeline)

To Find Track Gaps In A Sequence
1. Decide which track to search and make it the destination track by dragging the
Source control to the Destination control.
2. Do one of the following:
Choose Mark > Next > Track Gap.
Choose Mark > Previous > Track Gap.
The playhead moves to the beginning of the first track gap found.

To Close A Gap
Do one of the following:
1. Position the playhead anywhere within the gap, then choose Sequence > Close Gap.
2. Control-click anywhere within a gap, then choose Close Gap from the shortcut menu.
3. Select the gap by clicking it, then press Delete.
4. All clips to the right of the gap move left to close the gap. Because this command shifts
all clips to the right of the gap toward the left, the command is not available if another clip
on another track overlaps this gap. (This would change the relationship of the overlapping clip to the rest of your sequence, or change the audio/video sync if its an audio clip
underneath a video clip.)
5. If you dont care about the sync relationship between the rest of your sequence and
the overlapping clip, you can lock tracks containing overlapping clips, and then use any
of the above commands to close the gap.

To Close A Track Gap Without Affecting Any Other Tracks In The Sequence
1. Click the Lock Track control of any tracks with clips that overlap the gap youre trying
to close.
2. Close the gap by doing one of the following:
Position the playhead anywhere within the gap, then choose Sequence > Close Gap.
Control-click anywhere within the gap, then choose Close Gap from the shortcut menu.
Select the gap by clicking it, then press Delete.

To Close A Track Gap Using The Select Track Forward Tool

1.
2.
3.
4.

Make sure snapping is turned on.

Select the Select Track Forward tool in the Tool palette.
Click the first clip to the right of the track gap. All clips to the right are selected.
Drag the clips to the left until they close the gap & snap into place beside the earlier clip.

42

Non-Linear Editing (Timeline)

To Close A Track Gap Without Affecting Any Other Tracks In The Sequence
1. Click the Lock Track control of any tracks with clips that overlap the gap youre trying to
close.
2. Close the gap by doing one of the following:
Position the playhead anywhere within the gap, then choose Sequence > Close Gap.
Control-click anywhere within the gap, then choose Close Gap from the shortcut menu.
Select the gap by clicking it, then press Delete.

To Close A Track Gap Using The Select Track Forward Tool

1. Make sure snapping is turned on.
2. Select the Select Track Forward tool in the Tool palette.
3. Click the first clip to the right of the track gap. All clips to the right are selected.
4. Drag the clips to the left until they close the gap and snap into place beside the
earlier clip.

Destination Tracks
When you open a clip or sequence in the Viewer, a number of Source controls appear
in the Timeline and correspond to the number of video and audio items that make up that
clip, or the number of tracks that appear in that sequence. For example, if you open a clip
into the Viewer that contains one video and four audio items, one video and four audio
Source controls appear in the Timeline patch panel.

Disconnecting Source And

Destination Controls
Destination tracks can be disconnected in order to omit the video or
audio portion of a clip when its
edited into a sequence. For example,
If you disconnect the video source
control prior to making an edit, only
the audio portion of the clip is edited
into the Timeline.
Disconnected Source controls remain
disconnected even when you open a
clip into the Viewer consisting of a different number of video and audio
items than the previously opened clip
contained.

43

Non-Linear Editing (Timeline)

Disconnecting A Destination Track In The Timeline
Click the Source control or the Destination control to break the track assignment.

Important: If a track is locked, that track is also ignored as a destination track.

44

Non-Linear Editing (Audio)

Final Cut Express lets you mix up to 32 tracks of audio
with the flexibility to add music or your own voice.
Linked Clips
When you capture video and audio together, theyre linked by default, appearing in
your sequence as linked items. When you turn on the LINKED selection in FCP (by
clicking the Linking control), it ensures that if you select one linked item in the Timeline, all other audio and video items linked to it are also selected. Adjustments you
make to one item are applied to the others.

This linking is especially

important when working with
clips in which the video and
audio need to remain in sync.

Resyncing Clips
Even when a linked selection is turned off, FCP keeps track of the relationship between
the audio and video items constituting a single clip. If you move the audio or video item of
a clip independently of the other items its linked to, FCP keeps track of the resulting off
set, displaying it as a timecode duration in a small red box at the head of each clip. This
box is called an out-of-sync indicator.

45

Non-Linear Editing (Audio)

A RED OUT-OF-SYNC indicator appears whenever the following conditions occur:

Audio and video items from the same source clip have been moved out of sync but
still overlap in the Timeline.
Audio and video items that have been linked together in the Timeline have been moved
out of sync but still overlap.
Important: FCP always knows the proper sync between audio and video items from the
same media file on your computer (unless youve changed this with the Mark in Sync
command).
If it is determined that one or more overlapping items in the Timeline are not in sync,
FCP determines how far out of sync they are and displays this value in the RED OUT-OFSYNC indicator appearing at the head of each item. (see picture on next page)

46

Non-Linear Editing (Audio)

If an audio or video portion of a clip is isolated in the Timeline and doesnt overlap any
other clips from the same file on disk, this indicator doesnt appear.

If you do have a clip whose video and audio are out of sync, its easy to move them back
into sync.

47

Non-Linear Editing (Audio)

To Move A Linked Item Into Sync
In the Timeline, Control-click the items out-of-sync indicator, then choose MOVE INTO
SYNC from the shortcut menu.
If the item is an anchor item, it moves into sync with the topmost out-of-sync audio item in
the group, starting on track A1 and going down. (When you first link multiple audio items to
a video item in the Timeline, that video item is considered the anchor item to which the
sync of all other linked audio items is compared. If youre linking a group of audio items
without a video item, the topmost audio item that appears in the Timeline acts as the
anchor item.) Otherwise, the selected item moves into sync with the anchor item its linked
to, as shown below.

48

Non-Linear Editing (Audio)

Adding Music
The quality of audio is crucial to the success of your project. An easy way to add high
quality sound is to import audio tracks directly from a CD.

Importing Audio Files/Voice Track for Packages or Soundbites

There are two kinds of audio files you can import into FCP. You can import an audio file
in any supported format from your computer, just like any other media file, or you can
import audio tracks from an audio CD directly into your project.
NOTE: When adding a voice track or pre-recorded audio, dub it just as you would video
from your miniDV into the miniDV recorder and then capture it.

Importing Audio CD Tracks

Mac OS X (our hard-drive system) recognizes tracks on standard audio CDs as
individual .cdda files. Since they come from a CD, .cdda files have a sample rate of 44.1
kHz and sample size of 16 bits. These files can be copied directly from a CD to your hard
disk and then imported into FCP without any conversion.
Important: You should not import a CD audio track by dragging it directly from a CD to
the Browser. If you do, FCP wont be able to access the file once you eject the CD.

To import a track from an audio CD:

1. Insert your CD into the CD or DVD-ROM drive.
2. If iTunes opens, quit iTunes.

49

Non-Linear Editing (Audio)

5. Drag the audio file or files you want to import to the desktop.

6. In the Dock, click the FCP icon to display the application.

7. Select the Browser to make it active, then choose File > Import > Files
(or press Command-I).
8. In the Choose a File dialog, select the audio file or files you dragged to the desktop.

NOTE: The audio files are placed in the Browser and can be edited into the Timeline just
like a video clip.
50

Keyboard Shortcuts
Control-click

Brings up a shortcut menu

Control K

Add Motin Keyframe

Left Arrow

Moves playhead one frame to the left

Right Arrow

Moves playhead one frame to the right

Selects the Selection tool

Selects the Razor Blade tool

Selects the crop & distort tool

Plays clip forward in Viewer, Canvas or Timeline

Stops playing clip in Viewer, Canvas or Timeline

Plays clip backward in Viewer, Canvas or Timeline

K+L

Plays forward in SLOW MOTION

K+J

Plays backward in SLOW MOTION

K + tap L

Moves playhead one frame to the right

K + tap J

Moves playhead one frame to the left

Shift + spacebar

Plays a clip backward

Sets an IN point

Sets an OUT point

Selects the Pen tool

PP

Selects the Pen tool delete

RR

Selects the Ripple tool

Selects the Roll tool

SS

Selects the Slide tool

Selects the Slip tool

Sets IN & OUT points at the head & tail of clip

51

Keyboard Shortcuts

Sets a marker in the Timeline ruler area

Toggles snapping off and on

Selects the Zoom in tool

ZZ

Selects the Zoom out tool

F10

Makes an overwrite edit

F9

Makes an insert edit

Shift I

Moves the playhead to the IN point

Shift G

Next gap

Shift O

Moves the playhead to the OUT point

Option I

Removes the IN point

Shift M

Moves the playhead to the next marker

Option D

Duplicate

Option G

Previous gap

Option O

Removes the OUT point

Option M

Moves playhead to the previous marker

Option R

Render sequence

Shift I

Moves the playhead to the IN point

Shift G

Next gap

Shift O

Moves the playhead to the OUT point

Option I

Removes the IN point

Shift M

Moves the playhead to the next marker

Option D

Duplicate

Option G

Previous gap

Option O

Removes the OUT point

F12

Superimpose
52

Keyboard Shortcuts
Command A

Selects all clips in the sequence

Shift-Command A

Deselects all clips in the sequence

Command B

New fBin folder

Command F

Find

Command G

Find Next

Command C

Copy

Shift-command N

New project

Command N

New sequence

Command O

Opens a project

Command R

Render selection

Command S

Saves changes in the project

Command Q

Quits Final Cut Pro Express

Command W

Closes Window

Command X

Cut

Command V

Paste

Option X

Removes both IN & OUT points

Option W

Toggles clip overlays

Command 0 (zero)

Sequence settings

Command Option R

Mixdown Audio

Shift F5

Lock all audio tracks

Shift F11

Fit to fill

Shift F3

Find previous

1 or / (slash)

Set In point

O or * (asterisk)

Set Out point

53

Keyboard Shortcuts
Shift V

Pastes cut or copied material as an insert

Shift X

Cuts a marked selection and removes the gap

Shift Z

Shows the entire sequence in the Timeline

Command 1

Viewer

Command 2

Canvas

Command 3

Timeline

Command 4

Browser

Option 4

Audio Meters

Command 5

Effects

Command 7

Trim Edit

54

Notes on equipment from preceding Pages

55

Notes on equipment from preceding Pages

56

57