Dailies Libraries

This is where we ingest new media, sync it, log it, and prepare it all to be sent elsewhere. “Elsewhere” in this case could be your Editor’s Library. It can also be to your Director. If exporting (and likely compressing) your synched clips for your director these then would become review dailies - “review” meaning they’re created not for cutting but just for watching.

A dailies Library should be organized with one Event per shooting day. Doing so helps us visually ensure that we’re receiving everything we should be during production.

Inside the Event a dailies Library should be organized at least by devices and rolls.

To sync and log a full day is to:

Ensure that all video and audio clips that should be synced are synched
Label synched clips and add scene and take metadata to them
Reject heads/tails for all synched and MOS takes
Reject false takes
Add script supervisor notes as metadata and keywords
Add markers to synced clips for resets

Libraries Per Reel

This is where your editor does their work. Separating a film into reels is a nearly universal practice; that is approximately 18-19 min chunks. There are at least a couple reasons for this.

The history here is that physical reels of film can only hold about 20 minutes of footage - this varies with each type of film; 35mm, 3 perf, 4 perf, 65mm, etc. As a result delivery standards were built to accommodate. As editing moved into a 100% digital pipeline the habit has been maintained but not just for the sake of tradition.

Firstly, assets in a digital state are not commonly considered appropriate for archival. That means to this day larger studio productions will print a feature to physical film reels and place them in storage for decades. If the final destination of the movie is physical reels of film and a reel of film can only hold about 20 minutes (depending on what kind and perf film it is) then we have to plan in advance to accommodate.

Second, when it comes to international markets it’s important to consider that so many theaters around the world simply haven’t yet made it into the age of digital projection. If you want to be screening in as many theaters as possible on the world stage you need to plan for a film print, thus meaning we have to obey the limits of a reel again.

And thirdly, all software will eventually be bogged down if we allow too much stuff to accumulate within a project file. Breaking a film up into one project file (or in our case Library) per reel - each covering about 18 minutes, helps to alleviate both system and mental strain.

To top things off, distributors still ask for final deliverables in reels. The runtime of a reel includes both head and tail leaders and it’s inadvisable to cut through music, ambient or dialogue. So really, it’s best to determine these reel splits early on in the edit rather than scramble and make a poorly thought out decision right before delivery.

Tip: Have the conversation about reel length before first the turnover to sound

Assembly Libraries

When it comes time for a screening, you’ll need to bring all of the Reels of your project together in a single Timeline. To do this, you can use an Assembly Library. This is a Library that you use exclusively to create a screener. There are at least two ways to do this:

1. Create a new Library 2. Open Each Reel’s Library 3. Copy the most up-to-date Project for each Reel into the Assembly Library 4. Close the Libraries for each Reel 5. Open the Project for the first reel in the Assembly Library 6. Select all of the contents of the timeline (Command+A) 7. Create a Compound Clip (Option+G) 8. Save the Compound Clip to a desired Event 9. Repeat steps 5-9 for the other Reels 10. Once you have compound clips for all of your Reels, cut the into a new Timeline

For the new Timeline, be cognizant of your resolution, frame rate, and audio configuration. Make sure they work both for your creative intent and the

requirements of the screening. You may want to include certain types of burn-in on each reel. Basic information can simply be added with titles. The Timecode Effect is also useful for keeping track of both total runtime, and reel runtime.

The other approach is to

1. Open each editing Library 2. Export each reel 3. Import each of these Quicktimes into a fresh Library 4. String out the reels back to back 5. Trim head/tail leaders

Libraries in PostLab

Postlab is an app that functions as a sort of Library checkout management system between editors and assistant editors. Once you’ve downloaded the app and create your first Production you can begin to create.

Creating Libraries. With a Production open click on + button down below. From here you can create a new Library (that includes templates, if you’ve set one already) or import an existing Library.

Opening Libraries. Once a fresh Library has been created, select it. On the right you’ll see the option to Start Editing or Open a Copy. Start Editing is what you select when you plan to make changes to your project that will be saved. Open a Copy is what to select if you simply need to peek inside a Library but don’t plan to commit any changes - it is a “Read Only” copy of the Library.

Library Locking. One of Postlab’s most important features is that it “locks” Libraries that are in use. This means if you’ve begun editing in a Library via Postlab any other

user will be prohibited from opening the same Library no matter where they’re accessing from.

Uploading. Let’s say you’re done editing for the day or maybe you want to share your work with another team member. To get your work uploaded simple close your Library or quit Final Cut Pro. When you return to Postlab you’re presented with a text field for a note and an upload button. Type something about the changes you’ve made and hit Upload. Your work become instantly available to other team members and will be backed up in the cloud.

Downloading updated Libraries. When on the receiving end in Postlab make sure you have open the relevant Production. Navigate to the Library you want to open, Download it if you haven’t already. If you’re not presented with the most recent version all you need to do is hit Command + R to Refresh the page. This should update to the most recent uploaded copy of the Library you’re viewing.

Postlab Drive. Built into Postlab is a remote server solution named Postlab Drive. Much like other storage services, you pay for whatever amount of space you need and can freely add to it. Postlab Drive mounts on your desktop much like an external hard drive. You can technically even edit from Postlab Drive if your internet is fast enough and if you’re using proxies. Postlab Drive is another tool in your pocket for exchanging media between team members as it can act like centralized storage. Mount the drive through the Postlab app, Connect Drive and upload or download media to the remote server. All team members have access to Postlab Drive.