In the excitement of transferring your media onto the computer, it is very easy to forget where everything is going. If you click capture, do you know where the footage is saving to?

If you are using iMovie, you won’t have to worry about the ‘capture scratch’ as iMovie embeds your captured footage into a self contained project.

What is a capture scratch? Put simply, a capture scratch is a folder where all your captured media is saved to.

It is important to check what initial setup is required for your particular software. In my case, I edited using Final Cut Pro. In Final Cut Pro, you can set up your capture scratch under ‘System Settings’.

Setting capture scratch in Final Cut Pro

Setting capture scratch in Final Cut Pro

Video capturing is only one part of the input process. Your film may contain other assets including graphics, text, images, music and voiceover.

When I first started editing, working on a Channel 31 TV show, I would receive a variety of files from the producer, ranging from a voiceover to a word document with instructions. It was here that I learnt one of the most important aspects of post production, file management. I was self taught and gained a lot of my knowledge through trial and error.

The biggest error I ever made was the habit of saving everything to my desktop. I know what you are thinking, wasn’t it annoying to have a messy desktop? Yes it was, thats why, when it would get full, I would create a new folder called ‘desktop 1’. After that, I felt great, all the files were hidden away from sight and I had a nice clean desktop to fill.

There are a couple of problems with not properly managing your files. One is the ‘Media Offline’ error. When this happens, your heart will probably sink. Media Offline, occurs when the editing software can no longer find some of the files you are using. Imagine your file as a house address. If you suddenly move, or change the name of your street, or you suddenly demolish your house, without redirecting your mail, you will break the possibility of communication between the post office ( editing software ) and you ( the file ). Not to mention confuse your family when they arrive home to a smoldering pile of debris.

So, what does this lesson tell us? The answer is GOOD media management.

folder

Set up a folder ( the desktop doesn’t count )

When starting a project, it is a good idea to have a project folder. In this folder you can keep all the assets you use in the film. Within the the project folder you can have sub folders, grouping your files by file kind ( audio files in one folder, photos in another ).

File names – Using a project code

The next step is naming your files. When working on a project, it is a great idea to have a code for your project. For example, let say your film was called ‘The Awesome Film’. Your project code could be TAF09. At the start of each file related to the project type your code, followed by what it is ( i.e. TAF09_Teacher_Interview.mov ).

Why use a code? Codes are great because it make your assets quickly searchable. If I ever need to find a file related to ‘The Awesome Film’, all i have to search for is TAF09.

You can also have subject codes. This is great if you are studying more than one creative subject. ( i.e Studio Arts work SART09, Media work MED09.

So there you have it! tips to stay organised while dealing with your files! So before you click import, think to yourself, where are these files going?