Final Cut Pro X v10.1.x: Effective Storytelling

A comprehensive method for developing compelling storylines in Final Cut Pro X 10.1.x.

Introduction

• Welcome
• Using the exercise files

1. Defining Your Story

• Exploring different types of storytellers
• Identifying story elements
• Finding the essence of the story

2. Gathering Story Elements

• Organizing footage into folders
• Creating a disk image as a contained workspace
• Importing folders and stills as keyword collections

3. Organizing Story Elements

• Adding keywords to make clips accessible
• Using favorite tags to call clips into action
• Making notes to capture observations
• Performing a complex search
• Prepping clips for editing

4. Building a Primary Storyline

• Finding the meat of the clips
• Don't be puzzled over your first edit
• Creating project versions and developing story diversity
• Putting story threads in order
• Sculpting the story within the timeline

5. Refining the Story

• Trimming distractions from a story
• Compounding thoughts into one primary story project
• Evaluating the project for story content and pacing
• Fine-tuning the edits in a project
• Refining the primary sound bed
• Organizing separate story segments into independent storylines

6. Previsualizing in Final Cut to Help Write Your Story

• Storyboarding a narrative script using placeholders
• Recording a narration track to explore script ideas
• Changing pitch in a temporary narration track to identify different characters
• Adding sound effects to create depth

7. Embellishing Your Story

• Embellishing the story with cutaways to B-roll footage
• Finessing cutaways to enhance the story
• Editing and arranging a still-image storyline
• Applying the Ken Burns effect to still images
• Applying effects to enhance story elements
• Altering your story's "look" using the Color Board

8. Moving the Story Along

• Retiming to lengthen or shorten music and clips
• Adding freeze frames to end or start sections
• Video finishing touches
• Audio finishing touches

Conclusion

• Goodbye