How 10 editors and 9 assistant editors edited a six hour documentary series for HBO in Final Cut Pro
Here’s a video from Alex Lindsay’s Office Hours detailing the Final Cut Pro-based workflow of ‘Q: Into the Storm’ – a six part documentary shown on HBO.
- 10 editors, 9 assistant editors, working with 1,700 hours of media. Working remotely.
- Editing start: October 2020. Delivery: March 2021
- Home internet speeds: 200 Mb/s down, 10 Mb/s up
- 70TB of source media
- Footage: shot on cinema cameras, DSLRs, phones, action cameras, screen recordings
- RAW, ProRes, MXF, H.264, H.265
- Constant frame rate, variable frame rate
- Proxy workflow for video: H.264 proxies = 2.7TB
- Original audio: 1.9TB
- Transcoded using Kyno of 1,700 hrs of media in 48 hours on a 28-core Mac Pro
- Centralised Final Cut Pro library access for everyone via Postlab.
- Media distributed using Postlab Drive and Chronosync
- Remote support using Jump Desktop
- Custom-built chat system known as ‘AE Hotline’ – in the style of Slack or Discord
- Very many VFX/animation shots
- VFX/animation shots: Compound clips held source plates and multiple deliveries from vendors
Featuring workflow consultant and lead assistant editor Felipe Baez and Steven Moyer, conform editor.