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.

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