Apple Final Cut Pro 7 - Manual (Page 342)

Choosing Reel Names for Folders of File-based Media
Its recommended that you assign reel names to your source media folders to be used by
Final Cut Pro during the logging process. Older editing systems accepted three-digit reel
numbers, starting at 000 and ending at 999. For maximum compatibility, this is a good
naming convention to start with. Unless you have more than a thousand volumes in your
project, this reel-naming convention should be sufficient.
You can use the digits of your reel name to mean different things. For example, the first
digit can be used to represent a particular location, with space for 100 volumes per
location. 100–199 could be used for volumes shot in Washington, D.C., while 200–299
could be used for volumes shot in Los Angeles, and so on. Pick a consistent method, and
if you have to break your convention, have some numbers reserved just for this. For
instance, you could reserve 900–999 for miscellaneous volumes that don’t fit your naming
convention.
Note: If you plan on exporting an EDL, there are restrictions on the reel names you can
use. The restrictions depend on what EDL format you’re using. For more information, see
“Importing and Exporting EDLs.”
When logging, always make sure that you:
• Assign your source media folders simple, unique reel names. Don’t use reel names that
are too long and complicated in order to avoid having to rename folders later during
post-production.
• Take care to assign the proper reel name to each clip as you log and transfer it. If a clip
is assigned the wrong reel name, Final Cut Pro asks for the wrong source folder if you
try to retransfer it.
342 Chapter 23 Logging File-Based Media