Using Nesting in FCP

Video editing always takes a lot of time to work on, even with the best-designed application. Therefore, to edit faster is always what I want. As a filmmaker, well, I am really a green hand. I am sure that there is some people same as me. However, if you do not familiar with the application, which I use Apple Final Cut Pro, you cannot edit fast. Today, I am going to introduce one of thousands functions in Final Cut Pro, “Nest Item(s)”, which is really basic, but really makes the process of editing more organized and faster. Also, I would talk about defects of nesting, and how people being screw up by nesting.
Last semester, I have worked on my experimental film project. I have shot more than 30 hours footages for my project, which is about the city, Windsor. I have tried to edit a bunch of footages to a 5 minutes short film. I have had two track of clips arranged on the screen side by side. (see figure. 01).



Each of tracks has to be changed speed. One has to be fast-forward, and the other one has to be slow motion. Also, both of tracks have to have filter on them. I can apply each changing to each clip in the entire sequence in order to have the effects individually, like the video shows to you.



I think you don’t even want to finish the video. The deadline would not allow me to do by this way. Also, I am sure there is a better way. I have searched on the creativecow.net, and someone has suggested me to send clips to other applications but I think it’s too far to go to me. Then, I have started to find some ways to solve the problem by myself. I have started with searching the each option in the Final Cut Pro because many of them I do not really know the function. Once I have seemed “Nest Item(s)” under the menu of sequence, which sounds like what I want.

For how to do nesting exactly, I have read Final Cut Pro® Portable Genius by John Lynn, which is a book about using Final Cut Pro. In the chapter 9 (p.188), the book introduce you how nesting working and what is the perfect time to use it. If you have the similar situation, which is too many layers or clips in the time line, and you want to put a same effect filter or motion action on them, or may be you just want your timeline being organized, you should use nesting. To actually do nesting is not hard at all. You just select the clips you want, then, navigate to the Sequence menu⇒ Nest Items. The following video would show you how to do it.

How to nest


After you nesting those clips, you can put effect on the nest to change all clips in the nest.

put_effects_fliters_on_nests


Some of you may ask, “why don’t you just select clips you want and change them all?” The reason is “selecting all” could not change motions of all clips by once, but nesting could.

However, there also is something you need to notice if you nesting clips.
According to Larry Jordan’s newsletter and my own founds, there are five main points:
1. Audio may get wrong position in nests. But you can select the nest in the Timeline and choose Sequence > Render Only > Mixdown to remix your audio.

2. Any changes you make to the clips in the nest would be reflected in the sequence containing the nest.

3. Also, if you change the duration of the clips in a nest, the duration of the nested sequence would not be changed.

4. Render files are stored in the sequence. So, if you render the clips inside a nest, you will need to re-render the sequence once you nest it. Render files are stored inside the sequence that contains the nest, not with the nest itself.

5. Nesting sequence could not be unested, unless you copy the clips from the nest and paste to the timeline.
































References

Jordan, L. (2010). Technique: Nesting in Final Cut Pro. Larry Jordan & Associates, Inc., archived at http://www.larryjordan.biz/articles/lj_nesting.html

Lynn, J. (2008). Final Cut Pro® Portable Genius. Indianapolis, IN, USA: Wiley.